Hi, and welcome to the foundry! Whether or not you intend to create a map of your own, we hope you keep returning, as public input is what keeps the foundry running.
- Good Foundry Conduct
We know everyone has their own way of doing things. Below is our advice to you on good foundry conduct when it comes to posting map updates or posting feedback to a map you have interest in.
[spoiler=Good conduct when posting a map update]These are the basics which are needed when posting map updates to help make your development thread as easy to understand and follow as possible:
1. Post image links in [bigimg] tags.
2. List what you have changed for this update.
3. List what is on your To Do list
4. List points that you feel need attention for discussion.
5. In addition to posting your update at the end of the thread, please keep the first post of the map thread up to date: The "first post" should always reflect the most current version of the map, and the title should include the date and page number of the most recent update.
These basic points will give a community member the information they need to best give feedback on your map, whether they have been regularly following your map, or are reviewing it for the first time.[/spoiler][spoiler=Good conduct when posting feedback on a map]If you have a map you're interested in and you intend to give it feedback, probably the best way to help the map maker when you post each piece of feedback is to remember the following three points:
1. State what your concerns are.
2. State why you find these points concerns.
3. Most importantly, state what you believe is a good or possible solution to your concerns.
The closer to these three basic points you follow, the better received your feedback will generally be, and the better the map will be as a result.[/spoiler]A comprehensive guide to giving and receiving feedback is contained within the Foundry Feedback Guidelines.
General Mapmaking Rules
Before starting your own map it is recommended that you read and understand the following rules to ensure that the process is as enjoyable and efficient as possible for you and the community at large.
[spoiler=General Rules]1. A map should be ‘inherently unique either in gameplay, location, or theme’.
2. Gameplay features must be compatible with the game engine's currently usable XML.
3. A map's content must be the original work of the cartographer unless consent to use copyrighted works is gained. This is your responsibility.
4. All sound advice must be followed unless a logical rebuttal by the cartographer or another member of the community is provided.
5. To proceed through the foundry the community must show a reasonable amount of interest towards a map.
6. Host the image using Photobucket.com, imageshack.us, or something similar. The type of image file must be PNG, GIF, or JPEG.
7. For a map to be used for live play the cartographer must agree to the Conquer Club copyright agreement (see the Grpahics Guide for further details).
8. Draft images should not be larger than 630x600px (small image) or 840x800px (large image)[/spoiler][spoiler=Title Requirements]1. The page with the latest development of production. (I.E. ‘Update – Pg 3')
9. No use of [brackets]: use (parentheses), --dashes--, or “quotes” instead.
10. For every stamp you receive the appropriate tag should be included in the title. [Gp, Gr, X]
- Gp = Gameplay
Gr = Graphics
X = XML
2. The number of territories/regions currently on the map
3. The number of continents/bonus zones. (If this makes sense for your map)
4. Descriptions of any unique features or areas.
5. The most recent map image(s) - posted within [/img] or [/bigimg] tags.
6. Developmental History: It is a good idea to maintain some sort of summary within the first post. If you choose to list an archive of map drafts, please post links to the images using [/url] tags.
[/spoiler]
The Melting Pot: Map Ideas
This Foundry sub-forum is where all CC maps begin to take shape. Here you will find raw ideas, working drafts, and an assortment of unfinished projects. All of them are in the melting pot, waiting to be hammered-out, before the Foundlings (maps and their makers) are thrust into the heat of the Foundry Workshops.
- Map Ideas - The Melting Pot is the perfect place for CC members to discuss what kind of new maps they would like to see at this site. You don't have to be a mapmaker to post a new topic here - you just have to have an idea that you would like to see turned into a map. And if you are a mapmaker - or would like to be one - this is the place to kick around new ideas before you get started. It's always a good idea to check that your shiny new idea for a map hasn't already been suggested/developed - the Forum Search Tool is your friend.
- Who are the characters in the map? (backstory, why is this map significant or a cool story)
- What is your map about?
- Where does it take place?
- When does it take place?
- Why are the events taking place? (again backstory)
- How will the events unfold?
- Anything else?
- The names of up to 2 cartographers who will be developing the map - Think about the roles each person will play: Who will be managing feedback? making decisions? drawing the map? writing the XML?
- Map Size- What is the approximate total number of territories/regions on the map? Think about how this will affect gameplay.
- Your aims/design style - Think about what has influenced the map? Do you have any specific gameplay types in mind? Do you want a contemporary or old-fashioned look? Have you thought about your target audience? Who will play the map? What game settings would work well, or would suffer? What do you hope to achieve by this project?
- Uniqueness - maps should be 'inherently unique either in gameplay, location, or theme': what is it about your map that sets it apart from the existing canon of CC maps?
- Relevant Experience - you don't need to be an experienced mapmaker or fantastic graphic designer to make a map, but will need to think about: how well do you know your map subject? have you contributed to any other maps in development? will you be creating the graphics? how well do you know your graphics software? have you seen any good tutorials?
Working Drafts - Map ideas may contain accompanying images which slowly develop to become a Working Draft. If you are looking to create a map yourself and have a first draft you would like folks to look at, we suggest you post your draft as a new topic.
Here are some questions that you can ask yourself as you develop your draft. While not every question will be appropriate for every map, they will help you focus your ideas and design:
Recycling Bin - For every map that makes it out of the Drafting Room and eventually into Live Play, there are lots more that don’t survive the hammer and tongs of the Foundry, and end up in the Recycling Bin Subforum. In some cases the map has not gained enough community support, and in others the mapmaker has simply run out of steam and abandoned his/her development.
Map ideas in the Recycling Bin Subforum tend to contain raw material that has already been tempered, and may be picked by new mapmakers; an effort should be made to inform the original mapmaker of your interest in using his/her idea. The new mapmaker must start a new Draft topic and any artwork from the abandoned map may not be used without the original mapmaker's consent.