Transition of the Imperial University (June-July 2022) - Minos Relevancy Phase 2 Release

In July, we completed the transition of the Imperial University from the legacy Emperor's Hammer site over to the new site. This work marked the completion of phase 2 of the phased Minos Relevancy release plan.

After the transition of the Imperial University records over to the new site at the end of June, our team completed the process of making needed adjustments to the courses. Between both manual and automated editing, we have corrected several thousand “content glitches” in the course notes and exams, including problems with encoding and other junk characters, missing images, problematic formatting, incorrect Course Administrative Data, etc. The purpose was to address the most significant problems affecting the ability to view notes and take exams, and to prepare the material for turnover to the incoming Training Office staff.

The Imperial University is now successfully operating under the guidance of the Training Officer, RA Sylas Pitt. You can refer to the Training Officer reports for more information.

New Site Features and Bugfixes

Following the phase 1 Initial Operational Capability release, the Internet Office team has maintained a steady pace of updates to the site outside of the original phased release schedule. This has included bugfixes, as well as new features as we identify areas and opportunities for continued improvement and development. A public CHANGELOG is available to members to follow changes at well.

A good explanation of the new site and the development process is available on Airlock Podcast episode 18, where I was happy to be invited by MAJ LegionX to discuss the new site and other Internet Office-related topics. For your convenience, the podcast is available on the Emperor’s Hammer YouTube channel and several major podcast directories.

The Way Ahead

• Project Minos Relevancy phase 3 entails the transition of Dark Brotherhood data and operations from the legacy emperorshammer.org site to the new site. This will include things such as member profiles, unit structures, awards, and reports. Following the conversion and launch, Dark Brotherhood operations will be conducted through the new site. Although one core site will serve both groups, the tc.emperorshammer.org and db.emperorshammer.org domains will be configured to provide some unique branding/identify for each group. Status: in-progress on a development branch; short-term goal.
• A new implementation for support of fiction and graphics remains a high priority for the short-term. We are coordinating closely with WARD GN Genie during this process. Our goal with reimplementation is not simply having a place for the WARD to hang fiction, but rather providing members with a greater ability to engage with other members' fiction and graphics content. Status: in-progress; short-term goal.
• Reimplementation of Emperor's Hammer merchandise. Status: in-progress; evaluating merchandise and vendors, as well as doing some initial art work; short-term goal.
• We are working closely with the Training Office on some additions to the Imperial University that will provide members some additional ways to engage with IU course content and to be recognized for their performance. Status: in-progress; specifications received from the TO and develop is in progress on a development branch; short-term goal.
• Secret Order support - The Secret Order will eventually require a lot of new code and updates to existing sections. This will largely revolve around improved activity tracking, so that member activities within the organization will award XP (working term) that will be used on the member's Secret Order path. I am continuing to coordinate with the Secret Order team led by ISP SA Kamjin Maverick Lap'lamiz in this effort. Status: pre-decisional; mid-term goal.

Internet Office Awards

As with some of the other content in this report, I'm unfortunately playing a bit of catch-up. Despite most of these awards having gone out much earlier in the year, I would be seriously remiss if I did not formally recognize these fine officers for their contributions. Thus, I am pleased to announce the following awards presented for work performed on behalf of the Internet Office.

• 

  FA Pickled Yoda - Imperial Cross - "For exceptionally meritorious and dedicated service to the Emperor’s Hammer during the period of April 2020 to March 2022, while serving as a lead project coder in support of Operation Minos Relevancy. This long-term project entailed a complete recode and redesign of the Emperor’s Hammer web presence, starting with the TIE Corps website that will soon extend to encompass additional EH Groups.

  The level of Pickled Yoda’s contributions during this project cannot be overstated. From initial project inception to the phase 1 public release and beyond, Pickled Yoda was both an integral and essential part of the development effort. His direct contributions leveraged PHP, JavaScript, and SQL to support a cohesive finished product. These contributions range from highly visible front-end components which improved ease of use across multiple site functions, to detailed back-end controllers and queries responsible for generating and aggregating data. Were it not for his extensive knowledge, expertise, and direct contributions, the project would not have been successful.

  Leveraging his expertise as the Tactical Officer, Pickled Yoda took the lead on all site functions relating to the Battle Center and historical battle completion records. This included detailed analysis of the existing data, and a conversion process which improved data quality for over 800k battle completion records. In addition, he implemented and expanded on his Pyrite library that provides a significantly improved process for users to submit battle completions (BSFs), and streamlines Tactical Office manual review of submissions when required.

  During the project, Pickled Yoda contributed many hundreds of hours of work with over 279 commits to the project repository. These figures exclude his additional development time represented in the PHP and JavaScript portions of the Pyrite library.

  Pickled Yoda’s efforts have directly supported the development of a modernized system capable of effectively supporting Emperor’s Hammer operations now and into the future. His dedication to the Emperor’s Hammer and its membership sets a standard that others should seek to emulate. Fleet Admiral Pickled Yoda’s extensive accomplishments reflect great credit upon himself, and the Tactical and Internet Offices of the Emperor’s Hammer Strike Fleet." March 2022, recommended by: FA Turtle Jerrar

• 
  AD Silwar Naiilo - Gold Star of the Empire - "Presented in recognition of meritorious service within the Emperor’s Hammer Internet Office during the period of October 2020 to February 2022 while assigned as an Internet Office Assistant. During this period, Vice Admiral Silwar Naiilo contributed across multiple Internet Office lines of effort and projects. Collectively, these efforts directly improved the organization for all members by improving access to data and streamlining routine leadership functions. As a direct code contributor in Project Minos Relevancy, Silwar assisted in the development of the phase 1 release with a primary focus in enhancing user-facing interfaces. In addition, he provided valuable feedback and insights that helped guide the development of various functions and pages throughout the development process. These contributions resulted in a final product that provided a more intuitive experience to users. Vice Admiral Silwar Naiilo’s accomplishments and performance of duty reflects great credit upon himself, the ISDII Challenge, and the Emperor’s Hammer Internet Office." March 2022, recommended by: FA Turtle Jerrar
• 
  HA Plif - Gold Star of the Empire - "Presented in recognition of High Admiral Plif's contributions to the Internet Office during the period of April 2020 to February 2022 while serving as an Internet Office Assistant. HA Plif was originally appointed as an IOA to work around certain limitations presented by the existing database system. As I took over the Internet Office, I asked Plif to stay on board to assist with maintenance of the production site. Despite having significant primary responsibilities as the TIE Corps Commander, Plif took it upon himself to further diversify his skill set and make direct updates and changes to the existing site code. By taking on the task of routine production site changes, Plif unburdened the other team members engaged in developing the new site under Project Minos Relevancy and enabled them to focus on development efforts. In addition, Plif’s continuous feedback and suggestions during the development process as a subject matter expert on daily fleet operations were invaluable. These efforts included testing the new site code during both pre- and post-phase 1 release, leading to the identification of issues which could then be addressed by the development team. These efforts directly contributed to the success of the project. High Admiral Plif’s accomplishments demonstrate his continued commitment to the success of the organization, and reflect great credit upon himself, the Office of the TIE Corps Commander, and the Emperor’s Hammer Internet Office." March 2022, recommended by: FA Turtle Jerrar
• 
  FA Jarek La'an - Gold Star of the Empire - "Presented in recognition of Fleet Admiral Jarek La’an’s meritorious service while serving as the Communications Officer within the Emperor’s Hammer Internet Office during the period of May 2020 to March 2022. As FA La’an took on the responsibilities of the position of Communication Officer, he led a much-needed effort to review and update the Emperor’s Hammer Code of Conduct, modernizing our policies to match current needs. During this period he also maintained a consistent presence on our communication platforms, with oversight over all communications activity. His even-handed approach allowed small member conduct issues to be handled at the lowest level. He directly handled larger issues in a timely and precise manner. Under his watch, these efforts have helped foster an overall climate of dignity and respect within the Emperor’s Hammer communication platforms, a positive climate that has been commended by multiple members. In addition, he established procedures to ensure that Medals of Communication could be processed and awarded in a more timely manner to recognize member contributions. His performance of duty and accomplishments reflect great credit upon himself, and the Emperor’s Hammer Internet Office." March 2022, recommended by: FA Turtle Jerrar
• 
  AD Jedi Eclipse - Silver Star of the Empire - "Presented in recognition of AD Jedi Eclipse’s contributions to the Emperor’s Hammer Internet office during the period of June 2020 to March 2022 while serving as the Command Attaché to the Internet Officer. During this period, AD Eclipse assisted across multiple Internet Office lines of effort by providing subject matter expertise and feedback on several projects, including Minos Relevancy, TTT3, and API development efforts. Her expertise across multiple technologies, particularly SQL, made her a valuable resource in solving tricky problems while performing database migrations in support of Project Minos Relevancy. She also assisted in testing during both the pre and post-release of phase 1 of the new site, identifying several areas for improvement that could be addressed by the development team. These collective efforts improved the quality of the finished products. Admiral Jedi Eclipse’s support to the team and performance of duty reflects great credit upon herself, and the Emperor’s Hammer Internet Office." March 2022, recommended by: FA Turtle Jerrar
• 
  VA Jaxx Nassin - Silver Star of the Empire - "Presented in recognition of Commander Jaxx “Hijacker” Nassin’s contributions to the TTT3 project between August 2021 and February 2022. On his own initiative, then-Lieutenant Hijacker took the time to experiment with rendering rebel-style helmets customized for Emperor’s Hammer infiltrator squadron use. Working with other members of the Internet Office staff under project CONSTANT INFILTRATION, he developed the knowledge to convert and further develop the 3D meshes and textures in the POV-Ray scene format used by TTT3. Along the way, he assisted in making improvements to the existing Imperial-style helmets, as well as other aspects of the application. These efforts culminated in the TTT3 3.0.1 release, in which custom infiltrator-style helmets are now available for use by pilots assigned to infiltrator squadrons. This style of helmet is also available for member customization for use “out of uniform”, for example to accompany appropriate personal craft. Commander Jaxx “Hijacker” Nassin’s efforts through his own initiative are to be commended, and set a standard others should seek to emulate. His accomplishments reflect great credit upon himself, Firebird Squadron, and Wing X of the ISDII Challenge." March 2022, recommended by: FA Turtle Jerrar
• 
  MAJ Kalve Ryder - Silver Star of the Empire - "MAJ Kalve Ryder has been a shining example of what it means to be in the Emperor's Hammer. He has selflessly committed himself to making the fleet a better place through his actions in helping the Internet Office and the Logistics Office. The front page of the Encyclopaedia Imperia was designed by MAJ Ryder and he continues to supply superbly rendered images for the ongoing Systems Manual conversion. Most recently, he has begun creating entries in the Encyclopaedia for preserving knowledge of Lightsabers. For his continued support, the office of the Logistics Officer is proud to present MAJ Ryder with the Silver Star."September 2022, recommended by: VA Jaxx Nassin

From Around the Internet Office

• Completed several updates to the TIE Corps Tailoring Tool 3 (TTT3), culminating in version 3.0.3. As always, my thanks to LC SkyShadow for his continued support of this project.

• I am pleased to announce that our Logistics Officer (LO), Jaxx “Hijacker” Nassin, has been promoted to the rank of Vice Admiral.

  "Since his appointment to the position of Logistics Officer, Hijacker has been involved in multiple projects across the various Internet Office lines of effort. On the Wiki front, he has been doing a lot of back end work to fix the templates that affect the display of articles across the Wiki. This coincides with efforts to begin converting various legacy manuals and documentation to the Wiki, starting with the System Manual. In addition, Wiki use has seen a significant uptick since his appointment through his continued efforts to promote the Wiki as a valuable club resource. We're starting to see more members take the initiative to update things when needed which is a testament to its increasing usefulness under his guidance. He has been coordinating with other Emperor’s Hammer Command Staff members to maintain unity of effort across the staff sections as it pertains to use of the Wiki and hosted materials.

  Hijacker and I have been in frequent communication to prioritize modernization efforts with regard to documentation, and he has taken the time to draw up a master plan to guide this effort. In addition, he has been contributing across other Internet Office projects to include uniforms, medals, and other 3D rendering efforts. He also maintains a high level of presence within our communication platforms, and is easily approachable by the membership.

  Based on his demonstrated performance to date, and his obvious potential for continued contributions in the role of LO, he is more than deserving of his initial promotion within the flag ranks of the Emperor's Hammer. Congratulations!"

Other Internet Office Activity

• We'd like to welcome the Airlock Podcast, hosted by CPT LegionX, to the Emperor’s Hammer YouTube channel. If members have original content that they would like to include on the YouTube channel, please contact me for details and permissions.
• Updated APIs for new site codebase: fleet, squadron, pilot, atr.
• Performed a review of Emperor's Hammer policy documents, converted formatting, and updated as needed: Bylaws, Articles of War, Code of Conduct, Cheating Policy, Privacy Policy, Copyrights & Disclaimers, and LucasArts Rules.

Miscellaneous - Internet Officer

• Work and coordination in support of IO projects including TTT3 development, 3D asset creation, APIs, and a handful of other stuff.
• Internal discussion of some future IO project concepts.
• Continual coordination with various leaders regarding EH operations (daily and strategic).

LOE 1: Modernize and Unify Emperor’s Hammer Database

Objectives: Unify the main Emperor's Hammer and TIE Corps web sites and databases, implementing full support for the Dark Brotherhood and any potential future Groups, as well as cross-group functions such as the Imperial University. Modernize the codebase and database backend. Refactor and/or recode as necessary to implement modern techniques and standards that supports the continued maintenance of existing features, and eases implementation of new features and changes. Update the front end web site to present a user experience more consistent with modern sites, while maintaining and improving on core functionality unique to our organization and critical to its operation.

LOE 2: Audit Emperor’s Hammer Web Properties

Objectives: Conduct continuous audit and improvement of Emperor’s Hammer hosted resources to validate clarity, accuracy, and relevance. Links to defunct EH sites are removed or updated as appropriate. The Internet Office will update documents or resources within our purview, and identify proponents of other documents/resources. Key policy documents and manuals are reviewed and validated at least annually. Command intent is that the EH presents a uniform web presence that is as easy and intuitive as possible for new members to navigate.

LOE 3: Support Emperor’s Hammer Operations Through Automation

Objectives: Continually seek and implement innovative solutions to common Emperor’s Hammer functions through automation. Support each Group’s daily operations by improving processes for activity tracking and member recognition. Leverage data and automation to improve daily operations, and support long term Group efforts.

To request feature enhancements or report bugs for any Internet Office-supported project, please use the IO issues incoming queue on GitHub. This provides our office with a structured process to review, comment on, and refer issues as appropriate.

We are always interested in members that would like to assist with Emperor’s Hammer projects. We’re especially interested in people with experience in PHP, JavaScript, Python, graphics design, and 3D modeling. Please send me a message if you have any skills and time you would like to share with the EH.

Information regarding current Internet Office projects and policy issuances can be found at ehnet.org.

• IO/FA Turtle Jerrar, Discord: turtlexiv#5752
• COMM/FA Jarek La'an, Discord: RLaan#9803
• LO/VA Jaxx "Hijacker" Nassin, Discord: Hijacker#1337
• CA:IO/AD Jedi Eclipse, Discord: aw4kened#7484
• IOA (TAC)/FA Pickled Yoda, Discord: pickled yoda#4233
• IOA/AD Silwar Naiilo, Discord: engineer0#1337
• IOA/LC SkyShadow, Discord: SmTaUcM #4789
• IOA/MAJ Kalve Ryder, Discord: Knoxi#0002
• LOA/LC Honsou, Discord: Honsou#7748

I can be reached as needed by way of e-mail (linked from my TIE Corps profile), or Discord at turtlexiv#5752.

TURTLE JERRAR
Fleet Admiral, Emperor's Hammer
Internet Officer
IO/FA Turtle Jerrar/CS-3/VSD Stalwart
MoH/GOE/GS/SS/BSx4/PCx5/ISMx10/IAR/MoI-BC/MoC-doc-poc-2goc-2soc-18boc/MUA/IS-2GW-2SW-9BW-2CW-PR-4GR-3SR-4BR-CR/ORA-1C/LoC-RS/LoS-RS/DFC/CoE/CoLx7/CoB/LoAx9/OV-25E
Trustee, Emperor's Hammer, Inc.