• A cell phone with text message capabilities.
• AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) program.
• Parents' or guardians' permission for accepting text messages. (You may be charged money per text message depending on your calling and text message plan. Check with your Mobile Phone Service Provider for details on your plan.)

Here is how it works:
AIM has a Mobile Phone/Instant Message (IM) forwarding system. Register your AIM screen name with us and we'll add it to the list. Next, arrange the IM forwarding on your program. When an event is happening, a friend, an online volunteer, will send an AIM IM to the screen names on the list. The IM gets forwarded to your phone and you receive a text message wherever you are!

Here is what you will have to do:

• Download the latest version of AIM. (I suggest creating an MxO-specific screen name. Note: You can log in with multiple screen names at once on one computer.)
• On you're AIM program, click on My Aim and a drop down menu will appear. Select Edit Options and then Edit Preferences.
• A Preferences window will open. On the left there is a Category column. The 4th option down is IM/Chat/Mobile. Click on it.
• On the bottom of the window are the Mobile Phone options. Click on the IM Forwarding button. (Should be the only button.)
• An internet webpage will open: Mobile Device Registration. Enter your mobile phone number in the boxes provided.
• NOTE: YOUR MOBILE PHONE SERVICE PROVIDER MAY CHARGE YOU MONEY FOR RECEIVEING TEXT MESSAGES. CHECK WITH YOUR PARENTS/GUARDIANS FOR PERMISSION. CHECK WITH YOUR MOBILE PHONE SERVICE PROVIDER FOR THE CHARGES DETAILS.
• You may need to sign in. Enter the desired screen name in which you intend to register and the password.
• The web page will tell you that a confirmation text message (that you can be charged money for) will be sent to your phone in order to complete the registration. If you wish to proceed, click Register.
• Check your mobile phone for the confirmation code.
• Enter the confirmation code in the box provided on the next web page. Click Confirm.
• A Congratulations message will load on the next web page.
• Tips: By default, the system will only allow text messages to be forwarded to your phone by people who are already on your buddylist. It is changeable. Until things are sorted out, I will have my setting on "Accept IMs from anyone who has your screen name". That way if I don't have your screen name on my buddylist, I can still receive a text from you about the game. But you can choose whichever settings you want.

• Text messages will be short and to the point. Example: Reactors in Tabor or Meeting in Park East
• Only one text message will be sent per event.
• Messages can only be relevant to special events. No one wants to be charged money to hear that there is PvP in Mara.
• If you reply to a text message, you agree that you may get a text message in return.

If you are Interested in this do one of the following:

1. post your AIM nam here

2. E-mail your AIM name to me: VesuveusMxO@yahoo.com

3. Send your AIM name to me in a PM on these forums.

I'll see you at the next event!

Nice idea.  Will you have people on each server?

Maybe Rarebit/LESIG can set up something similar in a semi-official capacity?

Nice idea.  Will you have people on each server?

Maybe Rarebit/LESIG can set up something similar in a semi-official capacity?

 

Yeah, specify what server you are on. For example:

AIM NAME: VesuveusMxO

SERVER: Recrusion

On the buddylist, I can make 3 sections; Recursion, Syntax and Vector. The list is sharable, too. That way if I am not online, anyone else can notify the players on the list.

Great idea... there should be more real-time intel available to the new, average, or casual subscriber.

Consider: This cooperative vision of live events (in the game theory sense) contrasts a rather miserly view that a live event's value principally exists in keeping the live event near-secret with minimal attendance.

Simplify, if you please: Make the cell phone an optional alert, rather than the primary alert.  I believe the support for the project will increase.

Clarify, if you please:  How will the intel be gathered (in order to be distributed by the current system of AIM via Cell phone)?

For comparison purposes and however redundant, would we as a forum community post a list within this thread of public projects that currently serve as real-time intel for MxO live events?  Or is this project unique?

Simplify, if you please: Make the cell phone an optional alert, rather than the primary alert.  I believe the support for the project will increase.

The cell phone alert is optional. If you submit your name to the list, you choose to forward the IM to your phone or not. If you choose to forward the message to your phone then it will ONLY forward the message if you are not signed on to AOL IM on a computer. Once you sign out, the messages are automatically forwarded to your phone (if you made those arrangements.)

Clarify, if you please:  How will the intel be gathered (in order to be distributed by the current system of AIM via Cell phone)?

If I hear of a Live Event, I simply sign on to AOL IM on my other computer and IM everyone who is online on the list.

For comparison purposes and however redundant, would we as a forum community post a list within this thread of public projects that currently serve as real-time intel for MxO live events?  Or is this project unique?

Not sure what you mean but let me take a stab at it:

Is this unique? To my knowledge, yes and no. I have never heard of or experienced anthing like this in the MxO community other than in-game tells. But I got the idea from here.

Quote from Link: ... In an interesting twist, adults have the option of getting IMs or cell phone messages whenever an important event occurs (say, when your pirate cove is under attack by a competing band of pirates). This could bring a whole new level of interaction to the MMO market, as parents will call their children and tell them to get online after school and repel the invaders. If the other members of your band of pirates aren't in your family, this could be the chance to form some real-world friendships (i.e. someone gets an IM and immediately alerts his buddies to get online and into the fight by way of a phone call).

Would I post this list in the open. No. I would distrubute it to those players that signed up for this because if I am not in the game then I don't know about the event and therefore cannot alert others. But someone else can.

I don't really see a problem with posting the list openly as you can choose to accept messages from ONLY those people on your buddylist. That way, no one can just spam messages to your phone, running up a bill. It is very Controlable.

But if your intention was to just play devil's advocate, that is all well and good. When the lvl 79 EPNs spawned, the first thing I did was write messages to everyone on my xfire list that I knew on Recursion. (Didn't know they spawned on the other servers, too.) I just figured this could reach more people.