9 May

Announcing the Subject Matter Expert program!

By Serpentius

Introduction

As you know, we've been gearing up DJs on crafting, communication, and other subjects. As the design team iterates further and builds more and more systems that will ultimately end up in Chronicles of Elyria, we get to a point where we want to ensure as much realism as possible. With a small team, it isn't always realistic that we can do enough research to be certain the immersion level we desire is met. Since all of this is happening now, we decided to enable the third of several community volunteer programs that has been eagerly waiting for its day to come.

It is with great pleasure that I introduce you to our newest program, the Community Subject Matter Expert, or SME.

We have specific areas of expertise that we're seeking input on. This list is subject to change, and is not all-inclusive.

If you feel you have advanced skills in one of these areas and your time and knowledge could be of benefit to Soulbound Studios on a volunteer basis, you may be a SME candidate!

Areas of Expertise

(This list is not exhaustive)

1. Experimental Archaeologist or Historian

a. Medieval Brewing
b. Medieval Beekeeping
c. Medieval Dyes and Paints
d. Medieval Cooking
e. Medieval Medicine/Diseases
f. Medieval Metalworking
g. Medieval Pottery craft
h. Medieval Masonry
i. Medieval/Middle Ages Society (Europe, Africa, Asia, South America, North America)
j. Medieval Navigation/Wayfinding
k. Medieval trapping/fur trade
l. Medieval Social Structures/Politics
m. Medieval Religions
n. Medieval Military History
o. Classical History
p. Mythology
q. Medieval History
r. Historical Sports
s. Historical Games
t. Historical Gambling

2. Medieval Leatherworking

a. Leather Treatments
b. Leather working techniques

3. Hunting/Tracking

a. Techniques used
b. Things to look for

4. Mining

a. Medieval Mining Techniques
b. Medieval prospecting techniques
c. Techniques used
d. Things to look for

5. Metalworking

a. Techniques for Smelting
b. Techniques for Casting

6. Jewelry Making

a. Techniques for Gem Cutting
b. Techniques for Goldsmithing
c. Techniques for Silversmithing

7. Medieval Painting

a. Materials Used
b. Paint Preparation

8. Medieval Cartography

a. Materials Used
b. Techniques Used

9. Architecture

a. Techniques Used
b. Medieval Styles/Materials used

10. Medieval Scrivening/Book Binding

a. Techniques for Book binding
b. Techniques for Paper Making
c. Materials used for Book binding

11. Medieval Farming Experience

a. Day-to-day activities
b. Tool used
c. Typical crops grown
d. Pests to look out for, common problems

12. Tailoring/Fiber making Experience

a. Medieval Thread making (Techniques, Materials)
b. Weaving (Techniques, Materials)
c. Sewing (Techniques, Materials)

13. Animal Training/Taming

a. Techniques for dealing with wild/unbroken animals
b. Training Techniques
c. Animal/Mount equipment

14. Medieval Martial Arts

a. European Martial Arts
b. Asian Martial Arts
c. African Martial Arts
d. South American Martial Arts
e. North American Martial Arts

15. Chemist

a. Ancient/historical chemistry

16. Linguist

17. Astrologer

a. Chart Reading
b. Star Motion Mapping

18. Religious Studies

a. Tao
b. Shinto
c. Zoroastrianism
d. Catholicism
e. Jainism

19. Economist

20. Lawyer/Legal Historian

21. Musician/Music Historian

22. Meteorology

If your skillset isn't listed above have no fear, more opportuinities may become availalble in other areas in the future.

Who is eligible?

To ensure we don't have a bunch of experts sitting around twiddling their thumbs, we'll be inviting our experts to apply in stages, based on the current project(s) the dev team is working on.

Initially, we'll be invitng Chemists, Farmers, Smiths, Linguists, and Tailors to apply to become our very first official SMEs.

Expectations, requirements and standards.

Now that you know what the SME program is about and what we're looking for, let's discuss a little more about how the program will work.

We have put together the SME Guidebook on all the things related to being a SME, expectations etc.

How do you apply?

Feel like you've got the right stuff?

If you have read the SME Guidebook, examined the requirements and expectations, and still feel you'd make a great candidate, go ahead and apply!

Click this link to view the SME application and Non-Disclosure Agreement.

Note: You'll need access to a printer and scanner in order to complete these steps.

Conclusion

If you have any questions about this program, please reply to this thread or email us at [email protected].

We are excited to launch this as our third volunteer community program. With the SME program, we'll integrate your valuable and experienced feedback directly into Chronicles of Elyria.

Thanks for your interest!