Post Timestamps Guidelines
Created by Captain María Zavala on Sun Jun 16th, 2024 @ 11:41pm
Our simulation website offers several built-in tools to help with post-writing and post management including (but not limited to) post titles, missions, timelines, and locations. Each of these has a role within the system and, while not all are required by our sim, we wanted to give you a few guidelines to help you navigate them as we write our stories together.
Mission Field
The mission field is how you tell your readers (and the website) what mission the post belongs in. Think of this as the ‘episode’. Nova displays all active missions for you. Usually, this will be the current ‘main’ episode and perhaps a special area for writing backposts. However, there might also be times when we have two or more episodes running simultaneously. For this reason, always make sure you have the right mission selected before you click ‘post’. If you have any questions or are confused as to which mission a post should be in, please let us know and we will be happy to help sort it out.
Timeline Field
The timeline field is how you tell your readers (and also the website) when the post takes place in the continuity of the sim. If you are going to put something in here, it should be written as the mission day followed by the military time (so as to avoid confusion over whether the post is taking place during the ‘day’ or at ‘night’).
Example: Day 01, 1649 Hours
We do not require players to use this field in their writing, but it can be helpful to those who might be reading through these posts if the day and/or time are included (just so they can get a sense for when the scenes are happening and in what order).
Location Field
The location field is how you tell your readers where the post takes place, whether aboard ship or somewhere else. It should always be written as the immediate location (e.g. room, building, or other descriptor) followed by the general location (e.g. ship, installation, planet).
Example: Ten Forward Lounge, USS Carina
Note that the location doesn’t need to have the deck number listed unless it is relevant (i.e. “Corridor – Deck 05, USS Carina).
Personal Logs
Unlike mission posts, the form for personal logs does not include a mission field, timeline field, or a location field. As such, you do not have to include this information in your posting if it does not make sense for you to. However, if you would like to do so, we ask that you use the following format:
||Mission ???, Day ???, ??? Hours
||(location), USS Carina (or elsewhere)
Example: ||Mission 1.01 (Ad Astra), Day 01, 0800 Hours
||Ready Room, USS Carina
Follow-Up
Questions, comments, and concerns are always welcomed and should be directed to a member of the sim command staff via private message or mail.
See also:
Source: Adapted from the “Timestamp Policy” of the USS Highlander. Used with permission.
Mission Field
The mission field is how you tell your readers (and the website) what mission the post belongs in. Think of this as the ‘episode’. Nova displays all active missions for you. Usually, this will be the current ‘main’ episode and perhaps a special area for writing backposts. However, there might also be times when we have two or more episodes running simultaneously. For this reason, always make sure you have the right mission selected before you click ‘post’. If you have any questions or are confused as to which mission a post should be in, please let us know and we will be happy to help sort it out.
Timeline Field
The timeline field is how you tell your readers (and also the website) when the post takes place in the continuity of the sim. If you are going to put something in here, it should be written as the mission day followed by the military time (so as to avoid confusion over whether the post is taking place during the ‘day’ or at ‘night’).
Example: Day 01, 1649 Hours
We do not require players to use this field in their writing, but it can be helpful to those who might be reading through these posts if the day and/or time are included (just so they can get a sense for when the scenes are happening and in what order).
Location Field
The location field is how you tell your readers where the post takes place, whether aboard ship or somewhere else. It should always be written as the immediate location (e.g. room, building, or other descriptor) followed by the general location (e.g. ship, installation, planet).
Example: Ten Forward Lounge, USS Carina
Note that the location doesn’t need to have the deck number listed unless it is relevant (i.e. “Corridor – Deck 05, USS Carina).
Personal Logs
Unlike mission posts, the form for personal logs does not include a mission field, timeline field, or a location field. As such, you do not have to include this information in your posting if it does not make sense for you to. However, if you would like to do so, we ask that you use the following format:
||Mission ???, Day ???, ??? Hours
||(location), USS Carina (or elsewhere)
Example: ||Mission 1.01 (Ad Astra), Day 01, 0800 Hours
||Ready Room, USS Carina
Follow-Up
Questions, comments, and concerns are always welcomed and should be directed to a member of the sim command staff via private message or mail.
See also:
Source: Adapted from the “Timestamp Policy” of the USS Highlander. Used with permission.
Updated: 06/16/2024
Categories: Simulation Rules & Policies | Creative Writing Resources