Welcome Comrades to the 57th edition of the Dispatch
This issue we have a Russian Techie making waves (and who I mistakenly cast in a German guise
), We have interviews from 2 different perspectives on the enterprising ARC.
In tournaments we also have more on the TPA that is so popular among tournament players, but where Angola fails to mention the current comprehensive leader of TPA2 (yours truly
)
The Foundry section also becomes more and more informative by the week, so head over there to check out all the latest tidbits about the maps we've all played, but rarely discuss.
And then in that same vein, we also have the
200 maps celebration . Check it out to play the exciting Spot the Differences competition, vote on your favourite maps, and participate in the commemorative tournament.
Leehar -
Newsletter Executive If you would like to apply to join the news team, please visit the thread below for more details!
Click here for Recruitment Details... Well, we don't have flag-bearers this year, but we do have a miniature section about
Steelhorse 's RISK Classic! I did a brief interview with the Tournament Director himself, and Dukasaur got to interview ARC Satellite Tournament winner,
Flow520 !
On a side note, I screwed up and managed to get part of Steelhorse's interview archived, so it's all my fault that this issue is so late, none of the other fine Reporters or Executives. I will be your lightning rod of disapproval
I hope you enjoy our special Annual RISK Classic Newsletter anyway!
Victor SullivanBelated Executive The Annual RISK Classic: Interview with Steelhorse by Victor Sullivan show
So, what exactly is the RISK Classic? The Annual RISK Classic is a live RISK tournament held once a year. It's purpose is to give RISK enthusiasts from all over, the opportunity to pit their strategies against other RISK nuts like us, in a fun, yet "spiritedly competitive" environment. That said, the tournament attracts players of all ages and skill levels. We have kids as young as 10 and adults as old as 80 compete. But, on any given day, anyone can win...that is the beauty of the Annual RISK Classic. For a complete description of what the Annual RISK Classic is, we encourage you to visit our homepage at http://www.annualriskclassic.com/index.php What role(s) do you play in the event? I am the Tournament Director of the Annual RISK Classic and the owner and President of Board Game Entertainment, which owns the rights to, and sponsors, the tournament. Where does the RISK Classic take place? This year the Annual RISK Classic will be held in Bethlehem, PA at the Comfort Suites. When is the event? This year's Annual RISK Classic will be held from November 5-6, 2011. How did the RISK Classic come to be? Why was it started? The best way to learn about how and why the Annual RISK Classic came to be is to follow this link to our "About" page on our website. Just follow this link. http://www.annualriskclassic.com/about.php How do the tournaments work? The tournament is double elimination and begins on Saturday morning. Each table in the first round always has 4-5 people, depending on the number of total players and how the bracketing works out. What can I do there if/when I'm taking a break from RISK? What other things can one do at the RISK Classic? What all things will be going on? Etc. For players who are not in a tournament game, or who have been eliminated, we will be running Sit & Go RISK Games all day Friday, Saturday, adn Sunday. Each player ponies up $5, $10, or $20, depending on the prize table they wish to play for. Then, it's winner take all. Also, the tournament takes place in the historic distric of Bethlehem, Pa. There are a ton of great restaurants, shopping, etc. in the area. And, there is a Sands Casino about 1/2 mile down the road. Plus, for those of us that are legal and like to have a bit of fun, the area has a great night life. And, if that isn't enough, it looks like we may be having a comedian, or two, do a little stand up at some point during the weekend, as well. Alright, sell it to me. Why should I or anyone else come to the RISK Classic? Simply said: It's a great time, with good people, in a friendly yet competitive, environment. And, we get to play a game that we all love to play...RISK...in a fair, structured, well-run tournament.
Meet the Tournament Winners: Satellite for the Risk Classic by Dukasaur show: interview with flow520
Flow520 was the winner of the Satellite for the 2nd Annual RISK Classic hosted by Steelhorse . It was first posted on April 25th of this year and was finished by July 1st. For this tournament, Steelhorse awarded a special prize: a ticket to the ARC itself. I've had an extensive conversation with Flow520 about it.I'm a bit curious about the ARC. How do they run it? Is it a bunch of people all playing at the same time in the same room, or is it in different rooms? Is there a lot of spectating, or is almost everyone there playing? http://www.annualriskclassic.com . To give everyone a flavor of how epic it was, the first ARC was held in a large banquet type room so that everyone in the current round could play simultaneously. There were tables set up throughout the room each with a risk board to which entrants were randomly assigned. To keep things moving, a screen at the front of the room displayed a round count down timer (~3hr). Tables with a plethora of snack food, candy, and chilled beverages for the players lined one of the walls. The other walls were lined with tables holding really beautiful glass trophies for the tournament winners, smaller prizes for sit&go games such as boxed retail Risk boards, as well as raffle prize gift baskets centered around various themes such as sports and pop-culture. Initially, most of the spectating was by the team of coordinated tournament officials let by our own Steelhorse . However, as each round progressed and games finished, spectating increased. The tables of a couple epic games lasting to the bitter end of the round as well as the finals were completely surrounded by spectators. Those uninterested in spectating, or rather more interested in continuing their quest for global domination (and prizes) enjoyed sit&go games between rounds.I went to the website as you suggested. Read all the tournament rules (which I liked) and I also spent quite a while browsing the photo galleries. There were a couple young guys with Conquer Club shirts on. Was one of those you? I had no idea there were so many! I only spotted a couple. Elimination of Opponents section of 1959 and 1963 rulebooks wrote: "A player, who on his turn, is able to take from the board the last remaining piece of an opponent, receives at once all cards which that opponent has in his possession. He may combine them with the cards and if he can make a set, he may turn it in immediately on that same turn to collect additional armies. If, as occasionally happens, he can make two or three sets, he may also turn them in, receiving the regular increase for each set. This situation can arise only when the total of the cards which a player holds, when added to the cards of the player whom he has eliminated, equals six or more. He must turn in enough sets to reduce the number of cards which he continues to hold to four or less. These new armies must be placed on the board in the usual manner. The player may then continue to play if he wishes, or he may pass the dice to the next player."
That's certainly interesting. One more thing that I didn't know. Just a quick aside, while we're on the subject of rule changes and improvements to CC: are there any others that you support? Submitted Suggestions forum and vote or post in support for the ones you like.Okay, I've certainly learned quite a bit from you about the Annual Risk Classic. Let's talk a bit about the Satellite tournament itself. Tell me about some of your memorable moments from that. riskness with the occasional dice fail mixed in. Although I was fortunate enough not to have any major dice fails this tournament. Lucky me right? Every game ended in Round 11. Is that about normal for 4-player Risk? What is your quest? Which is faster, a European Swallow or an African Swallow? Your soapbox: anything you want to say to the CC world? Annual Risk Classic November 5th and 6th. It's going to be a blast!Thank you very much for your time, and good luck in all your future endeavours!
Welcome to another edition of the Freestyle Section. We have another edition of the Scum Insider for your mafia needs and an interview with our very own
Dako . Much discussion about Russia and programming, with a side of akido.
As always, if you have any article ideas or would like to write for the Freestyle section, let me know.
-
safariguy5 Freestyle Executive The Scum Insider by safariguy5 show
The Scum Insider Newbie Help Mafia Information , Mafia and You , and Rules and Terms of Mafia .What is "Mafia"? Mafia News Mafia Callouts viewforum.php?f=213 Advanced Roles and Strategy by safariguy5 Mafia Ratio Expected in a Standard Game What is it? Example How to Use this Strategy
show: Interrogation of Dako
Q. Hi Dako! Привет. Q. Any plans to get back in a competitive clan? Not sure. Sometimes I want to get back and strive for the top but sometimes I am really happy with my game load of 6 games. I guess I will get back eventually anyway. Q. Since you are now Head Tech, can i pm you a list of people who may need their heads examined? Of course, we have a special room with different... machines... and instruments. Yes, please send those victims good fellows to me. Q. Have I (cachejob) thanked you recently for all of your efforts on the site (particularly greasemonkey scripts)? if not, consider this that. Thanks. And I will not moan how little gratitude we receive as a Team CC members. Q. Favorite poster, game partner, game opponent, mod, snacktime food? There are some posters I enjoy reading. Owenshooter , trapyoung , Pedronicus spring to mind. Game partners... I really like to play with Ace Rimmer when we both have time to plan our moves and rock the game. Chariot of Fire is the best teammate I have ever seen on this site. Next to him goes cachejob . And there are like 30 more people I would team up with any day. Favourite mod, this is hard. And not because I don't like any of them. I respect following volunteers the most: OliverFA , thenobodies80 , Master Fenrir , Night Strike , Masli . They are all level headed, intellectual and mature. Those are like the most important qualities a good mod should possess. Q. Are you really ''Russian'' is TOFU really ''Finnish'' is ace really himalayan cause him a layin? I don't like my nation Q. Which Zangief piledriver is your favorite? After extending research on wikipedia and youtube I found the one I like the most - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2CZiApKKAY Q. What programming languages are you proficient with? At real life I am a PHP developer. I also know JavaScript, C# and Python. Some bits of Java and a lot of different mark-up languages. Q. Do you think lack is doing enough to maintain the site? Yes, he maintains the site well. If you think that he doesn't care you are deeply wrong. Q. Do you think that of late some of the updates are not as important as others that have been waiting for some time now? I think most of the updates came to lack as "wow, what a cool thing, I want to do it right away" after which he was self-possessed and nothing could stop his development rush (hell yeah, I know how it feels). But soon you will see what are the real updates, that are planned, executed and impacts the whole site. Wait for the big one. Q. What made you decide to work on the user scripts in the first place (for which many thanks)? I needed all the script myself so I wrote them. You know, it is a common practice to create nifty things that ease your life when you are a tech guy. I just decided to share them (open source forever!) and a lot of people found them useful and cool. And every CC script writer went with the same idea. No one is writing scripts they don't like for free Q. What made you decide to become part of Team CC? Free ftp access to exclusive porn of course. Q. Which do you consider to be the best written script? The best written script I have ever seen was original Handy Game History which was abandoned and rescued by me. Original script can be found here (http://userscripts.org/scripts/review/12027) Q. Which do you consider to be the most useful script? Battle Observation Briefing for sure. Q. Can you give any details on upcoming improvements? What is the point? I can only say that the next update will be logically connected to the previous updates (consider them as prerequisites). Q. Can you say when we might be able to look forward to said improvements? I don't know the date but it looks like November or December. Q. What Forums/Discussions to you look at mostly? Bug Reports and Clans. Q. On a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest) How much of a geek are you? 8 I guess. I don't have a lot of geek friends or geek t-shirts (hello Sheldon). Though I like sci-fi, computer stuff and in soul I am 100% geek. Q. On a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest) How scary is it working on the same Team with Victor Sullivan? (EDIT: for clarity - meaning Team CC) Sully is not harmful, so I'd give it 1. And I know some special moves as well so I am safe. Q. Do you have any hobbies? Yapp. I enjoy watching movies and TV series (The Mighty Boosh being the ultimate #1, Doctor Who is the normal #1). I also practice and teach aikido. I read a lot of books, fiction and professional both. And I adore board games of any format. I am also weak to animations, seen more than 1000 anime episodes and have read a lot of mangas. Q. What's your favourite colour? #4B0082 and #191970 Q. What's your dream job? I would love to work as a CEO of some international IT giant. And run few of my own sites as a hobby. When I retire I plan to spend my time teaching people aikido and having a well-deserved rest. Q. What's your dream house like? Something close to this - http://www.flickr.com/photos/ronniebail ... 821692384/ Q. What do you do when you're not on CC? I work, I study for my PhD in IT, I teach aikido, I watch series and animations, I hang out with my friends and I do a lot of rubbish things that eat away my time. Q. Do you like sports? If yes, what are your top 3 (in order) I like doing sports but I am not a sports fan at all. So I love aikido, swimming and snowboard. Sometimes enjoy watching some poker tournaments. Q. If you had to choose one of the following jobs, which would you choose and why? I despise working on something I don't like. I also despise being short on money so I'd choose b). But of course I am one of the few people that have high salary and a great job Q. If I (slowreactor) wanted to start writing scripts for this site, what would I have to learn? (I think XML's a big one, but I'm not sure what else I would need). You got to learn JavaScript. XML is only a markup language and is very easy to understand. Q. Why did you play Medvedev like that? Because our government is engulfed in corruption and rots on the inside. Surprised? Q. Mother Russia or Father Time? FATHER TIIIME! Q. How long until you join us at Empire? Uh, no matter how much I didn't want to emerge in the same clans it looks like the most obvious endpoint for me. Q. Why is TOFU now a social clan. Was is an amicable socialization or was there some disagreements that preempted the decision? Unanimous amicable decision. Because we wanted to be friends more than pros and being pros went against some of our beliefs. Q. Would you please make me (Ace Rimmer) an iPhone app for cc? Please send me an iPhone for testing purposes, 500$, and you will have your app. Q. Ass or breast man? I like booty but I worship breasts. Q. Is it offensive to you if I (Ace Rimmer) tell you that your sister is hot? Nope, because I do have a sister and because she is hot. Q. What is your next script? Or are you working more behind the scenes now? You will see Q. Do you have an iPhone or other smartphone? I have some crappy HTC phone but I have never installed any apps there. I need a phone to make calls and write texts only. Q. Are you Putin? Are you sitting for Putin for two terms and then giving up your seat to him? Oh, would it be smart for me being a Putin to unveil my cover? Hahaha, no, I am not Putin. Q. Is DAKO an acronym for something too awesome for CC, or could you enlighten us on what it stands for? It is not an acronym, just a nickname my sister gave my like 10 years ago. Stuck to me :\. And I hate forums where you need to have username longer than 6 symbols. I HATE THEM. Q. Why did TOFU go social? Because Chariot of Fire stopped taking our turns :'(. Q. Thanks for your time Dako! Cheers.
Hello again my friends and welcome to your favorite part of the Newsletter, "War Games", where you can find information about CC Tournaments!
Below you will find angola's
TPA Update in its usual spot. Although Season One of the TPA is close to being finished, it is far from over. There are going to be photo-finishes, both between the first and second spot, and between the third and fourth. Have a look at angola's article and see for yourself!
Speaking of the TPA, if it's TPA Season Two you're interested in, you will find some in sonicsteve's
Join This? Or Not! feature. Among his recommendations are two TPA tournaments including (if I can be forgiven for blowing my own horn a bit) my very first TPA event.
You may look in vain, however, for the
Meet the Tournament Winners interview. Did we fail to produce one? No, in fact there is a MTTW interview, with
Flow520 but it is up above in our special feature on the Annual Risk Classic.
Dukasaur Tournament Executive TPA update by angola show
TPA Year 1 is winding down and depending on who you talk to, we could have a rally on our hands.sonicsteve has led from the beginning of this tournament, but according to him he will "probably" lose the title in the coming weeks. Anonymous sources close to MudPuppy , however, maintain that while he is making a run at the title, he will come up short.HighlanderAttack is still in third with 50.56, though Bones2484 is making a charge at the bronze medal, with 49.43.TPA Year 2 is underway with tournaments hitting the signup area ever Monday.
Join This? Or Not! by sonicsteve show
And now for our regular look at a selection of the tournaments in sign-ups:NCAA College Basketball , a.k.a. College Hoops. This tournament is now in its 5th season on CC according to flexmaster33 . This is a 1v1 tournament with 6 maps per week and uses a scoring system based on the number of rounds it takes to finish each game. Signups will close for this one on October 28th.King of the Penguins ? This charming event consists of 6-player Standard games on the Antartica map, with bonus points for those Penguins who can waddle to the South Pole fastest. Aaah!Guojia Anquan Bu which is the latest TPA2 event in signups. Dukasaur is looking for at least 70 sign-ups for this Terminator tournament. Points are scored for kills, wins and sweeps, and the players with the lowest scores will be 'disappeared' between each round.I picked which map? . barterer2002 is insisting that we all pick a map on which we have never won a game (Beta maps are allowed). If you have won on all 200 maps, you'll just have to pick your worst map and hope to reverse your losing streak.Create/Join a Tournament or Tournaments Tab and take a look at the many others waiting to be filled. Requests for Immediate Players section of the tournament forum. You can be playing very quickly after signing up as a reserve.
Hello! Hello! Sully here with another fully-stocked Cartographic Surveillance, including a special interview with the 200th mapmaker,
Seamus76 ! MarshalNey has taken over the "Stampage Update" and turned it into "Stamps & Rumors" (with the help of koontz1973), koontz finishes off his 3-part article series, OliverFA also talks about revamps (Hm, I wonder why...?
), and thehippo8 examines maps that have been sadly dropped due to real life circumstances. Next issue, isaiah40 should have a briefing for all you Foundry buffs about what exactly happened to
Industrial Helix and more! Enjoy, folks!
Victor SullivanFoundry Executive Interview with the 200th Mapmaker! by koontz1973 show
On October 18th, thenobodies80 Seamus76 and V.J. for there wonderful map Tribal War Florida. How does it feel to get the 200th map on Conquer Club? Have you taken part in any of the festivities that came about with your map? Why Florida as the maps settings? Again, why Tribes? is this an area of history you like? What major changes to the map happened over the course of the foundry? Version 1. With changes to the map. Was there any one part that was always complained about by the members of the community? Was the initial feedback to the map positive? How did you find the foundry? It has taken you 6 months to get the map into Beta. Did you ever get the idea you would not get this far? You have V.J. as the person who did your xml. Why him and why not yourself? Have you found any problems with the map since it got into Beta that you need to fix? For sure, mostly with the XML side so I might have to give that a shot myself for the next one.What size of game and settings would you recommend for your map? Did you win your first game? What's next? Congrats on the twins. You are right, koontz will make a great middle name. Which maps do you like to play? Did you enjoy making the map? Is this something you would recommend to other potential map makers? I believe you live in Florida, which territ do you live in? What program do you use to draw? Did you find it easy or hard to learn? Was the foundry helpful in helping you learn how to make the map?
Stamps & Rumors by MarshalNey & koontz1973 show
MAP STAMPS & MOVEMENT: Recycling Box Abandonded Maps No maps were abandonded this fortnight. Maps On Vacation WWIII: Pacific Conflict by initus , an intrepid mapmaker with a grim view of the future. The map has been put on vacation at least until the end of the semester, due to real-life workload.Drafting Room Maps From the Melting Pot No maps entered the Drafting Room via the Melting Pot this fortnight. Direct Drafts KNIGHTS by koontz1973 , a map designed with the classic Chess Knight in mind. Attacks proceed with the Knight "L"-shaped move, requiring some extra thought before a player makes their move.MAFIA by Minister X , a mapmaker with 2 other excellent maps working on graphics- Rome (Caesar is Dead) and Gettysburg. This map pits famous mob bosses against each other in the seedy districts of downtown Chicago, currently designed as a conquest-style map.Pot Mosbi by cairnswck , the famous and prolific author of over 30 CC maps. The style is vintage cairns, featuring the city using the pidgin dialect of the area.King's Court 2 by Kabanellas , designed as a bigger, badder sequel to the original CC map King's Court. New Court Members, resources and road mechanics expand the strategic options of the original- promising a deep, engrossing epic that has become the Kabanellas Standard.Main Foundry Maps with Draft Stamps New Jersey by chaos32679 and Tisha , a relatively small city map (48 regions consisting of 6 bonus areas and 1 autodeploy) with some veteran graphics experience behind it.1982 Falklands War by koontz1973 , a sharp-minded mapmaker covering the historical British conflict over the disputed island chain off the coast of Argentina. The map features an intricate array of the British and Argentine forces, including captial warships, submarines, helicopters and jets.Trench Warfare by Flapcake , his second effort in the Foundry next to his rapidly progressing map of the Kingdom of Denmark (in the Main Foundry, working on graphics). The map is designed around the dreaded static war between two opposing systems of trenches on the Western Front during World War One, and the deadly killing fields in between known as No Man's Land.Revived Maps From the Recycling Box Colonial Africa by The Bison King , the gifted artist seeking to depict the results of the "Scramble for Africa" by the Great Powers of Europe, circa the early 20th century.Zombie Invasion! by MarshalNey , a campy, tongue-in-cheek tribute to all of the zombie apocalypse movies and fiction from the last 20 years. Currently seeking advice on an added gameplay twist (a losing condition).Final Forge Maps with Graphic Stamps Cuban Missile Crisis by Ace Rimmer , a map covering the historical confrontation in 1962 that brought the world to the brink of nuclear war (and the likely End of All Things). MAP STAMPS (no movement): Supersized Gameplay Stamps (in the Main Foundry )Salem's Switch and RAIL ASIA a pair of maps by cairnswck . The latter is the finishing touch to cairns' Rail map pack, with plenty of bonuses and 3 main rail hubs, while the former is a delicious conquest map covering the infamous 17th century Puritan witch trials at Salem, in colonial America.All Your Base Are Belong to Us by DiM , a light-hearted fight to the death between humans and aliens, where research and all your base must be utilized or you have no chance and must make your time.Rumor has it... Colonial Africa is nearing a gameplay stamp, pending a few tweaks. TBK is doing this map at a slower pace than his previous three, but expect to see this map going after a graphics stamp soon. Legend clarity will need community advice, so visit the thread if you get a chance. Tokyo is a hair's breadth from a gameplay stamp, but the mapmaker might need patience from the community before this sleek, anime-style city map makes it to completion. The reason? She's recently had a baby! Congratulations shakeycat London is looking for any gameplay advice, as a stamp is under consideration. Comments so far have been mostly about thematic graphics, some of them bordering on abuse. Perhaps this is because we have a strong London contingent on CC, or perhaps because other mapmakers have a London map project in progress, and they have their own- quite strong- ideas of what the map should look like. Either way, natty_dread is the mapmaker that's getting it done at the moment, so let's see how far this one goes and give all the gameplay advice the community can muster.Godwanaland is close to a stamp. Featured last issue, this prehistoric map has dinosaurs, tar pits and fissures... welcome to the jungle, courtesy of first-time mapmaker decian.west .XML Stamps (in the Final Forge )Tribal War: Florida by Seamus76 and V.J. , a modestly intricate map with rich bonuses, covering the historical conflict in Florida between the Spanish Conqistadors and the native tribes. It's an impressive map from a pair of first-time mapmakers, so be sure to check it out once it hits Beta and provide feedback.Beta Stamps (in the Final Forge )No maps entered Beta play this fortnight. Quenched Maps No maps were quenched this fortnight. Rumor has it...
Sequels and Revamps (Part Three) koontz1973 show
When I started this article, I only wanted it to be one issue. But the more I dug into this particular map, a wealth of information came to light. This map has been a staple of Conquer Club sinces it inception in one form or another. Welcome to Classic. Game 1 Map Classic. Players. Jumblez lackattack The Start Flying Saucers Jan 2008 lackattack wrote: Reading all the feedback from the Tuesday's changes to the Classic, it's pretty clear that we screwed up.
lackattack wrote: I expected the change would have been well received after the touchup spent over 2 months in the Map Foundry - but the Classic is so important that we should have publicized this beforehand on a much larger scale. Rest assured that we are listeningcarefully to what the community has to say. That's why we prepared this post and poll - to see what YOU want your Classic to look like!
viewtopic.php?f=127&t=48700 April 2008 delahoc wrote: There has been a series of changes made to the classic (v2?) map today that make it even harder to read who owns what. The background colour behind troop numbers has changed from a dark shade to a whiter shade, and now it's much harder to read.
Who is Lynn and why shapes? Twill wrote: Let me clear a couple things up right this second before rumours and speculation take over and become fact and/or doom and gloom
1) The classic map and all other "stuff" had to change, you all know that and you know why. Saying "lets just put up the same map with different colours, it will be fine" obviously isn't going to work - I'm pretty sure very few of us here are lawyers, so lets not speculate.
and
2) I don't know what will need to change to make sure we don't put CC back into potential copyright issues in the future. I can't say what vetos may or may not come from the turtle, just don't read too much into MrBenn's speculations just yet. All we know for sure is that the new map will have to be sufficiently different from the old map to avoid these "potential copyright issues". What is sufficient is exactly what's up in the air and is what's causing the slow down and confusion for us all. Again, if you have not passed a bar exam, or hold a PhD and at least 10 years of experience with copyright issues, please don't go around trying to convince people you know what is or isn't sufficient, it's just going to cause more confusion and more problems.
Yes, we want to get everything fixed up as soon as possible, we certainly aren't TRYING to piss everyone off with the map. No matter how like the US-gov't-in-crisis you may think we are, we're not quite THAT stupid...or I hope we're not
This isn't going to be popular to say, but can we all relax a couple more days and we will get a map through as fast as possible. We don't want to have to change it again in 6 months because it has the same potential issues the last one did.
We're struggling with the new map as much as you guys are. My life would sure would be a whole heck of a lot easier without all this drama (it's seriously sucking my life away from me!) so I'm personally as interested as all of you to get this whole thing sorted soon to everyone's satisfaction. However that wont happen instantly no matter how much we wish it.
Hang in there, know that we aren't having great days either, and we will all work together to get this out fast, great and non-problematic.
Twill
samuelc812 took initiative and produced maps to replace classic in the down time. Only problem was that no one knew if these tempary solutions would work till a replacement could be found. And one was.Classic Shapes Oct 2008 oaktown wrote: If anybody knows who made ClassicShapes, they aren't telling. No, it wasn't me.
RjBeals wrote: ... I'm sure there's a couple of old timers who may know the secret.
Sorry lack, please do not kick me of the site. Classic Art Oct 2008 MrBenn wrote: However, a small team of people have been working through the night, and hopefully will be able to announce something later today...
mibi , WidowMakers , oaktown , Incandenza , yeti_c and MrBenn oaktown wrote: Classic Art wasn't the greatest piece of art ever made here, but the process was fascinating and I'm proud of what we did. A group of us watched as mibi threw the basic elements together in a webcast before our eyes, while the rest of us error checked, wrote the XML, came up with names and the theme, etc. We passed the .PSD file around to whomever had time to fix connections, add troop containers, etc, and the entire thing was done in under 24 hours. Proves that it doesn't need to take 9 months to make a CC map... though I'd agree that it takes more than 24 hours to make a really good map.
DiM wrote: wow really really horrible. yuck.
lackattack wrote: We needed a change, but the map we put up wasn't popular. So this was put together in an impressive overnight marathon from 6 Map Foundry regulars (thanks guys!). Is this better than what we have now? If so, we'll change it out.
lackattack wrote: After pondering the situation, I think fracturing Classic into two versions is the best way to meet the desires of the community. So I present to you... Classic Shapes and Classic Art!
macbone wrote: Yeah, Shapes and Art were kind of painful to play.
World Cities Mar 2009 sully800 wrote: My goal for this map is to create a map of the world that is of standard size (instead of the very large World 2.1). I know that we cannot create a map of the world countries that is too similar to the old classic map, so I have decided to highlight some of the most important cities from different countries around the world.
It is an improvement over the previous two.AndyDufresne wrote: It'll be good to ask Lack---but my initial thoughts are that it's fine.
Lobster Crush wrote: I like it. I'm tempted to start nitpicking about which cities are included
lackattack wrote: Here are my thoughts on the copyright issue, which unfortunately isn't about what's actually legal rather what could lead to trouble...
If we designate this map as Classic (e.g. Classic Cities), I'd consider it borderline. The fact that the territs are pinpoints rather than areas and the map is split over the Atlantic are plusses. However the fact is you're still playing for continents on an obvious world map. I don't think it's worth the risk to install something like this, but it's on the right track for a Classic REVAMP solution! Can you now find a way to make the continents as different as cities are from countries???
If we call the map World Cities and don't link it to Classic, then maybe the copyright issue would be okay. However, I don't think it's good to quench multiple maps with exact gameplay (with the exception of the Classic Shapes and Art which I hope we can merge someday ) and this has much more potential than just another map, if you guys can continue thinking outside the box
lackattack wrote: For the record, when World Cities is quenched it is going to be installed as a regular map and not a Classic REVAMP.
Classic as we know it Oct 2009 MrBenn wrote: The time has finally come for Classic Shapes to be reinvigorated and be given the facelift it so strongly deserves and needs. The mapmaking elite - in consultation with the foundry moderators and lackattack himself - have given the green light for the map-formerly-known-as-world-cities to be revamped as the New Classic Map.
The End or is it.macbone who runs the academy for letting me have this. As you can see, it has the current classic image with the lucky charms names. Supposed too make it easier to learn on.
Revamp Fever by OliverFA show
Lately, revamps have become quite popular in the Foundry. It all started with some updates to outdated maps, but as time goes the number of revamps keeps growing. Or at least, this number has grown big enough to catch my attention about it and want to say a couple of things about it.
Brilliant ideas – Eclipsed by Real Life by thehippo8 show
Some of us dream of coming up with that one idea that will see a new map (and maybe their name up in lights!). Then there are those who have come up with those gems but real life got in the way. And the rest of us are gutted – our tongues hanging out lusting for these delights to just HAPPEN! No doubt many of the good ideas will get going but here is a brief survey of some of those ideas. Four Corners Evil DIMwit developed an inspired new concept altogether. Four disconnected regions where the winning condition is predicated on a player dominating their own territory first. A lively debate ensued both over imagery and gameplay. As to imagery,
Evil DIMwit ’s first idea was four randomly selected countries:
Click image to enlarge. They were selected:
Because they're small. Because they're often overshadowed by their neighbors and don't have maps of their own. Because those territories are actual administrative divisions and I can't be bothered to do enough research to split a country up into meaningful territories on my own.
Seems like everybody had their own ideas on what countries could be chosen, not least of which was
ironsij0287 ’s Wharholesque concept:
don't know if you're keen on fictional places but what if it was just one country but mirrored four times into four different dimensions or alternate realities? Almost like a comic book bizarro world scenario. Here's a crudely drawn example of my idea.
Click image to enlarge. The first issue was bonus conditions.
natty_dread suggested:
Another idea: reversing the victory condition idea... into a losing condition: you need to maintain a presence on all of the maps or you're eliminated from the game. That could be interesting, like playing 4 games at once and if you lose one you lose all... the only problem here is making it so that everyone gets equal territories in all separate areas.
But the designer
Evil Dimwit didn’t like this:
I think that last bit is one reason a victory condition map is better than a losing condition map.
There was a lively discussion regarding regions, starting positions, team play and whether there should be some cross-over between the maps. As to that last issue
Evil Dimwit rightly noted:
That would cause some impossible scenarios; say, if player A was eliminated from one map and player B was eliminated from another, and player C from a third, there's no way of re-entering a country once you're eliminated from it.
To wit
Evil Dimwit responds:
Regarding capital bombardments and other map-to-map links: I feel like this would drive the map closer to what Cold War is, where the board is divided but there's still a bit of communication. In principle, I don't think that would break the map but it kind of takes away from the pure idea of strategically deciding which map to deploy in and which *not* to deploy in.
And
Coleman adds:
I don't like the idea of cross map activity myself. I can forsee that leading to games that never end. Like a two player game where they end up removing each other from 2 of the 4 and then their bonuses per round would be so high that they could never stop each other from constantly bombarding back and forth.
So
Evil Dimwit agrees:
That's a good point. I think I'll hold off cross-map activity for now.
And to all this
Coleman gets itchy feet with:
I know you are used to long production times but anything new and unique gameplay wise is certainly very welcome. The faster we can get this to beta the earliler we will know if it even works or if it will require a major revision like das schloss did.
But real life gets in the way - although
Evil Dimwit keeps the torch alive with:
The reason it's taken so long is because I've been at a tremendously busy period in my life -- starting a job and moving to a new city and driving across the country and doing fascinating things -- but it looks like things will be stabilizing soon so hopefully I'll be able to move at least some of my maps forward (including this one).
Note: this excuse goes for
Conquer Club Divine Metrological Condition too!
Click image to enlarge. Russian Revolution Industrial Helix showing an incredible knowledge of geography and history developed this map: Click image to enlarge. It would be unfair to try and recreate the massive discussion that went on in the 18 pages of interplay, and perhaps the original comment by
Industrial Helix says it all:
Yay, the promised Russian Civil War- looks nice. I was happy to see Poland and the Baltics and of course the "Western" (British) influence involved. I was about to say something about the stranded Czech Legion that dominated from their railcars, but then I scrolled over and viola! Very well researched, very well done.
But here it is the real life intervention is truly astounding as
Industrial Helix bares his soul:
just a heads up and sort of update: i was living in japan and then woke up to a giant headache and left sideparalysis,...it was a massive stroke.. some stranger came to my door unexpectedly and called an ambulance.. he probably saved my life. anyway, i chilled out in the hospital in tokyo for a while then my mom came and brought me home to the usa for treatment, which is where I'm at now... i can give more details when i have two fully functioning hands to type and then I'll be able to work on the map some more
And I’m sure you will all agree with the sentiments of
ender516 :
Wow, IH, that must have been terrifying. Good to know you are home with loved ones at hand. Here's hoping your recovery is speedy and your insurance is sufficient!
And
Seamus76 :
Wow, that is scary. Hope you get well very soon.
And
Victor Sullivan :
I hope you get better. Good Lord, I can't imagine what it must have felt like. I need to be more thankful for my relatively good health... I hope you have a speedy recovery, Helix.
And
Nola_Lifer :
Best of luck to you IH!
And
Isaiah40 :
Get well soon IH!!
Frankly I am proud of
Industrial Helix and his fortitude. Hope to see you back to your good form soon
Industrial Helix !
The Conquer 500 Dolomite13 brings the thrill of the speedway to CC: Click image to enlarge. With graphics and gameplay stamps behind him, you’d think this would race into Beta but then
Dolomite13 let’s us know:
Heading off to Cancun for my wedding/honeymoon ... I have been working on the graphics a bit but dont have anything to share just yet. Don;t give up hope on me I will have an update shortly after I return in a few weeks.
But never fear,
Dolomite13 has returned but then:
Had my computer in the pits temporarily but now its out and roaring around the track...Start Your Engines!!! I can work on this thing once again =) Just got windows 7 installed fresh on a new 2tb hard drive. Upgraded the machine ram to 16g, the video card to a beefy overclocked gtx570 and photoshop from CS3 to CS5...
Sounded good but then stony silence. Sigh, ain’t technology fun!
Westeros (Game of Thrones) The Bison King to finish this map based on A Song of Ice and Fire book series by George R.R. Martin: Click image to enlarge. Because he’s still sorting out the copyright issues! And a little boy waits.
Greater Sydney Cairnswk has self-stalled: Click image to enlarge. Because he’s too busy developing other maps, not that we are complaining but!
Zodiac Map rsacheli made to bring us: Click image to enlarge. Poor
rsacheli has struggled through a mine-field of concepts, discussions and versions before declaring:
working on it... but its slow going... life is very busy right now.
I hope that doesn’t equate to burn-out because there is a lot of support for this map!
Central Asia – Struggle for Oil Raskholnikov and Pamoa : Click image to enlarge. Sorry to hear from
Raskholnikov :
Apologies to veryone I've been quite sick over the past few months and still am on antibiotics right now, but I plan to get back to work on this now and hopefully we'll have a new version in the next couple of weeks. Thanks for all your patience and understanding.
Hope you are on the mend!
Romania feyerv offers: Click image to enlarge. But now
feyerv has, after a valiant solo effort posted:
Edit: I started work recently and have a very hard time finishing the map. Does anyone want to offer his/her help to take-over the project and finish the map? It will look very nice at the end! The project is in Photoshop. If someone is brave enough, pls contact me and I will pass you the Photoshop Project
Now that might be a good reason for him to come to the end of the line (for now) but where is the community support. Come on people lend a hand! And remember – two can share the glory on any map. You’ll never get a better offer!
Conqueropoly TheSaxLad dreamed up: Click image to enlarge. But now
TheSaxLad but after a huge amount of effort similarly posted:
Thank you all for you comments but due to exams and time constraints I wont be able to finish this map. I have all the development files and if anyone would like to carry this on then please Pm me. Thanks for all your hard work and comments and thanks to the Mapmaking Mods. Ill see all you guys around
Well if you’re not going to take up
TheSaxLad ‘s offer, what’s your excuse for not taking up this one?
Goblin Tribes Danyael : Click image to enlarge. Danyael worked long and hard, through 19 versions and stalled at the precipice to Betaville before in his words:
I myself was disappointed that this hit the bin, but what can you do thats life. not all things work out as we see planned one day things can totally flip your world around. as i dreamt of my mythopoeia for quite the slumber myself from this small idea i've formed a whole new realm of fantasy So.. I have now returned and able once again to continue... but i'm not quite ready for an offcial update.
But he was only having a little time out and says:
the goblins they do nothing....in there long sumbler...but there are babies to eat .....and dragons to plunder...`they have begun to stir ... yes indeed !
BoganGod returns to the clan team this issue, with his enterprising column, this time dealing with the messaging ailments that afflict the popular species of clan leaders, and lets be honest, most of us should recall some type of carbon copying we hate.
And then I give a rundown on whats been happening on the Cup front in the clan scene, so if you'd like to know whats the down-low in your clan tournament, thats what you need to check.
Also of note is that after weeks of controversy and excitement in the
IA vs Pack match-up, where even admin
King Achilles had to step in, the thread has seemed to have quietened down for the better, while still heading for a tense finale as the Pack looks to have the edge in the end-of-war run-in, and with some enterprising banter that seems to be more well taken in the dignified manner it should always have been.
And then this weeks shout-out goes to all-time top 100 candidate and another RA member,
jsnyder748 for getting his first star! If you want to share your tales of success and tribulations in the clan world, pm me! There are many exciting clan wars being under-represented currently with all the Cup action, so tell us your first-hand experiences of the amazing battles that make clans such a thrilling experience.
Leehar -
Clan Executive Rum Rants - Reply All by BoganGod show
One of the joys of being a clan leader is the multitude of spam one gets on a daily basis. Every man, woman, and child, and their assorted pets(be they hellenic canines, persian pussies etc) sends myself and other clan leaders private messages, requesting we mobilize our clans to vote/comment on this, that, etc. bieber on repeat whilst watching endless looped repeats of the brady bunch. If you agree/disagree think I've missed something. For gods sake don't pm me. Please address any thoughts on this issue to any of the OTT fora attention whores, the most venal to be found frequently posting in C&A, often with irrelevant little bleats about how they got banned for something similar.
Cup Competition Highlights by Leehar (Nem) show
Conqueror's Cup Semi-finals KoRT vs EMPIRE [21-18] A400 Rankings , Here's pundits Bruceswar 's (editor adjusted) take on the prospective outcome:Completed games KORT 21 Empire 18 Games leaning in Kort's favor: 10Games leaning in Empire's Favor: 7Too Close to Call: 5 THOTA vs.TSM [23-27] Georgerx7di 's take on the outcome:Completed games Thota 23 Tsm 27 Games leaning in Tsm's favor: 3Games leaning in Thota's Favor: 4Too Close to Call: 2 ACC 2nd round [/url]GG vs AoD war remains uncertain with a lot of controversy still surrounding it. I can't make head or tail of whats gone on, so head on over to the thread to see if you can learn any more outta the matter. PR , Leg (forfeit win) and MM coming out trumps in their encounters.CD's Random Suicide Random League
Stay Tuned for the next issue of the ConquerClub Dispatch for an interrogation of
Pander88uk . Post any questions you may have for them here -->
Interrogation with Pander88uk Submitting Your Own Articles If you have a story you think the ConquerClub Community would find interesting, you can submit your articles to
nagerous and you may just see your article published in the Newsletter!
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Subscribe Here! ConquerClub Dispatch Team 
Posted: Sat Oct 22, 2011 7:03 pm
), We have interviews from 2 different perspectives on the enterprising ARC.
)
