Talk:NecroWatch

Join NecroWatch... NOW!

Interested in becoming a full-time NecroTechnician? Of course you are! Who wouldn't want the fame and glory commonly associated with publically posting NecroNet scans, fame and glory lost on those survivors who scan and fail to report their scans. What's up with that? Just be sure to read the FAQ first so you know exactly what you're signing up for. Anywho, if you still want to join then just sign on the dotted line and provide the following information:

User Name - Who you are on the UD Wiki. Sure you could just sign your post and I would know, but this is more formal. What? I'm ALL about formality.
Profile(s) - Provide links to the characters you wish to dedicate to the job of providing NecroNet scans for NecroWatch. You are not limited to just one character, obviously, so long as your alts are not working together or within close proximity. But that just goes without saying.
Group Affiliation - Feel free to plug the group(s) associated with your character(s). I fully support shameless advertising.
Suburb(s) - List the suburbs you plan to cover. If your character(s) is mobile/nomadic then you can simply state "Malton". It's not necessary to report which characters will be reporting scans from which suburbs... after all it's healthy to be paranoid.

Please add your entry to the bottom of the signup list and that's it. Simple right? After that your name will be added to the Members List in the appropriate rank/alphabetical order and then you're official. Of course you don't need to become a NecroTechnician to report scans. In those instances please refer to the appropriate section (below) where you can post links to your NT scans.

User Name - Dr Mycroft Chris

Profile - Dr Mycroft Chris

Group Affiliation - MEMS

Suburb(s) - Planning to visit every NecroTech facility in Malton; Only NW left.

--Dr Mycroft Chris 06:26, 31 March 2009 (BST)

User Name - Red Hawk One

Profile - Red Hawk One

Group Affiliation - KRFR DJ
Suburb(s) - Rhodenbank.

--Red Hawk One 09:07, 31 March 2009 (BST)

User Name - Cpl Adrian Shephard

Profile - Cpl Adrian Shephard

Group Affiliation - Freelance
Suburb(s) - Malton.

--Cpl Adrian Shephard 01:58, 6 April 2009 (BST)

User Name - Lorddragonfang

Profile - LordDragonfang

Group Affiliation - Randoms
Suburb(s) - Buttonville, Williamsville.

-- Lorddragonfang  Talk 02:49, 28 April 2009 (BST)

User Name - Dom0

Profile - Malcom Tucker Arthur Wolf

Group Affiliation - MCM and freelance respectivly
Suburb(s) - [[]], Greentownarea and Judgewood area for MT, Malton for AW.

--Dom0 17:31, 17 May 2009 (BST)

User Name - Uberursa

Profile - Uberursa

Group Affiliation - Independent
Suburb(s) - Malton
--Uberursa 04:10, 31 May 2009 (BST)

General Topics

Do you want to chat with the people running Project: NecroWatch? Looking for an outlet through which you can express random thoughts and ideas? Well then this is the place for you, unless of course your post is of a more technical nature, in which case check the next section. But if your comments are generic, then just post them here being sure to keep the newest posts at the top.

Announcing the creation of the NecroWatch Research Group

Hello again everyone. I want to invite you all to join me in attempting to unravel the remaining mysteries about the NecroTech machinery left around Malton. Silly discussion header notwithstanding, I'd like to take this opportunity to have a serious look at, particularly, the DNA Extractor device. There is appallingly little information about this device on the wiki, and there are a few glaring holes in our body of knowledge regarding the thing.

Basically, I'm going to write up a list of questions, which I will then attempt to answer through scientific means, and I hope the rest of you will join me in this endeavor. So, without further ado, the list:

• What is the significance of the string of numbers generated by a scan -- e.g. Filed as #9983022/24?

• When does a scanned zombie disappear from the NecroNet? The common consensus is "after it takes an action", but this seems to be a rumour, and I want to take the small amount of effort required to test it.

The first is most intriguing to me, but so far I have utterly failed to make any headway in answering it, except to determine what it is not. Anyone see anything obvious that I might have missed? CITIZEN VI 01:55, 3 June 2009 (BST)

NW Scan templates in the Suburb News

That template is very large and very intrusive and disruptive on the suburb pages. Part of the problem is the black background but it's also just too durn big. Could you consider making some changes? --WanYao 06:43, 28 May 2009 (BST)

Thanks, we'll get to work on it pronto. Alka? I know it's your work...maybe just a white backround. It's your baby so I am hesitant to tamper with it--Dr Mycroft Chris 09:09, 29 May 2009 (BST)

This is just some stylistic advice, but I think the template would be better if it weren't in the A.L.I.C.E. style (Just because it seems to me that it is better suited only to ALICE's creepy statements -- not so much general NW messages, you know?). A subtle green-and-whatever in the general NW style would fit suburb pages much better, I think. Maybe I'll make some mock-ups. CITIZEN VI 03:29, 1 June 2009 (BST)

Well, nobody should be hesitant to make changes to it. This is a wiki after all, and every time you add stuff here you get the If you don't want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then don't submit it here. notice. We were giving it a try. We should use the plain old style reports in the news until someone comes up with a better template. As I said before, I'm not an artist. I'll focus on my scripts to ease bookkeeping task of NecroWatch Members, and would be happy if someone else works on a template for news. -- -Alka Selzer- ^{[ Talk - Map - Stuff ]}  20:53, 4 June 2009 (BST)

Part of the "too big" Problem is the fixed width of 750px and probably the image. As a "hot fix" i removed the width: statement along with the align=center, so it should scale with the browser window. The colors, however, are a different matter.-- -Alka Selzer- ^{[ Talk - Map - Stuff ]}  10:23, 6 June 2009 (BST)

Joining

So, can any old Donkey join this then? --Yonnua Koponen ^{Talk ! Contribs} 21:01, 20 May 2009 (BST)

Anyone is welcome to join and contribute. All you have to do to get on the list is to fill out an application like those above you. We always love to see new people helping the cause. CITIZEN VI 22:18, 20 May 2009 (BST)

Cool, well the NT i was in just got slammed, so I won't be joining any time soon. --Yonnua Koponen ^{Talk ! Contribs} 11:07, 21 May 2009 (BST)

That's a shame...--Dr Mycroft Chris 23:16, 21 May 2009 (BST)

Scouting Reports for suburbs without NTs

As the leader for the Order of the Black Rose, I want to sincerely thank NecroWatch for the Scouting Reports posted in Crooketon, Mornington, and Reganbank. Since we are constantly moving through all of these areas, as well as Grigg Heights and Lerwill Heights, I cannot begin to say how valuable these are for these areas that lack NT buildings. Please continue this service! --Maverick ^{Talk - OBR 404} 13:16, 3 May 2009 (BST)

Thanks!--Dr Mycroft Chris 23:01, 3 May 2009 (BST)

ARCHIVED

Hi, I archived a lot of stuff that was no longer important. The cleaner this page is the better, I think. Just letting everyone know. CITIZEN VI 04:56, 2 May 2009 (BST)

Thanks!--Dr Mycroft Chris 08:20, 2 May 2009 (BST)

I was watching this from Recent Changes - it's not often someone removes 47kb of a page at once. Linkthewindow  Talk  22:40, 3 May 2009 (BST)

VI has no mercy for bloated zombie pages. I took a fire axe to this bugger. CITIZEN VI 22:46, 3 May 2009 (BST)

Quarlesbank

Has 4 Nt's and some of the oldest recorded scans. 404 barhah not found are in the process of securing them, so now would be a perfect time to get those scans! --Rosslessness^{Want a Location Image?} 22:30, 1 May 2009 (BST)

I'm moving up to Judgewood with the MCM, so while I'm there I'll be able to get scans from the local suburbs. CITIZEN VI 04:33, 2 May 2009 (BST)

Gone Fishing

Well I'm going fishing, for a while... maybe forever. I like fishing, what can I say? But seriously I can't say if I will be gone forever, as I returned once before, but for the time being I will be away and as a responsible adult I felt I was obligated to let everyone know. In the meantime, feel free to continue having fun with NecroWatch and try not to burn down the house while I'm gone. I expect the dishes done when I come back and I'll bring cake. Just joking. There will be no cake.

For those of you wondering why I'm departing UD (again), well UD takes up a lot of my free time, which by definition is "free" and thus available, however my friends have interested me in an old/new game that requires a lot of effort on my part to run. So as I have to choose one, I went with the ones my friends favoured... as none of them play UD (anymore). Anywho, I'm sure you'll all do nicely without me regardless. So good luck everyone and keep up the great work! --Mobius 13:16, 20 April 2009 (BST)

Free time is our only valuable asset. A game, or metagaming, by definition should be fun. If it becomes work, it's time to take a break and try something else. I hope your old/new game is not really about fishing, though ;) -- -Alka Selzer- ^{[ Talk - Map - Stuff ]}  18:35, 20 April 2009 (BST)

It was fine having you here and it shall not be the same; it's true you know...one man can make a difference, that's why we will never forgive you for it! ha ha ha !! Seriously, you set a high bar and we'll carry on, stiff upper lip and all that.--Dr Mycroft Chris 18:36, 20 April 2009 (BST)

Promotional Ideas for NecroWatch

CONCLUSION

1.We will use the template HERE created by Alka Selzer for suburb NT scan updates so that it will garner us more attention.

NecroWatch

NecroWatch reported in from the Attwell Building. The scan revealed 55 zombies within the scanning range of the facility. Of those numbers, 15 were at Barbara General Hospital and 5 at Billett Row School. Furthermore, 6 zombies were at St. Lazar's Hospital, 4 zombies in Mallard Library and 8 zombies at a cemetery in West Becktown. The remaining zombies were scattered across the area in numbers of 1 to 3. Necro Technician:-- -Alka Selzer- [ Talk - Map - Stuff ]  14:41, 25 March 2009 (UTC)

2.A promo ad is up at Recruitment and will link to Extropymine's Beginner's Guide

...Needs YOU! Zombies just don't count themselves, we need YOU to scan & post those scans to help the fight against BARHAH & disorganization And there is delicious cake for those who qualify...just ask A.L.I.C.E. ...she's watching right now If you think you got what it takes (sheer indifference to all other concerns, lone wolf type personality, a tad bit vain, a taste for cake) contact NecroWatch today, we'll set you on the road to fame & glory tomorrow! To learn more review the complete README.TXT file stored on the root directory before proceeding.

I just went ahead and made it happen, if anyone has issues with the copy, I'm fine with that. If you can write funnier/more engaging copy...have at it--Dr Mycroft Chris 06:23, 22 April 2009 (BST)

Don't forget to timestamp the ad. I'll try to keep an eye on it. Linkthewindow  Talk  07:53, 22 April 2009 (BST)

I thought I did...I'll check it, thanks--Dr Mycroft Chris 09:32, 22 April 2009 (BST)

Hi. I've been messing around with Chris' promotional banner idea (and the actual banner, because it's just so cool), and I thought I'd post what I've got and ask for input. I'd like to finish up something like this very nicely and put it on the wiki somewhere so that it can double both as a recruitment advertisement, if it turns out to be more eye-catching than our current one (which I expect it is -- Mycroft really knows how to find great images), and as a poster that wew can slap on the walls of NT buildings to get that added recruitment aspect. (I also have a version without the large text box if anyone wants to mess around with it)

What do you think? I've yet to put anything in the box (Ideally I'd figure out a way to put an actual wiki text box in there, but that's beyond me at the moment), but I think a short-and-sexy description of NW and perhaps some advice for starting up with the project would be good. CITIZEN VI 05:32, 5 June 2009 (BST)

Medal/Trophy Ribbon Suggestions

Everyone wants a pat on the back for a job well done. As some of you may have been around the proverbial block a few times and collected most or all the medal ribbons offered to date, you might be thinking it's time for NecroWatch to add some new medal ribbons. This is the place to discuss these suggestions. As always post the more current topics at the top of this section.

Suggested Ribbon Summary

NOTE: The following is a summary of existing ribbon suggestions after the debate over them has ended. These suggestions may have already been moved to the Archive, but in order to track them a summary is listed below. This post is not to be archived (obviously). If you have further comments on a suggested ribbon please start a new thread in this section titled after the ribbon.

Endurance Ribbon

• Name: Ironclad Scanner
• Category: Medal Ribbon
• Description: A medal ribbon awarded to the NecroTechnician who reports 7 scans, 1 per day, from the same NT building (selected by the NecroTechnician) in a "red" (Very Dangerous) suburb. The suburb (i.e. Eastonwood) and/or NT building (i.e. The Blackmore Building) may, or may not, be predefined requirements for the ribbon.
• Concerns/Alternates?: If famous locations are selected, this may cause ribbons to overlap, such as the Blackmore Watchkeeper or Eastonwood Tour of Duty. Perhaps it would be better to target suburbs based only on their danger status.

Marathon Ribbon

• Name: Four Corners
• Category: Medal/Trophy Ribbon
• Description: A medal, or maybe trophy, ribbon which requires NecroTechnicians to report scans from the NTs within specific suburbs scattered across Malton. The NT reports may also be required in a specific order, similar to points in a race course. The first such ribbon would be awarded to any NecroTechnician who reported scans from the NTs located in each of the four corner suburbs (Dakerstown, Dulston, Miltown, New Arkham).
• Concerns/Alternates?: Any NecroTechnician who has already reported from these 4 suburbs will automatically earn this as a medal ribbon.

There should be a time limit on this run, this way it has to be done anew regardless of previous scans;Flinley in Milltown, Trood in Dulston, Pask in Dakerstown,Mitchner in New Arkham for the circle but you could also criss-cross them too to make it intresting...14 days? I think previous scans don't count, you HAVE to make the run!--Dr Mycroft Chris 20:38, 4 May 2009 (BST)

Yah, you have to announce it here somewhere with a timestamp and then... run! That way, it may be a challenge. -- -Alka Selzer- ^{[ Talk - Map - Stuff ]}  22:10, 4 May 2009 (BST)

• Ribbon Design:

Most Crowded Scan

• Name: Mob Chaser
• Category: Trophy Ribbon
• Description: A trophy ribbon awarded to the NecroTechnician who reports a scan with the most zombies (total). This is a competition that runs through the entire year (January 1st to December 31st) with a winner declared on the first day of the new year. All reported scans must be made/linked via iWitness as proof. This trophy ribbon will be awarded on an annual basis and a list compiled of past winners.
• Concerns/Alternates?: A year? Will people be interested in it for that long? How about running it for a month, annually, and the NecroTechnician who reports the largest total at the end of the month wins for that year.

Whoever has the highest number gets the ribbon, regardless of contest or time limits. Current winner has a the standard ribbon, past winners are allowed to keep the same ribbon but it is muted in brightness or somehow different but still recognizable as that ribbon. OR have a basic design that can be augmented like our NT scan # ribbon for the total number of zeds scanned. Over 100? 1 gold bar, over 200? 2 gold bars, etc...and of course, a magical over 1000 zed scan just so that we got something to reach for LOL--Dr Mycroft Chris 04:18, 4 April 2009 (BST)

Twin NTs Ribbon

Here's a thought, how about ribbons to celebrate scanning from Malton's "twin NTs", namely the Cheeke Building and the Haslock Building? As any NecroTechnician worth his salt knows these are the only NT buildings that share the same names in all of Malton, with their locations being in: Eastonwood, Ruddlebank, Chancelwood and Quarlesbank. The only overlap we would be looking at is with the NT in Eastonwood, as currently we have the Eastonwood Tour of Duty ribbon, which requires this NT to complete. As there are only 4 NTs, and 3 of them are relatively close together, I figure it's best to create one ribbon for all 4 of them. --Mobius 16:03, 6 April 2009 (BST)

Got my vote--Dr Mycroft Chris 03:46, 7 April 2009 (BST)

• Ribbon Design:

South Malton NT Ribbons

I am going to re-post this here as I think it deserves another chance to be discussed. It was pointed out a while back that most of the popular NT buildings which had their own ribbon (for when you report a scan from it) are all in north Malton. As such, I wanted to hear everyone's thoughts on what NTs in south Malton deserved credit for being famous in some way, and thus, deserved their own medal ribbon awarded to whomever posts a scan from that location. --Mobius 13:53, 1 April 2009 (BST)

I would love to nominate my home 'burb, Penny Heights, but for the life of me, all I got is that it is the only 'burb with 2 malls and always ends up being very attractive to both zombies and the PK crowd. Whittenside has a better reason as it is the home of the Feral Undead and Fort Perryn; getting scans there can be regularly difficult--Dr Mycroft Chris 22:47, 5 April 2009 (BST)

Hmmm, you may have a point with Whittenside. What we want are NT buildings that have historic value to them. Of the three NT buildings in Whittenside, which one do you believe should be the one most likely deserving of the ribbon medal? The Malcolm Building is the closest to the fort, but the Colglough Building is next to a hospital. I'm not familiar with the suburb myself, so I can hardly say which is the more famous location. --Mobius 14:03, 6 April 2009 (BST)

For South Malton, I am definitely picking Malcolm then. It was a constant struggle to get that scan which took me over a week for just one NT. The area is forever in an uproar between survivors & zeds. Must admit, I don't know if there is a dedicated NT crew there but if there was, they would have their work cut out for them. It's not as deadly as Blackmoore in Ridleybank...but its close--Dr Mycroft Chris 15:08, 6 April 2009 (BST)

Without having much history in UD - give the NT Buildings closest to both Forts a ribbon (maybe another for getting both Scans); and give the NT buildings in all 4 corners (farthest from center of map) a ribbon (maybe another for all 4). Seriously, it is not THAT hard to travel around in Malton. And it is fun, i must say. Remember, people tend to collect all they can get - they will still try to get "northern" ribbons as long as they exist. -- -Alka Selzer- ^{[ Talk - Map - Stuff ]}  23:11, 5 April 2009 (BST)

I take it then you are recommending ribbons for the Malcolm Building (Fort Perryn) and the Farmer Building (Fort Creedy). Then again there is already a ribbon medal for [the Morrish Building]], so I think Farmer NT wouldn't make the cut. There is the Maine Building... I suppose, but is that grasping at straws? For now maybe we should just consider the Malcolm Building in terms of Fort NTs. On the matter of 4-Corners, well, we have one already for the Pask Building in Dakerstown (mission accomplished). I cannot speak for the two south corners, but I do know a lot about the northeast corner. If there was a medal ribbon for Dulston it would most defeinitely be for the Whitlock Building, aka "The Fortress of Science". The key factor is that we want the ribbons to be associated with historic NT locations. --Mobius 14:03, 6 April 2009 (BST)

Hey Buddy! This is the SOUTH Malton thread, let's keep it straight...LOL:D, Anyway, joining in as well, I would recommend The Mighty Haslock in Chancelwood, I know, I know...it's way up North. But the scene of ever present zombie sieges because of THEM. Talk about an organized group of survivors, damn! They put a lot to shame--Dr Mycroft Chris 15:08, 6 April 2009 (BST)

Wait. You admonish me for talking about Dulston, and then you bring up Chancelwood? Not cool dude. ;P

I agree, Haslock has come up before primarily because of THEM running the show from Haslock NT. Huh. I just had a thought... Haslock is famous for something else too, it's one of two sets of NT buildings that share the same name. Now that may be worth considering for a different kind of ribbon medal... but on the matter at hand, yes, we should find out which NT building "south of the border" are worthy of praise. --Mobius 15:52, 6 April 2009 (BST)

The Impossible

CONCLUSION To qualify for the Scout Ribbon , one must post a 7 x 7 scan for each of the suburbs that do not have any NTs. Such scans will be made from the suggested buildings below, also restated on NecroWatch/ScoutReports. There is no time limit.

• 1.Crooketon

36% NecroNet Coverage, suggested Scout Location=The Antell Building

• 2.Dentonside

36% NecroNet Coverage, suggested Scout Location=Denner Towers

• 3.Galbraith Hills

63% NecroNet Coverage, suggested Scout Location=The Singer Building

• 4.Gatcombeton

40%, NecroNet Coverage,(53% of this suburb is empty space!) suggested Scout Location=The Pounsett Building

• 5.Greentown

83% NecroNet Coverage, suggested Scout Location=Lerwill Towers

• 6.Havercroft

41% NecroNet Coverage, suggested Scout Location=The Axworthy Hotel

• 7.Lerwill Heights

39% NecroNet Coverage, suggested Scout Location=The Hayler Building

• 8.Mockridge Heights

36% NecroNet Coverage, suggested Scout Location=The Shuttle Building

• 9.Mornington

0% NecroNet Coverage, suggested Scout Location=Millington Towers

• 10.Pennville

70% NecroNet Coverage, suggested Scout Location=The Wagland Building

• 11.Reganbank

24% NecroNet Coverage, suggested Scout Location=The Lantrowe Building

• 12.Rolt Heights

62% NecroNet Coverage, suggested Scout Location=Mare Towers

• 13.Vinetown

31% NecroNet Coverage, suggested Scout Location=The Yapp Building

• 14.West Boundwood

24% NecroNet Coverage, suggested Scout Location=The Lapley Building

• 15.Wykewood

42% NecroNet Coverage, suggested Scout Location=The Skilliter Motel

We should find a way to link this from the main wiki somehow. CITIZEN VI 17:41, 6 May 2009 (BST)

First, we should create a template and Image pages one can update like the regular scans. With instructions maybe. Later, those templates could be displayed at the building page for the buildings mentioned above. Maybe we should even prepare Wikicode-Maps like the barricade plans for that, as it is a lot of work to create and combine the screens. Thoughts? -- -Alka Selzer- ^{[ Talk - Map - Stuff ]}  17:53, 6 May 2009 (BST)

I like all your ideas. The last one, I think, is a really good idea, because not only does it make things easier, but it also promotes aesthetic quality and uniformity, which I think is very important. CITIZEN VI 18:27, 6 May 2009 (BST)

I tried something here -- -Alka Selzer- ^{[ Talk - Map - Stuff ]}  18:43, 6 May 2009 (BST)

Damn! You guys are quick...I was just thinking about something like this. Also, I agree aesthetic quality and uniformity is very important. I took to doing something simpler than knitting together 7 crops, I screencapped the area around the scout point and then just manually added the numbers see Wykewood and image below

but the template idea is really interesting to me--Dr Mycroft Chris 21:05, 6 May 2009 (BST)

Bad artists copy. Great artists steal. I used a modified Suburb Plan and used extra code for the zombie numbers. It's still a long way to a useful template. I used location code from 11 (top left) to 77 (bottom right), so maybe the template should be used like {{TemplateName|zed11=33|zed12=9|zed55=6712}}, would that be easy enough? -- -Alka Selzer- ^{[ Talk - Map - Stuff ]}  21:23, 6 May 2009 (BST)

Well I just did it for The Hayler Building. Check out if that's okay, look at the wiki code you need to edit to update. Basically you edit the Scout Report section and fill in user and zedXY=n values, that's it. -- -Alka Selzer- ^{[ Talk - Map - Stuff ]}  09:47, 10 May 2009 (BST)

KEEP Of course this means some work ahead for us but it is a much neater appearance. What do we do for each suburb's wiki page? Establish our own section there? or on the scout point's building page? --Dr Mycroft Chris 18:40, 13 May 2009 (BST)

More Tours of Duty

We could possibly combine East and West Becktown, a total of 7 Necrotech facilities, and North and South Blythville, for a total of 5 Necrotech facilities.--ChuckWade87 14:12, 15 March 2009 (UTC)

That's certainly possible. --Mobius

Updating Old Scans Ribbon

Maybe also Assignments or "Missions". If a suburb or two are really, really outdated, NecroWatch offers an assignment to "go to suburb XYZ and update all scans, report back if done". Whoever volunteers first has 7(14?) days to complete this assignment and report back. Completing Assignments may also earn special ribbons. -- -Alka Selzer- ^{[ Talk - Map - Stuff ]}  19:41, 31 March 2009 (BST)

I think that this is a fine idea and an easy to one to accomplish. For example, when I was away from the game and returned in Feb '09, no one had updated the scans in Penny Heights' Rothwell NT since August...that's right, August of '08. This ribbon would be one of the easiest to get. Call it the "NT Reviver" kind of like the Ghost Ribbon but...oh! I got it..."The Flying Dutchman!" Always chasing the ghost NT buildings that never appear operational--Dr Mycroft Chris 10:23, 6 April 2009 (BST)

Now how did we move from more tour of duty ribbons (via combined suburbs) to chasing down NT buildings with old scans? This gets its own section. ;)

In my opinion there are usually two types of ribbon medals, the kind that was set in stone (i.e. the Blackmore Watchkeeper) and those "situational" ribbons that require proof the task was accomplished (i.e. Ghost Recon). Both require set rules, but especially in the case of situational ribbons, otherwise you may find out the ribbon's requirements were interpreted incorrectly. In this case it would make sense to possibly have a ribbon where you need to locate one or more NTs which have not had their scan image(s) updated within an extended period of time. As we already have Ghost Recon, which has a similar requirement, I would suggest the one for this ribbon have a much larger period... 6 months perhaps? An NT that hasn't been reported to in such a long period needs an update, and a ribbon would be the reward. Possibly the ribbon could have ranks, as suggested by Dr Mycroft for the "Most Crowded Scan". For example, 1 new scan (to replace a 6-month old scan) would give you the base-level bronze ribbon, >10 scans earns the silver ribbon, >20 scans earns the gold ribbon. That, or bars to signify ranks. --Mobius 16:17, 6 April 2009 (BST)

Just out of curiosity, when is an old scan replaced by the "missing" scan gif picture? -- -Alka Selzer- ^{[ Talk - Map - Stuff ]}  18:00, 6 April 2009 (BST)

Officially? We originally set it to 6 months. That was due to the fact that we had fewer hands on deck at the time and didn't want to be constantly viewing static. ;)

However that deadline could be shortened if we decide that we are providing scan more often. However, will that mess with your scan recon map? Since when a static scan is placed the signature often is updated, which might fool your template into thinking the scan was updated. Of course I have not examined your template closely, but I'm assuming that's how it works. If that's the case it might be better to leave it at 6 months and aim to have NecroTechnicians update the scan before then... still, it's debatable. --Mobius 15:14, 7 April 2009 (BST)

My script only cares about the Signature of the last scan to determine age. As static has no Signature with a timestamp, it assumes 90 days age for calculation and reports "90 days or older", but this can be changed. -- -Alka Selzer- ^{[ Talk - Map - Stuff ]}  07:02, 8 April 2009 (BST)

So what you're saying is if we blank the signature when a static scan is placed then it will default to 90 days? That works. We would only need to express upon everyone to not sign the template if they place the static, but rather either leave the old signature or delete it altogether (i.e. leave it blank). --Mobius 13:11, 8 April 2009 (BST)

Discussions: Improvements & Issues

If you're interested in NecroWatch, are full of new ideas or perhaps want to discuss existing ones, this is the place to do it. Here users can also post about any issues they've encountered, in the hopes of working out fixes. As always post the more current topics at the top of this section.

NecroWatch "Hub" Page

Hallo again. I've been thinking about ways to put Alka's excellent scan age map in a more useful and obvious place -- I wanted to put it on the main page somehow, but I don't think that's going to work -- and this is what I've come up with. The idea is to have a page that serves as a place for useful-information-type-things that neurotic wiki-haunters like ourselves can check easily, and also as a place to communicate with other NW contributors (A good example of stuff that could go there is messages like "Scouting Reports for suburbs without NTs", "Quarlesbank", and "Gone Fishing"). I thought, if people liked the idea, and once we've fleshed it out a bit, we could add it to the main index in place of the NT Index page, which is pretty useless and outdated at this point. So what do you think? Any ideas for improvement? Hate the idea? It's all very liquid at this point. (PS: Feel free to try out the shoutbox or to mess around a bit with the code; just try not to break anything ;) ) CITIZEN VI 01:01, 4 May 2009 (BST)

I love the Shoutbox idea, I remember looking days for a genny and when I finally found one, another one from NecroWatch already powered the building. Using some means of communication can help. Especially with dangerous repairs. Maybe I could change my watch script so another section of this page will be updated with "news", like 12:34, 5 April 2009 (BST): East Becktown changed status from old to recent -- -Alka Selzer- ^{[ Talk - Map - Stuff ]}  06:51, 4 May 2009 (BST)

That would be really cool. I did actually want to have some news feeds or something similar along a margin somewhere to give the page a bit more weight. CITIZEN VI 15:47, 5 May 2009 (BST)

There is a link to an NT status map from the Suburb map page but I like yours better because it "brands" it as belonging to us here at NecroWatch. News Feed? Love it! We may have to eventually redo the Nav Bar to include all this stuff.--Dr Mycroft Chris 16:59, 6 May 2009 (BST)

Yeah, I like that style a lot (Stole it from the amazing Alka -- great work, mate). Does anyone have any ideas for other stuff to put on the page? When you come onto the wiki, what pages to you check as a matter of course? CITIZEN VI 17:40, 6 May 2009 (BST)

Hey, um, what do you think of the NW nav bar on that page? Specifically the way I've formatted the letter headings for suburb pages? I think it's quite an improvement over the current style, which to me looks pretty messy. CITIZEN VI 14:50, 12 May 2009 (BST)

KEEP ...very much an improvement, let's implement it immediately!--Dr Mycroft Chris 18:36, 13 May 2009 (BST)

OK, and the Hub? What do you all think? I notice some of you are still updating the index page, so... CITIZEN VI 17:55, 16 May 2009 (BST)

My vote is let's just put the changes into effect and see what happens; we can always change, modify, alter, delete anything if it just doesn't work. Nothing is really cast in stone around here. Re:Your earlier question about where do I navigate when I come to NecroWatch? Here, mostly, and then updating my scans count.--Dr Mycroft Chris 00:17, 17 May 2009 (BST)

Redesign NecroWatch

By now many of you are familiar with the look and feel of the NecroWatch wikipages. However I would like to take a moment to propose a somewhat radical shift in the current design/layout. As you all know the current theme of the wikipages is a camo-green background, with shades of lighter green and banners which use a dark burgundy. Interspaced on each wikipages are A.L.I.C.E. template talk boxes. Then there is the NT Index wikipage. The theme on this wikipage is best described as "old school computer". What I am suggesting is recomposing the entire NecroWatch so that its style is similar to that of the NT Index wikipage (black background with neon-orange Courier text). I was also planning to keep the A.L.I.C.E template talk boxes, but reformatting them to give them the look of a pop-up box on top of the "window". Obviously this is just the early stages and I wish to get a general consensus on what everyone else thinks about this kind of change. Should we do this, or should we leave it "as is"? --Mobius 15:26, 7 April 2009 (BST)

Ah, oo, I have to say I really like the pages as they are. I've always thought they were some of, if not the best looking pages on the wiki. I guess the old school terminal style isn't really my thing. Of course, it's your project, so whatever you want to do... VI 00:50, 8 April 2009 (BST)

Thanks for your input. --Mobius 13:08, 8 April 2009 (BST)

Same here. These pages are absolutely great as they are. Easy to read, mostly, and beautiful to look at. The "Old School Computer" look is, in my opinion, ideal for "data entry" and gives me a feeling of nostalgia, but I wouldn't use that for the entire site. I used to do ad design for a newspaper for a few years; things like readability, font, layout, color are important considerations to me. You did an amazing job with how they are now, I wouldn't want to lose that. The only critique I would have is that in areas that have large amounts of text, it should be made easier to read; Not enough contrast e.g. Resources.--Dr Mycroft Chris 02:38, 9 April 2009 (BST)

Not sure how Ribbons or the rank stars will fit in the Console/DOS Window style. I played a bit with the idea here, and found that Courier bold is a good font (not Courier New, it is not monospaced on all systems, on my Linux Box at work for example it is not). Still have no idea how to create ranking tables with that style, or a recon/scan map. -- -Alka Selzer- ^{[ Talk - Map - Stuff ]}  13:32, 8 April 2009 (BST)

Your pages are: Fucking. Awesome. Do nothing to rectify this. That is all.

Ok, ok. In seriousness, your page styling is great and the theme is also great (Nothing like an ALICE dialogue to brighten up the day) You just need to do a basic tweaks, like the contrast thing Chris mentioned. Finding something to break up the text-based wall of doom that is your FAQ would also be nice. --  RoosterDragon  03:15, 9 April 2009 (BST)

In reference to the contrast comments, yes the black on dark green does have some issues mostly due to the large quantities of text involved. One way this could be resolved would be for me to use a lighter shade of green for the background colour. As I'm at work and my PhotoShop is in a far away land right now... I shall have to wait on this, but anyone else who wants to suggest a HEX code for the new background colour is free to do so. Keep in mind that we probably don't one want so light that there is no real contrast between the background and our "table background green".

In reference to the FAQ text wall, I'll try a few ideas there too. Mayhaps I'll try placing them in tables... --Mobius 14:09, 9 April 2009 (BST)

MUCH nicer, Thanks!--Dr Mycroft Chris 14:04, 10 April 2009 (BST)

Things To Do?

Hey all! With Alka burning up the maps and with my field guide nearing completion, I wanted to post something about some changes I'd propose for the NecroWatch pages and stuff. Let's talk about it.

1. Changes to the NecroWatch menu bar. I made a new one here that makes some minor formatting changes and adds "resources" to the main nav bar. However, my wiki-fu failed me a little and I have no idea why the black background behind the NW logo doesn't extend the length of the nav bar. You'll see.
2. Creation of NecroWatch/Resources. What I think we ought to do is move the instructions for taking and posting scans to Resources, along with an include for the Recon Map and the Field Guide. That leaves the FAQ page to act solely as the FAQ, rather than part FAQ and part instruction manual.
3. Update the FAQ. There are one or two questions that were asked here on our talk page (I'm mostly thinking of the "do you defend NTs?") that should find their way into the FAQ, I think.
4. Move Alka's recon map from his user space to Templates. It's done, so it should be in the Template namespace.
5. Move ALICE's "test" to somewhere more noticable in the NW space, so more people see it.

So... What do you think? ~ extropymine ^{Talk | NW | 4Corners} 20:15, 29 March 2009 (BST)

1. -> Fixed your Navbar (a bit) by using width=100% for the inner table.
2. -> Well i'm new but I'm also experienced user, programmer and gamer - Most people by chance will be not. We need step-by-step instructions how to update scans, reminder to also update building status, and instructions for this. Also, tell new people what they can (but by no means have to) do - posting news etc. If someone don't want to post news, maybe make a queue for "News to write", so not everybody need to watch all NTscan: namespace pages.
3. -> No comments on the FAQ as i'm too new around
4. -> Yep, don't think I will do more work on this, except when suggestions come in.

-- -Alka Selzer- ^{[ Talk - Map - Stuff ]}  22:44, 29 March 2009 (BST)

I checked a couple of those items off the list. As for ALICE's test, well, that's fine where it is... for people to find or not. That's part of the fun. Also, feel free to include your new FAQ's here for review. --Mobius 02:30, 30 March 2009 (BST)

I'm bringing the "Things to do" stuff up again. Mobius left for fishing (...) so now we have a big gap missing. He did a lot for NecroWatch, updating scan counts for people who didn't do it themselfs, posting news, etc. Either the remaining active people take over now, or we try to automate stuff a lot. For example, a script could look at the uploaded scanimages every 24 hours and note difference, updating scancounts for users automatically, determining ribbons and creating a recon map for every member. Thoughts, ideas? -- -Alka Selzer- ^{[ Talk - Map - Stuff ]}  08:53, 26 April 2009 (BST)

If you can create scripts...sign me up. I have no idea about that sort of stuff and do not have the time to manually track down each and every change to make sure things are up-to-the-minute done. On that note, I would like to suggest that we also clean up this page to make it easier to navigate. God help the poor newbie trying to get an understanding of what goes on around here. BTW, glad we resolved the other stuff about Recruitment.

Also, I am working on the new ribbon designs. If no one has any reservations, I figure we can just posto-facto approve the ribbon suggestions and clear that area out.--Dr Mycroft Chris 13:51, 26 April 2009 (BST)

No problems with that. I am a programmer and can write scripts, but I'm terrible with Artwork. I'll think about a way to get scancounts automatically. Also, i should register a second account for those Botscripts, maybe i should register A.L.I.C.E. :D -- -Alka Selzer- ^{[ Talk - Map - Stuff ]}  18:03, 26 April 2009 (BST)

I have some skill with artwork, should it be required. CITIZEN VI 05:01, 27 April 2009 (BST)

Thanks, I may hold you to that...LOL!--Dr Mycroft Chris 11:49, 28 April 2009 (BST)

CITIZEN VI brought up a good point and I'm on it. Soon the NecroWatch Scan Age script will change NT Buildings with scans older than 45 days to static. In theory, this already works, but I like to test my scripts a bit before unleashing the beast on the wiki. Next step would be auto-counting of new scans so nobody needs to edit their scores. -- -Alka Selzer- ^{[ Talk - Map - Stuff ]}  22:14, 4 May 2009 (BST)

Thank you so much. This is absolutely brilliant. CITIZEN VI 15:19, 5 May 2009 (BST)

The beast was unleashed. The Script now runs as NWBot. Images will be set to Missing if the scan is 60 days or older. Now 60 days is also the maximum value reported, so Missing scans will be reported as "60 days or older". This has an effect on the scan age map, as color red is harder to reach for a suburb. Here you can see NWBots work. -- -Alka Selzer- ^{[ Talk - Map - Stuff ]}  19:04, 5 May 2009 (BST)

Nice!--Dr Mycroft Chris 16:55, 6 May 2009 (BST)

Report NecroNet Scans

Do you have a NecroNet scan you're dying to share with NecroWatch? Too lazy/evil to update the it yourself? We understand, and in some cases, our sub-goal is to discourage people from thinking this job is easy so all our NecroTechnicians are treated almost like gods for performing actions that, without all the smoke and mirrors, are fairly straightforward. But rather than lose precious scan information we're stepping up to do the job for you. Just post a link to the iWitness report or image/screenshot with the scan. Be sure to date it, or else your timestamp will be considered the date/time the scan was taken. In the case of iWitness reports we use the provided MT (Malton Time). You will of course be given credit for any and all scans you post here. How awesome is that? No, don't think about it! Just believe us. Excellent.

Dr. Asoka Wu's Scans

6/26/08 Pursey Building, Lockettside (27, 84) Pursey Building

Asoka Wu

6/26/08 Brockliss Building, Spicer Hills (25, 90) Brockliss Building

Asoka Wu

6/24/08 Button Building, Old Arkham (19, 97) Button Building

Asoka Wu

6/23/08 Mitchener Building, New Arkham (1,95) Mitchener Building

Asoka Wu

6/17/08 Wreford Building, New Arkham (5, 98) Wreford Building

Asoka Wu

6/15/08 Harford Building, New Arkham (8,99). Harford Building

Asoka Wu

6/13/08 Denty Building, New Arkham (7, 99). Denty Building

Asoka Wu

Iscariot's Scans

If you are searching for Iscariot's older NecroNet reports, you can find them here.

The Henley Building http://iwrecords.urbandead.info/02-23-08_2100hrs_PUBLIC/IN_8-88_Henley_8c8-dae-a14.html

-- Iscariot 22:07, 23 February 2008 (UTC)

Uploaded. --Mobius187 13:18, 25 February 2008 (UTC)

The Blackmore Building http://iwrecords.urbandead.info/04-30-08_1800hrs_PUBLIC/IN_55-47_Blackmore_1e6-e63-7b9.html

-- . . <== DDR Approved Editor 18:19, 30 April 2008 (BST)

N00bert Scans

If you are searching for N00bert's older NecroNet reports, you can find them here.

In all seriousness!! SilwoodBuildingNT in Wray Heights.--N00bert ^F 21:35, 13 February 2008 (UTC)

FramBuildingNT Wray Heights

DarnellBuildingNT Wray Heights

TelferBuildingNT Ketchelbank

Good night.. --N00bert ^F 05:00, 14 February 2008 (UTC)

Updated all scans. Keep up the good work. :) --Mobius187 13:08, 14 February 2008 (UTC)

InmanBuildingNT Pescodside --N00bert ^F 04:59, 3 April 2008 (BST)

GracewoodBuildingNT Paynerton--N00bert ^foxhound 00:06, 7 April 2008 (BST)

You boys still doing this NW thing? If so; MorrishBuildingNT Pitneybank --N00bert ^foxhound 16:08, 7 April 2008 (BST)

CannerBuildingNT Gibsonton

DucatBuildingNT Gibsonton

HallBuildingNT Santlerville

TroodBuildingNT Dulston

There's my contribution. :) --N00bert ^foxhound 21:05, 20 February 2009 (UTC)

theshinysword's scans

If you are searching for theshinysword's older NecroNet reports, you can find them here.

Sexualharrison's Scans

If you are searching for Sexualharrison's older NecroNet reports, you can find them here.

Nisbet building----Sexualharrison 19:25, 14 March 2008 (UTC)
whippy building----Sexualharrison 12:52, 15 March 2008 (UTC)

Done and done. But not exactly in that order. --Mobius 03:47, 16 March 2008 (UTC)

new scans Nettleton Building----Sexualharrison 03:28, 11 May 2009 (BST)

The Nettleton Building was updated for you -- -Alka Selzer- ^{[ Talk - Map - Stuff ]}  06:13, 11 May 2009 (BST)

for old times sake. i know nothing. http://iamscott.net/1243963673808.html BLACKMORE!----Sexualharrison 18:44, 2 June 2009 (BST)

ZS Revitech Scans

If you are looking for ZS Revitech's older NecroNet scan reports, you can find them here.

Ghita's Scans

If you are searching for Ghita's older NecroNet reports, you can find them here.

Mr NoName Scans

If you are looking for Mr NoName's older NecroNet scan reports, you can find them here.

Lufio's Scans

If you are looking for Lufio's older NecroNet scan reports, you can find them here.

February 23, 2008 - After today, I'm going back to uploading my own stuff. This will be the last Iwitness links I'll be putting up here for a while. Heh, I can't believe those zombie guards in the McCullock Building are just now finally getting around to damaging the Portable Generator I set up days ago.

• Miltown - successful NecroNet scan at Fliney NT and at McCullock NT

Anyways, with Miltown done, Fryerbank is now the last suburb on my list. Once I have those 3 NT Buildings, I will have taken a scan from all the NT Buildings in the SE sector of Malton. That SE ribbon will be mine! --The Masked Lurker 00:36, 24 February 2008 (UTC)

Many zombies lack the same work ethic common to members of NecroWatch. They're all like, "I'll destroy that generator... later... after my lunch break!". Unionization destroyed many a zombie's will to destroy things now. It's sad really. Oh, and I uploaded those scans and good luck with the SE Master Recon ribbon. --Mobius187 13:29, 25 February 2008 (UTC)

Wan Yao's scans

A scan from the The Copeland Building in West Grayside. Too lazy to crop a photo tonight :) --WanYao 06:36, 6 April 2008 (BST)

Moar skanz I'm too lazy to crop ;) The Delay Building in Nixbank. And the Selway Building in Ruddlebank. --WanYao 23:22, 9 April 2008 (BST)

Nitro378's scans

Here you go. Fliney Building. For some reason it took like 3 days for someone to put up a genny. [1] --Nitro378 ^{T JNL} 11:47, 22 June 2008 (BST)

[2] Here's A report from The Hosken building. It came out a little weird with the UD toolbar on.... --Nitro378 ^{T JNL} 16:36, 26 June 2008 (BST)

SPC MadDog's Scans

Millen Hills: 1.) http://iwrecords.urbandead.info/02-17-09_1500hrs_PUBLIC/IN_54-19_Millen_Hills_1_0af-650-373.html

2.) http://iwrecords.urbandead.info/02-17-09_1500hrs_PUBLIC/IN_55-17_Millen_Hills_2_cab-23b-35c.html

3.) http://iwrecords.urbandead.info/02-17-09_1500hrs_PUBLIC/IN_55-13_Millen_Hills_3_7f5-5ec-933.html

4.) http://iwrecords.urbandead.info/02-17-09_1600hrs_PUBLIC/IN_59-10_Millen_Hills_4_e2f-0fc-98b.html

Ack! I've seen this happen before. You're using FireFox, am I correct? The last time this occurred a FireFox tool was conflicting with the browser. I believe Kikashie might have a solution, or at least I always assume that. You see it's almost like I'm Felix and Kikashie is my magic bag... of solutions. --Mobius 18:40, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

Well thats not good.

5.) http://iwrecords.urbandead.info/02-17-09_1700hrs_PUBLIC/IN_56-15_Millen_Hills_5_aaa-ed0-5fc.html

I also updated the Building Status, Necrowatch on their individual pages. Check if you like. What do we need to do to fix it? --ChuckWade87 19:05, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

I was thinking, I could post the images like I do with the Necronet Reports on the NT facility pages, What Do you think? I'm pretty sure someone else has done the same. --ChuckWade87 19:12, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

Actually you don't need to worry about posting the reports here, if you are already updating the scans for the individual NT buildings. This was more for users who wanted to report NT scans, but didn't have the time to post the scan image themselves. I would do it for them. Although these days I'm happier to work with users who know how to do that as it saves me a lot of time. --Mobius 21:32, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

*salutes* ~ extropymine ^{Talk | NW | 4Corners} 07:13, 18 February 2009 (UTC)

BlackReaper's Scans

Sheppard: http://iwrecords.urbandead.info/04-06-09_0200hrs_PRIVATE/IN_48-7_Sheppard_Buildi_eb7-dfe-a7a.html -- T^HEL^ORDG^UNS^LINGER 02:47, 6 April 2009 (BST)

Archives

Bored? Or maybe you just want to help clean-up the NecroWatch Talk wikipage. Either way, if a post thread is more than 6 months old then it deserves to be moved to the Archive. Feel free to do so yourself. It's a free world after all, and if there is one thing I support, that's freedom.

Archive 2 is HERE