Foundry Forum Descriptions / Reshuffle

[MrBenn]

Partly in response to feedback in recent threads, I'd like to share some proposed revisions to the foundry organisation, as well as revised forum descriptions... I'd like to think that they're straightforward, but still have a touch of character without being bland.

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Foundry Discussions
Topics that are not maps. Discuss general map making concepts, techniques, contests, etc, here.

Competitions
The arena for official Foundry competitions: the War of Art!

Tools, Tutorials & Guides
A place to read and write tools/guides/tutorials about the art of mapmaking.

Melting Pot: Map Ideas
Have an idea for a map? Discuss ideas and concepts here.

Drafting Room
Maps in early development. Plotting and scheming with draft maps on the drawing board.

Recycling Box
Abandoned and Vacationed maps. The final resting place, unless you recycle.

Final Forge
Maps in the forge are ready for casting into the Beta furnace: Final polishing, XML creation and last-minute adjustments take place here.

Viewing Gallery
Completed maps are displayed in the Viewing Gallery.

I've left the Gameplay and Graphics workshops off this list for the time being, as I believe it would make sense to merge the two forums together to form the "Main Foundry Workshop(s): This forum is where the main action takes place; Gameplay is hammered out before map images receive lick, spit and polish."

The addition of the coloured dots/blobs/stamps that have been added to maps in development means that we can use these indicators to distinguish how maps are progressing - it's much simpler than the old systems of complex/lengthy title tags, or a forum filled with sticky topics.

This change is being suggested as mapmakers for the most part develop gameplay and graphics in tandem, and it can be frustrating (as a mapmaker and as a contributor) to receive feedback that does not correspond to the particular developmental target... The over-riding focus will remain on gameplay being hammered out before the graphics are polished; but the merging of the workshop forums should make it easier to follow maps and respond to feedback.

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[Victor Sullivan]

Yes! Good stuff, MrBenn! Though I think it should be Recycling Bin not Box. I especially like the merger idea. I assume the divisions within the Carto team with regards to gameplay/graphics/drafting room/final forge would be the same?

[Riskismy]

Yay!

I'm happy to see you've taken out Ideas from the drafts. Will people still have the option to post in either forum?

Not so sure about the Bin being a top-level forum, though. I guess it's nice to have quick access, but few would need that. I see it more as an archive - something you put in the back, so to say.

I think it's a bad idea to have a forum called 'Competitions', and have the word 'Contests' in the description of another. All competitions and/or contests should be confined to the same forum.

[isaiah40]

Will people still have the option to post in either forum?

Yes they will. With this layout people will (hopefully) post their idea/draft in the right forum.

[natty dread]

I think it's a bad idea to have a forum called 'Competitions', and have the word 'Contests' in the description of another. All competitions and/or contests should be confined to the same forum.

I think you have a point there. Probably it was left over from the earlier arrangement...

[MrBenn]

Competitions will remain a subforum of foundry discussions; I'm considering adding more subforums for other specific types of not-directly-mapmaking-stuff

[Riskismy]

Will people still have the option to post in either forum?

Yes they will. With this layout people will (hopefully) post their idea/draft in the right forum.

Just doesn't make sense to me

With that reasoning, why not allow people to post in the graphics forum? Plenty of people around who knows what a map is supposed to look like at that point. Hopefully all the newcomers do as well

[Victor Sullivan]

Will people still have the option to post in either forum?

Yes they will. With this layout people will (hopefully) post their idea/draft in the right forum.

Just doesn't make sense to me

With that reasoning, why not allow people to post in the graphics forum? Plenty of people around who knows what a map is supposed to look like at that point. Hopefully all the newcomers do as well

I'm sorry, but that's a big no-no. Firstly, there's always room for improvement and everyone makes mistakes, so to allow someone to post in one of the other forums without direct say from MrBenn of thenobodies80 is just silly. If you allow people to post in Graphics - surely they have some gameplay issues that still need hammered out, even if the graphics are stunning, and the Foundry will probably get all cluttered up with maps in the wrong places and MrBenn and thenobodies80 would have to hire a Foundry Janitorial mod team.

Competitions will remain a subforum of foundry discussions; I'm considering adding more subforums for other specific types of not-directly-mapmaking-stuff

What kind of divisions were you thinking?

[Riskismy]

I'm sorry, but that's a big no-no. Firstly, there's always room for improvement and everyone makes mistakes, so to allow someone to post in one of the other forums without direct say from MrBenn of thenobodies80 is just silly. If you allow people to post in Graphics - surely they have some gameplay issues that still need hammered out, even if the graphics are stunning, and the Foundry will probably get all cluttered up with maps in the wrong places and MrBenn and thenobodies80 would have to hire a Foundry Janitorial mod team.

Careful there! It sounds almost as if you agree with me!

So with that reasoning, why are people allowed to post in drafts? I see the exact same principles at work there - no real difference, except that more people will be able to make workable draft than workable graphics. Doesn't change the principle, though. People mis-post all the time - far more often than there are posted workable drafts.

Let's save them the frustration and shame of that demotion, eh?

[Victor Sullivan]

I'm sorry, but that's a big no-no. Firstly, there's always room for improvement and everyone makes mistakes, so to allow someone to post in one of the other forums without direct say from MrBenn of thenobodies80 is just silly. If you allow people to post in Graphics - surely they have some gameplay issues that still need hammered out, even if the graphics are stunning, and the Foundry will probably get all cluttered up with maps in the wrong places and MrBenn and thenobodies80 would have to hire a Foundry Janitorial mod team.

Careful there! It sounds almost as if you agree with me!

So with that reasoning, why are people allowed to post in drafts? I see the exact same principles at work there - no real difference, except that more people will be able to make workable draft than workable graphics. Doesn't change the principle, though. People mis-post all the time - far more often than there are posted workable drafts.

Let's save them the frustration and shame of that demotion, eh?

Well, the way I see it, nobodies and Benn would be moving more maps to the Drafting Room than from it if what you propose comes to fruition. Let's not assume our fellow CC-ers are dumkopfs, now

[Industrial Helix]

Not understanding how this doesn't make sense...

Melting Pot - map ideas without an image or with a very very rough image.
Drafting Room - maps with an image and near complete details (names, neutrals, bonuses, ect)

Graphics/Gameplay workshops - no first posting allowed because a map draft needs to be checked over to make sure names, numbers, bonus values, ect .are present and fit in some semblance of a logical order. This would be done in the Drafting room.

[Riskismy]

Well, the way I see it, nobodies and Benn would be moving more maps to the Drafting Room than from it if what you propose comes to fruition. Let's not assume our fellow CC-ers are dumkopfs, now

Perhaps a few. The time to do so really is insignificant in every way, and, again - we would save the confused newcomer the embarrassment and frustration of having his map demoted.

Not understanding how this doesn't make sense...

Melting Pot - map ideas without an image or with a very very rough image.
Drafting Room - maps with an image and near complete details (names, neutrals, bonuses, ect)

The above does make sense.

This does not:

Graphics/Gameplay workshops - no first posting allowed because a map draft needs to be checked over to make sure names, numbers, bonus values, ect .are present and fit in some semblance of a logical order. This would be done in the Drafting room.

You posit that the reason we can't post in graphics, is that some criteria has to be fulfilled. That's perfectly valid, but what doesn't make sense is that you don't apply that principle to the draft forum. There are certain criteria that need to be fulfilled before a map can claim a place in the draft forum - just like there are with with the every other forum down the way.

It not logical, and barring new posts in the drafts forum is an obvious clarification of the process. I can only surmise that the real reason for the resistance does not stem from logical reasoning, nor the best interests of the newcomers.

[Victor Sullivan]

To put it in simplest terms: There is no stamp for the Melting Pot.

[ender516]

The addition of the coloured dots/blobs/stamps that have been added to maps in development means that we can use these indicators to distinguish how maps are progressing - it's much simpler than the old systems of complex/lengthy title tags, or a forum filled with sticky topics.

I did notice the use of the coloured icons on Foundry topics, but I have not seen an explanation anywhere. What do they mean? (As I type this, I wonder if the colours are related to the colours of the Foundry stamps, of which I recall only that the XML stamp is orange... )

[Victor Sullivan]

The addition of the coloured dots/blobs/stamps that have been added to maps in development means that we can use these indicators to distinguish how maps are progressing - it's much simpler than the old systems of complex/lengthy title tags, or a forum filled with sticky topics.

I did notice the use of the coloured icons on Foundry topics, but I have not seen an explanation anywhere. What do they mean? (As I type this, I wonder if the colours are related to the colours of the Foundry stamps, of which I recall only that the XML stamp is orange... )

Yup, you got it, Inspector! Sorry, sarcasm aside:

Red - Draft Stamp
Green - Gameplay Stamp
Blue - Graphics Stamp
Yellow/Orange - XML Stamp
Grey - Beta or "Advanced Draft" (or something of that nature) when in the Bin.

[natty dread]

All will be clarified once the guidelines are updated...

Also, this is the key:

To put it in simplest terms: There is no stamp for the Melting Pot.

Correct, Drafting room does not require a stamp. The reason for this is that the requirements for drafting room are simple and absolute: you need to have a working draft. That's an easy requirement, a thread either has a working draft or doesn't. Requirements for the later forums are more complex and require individual assessment by cartographers.

[Riskismy]

Right. For those who know what a draft is in the first place.

[TaCktiX]

Right. For those who know what a draft is in the first place.

We're working on that. As in, specifically that among other things.