Though I get the light-heartedness of this exchange, I do have to agree with the spirit of A of A's POV. Even when not joking, there can be a little too much "us vs. them" here and I think A of A hit the nail on the head about that.
<u>THEY BROUGHT ME HERE</u> <FONT size="1">(don't everyone thank them at once)</FONT s>
Though I never posted to Apo-however-you-spell-it, they are responsible for leading me here, so I owe them thanks at least for that. To begin with, I only surfed the web for Civ-related sites looking for a home-grown utility someone might have written to help me improve my Civ play (i.e., at that point, micro management of cities: cross sections of data not provided by the game). When I couldn't find anything at Apo, I followed their related site links here. I didn't find the util here either, but the layout here was clear & friendly enough, I found lots of other cool stuff, and (most importantly to me) the participants here appeared friendly enough to newbies for me to dare ask a question to a global audience of strangers. I didn't find that at Apo and for whatever reason I got the "feeling" that this place better suited me and my personality and what I'm looking for.
<u>BIG SURPRISE</u>
Never in my wildest dreams back then did I think I'd become a regular part of a global community; or learned as much as I have (esp. ways to play Civ I never would have conceived ... I've recently reformatted, printed into an 80-page binder and almost completed the entire War Academy); or matched wits & minds in serious but respectful debates on the death penalty, sex, religion and the nature of good and evil! And never, <FONT size="4">
ever</FONT s>, <FONT size="6">
EVER</FONT s> did I imagine that my presence here (or lack thereof) would be missed (or even noticed) by <FONT size="4">
ANYONE</FONT s>, much less being asked to return and then welcomed back, after previously only posting for one month (Jan 2001)! C'MON! I never could have made that one up in my most arrogant and self-stroking of dreams!
<u>BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG CITY</u>
All this to say that I see Apo as like New York City and CFC as a mid-sized town (and my HOME town). The first are big. It's easy to get lost and the bad neighborhoods can be dangerous. The big-time games people play there are significantly different in form and scope to the same-type games played in the smaller towns.
To be noticed there, you either have to be on Broadway or a major criminal figure. Only a few are good enough for Broadway and only a few have the cajones to be recognized as a big-time gangster (and then you can't show your face around anyway). But everyone wants to be noticed and the stage is only so big. So what you end up with are a LOT of wanna-be actors (people saying whatever they think will make them look cool) and a LOT of small-time crooks (people who take petty pot-shots at people to get SOME reaction & attention). Of course, these are generalizations and there are many, esp. here, who are above all that and fit none of it. But please correct me if the "big city" generalization is completely way off.
<u>HOME SWEET HOME</u>
Personally, I prefer my mid-sized home town. For the most part, people know each other here, but EVERYone doesn't know EVERYone else and gossip about each others' business (i.e., being too close-quartered). Everyone knows enough about the local leadership, which is generally well-liked and feels accessible by everyone. The regulars hang out at the local saloon and shoot the bull, serious or not. People participate in group gaming and pat each other on the back for all of their efforts, win or lose. People selflessly devote time to helping each other and rarely degrading each other. People come and go as they please and try to let the others know when they will be away for a while, or permanently. And most important to me, people actually express their authentic appreciation about this place and each other and what they say from time to time.
Maybe I'll want to visit the big city someday, but I don't think I'd ever want to live there. Not because there's anything wrong with it, but because I'm just a local hometown boy and this place suits me fine.
A round for everyone today! <IMG SRC="http://forums.civfanatics.com/ubb/beerchug.gif" border=0>
Spiff <IMG SRC="http://forums.civfanatics.com/ubb/scan.gif" border=0>
[This message has been edited by SpacemanSpiff (edited July 08, 2001).]
