Team Organization and Ethos

[tobiasn]

Another cool tool I think we may use is Tinychat. This is free chat, where those interested in actually chatting strategy, battle plans, etc, can interact the best possible way - way better than posting/replying and waiting in a forum. Then after the discussion, the chat log can be posted in the "Strategy discussion" or whatever appropriate section of the forum it belongs to the other members to read/follow/comment. To my experience nothing can compare to chatting live and brainstorming strategies about civ. What you think?

Love this idea. I use Talkerapp a lot with a lot of different teams - web based, clean, does things like shows images inline if you post an image URL, persistent logs so people can log in and read up, etc. It's free.

I'll check Tinychat too, I'm really interested in everything that can enhance remote team collaboration. I do a fair bit of outsourcing, so this tickles my interest for sure

I'll work a little bit on the dropbox idea. It's not rocket science at all, it's just setting up the proper privacy settings on the shared folder, and making sure people actually use it. Then I can build a simple image showing web service with minimal UI - just organizing the screenshots for a web view based on folders, on a pw-secured server.

 

[Aivoturso]

A good workflow could be like this:

1: Team members A, B, C are turnplayers or in charge of screenshots. They have DropBox installed. Whenever they take screenshots, they put them in their DropBox folder, make a new sub-folder for each turn.

2: Any other team member with DropBox installed will get access to the screenshots instantaneously.

3: A secure web app that we/I hack together reads the dropbox update, and puts the screenies on web for those that don't have/don't want dropbox installed

4: Turnplayer/Minister of Screenshots updates turn log on the forum, hotlinks (with normal [IMG] tag) the most important screenies and links to external web app for the rest.

Might take a few hours to set up the web app, installing Dropbox is free, and should be free for the duration of the game as long as people don't save HD PNGs.

But: No manual image uploading required what so ever. Just save the file in the appropriate directory, and hey presto.

Pretty much to what I imagined. Web app could also fetch automatically screenshots for last say ten turns and put them to pre-named folders (e.g. <webadress>/now/screenie1.jpg & <webadress>/now-3/screenie6.jpg). Now just add a thread for the last turns, each turn in their own post and each post having hotlink for 5 - 10 screenshots for each turn. That way everyone would get access to screenshots immediately after they have been uploaded. Or at least after a short time the web app may require to do its magic.

BTW, as I said, I am a software developer by trade. So if any help is needed for hacking I can help with any coding that's not web specific.

 

[tobiasn]

Pretty much to what I imagined. Web app could also fetch automatically screenshots for last say ten turns and put them to pre-named folders (e.g. <webadress>/now/screenie1.jpg & <webadress>/now-3/screenie6.jpg). Now just add a thread for the last turns, each turn in their own post and each post having hotlink for 5 - 10 screenshots for each turn. That way everyone would get access to screenshots immediately after they have been uploaded. Or at least after a short time the web app may require to do its magic.

That's a pretty cool idea. It does however require (well.. to be smooth and nice ) adhering to some naming conventions, like a rule that every turn gets a new folder with just a number, or a prefix like /turn-15/, and that these "special" screenshots are the same amount every time. No biggie though, and something worth checking out.

I did some hacking tonight, I've made the following work:

- Automatic publishing images from a specific dropbox folder to a flickr account. That account can be set to private, but i don't know how it works with sharing, and flickr is kinda bloated for something like this. Also, don't play nice with subfolders.

- Integration between DropBox and Joomla/WordPress/Tumblr. The first two require some serious tweaking, but can be secure. The latter is a lot easier to set up, but i don't know if it's possible to password protect a tumblog. All these options just read the images straight from DropBox (hosted at dropbox).
Rather crap with subfolders too.

To make your suggestion with the auto updating forum thread work, I need to get a bit further -- pulling the images with curl or something, and renaming them, etc. But this should be easy with some basic php.net prodding

I had some fun with DropBox and IFTTT tonight. Man, I love that service, it's like a universal API. Future is nooow

 

[Caledorn]

This scares me a bit. I know you work in marketing, Tobias, but that you take an active part in working with web developing is very weird. I work with web developing So. Same nationality, same birth year, and we share some skills. In a country with about 5 mio citizens, and in a team in a Civ community.

The world is small!

Sorry for my completely off topic rant here. I may chip in some cents too, but what I have seen here so far looks like as if you guys have everything under control (my work tools are PHP and mySQL, and also design of webpages).

Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2

 

[tobiasn]

Hehe, yeah, freaky coincidence But maybe not that weird, this is kinda nerdy too, right?

I may chip in some cents too, but what I have seen here so far looks like as if you guys have everything under control (my work tools are PHP and mySQL, and also design of webpages).

Well to be honest my PHP skills aren't top notch, I'm a much better front-end dev and systems architect. I've found out that I'm gonna use this sdk (dropbox php) to just easily mock up a simple app to fetch images, save them to the server, and copy/rename a set of the latest screenies to a preset folder set, like Aivoturso suggested.

I'm at the stage where I understand completely what needs to be done, and can spec it, but I'm gonna fail miserably about 100 times before I get there. That is, as you know since you're in the biz, very normal

Stuff like cron jobs I'm totally crap at, as well as setting up PHP to handle strings of the required size in an efficient manner. The documentation is simple enough, but I see some challenges there.

If you want to help me out, I'll make a git repo out of it, and you can help me debug when we get that far? That would be sweet.

 

[Bowsling]

Wow, sounds great.

Apparently there's a 300 mb monthly limit on Flickr. This could pose some problems if we upload a lot of pictures. Also, we could probably use a new thread for this.

 

[Sommerswerd]

Use photo bucket, I dont think there is any limit. Just make sure you set all the security features on and make the pics only visible to people logged in, or all our pics will be searchable from the general photobucket website.

 

[tobiasn]

Wow, sounds great.

Apparently there's a 300 mb monthly limit on Flickr. This could pose some problems if we upload a lot of pictures. Also, we could probably use a new thread for this.

Thanks. Yeah, we'll use our own hosting or just use S3 (no photobucket. ever. ).

Here's the thread.

 

[2metraninja]

One thing though - since we are going to be a team, it will be nice and actually absolutely necessary we dont show disunity, gainsay and contradict one another in public. Whatever one have to say, here - in our private forum is the place this to be said. Not to give clue to outsiders that we have weak glue and cracks as a team. We are different personalities, have almost not played together till now, may have absolutely different opinions on things, and we have plenty of time to know each-other and possibly start thinking in one direction, but this is only for domestic use. We are democracy and we have voting. If arguing and decission making must be done, this must be done only in private and we come in public with ready opinion and united as a team.

Its a common sense that we must show and act as a strong team in front of the others.

 

[Caledorn]

2metra: If you refer to my recent post where I say I am ambivalent to the spy thing, I apologize. I did not mean that as a disagreement with the team, and I worded it the way I did to avoid it looking as if I disagree with the team. What I meant by it is that I see the points made by LP - but that I also don't see what all the fuss is about when everyone is on equal footing. An exploit simply isn't an exploit anymore when everyone knows about it and has the same possibility to use it as the rest. It would only be an exploit if e.g. we were the only team who knew about it and abused it to get a tainted victory.

Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2

 

[Majic]

I guess, although the discussions in public started way before team forums were created. Plus this is only the setting stage, I think it's alright for people to discuss pros and cons so other teams can make informed decisions. For example, some teams seem to have missed that you have to install a mod to play with the spanish mod. Also if I think its silly to ban a minor thing as map trading before paper (because there are ways around it), I think it's ok for me to say so in public if I don't agree with team majority.

Btw, I know I arrived quite late and probably missed things, but have we actually had polls on the game settings?

 

[2metraninja]

2metra: If you refer to my recent post where I say I am ambivalent to the spy thing, I apologize.

No, no - not specific to anyone, just stating common sense, which I think must be obvious. This worked out quite good for me in both team games and in RL job and in family and in other endeavors. What disagreements or problems we have, it must stay inside. After all, we are new team, we must tell things and adjust to each- other That's all.

To give you a good example, this and only this time I will tell you I also think that we must ban CSMs and we already had discussion with Sommers, but as we are old-time teammates and somewhat we organized team CFC, we must be an example to the rest of our comrades of united opinion So I never expressed this even here, not to mention to show my disagreement in front of the other teams.

Honestly, I dont care much about CSMs. I dont believe they are game-breaking. Yes, they might be a bit overpowered, but not to extent where everyone will only use them or lose chance to the game. Not at all. Cunning diplomacy and great plans, executed bravely will decide the outcome of the game, not a damned civic swap mission. But those are the votes. Full espionage ON. We are not going to go back on our words and against our Captain Sommers.

Maybe, after all, we can go back on our vote and change it as a measure to deny RB a justification when they lose the game. But thats because our team wants so, not because we are dictated to

 

[2metraninja]

Btw, I know I arrived quite late and probably missed things, but have we actually had polls on the game settings?

Good question I am not sure myself. I was busy IRL and arguing online these last few weeks, so I might have missed them

 

[Caledorn]

No, no - not specific to anyone, just stating common sense, which I think must be obvious. This worked out quite good for me in both team games and in RL job and in family and in other endeavors. What disagreements or problems we have, it must stay inside. After all, we are new team, we must tell things and adjust to each- other That's all.

To give you a good example, this and only this time I will tell you I also think that we must ban CSMs and we already had discussion with Sommers, but as we are old-time teammates and somewhat we organized team CFC, we must be an example to the rest of our comrades of united opinion So I never expressed this even here, not to mention to show my disagreement in front of the other teams.

Honestly, I dont care much about CSMs. I dont believe they are game-breaking. Yes, they might be a bit overpowered, but not to extent where everyone will only use them or lose chance to the game. Not at all. Cunning diplomacy and great plans, executed bravely will decide the outcome of the game, not a damned civic swap mission. But those are the votes. Full espionage ON. We are not going to go back on our words and against our Captain Sommers.

Maybe, after all, we can go back on our vote and change it as a measure to deny RB a justification when they lose the game. But thats because our team wants so, not because we are dictated to

I agree with everything you've said here, both the team-spirit, and your view on the CSMs. I will ensure I don't get into any public discussions that may give people the impression I disagree with the team.

Good question I am not sure myself. I was busy IRL and arguing online these last few weeks, so I might have missed them

We have not as a matter of fact ...

 

[Majic]

So how did you decide our teams vote for settings?

 

[Caledorn]

So how did you decide our teams vote for settings?

Mostly by discussion in the thread for it somewhere in here

Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2

 

[Sommerswerd]

So how did you decide our teams vote for settings?

Consensus (in the coloquial sense not the Dictionary definition @ cavscout)

 

[cav scout]

Hmmmm.... Something just clicked for me after reading this thread and our game settings thread- We haven't really had a robust discussion on the controversial Espy missions.

I think these missions should be banned based on the reasons articulated by other posters. But like 2metraninja I decided not to express my opinion. I was fine letting what i assumed to be the majority will on this issue prevail. But now it seems that there might be a silent majority opposed to the CSMs...

I don't want any of our team members to feel like they don't have a say or their opinion/vote counts for less. So if someone feels strong enough about the Espy question I would encourage them to start a poll.

 

[talonschild]

So if someone feels strong enough about the Espy question I would encourage them to start a poll.

...that would be me.

 

[talonschild]

I have an idea. Polls are proving to be less than ideal means of gauging opinion.

So instead in future it will work like this.

I will open a normal thread. The first post will outline the question and hold the latest tally.

Each person gets one post, to be updated with their current opinion on the subject and their official vote, which can be changed through edits, so no messy revision attempts.

That sound reasonable?