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by Archimedes Leonidas, AncientSites Member |
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by Archimedes Leonidas, AncientSites Member |
This article is taken from from a piece originally written for the Glaux Athenaion, the newspaper of Athens. It has been altered and edited to fit the needs of you, the new arrival in Ancient Sites.
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Greetings, new citizen! Welcome to Ancient Sites!
AncientSites is a unique Internet community. It is difficult to describe AS - it is mixture of Ancient History, discussion boards, fantasy role-playing, on-line gaming, and user-created web pages. The whole mixture becomes a thoroughly engrossing and completely enjoyable community experience. Welcome to one of the most intriguing communites on the Internet! I hope that you find this "Beginner's Guide" helpful as you navigate around! |
A Beginner's Guide - Why?
Well, if you're reading this, then chances are that you've already logged in as a new member of Ancient Sites. I don't need to tell you how confusing this place can seem to the uninitiated! Cities, avatars, fora, SPQR, oikoi - it can be a little intimidating for most beginners! I first ran across AncientSites while searching Yahoo and Excite for the terms "Ancient History." Having landed in the AncientSites front page, I was overwhelmed with the number of things going on. Obviously this was some kind of Ancient History Internet community; kind of like Tripod in togas, right? I could handle this. I registered to see more. I was unprepared for what was to happen next. The days that followed found me drawn ever deeper into the mystery and intrigue of "AncientSites." I have attempted to condense most of what I have learned into this Guide so that you, dear reader, can get the most enjoyment of this site right away.
At this time I will state for the record that I am not an employee of Ancient Sites, nor do I represent the administration in any capacity whatsoever. I am simply a member that has compiled most of what I have learned into this Guide, to share with newcomers. Although I will do my best to answer questions, I will tell you that you should address your questions directly to the Ancient Sites administrators, demigods, and cyberdeities.
I have organized this Beginner's Guide in the following manner:
Logging into
Ancient Sites
Setting Up Your
Home Page
Patrons' Pages
Communications
Console - "People Panel"
Getting
Started on the Boards
Coming Home
Some
Background on Ancient Sites
Okay,
So What Else?
Telegrams
Life starts for your character when you first register a name and log in. You must first pick the city in which you wish to reside, and then a fictitious "family name" (last name) from a pull down menu. Next, you type in your fictitious first name. You register your correct email address with AncientSites, but this is used only by the administration and is invisible to all users. A password is immediately sent via email.
When you log back onto AS with your new password, you are considered a "Dayling." A Dayling is someone on their very first day. During this time, you will be focused on moving into your new home page, typing in a little description about your character, and exploring the site.
Your character is immediately upgraded to "Novice" upon the next day's login. The Novice class lasts for 30 days. After 30 days, your character then upgrades to "Citizen." The rank of "Citizen" is as far as your character can progress without actually subscribing to AS. To reach the next level, "Patron," and enjoy the extensive benefits of this class, you are required to become a financially supportive member of AncientSites. Patron costs range from $14.95 per quarter to $250 for Lifetime Gold Membership. After Patrons, there are Demigods and Cybergods - these represent Ancient Sites administrative personnel and programmers.
One of the first things each new member must do is to set up their home page. AncientSites gives all Daylings, Novices, and Citizens up to 500 kilobytes of web space on their server, free, forever. The new member proceeds to their home page ("domus" in Latin, "oikos" in Greek) and chooses an occupation and visual icon for their character, called an "avatar." The home page includes an Entrance, a Courtyard, a Library, and a Study. You can access each of these "rooms" by using the Command Bar at the bottom of the screen. For example, if you click on "Courtyard," you will be taken to your courtyard. Each of these four pages can be customized to the user's liking, using HTML tags, jpgs, and gifs. In my opinion, the Home Page capability of AS is clearly one of the best features of the site. This allows the creation of very complex and robust pages, limited only by the user's creativity and proficiency in HTML. Needless to say, if you pay money to become a Patron, you can get up to 15 MB of server space instead of only 500 kB. Additionally, Patrons also get an extra room, called the "Private Garden."
Cash Box
While setting up a home page, the user is encouraged to set up a "Cash Box." This is located in the Library. Each day you log in, the AncientSites treasury credits your account with "sestertii," the Roman unit of currency. These operate like Pepsi points - save these up and you will be able to apply them to Citizen upgrades, discounts, passes, and other promotional specials. You can spend them playing the game "Carpenter's Cup," or, having become a Patron, gamble them away at the Circus Maximus. Additionally, I understand that there are plans for more creative ways to spend your sestertii!
Avatars & Images
Members can pick their personal avatar from amongst a selection provided by Ancient Sites. In addition, there are some members that offer "downloadable avatars" that you can use instead of the stock selection provided. Most people are very finicky about their avatars, because they are visual representations of their characters. Each member, including you, actually has two avatars - a large version and a smaller identical version. The large avatar is displayed on your Entrance Page. The small avatar accompanies your messages and mail. (This becomes more important if you choose to upload your own. You will need to edit your images in a PaintShop-type program to fit certain size requirements.) Please note, however, that it is strictly taboo to steal someone else's avatar from their home page and use it for your own. Don't ever do this!
You will notice that each of the four "rooms" of your home - the Entrance, Courtyard, Library, and Study - each contain an image of a doorway, or a courtyard, etc. Ancient Sites allows you to change these by uploading your own images, usually jpegs or gifs. Again, these images have to meet certain size requirements. Be sure to visit some of the Patron pages to really get a feel of what you can do!
Message Board
Additionally, users also set up a personal Message Board at their home page as well. This allows other users to leave messages for you, similar to the dry-erase marker boards that are so common today. "Hey! I came to visit you! Where were you? : )" Oftentimes, people will leave messages that start with, "I came over here to your house, but you were not home..." Once in a while, people will leave virtual gifts for each other for visiting their home, such as a small plate of figs, or some flowers, or perhaps some candy. Feel free to do the same when visiting someone else!
Editing Your Home Page
To EDIT your home page, you need to enter "Edit Mode." Look towards the bottom of your home page, and you will see the Command Bar. It looks like this:
Entrance | Courtyard | Library | Study | Private Garden
BB Entries | Friends | Messages | Chat | Edit turn onClick on "Edit turn on," and your page will redraw with little blue "Edit" boxes all over your screen. (See Figure 1.) Each one represents an item that you can change or edit. You can create your Welcome Statement using any combination of HTML commands. Simply click on the "Edit" tag, and the screen will refresh will a free-form text entry box. Now you can enter your Welcoming Message. (I encourage you to look at some of the Patron homes to see how much creativity you can exercise!) You can also change your avatar and your Entrance page image. Instead of "Job Hunting," you can select your virtual occupation.
While still in "Edit Mode," you can click on the other rooms of your home. When you arrive, these pages also will be ready for you to edit them. Proceed into your Courtyard and Study, and edit the messages there, as well. You can also upload new images if you choose. Your Library does not have any text that you can edit, but you can upload an image, if you wish. You do not need to Edit your pages in any particular order, and there is no limit on the amount of times you can Edit your home. (In fact, some people will spend hours tweaking, adjusting, and improving their pages!) When you are finished editing your home, no matter what room you are in, return again to the bottom of the screen, and select "Edit turn off." The blue boxes will disappear. You are finished.
Figure 1. This illustrates some of the little blue "Edit" boxes on the main Entrance page.
Not visible in this screen shot is the large "doorway" on the right - you can "Edit" the
doorway image as well, by uploading your own gif or jpeg.
Selecting an Avatar
When you first visit your home page, you will see a "stock" avatar image. After you toggle "Edit" mode, click on the "Edit" box beneath the avatar. This will take you to "Select an Avatar," the Ancient Sites avatar engine. In "Select an Avatar," you can pick and choose from among a selection of male or female avatar images. After you choose one, your home page will be updated with your new avatar. You may have to hit your "Reload" button to update your browser with the new page.
"Select an Avatar" also allows you to upload your own images to your home page. It is outside the scope of this introductory Beginner's Guide to go into detail about HTML or uploading images. For further study, I recommend:
Arachne
"Arachne" is a message board dedicated to HTML and editing web pages. You will find many helpful threads here, including tips and tricks for the begninner as well as expert. Take my advice, and spend some time looking through this board. Any question you have has probably been addressed and answered here!Avatar Pages
More resources from Arachne.
Here are a few "banner ads" from some Ancient Sites patrons. One of the more popular activities in Ancient Sites is to visit other people's homes, and I encourage you to do so! These Patrons have fantastic home pages. Check 'em out! All these home pages should open in a new browser window. If they don't, you will have to hit your "Back" button to return to this article. For safety's sake, you might want to bookmark this article now, before you click on an external link.
This page takes a while to load, but boy is it worth it.
A fantastic and breathtaking home page! This is another page that takes quite a while to load.
Ancient Sites allows you to create complex and fabulously ornate
home pages, limited only by your imagination and proficiency in HTML.
Communications Console - "People Panel"
When you login, you will notice a small Java-enabled registration console. This is called the "People Panel." It is a long, skinny rectangular window that says, "Forums - Chat - Help" and also your login name. Most of the time, you will minimize this to get it out of your way. But be careful - don't close it! When you need it, the People Panel can be extremely helpful. By clicking on your own name you can go to your own home (also called a "domus," or "oikos.") The People Panel also shows you all the other visitors that are currently logged into Ancient Sites. By clicking on one of their names, you can go visit their home page or send them a telegram. Visiting other users' home pages is one of the most popular activities in Ancient Sites. Make sure you go visit the pages of the Patrons. Since they are paying members, (with a lot of server space) they tend to have lavish, luxurious homes, replete with fantastic art and animated avatars!
Another feature that the People Panel provides is "Forums." By clicking on "Forums," you will bring up the Master List of Bulletin Boards, or discussion boards. You will need to know this to find the discussion boards for your city and the private Special Interest Group boards as well.
By the way, you need to have cookies enabled on your browser to login into Ancient Sites. If you have cookies disabled, you will get an error message.
Once you have moved in and set up house, it is time to get out onto the Bulletin Boards and announce yourself! Go out to the Bulletin Boards, and look for "Site News & Introductions." Underneath this topic you will find a discussion thread called, "New Citizens Welcome to AncientSites! - Warm yourself up by posting here." Open a new message and introduce yourself. Most messages go something like this: "Greetings, everyone! My name is Eridu Gilgamesh and I am a new resident of Babylon. I have heard so much about this place and I am excited to be here. I am majoring in Ancient History at USC. I look forward to talking to many of you. See ya!"
Next, proceed immediately to Rome, choose "Roman Groups," and select the Consulate VI group. Once inside of that, find the "AS Survival Guide" discussion thread and select it. There are a number of posts here to help you - the newbie dayling - figure out just what the heck is going on! Remember, the discussion threads are sorted in descending chronological order, so the newest stuff is up top, and the oldest stuff is down the bottom. Start at the bottom and work backwards.
Next, you will want to spend some time "cruising the boards." You will find many interesting discussion groups and message threads to read. You will probably want to post a message or two to the free boards, and write down the names of the Special Groups that capture your interest. While reading the discussion boards, you will notice that the author's name is highlighted. By clicking on the author's name, you can proceed right to their home page to discover more about them. You can also leave a message for them at their home page!
Discussion Boards
By far the most popular activity in Ancient Sites is participating in discussion boards. There are countless boards, representing countless topics. These boards are topic oriented threaded message conversations. For example, in the city of Rome, some of the groups you will find include:
Rostra - 888 messages - The longest standing group in the City of Rome
Rumusculus - 3102 messages - Ancient History, with an emphasis on Fun
and good humor!
CampusMartius - 5272 messages - For the Expansion of Rome
ConsulateVI - 98 messages - The Administrative Group
Britannia - 948 messages - Discussion of the Roman province of Britannia,
55 B.C. to 450 A.D.Choosing a group takes you to its main screen. From here, you are able to view a list of the members of the group, read the postings, or sign up to become a member. The message threads can be quite interesting and can take hours to go through. Unlike better messaging systems, however, AS does not "indent" threads - so sometimes, it can be a little difficult to follow.
There are two kinds of discussion boards, Public and Special Interest Groups. A public board is a called a "Forum" (the plural is "Fora.") The Special Interest Groups are called "Groups."You are permitted to browse around and read postings from all of these areas. As a member of Ancient Sites, you are permitted to participate in the Public Fora - you can post your own messges as well as reading them. Anyone can participate in the Public Boards of each city; however, you must become a member of the Special Interest Groups to gain authorship privileges. To become a member, you need to apply to each group you're interested in. As a Novice, you will be limited to membership in only three boards. So, obviously, most Novices spend a lot of time "shopping around" until they find the Special Groups that most interest them. If you decide that you wish to leave a Group, there is an option allowing you to "Unsubscribe," freeing up a slot so you can go join something else. In order to Apply to a Group, a user would go to the main page for that Group, and towards the bottom of the screen click on "Apply." Usually the user is asked to give a brief statement as to why they wish to join the group. After a day or two, upon review by the Group Supervisors, the individual is either admitted or denied. If admitted, this means that the individual will not only be able to read the message threads of the Group, but they will now be able to post their own messages, thoughts, and ideas as well. Of course, I needn't tell you about all the legal mumbo-jumbo in the Ancient Sites "Code of Conduct" about using profanity or obscenities, purposefully harassing other members, flaming people, or otherwise being a pain in the ass. If somebody is being a jerk, they will get suspended or thrown off the site. There ya go.
When you return to your own home page, you may discover that the parchment on the front page is "flapping."
This means that someone has left you a message. Click on the flapping parchment to read your messages. The message engine also contains a calendar, so that you can look back and read messages from days or even weeks ago. Another thing to do at home is to click on your own "Library" at your domus. Your Library contains your cashbox, and your quiz scores. It also contains your Guest Book, showing you what visitors you have had today. So, even if someone did not leave you a message, you still know that they visited you! Usually, in Ancient Sites, it is customary to write at least the briefest of messages to these people, thanking them for visiting your home. Also, you might want to click on their name and visit their own page as well. The Guest Book also has a calendar feature, allowing you to review your visitors from days or weeks ago. Each day you login to Ancient Sites, you acquire more sestertii, the Roman unit of money used in Ancient Sites. You can watch your cashbox account grow in your Library. A common question that beginners ask is, "Can I exchange sestertii with friends or other people I meet in Ancient Sites?" For the time being, the answer is no. Ancient Sites has not yet developed a "banking and exchange" system for its users.A further note about messages here at Chez Archimedes. Due to the large volume of mail that we receive, it is becoming more and more difficult to respond to each of your messages and visits personally. Please don't be discouraged if you don't hear back from us right away. My scribe, Phineus, is an old man, and believe me, he is writing as quickly as his tired fingers will allow!
So what is AS, anyway? Ancient Sites was built as a companion site to the popular game "S.P.Q.R.," a Roman-style mystery whodunit PC game. In this vein, AS seems to have something in common with Ultima On-Line, the fantasy role playing game. As many of you probably know, Ultima created an on-line Internet gaming community structured around their RPG. AncientSites seems to have a lot of the S.P.Q.R. role players running around, yes - but that’s not all it’s about.
AncientSites has seven cities you can join: Rome, Athens, Egypt, Babylon, Machu Picchu, Tara, and Nieuw Amsterdam - with more on the way. For a visual treat, you can take your browser and go for a Virtual Tour around these cities. Each step you take loads a beautifully detailed virtual 3-D still photograph. A complete tour could take up to half an hour at 28.8 kbps. Additionally, there are on-line versions of games such as S.P.Q.R. and Acropolis, which also make you walk around the cities, looking for clues. The pictures are very beautiful, and after a while you really get a feeling for how "big" the virtual cities can be. The only weird thing you will notice is that there are no people in these pictures. (I understand that this was too complicated to do right now.) However, I have heard that there are plans underway to include people in the next set of pictures.
AncientSites has a couple different activities to engage in, and is always adding more. The best way to keep on top of these is from the Main Ancient Sites screen. Down at the bottom, there are three categories - People to Meet, Places to Go, and Things To Do. Frequently check back into Things To Do !
One of these is the History Quiz. You can take a small, 5 question history quiz which focuses on your city. These quizzes are more difficult than you might think. The score is permanently recorded to your home page, and you may not take the quiz again. High scores are posted to the AS Main Page. Apparently, from time to time, AS members also get together and organize large, formal History Quiz Teams, and play for awards.
Of course, Ancient Sites features the online game, "S.P.Q.R." Many people come here just to play this game. This game became so popular that a CD-ROM was finally issued. However, most of the people I have spoken to have said that the online version is much better to play than the CD.
AS also has an ongoing online game that many members participate in, called "The Carpenter's Cup." This is a mystery where you gather clues and try to figure out which AS member holds the Holy Grail. You can use your sestertii to purchase clues. If you actually find the Holy Grail, you are awarded points for each minute it remains in your possession - these points get converted into sestertii. The game is very volatile and moves very quickly. I have read accounts that the Holy Grail has changed hands five times within the same minute! It is because of this game that people feel the need to sneak around "hidden," in secret. Now you know what the "hidden" character message on the People Panel is all about!
Many of the threads in the discussion boards are not serious at all. Some of these boards have become free-form works of creativity, with all users participating in a virtual, fictitious discussion of fantasy and role playing. Some boards pretend to be fighting wars against the barbarians. Others pretend that they are writing fantasy stories or romances. Other boards are discussions of current events, politics, religion, or entertainment.
But besides playing games, there are many scholars here participating on the discussion boards and building academic web sites. There are many History professors here creating a new kind of Ancient History reference world in cyberspace. Many of the Patron pages contain links to academic resources outside of AS. There are links to universities and history departments around the world. There are topics and discussions on current events in history, historical research, and antiquities. Ancient Sites also acts a fraternal organization, with students, scholars, and armchair historians around the world participating in a cyberspace community of Ancient History. In addition to this, of course, you have the people that are here simply to play SPQR, and the people who think that this is just another AOL. And just like AOL, Ancient Sites is filled with fun people vs. snobs, and open discussion groups vs. private cliques. As you explore around, you will encounter all of the above. AS is an exciting mix of personalities.
Some Great Ancient Sites Resources Ancient Sites Guided Tour
This is the Official Introductory Tour provided by CyberSites, Inc. Many of your questions will be answered here.Eupolis Aristophanes' "Guide to Ancient Sites"
This excellent article is more comprehensive than the one you are reading now. If you have enjoyed this introductory "Beginner's Guide," I invite you to check out this great resource work.Official Survival Guide
Consulate VI Bulletin Board Discussion.Ancient Sites Main Page
Can't find your way back to the Main Ancient Sites page? Go here.The Glaux Athenaion
This is the newspaper of Athens. It is currently produced once every two weeks. This newspaper features news articles about history, about the site, and other items of community interest. There are also links to each of the other cities' newspapers.The Akademia
The "Academy" is a large and always-growing resource of web links to history and history departments around the world. Highly recommended.The Bookshelves
Located in my Study, the links here include Ancient History, Early Christianity, and Occult & Pagan resources, organized into different aisles and bookcases. If you like History, it is possible to get lost for hours in here.
At any time, you can use the People Panel to send an Instant Message to someone. In AncientSites, IMs are called "telegrams." Unlike IMs, however, telegrams are rather primitive. First of all, they are not continuous threads, they are one-time posts. So, you cannot retrieve, review, or read what you said in a previous telegram. Secondly, telegrams do not stay open using the "send/respond" method that the AOL IMs utilize - once you send them, the box closes. This makes for a very disjointed and confusing way to communicate. And, in the situation where two or more people are telegramming you at once, it is simply unmanageable. Also, incoming telegrams have a button that allows you to "Go To" the sender's home page, but be careful - you cannot go back! If you accidentally "Go To" the author's domus/oikos before you finish reading the telegram, you're out of luck. The telegram is lost and its contents are permanently irretrievable. However, these restrictions only apply to non-Patrons. The Patron class, for their monetary support of the site, get a clearly superior version of the telegram software.
You also need to know that as a Dayling, Novice, or Citizen, you are limited to 10 telegrams per day. Once you reach your limit, you can send no more telegrams until the next day, which starts at Midnight Eastern Time. (By the way, time in Ancient Sites is not based on UTC or Greenwich Mean Time, but on the Eastern Time Zone in the United States.) However, there is an exception if you are telegramming a Patron. You can telegram a Patron all you want, they can receive all the telegrams you send them, but your own counter is still ticking. So realistically, the "10 telegram" limit is for all communications conducted between Daylings, Novices, and Citizens. For example, you send 3 telegrams to another Novice. Later, you get into a telegram conversation with a Patron, and you send 12 telegrams. The first seven of these put you up to your limit of 10 (3 + 7 = 10), and the next 5 didn't count because you were talking to a Patron. You can continue telegram conversations with Patrons, however, you have reached your 10 telegram limit and are unable to telegram any other Daylings, Novices, or Citizens today.
The telegram feature of Ancient Sites is so restrictive that most users have gone out and gotten ICQ. ICQ is a real-time Internet Chat. Most users run ICQ in a separate, minimized window. Ancient Sites members will ask each other, "Do you have ICQ? What is your number?" They will then conduct real-time chat through ICQ instead of using up their telegrams. Users that have AOL will incorporate a similar workaround, and use the AOL Instant Message feature.
What we have discussed in this Beginner's Guide is just the tip of the iceberg. These are just some of the most important items that will help you hit the ground running. However, there remain a number of items that I have purposefully left unexplained. I leave it to you to find these items and explore them. After all, why should I take away from the mystery? This is just to get you started. Good luck exploring Ancient Sites.
Conclusion
I really enjoy the whole concept of AncientSites. I have met many interesting and fascinating people here. There are so many neat things about AS that work really well - the discussions, the home pages, and the "Ancient History" camaraderie shared by the members.
AncientSites is not a place unto itself, but rather it is a process. It is not the destination - it is an organic, ever-evolving interplay of people, minds, thoughts, and ideas. AS is a dynamic organism, a fascinating community founded on an intriguing idea. I continue to be mesmerized by its elusive hypnotism - what is it about this place that makes me want to keep coming back? I trust that you, newbie Novices and Daylings, will continue to keep coming back, and grow in your knowledge and enjoyment of this unique Internet community.
I extend greetings to all of you. I hope you have enjoyed "A Beginner's Guide to Ancient Sites." Feel free to drop in on my home and leave a message!
Free Banner!
If you found this article helpful, be sure to tell other Daylings and Novices. Make sure to send them here to the Home of Archimedes Leonidas, of Athens! Due to incredible popular demand, I have created a banner that you can add to your page!
Just copy the following text. While in "Edit Mode," (described above) paste it into your Welcome Statement. I would suggest you place the banner towards the bottom, after all your other text.
<!-- BEGIN ARCHIMEDES BANNER-->
<center><A HREF="http://www.ancientsites.com/~Archimedes_Leonidas/Beginners.html" target="_new"><img src="http://www.ancientsites.com/~Archimedes_Leonidas/beginart.gif" ALT="Beginner's Guide" BORDER=0 height=44 width=315></A></center>
<!-- END ARCHIMEDES BANNER -->
