Small Adjustment to PMs

We have implemented some adjustments to the private messaging system on Wolvden.

On your profile page, under your Account Settings, you will see a new "Message Blocking" setting that will allow you to configure who you receive PMs from, or if you wish to receive PMs at all.

The new options for PMs are as follows.

• Allow all messages - The default setting, which will allow PMs from all players.
  
  
• Block all messages - All PMs from players will be blocked, barring anything that generates a Game Notification (gifts, private trades, stud requests, etc.).
  
  
• Block messages from new players (choose minimum days played) - All PMs from new accounts will be blocked, barring anything that generates a Game Notification (gifts, private trades, stud requests, etc.).  You can set the range of "new account" to block PMs from accounts that are 1 day old or 90 days old.  90 days is the maximum value that can be set.  Accounts that age out of your settings will be able to send you PMs (e.g. if you choose to block PMs from accounts that are 90 days old, as soon as the account turns 91 days old, they are able to PM you).
  
  
• Allow only messages from friends - Only players on your friends list will be able to send you PMs, barring anything that generates a Game Notification (gifts, private trades, stud requests, etc.).

Please keep in mind that even if you choose to block your PMs, you are still able to PM other players (unless they also have blocked PMs).  Anyone that attempts to respond to your PM and does not fit your blocked PM settings will receive an error message that you are not receiving PMs.

Blocking PMs does not block the ability to receive gifts or private trades from other players, and these can contain short messages.  It is advised that you block specific players if you do not wish to interact with them whatsoever.

Clans, Guilds, Lodges, Oh My!

Groups are a brand new addition to Wolvden.  We know many of you enjoy working together when you have similar goals, and we hope that groups help achieve your goals in an easy and organised way!  To get your group adventures started, read through this news and then explore around Crossroads with our new Groups token!

Creating a Group

To create a group, you will first need to have the "Pack Life" achievement unlocked.  If this achievement is unlocked, then you are able to create a group using a total of 50 x Large Branch, 50 x Large Leaf, 50 x Large Rock, and 5 GC.  Upon creation, these assets will be removed from your account.  Once your group is created, you will have 7 real life days to recruit 5 members to join your group in order for it to become an active, official group (you as the group owner count towards this requirement).  If you do not recruit 5 members in time, then your group will automatically close down and you will be reimbursed the creation assets.

All players can create and own up to 10 groups at one time.  Transferring ownership of a group will free up a slot and allow you to create another group.  While there is a limit on how many you can be the owner of, there is no limit to the number of groups you can be a member of!

Managing Your Group

Once your group is active and official, congratulations!  You'll want to ensure it stays active by paying monthly fees.  Each group has a monthly fee of 250 SC in order to stay active, regardless of how many members are within a group.  You can pay this fee monthly, or you can prepay in increments of 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months.  You can use your on-hand SC to pay group fees, or you can use your group's banked SC.

Alongside monthly fees, you'll want to ensure you maintain at least 5 members in your group; otherwise, your group will become inactive.  It will not close down, but some features will be unavailable until you reach 5 members or more again.  You will not be able to use your group's hoard or bank systems.  You will be able to continue using your group's polls and forums even if your group is inactive.

Speaking of members, the default amount of member slots all groups start off with is 20.  You can expand how many members your group can have using SC!  It costs a fee of 250 SC to expand by 10 members, and you can choose to expand in increments of 10, 20, 30, 40, or 50 at one time.

Overall, there's a lot of flexibility that comes with group management, so you'll be able to run your group to your exact specifications!  Let's read on to see what features groups have.

Group Features

• Choose whether your group is a Clan, Guild, or Lodge!  This only affects the URL and default banner for your group.  This can be changed at any time.
  
  
• Groups can be made Public (will display in search and on profiles), Unlisted (will not display in search but will display on profiles), and Hidden (will not display in search or on profiles).  This can be changed at any time.
  
  
• Memberships can be set to Anyone Can Join (no approval or invitation needed, players will become members instantly as long as there is room to join), By Application (players must request permission), Invitation Only (players may only join if you have invited them), or Closed (no one is permitted to join).  This can be changed at any time.
  
  
• Set the default role that is assigned to all new members of your group.
  
  
• Set custom banner image URLs!  All banner images must be 150 x 80 (150 pixels in width, 80 pixels in height), no smaller or bigger.
  
  
• Apply a custom CSS URL for your group!
  
  
• Enable private forums for your group—it's like your own private Chatter section, with no limitations on how many topics can be made.
  
  
• Groups can have banks and hoards!  More detail on these features can be found below.
  
  
• Request specific languages for your group if your group is oriented towards a specific country or non-English language (e.g. Polish Wolves)!
  
  
• Set custom polls for your group members to vote on!
  
  
• View your group's activity via the "Manage" tab!
  
  
• Create custom roles with their own permissions.  Each group can have up to 20 unique roles.
  
  
• Someone causing trouble within your group, or you just want to avoid a specific person right off the bat?  You can block players from your group, which means they will not be able to join, request to join, or be invited to your group.  If you already have a player blocked, and you own a group, the blocked player will not be able to see your group—you do not have to specifically block them from your group.
  
  
• Have something important you'd like to tell your group members about?  Use the announcements feature to send out an announcement to all members within your group!
  
  
• Please keep in mind that Wolvden's site admins and moderators are able to view groups, whether they are public, unlisted, or hidden.  Our staff team does not need to be a member of your group to see your group's activities, forums, etc.  Keep all content published within your group appropriate for a 16+ audience and ensure you are following Wolvden's rules.  Rule breaks that occur in groups will still be handled like all other rule breaks around the site.  This means that if you experience harassment or see a rule break within a group, you can report this to the Modbox for us to review.

If at any point in time, you feel you cannot bear the mantle of handling your group any longer, but you do not want to see your group close down, you can transfer ownership of the group to another member of your group.  There is no limit to how often a group can have its ownership changed, but you cannot change the owner of your group within the first 7 days after its initial creation.

Group Bank and Hoard

Your group can work together to amass funds for a mutually beneficial group project, or just ensure there's enough currency to keep the group afloat for the foreseeable future!  Any member regardless of role can deposit SC and GC into your group's bank.  Only members that have a role with the "Admin" permission enabled can remove SC and GC, however.  Deposits can be made anonymously and can also include a note for why the deposit is being made.

Regarding hoards, any members that have a role with the "Hoard Access" permission enabled can view your group's hoard and make deposits.  You can restrict how many items can be taken, however—either "None", "Unlimited", or you can "Specify an amount" that members are able to take.  Members that have a role with the "Manage Hoard" permission enabled are able to manage items within the group's hoard without limitations.

Groups Channel

To advertise your new group or find the perfect group to join, we've added a new channel: Groups!  This channel is located after Giveaways and before Help and uses the same 10 minute timer as Giveaways Chat and Sales Chat.

Pending Group Updates

These are features we are looking at implementing in the future, but may not end up being added to the game.

• Custom pages (e.g. "Group Rules" page)
• Forum moderation is not fully available yet, and is in the works to be released in the very near future.  This will allow those you grant the "Manage Forums" and "Manage Topics" permissions to keep your boards organised and tidy!
• Group member discounts (e.g. for breeding male stud fees)
• Group raffles
• Optional group membership fees
• Toggleable group notifications (e.g. for announcements, membership applications, new polls, etc.)
• We're also working on making the feature more CSS-friendly, so stay tuned for that as well!