Q. Where should I post my map or map idea?
A. Rough drafts and map ideas that are simply text on a page belong in the Melting Pot, while advanced drafts belong in the Drafting Room.
Q. What's an "advanced draft"?
A. Advanced drafts are readable computer images (no scanned-in drawings) that include the map, clear borders, impassables, territory names, a set bonus structure, a legend with all information needed to play the map. Essentially, if lackattack (the Webmaster) were to put your map available to play right then and there, people would be able to play it using just the information on the map. Still not sure about whether your image is an advanced draft? The safest way to go is to post it in the Melting Pot. A Cartographer Assistant or the Foundry Foreman himself can move your map into the Drafting Room if they believe that your map is, in fact, an advanced draft.
Q. Who are the "Cartography Assistants", and who is the "Foundry Foreman"?
A. The Cartographer Assistants and the Foundry Foreman make up the Cartographers team, and are here to help you through the mapmaking process and approve your draft at each stage. The Cartographers' names will be bold blue, so you'll know right away. The Cartographers team is split based on the different forums:
- MrBenn (Foundry Foreman), thenobodies80 - Melting Pot, Drafting Room, Final Forge
MarshalNey, TaCktiX, iancanton - Gameplay Workshop
Industrial Helix, RedBaron0, isaiah40 - Graphics Workshop
Q. What are the different forums about?
A. Foundry Discussions - Talk about anything Foundry-related!
- Competitions - This is where all Foundry contests are posted.
Drafting Room - This is where all advanced drafts go. When you think it's ready for Cartographer review, post a Design Brief. Once the Cartographers (specifically MrBenn and thenobodies80) think your draft is advanced enough and see your mapmaking potential, your map will receive the Draft Stamp and move on to the Gameplay Workshop.
- Melting Pot: Map Ideas - Don't have an advanced draft? Put your map idea here, in any way, shape, or form. Also, any inactive Drafting Room map threads will be moved here.
Recycling Bin: Dead Projects - Abandoned maps that were in the Gameplay Workshop or beyond are laid to rest here. Just because a map is in the Recycling Bin, doesn't mean it can't come back - post an update and a Cartographer will move it right back to where it was!
Graphics Workshop - lackattack has high standards and expects the utmost graphical quality. No nitpick is too small, your graphics should look stunning, suiting for what you are depicting in the map, and colorblind-friendly. Note that you will also need to show all 888's on every territory for the small version of your map, so getting a head start on the XML is not a bad idea. Once your map graphics are top-notch, a Cartographer (Industrial Helix, RedBaron0, or isaiah40) will award your map the Graphics Stamp and move it to the Final Forge.
Final Forge - The final stage! Complete the XML and post it up for an XML check (courtesy of Forza AZ). Once Forza has approved the coding, a Cartographer (MrBenn or thenobodies80) will give your map the final stamp: the XML Stamp. Then, once they see fit, they'll make your map go live with the Beta Brand, where your map will be played to test out the gameplay and XML, and make sure all's well and fair. Once all the kinks have been figured out and fixed, it's quenching time! The Cartographers will then award you with a Map Contribution Medal and the Quenched Brand, where it will be moved to the Viewing Gallery.
Viewing Gallery - This is where all quenched maps' threads remain, to show how they made it to the finish line, and so any major issues can be brought up there if they come up.
Q. What is XML?
A. XML is the code behind every map on Conquer Club - all maps are required to have this coding. XML is what makes the gameplay work, and it's important to know what you can and can't do with your map. You can check out all the different things you can do and how to code them in the XML Tutorial or you can consult this shortened version of gameplay elements available to you (gameplay notes are also in "Instructions"):
- Starting Positions - Set which territories you want players to start out with, and set the maximum number of territories they can start out with.
- Starting Neutrals/Neutral Territories - Set which territories you want to start "neutral", and how many neutral troops you want on each territory.
- Continent Bonuses - Just like Classic, set which territories make up a "continent" or "bonus area" and how many troops one will receive for holding them.
- Territory Bonus(es) - You can leave the standard +1 per 3 territories (minimum of +3) bonus, or you can change it around (even the minimum value!). You can even have stacking territory bonuses (as in, +1 per 3 for all territories and +2 for 5 of selected territories) and separate territory bonuses for different regions.
- Auto-deploy/Auto-decay - A bonus is added or subtracted directly to the territory.
- Killer Neutrals - Resets to its original value at the beginning of your next turn (unless someone takes control of it before then, in which case it wouldn't reset until the beginning of that person's turn, and so on).
- Objectives/Winning Conditions - Hold all territories specified for one round to win the game.
- Requirements/Losing Conditions - If you do not hold the specified territory or territories, you are eliminated.
Q. What if I have further questions?
A. If you have more questions, you can post it in your map thread, PM a Cartographer Assistant, me (Victor Sullivan), or post it here so we can add it to the list for future Foundry-goers!
Cheers and happy mapmaking,
Sully