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Mappy New Year!

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Mappy New Year!

Postby MrBenn on Sat Jan 02, 2010 5:47 pm

Ahoy Conquer Clubbers!

There's been a lot going on in the Foundry recently. With the holidays fast disappearing, your Foundry staff are beginning to feel the after-effects of too much banana-flavoured rum behind the closed doors of the Foundry... so without further ado, it's time to get the doors open and let the Foundry reopen!

    Now is the winter of our discontent made glorious summer...
The most significant element of the foundry restructure is the removal of the "Draft Stamp", and an introduction of the "Design Brief" process for new maps. Once a draft map has started to develop a clear thematic focus, and a plan for how the gameplay will work, cartographers will be required to submit a Design Brief that is designed to provide firm foundations to build upon during map development. Design Briefs will be reviewed by a group of Foundry moderators, and will make make suggestions and recommendations for the development of the map. Successful design concepts will be moved into the newly formed Gameplay Workshop to work towards the first of the Foundry Stamps.

The eagle-eyed amongst you will already have spotted that the reopening of the foundry doors coincides with an addition to the Foundry Team: It gives me great honour to announce that Evil DIMwit will be joining the ranks of the boys in blue!

Evil DIMwit
will bring a valued extra pair of eyes to the development of maps, working alongside iancanton in the Gameplay Workshop. RedBaron0 and thenobodies80 will be keeping an eye on the newly created Graphics Workshop: These two new Foundry Workshops replace the old Main Foundry forum. MrBenn will continue to watch over the Final Forge, as well his old stomping ground of the beginning stages of map development, which has been rebranded as Melting Pot: Map Ideas.

In an attempt to keep the development of maps moving in the workshops and forge, mapmakers will be limited to developing up to two maps at any one time - the idea of this is to encourage cross-fertilisation. In order to try and keep things moving along, the Foundry Moderators have decided to introduce "review periods", and will endeavour to sweep through their principle area on an approximate fortnightly basis (we all have real lives to get on with too!). These changes should help to give some impetus to map development by giving realistic deadlines to produce updates by, and will hopefully eliminate some of the uncertainty and feelings of "hanging around". If two fortnights pass without any updates or meaningful engagement from the mapmaker(s), then map threads will be put out for recycling.

To help provide clear guidance to map development, new Foundry Guides (covering Map Ideas, Gameplay, Graphics and the Final Forge) have been developed - some of these may change over time as the foundry process continues to evolve.

Finally, while the Germany Revamp Competition enters the final stage (there will shortly be a run-off vote between the two clear favourites), keep your eyes peeled for more foundry competitions! We're planning a variety of contests that will include avatar/signature competitions, tutorials, gameplay designing as well as map revamps - we'll be making the Competitions forum live up to its "War of Art" description!

All that remains is for me to raise a
banana, and wish everybody a very Mappy New Year!
Last edited by MrBenn on Mon Jan 04, 2010 7:19 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Mappy New Year!

Postby natty dread on Mon Jan 04, 2010 7:13 pm

Yay for everything, except boo for the 2 map limit! Raise it to 3 please...

ps. I still only see 3 forums... ;)
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Re: Mappy New Year!

Postby cairnswk on Mon Jan 04, 2010 7:23 pm

natty_dread wrote:Yay for everything, except boo for the 2 map limit! Raise it to 3 please...


I think it should be unlimited (as i would) since two maps at a time stiffles my creativity.

I can't wait to see the details of the design brief stage, and the details about how the "successful design concepts" is going to work.

So onward anyway...and i'm sure i'll have more thoughts/views later. ;)
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Re: Mappy New Year!

Postby Industrial Helix on Mon Jan 04, 2010 7:39 pm

Excellent changes. I agree with just about everything.

Hopefully, if things will be moving faster, the two map limit won't be a problem. But I think it's a firm standard to stick to regardless. However, I would like to suggest that tried and proven mapmakers, namely Cairns, ought to be given a higher limit. He's proven himself capable of managing many projects effectively, I think the exception ought to be given to him. The rest of us can stick with 2 maps, no problem.

... but... I have four maps going on when the foundry was shut down. Can I continue those four maps (two of which are in a single thread, the unification maps), or should I choose two to retire for the time being?
Sketchblog [Update 07/25/11]: http://indyhelixsketch.blogspot.com/
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Re: Mappy New Year!

Postby cairnswk on Mon Jan 04, 2010 7:59 pm

Industrial Helix wrote:Excellent changes. I agree with just about everything.

Hopefully, if things will be moving faster, the two map limit won't be a problem. But I think it's a firm standard to stick to regardless. However, I would like to suggest that tried and proven mapmakers, namely Cairns, ought to be given a higher limit. He's proven himself capable of managing many projects effectively, I think the exception ought to be given to him. The rest of us can stick with 2 maps, no problem.

... but... I have four maps going on when the foundry was shut down. Can I continue those four maps (two of which are in a single thread, the unification maps), or should I choose two to retire for the time being?


IH, thank you for your suggestion, but doing that would only create that horrible subject that has much been bashed around the foundry forum lately...eliteism, and i don't really want to go there or be part of anything for that subject.
Besides, there are other mapmakers like WM who have had several project running at once.

i think in setting a limit, the BIB might be saying we only have this much capacity, but the foundry is producing so much more capacity and we are going to limit the production capacity and creativity of mapmakers to what we can cope with. :(

I think that there was basically nothing wrong with the old process, except the BIB could have announced that certain maps in a particular month would be looked at, and still allow the creative process of the foundry and regular input from punters to occur as part of the normal feedback process.

By limiting mapamkers to two maps, simply isn't going to ansure the feedback process/input is broadened, especially when players won't comment on maps if they don't like them.
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Re: Mappy New Year!

Postby cubfanpgh on Mon Jan 04, 2010 8:32 pm

Finally!

So when exactly is the foundry to reopen? Because from where I'm standing, it's not reopened. What's the deal?
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Re: Mappy New Year!

Postby captainwalrus on Mon Jan 04, 2010 8:53 pm

cairnswk wrote:
natty_dread wrote:Yay for everything, except boo for the 2 map limit! Raise it to 3 please...


I think it should be unlimited (as i would) since two maps at a time stiffles my creativity.

I can't wait to see the details of the design brief stage, and the details about how the "successful design concepts" is going to work.

So onward anyway...and i'm sure i'll have more thoughts/views later. ;)

Yeah, the 2 map limit kinda throws a wrench in your world cities plan...
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Re: Mappy New Year!

Postby Industrial Helix on Mon Jan 04, 2010 9:43 pm

cairnswk wrote:
IH, thank you for your suggestion, but doing that would only create that horrible subject that has much been bashed around the foundry forum lately...eliteism, and i don't really want to go there or be part of anything for that subject.
Besides, there are other mapmakers like WM who have had several project running at once.

i think in setting a limit, the BIB might be saying we only have this much capacity, but the foundry is producing so much more capacity and we are going to limit the production capacity and creativity of mapmakers to what we can cope with. :(

I think that there was basically nothing wrong with the old process, except the BIB could have announced that certain maps in a particular month would be looked at, and still allow the creative process of the foundry and regular input from punters to occur as part of the normal feedback process.

By limiting mapamkers to two maps, simply isn't going to ansure the feedback process/input is broadened, especially when players won't comment on maps if they don't like them.


Eh yeah, good point. I dunno, perhaps there could be a limit or something, at 5 total quenched maps you can work on 5 maps at a time, at 10 quenched maps, 10 at a time. Expanding on the rules might be a way around that. I didn't mean to select you out though, yours was just the first name that came to mind when thinking about mapmakers who produce numerous maps. Widowmaker and Quert are other good ones as well.

But I do think that new people to the foundry tend to get over zealous and fill the new maps forum with 4 of their ideas, all of which never get quenched. I like the limit as an idea to slow newer people down.
Sketchblog [Update 07/25/11]: http://indyhelixsketch.blogspot.com/
Living in Japan [Update 07/17/11]: http://mirrorcountryih.blogspot.com/
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Re: Mappy New Year!

Postby WidowMakers on Mon Jan 04, 2010 10:31 pm

The two map limit would basically kill any map pack idea again.

I like the idea this idea concept
Industrial Helix wrote: at 5 total quenched maps you can work on 5 maps at a time, at 10 quenched maps, 10 at a time.

But I do think that new people to the foundry tend to get over zealous and fill the new maps forum with 4 of their ideas, all of which never get quenched. I like the limit as an idea to slow newer people down.


While I don't think I will have as many map ideas going as I used to, I do see that this could limit a few people.
I say the more maps you have QUENCHED the more maps you can produce. Plus what prevents me from gettign 3 other people to start the map thread but have me do teh GFX.

Also how does this rule of 2 apply? 2 maps in the process (idea to FF)? Or two map sin any given area? XML activity? GFX activity? Max 2 map threads or maps worked on?
I mean right now I have Draknor Level 2 and the Hive in Beta, could I start another map?

Looking forward to the new year in the foundry everyone.

WM
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Re: Mappy New Year!

Postby dolomite13 on Mon Jan 04, 2010 10:33 pm

The two map limit will need clarification anyway. Is that two map ideas so that "map packs" are considered one idea. Also is that 2 at any phase or 2 in each phase etc.. I look forward to seeing the new foundry and finishing "Monsters" as well as continuing work on "Conquer 500".

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Re: Mappy New Year!

Postby samuelc812 on Tue Jan 05, 2010 12:43 am

cubfanpgh wrote:Finally!

So when exactly is the foundry to reopen? Because from where I'm standing, it's not reopened. What's the deal?


Waiting on the Big Red Robot to work some magic and then the foundry forums will be reopened ;)

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Re: Mappy New Year!

Postby natty dread on Tue Jan 05, 2010 5:08 am

MrBenn told me that the 2 map limit only applies to maps that are in the workshops or the final forge, so if you have more than 2 maps the rest need to be waiting in the new drafting room (forgot it's name) until one of the others gets quenched.
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Re: Mappy New Year!

Postby cubfanpgh on Tue Jan 05, 2010 9:23 am

samuelc812 wrote:
cubfanpgh wrote:Finally!

So when exactly is the foundry to reopen? Because from where I'm standing, it's not reopened. What's the deal?


Waiting on the Big Red Robot to work some magic and then the foundry forums will be reopened ;)

~Sam


Thanks! Hopefully I can get my Pittsburgh map going. We'll see.
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Re: Mappy New Year!

Postby Qwert on Tue Jan 05, 2010 9:44 am

new update-new restrictions. :lol:
I dont expected nothing new-just change names of subforums.
Only thing what will be great its new aloved size limits for small maps, but this not going to hepend.
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Re: Mappy New Year!

Postby AndyDufresne on Tue Jan 05, 2010 12:53 pm

Everything is Re-launched! Congrats to EvilD also!


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Re: Mappy New Year!

Postby Skeleton Power! on Tue Jan 05, 2010 2:17 pm

What about a baseball stadium or football stadium? Concession stands, locker rooms, field (s), stands, etc. could be the bleachers...

just a thought! Keep up the good work...
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Re: Mappy New Year!

Postby Mutley. on Tue Jan 05, 2010 2:23 pm

Mappy New Year to you too!
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Re: Mappy New Year!

Postby fumandomuerte on Tue Jan 05, 2010 2:30 pm

qwert wrote:new update-new restrictions. :lol:
I dont expected nothing new-just change names of subforums.
Only thing what will be great its new aloved size limits for small maps, but this not going to hepend.


Even though I hope to see you back in the foundry =D>
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Re: Mappy New Year!

Postby Qwert on Tue Jan 05, 2010 4:40 pm

Even though I hope to see you back in the foundry

double :lol: :lol:
This is not map foundry,its Announcements :lol:
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Re: Mappy New Year!

Postby the.killing.44 on Tue Jan 05, 2010 5:23 pm

qwert wrote:
Even though I hope to see you back in the foundry

double :lol: :lol:
This is not map foundry,its Announcements :lol:

…why does that matter?
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Re: Mappy New Year!

Postby fumandomuerte on Tue Jan 05, 2010 5:24 pm

qwert wrote:
Even though I hope to see you back in the foundry

double :lol: :lol:
This is not map foundry,its Announcements :lol:

That's why I wrote I hope.
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Re: Mappy New Year!

Postby natty dread on Tue Jan 05, 2010 8:46 pm

I like most of the changes, but bunching the map ideas and drafts in the same melting pot is really awful. All the well-developed, working drafts get lost in an endless swamp of ideas thrown about like apes throw shit... 99% of which will never be followed through anyway.

So why? There are some really good drafts there. Buried under the rubble.

To be constructive, I propose that the working drafts (those with an image with territories, territory names, continents, legend, etc) would be stickied in the melting pot forum. I think this solution would satisfy everyone.
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Re: Mappy New Year!

Postby edbeard on Tue Jan 05, 2010 9:24 pm

so am I understanding correctly that one can receive idea and gameplay stamps and have very basic graphics?

seems like a good idea to me. get the gameplay done and have the graphiciticians work do their job without gameplay updates.

also good in that I can get the gameplay done and turn it over to someone who'd rather just do graphics (and the opposite).
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Re: Mappy New Year!

Postby ppgangster on Wed Jan 06, 2010 12:26 am

It's really interesting to see all of you guys from the foundry reply here and almost no one else... lol what a change! I feel like I'm in a Foundry forum post right now!
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Re: Mappy New Year!

Postby luxCRUSADER on Wed Jan 06, 2010 3:23 am

Excellent changes here !

Congrats to the "round table" for pulling this off ... :)

I feel the stench is leaving the room ... cuz person(s) responsible have opened the window ... LOL ...

Thank God that a "round table" is involved amongst the decision making ... this is something that I have always believed was needed to prevent tyranny ... King Arthur would be proud of this Map Foundry :D

Good Luck m8's =D>
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