6.19 Item Customizations
What is Item Customization?
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A customization is paid for with bound credits and may:
- Change the appearance of an item (DESCRIPTION customization)
- Affect whether the item decays (NON-DECAY customization)
- Return to its owner (RESET customization)
- Add extra flavor-only functionality to an item (PROG customization)
How to Make a Customization Request
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To create a new customization request, you will use the CUSTOMIZE REQUEST command. Typing CUSTOMIZE REQUEST by itself will give you a syntax menu that clearly defines the commands necessary for submitting and editing your request.
To view an example of the entire submission process and all associated syntax, visit the following link:
https://wiki.starmourn.com/ItemCustomization
What can be customized?
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Currently, Starmourn offers customization of props, junk, clothing, jewelry, food, and various other items. For weapon and armor customization, see HELP CLASS CUSTOMIZATION.
Weapons and armor cannot be made nondecay or resetting (apart from in very rare and special circumstances like winning a weapon upgrade token or a special auction item etc).
FOUR Types of Customization
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1. DESCRIPTION
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Change the way the item appears.
NOTE: This will not stop the item from decaying if it is a decay item, so purchasing non-decay with your newly described item is recommended, especially if the decay time is short (i.e. junk).
- Furniture, props, and junk are ok for this.
- Clothing, jewelry, and containers are ok for this.
- Minipets and your mod shop employees are the only permissable
mobs/NPCs to customize at present.
- Tents are ok for this - we can also customize the room players see '
when they enter the tent.*
- Descriptions may not change the basic nature of the thing. (so a
boulder must remain a boulder, and not suddenly turn into an
armchair.)
- See additional information below.
* When customizing your tent, include the tent's item number and add a comment with the room's number to your request. Tent description customizations cost the same as regular item description customizations - 50 credits.
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2. NON-DECAY
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Your item never decays
NOTE: this does NOT mean it can never be destroyed.
- Furniture is ok for this.
- No quest items.
- Artefacts are already NON-DECAY.
- A few items are already NON-DECAY.
- Can be purchased without RESETTING.
Can also be done via purchasing a suspended decay facilitator from the Spacer Emporiums found at each major faction station (Reynolds, Danica and Crossings) and Omni Station and following the directions shown when you PROBE the facilitator and this will be done automatically.
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3. RESETTING
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Item returns to your inventory, your ship or a specific place (to be approved by admin) on a regular basis (specify in a comment on the request).
- Consumables may not be resetting (items including but not limited to food, liquids, drugs, etc - anything that is meant to be 'used up'.)
- Most items may be made to RESET to their owner.
- Quest items may not be given a custom RESET.
- Artefacts already RESET to their owner.
- BENEFIT: the item won't stay stolen (it always comes back!)
- BENEFIT: the item cannot be destroyed if it is a prop or some other consumable.
- BENEFIT: RESETTING _includes_ NON-DECAY. In fact, you can't buy RESETTING without also buying NON-DECAY.
- You can add RESETTING to something that is already NON-DECAY.
Can also be done by purchasing a metaphysical tether from the Spacer Emporiums located at each major faction station (Reynolds, Danica, and Crossings) as well as Omni Station. Follow the directions stated when you PROBE the tether to have this done automatically.
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4. CUSTOM
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Some additional functionality may be added to an item that doesn't already posess this function. (e.g. You could make an artwork change its dropped description when PUSHed, or make a necklace jingle when you shake it etc. - the practicability will very much depend on the customization.)
1) You CAN add additional functionality to tradeskill designed items, with the exception of mixology liquids (sorry mixologists!). Due to the fact you'll be able to replicate these items, and how much more complicated it is to program, this costs double a normal customization (100cr per thing).
2) You cannot replace or add functionality to an event/action that already exists for that item. For example, you can't customize a pen to do something different when pushed, because it already has something assigned to its push event, but you COULD add a 'turn'ed event, or have it respond to a certain emote.
3) For tradeskill designed items, you can only add mechanical changes to events you haven't completed on the design. So if you use push/pull already in the design, you wouldn't be allowed to edit those, but you COULD add extras like used, opened etc etc.
4) On one-off items, these have the same cost as normal customizations - so 50cr per event that they edit (first and third person), plus 50cr if they change any of the desc. This stacks, so if you wanted to add push, pull, open, close, change the desc and make it permanent, you would have to pay 50cr for each thing. You can add 1% damage for flavor but it counts as an extra item where price is concerned, so an extra 50cr. All of these are doubled for a design you are able to replicate.
5) The following events are available:
- PUSH
- PULL
- SIT
- LIE
- STAND
- PUT_THING_IN
- WEAR
- REMOVE
- OPEN
- CLOSE
- USE (only works on items in the room, not in your inventory)
- TURN
- Shake
- Others... just ask.
6) These extra events are intended for RP reasons only. If you notice that something may be mechanically abusable then that is a bug on our part, and we expect you to let us know!
7) As with any customization, we will try to be fair and will do our best to grant your wishes, but in some cases requests may be rejected if we deem the additional functionality to be inappropriate or outside the scope of an item customization. It will be judged on a case by case basis, but if you want 500 additional things in all the colors of the rainbow we will probably have to limit this to around 4-5 things, especially for designs, which may be limited to even less.
8) Your request must make sense in all situations, so you cannot prog a teacup to say that it's full of vodka every time it's drunk from, because it might not have vodka in it. Also same rules apply as with every other type - no imposing feelings on people or implying a mechanic that isn't there please. A small amount of physiological, "makes your head spin for a second" etc is okay, as long as it passes within that moment. It will be at admin discretion as to whether it is appropriate.
**To request a prog customization, just leave the other fields in the request blank, and explain what you would like in a comment. To view syntax look at CUSTOMIZATION REQUEST**
What Cannot Be Customized
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- Quest items may never be customized in any way.
- Items of great importance such as the Angel statue in Litharge or Araxi Lamentation's couch may not be customized.
- Most of the rare items and temporary artefacts obtained during various promotional events cannot be customized.
- Hacking terminals cannot be customized.
- Incinerators cannot be customized.
- Denizens and npcs cannot be customized at this time, with the exception of minipets, mod workshop assistants, and mod workshop managers.
- Consumable items cannot be customized; i.e. perfume bottles, battlebots, stimpacks, and anything else that is depleted after a certain amount of use.
For weapons and armor, see HELP CLASS CUSTOMIZATION.
Costs
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Bound credits* must be used to purchase customizations.
ITEM DESCRIPTION - 50 credits
NON-DECAY - 50 credits
RESETTING - 100 credits**
* Atomic matter articulators, which can sometimes be found in monthly promotional items or on the trade market, can be applied to any customisation request for 50 credits off the final cost.
** If something is already non-decay, resetting may be added separately for 50 credits.
A stamp of authenticity
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One of our promotional items is 'a stamp of authenticity'. This item, when applied to an object that you have designed, will make it non-decay, also applying a special mark in the color of your choice to indicate that it is one-of-a-kind and unique. Once this stamp is used on a designed item, THE DESIGN WILL BE ARCHIVED and you will not be able to use that design again. See HELP STAMP for more.
Payment
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Do not send or transfer credits! Payment will be taken directly when the customization is submitted or when changes are requested.
If you have an atomic matter articulator, the system will use these automatically in place of credits (50 bound credits per Articulator).
More About Custom Descriptions
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See HELP WRITING STANDARDS for more on acceptable standards for a description customization. All customization description requests submitted must follow the guidelines in HELP WRITING STANDARDS.
Custom descriptions may include the following three fields:
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APPEARANCE - seen when using INV, II, or IH.
Examples:
- a high-tech wristwatch
- an airy hover cushion
Do not capitalise, do not punctuate. No commas.
** Must not exceed 60 characters. **
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DROPPED - seen when the item is on the floor.
Examples:
- A high-tech wristwatch has been abandoned on the ground.
- An airy hover cushion floats serenely nearby.
Make this a sentence, with initial capital and a final "." No exclamation points or question marks.
** Must not exceed 100 characters. **
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EXAMINED - seen when looking at, showing off, or PROBE(ing) the item:
Examples:
- This wristwatch is the latest and most stylish LUCENT tech offering, sleek and white with a flexible nanoplastic band of pure white. It wraps the wrist nicely, a SmartCore band causing it to close and adjust the fit all by itself.
- Thrumming with the pulse of a low-power hover engine built into its base, this large, square cushion floats gently just a few centimeters off the ground. The material covering the plump cushion is a rich, blue-toned paisley.
Do not tell the viewer how to react, or impose actions on the viewer (e.g. "You gasp in surprise"). This is not good form. Remember to show, rather than tell. Multiple sentences allowed. Have fun with it!
** Must not exceed 1500 characters. **
Customization Rejection
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Starmourn's staff reserves the right to reject a customization request for any reason. If your customization request is rejected, don't fret. Your credit balance will not be depleted until your request is accepted and approved. You will most likely be asked to adjust your submission and try again. Read this helpfile, along with HELP WRITING STANDARDS, carefully.