This is the general FAQ hosted on another fansite, The Emerald Hatchery, at the request of TNHawke.
http://magiemeraldhatchery.proboards.co ... thread=268
~General
Q. What is a Lineage?
A. A feature where players may denote any breeding pair as Proginators (and they may only breed with each other thereafter) of a line, and the name of the family will follow all subsequent children of those creatures.
Q. What was the first Lineage?
A. Darksea was the first lineage, created by Tristan, for a single, female, SB Hallow Capricorn. This Lineage came out several months before the option was rolled out for all players to create their own.
Q. Do all lineages follow just the mother like Ember Darksea?
A. No. Lineages made by players add the name to both male and female of the Progenator pair.
Q. What happened to lineages 2 through 7?
A. They were Tristan's test lineages and were deleted upon the rollout of the function.
Q. Why does Tristan have a lineage of Cinersi?
A. Because he's Tristan and says he can.
Q. Can an egg or hatchling with a lineage name be used for the quests as long as it doesn't have a regular name?
A. Yes, and once it is used, the creature disappears from the lineage page.
Q. Is there a way to look up a lineage by its family name?
A. No. (but it has been requested)
Q. How can I view what lineages have been made?
A. The simplest way is to look for one of the lists made by other players. You can also enter "
family/***" into the address bar of your browser and change "***" into what number you wish to view.
~How to, Crests and Descriptions
Q. How do I create a new Lineage?
A. When you click breed on a creature, under the potential mates is a little box that says next to it, "Create a Family."
Check the box, and then click somewhere off of it. (Not the creature you want to breed with!) A text box will appear for you to put the family name in. Once you have entered the family name you want just click the creature you want to breed with and if the breeding is successful the family is created.
Q. Why doesn't the box to put in my lineage name appear?
A. Some browsers aren't loading the type box when you check the "create lineage" option. The best way to get around this is to click the option, then click next to it (or anywhere else on the page that is NOT another creature). After that, the type box will appear, you can enter the name you want and then click the chosen mate.
Q. What happens if the creatures aren't interested when I'm trying to create my Lineage?
A. The Lineage will NOT be made, but you can try again in a few days.
Q. Does it work with only Original Generations? (SB, QB, GB?)
A. No, any generation of creature may be used to start a lineage.
Q. What is a crest?
A. A crest is a symbol/ seal of a family. Think of the royal crests/ coats of arms of medieval times.
Q. Do I have to add the Description and Crest right away or at the same time the lineage is made?
A. No, they may be added later.
Q. How do you add the family crest?
A. To add crests you to to a creature page with the lineage and click
Family: (Link here)
Click "Link here".
Q. How long can a family description be?
A. 1000 characters- this includes, spaces, punctuation, letters and numbers.
Q. Can I change the Description or Crest?
A. Yes, you may edit them any time.
Q. Can a family crest be deleted?
A. "Dere ish now a ...hic... way to delete dem. Yaaayy..
: " ~ Tristan (drunken admins are funny)
~About Names
Q. How long can a family name be?
A. Up to 20 characters (letters and spaces only).
Q. How long can a creature's regular name be?
A. 21 characters (letters and spaces only)
Q. Can lineages have numbers, punctuation or other 'special characters' in them?
A. No, English letters and spaces only.
Q. Can a Lineage name be used more than once like our creature names can be?
A. No. Lineage names are unique and you will get an error message if the name is already taken. "A family with that name already exists."
Q. I don't like the name I gave my family, can I change it?
A. No, family names are permanent, so be careful of what you enter!
~Breedings
Q. Will the offspring born before these new lineages came out get the lineage name retroactively?
A. No. Previously hatched offspring of the pair do NOT get the lineage name. Morgaln called them 'illegitimate', but that's not a very nice thing to say!
Q. Can my Progenitor pair breed with other creatures?
A. No, they become a dedicated pair and will never breed with any other creature again.
Q. What happens if you breed creatures from two different lineages?
A. The offspring will have one of the two names, decided randomly.
Q. Can a creature born from one lineage be used to create a new one?
A. No. Creatures that already have a family name cannot be used to start a new family.
Q. Can I breed creatures with the same lineage name together?
A. No. The system does not allow for inbreeding of lineages. (there are some previously bred Darkseas that are inbred, this is no longer possible in the new system)
Q. Will the unlineaged mates of a non-Progenitor lineaged creature acquire their mate's lineage name?
A. No.
Q. Why does my X Generation Progenitor creatures have a baby that is listed as a 1st Gen in my lineage?
A. Because it is of the first generation from the creation of the Lineage.
Breaking/ Getting Rid of a Lineage
Q. What if I release one of the Progenitors of my lineage?
A. Unfortunately, the remaining creature will be a widow/widower and unable to breed again.
Q. What happens if I sell one of the Progenitors of my lineage?
A. The two creatures will be unable to breed until brought back together in the keep of a single owner.
Q. If I release both Progenitors, can the family name be re-used?
A. No.
Q. What happens if I sell both Progenitors of a lineage to the same person?
A. They can be bred and create offspring of the lineage. The Lineage page will continue to credit the original creator of the lineage, regardless of who owns it at the time.
Q. Can Master Belmos strip a creature of its lineage name, like he does their regular name?
A. No. The creatures will keep their lineage name.
Q. What happens if you release a child from the family?
A. They still show up in the family page.