The Civ5 files announcements: Thinking about stoping them
- Thread starter The_J
- Start date
- Status
...and there the problem begins 
(problem because you're both right).
Okay...let's see...what about:
- Next month: Additionally some bigger mods
- End of the year: A big list of all currently working mods + scenarios (because that's in what the users are interested; units, tools etc are things for the modders, mods and scenarios are things for the users)
- Announcement afterwards: Themed announcement, Civ + the world, about all the new civs which have been done (i think something can be done with a nice overview map)
- Next: Again themed announcement, maybe about maps (parts of the world, or different worlds, don't know exactly yet)
That might satisfy everyone
.
But again a small problem: I'll need help. I don't know which mods, civs, scenarios are currently (or when it's time for the announcements) playable, and which are broken due to updates.
I'll probably prepare a list a week before (separate thread), and someone will have to help me to kick the defective ones out. I hope someone will be helpful.
I see the issue, and i see the point in your suggestion.
Doable, we'll try that next time.
But i'd not put the deadline earlier than the announcement. I think you might have said it because it might be an encouragement to be sure "in" the announcement and not to maybe miss it again. Would not see that as a problem, because i in general offer the option to let stuff be added afterwards within 24 hours to the announcement.
Or did you think of anything else?
(problem because you're both right).Okay...let's see...what about:
- Next month: Additionally some bigger mods
- End of the year: A big list of all currently working mods + scenarios (because that's in what the users are interested; units, tools etc are things for the modders, mods and scenarios are things for the users)
- Announcement afterwards: Themed announcement, Civ + the world, about all the new civs which have been done (i think something can be done with a nice overview map)
- Next: Again themed announcement, maybe about maps (parts of the world, or different worlds, don't know exactly yet)
That might satisfy everyone
.But again a small problem: I'll need help. I don't know which mods, civs, scenarios are currently (or when it's time for the announcements) playable, and which are broken due to updates.
I'll probably prepare a list a week before (separate thread), and someone will have to help me to kick the defective ones out. I hope someone will be helpful
.I see the issue, and i see the point in your suggestion.
Doable, we'll try that next time.
But i'd not put the deadline earlier than the announcement. I think you might have said it because it might be an encouragement to be sure "in" the announcement and not to maybe miss it again. Would not see that as a problem, because i in general offer the option to let stuff be added afterwards within 24 hours to the announcement.
Or did you think of anything else?
My next question would be what about mod/scenarios? This is what Mesopotamia currently falls under (since I've come back to civfanatics, my main goal has been to make this a mod with several scenarios shipped on release). Do they become "big total conversions" or "scenarios"?
okay, i knew why i didn't want to go into that field.Let's say both. I'll just take the top5 threads with the most replies which are currently active and working...okay...that will encourage spam, no...anything which i could reasonably use as judgement base could be manipulated now after mentioning it...god...will have to think about something else.
Spatzimaus
Mad Scientist
Easier benchmark: look at the threads' numbers of total replies RIGHT NOW. The ones with lots of replies are generally the major mods. There's a pretty large gap between the big threads with thousands of replies and the rest, so just draw the line wherever you want.
Good idea. Will sure only work once, but we don't intent to do that more often.
Decided to use the number of views instead of the number of replies, because there are sure more non registered visitors around than real users.
So...modpacks...okay, there's no real clear cut, but let's see
- R.E.D
- HitM2
- CCTP
- Hulfgar
- Echoes Of Ages
These are at >30 000 views
- Total Mod
- Have Fun Cheat Engine
These are at >20 000 views
+ the 3 forums.
Scenarios
- Another WW2 scenario
- Red WW2 1939-45
Then long no scenario which has been recently active
- Putmalks Mesopotamia
- Red WW2 1942
Then again long nothing...
Any non functional mods/scenarios in there?
Can someone explain me the connection between the Red mod and the 2 Red scenarios?
Decided to use the number of views instead of the number of replies, because there are sure more non registered visitors around than real users.
So...modpacks...okay, there's no real clear cut, but let's see
- R.E.D
- HitM2
- CCTP
- Hulfgar
- Echoes Of Ages
These are at >30 000 views
- Total Mod
- Have Fun Cheat Engine
These are at >20 000 views
+ the 3 forums.
Scenarios
- Another WW2 scenario
- Red WW2 1939-45
Then long no scenario which has been recently active
- Putmalks Mesopotamia
- Red WW2 1942
Then again long nothing...
Any non functional mods/scenarios in there?
Can someone explain me the connection between the Red mod and the 2 Red scenarios?
Spatzimaus
Mad Scientist
I'd also throw the highly-used Mod Components onto the lists. Active City Defense, InfoAddict, WWGD, Emigration, etc., assuming they still work. The line between "Modpack" and "Component" is a little blurry, but if it can be used directly by a player (as opposed to something like Building Resources, Custom Notifications, or User Events, which have to be integrated into another mod to have any effect), it should get listed I think, since a lot of folks who don't want big game-altering mods might be okay with a UI tweak.
Also, you're missing a couple big ones from your Modpacks list, most notably City-State Diplomacy and Building Made Fun. I'm pretty sure CSD is still compatible with the most recent game, even though the thread's been quiet for a couple weeks, although I'm not so sure about BMF.
Also, you're missing a couple big ones from your Modpacks list, most notably City-State Diplomacy and Building Made Fun. I'm pretty sure CSD is still compatible with the most recent game, even though the thread's been quiet for a couple weeks, although I'm not so sure about BMF.
Thx for the hint. Just checked the thread, and it seems the author hasn't been online after the latest patch and didn't update it.
But i have to make somewhere a cut
.Checked the threads, CSDs last post was more than a half month ago, and BMF is not compatible.
And again: Have to cut it somewhere :/.
Edit: And please, for the listed ones in my last post, if someone definitely knows if or if not they are working, please say it. I don't know anything, i need really every information. If no one knows, i'll have to go through the threads myself, and well...i could use my time better :/.
Well, since the issue was lack of mods, why does a cut need to be made? If one category at a time (modpacks, components, scenarios, etc.) is run through, it doesn't seem like it'd be too much, since only major mods often get updated through the patches.
As for BMF, that's not currently compatible, but I do believe one of the authors is currently working to bring it up-to-date. My assumption being based upon the fact that they renamed it under a week ago.
As for BMF, that's not currently compatible, but I do believe one of the authors is currently working to bring it up-to-date. My assumption being based upon the fact that they renamed it under a week ago.
Didn't really intent to do that
.But it seems there's a need for it
.Maybe then...a summary for every part in the next months?
God, i hope this doesn#t look if i was changing my opinion in every second post.
mmhh...okay, has to be kept in mind.
markusbeutel
NiGHTS
This would then again mean, that you'd see three subforums ontop of the modpacks area.
I suggested the movement of the Civ5 - Project & Mod Development to the modpacks forum, because this would be one subforum, and you could still see the single projects in the modpacks area.
I sure see your point.
mmhhh...new people might then not find the whole area anymore
Difficult.
And i'd like to hear some more opinions. Might be that i have to drop a PM to Thal + MarkusBeutel (if they don't come to hear alone) to see what they have to say.
I'd be fine with either of Spatzimaus' suggestions. You could also just move Projects & Mod Development to the top with Modpacks and Mod Components, as these are the three directories that generate the most views/posts. Another suggestion - it'd be nice to somehow separate mods that are currently active and updated with ones that aren't. Mods that aren't updated for patches and no longer supported leave a bad impression on people new to the modding scene for CIV V, and as a result they generally stick with vanilla as a result of their misconstrued perceptions about mods and how they cause crashes/bugs.
Spatzimaus
Mad Scientist
Not that I disagree with you, but consider the inherent absurdity of that statement... Firaxis releases a game that fundamentally changes itself enough between patches that every major mod breaks whenever they release a new version. And, they're so consistent at it that we're now treating this as the norm, where any mod that's more than a month old is just assumed to be broken. And we're usually right. *shudder* It's made the in-game browser nearly useless, and that's probably hurt people's perceptions of mods worse than inactive mods in the forums have.
It kind of makes me afraid for Christmas; last year they released a big patch right in mid-December, so given people's vacation schedules you had a month or so where many mods wouldn't function at all. I really hope that doesn't happen again this year. And at some point in the future, many of us will get tired enough of Civ5 that we won't check this forum every day or notice when a patch gets released... I really hope they lock down the databases before then.
But back to the earlier topic,
The_J said:
Moderator's prerogative. Besides, we're brainstorming here; there are no stupid ideas, only stupid people.
The problem I'd anticipate with any sort of split announcement (announcing projects one day, modpacks on a different day, etc.) is one of appeal. Obviously I'm biased, but I'd say that while some of the most useful mods are the least flashy ones (the ones that tweak UI elements or add useful mechanics), they're not the ones that'd appeal most to the random non-mod-using player who's considering looking into trying out something new. Admittedly, I base much of that assumption on the number of folks who asked "when's FfH getting converted to Civ5?" back when the game first came out.
That, and we just don't have that many in each category to begin with, so I think one big all-inclusive post would be better than a few small ones, I'd say. Safety in numbers, folks.
...just checking...Spatzis suggestions include the linking (which i'm currently in favor of).
Just moving the whole forum up is a bit a problem, because it might easily bloat when the activity increases (just take a look at civ4).
While Spatzi is sure right with his arguments, i also see the point here.
Not sure how to separate them. A subforum might be overkill (not sure).
Adjusting the thread title with some hint, like adding "NOT UPDATED" at the beginning of the title might work. Would sure not be done directly after a patch, but some time afterwards, 2 weeks or so maybe?
But i need help there too. I can't test it myself, so i'd have to rely on somebody (or best on all here) to tell me where to change it.
Could be done via reporting the threads, or via PM, or maybe with a separate organizational thread.
Opinions?
We don't even have enough stuff in Civ4 to split it up, so that will probably never happen.
But well, then like said, every month a list of the established things in one category, unless someone comes up with a better idea.
Spatzimaus
Mad Scientist
I like that you use "when" instead of "if" there. But it's not just about activity; my own mod's thread wasn't really that active, compared to many of the others, but the fact that I was creating a 4-mod pack necessitated multiple threads just to keep the discussions coherent (and if they'd been in separate threads in Modpacks, then it'd be practically impossible to keep them together). I'm not sure how many of the other current modpacks would need that sort of thing, even if activity were to drastically increase, so I don't think it'd necessarily bloat up.
Of course, if that increase were triggered by the release of the DLL, the announcement of an official expansion, or the start of development for some huge total conversion mods, then I'm sure we'd find ourselves with a need for more of them, so your point is taken.
A simpler convention would be to have the titles of each thread be adjustable by their creators, to where everyone could put in the title when the last version was released/uploaded. It'd fall to the player to know when the last patch was (although you could easily put a message for that at the top of the forum), and to just assume that if something's last update was before the patch, then you use at your own risk. But there'd be no effort needed on the moderators' part, because if someone didn't feel like doing this then we'd be no worse off than before, but modders who DO follow this would be able to easily indicate that their mods are up-to-date.
So if the mod's thread says "(10/30/11)", then you know it was updated yesterday, and there's no concern about obsolescence, but if the date was three months ago then you can pretty much assume it's dead, even if there are recent posts. This'd also help for the "regulars", as it were, since they'd know whether there's something really important (like patch notes) in a thread that they're only kind of interested in. If you're using the in-game browser then it already has the capability to check version numbers on your mods, but having a date to go with it would be nice, especially for those of us who don't use the in-game setup and whose mods have stayed at v1.
I'd tried to do this on the FILES thread in my own forum, only to be confronted with the fact that I couldn't rename a thread once it'd been in place more than a certain amount of time. Not sure how possible it is to change this, though.
Changing thread titles for users was disabled due to the potential of abuse, and i don't think the admins will change that (maybe there are other reasons too, don't know).
But doing it in a thread title is not *that* different from adding dates/version numbers of a threads OP. But the poor truth: People just don't look at that, or don't know enough to judge about it right :/.
But doing it in a thread title is not *that* different from adding dates/version numbers of a threads OP. But the poor truth: People just don't look at that, or don't know enough to judge about it right :/.
Spatzimaus
Mad Scientist
I figured that that was the reason, just pointing out the downside related to this particular topic.
Unfortunate, but true. For a long time I wouldn't see many downloads until a few days had passed, because I'd only update the start of the first post with the new version number and dates. But then I added my mod to my .sig, with version numbers and dates, and suddenly I started seeing a lot more downloads on day one after an update. It's pretty clear that most folks don't go into more than one or two threads on a regular basis, unless they have some outside reason to go in there (like the .sig thing). And the sig, obviously, wouldn't help with this particular issue, as a stalled, obsolete mod would usually be accompanied by a lack of posts from its creator.
One of the nice things about having a project forum is that since the Files thread is only used by me to post version notes, any new posts in that thread automatically indicate a new version. So it's a lot easier for people who use my mods to keep an eye out for updates. But obviously, this can't apply to most other mods.
New month, new mods! Also in november we can present you something new, and we'll also give you a short overview about something older.
It has been a bit more silent, probably because some modders are preparing for christmas
, but still, we have two new modpacks out there with Uomo Universalis and Darkhour reality, as well as an update for one of the big and well known mods, Hulfgars modpack. And a new total conversion has come up, you can now entirely play a game of Civ5 in the United Kingdom! The upcoming middle earth mod is not yet in that far, but has already some nice playable parts.We're also happy that bernie and Pazyryk are working to improve the development speed and help to bring some diversity in these mods, thanks guys
. But while many people are interesteed in the newest developments, we also often hear the questions like "what are the big mods out there?", "what do i have to play", and similar.
Now, you have a list here.
First, we have our three big mods, Thals Vanilla enhanced, CivNiGHTS and Ages Of Man. And they are quite different. The first one should appeal to the people who are unsatisfied with the base game, because it enhances, like the title says, Civilization 5 and patches various bugs. The second one is more for the people who don't like some of the mechanics at all and rather want to see something from Civ4 to be redone. And the last one is an expansion. You want more Civ5, you get more Civ5.
And also the other mods are not really small and target a different audience here on the forums. The city states diplomacy mod is obviously for people who think, that this feature deserves some expansion. If you want to have more meaningful conversations with the city states, then this is your mod. The community call to power mod wants to redesign parts of Civ5, so if you're looking for a new gameplay feeling, then take this one. And the echoes of ages mod expands the game not only with content, but also with features like e.g. religions, and the Great Powers Rise mod is more focused on the modern ages.
So, and if nothing here was a mod for you, why do you not maybe try to mod a bit yourself? You can easily build a nice scenario with the ingame editor. Or you might want to listen what the modders currently think in the latest modcast.
Whatever is the case, i hope you'll enjoy your next time with Civilization 5 and will also read the next months announcement, eagerly waiting for the next gems in our forum.
Have fun
.New Civilization 5 files
- Hulfgars Modpack (No DLC) ver 10.2 by Hulfgar and Redox
- Lord of the Rings CivPack: Rohan by The Little One
- United Kingdom by gascooker
- civ5 swordsman blend TEMPLATE by bernie14
- Utility: TableSaverLoader by Pazyryk
- Perl Utility: ModBBF by Pazyryk
- Uomo Universalis by moriboe
- Darkhour reality by Darkhour
Established Civilization 5 modpacks:
- Unofficial Patch and Vanilla Enhanced by Thalassicus
- Civilization NiGHTS by markusbeutel
- Ages Of Man by Spatzimaus
- City States Diplomacy by Gazebo
- Community Call To Power by the CCtP team
- Echoes Of Ages by Cyrinno
- Great Powers Rise by dream1976
- IngameEditor by DonQuiche
>> Announce your Civilization 5 files for future posts
>> View all Civilization 5 files in the Downloads Database
--------------
Okay, this is what i want to post somewhen tomorrow (24 hours, maybe 30).
Can anyone confirm that the 2 marked mods are working with the latest patch?
Oh, and i'm general i'm assuming that patches break mods and ignored every thread in which the author had not posted after august this year. If i missed anything, or if i'm wrong, then please say it.
I'll now also dig a bit through the threads to see if somewhere are some nice images for the announcement. If you have one, please post it.
--------
[*]Real Name Earth by Seraphim8400 Does this one work?
[*]R.E.D. modpack by Gedemon Does this one work?
Attachments
- Status
Similar threads
- Poll
