INTRODUCTION
This guide was written for first time palace owners with a
section for new wizards. I assume that when you make the decision to build your own
palace, whether it will be private or public, you have some basic knowledge already about
how to make rooms and simple doors.
If not you can follow the Basic Building Guide for a quick introduction. Check the links in the menu on the left.
The main guide will talk about planning, design
ideas and management of your palace. There are lots of other sites with HOW TO tutorials
and I will direct you to some of them as we reach each topic. The palaces noted as
examples are palaces that I have visited over the years I have been on The Palace Chat.
None of the palaces or websites that I have mentioned have asked to be included in this
guide.
I have been on The Palace for 3 years now, and became involved in
building and managing in the last year. My experience is not vast but I have had good
teachers. I hope to share with you the lessons that I have learnt in my time in the
driver's seat :) I invite any other experienced palace owners/builders out there to
correct me on any inaccuracies in this document. Just write to the forum and tell us what it is.
This guide was not written to take away the fun and spontaneity of
creating your own palace, rather it aims to minimize potential problems that can crop up
in the future.
To link to the palaces, you must have The Palace Client installed. In
the remote chance that you don't have it, visit Palace Planet downloads to
get a copy. Or the Quick Links menu to your left.
Choose from the list of topics:
Virtual
Planning
The secret behind a good palace is good planning. Palace Planning explores the strategies
that you can use, with tips and tricks to make your palace unique and interesting.
The
Wizard University
Whether you have a big palace or a small palace, your choice of staff will either make
or break your palace. This section was written as a guide for new owners and new wizards
alike.
The Art of Noise
The palace is a multimedia experience which uses various sound formats.
Learn how to make the most of the sounds formats available on palace, and how to
incorporate sound files that aren't.
Palace Housekeeping
At some point, you'll need to tear your head away from the all absorbing
task of building and creating your masterpiece and get down to the nitty gritty of daily
maintenence. Don't let all your blood, sweat and tears be washed down the drain just
because you forgot to do a simple palace chore.
Palace
Premiere
You've done all the planning, your A-team is waiting and raring to go, and your
meticulously crafted backdrops adorn every room... now it is time to unveil your creation
to the world.
The
Unwritten Code of Conduct
Unwritten that is, until now....
GETTING STARTED
Starting your own palace is easy. The tools to build your own palace is
incorporated in The Palace Client itself. You will need a server to host the palace,
however, and that can be run off your own computer or be hosted through another computer.
Most people start with their own private server, running off their computer. In days of
yore, when Communities.com roamed the earth, a free 8-person capacity server was offered
free to everyone who wished to download it. This came with a free 8 person capacity
licence and the full single palace server program. This allowed you to start your own
palace off your computer, and people could visit your palace by using your ip address.
In today's palace environment, The Palace Server is still available for
download. However, the licence is not. But don't let that deter you! There are spare free
8-person licences if you just ask around. If you want something a little less restrictive,
ask around some more!
8 person licences will be more than enough for small private palaces. 25
person, 50 person and unlimited person licences also exist, although these were paid for
in the past.
Before you start...
Installing the program is easy, What happens afterwards gets a little
tricky. There are a few files that you need to know about to run your palace.
pserver.pref
This has all the information about your palace preferences, from the maximum number of
people allowed in your palace at one time, to the directory where images are kept. If you
are running palace off your computer, you may use the Palace Server program to indirectly
edit this file.
pserver.pat
This is your palace in script form. All the pictures, sounds, interactive scripts, and
room information is encoded here in iptscrae format. Iptscrae is the scripting language
for palace and don't worry if you haven't got a clue what it is. You will soon find out...
You use The Palace Client to indirectly edit this file.
Both these files may be edited directly via Notepad or Wordpad. Make
sure you save the text in plain text format.
Common teething problems
Where is the image directory?
The default directory is C:Program FilesCommunities.comPalaceServerpalacemedia
You may change this using the Palace Server program to set a different directory for all
your backdrops and overlaid gifs.
What's a template?
The free server came bundled with a few nifty looking standard templates to get you
started. You have three choices: Fantasy (Spacescapes), Corporate (Convention Center) or
Sea Resort Theme. You will find it easier to use these as starting blocks as they also
come with simple greeting messages and sometimes animations. Choose anyone of them, then
do your own thing.
Is it a big deal if I share someone elses Palace Licence Code?
In days of yore... when bladiblablah... well... way back then, the Palace Licence Code
also served as a unique identity for each palace, and was relevant when each palace had
their own customizable webpage hosted by the CC website. Now that the website is gone,
this problem of unique identities is no longer an issue. However, ethics remains a raging
debate in Palace circles. Does sharing a regcode constitute dishonest behaviour? Or is it
acceptable because no one is profiting from it anyway? I leave the choice up to you.
Warning from the Surgeon General
If you intend to launch your palace upon the internet void, then you
need to know what you're getting into. Depending on how big or how small you imagine your
palace to be, your commitment will vary. But note the keyword here: COMMITMENT. Palace is
an all engaging past time and can be very addictive indeed (ahem! ahem!). A successful
palace demands a lot of time be spent chatting to visitors as well as working in the
background on the graphics, scripts and music. Let's also not forget the running costs
that can be expensive if you are having the palace hosted commercially.
Say goodbye to your friends, your family and your social life.
You have been warned...
