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NovaWriMo 2019 Contest: Rules to participate


NQ-Nyzaltar

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Hi everyone!


The NovaWriMo Contest is back! :)


What is NovaWriMo?

 

For those who don't know what this is about, here's a quick explanation: NovaWriMo is a writing contest inspired by "National Novel Writing Month" (NaNoWriMo), which usually starts in November and lasts for roughly one month. NovaWriMo is a very similar contest, but with a twist; the writing contest is related to Dual Universe, and it's not strictly tied to the month of November.

 

2019 Theme:


Pre-Alpha, Alpha, and Beta phases of Dual Universe are also part of the game lore! 
How’s that possible? Simple; it represents virtual simulations run by Aphelia while all the colonists are still deep in their cryogenic sleep during their interstellar travel. Quite similar to the virtual simulation in the film ‘The Matrix’, except that the colonists are aware of it, understand that it’s a temporary situation, and that they will walk out of it at some point (the official release). They don’t have steel pikes plugged into their brains either! 


Special Rules for this theme:

  • The contender can write anything about what his character (or his organization) is doing during the Alpha phase, or what he will do once upcoming features are officially announced on the roadmap will be implemented in game. In that second case, we would advise to wait until the updated roadmap is released (which should happen very soon). That's the reason why we made the Contest duration slightly longer this time, so you don't have to worry about rushing your story. 
     
  • The contender can write about conflicts, however, it should only involve fictional opponents/organizations, not real players or organizations run by real players (to avoid any disagreement between the players mentioned about how the narrative direction is going)
     
  • It should be clear with the rules mentioned above but in order to confirm it clearly: No alien creatures should be involved in the story.

 

Lore sources for reference:


The Official Dual Universe Lore Bible
The short story written by Alain Damasio
The mods of the novel by Alain Damasio mentioned in the beginning of this post, some info here and here too
The Backstory Page of the official website  
Some more recent information.
(If you spot an inconsistency between the different sources, the Official Lore Bible should be considered authoritative).

 

Writing Rules:

  • The text should have a word count between 3,000 and 5,000 words.
  • The contest starts today, Friday November 29th, 23:00 UTC.
  • It will end on Monday January 13th, 23:00 UTC.
  • The story should be on the chosen theme (see above).
  • You must submit your text in the form of a PDF file and you must attach it to a dedicated topic (with the tag [NovaWrimo2019] in the title) you created in the "Novaquark Archives" forum section. The PDF file must not exceed 500 kb in size.
  • You must also send your file in Word or .txt format to both NQ-Nomad and NQ-Nyzaltar to be eligible. You can do so by private message on the forum.
  • By submitting a fanfiction with the tag [NovaWrimo2019] in the topic title, the poster will explicitly cede author rights to Novaquark. While these texts won't be sold in any form, they may be used (fully or partially) as promotional materials or in marketing campaigns for Dual Universe. For more information, please read our "Terms of Use" and our EULA. You also must accept and respect the legal conditions bound to your Dual Universe account (the aforementioned game's EULA, but also the Terms of Use, Privacy Policy, and NDA if relevant).
  • Your submission must be written in English.
  • Physical violence should be limited (No gore or similar things). 
  • Verbal violence and cursing is tolerated but should be limited and not gratuitous.
  • Explicit sexual content isn't allowed.
  • Hate speech toward specific people, ethnic groups, or religions isn't allowed.
  • A non-native English writer can seek help from a native English speaker to polish the text in English.
  • The native English speaker must be aware that it can help only on a volunteer basis: he won't be eligible for any reward.
  • If a non-native English writer seeks help from a native English speaker, he/she must submit the complete text before proofreading. Once his/her text is proofread, he/she will have to keep both pre-proofread and post-proofread versions of the text available on the forum.
  • If several people collaborate on a story, please be aware that only the individual submitting the entry on the forum will be eligible to win any prizes or awards. We will not have group prizes available. 
  • Because the juries are completely different, a participant may win a Novaquark prize and the Community prize.
  • You may submit multiple entries, however, you may only win one Novaquark prize.
  • If an entry does not meet all of the requirements for eligibility (text size not observing the word count, missing the deadline by a few days, etc.), the author won't be considered as eligible for the Novaquark and the Community prizes. However, it may still be considered as a participant to the contest. It will be up to the Novaquark team to decide on a case by case basis. 
  • Late entries will not be eligible for either the Novaquark or Community prizes, but will still be considered as participants. 
  • A gentle reminder, rather than a rule; please consider the reading comfort of your future readers by formatting your text in a way that makes it easily readable (make sure to put some space between your paragraphs, etc.)
     

Winners:

  • There will be three winners selected by the Novaquark team.
  • There will be one winner selected by the Community (Community members will vote for their favorite story).

 

Prizes:

  • Novaquark 1st Prize: 3 Beta Keys + In-game title "NovaWriMo 2019 Winner: Gold"
  • Novaquark 2nd Prize: 2 Beta Keys + In-game title "NovaWriMo 2019 Winner: Silver"
  • Novaquark 3rd Prize: 1 Beta Key + In-game title "NovaWriMo 2019 Winner: Bronze"
  • Community Prize: In-game title "Famous Writer".

 

Good luck everyone! :)


Best Regards,
The Novaquark Team.

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6 hours ago, NQ-Nyzaltar said:
  • It should be clear with the rules mentioned above but in order to confirm it clearly: No alien creatures should be involved in the story.

That's where you're wrong, alien creatures have always been a part of your story, muwhahahah. :dragon:

 

Also, I get the inkling that this topic should be locked, or is it open to discussion?

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18 hours ago, DarkHorizon said:

Also, I get the inkling that this topic should be locked, or is it open to discussion?

Post in rules and announcements announcing the contest linked here saying: "ask your questions (if you have any) in the same topic !" Also previous novawrimo had discussion in the thread.

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@NQ-Nyzaltar 

Hello, I have a few questions:

  1. Can we get an update on Aphelia's involvement with the Alpha Team? For example, what actions would the AI permit or forbid? Does it appear in an AR form or is the appearance restricted to a seemingly omnipresent voice? 
  2. Can Alpha team members interact with each other, and to what extent? Is physical touch, and conflict permitted or even possible? 
  3. Do the pets included in the packs exist in the Alpha simulation. If yes, can you give an example of some high level function they can perform (speech, tasks, interacting with the environment, for example)? 
  4. Is the day/night cycle reproduced with the effects of human metabolism (the need to eat, sleep, take a bath and use Wi-Fi ;)) and fatigue? For example, is sleep necessary, existent or something that can be done at an individual's pleasure? If sleep is possible, do the Alpha team members log out of the simulation or do they sleep within it? 
  5. Does wildlife exist in the simulation? 
  6. I take it that simulated death is not possible, but how would Aphelia react to someone planning murder or violence? On that point, what's the status of weapons in the simulation.
  7. What are physical limits of the simulation in terms of travel? Are the Alpha team members bound to Alioth, or can they travel out of the planet? 

 

I might have others as they come. Many thanks in advance. 

Cheers.

 

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As far as the NDA goes how free is one to discuss the various encounters and discoveries made in the alpha, as well as how realistic do certain "more mysterious" discoveries found in this Alpha Simulation line up to actual objects that exist in the actual Helios system? Are the planets and their in-simulations descriptions and relative mysteries accurate as well? I would find it very unlikely for the AI to have made-up some the things we encounter in the simulation. 

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Hi everyone!

 

Sorry for the late reply!
So to answer your questions...


@Vyz Ejstu

1) and 6) Aphelia is dematerialized in the simulation. She doesn't forbid anything as long as it is not an attempt to impact/attack her own integrity. However, she won't facilitate nor encourage any violence. That's also why colonists haven't any hand weapon given to them once you "wake up" in the simulation. Consider that a loophole exists as colonists really wanting to resort to violence can bypass this interdiction by making constructs with weapons. It's up to you to take into account only everything you had so far in-game, or to include in your story what will be possible/available with Alpha3 coming soon.

 

2) Alpha team members can interact to the limit explained in the 2nd special rule for this NovaWriMo Contest:
"The contender can write about conflicts, however, it should only involve fictional opponents/organizations, not real players or organizations run by real players (to avoid any disagreement between the players mentioned about how the narrative direction is going)". At the very least, if several Alpha team members interact in a story, you must make sure beforehand that all the involved ones agree with the direction taken by your story.

 

3) No, pets aren't included in the Alpha simulation. 

 

4) It's a bit like the film Matrix: They don't "log out". They sleep in the simulation to be fully immersed in it.

 

5) You can consider that if wildlife is in the simulation for storytelling purpose, it would be quite similar to what you find on Earth (don't go overboard on that point though, as it's not something that will get a very strong focus in the game, at least for now), based on Aphelia's database knowledge.

 

7) Physical limitations in terms of travel would be the whole Helios system. Players can't go outside this solar system in the simulation, just as it is currently in-game.

 

@Keejhle

Many things currently in game are subject to change a lot until the official release.
You can present that by adding a narrative disclaimer about "Aphelia's virtual simulation" not being representative of the "real world" in which the players will land once the official release is reached. Regarding "mysteries"... Yes, they are mysteries in the virtual simulation, and that might be obviously source of many questions: are those "mysteries" really put there by Aphelia just to test the colonists adaptability skills (in any case, it will be the official answer she will give them)?  Will there be similar mysteries in the "real world" they will land on? If so, how can Aphelia know so much about said mysteries without having been over there first? 

 

We hope this answer your questions.
If you have other questions, don't hesitate to ask! :)

 

Best Regards,

Nyzaltar.

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On 12/6/2019 at 6:09 PM, NQ-Nyzaltar said:

Hi everyone!

...

We hope this answer your questions.
If you have other questions, don't hesitate to ask! :)

 

Best Regards,

Nyzaltar.

 

Thanks for the reply, NQ. This might seem somewhat nitpicky: was the choice to exclude pets based on the roadmap outlines?

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  • 1 month later...
On 1/15/2020 at 12:24 PM, Agilulf said:

Out of interest: Is the contest over (Deadline: January 13th)? Are you extending it? Apparently there were only two entries. Maybe now, after the holidays, there could be additional participants.

The lacklustre response this year is somewhat disappointing. Novaquark has stated that the contest duration was longer than usual in the first place; to allow for information release on their part. If there is an extension of the deadline, it's sensible to have proof of there being more entries currently in the works. Perhaps if more people voiced their opinion, the deadline could be extended. 

Do you intend to make a submission if the contest is extended? If yes, how long would it take you?

Cheers.

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On 1/16/2020 at 10:23 PM, Vyz Ejstu said:

Do you intend to make a submission if the contest is extended? If yes, how long would it take you?

I don't. I was relying on the board's regular writers. But I guess there's kind of a general lull and it's not just the holidays.

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 1/20/2020 at 9:13 PM, Agilulf said:

I don't. I was relying on the board's regular writers. But I guess there's kind of a general lull and it's not just the holidays.

Not sure if taking part in last contest makes me a regular writer, but I already brainstormed ideas for novawrimo text, but  ran short on writing time with surprise gig work, being late on a fanfiction that I write and choosing to take part in another short story contest which I am still writing for. Thinking of ideas for novawrimo turned out to give me the idea for that text though so thanks NQ I guess. Even if DL was extended though, that other contest simply has much more potential benefit for me than fanfic contest of a game company which participants can be counted with one hand fingers, and I am not just talking about the cash prizes.

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