The Foundry - and mapmaking in general - is obviously so important that there's no mention of thenobodies80 being promoted to Foreman. Even more telling is the lack of useful xml enhancements or improvements to the way the site showcases its maps.
All in all, 2011 was a bittersweet year for ConquerClub and I. I hope things improve in the year(s) ahead... I guess we'll just have to watch this space?
AndyDufresne wrote:Conquer Club -- A Year in Review
And as 2011 dips below the horizon
Let us look back at the year and all we've seen and done---
Have a seat, relax, and listen close
To a tale of year gone "bye": Adiós!
January brought our fifth birthday
And TheHerkman's epic attempt at most active games gone astray,
Would this be a sign of things to come...could all be forgiven?
Would HighlanderAttack's massive PM Blast and all those that followed dubbed "Spamfest 2011"
Set us off kilter---would January become a month we'd rather leave unclaimed?
Hm, perhaps, even the Off Topics forum became a Forum That Shall Not Be Named.
February brought a contagious "Spread the Love" and our usual Cutesy Club
Just as the Off Topics forum became a central discussion hub
For Wisconsin, and unions, and all politics in the USA alike
While posters argued the merits of one or more of those "taking a hike."
But worry no more, lets return to our little gaming world
And celebrate the release of First Nations of the Americas---the first supersized map to be unfurled!
March brought our standard St. Patricks Day festivities and Conquer Club's first Official Charity,
And site-wide Clickable Maps was introduced to help eliminate player disparity!
Now we were all free to click to our heart's content---
Even if in the end we would lament
A horrible-no-good-very-rotten dice roll still,
But at least the Random Map Medal was a new achievement thrill!
April brought, with much fanfare and dismay, the return of our infamous Swedish Chef,
"Oh please, oh my" some cried, "Take my eyes; make me deaf."
So lets not dwell and keep moving on...the Off Topics forum discussed President Obama and his certificate of birth,
Just as the notorious "Sitsaholic" C&A case brought to our forums both strain and mirth.
But lets keep on the up and up---Medals Page got a streamlining facelift
And our Easter Extravaganza descended---or perhaps rose---as a communal gift.
May brought game 9 Million as a landmark milestone,
And lucky or not for us, with Dice Stats we could finally see the dice we've thrown.
Whac-a-Mod 4 proved to be the greatest threat
Nearly keeping the Mods from claiming another victory set,
But if we're talking about victories and wins, lets give credit where credit is due,
Highlanderattack was the first to claim 200 tournament wins, dispatching every opponent in his field of view.
June brought a Women's FIFA World Cup celebration
Allowing us all to stretch our mental legs in hopes of shaking off computer sedentation.
And while the World Cup perhaps was a high mark for women everywhere
A number of men seemed preoccupied elsewhere with their stare
As the Off Topics forum, then named Schrödinger's Catbox, beckoned them in droves and throngs
To 300 pages of of scantily clad women---some, in fact, in thongs.
July brought a debate among those in the General Discussion forum
As to whether that 6th color was "Cyan" or "Teal," though the group could not quite reach a definitive quorum,
But one diligent group on Conquer Club kept hummin' and truckin' along---
The Dispatch Newsletter made it to 50 issues strong.
But perhaps this month will be remembered most for the infamous departure
Of InsomniaRed, which for better or worse, caused quite a forum a stir.
August brought a touch of heat and sun
As the Entertainment Team once again promoted some annual Summer Bash fun,
And just as things were heating up on the main site
Our Facebook fan page hit 7000 "likes"---lets preserve that in stone...or maybe carbonite!
And last, but certainly not least of all,
The "General Congratulations" topic reached 200 pages and 3000 posts, and can you believe not even one was egotistical?
September brought a database software upgrade and chance for us all to make a new friend,
While Round Limits hoped to bring future games to a more merciful end.
6 new maps debuted from both old faces and new:
Natty_dread, DiM, Kabanellas, Cairnswk, Ironsij0287, Lostatlimbo---what a list to get through!
But lets all sincerely thank and cheer
All the cartographers who helped produced 28 maps this year!
October brought Conquer Credits and the first installment of the Conquer Cup
Which challenged all comers to, as they say, "put-up or shut-up,"
But October would also be a month of milestones worthy of acclaim---
Like our 200th Map "Tribal War - Florida" or our 10 Millionth Game.
And just to round out the month per usual custom,
A Halloween Festival of treats to which we would all succumb!
November brought a few calls for an "Occupy" movement on our very own website
Just as the Off Topics debate about the real-world movement continued to both inspire and incite.
All in all, November proved, for the most part
To be more of a quiet month on the chart---
Well, except for that Missing Game Logs bug due to a special number:
2,147,483,647...which happens correspond to a maximum size of an integer!
December brought our regular Winter Holidays celebration and an update by our Technical Team
Which added more functionality to the Wall making new features no longer a dream,
The Clans kicked off their Clan League Season 4 and soon after Conquer Cup 1 came to close
As Jleaux was crowned victor after completing and escalating spoil bulldoze,
But the gem of this month, and maybe all months, has to be the Speed Game Revamp
Which allowed us all to play faster and faster speed games...provided you could handle the strain and the cramp!
And as 2011 casts off its final days
What a year we've had full of jeers and praise.
But what will 2012 have in store?
Here's to hoping for continued success and updates galore!
--Andy
I guess I thought you were referring to the poem with that sentence. Dearie, me...
