AN IMPORTANT (AND FINAL) ANNOUNCEMENT

[robbies]

AN IMPORTANT ANNNOUCEMENT

We live inside a dream

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Hello again, neighbors. Thank you all for coming this far. We're Still Here started out as an idea and became a Real Thing all thanks to the combined collaborative effort of moderators and players, team, and player base. It's been a wild few months since we first opened and we think it's been worth it. This has been a memorable experience for us all. Many of us are new to modding — whether a game of this depth or a game at all — and we learned a lot of things along the way and we're grateful to have steered this ship and to have you all onboard. However, after much consideration and discussion between the team, we've come to the difficult decision that it'll be best if we called it now and closed the game. Our goal in modding has been to be as honest and transparent as possible, and in that effort we have put out calls for help and delayed events; we even went on a pause. We did these not because we tried to put band-aid fixes on problems but because we genuinely believed that with a bit of pressure released, real life circumstances would get better and we could return with the energy, time, and polish we want to have. While there were a few individuals that stepped up to offer their help as mods (thank you!), the aforementioned circumstances are not getting better, and trying to keep the game going while knowing our real lives are pulling us away is harmful to us all. We're sorry that this is not the announcement you were all hoping for. We know that many of you have been wondering about the state of the game, hoping for the best, but we feel like it's the best course of action we can make, for both the mods and the players. The game is closing but we want to leave you all with a few things before we go. You've all been nothing but champs since the game has opened. A few of you even stepped up and threw your hat in the ring to join the team, wanting to keep the game going, and the dedication touches our hearts. To those who submitted mod applications, we greatly appreciate and are thankful for your willingness to step up. We had every intention of bringing new people in to help, but in the end we had to be honest and recognize that we did not have the time or energy to do so. We'd have handed you the keys without telling you what they were to. It would have been unfair to you, and it was not a reflection of your potential as mods. We want to let all of you know that we do see the effort and the passion you've all poured into We're Still Here. It doesn't feel right to simply close up the shop and leave you all with unanswered questions. So we would like to offer you the following: Plot Outline We felt like it's only fair to give you all a sense of closure and an idea of What Could Have Been. To that end, we're releasing a full plot outline that explains the planned storyline and events in full, along with major turns that you, players and characters, could have influenced. You can find a link to the Plot Outline here with all you'll need to know about what was up and what would have went down. If you're left with a few more questions, though, we actually have something up next to help you out with that! Q&A Session From May 2 until June 2, the moderators will be running a Q&A Session. Whether you'd like more lore or hear what would have happened if your character did X or Y, this is where you can ask it! The one thing we'd like you all to not ask are the identities of those part of the mod team, past or present. Revealing themselves will be up to the individual moderator's discretion, if they choose to do so at all. Out of respect for some of the sensitive and serious matters that some mods have been going through, we also request that details of what has been going on IRL remain up to individual mods to disclose, if they want to (whether now or at a later date). Community Access Current members of the game will keep their access to the communities — the log, network, OOC, and meme communities. You're free to play out the story and events of the game at your own pace or explore some roads you guys didn't get a chance to take. The TDMs will remain up as a sort of dressing room (remember those?) if you want to test them out and enjoy the prompts on your own terms. Not only that, but former players and/or characters who dropped in the last three months are also free to request access to the comms again. We'll be granting requests from May 2 until June 2, so send in a request while you can! In the past, we said that We're Still here has been a labor of love — not just by the mods, but by you all, the players, and we still believe that. This game would not have been made possible if not for the fact you all took a chance on it and buckled down for the wild ride since we first opened. From the initial outpouring of love on our interest plurk to overwhelming fun on our first TDM, we have been blown away by your support and understanding, and we're humbled by all the patience and empathy you've given us for every hiccup and delay we've announced. We’re thankful to you all for making this an amazing experience. The mod team has only gratitude and thanks to you all for giving us a shot. We can only hope that we made this a memorable experience for you all in the short time we've been together. Thank you all, and in case we don't see you again: Good afternoon, good evening, and good night. Your proud and happy neighbors, We’re Still Here Mod Team

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Comments

[m1895]

So I hope this post is what was meant by "this is where you can ask it" but -

First of all, thank you guys for everything you did to make this game fun for us. It's the best premise I've seen in a while and it was well run. Even the closing is, I think, the best way news like that can be dropped, and I appreciate the effort to give us closure.

I had a fantastic time here, and a big part of that was the NPCs. I only got the chance to play Vasiliy against Harding during the time I was in the game, but he was a great character and I had a lot of fun. To whoever was responsible for manning that particular helm, I hope we encounter each other again sometime. The main questions I have left relate to that CR - would Harding, having received the note 'warning' him that Clarke was going to kill him, act any differently leading up to the final straw when he got executed? Would he have thought about Vasiliy's note in the moments before dying? And would he have attributed it to him?

And did the NPCs know the individual characters' backgrounds?

Thanks for everything, guys, and thanks for giving us a chance to put these questions to rest.

[helloneighbor]

Thank you for the kind words, Lauren! We had a lot of fun playing Harding agaist Vasiliy. Had they continued their CR, it would have slowly drawn Harding out of his shell, which would have benefited the rest of the game at large as it would have given him a reason to start giving a damn about the Neighbors (even though they keyed his car and tried to steal his wallet). See what a little compassion can do?

To answer your questions:

1. Would Harding, having received the note 'warning' him that Clarke was going to kill him, act any differently leading up to the final straw when he got executed? Would he have thought about Vasiliy's note in the moments before dying? And would he have attributed it to him?
Harding's death was scheduled to happen further along into the story, so Vasiliy's note wouldn't have changed things too much. It would have made him more suspicious of Clarke, though. It would have also earned the Neighbors some sympathy points since it's clear that some of them care enough to look out for him, which would have contributed to his betrayal of Clarke, which would have been the reason he gets killed in the first place. Again, see what a little compassion can do?

He wouldn't have known it was Vasiliy's doing unless there was something that explicitly linked the letter to him, like the English in the letter being imperfect like it was written by someone who doesn't speak it as their primary language, or if something in a future conversation he has with Vasiliy pointed towards him being the writer.

2. Did the NPCs know the individual characters' backgrounds?
They did not! Mary is powerful, but she's not omnipotent, and would have had to be told by characters about their backgrounds for her to know about them. That suits her just fine though because she's starstruck by the idea of meeting real life superheroes and aliens and monsters. It's the same with Rosemary, but to a more pragmatic degree. Clarke and Harding couldn't care less, although of the two Harding would be a bit more open-minded.

Again, thank you so much for playing with us and being supportive up until the end! We hope we'll see you again someday out in the wilds of DW!