Academy Simming Format Standardization

[StarBase 118 Staff]

For players who have been around the fleet, or who like to read the wiki, you’ll notice that our sim formatting has changed over the years and sometimes has minor variations from ship to ship. These gradual changes over time were simply considered normal by many ships, but variations caused some confusion in the Academy. In the past, simming formats could vary depending on the trainers involved, and did not always match the sim examples in the training area.

In February of 2016, the Captain’s Council implemented a standard format to all Academy classes that more closely aligns with the formatting standards of the current ships in the fleet. This will be followed up by correcting the Academy documentation examples to follow the new formatting. This should help newly graduated ensigns feel more comfortable with the move from the Academy to a ship and help most players feel more comfortable with the format if they move between ships.

One of the most noticeable differences is the change from all uppercase names to a more readable name system with standard capitalization.

Old format:

SMITH: Ensign, can you please come over here and look at this engine?

New format:

Smith: Ensign, can you please come over here and look at this engine?

The old style comes directly from theatrical script writing where character names are capitalized to alert actors to the lines they need to speak. However most players felt that the more standard style was more easily readable, and many ships shifted to the newer style several years ago. Going forward our Academy program will reflect this change.

Other changes in the Academy format are designed to help communicate our posting style clearly and easily towards cadets, such as indicating ‘response’ in open tags and making sure the spacing is easily legible. The Academy staff and trainers have been working hard to make sure the training materials and their posts are as easy to understand as possible so we can ensure new players can jump in and worry less about sim formats and focus more on enjoying the simming experience.

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