Gibraltar RP and the Away Team Project goes fully interactive

Massive set, huge movable objects and puzzles....How will they get pass the monstrous blades

The crew of the Gibraltar flew again this Monday in special RP event with sets created by Lt Richardjrn Wetherwax for Researches Away Team Project. One aspect of the project isn't  just to create RP sets on demand but original sets and well.

Richard put together an original experimental set with puzzles, navigation of  moving objects and interaction with the environment more than just clicking a few buttons to change textures on a the screen or playing a simple sounds sample.

This set featured ledges to jump, beams to walk across, giant fans to pass, puzzles to solve and a nice surprise at the end .

The videos below feature a multitude of small clips which will autoplay one after the other so sit back and watch how immersive RPing can be made and expect more coming from the Away Team Project and RP's like the Gibraltar very soon.

Full RP story HERE
Sophie Johnson (hydregion resident) Characters view HERE


RP set created by the away team project.

Click to view Pictures

Gibraltar RP interactive set Weatherwax

The Missing Expresso Machine (FOUND)

Greetings All

G-Man here

SUCCESS!
I am here to report that your APTT Successfully Battled THE BORG, defeated the evil drones, and freed the missing Expresso machine from is prison cell. (not sure why it was imprisoned. Maybe it was going to be assimilated and forced to serve expresso to all the borg?)
But it is home, and back on the FADM's desk. The entire team received a hearty Well Done from the FADM.

Freed from a lifetime of Borg Servitude

As for the Mission itself, 16 brave and hearty souls showed up to help us defeat the evil Borg.

Final briefing

Once the team was equipped for the HALO jump, and armed, they readied themselves for the leap into space!

Ready to Jump

The first out was MCPO Malcolm Sholokhov, affectionately known as "treerat"         

"NUTS"

After a long freefall from Orbit, the team lined up on the signal beacon, and began their approach to the target:

Good Chutes in sight

Bulls eye by Starr

Recruit Monkeyman Lines up

Once the team was assembled, they quickly swept through the building, and the droves of Borg that awaited them. And as it turned out, it was the lowest among us that completed the mission. Recruit Monkeyman8290, was the first of the team to find the hidden cell, and free the expresso machine. Congratulations Recruit Monkeyman!
After the battle, the team met for a final briefing before being beamed back aboard the Paris, and returning home.

Standing down from Battle

Congratulations once again to the great effort by the APTT members!

As for me, I definitely would like to thank all of the people who showed up for this event! I love putting them together, and seeing everyone have fun doing them. But it's the members who really do all the work, taking the time to show up and actually do the missions and rp's. Without them our wonderful sims would sit empty. But last night's mission was a fantastic success! We had 16 people show up to either participate or observe the mission. We had thought it was a record for our event, but Captain Desade pointed out that on an event that I held on 6/18/2011, we also had 16 participants. So although we only tied the record last night, it was still a wonderful success, and again I thank all who take the time to come to these events. I know it makes me want to keep having them  :)

Until next time

Ltjg Gokyu Ugajin

P.S. I almost totally forgot. Last nights mission was to put to use the new tactical building I requested. It is an awesome build, and more than a few people got lost in it's twists and turns *coughs* Admiral Cobramax  *smiles*
But I wish to thank Six of Nine for her awesome work! She designed and built it in about 3 days after I requested it, and it is awesome. Thanks again Six!

Exterior View, inside you have to see for yourself :)

That Shrinking Feeling

         Teleport pad on the USS Gibraltar                            Teleport pad on the USS Burbank, something's not right

Some say size doesn't matter but the crew of the Gibraltar found out otherwise when they received a distress signal from the vessel USS Burbank. Did the crew get smaller or did the ship get bigger.

Full story can be found HERE.

More Pictures HERE

Gibraltar RP Every Monday 11am SLT
IM  RoBobby McMillan for details.

RP set created by the away team project.

Away Team Project Interview

 Building Team -  Katie Zwilling, Seven of Nine (zannadu Resident), Rokks Resident 

This week a set was ordered for the Ajax RP and as usual the Away Team were able to deliver it with plenty of time to spare. I caught up with the building team of Seven of Nine (zannadu Resident), Rokks Resident and Katie Zwilling and asked them how they felt about the project and working as a team to create original and requested GFC builds.

What were your thoughts when you first heard about the "Away Team Project"

SEVEN: "I thought it was a good idea, and gave us something to focus on, and a chance to give back something
            that the galaxyfleet command would enjoy."

ROKKS: "I found the idea very cool,and wanted too be part of it".

KATIE: "I would like to, know more and get involved".

How easy was it to work with a team you've never met before

KATIE: "Too easy, I mean, when we started working, it was like we had already met before and when we
              started working, we quickly understood each other and made are first awesome rp set together".

SEVEN: "I must admit it was fun and exiting, sharing input and coming up with sets that had a little of all of us
                in its makeup. We have discovered a few technical issues working jointly on buiilds, but have      
                managed to over come them with reasonable ease."

ROKKS: "It was strange at first but we all got along ".

What do you think you bring to the team.

ROKKS: "My Building skills".

KATE: "Ideas...".

SEVEN: "I think i bring a sexy wiggle smiles, no seriously I have some good ideas and am able to listen
                interact and keep team motivated ".

Is there an advantage building away from the GFC estate?

SEVEN: "Being away building has some real benefits we get to work in peace away from gathers and also in
                secret so the sets are only seen by the lead roleplayer once thay are finished and are a total surprise
                to the roleplayers on the first adventure onto the sets".

ROKKS: "Yes, there are less interruptions".

KATIE:  "You mean away from peering eyes ? yes...".

What's it like working in  on  Away Team Set Project.

SEVEN: "It's Like a secret mission we are let lose with creativity and do build to order we don't need much
                breath and are able to make a start on sets relatively quickly".

KATIE: "It's throwing ideas around , playing with objects and having a great time".

ROKKS: "Great fun and for me it has been an educational experience, I have learnt alot by working on the
                   sets".

So far what's your favorite piece on any set.

ROKKS: "The whole borg set is my favourite at the moment because it has so many ideas and it was the first
                  set".

SEVEN: "Being seven of nine I love the borg set there are many parts I really enjoy on it form the traps that
               fall from above to the fire and volcanic mess to the fleeing borg cubes".

KATIE: "The moon on andoria and the fluid generator and the fire and broken pieces and the borg's main
               hub".

What type of sets would you like to see made in the future.

KATIE: "Starship sets, Station sets, more planet sets".

SEVEN: "I would like a military  set based on area 51 underground rooms with ufos alians advanced space
               tech stuff maybe androids ect".

Note: Since this interview the Area 51 set has been created.

Anything else you would like to add.

SEVEN: "we are willing to help others with projects in order to get the work done, so the end user, the
               roleplayer, has the enjoyment.".

ROKKS: "I'm very happy to be part of the team"

PICTURE GALLERY TEAM AT WORK

AWAY TEAM PROJECT PAGE LINKS

Andoria with the Away Team

One of the ideas of developing the Away Team Set Project was to create sets on demand, so it was the perfect test when Admiral Cobramax Mechanique requested an Andorian set for the long running Ajax RP. The team of   Rokks Resident,  katie Zwilling, Seven of Nine (zannadu Resident) and Richard Weatherwax  set about creating the set.

The team were just given pictures, articles and videos relating to the Andorian homeworld from various star trek references and came up in super quick time with an ancient set of ruins, rolling sands and underground caves.

In this RP  Starship Captain  Mechanique beamed down his team of Janel Doune, Brandy Dawn Prescott (Banditt Weintraub), Kal Aie and snapper Desade to the windy ice planet of Andoria where they came across not only andorians played by Lillian Aries and Gokyu Ugajin but an Orions in the guise of Phedre Aonifall. Dustin Sunflower came in later to add a new character  to the story.

Once again the set played its part in adding to the narrative and when you combine that with costumes and alien skins on show, it created a great atmosphere for the participants and a desire for more of the same.

RP's are the life blood of any trek sim and its good to see a handful of GFC ones which are happy to push the boundaries. There's even more technology in the works to push it further, but that's for another article <winks>.

Picture Gallery

Borg Promotion

Congratulation to Seven of Nine (zannadu Resident) on promotion to Crewman 1st Class (C1C) for
her contribution to the Away Team Set Project, organisation skills and planet access. I'm sure there are many other promotions to come.

Away Team Set Project Premiere

Its a little hard to believe the Away Team project is only about a week and a half old. It was about this time last week that they finished working on their first set which got its premiere today during the Gibraltar RP.

The concept was simple, make new original sets and sets on demand. In that space of time the team of Seven of Nine (zannadu Resident) , katie Zwilling, Rokks Resident and Richard Weatherwax have not only delivered on both those concepts but have done it with quality and speed.

Its always a bit nervy when you first try out a project on its target audience as you create a perception of what that project is, how it functions and what it should feel like to the audience and its always interesting to stand back and watch peoples reactions, did we get it right, was there something we could learn from the experience?

When putting the team together I wanted to see what could be achieve when you allow creative people to let rip with their imagination and that's what they did with the first set which resembled a borg junk yard.

The most interesting aspect when watching the team talk about ideas was how they took two opposite views and married them in a symbiotic fashion which not only worked but usually worked better. Its a concept i've always believed in, the best idea should win and be implemented. Its a rarity in most work you see in RL or SL, but its something that this team excelled in and I believe it has been the key to their success so far.


The first thing that hits you with the borg set is its dark and foreboding nature, everything about it is grim, from the dark green sky, imposing borg cube which rotates above the set to the broken beams and falling scenery, the flames in the main room and lava streaming outside.


There were also subtle and beautiful touches, like the bright green liquid pouring out of the giant tanks, the traps built in the scenery which collapse when you walk on them, beams that fall from the sky to smashed Borg alcoves and escaping cubes and spheres which shoot into the airy sky.

But its not all eye candy, the team also made you work for your rp experience. It wasn't just a simple case of making stuff up, you also had to go where the set led you which meant traversing obstacles to reach a pad on the floor at the top of the room. To get there required balancing on beams and jumping on ledges which was more akin to playing a computer game. Maybe this wasn't what most people expect from an RP but it shows the team are willing to try new things and encourage new ways of rping.


When the Rp was over I think we all felt we had experience something which was different from the norm, where the story didn't just come from your head, the set helped set the tone of the story and planted possibilities which players can use or ignore.


The Away Team Set Project is still in its infancy  but has reminded us of the talent we have in the group and demonstrates that RP's can be whatever we want to make them as long as the imagination is there to build and play it.

Thank you Seven, Katie, Rokks and Rich you've done the GFC proud and proved what is possible in application, imagination, teamwork and respect. All features which should be the corner stone of every division and i'm grateful to be lucky enough to have it in mine.

Picture Gallery 1
Picture Gallery 2

More Away Team Pictures Released

With Mondays Gibraltar RP moving closer and the premiere of the new "Away Team Set" just a few days away  more pictures highlighting the sets have be been released, stolen or put on here in the most blatant and cheapest way of courting publicity I've seen since the last episode of Big Brother.

The two sets of pictures show some of the location that have been worked on so far,

The Borg set picture depicts some of the team talking about various aspects of the design, large movable objects and and bright use of flowing textures are one of the sets most appealing features. Also the eerily  sky has to be seen to be believed which gives you a foreboding feeling in the gut of your stomach when you witness it.

Set 2 on the other hand is a far more welcoming set, placed on turrets sticking out of the water holding up what appears to be a starbase containing many floors. There seems to be a medical like centre with moody lighting and in another room an object poking out of a pool like structure, what can that be, what's it for and what can it do?

To find out more you'll need to join the RP's which will be using these sets in the future.

Get your first taste of them on Monday 11am SLT Gibraltar RP.

Away Team Sets Have Arrived

You may have noticed the new Gibraltar Borg header ads and the previous crash site one. It seems other's have too as we've been asked afew times why the borg are coming...I dunno, maybe they were hungry and heard you were serving meat loaf or maybe it could be the an RP set built under the new Research "Away Team Set" project.

The project consists of bringing small teams together to create sets for RP's, original designs and on request. The first set created by Seven of Nine (zannadu Resident)  was used in the Gibraltar RP afew weeks back and was a great hit. Click HERE for pics and RP LOG.

But since then new members  Rokks Resident and katie Zwilling  have been added to the team and their first custom borg set is finished and ready to use. What the project will strive for is high quality, fast turn around and innovative scenarios for GFC RP's. As of writing the team are well into their second custom set with more to come.

Sneak Peek, wait until you see inside

You'll hear more about them and their sets towards the run up to Mondays RP and beyond, so watch this space for more info as research has slapped a no peeking sign on the sets until Monday.

A new dimension in GFC Rping and Building has just arrived.