A new year, a new foundry!

[thenobodies80]

Hello everyone,

it's a pleasure for me to write this announcement to introduce something new into the blue world of mapmaking.
Another year has gone and a new one has just started, but must be said that the 2012 has been a good year for us.

I would like to spend few seconds of your time to enlist few 2012 items, because too often we forget:
- We worked hard and we have succesfully produced 21 new maps, raising the total count of maps on CC from 204 to 225.
- We had a contest which resulted in a wonderful North America map revamp.
- We made our voices loud to obtain these so desired xml updates. We received two, collections and conditional borders
- We had our map database that was the starting point on which we will develop a public map gallery.
- We solved the supersize limits issue with the introduction of a new policy
- We reached the 100th user of Conquer Club who has received a map achievement
- We had the first mapmaker in the foundry history to receive 30 medals for completing a map.

Maybe I missed some items, maybe someone can say that more must and can be done. It's true, but we can't say that nothing has happened last year.
Instead, about what "must and can be done", I'm really optimist. I've spent the few last months working together with rdsrds2120 and I'm really confident that the new administration has great plans for the foundry. Like RDS has said, the foundry needs a special care, but it will require some time.

Today we can start with the very first steps of this caring and restructuring process of our dear second home!

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As first item, considering that right now we have 200+ standard maps and just few special maps, we are going to give to mapmakers the possibilty to draw Battle Royale Maps.

Let me pass the baton for a second to our dear Community Manager rdsrds2120, so he can explain to you all our official policy for this type of maps:

[rdsrds2120]

Hello everyone!

Rds here with a quick word on some Battle Royale info -- after all, what time would be better than right after the Anniversary?

As you all know, we currently have 1 map that is a Battle Royale ONLY map (Colosseum by samuelc812). While sam's map is spectacular in form and function for BR's, well, who doesn't like a little variety?

I'd like to see some brand new ideas for these mega maps, and to have them hosted right here on the site for both the Anniversary Events and our Monthly Battle Royales. So, what better place to get this started than the Foundry? Answer: Nowhere, and this is why, as thenobodies mentioned, I am now stressing that no maps are to be made 'behind the scenes' as they have been done in the past. Power to the people!

Without further ado,

Battle Royale Maps

Here's the criteria! You must be sure to read and understand the following:

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So there you have it. Thank you to thenobodies80 and the rest of the Cartography team for their work. Think of this as their New Years Resolution project . Thank you for reading, let's make some maps

--rdsrds2120 (BMO)

[thenobodies80]

Now, that we've introduced the BR map we can move to the second item we have ready for you all.

Every structure or process should be built on the needs of those who have to use it. In the last year I've spent long time thinking about any possible improvement for the foundry and the process, to make things easier for the Map Makers and also for the Carthography Assistants. Essentially the foundry system has improved a lot through the years, but instead the structure of the foundry has changed only to make it more comfortable for the users, or better for their number.
So, considering the number of current users, the number of topics and the use of each forum, we have decided to apply a few changes.

This is the New Foundry Structure: (that could look familiar to some foundry veterans)

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With this layout you need just to click once when you're in the main index to be able to see the whole foundry and what it's happening into it. You will be able to keep track of the most active and popular maps in development with few clicks. Additionally we are going to apply a few changes to our duties to better serve you all during the long run through the foundry process...but we will talk about that in another occasion (soon ).

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As side element of this structure change, there's an additional concept that I would like to introduce. We all know that make maps is a privilege an not a right...but I can't keep the count of the times I have seen this privilege understimated and treated like a obvious right. There's been lot of cases in which I've seen a great Community contribution and a countless amount of hours spent by Cartographers to a map project which is then abandoned.
So, to protect and give value to the Cartographers effort and the Community contribution to any map project, I'm going to introduce a sort of ladder system for the Abandoned maps only. From now, any mapmaker is subject to this system for each map that will receive at least a stamp, so when the concept is approved and it supposed to have some followers.

Abandoning a map project is simply unfair and discourteous to the community member who make the commitment to support the map project and to the CA who has spent time on it. This without consider that the same time could have been used on other projects. As mapmaker, it is your responsibility to see your map succesfully go through the foundry process from beginning to end.

Said that, the Cartographers have come up with a policy to reduce the number of abandoned projects, to better serve the committed Foundry memebers and obviously keeping into account that sometimes unexpected things happen:

Abandoned Maps Policy

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XML Guide

Finally, I'm pleased to release a new version of the XML Guide, the original guide was written back in the 2007. Due some time costraints, technical issues and changes into the blue Team it took a lot (maybe too much ) to have this guide ready for you all. But at least we think that no we're going to give you all a helpful hand.

The guide has a different layout than the old one and it's more extended, we tried to not only list how to write an xml, but also give a more complete explanation of each feature, give additional advices on the most common questions or doubts. XML Features are also supported with pratical examples or part of code taken from the CC Maps for a better understanding. But don't worry, you hardly get lost into it infact you can find a index in the first post, in this way you can browse the whole guide easily.

The new XML Guide is available here

I wish you all another great year of Conquer Club!

thenobodies80

[generalhead]

This whole thread would be a great article for the foundry section of the newsletter.

[chapcrap]

I like most of the changes.

I think it's odd to have The Atlas as a subforum for BETA maps though.

[thenobodies80]

It was there a couple of years ago, I think it is the very original place for it. Anyway I wanted there just because it makes more simple to move things and keep track of them. But I'm fine also with having it listed into the Map Foundry, beneath the Beta Maps, if you guys prefer.
As said in the announcement, the layout should fit your needs (and maybe make the life easier for us a bit )

Nobodies

[ManBungalow]

We've set a scale of values, each value determines a disciplinary action.

1st Abandoned Map - Informal Warning and a spanking
2nd Abandoned Map - Official Warning
3rd Abandoned Map - 6 months of ban from mapmaking
4th Abandoned Map - 6 months of ban from mapmaking
5th Abandoned Map - Permanent ban from mapmaking

I don't agree with this, as it only serves to deter potential map-makers. And, as ever, map-making is voluntary. Why should we ban a user from doing something voluntary which can only be:
A] Of no consequence (is abandoned)
B] Beneficial (new map)
An abandoned map causes no harm to the community. Perhaps 10 seconds of mod time to move the map thread to the recycling bin, and some peeved users who have invested comments during the map development, but the mods/contributors are volunteering similarly - they don't have to spend time commenting on maps which may go on to be abandoned.
Besides, even an abandoned map can be useful.

A map idea should be a map idea, and no one user should be limited to 5 ideas (then banned). And an idea is often best illustrated with a draft. To be honest, the qualifying 'first stamp' criterion for a map development which can then be punishable ("mapmaker is subject to this [disciplinary] system for each map that will receive at least a stamp") if abandoned would only serve to make me shy away from getting the draft stamp.

Not to mention that real life can get in the way of map development.

[DoomYoshi]

I am glad to see the potential for new BR maps. Worried that I will never again get to play world 2.1 BR though.

[Oneyed]

We've set a scale of values, each value determines a disciplinary action.

1st Abandoned Map - Informal Warning and a spanking
2nd Abandoned Map - Official Warning
3rd Abandoned Map - 6 months of ban from mapmaking
4th Abandoned Map - 6 months of ban from mapmaking
5th Abandoned Map - Permanent ban from mapmaking

I don't agree with this, as it only serves to deter potential map-makers. And, as ever, map-making is voluntary. Why should we ban a user from doing something voluntary which can only be:
A] Of no consequence (is abandoned)
B] Beneficial (new map)
An abandoned map causes no harm to the community. Perhaps 10 seconds of mod time to move the map thread to the recycling bin, and some peeved users who have invested comments during the map development, but the mods/contributors are volunteering similarly - they don't have to spend time commenting on maps which may go on to be abandoned.
Besides, even an abandoned map can be useful.

A map idea should be a map idea, and no one user should be limited to 5 ideas (then banned). And an idea is often best illustrated with a draft. To be honest, the qualifying 'first stamp' criterion for a map development which can then be punishable ("mapmaker is subject to this [disciplinary] system for each map that will receive at least a stamp") if abandoned would only serve to make me shy away from getting the draft stamp.

Not to mention that real life can get in the way of map development.

I think this new abandoned system valids only for maps which already has any stamp, not for ideas.

Oneyed

[ManBungalow]

We've set a scale of values, each value determines a disciplinary action.

1st Abandoned Map - Informal Warning and a spanking
2nd Abandoned Map - Official Warning
3rd Abandoned Map - 6 months of ban from mapmaking
4th Abandoned Map - 6 months of ban from mapmaking
5th Abandoned Map - Permanent ban from mapmaking

I don't agree with this, as it only serves to deter potential map-makers. And, as ever, map-making is voluntary. Why should we ban a user from doing something voluntary which can only be:
A] Of no consequence (is abandoned)
B] Beneficial (new map)
An abandoned map causes no harm to the community. Perhaps 10 seconds of mod time to move the map thread to the recycling bin, and some peeved users who have invested comments during the map development, but the mods/contributors are volunteering similarly - they don't have to spend time commenting on maps which may go on to be abandoned.
Besides, even an abandoned map can be useful.

A map idea should be a map idea, and no one user should be limited to 5 ideas (then banned). And an idea is often best illustrated with a draft. To be honest, the qualifying 'first stamp' criterion for a map development which can then be punishable ("mapmaker is subject to this [disciplinary] system for each map that will receive at least a stamp") if abandoned would only serve to make me shy away from getting the draft stamp.

Not to mention that real life can get in the way of map development.

I think this new abandoned system valids only for maps which already has any stamp, not for ideas.

Oneyed

Right. This is acknowledged in my post, though I didn't phrase the distinction between idea and a, uh, main foundry-level map idea very well. I'm trying to say that I wouldn't want my map idea to progress into the main foundry by being given a draft stamp if I was not 100% sure about it. And one doesn't need to be 100% sure about it in the early days in order to make a good map, as far as I'm concerned.
This is counter-intuitive really, as the main foundry should [arguably] be where the most crucial criticisms get made, and where an idea is really tested.

I believe my point is still valid.

[thenobodies80]

ManB, I'll give to you and to everyone else a better explanation of the ladder system this evening, when back home.
I already reckoned to have to add some detail to that procedure when I wrote it.
In the meanwhile, don't worry, it was not designed to punish, but to protect....committed mapmakers has nothing to fear about it.

Nobodies

[chapcrap]

Well, I would move the Atlas out, because as is, it looks like it is under Beta maps. Which, is really the opposite...


As far as the punishment goes, I agree with it. We do something similar with tournaments and it works fine. Lindax set it up quite a while ago and it prevents users from wasting TDs time and players time with tournaments that do not finish. We also have a tournament rescue policy, like the maps have now it seems. So, I think this is good work.

[Robespierre__]

You all are doing a great job, and I just wanted to take a moment to thank you for your dedication and hard work. We all appreciate it very much.

Robes

[nolefan5311]

The abandonment policy is put into place for a reason. There are several maps in the Recycling Box which took a ton of time to review by the mods, only for the mapmaker to never follow through with creation. While I really enjoy what I do, we simply don't have enough time to focus a lot of attention on a map that is never going to get made. It's not fair to the mapmakers who do follow through with maps and have to wait for moderator attention that's being spent on a map that's never going to get made.

I think it's a very fair system...you have 2 abandoned before you're even given a ban, and map isn't considered abandoned until the 6 month vacation period has expired. The only thing you need to refresh that 6 months is post a small update.

[RjBeals]

i like the abandonment policy. I mean, wasn't there a puke map and and human body map?