In the spirit of the Greater SMACX Community-boosting issues under discussion, I am compelled to bite the bullet [takes a deep breath]...
Premature. My understanding is that CGN will be read only for the indefinite future. The content will remain accessible. By eliminating new registrations and most posts (site feedback remains open for existing members to voice their opinion about CGN's change), the site owner, buster, can devote a lot less time to keeping the site free from spammers. buster is a fan of SMAC/X. I expect the content of CGN will remain available to present and future fans of SMAC/X.
Not
entirely premature. There's the CMN Academy issue, as our most active AC2 CMN, t_ras, immediately realised. CMN training is a dynamic process, and we're going to have to set up in-house, because all our CMNs are too busy to give our bustling MP community all the attention it deserves, and we need more guys on the job.
As I said in public last October when I asked t_ras to assume some of the leadership duties in MP (before a new job and his daughter being born conspired to take up
his free time):
I don't remember if you were around in the earliest days of WPC when vyeh was running MP, but he did a fantastic job - things happened on time and promptly, morale seemed to be great, and the games kept moving along. There was leadership.
Which leads me directly to my main point, since you're free now: vyeh, come sign up at AC2. Please. Your talent, your focused and detail-oriented nature, and your wide knowledge of things SMAC(X) could be of infinite use to the community once again. I assume RL began to make greater demands on your available time by last year, but just sticking your head in in MP and Bug/Patch Discussion (you and Yitzi were made for each other) and commenting when you have the time and inclination could make a big difference. No one has more to offer the Community than you.
The impressive level of activity in Modding ought to be of interest to you, too.
Your guarantee of decent treatment? sisko wouldn't
let me do anything to you that you didn't earn. It would be counter to my management style, and destroy the trust I've built up with my people that we just
don't go nerdbadge on
anyone, ever. (I imagine you've lurked enough to know that I'm not making that up.) And finally, that's why I'm putting myself on the spot by making the offer publically, by name; if this ends badly, my reputation in the AC Community could take a hit, depending. Sir, I care about my reputation, and I'm not doing this only to embarrass myself in front of everyone.
(I
am out to win an old argument with Darsnan
, but that's irrelevant to my true purpose. And Lefty would think more of both of us if we made this work - also mostly immaterial, but definitely not nothing, and he's not the only one. Closer to
everyone who's been around long enough. You understand, of course, that I'm giving ground I'd rather not by even extending this invitation, let alone saying please, but duty calls, and it's about something larger than both of us. We don't even have to interact there, depending, but I'd love to prove that we can peacefully be in the same room.)
This is not a trap or any kind of trick. -Not my style. It
is an attempt to openly work something positive out and move into the future in an atmosphere of maximum transparency to minimize trust issues arising. Likewise, I would ask you to avoid conducting business by PM as much as possible, not least so that I'm never left wondering what you're up to. I would also expect the same blank slate I'm offering you.
I will put you in the CMN membergroup the second I see you onsite, as I do any qualified CMN I'm aware of, and I suggest that if you need to discuss any of this privately, we can do so in the CMN folder. (Avoiding PMs in that way would tend to protect you more than me, as sisko and the other CMNs would be witnesses.)
Again, this asks for no commitment beyond good-faith behavior in whatever time you do have/choose to devote. Take a chance, and try. As you know from long ago, my favorite sort of win is a win-win for everyone. We can have that, if you choose.
And as I get bandwidth I try to help the Greater SMACX Community as well (a la the Scenario Repository, as well as the scenario I just released). Question: would it help the Greater SMACX Community if I were to publish a new unique scenario at each of the remaining sites which still host SMACX forums? It might be a good way to introduce people at the targeted sites to SMACX, as well as get the already converted (i.e. the SMACX Faithful) to flock to a site, thus giving the site additional hits. I can't promise a timeframe on this, but if you think it a good approach let me know and I'll see what I can do from my end.
