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+---
+layout: post
+title: "Status Update: A New Kind of Chat"
+date: 2012-03-13 12:36
+comments: true
+categories:  [rise-of-the-shadow-empire,mint]
+---
+
+Chat has always been central to Neflaria. It's what allows everyone to form
+clans, run auctions, and make lifelong friends (and sometimes enemies.) It’s the
+meeting ground for the great community we have built together.
+
+However, it’s also one of the most neglected areas of our application
+development; we're still running on much the same technology that existed in 2001. 
+In the last four years, the only significant updates updates came with
+Shattered Tranquility’s quest messages, and the name colors that came with the
+credit update.
+
+Our vision is much larger.
+
+We have finished testing out the technology that will allow us to take the chat
+system further than ever. Imagine:
+
+* Real-time chat: no more waiting for chat to refresh!
+* Custom chat rooms: have your own room for friends and alliances, and invite multiple friends to
+  private conversations!
+* Connect to chat externally: use a chat client such as
+  Pidgin and take part in in-game conversations when you can't be in the game!
+* All html: just like the current chat, you won't need any special plugins, just a
+  web browser!
+
+We've finished our proof of concept and we're even using it internally within
+Olivine Labs to communicate between developers, and we plan to open it up to
+game staff as we make further progress.
+
+Additionally, we now have a deadline: our goal is a __June 30__ release. This
+release will include:
+
+* Brand-new website 
+* Updated interface 
+* New chat system 
+* The implementation of a new item and equip slot: the Talisman
+
+We’re going to discuss what a Talisman is and what it means for the game in the
+next post.