Imperial Initiation (II)

Introduction

Initiation (in·i·ti·a·tion), n: A ceremony, ritual, test, or period of instruction with which a new member is admitted to an organization or office or to knowledge.

Often, people achieve this step of their training without ever becoming aware of it's existence. In essence, Imperial Initiation (II) is the application and acceptance of a member into one of the Imperial Navy's most hallowed institutions: the Naval Academy at Abrae. Strictly speaking in terms of the VE, it's the rest of the club's opportunity to welcome you and become familiar with your name so that when they see you around there's that recognition; friendships tend to spring up in these situations of awareness. For your the staff that will see to it that new recruits receive the best instruction this side of the universe: it's their opportunity to size the pilot up and then introduce themselves. Every member starts out a little differently, but more than anything, II is the pilot's official welcome: one would be amazed at how many people do not make it even this far...

The ComNet

While there are various dimensions of II, the most important and official step in the process is to create a thread introducing yourself on the ComNet, a message board and one of the main modes of communications in the VE. To find the ComNet, log-in on the main site (found here) and then select "ComNet" under the tab entitled 'Logistics', both found on the left-hand side navigation; neither of these will appear if the member is not logged in. Once the member is actually in the ComNet, they must scroll down until they see the room entitled 'Naval Academy'; once that room is opened all the member must do is make a new post by clicking the 'New Thread' link in the upper right-hand corner of the page. This introduction thread is usually most effective when the member includes some information about themselves so current members can learn more about them and common interest can be established. This is an important step simply because it familiarizes you with our message board and gives you some idea of response time and 'reply-style' (the font, form and speak of how our members usually reply to one another). This thread will serve another purpose though, as the main base of operations during training for that particular member. Any problems or questions must be directed to that thread as well additional information that is requested by the Training Officer (confirmation of training chapter completion, etc). It is also recommended that they take a gander at all the different Naval ComNets and threads as well as some of the ComNet "options" to familiarize themselves with how the system works.

Additional- Helpful

Another step the member may take to further cement their understanding and familiarity with the VE is to install and use mIRC, a downloadable chat client. It was mentioned that the ComNet is one of the most commonly used modes of communication; this is the best form of communication, as it is real-time and members can speak to one another as if they were just sitting down next to eachother. IRC holds even greater status, however, as the official VE-Wide Meetings are held there every Sunday at 3:00 CST; further uses include competitions and, of course, a way for our Academy Staff (VENA-S) to meet with members on a one-to-one and ensure that they enjoy the best instruction possible. Members can download a free version of mIRC at the official site found here. You don't need to register this copy or pay; it will continue to work after its trial period. Once you the member has the program installed, they will need to configure it to connect to the VE server. The Vast Empire has an IRC Tutorial section which will help them configure their client; it also gives basic IRC commands- it can be found here. In the event something is not working; questions can always be asked on the recruit's thread at the Naval Academy ComNet. If one is not comfortable downloading this program on to their computer, they can simply use the jIRC chat applet found under 'Logistics' on the left-hand navigation from the VE Main; again, this cannot be viewed unless a member is logged in.

If the member does not wish to use this mode of communication, they may skip this step of training. It is recommended that they do complete it, however. If the member decides to download the program, they must keep in mind the CoC (Code of Conduct) which can be found here. Abusing these rules or creating problems with themselves will not go down well with the Ops (operators) of that channel. However, it is a great way to socialize, so members are always encouraged to try it out so that they can meet new people.</p>

  If the member is are under 13, they must have a parent’s permission to install and use mIRC. 
  If they don't get approval or there is some other extenuating circumstance in which they cannot
  use IRC, simply notify the Academy staff of the situation. </h6>

Lastly, it is recommended the member familiarize themselves with the website by following links from the Vast Empire main page. This is a good opportunity to ask questions on the ComNet about our many features, such as the First Galactic Bank and Imperial Center. Not only will this help them during their career with the Vast Empire, but it will allow them to meet new members of the Vast Empire via ComNet interaction or atleast to recognize some of the names off of the VE online roster. </p>

That's It- Really!

If a member follows the guide above, they will certainly find the most worth in this commonly misunderstood step of Basic Training (BT). As was said before, however, all that 'must' be done is to post on the Naval Academy ComNet with an introduction thread; the staff usually replies somewhere within 6-14 hours. The activities detailed above are excellent ways to pass the time and to further enrich the experience the VE has to offer. Once the staff has acknowledged the member's presence, they will immediately start them on second half of Basic Training- Flight School (FS). As a final note, if there are every any questions, comments or concerns: the member is fully capable of simply placing them on his or her thread and they will receive a reply.