Suggestions for Making the List/Running the Forum(ver1.1)

yin26 · May 25, 1999, 19:20

O.K., I'm carrying over the most popular issue to start us off:

MAKING THE FORUM EASIER TO USE:

Is it possible now to combine some threads? Is it possible in certain cases to drop threads that are no longer generating enough discussion? etc... Are there creative answers to all this not yet offered? I'll e-mail Thread Masters on this as well...

As always, I'm listening to your feedback and trying to make things easier and more productive for all of us.

By the way, if you have any "Die Yin, DIE!"

suggestions, please send me an e-mail so that this space can remain as helpful and positive as possible. Thanks.

Yin

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CIV3 DEVELOPMENT LIST COORDINATOR

**(un)Officially Making Lists for Firaxis Since SMAC Enhancement 3!**

LordStone1 · May 25, 1999, 22:12

Graphics and Game Atmosphere are soooo compaitable.

So are Regional/City Menu and Player Interface.

And I can't help but feel that Combat and Units somehow fit together.

[This message has been edited by LordStone1 (edited May 25, 1999).]

DanS · May 25, 1999, 23:18

I might create some enemies among the thread masters but here goes with several...

1) Sound and music should be added to graphics. These things should be addressed and this is the natural place.

2) Religion should be combined with social engineering.

3) Cross-platforms is an issue, not a topic. Add it to Other.

4) Borders should be combined with Other or AI -- damn, Lancer, you've got some great ideas, but it just doesn't seem to fit as a thread...

5) Perhaps space exploration should be combined with another thread.

6) I would like to say that Atmosphere should be combined with something, but it's very popular, so I don't know.

My suggestions are mainly due to seeing AI at the bottom of the stack. BR is probably going to be spending about 1/3 of his time on the AI, so it should be near the top always. We need to keep focus on giving BR something useful.

DanS · May 25, 1999, 23:33

Also, even though it seems like it's far away, it would be good to decide what we want from BR after we hand him the ideas. For instance, we could ask him to pinpoint certain topics on which he would like us to brainstorm more.

Dominique · May 26, 1999, 00:33

The threads should handle the topics in a way the receiver (Firaxis) can make the most out of them - and that is we must try to match the threads with their (Firaxis') subdivisions.

They definitely do NOT have subdivisions for borders and the like, all that (including combat etc.) being part of the big "AI crew". Then comes graphics, interface... and I created the "atmosphere" thread because that's the playground of the game designers, with all those things definitely not necessary but oh so lovely for the player. The "atmosphere" things typically do not have a high impact on programming, but certainly on graphics, but include many more things that do not fit into the other categories.

On the other hand, be sure that the topics "units","movement" and "combat" will be handled by the same people over at Firaxis, since you can't do one thing without the other.

Travathian · May 26, 1999, 00:35

Why not just ask BR?

Tell him to look at the various threads and ask him what sort of departments he has working and what setup he thinks would be best.

Stefu · May 26, 1999, 06:12

We are having too interesting discussion in Religion thread to be combined. Besides, I like power. Power, Power, Power!

NotLikeTea · May 26, 1999, 10:47

Terrain came up in the units thread.. does this deserve it's own topic?

We've not even discussed the merits of a Civ terrain style (squares), or a SMAC style (altitude/raininess/rockiness)

mindlace · May 26, 1999, 13:53

I think I'll start numbering my threads according to the seconds elapsed since midnight. That way it's almost guaranteed to be a unique number.

More seriously, I think the 'benevolent dictator' system has been shown to work quite well with this sort of project.

But to help the democracy thing, it says threads can be closed by 'moderator or admin only'.

Would it help if the admin=yang, moderator=threadhead? If mark is kosher with that, of course.

As far as summaries go: I think that the summaries are sort of thread dependant- I don't expect to need to make a list of items- units, techs, whatever- any time soon on the AI list.

Lancer · May 26, 1999, 16:22

Sorry gentlemen but I must also bow out of this,whatever it's becoming.I just wanted to help Civ 3,not respond to endless emails about 'whose in charge'or 'too much power in one persons hands'.It all seems a bit much.Please stop the endless stream of emails,thank you.
Mine was the border thread.

Ecce Homo · May 26, 1999, 17:16

Yin, can you please delete double posts?