Building a Community

[Buster's Uncle]

Those of you who've been following my act for about the last year have heard all this before, but it's still true.

We've got a real opportunity here; this is the first forum I'm aware of BY SMACers For SMACers, without all the outside stuff getting in the way.  That's a thing worth nurturing, if you ask me.

We can build this place into something fun, entertaining, informative and worthwhile - more than it is already.  All it takes is all of us trying.  Go to that little extra effort to post, generate content - whether art, modifications, how-tos, scenarios, AARs or whatever - recruit others, and generally get involved.  If you're like most people reading this, you check by and read a little once in a while, wishing there was a more active SMAC(X) community to participate in.  Much of our reason to be here is to socialize and be entertained by one another.  Well, someone has to go first; I'm looking at YOU.

AC2 was a static skeleton at the beginning of February, but a handful of people quickly turned it into a real, live, forum.  Now it's time to step up our game.

One person can make a difference - I've demonstrated this repeatedly.  But it's never much of a show for long without someone to talk to.  Two people can make a big difference.  Everyone trying a little harder makes ALL the diference.

We need MPers, modders, hardcore players, scient fans/contributors, fan fiction writers, people with technical problems and people willing to troubleshoot.  We need fun, thoughtful people to joke with in Rec Commons and science-oriented people posting articles/commenting in the science forums.  (We need more Americans, 'cause it gets real slow on here in my evenings, between the Euros going to bed and the Aussies waking up.)  We need whatever interesting, appropriate-to-a-SMAC(X)-forum, thing I haven't thought of/mentioned, because putting our heads together is what it's all about.  It's all worthy and important, and we need all of it, and the people into each thing.  We need active people, and we need to bring in more of them.

We need YOU.

Just pitch in however you can; make that extra little effort, because we we're greater as a group than as individuals.  Try, please.  Make that comment.  Post that faction, story, art, ect.  Get in on that MP game.   Send those acquaintances a link to the forum.  Post to entertain me, and I'll do the same.  Let make a lot of friends here, and make the most active AC forum in the world 10 times busier.

We can do it.

[Flygon]

I am perfectly willing to pitch in, it's purely a matter of the skillset I have.

Also, I'd be horrible at multi-player games. I'd get killed within 5 turns somehow. But I am perfectly willing to contribute.

No way in hell's pits I am becoming an American, though. :p

[t_ras]

I'm willing to help.
I don't have much time, but I try to help bsing CMN where needed.
Mayby we should check who has the rights for the game, and if we can by them through KickStarter and make it open source, we might be able to renew the game and the comunity.

[Davyboy]

Sure, I'm up for it to the best of my abilities. Personally, I think I've already learnt a lot in the last six months too. Always happy to pass that on as well.

We need more Americans

Ain't 330 million enough already??? There's a mere 62 million Brits and a paltry 11 mil Belgs to mention just 2 'minorities'.
(Oh, you meant American players

No way in hell's pits I am becoming an American, though. :p

That made me laugh, so HARD!! 

[Buster's Uncle]

You guys are doing it right; just keep contributing as hard as you can bear to, maybe a tad more.  It's an investment that should pay off in future entertainment.

And if anyone will just switch to keeping the sort of hours I do, I don't care if you're still one of them there godless furniers, or a furry, or whatever...  Otherwise we need to recruit...

[NewAgeOfPower]

I am a modder [Lite], player, and I did write fanfic... Don't see myself writing SMAC stories though.

"And so within 16 minutes of war being declared, the massive University flotilla of Elite Blink Hypometric Inertial Sky-Dreadnoughts [40!-24-23] utterly obliterated Sister Miriam's motley defenders, a few obsolete Impact Rover [4-1-2] convoys and some fanatical Silksteel Sentinels [1-4-1] squads..."

Anyways, if someone wants to have me beta-test a mod or Beta AC2, great!

If someone wants to ask for my input on moddability, okay!

Um... Okay.

[Buster's Uncle]

Check out the stories in the Planet Tales forum for a sample of the possibilities of AC fiction.

And Kilkakon would really, really, really like feedback on his Lost Eden mod, which you find linked in the Modding forum.

There's something for everyone to contribute somewhere...

[Flygon]

I am a modder [Lite], player, and I did write fanfic... Don't see myself writing SMAC stories though.

"And so within 16 minutes of war being declared, the massive University flotilla of Elite Blink Hypometric Inertial Sky-Dreadnoughts [40!-24-23] utterly obliterated Sister Miriam's motley defenders, a few obsolete Impact Rover [4-1-2] convoys and some fanatical Silksteel Sentinels [1-4-1] squads..."

We should read the official novels, and see how they did it.

[Buster's Uncle]

...I should mention that I'm offering free art favors -or much better, lessons in GIMP/Photoshop- in the Taking Requests thread in Rec Commons.  That's posting activity that's pure profit for you...

[Green1]

Well, there are communities on older games that are VERY active. Age of Wonders 2 heaven at heaven games comes to mind. AoW:SM came out only 3 years later than Alpha Centauri. Like AC, there is no other game even into modern day that can match AoW:SM for the genre it does. Only Elemental: War of Magic comes close and it fails at it.

I even saw a community based on the old Forgotten Realms: Endless adventures which was based on the C64/128 and IBM 8086/286 construction set based on 2e DnD ising DOS emulators.

One of the things I think that confuses a lot of folks is that the community seems fragmented. There is a lot of "dont post here, post there..." stuff going on in PMs in other forums I have lurked on. Drama between you guys eons ago? Sheesh, not that I care. You have Aployton, Civ fanatics, WPC, 1BCciv, CGN, GoG, and probably a few I have not heard of.

[Buster's Uncle]

I couldn't say, not having seen or sent any of the PMs in question - save only the post here half, occasionally.  I'm not ashamed of recruiting. 

I can only control my own behavior, not that of others; but our tribe does indeed need to lay off the poison PMs.  I'm retired from the NerdWars^TM, my focus is on positivity and building the community, and everyone is welcome here.  Period.

[Green1]

NP, BU... Not trying to be negative. But one time years back, I only posted one thing asking a question. Mod googled and researched all previous posts on a dozen forums for my post history (for that handle) and PMed making claims against the established leadership of other forums. Damn, that is dedication.

Thank god over the 20 forums on various topics I visit, I have three handles. Even one old post on Civ Fanatics!

It just seemed a bit bizarre in one or two AC forums I visited and a bit clingy and desperate and made me not want to post there. You and sisko have refrained from that. I mean, damn, I was a lurker and only had one question! Thank you guys for not doing that.

Had to bring this up, even though it is a bit Nerd Wars-ish.

[Buster's Uncle]

No point in ignoring the elephant in the room.

Heavy sigh.  That has to be who I think it is.  Speaking as a bitter pedant myself, the last time I got burned somewhere, I ended declining to pursue revenge beyond depriving them of my participation - it would have hurt too much to spend the extra time thinking about them.  In choosing to build instead of destroy, I act in my own best interest; it's nice that others profit from my need to feel like a good guy, but I'm doing this for me.

He's welcome here, but there ARE certain behaviors we won't tolerate.

[t_ras]

i've just checked the other forums.
civfanatics seems to have some interesting things going on, but no games.
all the others have nothing interesting going on...

[Buster's Uncle]

I wish it were otherwise, but this is the only place I'm comfortable at all.  CFC is definitely my second choice.  I have a severe, severe problem with over-moderation, just as I do with no moderation, but Petek is great, and you shouldn't ever have any problems if you stay in the AC folder.

One thing we're going to do here is treat each other decently.  That applies to the Admins as well as the membership.