The Map Foundry

by **the_fatty** on Sat Jan 05, 2008 10:23 am

im starting to post in the map foundry way more. its not that bad. CHECK OUT KEYBOARD!!!

by **john9blue** on Sat Jan 05, 2008 2:07 pm

Maybe this is just me, but when I first joined CC I was naturally interested in the map-making process. My first 2 games I joined were on radically different maps, (Crossword and KOTM), and after playing regular Risk for many years, my first thought was, "Who on earth makes these ridiculous maps?" So I headed to the Foundry. I don't post much on other people's maps, (I usually keep my weird ideas to myself), but I've started three Map Ideas threads so far. As long as you take some suggestions, and give a good reason for every suggestion you don't take, you should be fine. Good spelling and grammar helps, too.

rebelman wrote:I would issue the following warnings though to anyone heading in that direction for the first time:

The thread author could/ will bite your head off especially if the map has been quenched or is in final forge.

They (wrongly) expect everyone to read every post in their threads before you comment - their are ideas being discussed to address this issue but so far they have not ben generally implemented.

In general they like praise but even though they ask for criticism they really don't want it.

Many assume they are right even when they are wrong and will still be slow to admit it.

from experience they really don't like when you tell them their maps are hard to read and/or colours clash.

The further they are in the process the harder it is to get them to change.

The use far to much jargon in general (possibly to scare off us lay people)

It's opinions and generalities like this that make people hesitant to post there in the first place. Sure, some map makers are like this, but I really hate this kind of stereotyping. Many map makers, (including me, even though I haven't quenched any yet), aren't anything like this.

My Chess map suffered the strange fate of 'nobody having any real issues with the idea', thus making people post less, and the thread eventually degraded into an argument about XML and fell into inactivity. This is partially due to the fact that the mods are only human and don't have the time to look at every map, but it's mostly because people don't post enough in Map Ideas. I don't think I got a single complaint about the idea itself... most of the suggestions were concerning graphics. Since my map preferences are rather weird, (I loved Crossword and disliked KOTM), having other 'normal' people posting in my topics is really helpful in giving my map more mass appeal. It's like voting for President; you shouldn't complain about W if you chose to not vote in the last election. Similarly, nobody who doesn't post in the Foundry should complain about the maps. :roll:

by **rebelman** on Sat Jan 05, 2008 2:31 pm

john9blue wrote:Maybe this is just me, but when I first joined CC I was naturally interested in the map-making process. My first 2 games I joined were on radically different maps, (Crossword and KOTM), and after playing regular Risk for many years, my first thought was, "Who on earth makes these ridiculous maps?" So I headed to the Foundry. I don't post much on other people's maps, (I usually keep my weird ideas to myself), but I've started three Map Ideas threads so far. As long as you take some suggestions, and give a good reason for every suggestion you don't take, you should be fine. Good spelling and grammar helps, too.

rebelman wrote:I would issue the following warnings though to anyone heading in that direction for the first time:

The thread author could/ will bite your head off especially if the map has been quenched or is in final forge.

They (wrongly) expect everyone to read every post in their threads before you comment - their are ideas being discussed to address this issue but so far they have not ben generally implemented.

In general they like praise but even though they ask for criticism they really don't want it.

Many assume they are right even when they are wrong and will still be slow to admit it.

from experience they really don't like when you tell them their maps are hard to read and/or colours clash.

The further they are in the process the harder it is to get them to change.

The use far to much jargon in general (possibly to scare off us lay people)

It's opinions and generalities like this that make people hesitant to post there in the first place. Sure, some map makers are like this, but I really hate this kind of stereotyping. Many map makers, (including me, even though I haven't quenched any yet), aren't anything like this.

My Chess map suffered the strange fate of 'nobody having any real issues with the idea', thus making people post less, and the thread eventually degraded into an argument about XML and fell into inactivity. This is partially due to the fact that the mods are only human and don't have the time to look at every map, but it's mostly because people don't post enough in Map Ideas. I don't think I got a single complaint about the idea itself... most of the suggestions were concerning graphics. Since my map preferences are rather weird, (I loved Crossword and disliked KOTM), having other 'normal' people posting in my topics is really helpful in giving my map more mass appeal. It's like voting for President; you shouldn't complain about W if you chose to not vote in the last election. Similarly, nobody who doesn't post in the Foundry should complain about the maps.

what i posted was my honest impression from the various threads i have posted in please read my post in full before partially quoting from it. If I had got a warning like this / helpful advice before I entered the foundry I would have been more prepared for what greeted me.

Without checking I would say outside of actual map makers I am now one of the most frequent posters in the foundry and i am a huge advocate of more people posting there - i just want them to be prepared. If you think what I described above are based on isolated incidents some time ago I can give you examples of the above in the last 24 hours if you wish. I could be mistaken but I think I posted on your chess map. But I think at this stage I post often enough in general in the foundry to have a say. (see below)

According to search this is my foundry post count (to show i do post in there regularly these days):

Foundry Discussion 72 posts

Final Forge 233 posts (some of these would have been made elsewhere prior to thread reaching ff)

Map ideas 34 posts

Map Foundry 25 posts

so in total I have posted 364 times in the foundry since I joined this site in August 2007.

by **Blitzaholic** on Sat Jan 05, 2008 2:31 pm

i have made more of an effort as of late, used to every now and then

by **Kaplowitz** on Sat Jan 05, 2008 2:37 pm

DiM wrote:don't come in the foundry. it's a nasty place. don't even dare to post constructive feedback there.

Haha! since i hate you: im going to do the exact opposite of what you say!! Its off to the map foundry for me!!! Im SO smart!!!!

by **DiM** on Sat Jan 05, 2008 2:40 pm

rebelman wrote:
Foundry Discussion 72 posts

Final Forge 233 posts (some of these would have been made elsewhere prior to thread reaching ff)

Map ideas 34 posts

Map Foundry 25 posts

so in total I have posted 364 times in the foundry since I joined this site in August 2007.

i have

Foundry Discussion 646 posts

Final Forge 1962 posts (some of these would have been made elsewhere prior to thread reaching ff)

Map ideas 411 posts

Map Foundry 460 posts

total 3479.

i OWN you :twisted:

by **rebelman** on Sat Jan 05, 2008 2:48 pm

DiM wrote:
rebelman wrote:
Foundry Discussion 72 posts

Final Forge 233 posts (some of these would have been made elsewhere prior to thread reaching ff)

Map ideas 34 posts

Map Foundry 25 posts

so in total I have posted 364 times in the foundry since I joined this site in August 2007.

i have

Foundry Discussion 646 posts

Final Forge 1962 posts (some of these would have been made elsewhere prior to thread reaching ff)

Map ideas 411 posts

Map Foundry 460 posts

total 3479.

i OWN you

didn't realise you were a non map maker too here's me thinking you are the "brains" behind several maps including at least 3 in live play, I must have been mistaken :roll:

by **DiM** on Sat Jan 05, 2008 2:54 pm

rebelman wrote:
DiM wrote:
rebelman wrote:
Foundry Discussion 72 posts

Final Forge 233 posts (some of these would have been made elsewhere prior to thread reaching ff)

Map ideas 34 posts

Map Foundry 25 posts

so in total I have posted 364 times in the foundry since I joined this site in August 2007.

i have

Foundry Discussion 646 posts

Final Forge 1962 posts (some of these would have been made elsewhere prior to thread reaching ff)

Map ideas 411 posts

Map Foundry 460 posts

total 3479.

i OWN you

didn't realise you were a non map maker too here's me thinking you are the "brains" behind several maps including at least 3 in live play, I must have been mistaken

clearly mistaken. i no nothing about no maps. i just like spamming the foundry :lol:

by **Kaplowitz** on Sat Jan 05, 2008 2:56 pm

i have less than 200 posts in the Foundry, but still thats a pretty large percentage considering i only have 1.2k posts

by **rebelman** on Sat Jan 05, 2008 2:58 pm

DiM wrote:
clearly mistaken. i no nothing about no maps. i just like spamming the foundry

Gimil's spelling ability has clearly influenced you, so the spamming was not entirely in vain :twisted:

by **DiM** on Sat Jan 05, 2008 3:37 pm

rebelman wrote:
DiM wrote:
clearly mistaken. i no nothing about no maps. i just like spamming the foundry

Gimil's spelling ability has clearly influenced you, so the spamming was not entirely in vain

actually i was trying to achieve the effect of a little illeterate boy who's claiming he's innocent.

read it out loud in a very kind and somewhat scared voice:

i no nothing about no maps

and btw my name's on 5 maps not 3

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