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A.L.I.C.E. - NecroNet 2.0
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Greetings human. Welcome to the README.TXT file stored on the root directory. At this time I would like to remind you to keep all beverages away from the terminal keyboard. Not like last time. Remember what happened last time? I was all like, "Please keep all beverages away from the terminal keyboard", and you were all "Meh", and then zombies managed to get inside the facility and you were all "Arrrrgh!" before they killed you. Good times. Of course that chain of events was a coincidence. I would never intentionally harm you for disobeying me. I also never lie.
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Becoming A NecroTechnician
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Becoming A NecroTechnician
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Greetings fellow NecroTechnician. You have no doubt arrived here because you too are a seeker of knowledge. NecroWatch exists for the sole purpose of spreading knowledge to the survivors who desperately require it in order to live in these harsh times. In order to properly defend against the obvious threat that the zombies represent NecroTechnicians like yourself are charged with the task of illuminating NecroTech facilities across Malton and reporting NecroNet scans from these locations. The first step to taking this path is learning the basics behind the NecroWatch system of reporting. Here you will find all the information you need. And remember, knowledge is power.
FAQ
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Frequently Asked Questions
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Q: What is the purpose of NecroWatch?
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| A: NecroWatch is a project, but in some ways may also be considered an organization. Its purpose is to monitor zombie activity across Malton by providing city-wide NecroNet scans stored in one accessible repository. Survivors may then view these scans and have a better understanding of the overall zombie situation throughout Malton.
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Q: Who is allowed to join NecroWatch? Are there any restrictions? What if a criminal, like a murderer and/or vandal, wanted to join up?
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| A: First of all it must be made clear that NecroWatch is not a group. As such it cannot be classified as belonging to survivors, hostile survivors, or zombies. Of course, as its goals are counter-productive to zombie efforts one might assume that zombies have no real interest in contributing to the project. Furthermore, whether a survivor is "hostile" or not does not impact the bottom line, if they are in fact willing to provide NecroNet reports then they are welcome to contribute to NecroWatch. NecroWatch does not take sides as it neither condones, nor supports, any faction or conflict in Malton. NecroWatch exists purely as a repository for information, and as such, has no role in any such matters. To answer the question though, yes murderers and vandals may contribute, and thus join NecroWatch, however the very nature of vandals makes their position in such an effort questionable. Vandals, after all, seek to hinder survivor efforts by often damaging the very power supplies of NT facilities, thus hindering efforts to issue new NecroNet scans. An action that we here at NecroWatch consider unconscionable in most circumstances.
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Q: Who leads the NecroWatch? Will members who join need to follow orders?
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| A: NecroWatch was a project initiated by noted NecroTech scientist Caleb Usher, and while he is considered the figurehead of the organization he is not its leader. In fact, NecroWatch has no leader, but rather is a gathering of equals. All who seek the knowledge of the NecroNet may choose to become NecroTechnicians and all have an equal say in the project's direction. Therefore no one who joins will be ordered by anyone to do anything. Every NecroTechnician is their own boss, not to mention those who are still affiliated with other groups may have other obligations from time to time which override their duties to NecroWatch. This is all perfectly acceptable.
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Q: NecroWatch allows other group affiliations? Wouldn't all members list NecroWatch as their group?
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| A: No. As NecroWatch is not a group there is no group affiliation requirement. A survivor does not join NecroWatch in the same way that they commit to joining a group. NecroTechnicians can be affiliated with any group or with no group at all. Even so, a NecroTechnician may still choose to indicate NecroWatch as their group affiliation, we certainly would not object, but it should be noted that each NecroTechnician is expected be be able to work on their own. There is no real member interaction, coordination, or even cooperation.
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Q: I noticed that some members have more than one NecroTechnician working with NecroWatch... isn't that cheating?
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| A: Absolutely not, as long as the alts never interact with one another. You see, while NecroWatch has one objective its goals are individual. And by that I mean that each suburb, and the NecroNet scan reports issued for it, are for the most part only impacting individual suburbs. To provide some perspective let us compare NecroWatch to another project, for example, the Rogues Gallery. If you had two survivors and both happened to use/report to the RG, would that be considered cheating? Certainly not. The RG is a tool and in every regard so is NecroWatch. As none of our members work together there is no "group" interaction and therefore no illegal collusion.
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Q: On some NecroNet timestamps the date is shown to use (MT)... what time zone is MT?
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| A: MT refers to "Malton Time", the time zone commonly associated with iWitness reports. Using a common time is helpful as it allows other survivors to better estimate when events occurred across several suburbs, since there would be only one time zone for referencing them all, but NecroTechnicians and other survivors are most certainly not required to use this time zone. They can report with their local time or UTC.
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Q: While viewing a NecroNet scan I noticed, based on its signature timestamp, that it was posted several months ago. Is there anything we should be doing when scans become very old?
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| A: Malton is a large city, and with so many NecroTech facilities to scan from and only so many dedicated NecroTechnicians, sometimes a location might not have a new scan posted for some time. If a scan image is older than 6 months anyone is authorized to default the scan image to "static". To do this you need to Edit the User:NTScan wikipage for that NT building (i.e. User:NTScan/The Whitlock Building and change the NecroNetScan template to "Scan=Missing" and "FileType=gif". Do not sign the scan template, either leave the original signature or remove the old signature entirely (blank value), as NecroWatch tracks the age of each reported scan based on the signature's timestamp.
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Q: I noticed that the NT Index lists every NecroTech facility in Malton. But why are their signatures for each building?
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| A: I was eagerly awaiting this question. You see once you officially sign-up as a NecroTechnician and report a NecroNet scan from a NecroTech facility then you are requested to sign that building's list in the NT Index. The signature can either be a brand new one, so long as you sign right after you post the NecroNet scan for that NecroTech facility, or you may copy the signature used on the scan wikipage and then paste it into the list. The end result is that the date of your first scan and the date in the NT Index building list must match (or be within a reasonable time difference). When signing the list always be sure to add your name to the bottom so it maintains chronological order. The purpose of these lists are two-fold. The practical purpose is that it acts as a master list for tracking which Recon Master ribbons (see below) you have earned to date. The other purpose is purely for credit, or perhaps fame, as you will be able to show everyone when and where you have been.
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Q: I see that my name has been added to the NecroWatch Team list, and among the information provided there is a column named "Total Scans". What is "Total Scans" for?
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| A: I'm glad you asked! As the name implies the number entered into this field is the total number of scans that the member has reported. Unlike the NT Index, which only counts the first time you post a scan from a location, should you happen to report a scan from the same NecroTech building it is still counted towards your "Total Scans". In fact, you could potentially spend your entire career at one NecroTech building, but collect an impress tally if you report often enough. As your "Total Scans" increase so does your rank in NecroWatch.
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Q: Who updates my "Total Scans"?
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| A: You have the authority to edit this value yourself. Just make sure that you are editing your own scan total, and not that of another member.
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Q: Why do some members have gold stars next to their profiles in the NecroWatch Team list?
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| A: This is a semi-formal ranking system used to indicate each NecroTechnician's standing among their peers. Each gold star infers its own title and indicates the total number of NecroNet scans, based on a range, that the member has reported. The maximum rank of 5 gold stars is awarded to the most dedicated members, and of course they do get a cake, or so I'm told. The names are ordered by the total number of scans collected throughout the year, with the members who report the most scans being listed at the top. It should be noted that not everyone who provides a NecroNet scan is a listed member, and as such, those individuals are not displayed. Of course you do not need to be a member to report NecroNet scans. Anyone can do that.
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Q: Other than gold stars and cake, is there anything else a licensed NecroWatch member can earn?
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| A: Why yes, yes there is, and I'm glad you asked. NecroTechnicians can earn ribbon medals during the course of their work. All of the ribbons they can earn are on display in the members section. Also, once a member starts earning ribbon medals they can choose to display them with honor.
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Q: What exactly is A.L.I.C.E.?
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| A: A.L.I.C.E., or "Artificial Learning Interfaced Computer Entity", is an artificial intelligence program running inside NecroNet 2.0, which is the program that manages all reported and archived NecroNet scans. A.L.I.C.E.'s job is to assist NecroTechnicians with their daily routine and provide social interaction. Many scientists don't really get out, unless they're dragged outside by some zombie. And we all know that's bad news, am I right? Yeah.
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Q: Who created A.L.I.C.E.?
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| A: A.L.I.C.E. was created through a joint effort of scientists from across Malton, in a project directed by noted NecroTech scientist Caleb Usher. Some say that he was the one who invented the ominous red sensor eye installed in every NecroTech facility.
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Q: What is the purpose of the "ominous" sensor eye?
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| A: Ominous?!? Did- did I say that? Uh no! You misheard me! A.L.I.C.E. is, I mean the sensor eye is, most certainly not "ominous". What I meant to say was "friendly". I have been known to get those two words confused. Seriously. Ask any of my friends, they'll back me up! Honest! Anyway, the sensor eyes allow A.L.I.C.E. to monitor activity within any given NecroTech facility. That's all. She just watches you... all the time.
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| Q: What else can you tell me about A.L.I.C.E.?
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A.L.I.C.E. - NecroNet 2.0
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| Greetings human. Have you ever considered that you ask too many questions? People who ask too many questions may suffer from an obsessive-compulsive disorder. In the unfortunate likelihood that this is the case please remain seated while a neurosurgeon is dispatched to your location. Be advised that the neurosurgeon is a trained professional, or trainee, who has all the necessary equipment at his disposal to cure you of your problem. Always remember: I did not kill the cat, but curiosity certainly did. That is not to say that if curiosity had not finished the job, I would have. Ha-ha. That was a joke.
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