BlueGoku

It'll happen. You're right in that it IS a huge thing to take on for just one person, but I plan on bringing a few more people into the fold to help me out.

The original intention was to get it set up here, but that didn't pan out. Regardless, it's probably better to have it up on sscouncil.com for reasons already posted. Furthermore, it's not in compe!@#$%^&*ion with ssforum in any way, the only public part of the forum is for SSC related questions. Don't have any? Then you don't need to visit the forum. The forum came about to supplement the already existing sysop chat, and even though it's only been up for a couple of days, it's already proven to be quite useful. As well, we're not deciding who should and shouldn't have access, but as a rule of thumb if you're banned from SSC, you're most likely not going to get access to it. It has the potential to house sensitive information and considering you've already violated SSC rules, it doesn't really matter much that one zone decided to banfree you and give you sysop. I can tell you right now that if someone who is netbanned decides to start his own zone and asks for SSC, he's not going to get it. Why should it be different just because the zone is ALREADY on SSC?

Like FM said, GS is already aware. I sent Priit an e-mail this morning as well, so it's out of our hands now. Just gotta be patient, hopefully he's not on vacation or something.

A few years ago priitk enabled use of that command for a short period of time. Theoretically it was supposed to be enabled for a short period of time every couple years, but that didn't end up happening. The SSCouncil has been lobbying for it to be re-enabled permanently for a while now, but I doubt it ever will be. In my opinion if it was enabled it would actually cut down on name-trading, since it would ultimately mean that once you give someone your name, you aren't going to have any way of getting it back.

Spore was gonna do that too? I know M!@#$%^&* Effect for PC was gonna authenticate itself every few days but they changed their minds.

PC only, yes. The requirements, they've said, aren't too demanding. You'll probably be able to scale it down. I have a gaming laptop so I'm not too worried. As for what the actual game is about, it's from Maxis, the guys that made all the Sim games. You start off as a single celled organism and then gradually evolve into a creature. You then keep on evolving until you become a space faring civilization, at which point you can travel to other planets and you can destroy or colonize them (or abduct creatures and bring them back to your planet). While the game does not have an online mode, it's linked up to the maxis servers at all times, so most (or probably all) of the planets you come across will actually have creatures that other people have created. The reason they didn't just make it fully online is because they didn't want people to be jerks and just destroy other people's hard work. That's just a rough description, I'm sure there's tons I missed. Read up on it on www.spore.com

The creature creator is coming out next month. Here's a long and in depth preview from IGN: http://pc.ign.com/dor/objects/735340/spore..._tool_demo.html I can't wait 'till the full game comes in in September, it looks insanely good.

All depends on what you like. If you're a fan of RPG's, M!@#$%^&* Effect is a must have. If you're a fan of video games in general, GTA4 is a must have. COD4 for FPS games (Halo is alright too, I wouldn't say it's a must have tho). Orange Box if you don't have a good PC.

You can try changing the port. However, I have a suspicion that the SSC firewall doesn't just block IP's but ports as well, so if you're trying to use a port that priit hasn't unblocked specifically for your zone, then you won't have billing access. Also, ya, he's the only person with remote access to the SSC billing server, and the SSCX/SSCU server.

But don't expect a reply for a while. GS and I have been trying to contact him since mid December and neither of us have heard anything back. Pointman's been trying too I think.

Sad to see ya go. You were there when HZ needed a temporary server and really bailed us out, so you definitely have my thanks, Confess.

With only about 500, if even, active netbans (meaning the others are expired).

I think like any other game, SS is just going through the regular life cycle. It's not any one thing, as has been mentioned. For example, some of you have mentioned SSC being strict with zones we allow on the billing. While it's true that we're firm believers in the "better safe than sorry" ideology, I have yet to see anyone quit SS in general because of this. One of the major reasons SS has survived this long, is the chat system. It's unlike any other game chat system. People have built up friendships in the 12 years they've been playing this game. With that said, development is the most important factor in keeping SS's current population as well as building on it. I'm glad to see so many people are actively brainstorming and working on new clients, and ASSS of course has been extremely awesome. HZ has pretty much hooked any player that has come into the zone and seen a replay in a league game. As for banning being a reason we're losing population: the type of players that are netbanned are players you wouldn't want playing in your zone anyway. Undeserving bans are always removed when they're brought to the banG admin's attention, and players that are wrongfully caught under someone else's ban can easily fill out a form and get banfree'd. The netban message is pretty straight forward.

My new years resolution coincides with my sales quotas for my new job.

Never even so much as silenced or kicked.

That looks bad, bro. Glad you're okay.

Rudy isn't single . Also, locked. The SSC is currently discussing this. We'll get back to you.

People like to assume things, Candy. Everyone throwing around allegations of corruptions in the SSC - that's a wild !@#$%^&*umption. I've yet to see any names named, or even any examples. Everyone thinking population is the only factor when considering zones for the SSC - that's an !@#$%^&*umption. While it's true that a zone needs to actually have people, you know, actually playing it before it gets access, we also look at a number of other factors. One of the most important being that particular zone's staff. Everyone thinking the SSC doesn't get anything done - that's a completely and utterly wild !@#$%^&*umption. Our role is to -help- move the game forward by providing opinions from basically every SSC zone. Just a quick rundown of what we're doing/we've done in the past month: - We've diffused a very serious issue in Desert Storm Zone. - We're in the midst of adding a new member. - We're discussing a new net-ban protocol. - We're discussing a potential new SSC zone. Keep in mind with the exception of 3 or 4 members, we all run our own zones as well. Taken directly from our website, www.sscouncil.com: "What is the SSCouncil? The SS Council is a group of leaders within the SubSpace/Continuum community. Members include zone owners, network admins, billing admins, client/server developers, and Web site administrators. Our purpose is to maintain the integrity of the SSC network while providing a safe place for gaming."

Err mistyped that. The council votes on new zones that want access to the biller. However, a zone already on SSC just needs to let Priitk know they're changing servers and what the new IP that should be forwarded through the firewall is. We don't vote on that, since the zone already earned its SSC slot. It's not up to council whether you get to keep SSC access when you change servers. HZ for example, has changed servers like 6 times in the last few years. All I had to do is shoot Priit an e-mail with the new IP. This was even before I was a council member. Maybe GS misunderstood or maybe you misunderstood. But I know zones have changed servers multiple times since I've been on the council, and I've yet to see a vote about getting access through the firewall. Heck, even when I skimmed through the archives when I joined the council I didn't see any votes on access except for brand new zones.

Sounds good. Also, just a bit of news: I did end up getting that promotion . Oh and the events are still planned =p.

That's not even remotely true. The SSC Billing firewall was added because Priit didn't have the time to secure the biller. The entire billing protocol is vulnerable. HZ, HS and Powerball all have enough access to steal every player's password and gain enough BanG access to take over the entire network. And if SSC were as active as you say, it wouldn't have taken Hyperspace 9 weeks to get access to the biller when we moved servers. What's not remotely true? The biller isn't hosted on a server much like any zone in SS? The server isn't as vulnerable as any zone's server? At least quote a specific part when you want to say something as bold as that, especially when everything you quoted is true. I didn't say the biller was as secure as possible, I said the server was as secure as possible. MTN, a fellow council member, has already stated that the biller is vulnerable to hacking and such. Because it's vulnerable coupled with the fact that everyone and their mother wants their zone on SSC regardless of how good it actually is, is the reason zones are voted in as opposed to anyone being given access. As well, the SSC has nothing to do with how long it takes a zone to gain access to the biller. The only one of us with physical access to the server is priitk, and it's pretty much common sense within all of SS that he's NOT active. And that's not going to change any time soon. Regardless, when it comes to issues we can actually handle, we're pretty !@#$%^&* active. And for what it's worth, Polix, I've always thought you should be on the council and voted yes the last time we voted. There's no doubt in my mind you've only got good intentions as pertaining to SubSpace's well being.

That list is updated and accurate. The only person that left the council that is still on the list is Mr Ekted. I'll remove him the next time I update the site, which should be fairly soon. Wonderer only left his post as a billing op, not the council.

Syrus, you seem like a very smart guy but some of the stuff you say about the SSC is downright ignorant. You aren't privy to what the SSC does or does not discuss, so I can't see how you can logically say.. well, anything about anything relating to the SSC. Securing the biller? The biller is hosted on a server much like any zone in SS. This server is vulnerable just like any zone's server. I'm sure priitk has taken the proper steps to ensure that it's as secure as possible, but why risk it when the safe and simple thing to do is monitor who has access to it? Any time a zone shows interest in being given access, one of the council members is notified and we put it to a vote. However, to ensure we don't get 10 requests a day from Joe Subgame2ez we've set a few requirements which ensure only zones that won't fold within the next couple of months are given access. And I may as well address the part about the members themselves. Like I said previously, anything you may think about the members or our discussions is pure speculation. For example, this month alone there have been 53 messages sent back and forth between the group. We've just barely passed the middle of the month, and the SSC is only composed of 17 members (including Priit =p). That's roughly 3 messages per every member. We're currently discussing 4 issues. I'd say that's pretty active. Not sure what to say about the corrupt/worthless part, but I can without a doubt vouch for every single member currently on the council on their level headed-ness. Nobody on the council is worthless and everyone has added insightful information to the discussions we have. Some members may be more active than others, but that's to be expected. All of us have -actual- jobs, some more demanding than others, but pretty much everyone that has experienced activity issues has had various responsibilities scaled back. Example being wonderer and kewlair stepping down as billing ops due to their in game time being more limited than when they volunteered for the positions. We aren't here to hold any zones back, and we certainly aren't here just for the sake of having power (what power? this is a 2d game, I manage millions of dollars in investments at work, believe me, I get no kick out of being able to do this or that on here =p). We're here to help, and I think there are enough people that certainly see it that way, and have certainly expressed thanks to us in one way or another. Just ask one of the hundreds and hundreds of people I've helped get their name/squad back over the past year and a half. That's A) because of the council discussion which led to more billing ops being added and B ) because of the persons selected to be given these responsibilities. Edit: Stupid smiley.

Unless someone else created the name and still has access to the ?lostp!@#$%^&*word e-mail, your name is gonna remain yours. If someone else did make the name and wants it back, it's rightfully theirs if they can ?lostp!@#$%^&*word it. Anyway, if you've got information to share, I'd love to hear it.