Hugtopia OoC

Hello, lovely Hugtopians! A couple of things we need to discuss, so please take some time to read through this announcement in full.

1: Activity Check results

The following characters failed to post AC and will be removed:
If you think you have been removed in error or would like to reverse your removal and take a strike instead, you have three (3) days from now to contact a mod.

The following characters failed to make AC and have received a strike: The following characters were dropped this cycle:
To everyone else, congratulations on completing AC!


2: World Status

It's been updated! Finally! Go check it out. Sorry about the last couple of months.


3: The Future of Hugtopia

It is probably becoming increasingly apparent, but activity and numbers across the board have been dropping over time, and while we love you all and what we've created together, all good things must come to an end. We would much rather go out with a bit of a bang rather than a fart, so to speak, so we are moving towards End Game.

( so long and thanks for all the fish )

Good day, Hugtopians! Activity Check for January 2022 has been completed! The following characters failed to post AC and will be removed:
If you think you have been removed in error or would like to reverse your removal and take a strike instead, you have three (3) days from now to contact a mod.

The following characters failed to make AC and have received a strike:

The following characters were dropped this cycle:

To everyone else, congratulations on completing AC!

Remember, your AC Rewards are due today by 11:59:59PM EST.

FINALLY, we truly thank everyone who took the time to apply for the open moderator position! We were surprised and touched by the number of people who wanted to be involved, and we love each and every one of you. All of that said,

🎉🎉🎉 Please join us in welcoming and congratulating JADE as the newest member of the mod squad! 🎉🎉🎉

Jade has played a big part in formulating some of the in-game player plots, assisting with city growth, and encouraging plenty of good huggin'. We are really looking forward to seeing what her involvement on the team will do to develop the game further. Please look forward to Hugtopia's future shenanigans! And have a look at the Mod Contact page as we have updated it to include her.

Thank you to everyone who replied on the Event Plotting Post regarding Prompt # 4! We had sufficient feedback to determine how the event will end, so here's how it'll go down:

The urge to gather in the city center plaza will intensify as the weeks progress, culminating in a sudden push on the 29th. Those who venture into the center might notice that once they've lingered in the plaza long enough to imply that they're staying in the vicinity rather than just passing through, the statues will take on a brief sheen, as if they've been dunked in a fresh coat of lacquer, and the eyes of your aligned god's statue will glow. It only lasts for a moment, but the message is clear enough: your presence has been acknowledged. Those who leave and return will find that it happens each time, and the effect grows in intensity the more people gather in the plaza. It occurs whether the new arrival is one of the robotic natives or an offworlder.

Residents might also notice something curious about the plaza itself. Normally, the worms are wont to attack anywhere that people have gathered- houses with multiple residents, businesses with customers, parks with crowds coming through, etc. However, even as the crowd in the central circle grows in number, the worms seem to bypass the area for the most part. It is best to keep the location defended, of course, as those gathered could be easy pickings and the protective vibe isn't in play 100%, but as time passes, it gradually becomes the safest place to gather those who can't defend themselves. On occasion, the sky itself comes to your aid: a worm who comes too close might find itself suddenly electrocuted by a bolt of lightning loosed from a clear sky above. Shards of hail might lead a worm or two in a different direction. These touches are simple but clear enough.

When the 29th rolls around, the statues will begin to pulse in a steady rainbow heartbeat, carrying with it a message on the wind: stay, stay. While not compelled, all those within the plaza will feel the urge to hunker down and stick close together, that their patience is about to be rewarded. With a final pulse in the late afternoon, a wave of iridescent light bursts outwards, sweeping through the air in every direction. It passes through residents, creatures, and buildings harmlessly, but the worms it comes across are frozen in their tracks, reformed into a stone statue. Whatever it was doing at the time - digging, eating, burrowing - becomes its final act. Not all of them are caught up in this tidal wave of power, but most are, and the ones that escape quickly burrow down and into the earth, disappearing...for now. In its aftermath, the city is peppered with ugly stone pillars everywhere, but the danger is finally over and the worms are no more. With a final whispered thanks, the statues stop glowing.

Those who were gathered in the plaza find themselves rejuvenated; their minds are free from that tug at last. More noteworthy perhaps is that the local robotic population who'd temporarily lost their functionality begin to wake up! Their return to full cognition is a mixed bag of emotions, naturally. Confusion at what happened, grief at those who have been lost, gratefulness to their friends and neighbours who stepped up to save them. Expect to be thanked a great deal for your troubles.

Those who weren't in the plaza… the good news is, you haven't been turned to stone. However, the point of gathering in a central area was to allow the gods to concentrate their protection in a singular area, which means that outside of it, they had to get more creative. The end result is that everyone and everything who isn't a worm has fallen asleep. Right where they were, just like that. (Try to fall on your butt and not your sword.) It isn't a terribly long sleep, thankfully. The effects should wear off between 6-12 hours later, and while waking you up is an ordeal and a half, it looks like nothing more serious than a deep, relaxing nap. Maybe you snore. Maybe you drool. Whatever your habits, if you're lucky, your friends will carry you home and tuck you in.

Congratulations on surviving yet again!

Happy New Year, Hugtopians!

We hope you're all enjoying your holidays and that 2021 kicks off well for us all and that the year brings us plenty of opportunities for mod and player plots alike.

First, the last Activity Check for 2020 has completed with no one having missed it! Congratulations, players! Second, AC Reward point submission deadline has now passed for December 2020, so good luck in 2021. Remember that Activity Check is open all month long and closes on the last day of the month at midnight EST. AC Rewards are due by midnight EST of the 1st of every month. Don't forget these deadlines and be careful of the timezones - we know they can get tricky!

Now, to start off the new year, we've noticed that the Activity Check & AC Rewards page is getting a bit packed with comments. And while 1600 is still a far cry from hitting captcha, it's quite close and if ever someone has trouble with a computer or weak connections, it could take a bit to load the page.

So we've created a new Activity Check page for your use! Please create a new top level with your character name and canon with the following information included:




PLEASE INSERT IN YOUR COMMENT TITLE: CHARACTER NAME | CANON <b>Old Thread:</b> <a href="URL_HERE">LINK</a> <b>Current Reward Points:</b> How many reward points do you currently have. If you have none, then write 0

From now on, please use this new page for Activity Check. Any submissions to the previous page will be asked to move to the new one. If you notice any links or instances where the old post is referenced rather than the new one, please let us know! The old post will soon be locked from new comments.

The World Status Page has updated for January with some open prompts and overall descriptions of what's going on in Havenwell, so give it a look if you like.

Finally, Reservations are currently open and Applications open on the 2nd! Thank you for sticking with us through 2020 and we hope you continue to enjoy the game through 2021. Glad tidings to everyone!

Hello, Hugtopians!

First, the mod team wants to remind you that Activity Check ends in 5 days on November 30th at 11:59:59PM EST. If you have not posted your AC by then, you will be removed from the game. If you post but fail to make AC by then, you will receive a strike. Taking a strike means you cannot hiatus or take a strike in the next month: you must make AC or you will be removed from the game. AC Reward points are due in 6 days on December 1st at 11:59:59PM EST. For more information on Activity Check Rules and to post your AC and Rewards, check the Activity Check Page. If you're worried about making AC, please contact a mod immediately.

Secondly, we have heard all of your suggestions from the discussion post and we truly appreciate all of them! While we didn't reply directly on the post itself, please know that the mod team had a lot of discussions amongst ourselves about how to best balance what everyone suggested and wanted. For now, these are the things that have been decided.
( Results of the Discussion Post )

Most importantly, if you have any concerns, complaints or suggestions regarding any of the changes or features about to be implemented, please don't hesitate to contact us here or via the screened comments on the Mod Contact page. We want to make sure that any changes we are planning to make to the game are satisfactory to the majority of our players, so hearing your voices - whether in support or opposition - is extremely important to us! Thank you for all your kind messages on the previous discussion post, and we hope we can continue to create a welcoming and entertaining environment for everyone.

Hello, Hugtopians!

It's our first year anniversary and so we have a big, big, BIG thank you to all players past and present for helping us bring this game to life. We wouldn't be here without all of you, and we want you to know how much we appreciate you. Here are some messages from our mod team!

From Tracy, our head mod:
I just want to thank everyone for making the game work, for being interested and involved. It was really a concept because I saw friends wishing there were more general love/affection games, things that were light-hearted and laidback. And the players and my fellow mods made my silly idea into something that's actually fun. And I love seeing people get excited. It really makes me feel warm inside.

From Akai, our technical mod:
Finding a new game after one ends is always difficult, and settling back into the mod seat can be nerve-wracking after years away. A big thank you to all of the players and my fellow modlies for making the process relatively painless and incredibly fun, helping me form a new nest for myself to get cozy in, and revive that creative spark yet again. I'm delighted to be here and I hope we can continue playing together for many more months to come!

From Kaze, our plot mod:
You've helped us world-build and each brought your own unique flavors to this melting pot game in a way I never could have imagined. We've had growing pains, but through each step you've stayed with us, guided us, and helped us find a way forward to creating a little bit of peace amid a crazy world. This was my first time really taking the reins in building a comprehensive world and creating monthly events, and I'm just so delighted that you're all enjoying it so far. All of your FAQ questions, player plots, shenanigans, even your critiques - I love them. You make this game fantastic with your creativity, and thanks to you, we can continue to strive to better the game for everyone!

We all hope we can continue to grow the game with all of your help, and continue to bring you events and game content that engage and delight you. Thank you for helping us get to our first anniversary. Here's to future adventures together!

In that vein, we'd like to ask you, the players, what you would like to see more of in the game going forward in what is essentially our Season 2!

• Is there anything you'd like to see changed up? Anything you'd like more of (or less of)?
  
• Do you have an idea you'd really like to play out on a larger scale?
  
• What general mood or what style of events would you like to see in the game? Keep it primarily slice of life? Start feeding a more consistent and steady plot?

Furthermore, if you have any specific event suggestions or even rough ideas, feel free to toss them over on the Mod Contact page.

Let us know here in the comments. Discuss among yourselves, discuss with us! We're here to listen to what you want this game to be ♥!

Hello, Hugtopians! The mod team wants to remind you that Activity Check ends in four days on 29 February at 11:59:59PM EST.

Please note that this month is shorter than usual, so do not miss the deadline!

If you have not posted your AC by then, you will be removed from the game. If you post but fail to make AC by then, you will receive a strike. Taking a strike means you cannot hiatus or take a strike in the next month: you must make AC or you will be removed from the game.

AC Reward points are due in five days on 01 March at 11:59:59PM EST. For more information on Activity Check Rules and to post your AC and Rewards, check the Activity Check Page. If you're worried about making AC, please contact a mod immediately.

Also, Reserves open this month on 28 February at 10:00PM EST, and Applications begin on 02 March at 10:00PM EST.

And speaking of apps, a quick ANNOUNCEMENT!

We'll be putting a game ad up on enablemeplz to advertise the game in March. If you have any castmates requests or would like to see someone in the game, please post your suggestions here! We'll aggregate everything and add it to our post. Try using this form to help us help you!
<b>Canon:</b> <textarea><b>Canon:</b> <b>Have:</b> <b>Want:</b>


Keep being awesome, everyone. We're so glad to have you all with us. Thank you and good luck with AC!

Hello, Hugtopians!

The mod team wants to remind you that Activity Check ends in four days on November 30th at 11:59:59PM EST. If you have not posted your AC by then, you will be removed from the game. If you post but fail to make AC by then, you will receive a strike. Taking a strike means you cannot hiatus or take a strike in the next month: you must make AC or you will be removed from the game.

AC Reward points are due in five days on December 1st at 11:59:59PM EST. For more information on Activity Check Rules and to post your AC and Rewards, check the Activity Check Page. If you're worried about making AC, please contact a mod immediately. Thank you and good luck, everyone!

As a reminder, characters who joined the game this app cycle are not required to pass AC, and can use any relevant threads for Reward Points.

Also, as a head's up: we've been struggling to get the tags in both communities working properly, but it has been noticed that a lot of the time, they just weren't accessible to players, despite our having a post devoted to using tags so they'd work for everyone. We believe this problem has been resolved! However, if you run into any further issues with tagging entries, please let us know and we'll see if we can fix it. Sorry for the inconvenience, it's been quite the head-scratcher.