There is a major transition phase going on right now. So some things are in a bit of a state of flux.
@CDT - The Cadet I Newbie Course.
This is really two distinct different items. ALL of the major material for this course is online at the Academy. It was designed to be a THREE week course of self study. It covers everything a brand new player will need. Links to specific articles in the Wiki on installation, etc. It goes into community basics and then into beginning game play. It is designed to teach a new player basics of the game with a focus on a scout. Send players there first. Not the Wiki. The course will direct them to the right Wiki articles and locations where needed.
The new player can read the material at their own pace without any outside support. OR they can signup for the Cadet I course which will start the first Saturday of every month. This allows them the @CDT tag and the opportunity to have a private forum for Q&A's on the subject material. Currently there is NO exam or test at the end of the course. Eventually this course will be a requirement to get into Cadet II.
Please direct all players to the Main page of the Academy. There is a bright red link on the main menu "Cadet I - Newbie Course" This will take them to the starting point. It is the easist way to direct it to them. (Soon the www.cadet.freeallegiance.org redirect will work to take them there directly. When it is setup I will announce it.) I believe the Academy Icon that is installed on the desktop during the game installation also now takes them directly to the course.
Cadet -A or B
There is one final session of the old Cadet program running right now. It will end next week. This is the current @CDT-B class. The other session that is in it's third week is the @CDT-A. That session is actually using the Cadet I material for the first three weeks with some of the old scout posts thrown in. This will probably be the very last session of the old traditional Cadet course.
All future sessions of the interim Cadet course will only be run when we have enough signups to justify it. Probably once a month. I will probably not start one until December. If we do, it will only be a five or six week course with the understanding that the player signing up has read and completed the material contained in Cadet I online.
These sessions will only use the @CDT-A tag. The final exam will be administered and wings given out yet.
Cadet II
We are going to start in heavy next week with the course content and layout of the future Cadet II. (Currently I am using that name for the Cadet a/b course) That will be a brand new course with in depth tactics, etc. designed to make the player ready for squad play. We have done some work on this. I just have taken a small vacation since finishing Cadet I before tackling that. (Hell, Void took a cruise that lucky dog!)
CADET II will eventually replace the "makeshift" Cadet A/B course. I am shooting for Feb 2008. Then it will only use @CDT-A tag to identify it as the "advanced cadet course". It will either have an entrance exam , or a requirement to have completed the Cadet I test (not sure yet if we will have such an item) and will definitely have a time played requirement. Leaning towards six months minimum playing time.
So how can you help us?
First, quit telling Cadets what ship they must be flying. There are three sessions running right now. The program is undergoing changes and not holding to the old system.
Even if you are past grad "week xxxx" does not hold true anymore. I have seen comments about in the last few days by players in game about how the course is this or that. Almost all of them have been wrong. /blush.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="
" border="0" alt="blush.gif" />Second, direct players to the right place. the transition Cadet "II" course is NOT for a new player. New players should go to the Cadet I material on the Academy. Tell them to use the bright red link on the main menu. (Yes, this last session I allowed some new players simply because they had signed up BEFORE the release of Cadet I, hence why we are using it for the first three weeks)
I have slowly changed over most links to the Cadet program to direct to the newbie course. A direct link is here: http://www.allegacademy.org/cadet/cadet1/p...ingcadet1.shtml Oh, I have had a few vets tell me they have learned something new by reading it. I suggest you might want to read it yourself.
If the player has been around for a bit, returning vet/voob, etc. Direct them to the @Cadet II link on the main menu or here: http://www.allegacademy.org/cadet/cadet.shtml
I appreciate all the help you can give us in the program by directing players to the right material.
Questions? Post them here and I will try to clarify. This is why I have staff writers, because I suck at writing. /tongue.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":P" border="0" alt="tongue.gif" />
