Welcome again everyone,
Here we are, bringing you a third issue already! Time flies when you're having fun. I think I should sign myself up for the Foot In Mouth Award, considering that I promised a GD sticky announcing the 2nd issue two weeks ago. Sometimes administrators get busy and stuff gets delayed, but I promise it's coming. This issue we've got even more quenched maps, a slew of stamps being given out, and all the links so you can see the latest. Also covered are MrBenn and his map Europa in the Spotlight, and Mjinga's feelings about being a first-time mapmaker. Finally, we've got an interesting Perspectives poll that we intend to re-run at some point in the future when that GD sticky exists. So I invite you to peruse this issue and enjoy it.
TaCktiX
Ahoy! (as an old monkey would say)
Gimil here with a special announcement from the carto's for you Newsletter-reading guys! Recently there has been a lot of talk about the Brazil map in the Foundry. This map has been in for a revamp several times now, but they all have failed. So tonight it brings me great joy to announce the opening of the Brazil REVAMP competition (clicky). So what are you waiting on, get out those coloured pencils and show the Foundry what you are made of!
Cheers,
gimil
This week we have had a lot of activity in the foundry with alot of stamping and moving of maps!
Name:Luxembourg
Creator: Ruben Cassar
Stamps:
Description: Ruben Cassar has created a very simple map of Luxembourg. This map, with very few territories, should provide a nice alternative to Doodle Earth in the "small map" genre. The map is clean and simple, without any special twists or tricks.
Present Development: Quenched.
Name: Sydney Metro
Creator: cairnswk
Stamps:
Description: In yet another map by the everpresent and prolific cairnswk, he depicts metropolitan Sydney, replete with ferries, traffic crossings, and buses. It's a large map with small bonuses that should make gameplay fast and enjoyable.
Present Development: Quenched.
Name: Treasures of Galápagos
Creator: cairnswk
Stamps:
Description: Darwin would be proud of this map that trumpets diving for the biological riches of the Galápagos Islands. It's a twist on the conquest gameplay seen in maps like Age of Realms, and the graphics are suitably tropical.
Present Development: Quenched.
Name: Upper Egypt
Creator: cairnswk
Stamps:
Description: The second map in the quadtych, Upper Egypt is a very good-looking small map. Despite being essentially a line of territories, it avoids bottlenecking and has some of the more creative ways of using map space out there.
Present Development: Quenched.
Name: British Isles Revamp
Creator: Gimil
Stamps:
Description: One of the most beloved maps in the game is getting a makeover. The creator has redone the look of the map to be much cleaner and geographically accurate to the Isles. Expect this one to be released soon.
Present Development: Stalled, but more or less complete.
Name: CC City Mogul
Creator: DiM
Stamps:
Description: The dice have been complained about since the birth of CC. This map aims to make that a non-issue by making every single bonus 5 times the normal size. Craft a shopping empire on this blueprint-styled map, and erect a manor and shopping mall to declare your mercantile victory.
Present Development: A few XML corrections away from an XML stamp.
Name: Golfe du St-Laurent
Creators: Lone.prophet and Unit_2
Stamps:
Description: The Gulf of St. Lawrence (French, Golfe du St-Laurent) is the world's largest estuary, but conservation takes a backseat to beating the pulp out of others on this map of the gulf and its surrounding areas. It's an average-sized map with well-done textures and area-appropriate colors. Its classic gameplay is without any gimmicks and should be easy to pick up.
Present Development: An update has been posted, and the XML has also been written up.
Name: Operation Drug War
Creators: edbeard, Telvannia, and zimmah
Stamps:
Description: Multiple objective maps are yet to get into live play. That's what this map is addressing, simulating a drug war with cops, stashes, and much more. There are multiple paths to victory on this darkly rendered city nightscape, and multiple paths to defeat.
Present Development: Awaiting an XML stamp, as the XML has been checked twice and found bugfree.
Name: San Marino
Creator: Ruben Cassar
Stamps:
Description: The Ruben Cassar formula to a T: a simple map based around a small area. It's attractive to the eye, and while being average size has plenty of bonuses that should be easy to get and hold onto.
Present Development: Making small continent color changes to make the map seem more uniform.
Name: Supermax: Prison Riot
Creators: mibi and Coleman
Stamps:
Description: Rival gangs are at war with each other in a maximum security prison. They're willing to bribe guards, use weapons, and even take over the entire prison to accomplish their goals. This detailed map offers dozens of ways to build forces, and its gameplay is like no other on CC right now. Take a look at this one before it takes you by surprise.
Present Development: XML is in progress, and should be reposted soon.
Name: Allegheny Forest, PA, USA
Creator: seamusk
Stamps:
Description: This map has been a bolt from the blue. It's a complex map with lots of rules and bonuses, but all the rules fit with the way the map has been structured. Gameplay will likely be very varied when this map gets further along.
Present Development: Gameplay discussion is being discussed heavily right now, particularly the complex map elements.
Name: Archipelago
Creators: ZeakCytho and Mjinga
Stamps:
Description: A small chain of islands is at war! This fictional archipelago is fought over by the players in a simple classic-style map. The sharp graphics go hand in hand with the lack of gameplay quirks, a driving impetus behind this map.
Present Development: Gameplay recently got vetted, and progress is being made toward getting Graphics as well.
Name: Charleston, SC
Creator: RjBeals
Stamps:
Description: Charleston, famous for its role in the American Civil War, the American Revolutionary War, and...Conquer Club maps? In this take on America's second largest Atlantic seaport, Rj has created a straightforward large map with simple but attractive graphics.
Present Development: Gameplay is a big topic of discussion right now, with more graphical edits to resolve any readability issues.
Name: The Citadel
Creator: TaCktiX
Stamps:
Description: What better place to have a military takeover than at a military college's campus? That is the premise of The Citadel. Based directly off of the campus and its buildings, this medium-sized map goes for fairly straightforward gameplay, with a couple of quirks.
Present Development: Things have progressed a lot recently, with only a few continuity and graphics issues being topics of discussion.
Name: Conquer 4
Creators: gimil, KEYOGI, and yeti_c
Stamps:
Description: In some ways, Conquer 4 is a simple map: all bonuses are determined by only two rules. But every territory can attack 8 ways and bonuses are where you make them. This map will certainly be crazy to play, with bonuses coming and going simply by conquering one territory.
Present Development: All recent edits have been very minor. This map is looking Forge-worthy by the day.
Name: Cyprus
Creator: Ruben Cassar
Stamps:
Description: Cyprus is a hotly contested country, with a Berlin Wall-style line splitting two disparate populations. So what better place to make a map all about conquering? The creator has created a map that not only incorporates the Green Line UN peace zone, but turns it into an interesting gameplay device. The simple, clean graphics only add to the attraction of the map.
Present Development: The colors of the continents have been in debate, with the present color scheme thought of as being too cold. Nothing new has happened recently, likely due to the mapmaker having a map in Final Forge.
Name: Eastern Hemisphere
Creator: Oaktown
Stamps:
Description: What happens when you slice the world in half then age it 90 years? This map showing the far side of the world around 1910! It's the time when the great European empires are crumbling, and the creator has worked hard on making gameplay appropriate to the time setting. Expect a fresh world experience soon.
Present Development: The creator is still working on gameplay, changing connections and other abilities to balance things out. Comments are being actively encouraged.
Name: The Era of the Three Kingdoms
Creator: Gimil
Stamps:
Description: After the Han dynasty fell, three kingdoms arose to fight for dominance in China. Re-enact that bloodthirsty time period with this simple recreation of the region. The map is of average size, but the subcontinents make getting and keeping bonuses fairly easy and gameplay fast.
Present Development: Readability issues are getting resolved at present, among other graphical tweaks. Updates have been slower but more substantial in overall changes.
Name: Europa
Creator: MrBenn
Stamps:
Description: The creator set out upon a simple goal: make a map about the way Europe really is, even down to Vatican City. He's stayed true to that vision, and the map reflects it, with a clean look to all the countries no matter their size. The map makes good use of natural boundaries to create impassables, adding to the clean feel of the map.
Present Development: The graphics have become more solid in recent updates, with appropriate tweaks in response to feedback.
Name: Famine
Creator: Bryguy
Stamps:
Description: 8 players, 8 castles, and a famine on the land. Grab your empire's territories, but also grab the resources to feed it. It's a unique premise gameplay-wise, and should make play on it fairly exciting and ruthless.
Present Development: The graphics have come a long way, but presently the color scheme is undergoing an overhaul to fit the new famine theme. Updates can be a little slow when the mapmaker's schedule gets particularly busy.
Name: France, 18th Century
Creator: Pamoa
Stamps:
Description: The French Revolution changed the course of European history, so having a map based on the country at that time only makes sense. It's a simple, attractive small map, with classic gameplay. The clean approach to the map has made it very interesting to watch as it has progressed.
Present Development: The color scheme is in heavy debate right now, input encouraged.
Name: Germany Revamp
Creator: Pepperonibread
Stamps:
Description: The current Germany map, as many German members have pointed out, is quite inaccurate. In this revamp, Pepperonibread is redrawing many of the borders to more accurately reflect the real Germany, as well as changing many of the territory names. Finally, the graphics will be completely overhauled and replaced with, in the words of Gimil, "super cool, shit hot graphics."
Present Development: The "pimp graphics" version finally got released with the new color palette and borders. It certainly looks like Germany now, though the graphics are still up for discussion.
Name: Imperium Romanum
Creator: Qwert
Stamps:
Description: The Roman Empire was one of the most powerful empires that ever existed. This map encourages you to build that empire for yourself by commanding legions, cities, and ships to gain an edge on your foes. Graphics are vibrant and eye-catching, with lots of Rome-related paraphernalia on the edges.
Present Development: Stalled for unknown reasons.
Name: Madagascar
Creator: t-o-m
Stamps:
Description: Another small map in the pipeline, this time of the island nation of Madagascar. Gameplay is straightforward, and the territory naming accurately reflects the regions of the country. Graphics are fairly simple, which helps the appeal of the map.
Present Development: The Gameplay stamp recently got assigned, and graphics issues are likely to be attended to shortly.
Name: Maze Craze
Creators: WidowMakers and yeti_c
Stamps:
Description: This map is big: 454 territories big. And it has a very novel gameplay revolving around neutrals that reset to much higher values when they're conquered. This is definitely a map to watch as it develops further.
Present Development: Slowed a little bit since the XML code doesn't presently support the map's different neutral values, but progressing very well.
Name: Mexico
Creators: fumandomuerte and t-o-m
Stamps:
Description: This map just oozes the flavor of the country it is representing. It's a classic map with ports similar to the Philippines map, and its color scheme is straight off the Mexican flag itself. The vibrant colors and Mexican theme definitely contribute to the appeal of this map.
Present Development: Back from a two month vacation, the map is once again making progress. All feedback has been encouraged.
Name: Nubian Egypt
Creator: cairnswk
Stamps:
Description: In what the creator calls the third map in the Egypt Quadtych, the lesser-known part of the Nile, Nubia, is getting covered. It's a small map with fairly easy bonuses, and a dedication to the Egyptian theme that cairns has cultivated in his other Egypt maps.
Present Development: With a boatload of graphical changes, this map has gotten both Gameplay and Graphics in short order.
Name: Oasis
Creator: wcaclimbing
Stamps:
Description: Calling Oasis a phenomenon would do it no credit. This graphical feast has taken the Foundry by storm, leaving several regular commenters drooling for the next update. It's based around a central objective Grand Oasis surrounded by decaying desert, and lots of one-territory bonuses sprinkled throughout. Watch out for this map, it's certain to change the way objective maps are made.
Present Development: After a glut of updates, this map finally got the Foundry sticky.
Name: Poker Map
Creators: yeti_c, Coleman, and WidowMakers
Stamps:
Description: Go all in with this take on a poker game. With a mixed-up deck spread on a well-rendered poker table, gameplay will revolve around creating poker hands through force. No bluffs here, this should turn out to be quite an interesting map.
Present Development: Gameplay is passed off, and the simple graphics should make the Graphics stamp easy to come by.
Name: Switzerland
Creator: Kaplowitz
Stamps:
Description: Switzerland is famed for its bank accounts, neutrality in war, and sweeping mountains. So have a hostile takeover on this average-sized map of the country. Graphics are simple and the gameplay matches, with only classic continents and impassables.
Present Development: After some good changes to the background, the map is looking ready for the Graphics stamp.
Name: Bering Strait
Creator: Lanyards
Stamps: [Advanced Idea]
Description: This is a geographic map of the region of the Bering Sea. Half of the map is in Asia, half in America. The game play is all classic, with the minor exception of a few territories that are not part of any continent. The graphics are fairly simple, and capture the cold feeling of the Arctic.
Present Development: With an amazing 100% approval rate, this map looks poised to skyrocket straight to the Final Forge! The only issue at the moment is in making the color scheme cool, but differentiable to colorblind players.
Name: Castle Battle
Creators: Marvaddin and Telvannia
Stamps: [Advanced Idea]
Description: Terrifically good 3D graphics meshed with the medieval theme and gameplay of an army assaulting a castle. That is the premise of the well-started Castle Battle. Both gameplay and graphics on this one are complex and varied, a tour-de-force already at such an early stage.
Present Development: Stalled out for unknown reasons.
Name: European Revolution
Creators: Gimil and yeti_c
Stamps: [Advanced Idea]
Description: The Dark Ages were a time of political turmoil, with empires nonexistent and whole kingdoms subject to the occasional peasant revolt. That's the premise of this map, that offers a novel game play twist in the form of a mini-map, or rather the fact that the mini-map has attackable territories. Unite through force your kingdom then assault the other kingdoms when your armies can do so. Dark, yet simple graphics accentuate this darker time in Europe's history.
Present Development: Current argument is about how dark the map is, and whether or not it should be lighter. Gameplay is also being discussed on the side.
Name: Hurling
Creator: Seamusk
Stamps: [Advanced Idea]
Description: This is a map of the Celtic field sport Hurling, the fastest sport in the world. The game play attempts to mimic the play of the actual sport, using different bonuses and auto-deploys for various field positions. The game is won by holding a certain amount of territories in the goal zones. The graphics of this map are purposefully simple so that they do not add to the confusing nature of the game play.
Present Development: This map has been met with a number of criticisms, lately. Some major game play flaws have been identified and are being fixed at the moment, and the graphics are expected to be redone in the near future.
Name: South Africa
Creator: Crowley
Stamps: [Advanced Idea]
Description: This is a map of South Africa, including the two landlocked countries Lesotho and Swaziland. The colorful palate and legibility are two of the map's strongest aspects. The simple, classic game play has a bit of a twist: by holding landlocked countries and adjacent continents, you get a larger bonus. On the whole, though, this map is visually pleasing and simple.
Present Development: After a long hiatus in Final Forge, South Africa was sent all the way back to Map Ideas due to inactivity. However, it has recently returned from vacation, and looks to be back on the path to quenching.
Name: WWII Europe
Creator: Qwert
Stamps: [Advanced Idea]
Description: Long stalled due to its large size, this map has undergone a weight-loss program and now fits within the size requirements. Taking his WWII Eastern and Western Front maps and meshing them with a Central front in the middle, this is a map that covers the entire theater of the war in Europe. With a large scale, and lots of opportunities, it will definitely be the WWII map to play when it's quenched.
Present Development: Bonuses aren't solid, and there's discussion about cutting down the number of territories to make the map a bit easier on the eyes at the Small size.
This week, the foundry newsletter team decided to get a fresh and new map maker to carry out this weeks editorial. We would like to thank Mjinga who has come along with a mammoth story of what kind of place the foundry is like from the perspective of a new person.
Mjinga wrote:About five months ago, ZeakCytho started to lurk in the Conquer Club Map Foundry. I saw him fall into the darkness, becoming more and more fascinated with it. Then a month after that, he tried to convert me to the dark side. He said, “After you beat the rest of the video games I toss at you, we should make a map for CC.”
It turned out that it was remarkably easy to convert me, because I said, “Sure.” Actually I said "sue," because I mistyped it the first time, but he got the point. I never got around to beating them all, though. As soon as I finished Final Fantasy XII, Zeak sent me a lovely, lovely draft of the map he had in mind. It looked like this:
- Click image to enlarge.
I correctly interpreted this to mean that he had something much prettier in mind, and promptly went on vacation. Eventually, I actually made the map draft, and two months after Zeak first said we should do a map it got posted, about the same time that I finally realised that gimil is gimil and not gimli. Dyslexic dwarves aside, I felt that it was pretty good for a first draft and certainly somewhat superior to other first drafts I’d seen. No one could knock me for lack of effort.
And then we waited for people to say things. We got our first post, by the guy with the name that’s an abomination unto spelling and capitalisation. He said it looked good! And then came the others, not so supportive… and then came the people saying to scrap it. I was crushed, I tell you, crushed. Everyone hated it! I hadn’t got even one supporter! Perhaps I should give up, I thought!
Then, true to my obnoxious, stubborn self, I thought, "Fine. You people can hate it, but nowhere in the rules does it say everyone has to like my map. Besides, wcaclimbing and Herakilla liked it. Humph!!" Through a combination of not losing my temper in the thread (O virtuous me!), not being an asshole to my detractors (It was a trial!), humbly accepting criticism (Yes! It is possible!), and having Zeak to share vicious rant-fests with on MSN, I managed to get past the bumpy start.
The long drudgery started in. Make this little change. Add an island here. Change a country there. Split this continent into two. Change the mountains. Don’t call that guy an asshole. Put up numerous polls. Refrain from professing undying love for Mr. Squirrel and jiminski and wcaclimbing. Don’t celebrate too hard when the stamps come, because there are more to get. Change the mountains again. Don’t despair when the polling system breaks again. And so on and so forth. Currently, I’m still trying to get a set of mountains that everyone can agree on, a seeming impossibility, and I’m working towards the Graphics stamp. The Aussie says I need a small version, but I’ve got to have mountains first. Will it ever end?
Of course it will, but I expect that my experience with a first map is fairly typical of all maps regarding the endless changes and suchlike. I also think that my first map got about as rough a start as most new mapmakers’ work gets. It’s hard to cut in on the market. Established cartographers don’t seem to like it. Your work gets trashed more viciously than necessary; it’s taken to the landfill and dragged around in the muck a few times and then given back with a smile. And you have to take it with an even bigger smile and say, Yes, sir, thank you, sir.
Let’s talk about the people making it hard for new cartographers. There are random spammers; these can be ignored unless they have useful advice. They’re merely gnats buzzing around fresh meat. But then there are the more serious hecklers that you have to take note of: the inexperienced mapmakers and the experienced ones. The inexperienced ones will descend on a map that is veritably flawed and instead of really trying to help, they will roundly abuse it—this is especially the case if the mapmaker’s own map isn’t doing as well as it might. These people never seem to understand that tearing down another person’s map is not going to make theirs look any better. Then you get your experienced mapmakers who come in and criticise.
And I mean, really criticise. They’ll say a map sucks in so many words. They’re brutal, man. I’ve never been on the sharp end, there, but I’ve seen it around the Foundry. If you’re a new mapmaker, you ask yourself, Who died and made them God? Eh? This guy thinks he farts perfume! What gives him the right to be such a prick? You might also speculate about their parentage to yourself. But regardless of whether they’re compensating for something or not, as you might wonder, the fact of the matter is that they’re often right. They might express it in the most objectionable manner possible, but they usually do have good points.
But they always say it in the rudest fashion, as if they’ve forgotten that they were once newbies too. It’s quite possible to disagree politely, to criticise gently, and to keep from getting someone’s back up, but the old-timers seem to have forgotten how to do it. You can imagine them sitting at their computer screens going, “In my day, Taft was president and we had to go out and survey the land for our maps by hand! There wasn’t any of this Google Maps nonsense! Hah! What do these young gits know about mapmaking?” And then they post a tirade against a new map.
And this is where new mapmakers miss a key point: the tirade is against the map, not the mapmaker. New cartographers, however, often don’t realise it because they’re angry about the way their work was trashed, which is understandable. But all the same, it doesn’t make it any easier for them to progress.
This harping on the new people by the old people does not make the Foundry a very welcoming place for people who are just starting. The automatic defensiveness of the new people makes the old people less willing to welcome them. Insulting posts are everywhere; some threads look like map-themed flame wars threads. The key to getting around it is to not get under the skin of the experienced cartographers. You don’t necessarily have to subordinate your opinion to theirs, you just have to politely disagree. If they rant, don’t respond with more vitriol. Keep your nose clean and you’ll get through.
Because even if you do everything right, you’re still in for a long, long road. Nobody agrees on how to fix an error. Suddenly, the game play which everyone liked is found to have a flaw. But on the plus side, you do get more respect and you do get better suggestions on how to correct the problems (instead of just “quit and try again some other time”), providing you haven’t alienated everyone from the beginning.
So chins up, cartographers-in-training! It gets better.
MrBenn and his wildly popular map Europa have kindly given up some of their very limited time to this weeks spotlight!
How old are you/what gender are you/where do you live? Answer specifically, vaguely, or not at all.
I'm as old as my nose and a little older than my teeth... that makes me about 28yrs old, although I feel a lot older! My home has always been in Great Britain - I've lived in several places in England and Wales, and currently bask in the sunshine on the South Coast of England.
How did you find out about Conquer Club?
I was introduced to Risk while living in Birmingham about ten years ago. Towards the end of last year I was having a quiet patch at work, and typed 'online risk game' into Google, and signed up to LandGrab... the only game I played there was a big pile of pants, and I'm not too sure I even finished it. A short while later I tried my Google search again, and got a much better result by locating CC!
How did you discover the Foundry?
While I was freemium, I used to spend agonising hours clicking on the 'My Games' tab waiting for somebody to take a move in one of my 4 games. It was only a matter of time before I discovered the forums, and got hooked into the Foundry by RjBeals' Dustbowl, and Gimil's ongoing British Isles revamp.
What interested you in mapmaking? What was your first map? Why that one? What inspired you to create this map?
I like to think I've got a discerning eye... and was encouraged by the response to some of my suggestions in the Dustbowl and British Isles threads.
After discovering the Foundry, I found myself spending time (while waiting for my turns in my 4 freemium games) drawing pictures of the area I live, and thinking about how they might play as maps. I got drawn into some discussion about a possible Brazil revamp, and a debate about the inaccuracy of the Europe map... The Europe map has more immediacy for me, and so I got stuck in!
What kind of feedback do you like getting?
wcaclimbing had it about right when he said that "My favorite kind of feedback is the "its perfect, I love it" kind of feedback, cause it makes me feel good about what I made."
Having said that, from a development point of view, the best feedback is the kind that is specific in addressing a point of concern ("You really need to work on your borders"), and one that gives a technical solution ("Try zooming in real close and redrawing them with a 2-3px paintbrush") or an alternative suggestion ("It might be worth trying some different colours there - how about a darker blue and a red?").
I think everybody is capable of having a critical eye, but sadly there are too few people who are able to express their critique in an encouraging way - yes there is a place to give a map a hammering in the Foundry, but it should always be with the intention of creating something that is beautifully sharp and dynamic.
What "keeps you going" through getting a map through the Foundry?
The process requires a huge amount of perseverance and dedication. There was a point a month or so ago where discussion on my map had turned into European regionalism at its worst... I found this incredibly tough and soul-destroying, and came pretty close to abandoning it.
There are a couple of people who I can think of who have been quite critical at times, but who have continually pushed me to strive for excellence... 6 months into the process, there can be no question that my Photoshop skills have improved, and the current map is a million times better than my first draft (that I once thought was a mere week or two from being quenched for live-play)!
How did you decide what game play and graphics styles to go with?
The game play and graphic styles have developed as the map has meandered through the Foundry. Initially I remember wanted lots of complicated bonuses all over the place, with sub-regions and things to represent European political and geographical diversity... but the game play has evolved into something a lot more Classic than World 2.1! I think it helps to be open and receptive to change - particularly since graphics-wise, I'm sure that by now I have re-drawn/re-designed pretty much everything that was in the first draft!
How much time do you spend on each update? How much of that time do you enjoy?
It varies a lot - depending on the work that needs doing to the map! I think the shortest update took me about 5 minutes, while others have taken 5 weeks! Changing things like fonts is a bit tedious, as you have to do the same thing about 60 times - I definitely enjoyed re-vamping my legend as that got the creative juices flowing!
You've mentioned a number of times throughout the Europa development thread that you had time constraints. How did you manage to get around these and spend time on the map?
My quiet time at work didn't last long enough! The biggest battle I have now is physically sitting down in front of my home computer (the one with Photoshop on it) when it isn't needed by my wife (who works from home). Consequently, I've found myself doing smaller updates. Bizarrely, I have found that this helps me to focus more time thinking about the changes I'm going to make, and taking on board the suggestions that people make.
Was there anything in the Foundry that you found surprising or unpredictable concerning your map?
The biggest surprise was the Kosovoan declaration of independence from Serbia, and the heated debate that ensued - I had no idea where that can of worms came from! I've now come to appreciate some of the political sensitivities tied-in to a geographical map!
The most unpredictability stems from the sheer amount of time the development takes (currently 6 months and still counting), and the various suggestions that people make!
Were there any suggestions that you absolutely loved? Or any that you really hated?
I have come to loathe new suggestions for different bonus-region groupings from people who clearly haven't read the 38 pages of discussion (and the blood and tears) that have gone into molding the current arrangement!
I'm not sure I could say I have 'loved' any suggestions - although I have adopted many well thought out ideas from others.
What do you think of the Foundry process in general?
It has been a fantastic learning experience... I know that Widowmakers and DiM (amongst others) self-taught during the map-making process too! It's not a complicated process to make a map - it just requires humility, commitment, and perseverance![/quote]
Community Perspective
This issue's Community Perspectives poll shows that most people find the Foundry neither especially approachable or unapproachable. Though there may have been a small bias in the poll, since mostly Foundry regulars voted, the outcome was still generally neutral. No one felt extremely positive or negative toward the Foundry. The poll will continue to run, for those interested who did not vote. We'll run the poll in next issue after more responses.
RjBeals wrote:I think it's a very approachable forum. Just as much as any other specific interest forum on the internet. General forum community here. I like new members posting in here - it spices things up. You should expect to get thrashed if you come into a community and get too cocky, and I'm not speaking of just the Map Foundry - but any forum in general. You need to slowly ease in
wcaclimbing wrote:My vote is for "unapproachable, but not for the reason listed in the poll.
To me, from talking to many people that aren't Foundry regulars, my opinion is that the Foundry is unapproachable precisely because of our system of organization.
The map handbook, even though it holds (almost) anything you could need to know, is so big and at times confusing, that it takes a good 10 minutes to actually understand everything that is explained there.
That, along with the complicated threads (so much information packed in to the title and first post) and a structure that can be fairly different from everywhere else in the forums (no where else do you have to "go to page 36 to see the most recent XML update"), it can be a bit overwhelming for some new visitors, especially if they have never looked into the Foundry before.
t-o-m wrote:When I 1st came to the Foundry, it seemed daunting and really bad! People were mean, kind of shouted at you for not doing things 100% perfect. I suppose that's what we expect.
But now I know what goes on around here, it's not so bad
But I feel that I've become one of those people who are mean; I don't mean to be - I suppose its just how I come across.
bryguy wrote:I'd have to say that it is most definitely neutral. Some people here when I first entered the Foundry seemed really nice and inviting, while others seemed (to a new comer) to be saying "STAY AWAY", and scary. You have to stay around for a couple of weeks to figure out that the ones that seemed scary and "STAY AWAY"-ish at first are/can be nice (example= DiM, he scared me to death when I first entered the Foundry, but after a couple of weeks I found out that he wasn't scary at all)
seamusk wrote:Everyone expects criticism. The biggest thing I've noticed is that 1) there are a lot of egos flying around here, 2) much of the criticism (let's say 33%) is not constructive criticism, and 3) There is a shit load of negativity towards new ideas (some combined with constructive criticism, but much of it isn't).
Gimil wrote:A lot of people lately have been taking reasonable constructive criticism very personally. It's true that a lot of new ideas are commented on negatively, but usually if someone comes with with competent graphics they will receive the constructive feedback they need to move on. But a lot of these new hopefuls have been known to see these as negative personal attacks.
Next Issue:
The next issue's Community Perspectives section topic is reasons for visiting the Foundry. Stop by the poll (clicky) and talk about why you come to the Foundry.
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TaCktiX & Editorial Staff.
Originally posted July 6th, 2008
