First off, thanks for volunteering! We'd really appreciate you guys getting involved. This is going to be a long post, so let's get started:

When the 'hoods launch, we'll need lots of people who are interested in working on graphics and/or doing research for the various civilizations that lived in our part of the AncientWorlds. This will include the history of the kingdoms, the history of the cities, even maps of the ancient cities if we can find or recreate them.

What's already happening

Right now, Ningyo, Lalita, and I are trying to come up with a basic skeletal structure. For the Orient, the old AW8 planning committee (remember them? *lol* seems ages ago already) decided to go with civilizations (like The Indus Valley Civilization or The Mongol Empire) as the top level for our neighborhoods, because historically the people of the region didn't always follow modern day country boundaries. So, we're researching and gathering a list of those. At the start, you may not see all of them listed, but that doesn't mean they can't or won't be added as they get ready to go live.

Next, we're picking out a city or two in each and doing a bit of research on them, just to have something in place that will give the citizens an idea of what the 'hoods will encompass. Eventually, there will be multiple cities in each neighborhood, and since we really have no restrictions on how many, this project could go on for years! *g* After that, we have to begin trying to recreate the city's districts and streets if possible. Eventually, there will be properties in the various "areas of town" that you can buy and "move into"—effectively, this means that the building on the map or in the 3D rendering will become a hotlink to your homepage. As in the real world, the fancier the area of town, the more expensive the property.

However, things are beginning to come into focus. Ningyo and I decided the Oriental World was too big for the two of us to cover even sketchily before the launch (For those who don't know, Lalita's out sick this week, which is why I didn't mention her.) So, we decided to concentrate on The Yellow Lion Region and The Green Dragon Shogunate, since those are basically one civilization per neighborhood. She's taken on Japan; I'm doing China. Lalita was and will be doing the White Tiger Domain.

What you can do

If anyone would like to start gathering information for just about any region of the Orient, we'll certainly be able to use it—if not before the launch definitely with all the additions we'll be doing after. (We being all of us Orientals.) We have almost half the created AncientWorlds to cover, you know! *lol* If graphics are your specialty, we'll eventually need pictures, graphics of royal emblems, maps of ancient city layouts, 3D renderings of buildings ... well, you just about name it, we'll probably be able to use it. If you prefer research, we need a brief summary of the civilization or city you choose. If you want to get more detailed, you can also use your articles feature to write about any civilization, city, or even district within a city (for example, the silk weavers district or the military encampment or the governmental district). Eventually, all the articles will be linked into the 'hood to which they pertain. So that would further help define the neighborhoods.

Just let one of the Orient scribes know which region or city you're researching and whether you're doing graphics, historical research, or both. That will help us know what areas the citizens are working on so we can direct other volunteers to other places or introduce people who are interested in the same place so they can divide the work up between them. It'll also allow us to direct those volunteers who really don't care what region they work on into areas that haven't been started yet. If you're interested in China, let me know; in Japan, let Ningyo know; and in the White Tiger Domain, let Lalita know. If you decide you're more interested in The Black Turtle Province or The Red Phoenix District, let any Orient scribe know and we'll keep each other informed.

If you want to get started preparing something now, great! Or you can wait until the 'hoods launch so you can get a visual idea of what they're going to need. (The last update said they should be launching sometimes in early June. We'll keep you posted.) Either way, we really appreciate the assistance! Thanks!!