The History of NESing

[Thlayli]

As the Never Ending Stories community passes the fifth anniversary of its' creation, changes are noticeable. Some of our greatest and oldest members have become less active, while new players and moderators rise to take their place. Rulesets, game types, and maps have been developed, refined, and fluctuated in popularity. While some few players and NESes have become legendary, many of the community's greatest games were played before many of the current generation, not excluding myself, even joined.

The great legacy of brilliant updates, detailed maps, epic conflicts, and stories without end deserves retelling. The combined work of our community, the efforts of its' members, and our shared traditions must be chronicled before they are forgotten. Be it a summary of our greatest moments to conclude our first half decade, or just the first few pages of a story that will outlast our generation, the next generation of players does not have to be born into ignorance.

So, what exactly am I proposing? That deserves some discussion. Obviously a multi-volume, or at least a multi-chapter, history. It would draw on pre-existing data collection attempts, like the NESing Wiki, but itself be a coherent work. It would, like any good historical chronicle, be well researched. Inclusion of citations, referencing "source material" such as updates, stories and orders, and illustrations of maps, flags, and other unique graphics would be essential. Even interviews of surviving NESers collected by PM could be of use.

Upon completion, the chronicle could be polished, formatted as a .pdf, and distributed to community members and interested parties on CFC, or anywhere online, as a download. The importance of having a permanent history on record, for ourselves and others, is self evident.

It would be hard to underestimate the size and scope of this project. Lines (no, not LINES) in the sand will have to be crossed, and certain members of the community will have to volunteer significant portions of their time as editors, writers, and researchers. Almost everyone could be called upon to contribute something. But the rewards will be great: A history of the community, by the community, that will certainly outlast us.

To paraphrase something said about five years ago: We're going to tell a little story, and hopefully it will never end...

Any volunteers?

 

[alex994]

You're back from France already?

I'm interested

 

[Thlayli]

Thanks for the love, alex. Still here until the 18th. Whatever preliminary work I can accomplish from my phone and Internet cafes before then, I will.

Ideally, a 3 or 5 person development committee should be selected, to determine the format, and coordinate the contributions, articles and accounts submitted by different forumers.

 

[North King]

Ugh, committees.

I'd help out, of course, but I don't know how much time I have to spare.

 

[Symphony D.]

Given the abysmal failure of the Wiki and most other megaprojects, I'm not terribly convinced of the prospects personally. I am also rather unsure of the purpose itself. This in particular perturbs me:

But the rewards will be great: A history of the community, by the community, that will certainly outlast us.

Although a communal resource is great, this makes it sound rather more like writing an epitaph than a historical document. Why spend all the effort building such a thing rather than directing the effort toward the community itself?

Going back to my first point, if such effort isn't being spent on the community (and given all the complaints of "Why is the NES forum so dead lately," it isn't), why would it suddenly appear for a history of the community?

 

[Thlayli]

Ugh, committees.

I'd help out, of course, but I don't know how much time I have to spare.

You would be needed, probably as a researcher or chronicler because of your presence in the older generations.

Certain members qualities recommend themselves as planners: Dachspmg, jalapeño_dude and Symphony. Other possibilities include The_Strategos or Perfectionist.

Others, like Iggy, alex, and NK would probably serve better as writers.

I would probably be best at dredging up old materials as a researcher. Jason and das, along with eq and other older generation members, could probably summarize their own older works best, as well as their '03-'05 contemporaries.

Of course, I'll fill in wherever work needs to be done the most.

---

On Symphony's point, histories aren't meant to be epitaphs. But there is a sense that the NES du jour occupies all of our attention, and the epic projects of the past need to be at least recollected, if NESing is to continue as successfully as it has.

And there's no better way to have our past accomplishments held up as examples for those to come. There's no essential difference between this and the NESing Guide or Wiki, except in detail and format.

And thirdly, getting the whole community involved in a collective project could and would have a reinvigorating effect, due to members spending more time on the forum and as a result, on their own projects and NESes as well.

 

[Dachs]

Certain members qualities recommend themselves as planners: Dachspmg, jalapeño_dude and Symphony. Other possibilities include The_Strategos or Perfectionist.

Haha, I'd be a terrible planner. If anything I'd have to be a writer.

 

[Oruc]

You would be needed, probably as a researcher or chronicler because of your presence in the older generations.

I loled.

but anyway a history of nesing? what would be the point of it? you could just link old nes's or just tell em UKnemesis started it off.

Edit: Another pm from toteone? he turns up once a year to tell me i'm a bastard, I suppose we could warn people about him in the history

 

[North King]

I loled.

Love you too, emu.

Would this include asides which would be basic summaries of what happened in such and such a famous NES? Something like stJNES5 or ITNES really shaped how the community evolved, of course, but it's hard to explain that evolution without mentioning what happened within.

 

[alex994]

Why would he keep sending you PMs...

 

[Symphony D.]

On Symphony's point, histories aren't meant to be epitaphs. But there is a sense that the NES du jour occupies all of our attention, and the epic projects of the past need to be at least recollected, if NESing is to continue as successfully as it has.

I disagree. I think if you examine the past, you will find by and large a collection of chaff, with a few kernels of wheat. There are some dozen to a dozen and a half major standout games throughout the past. There was no golden age. There was a juddering mess that got us to our current position which was sometimes successful, often not. There is no glory to document. It's no different than any other human history once you strip away the unique characters and the events and take away the fundamentals: knowing it is mostly useful for the purposes of preventing its mistakes from recurring.

And there's no better way to have our past accomplishments held up as examples for those to come. There's no essential difference between this and the NESing Guide or Wiki, except in detail and format.

It involves far greater focus and effort, rather than a few petty contributions in one's spare time (which failed) or a single author (which stagnated). This might better ensure its success, but it also forces a much greater devotion of manpower to resolving the issue, by the best and brightest of our very small community (given the names you listed).

I view this as eulogizing because if the efforts of a community are being spent on detailing an often sordid and uninspiring past, then that is effort which is not being spent keeping the community alive. If it is taking all of our best talent, in such a dedicated fashion as you suggest, all it's doing is helping ensure that the history, once written, will be complete rather than to-date. I do not view chronicling a past littered with failure to be a superior usage of time to actually attempting to fix such problems to create a future.

I therefore view this as an enormous wastage of our limited manpower pool, and a symptom of fatalistic nostalgia disguised as a rallying effort. I deem it anathema, and will have no part in it.

 

[Oruc]

Why would he keep sending you PMs...

Because I wronged him, im a jerk, he forgives me, he hopes I go to hell.... etc.

I think I called him an attention whore like 4 years ago, so he likes to remind me couple of times a year. sometimes he forgives me other times he hopes I go to hell. I apologised two years ago.

Does erik mesoy still know the guy? Because he really needs to forget about it I was a . .. .. .. .ing teenager.

Sorry for threadjacking guys but this is quite despressing.

 

[North King]

I disagree. I think if you examine the past, you will find by and large a collection of chaff, with a few kernels of wheat. There are some dozen to a dozen and a half major standout games throughout the past. There was no golden age. There was a juddering mess that got us to our current position which was sometimes successful, often not. There is no glory to document. It's no different than any other human history once you strip away the unique characters and the events and take away the fundamentals: knowing it is mostly useful for the purposes of preventing its mistakes from recurring.

That is one view, and not necessarily a common view. I think that history has an inherent value beyond the examination of past mistakes idea, and certainly the history of this forum, which has been an interesting one.

In fact, while there isn't a golden age, that's mostly because the majority of the time things were, indeed, good.

I view this as eulogizing because if the efforts of a community are being spent on detailing an often sordid and uninspiring past, then that is effort which is not being spent keeping the community alive. If it is taking all of our best talent, in such a dedicated fashion as you suggest, all it's doing is helping ensure that the history, once written, will be complete rather than to-date. I do not view chronicling a past littered with failure to be a superior usage of time to actually attempting to fix such problems to create a future.

People can both participate in the present and chronicle the past, if they have the time, which many of us do.

I therefore view this as an enormous wastage of our limited manpower pool, and a symptom of fatalistic nostalgia disguised as a rallying effort. I deem it anathema, and will have no part in it.

All right, I hope you don't continue to deem it an anathema with repeated posts in this thread, since that will really help none of us.

 

[Thlayli]

Well, now that I've been placed under interdict by Symph, I'd like to say that neither gushing about the glorious past nor ranting about how miserable and awful it was would be accepted.

And I will not allow a reasonable and useful idea to die just because someone thinks it is a bad use of MY free time, which is, by the way, mine to give. And now that you've made your displeasure known from on high, Symph, I kindly ask you not to actively hinder these efforts with witty comments. I had hoped for the assistance of your significant talents, but your absence will not kill the project.

Yes NK, neutral assessments of the contribution of individual games to broader trends within the community will be welcomed.

 

[Symphony D.]

All right, I hope you don't continue to deem it an anathema with repeated posts in this thread, since that will really help none of us.

Just because you asked so nicely, I won't even bother with an "I told you so," when the time comes. If you need me, you can find me actually working on fixing all the problems you'll soon be so merrily documenting. Good day!

 

[North King]

Okay, seems to me that if we're doing a history of NESing, especially by multiple authors, first thing we'd need to do is get a general outline of NESing "history". Feel free to suggest things; I'll offer my two cents later on (when I actually get my two cents together).

 

[Dachs]

The merits of this project (or possible lack thereof) notwithstanding, I really think that we should support a current project and patronize the IRC channel. [/thread hijack]

As one of the main - and few major - contributors in the NESing Wiki, I don't take kindly to a good deal of this. I mean, the almost total lack of support (maybe five contributors on anything approaching a regular basis, and that's on the high end) there was kinda disheartening. Why would this be any different? I mean, I'd be perfectly willing to contribute if there were some greater incentive than was found in the wiki project for other people to work.

Plus, you really need to be finishing up work on TNES II.

 

[Jason The King]

While there may not have been a "golden age" to some people, to others there was.

But that's neither here nor there. Thlayli is suggesting a chronicling of the past. As some have said there may have been a lot of rubbish in the past, rarely there being a good epic NES. But don't the good NESs deserve to be chronicled?

Anyways, I'm willing to help, with whatever I can. Thlayli, or any planners, let me know what I can do.

 

[North King]

Anyways, I'm willing to help, with whatever I can. Thlayli, or any planners, let me know what I can do.

You do have a rather longer "forum memory" than most of us: it might be up to you to tell how the early stages panned out. Nothing serious.

 

[Kentharu]

perhaps we should vote on the people who wish to do this.

Also i wish to see das's opinion on this