Implement news generation

3 files changed, 410 insertions, 0 deletions

diff --git a/world/map/news.d/00-old-news.txt b/world/map/news.d/00-old-news.txt
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..030381e4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/world/map/news.d/00-old-news.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,393 @@
+{date:December 2012 again}
+
+A new peninsula has magically raised from the depths,
+south of Hurnscald. A witch seems to be the source of
+this strange phenomenon.
+Why is she here, and what does she want?
+
+Further on the west, Lora Tay is willing to accept
+new challenges to prove once more her skills.
+
+{date:December 2012}
+
+Santa and his helpers have returned to Santa's residence
+near Nivalis to prepare for Christmas.
+Among the helpers, the preparations are moving smoothly
+as they should.
+The reinboos are excited this year since there will be a change
+within their team!
+But not everything is working out as planned.
+
+{date:November 2012}
+
+Halloween has passed and several cities celebrated this event.
+It seems the farmer Oscar just came back from a long journey
+in one of these cities.
+Probably he will have exciting things to tell.
+
+{date:October 2012}
+
+The roadblock to the north east in Argaes was finally lifted
+and parts of the road were reconstructed.
+But there is still some work left until the connection to Port City is done.
+In the Woods you can find a guy who lives alone, seeking seclusion.
+Be careful not to disturb him. He is very vicious.
+
+The smith's apprentice Peter does good progress in mastering his
+handcraft and learned some new techniques.
+
+{date:September 2012}
+
+Agostine is well known for his magnificent winter clothes,
+but he always dreamed of creating something truly exquisite,
+something noble...
+
+An old veteran has set up camp in the caves below Hurnscald
+after a life full of hardship and battle.
+He may be old now, but he surely didn't lose his interest
+in the art of combat!
+
+{date:April/May 2012}
+
+Strange and ominous things are going on in Kaizei.
+Many people around Nivalis have noticed White and Blue Slimes
+around the area, which they have never seen before.
+Where do those come from? Are they dangerous?
+And why did they show up now?
+Rumors say that they originate from the snowy mountains
+north-west of Nivalis, where the famous Sage Nikolai
+has his residence.
+
+Summer is coming near and it might be a good time
+to visit the beach with your Towel and relax a while.
+Oh, you don't have a Towel?
+Well, in that case you might find someone on the beach
+who can give you one!
+
+{date:March 2012}
+
+Two announcements to make:
+
+It seems Tulimshar is finally recovering from the impacts
+of the great earthquake.
+Although the eastern half of the city is still closed,
+it has become much more lively, with children playing between the houses,
+farmers going back to their fields, reports of increased trade activity.
+
+Surely there are lots of tasks for a young adventurer!
+
+Near Hurnscald a bunny showed up that looks like an older version
+of our well-known Easter Bunny.
+But what is he doing there? And where is Easter Bunny?
+
+{date:2012-02-12 (ooh, what a nice date)}
+
+Three pieces of news today.
+
+First, Mana 0.6.0 got released today. You can find it at
+{link:http://manasource.org}, or wait for your distribution.
+
+Second, we will be completely dropping support for the old
+TMW 0.0.29.1 client soon - unless there is further reason
+for delay, in April 2012.
+
+Finally, there will be a purge of accounts that have not been
+used for over a year. This should help responsiveness
+when logging in and choosing a character.
+
+-o11c
+
+{date:February 2012}
+
+After all the activity in Nivalis due to the Christmas time,
+the townsfolk would like things to be quiet again.
+Unfortunately, some strange people have set up their camp
+near the woods west of town.
+They came from their village high up in the northern snow mountains.
+What might have caused them to leave their hunting grounds
+and come down to Nivalis?
+
+{date:Christmas 2011}
+
+Christmas is coming near and Santa and his helpers are busy
+preparing everything for the celebration in Santa's house near Nivalis.
+But somehow... everything seems to go wrong.
+Bad luck? Or rather - malicious interference?
+It looks like someone could use your help.
+
+{date:November 2011}
+{blue}A Rule Correction on "No Botting"{/blue}
+
+{blue}Previously, only activity while the user was{/blue}
+{blue}away from the keyboard was a bannable offense.{/blue}
+{blue}Now, any sort of automated following{/blue}
+{blue}(especially, but not only, attack-following){/blue}
+{blue}is also covered.{/blue}
+
+{blue}If you know any of the people who left this game{/blue}
+{blue}due to the prevalence of bots that were previously{/blue}
+{blue}tolerated, please tell them it's time to return.{/blue}
+
+{green}~ The Hurnscald Herald ~{/green}
+
+{date:Halloween 2011}
+
+Happy Halloween!
+This year the governments of Argaes and Tonori have decided to sponsor
+trick-or-treating across both continents.
+Have fun and don't make yourself sick by pigging out!
+
+Credits:
+initial outline - enchilado
+intial draft - alastrim
+rewritten draft - o11c
+review - Jenalya
+new items - Lizandra
+maybe something to do with the new items - salmondine
+old item - maybe Black Don ?
+(We're not spoiling what the items *are*)
+-o11c
+
+{date:July 2011}
+
+Will Kill Monsters For Food?
+
+Recovery from the Great Earthquake is still
+very slow throughout the world.  The vast
+devastation still causes starvation and
+a lack of work.  A side effect of the Great
+Earthquake has been the increasing number of
+aggressive monsters and dooms long thought
+forgotten.
+
+To answer this problem Tulimshar
+has issued a call to be spread far and wide:
+"If you're hungry, if you need work, if you
+are in search of adventure, come to Tulimshar.
+Slaying monsters, liberating mines and
+defeating the night horrors that terrify even
+the most strong willed never paid so well!"
+
+Needless to say, many are answering this call.
+You may very well be one of them.
+
+Olana, the Innkeeper's Daughter, Returns to
+Hurnscald...But Where Are Her Daughters?
+
+Olana, who is staying in the West wing of the
+Hurnscald Inn, has been away to Tulimshar with
+her family since before the Earthquake.
+"The Earthquake may of happened a couple years
+ago, but everything is still messed up.
+I would've returned immediately, but I didn't
+want to put my family at risk until travel
+became a little safer."
+
+When asked about her daughters, Olana smiled
+"They love wandering the woods around here.
+Other than the occasional bandit group, things
+are usually much more peaceful around here than
+in Tulimshar.  I just hope they don't wander
+near these caves...I've heard many of them can
+be quite dangerous."
+
+{green}~ The Hurnscald Herald ~{/green}
+
+{date:June 2011}
+
+A large shipment of gold coins was plundered
+by pirates.  The shipment was to be sent to
+Tulimshar as part of their effort to control
+inflation.  "They seemed to just come out of
+no where!  They took the shipment and my pet
+squirrel Chompers!"  Captain Zierock reported
+while in tears.
+
+It is believed the pirates divided the gold
+then went separate ways to spend their spoils.
+Ironically, these pirates were the target of
+monsters, who plundered them not just for
+their new found wealth, but also for their
+crunchy bones and sea salty flesh.
+
+On that note, be on the lookout for Green Slimes,
+which have grown hostile as they evolve to the
+harsh Tonori desert, making them a threat to
+travel and trade.  It is believed many of the
+pirates attempted to cross the Snake Desert,
+where they met the Green Slimes...and their
+end.
+
+In other news, Andra, a friend of Hinnak, has
+increased her agricultural knowledge and needs
+help keeping the soil around the farm fertile.
+Interested volunteers should speak with her
+about how to help.
+
+Last, but certainly not least, Agostine has
+returned to Nivalis.  While he enjoyed his
+time in Tulimshar, mingling with other artisans,
+he has missed his home in Kaizei.  "I made this
+fabulous sweater, but nobody wanted to wear it
+in this hot and smelly desert.  That is when I
+decided enough was enough.  Sweat is just gross."
+
+{green}~ The Hurnscald Herald ~{/green}
+
+{date:May 2011}
+
+Many battle hardened warriors took some time
+during April and enjoyed helping the somewhat
+forgetful Easter Bunny make his baskets. The
+children surely must have enjoyed their sweets.
+
+The demi-god Golbenez has finally made good on
+his promise to open a 'place of leisure' in
+the form of an inn. Youngsters beware, since
+the entrance to this inn is near the old
+graveyard and could be dangerous.
+
+There have also been reports about a mysterious
+stranger roaming the beaches near Tulimshar.
+Be on the lookout if you are in the area.
+
+{green}~ The Hurnscald Herald ~{/green}
+
+{date:January 2011}
+
+Reports of bandit raids to the west of
+Hurnscald has mobilized the town.  Those
+injured by these bandits may have a long stay
+ahead of them in Hurnscald's hospital.
+
+Shortly after Tulimshar loosened the tariff
+on travel, skill trainers have come to Mana.
+If one wants to improve themselves through
+acquiring skills, be on the lookout for these
+trainers.
+
+In other news, Taro is still missing, but
+Diryn, an agent of Tulimshar, has established
+a connection with the Kaizei area, making
+travel to Nivalis possible again.  He still
+assists the battle hardened travel distant
+locations just outside of Hurnscald.  Getting
+back can be done by finding Frozenbeard, a
+pioneer who is mapping a trade route to get
+to Nivalis by ship.
+
+Diryn's re-connection with Nivalis came none
+too soon.  Golbenez, a demi-god who demanded
+a half billion gold pieces for building some
+sort of leisure place, scrapped the idea and
+went for good old fashioned kidnapping to get
+whatever he wanted from the world of Mana.
+He kidnapped Santa Claus.  Fearful Santa may
+ not gift the children of the world, wizards,
+warriors and archers rallied to pay the
+demi-god his demands.
+
+Shortly after Santa was freed, something more
+sinister has come to Kaizei.  The yeti.
+Sightings of this beast returns with stories
+of them.  Though aggressive, their behavior
+seems out of place.  They've never been known
+as cave dwellers nor to kidnap people.
+
+Last, but definitely not least, Dimond's Cove
+is observing "Burns' Supper" January 24-26th.
+Shanon is hosting the event, which he promises
+will be an excellent time for food, drink and
+poems.
+
+{green}~ The Hurnscald Herald ~{/green}
+
+{blue}Countless candy-concerning complaints: council{/blue}
+{blue}consequently considers citizen-composed cleanup crew{/blue}
+{date:Eighteenth of November 2010}
+
+Recently, the ancient tradition of Hallowe'en
+was celebrated across Argaes, Tonori and other
+continents. Estimated tons of sweets were given
+out to happy trick-or-treaters, and as with
+most other years a lot of this vast total was
+dropped on the night. Even a week and a half
+after Hallowe'en, many kilograms of sweets
+still litter our pleasant woodlands.
+
+After dozens of letters regarding the situation,
+the Hurnscald Council has said that the best
+solution would be to organise a team of
+volunteers to work on collecting dropped sweets
+and disposing of them - but it has yet to
+organise any such thing.
+
+In the meantime, why not do your bit and collect
+some sweets for yourself? If you don't mind them
+being a bit old, you could be able to make the
+biggest Hallowe'en haul in history.
+
+Additionally, we've been getting some reports of
+a rather creepy skeleton hanging around the
+woodland. He doesn't appear to be aggressive,
+but he chatters unintelligibly at passers-by.
+
+
+{blue}Rollback{/blue}
+2010-11-17
+
+Everything should now be running from a
+complete save state (including storage, banks,
+parties etc) that is even two days more recent
+than what we were temporarilyrunning on before.
+All credit to Platyna for speedy recovery and
+even more recent backups. :)
+
+{blue}Server outage{/blue}
+2010-11-16
+
+Things running on the four day old backups,
+restricted to account save info and character
+save info for now while we try to get other
+databases working.
+
+This means no party data or storage data for
+now, we'll try to recover that along with
+everything else, as we should be able to get
+a full saved state from within the past week.
+
+The current setup is more to have something
+partially up, and so that people know what's
+going on while we try to fix things; any
+in-game progress made right now {red}will not{/red}
+persist.
+
+{blue}Server outage{/blue}
+2010-11-16
+
+Okay, apparently even that won't work right now.
+Servers will remain {blue}offline{/blue} until we figure out
+what we can do.
+
+{blue}Server outage{/blue}
+2010-11-16
+
+We've just had a serious server crash, and the
+databases seem to have been affected here. We're
+currently running on some four-day old backups;
+whether this will be a temporary measure or
+whether newer ones are usable is yet to be
+determined.
+
+Please note that the current state may only
+be {blue}temporary{/blue}, and that if usable newer backups
+are found within the next 24 hours, those will
+be used instead, and any character progress
+made may be lost. If no usable backups are
+found during this time, the four-day rollback
+will have to be permanent.
+
+More news updates will follow once we've
+investigated further; we're doing what we can...
+
+{author:Freeyorp}
diff --git a/world/map/news.d/10-news-news.txt b/world/map/news.d/10-news-news.txt
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..9a95824f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/world/map/news.d/10-news-news.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+{date:2013-01-23}
+
+News feed is finally generated from the same
+source for both the game and the website.
+
+{author:o11c}
diff --git a/world/map/news.d/news.template b/world/map/news.d/news.template
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..cc7bfe29
--- /dev/null
+++ b/world/map/news.d/news.template
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+{date:YYYY-MM-DD}
+
+This is a really exciting news entry!
+
+Leave a blank line between paragraphs, and wrap
+each line at about 50 characters.
+
+If you ever need to use actual curly braces, just
+use {{ and }}.
+
+{author:demo}