SW City Interactive

SW City Interactive: Main Screen in a User Terminal

SW City Interactive (commonly referred to as SWI) is an interactive questing system created by Syntax, Selanit, Ima Genius and SW Comit in late 2005, and publicly released at the 7th SW City Birthday Bash. SW City Interactive is currently maintained by SW City Productions and is in active development. SW City Interactive allows users to interact with the various elements of SW City's massive environment. It currently has over 1300 registered users, making it the most successful gaming endeavor achieved in a public building world.

SW City Interactive is programmed entirely in PHP, and works through the URL command. A player will click on an object in-world that has an SWI URL on it, and then be prompted by a web window that replaces the 3d window. It is possible for any object to be interacted with, from a simple item to a non-playable character, such as a Nimbusian.

In addition to this, SW City Interactive is also used as an aide to city visitors. The function of non-playable characters can serve as informative guides, and they can also give visitors maps that can be displayed in the inventory.

Gaming Elements

SW City Interactive is a very diverse game with no central story arc beyond the combined lore that is found within the SWiki. It is very much a sandbox, where the player can explore and interact with the environment as it exists. Because of this, there is a wide range of activities that players can engage in, which is described below.

Scarabian User Terminals

A Scarabian User Terminal (SUT) is a computer terminal in various locations throughout SW City where you can manage all of your data in SW City Interactive. From it, you can access SW City Interactive things such as quest information, your inventory, or your user profile, as well as the Scarabian Republic Forums, and the SWiki.

Inventory

The player's inventory is a large part of the game. It involves quests, their rewards, and an intricate system of collectible cards around the city. It is accessible through the SUT.

Swiki Cards

SWiki Cards are a series of collectible cards that can be found in the SW City Region of Alphaworld. Based on the SWiki, these cards can be found in SW'ian builds, as quest rewards, or through special promotions. There are currently several 'Editions' of SWiki Cards. Two 30-card editions exist, as well as a 10-card edition that was available for collection during the 7th SW City Birthday Bash. In addition, a class of items known as Blank SWiki Cards exist and can be traded for SWiki Cards that were promotional and can no longer be found in the field, or also for hints to find SWiki cards that are still hidden. These cards have become popular promotional awards, and have been used for donations in other AW events, such as CitBingo.

Players can compare the status of their collection with one another by way of the user profiles that are accessible via SUT. A progress bar for each edition is displayed in user profiles.

Collectibles

Players can also find collectible items through completing skill-related tasks, such as digging at an archaeology site, mining, or digging through the trash. Special items found in this manner are parts of a collectible set, and when the set is completed they can be exchanged with NPCs for SWiki Cards or other quest rewards.

Books

Many bookstores exist across SWiki that allow players to read SWiki pages from their inventory. Special books also exist that give hints or clues about the location of SWiki Cards.

Non-Playable Characters

Non-Playable Characters are important elements of the SWI system, which often act as informative guides or quest-givers. They are usually portrayed as a member of one of SW City's various races. Players can interact with NPCs by right-clicking on them or hovering their mouse over them.

Quests

Quests are stand-alone stories that the player can engage themselves in; roughly 50 quests currently exist in SW City. The length and depth of these stories vary -- from simple deliveries to a complex espionage mission. Each quest involves interaction with some sort of NPC and item, and quests usually offer lucrative rewards for completion.

There are various quests throughout SW City, and help to enhance a visitors experience when exploring the town. A beginners quest can be found at the SW City Interactive Building at SW City's Town Square Park. It should also be noted that Town Square Park is the most populated area in SW City in terms of SW City Interactive Content... hosting over 15 quests and numerous other shops, games, and activities.

Quest Center

The Quest Center keeps track of your progress on quests, and offers reminders of what you're suppose to be doing and where you're suppose to be going. It also offers hints as to the amount of quests you've completed in a particular area of town. You can keep track of one 'Active Quest' at a time; the active quest's status will always be displayed in your SUT sidebar for easy reference.

Minigames

Minigames are small games that players can play for currency, such as Flint or Scarabeads. Mini-games are most commonly card games, but there are also some logic and puzzle games. The highest concentration of minigames is in Faldon, the desert town. There is also a minigame available at Town Square Park.

See Also

• SW City Interactive - Official SWI Page.