Rince-wind Posted June 14, 2019 What are some things one should know about when deciding to host/spearhead a community project? 3 Share this post Link to post
baja blast rd. Posted June 14, 2019 Before you start asking for volunteers for your new mega-cool-and-whatnot community megawad project, make sure you have something to show first (previous WADs, experience with project management, etc). Keep in mind we've already seen thousands of awesome community megawad project ideas that fell apart at the seams. 26 Share this post Link to post
Rince-wind Posted June 14, 2019 2 minutes ago, rdwpa said: Before you start asking for volunteers for your new mega-cool-and-whatnot community megawad project, make sure you have something to show first (previous WADs, experience with project management, etc). Keep in mind we've already seen thousands of awesome community megawad project ideas that fell apart at the seams. What are the most common reasons these projects fall apart? 0 Share this post Link to post
Nine Inch Heels Posted June 14, 2019 Project leads being incompetent is the main killer. Another reason is not having a decent concept that justifies a CP to begin with. 16 Share this post Link to post
Misty Posted June 14, 2019 1 minute ago, Rince-wind said: What are the most common reasons these projects fall apart? Poor management skills and mapping format changes after half of the maps are done. 1 Share this post Link to post
Rince-wind Posted June 14, 2019 14 minutes ago, Misty said: mapping format changes after half of the maps are done. Sounds very specific, did that happen to you? 0 Share this post Link to post
Misty Posted June 14, 2019 Just now, Rince-wind said: Sounds very specific, did that happen to you? Yeah, long time ago. But it happens sometimes. 0 Share this post Link to post
Rince-wind Posted June 14, 2019 You know CapnClevers' "New to posting maps? Read this first!" thread, is there an equivalent of it for CPs? 0 Share this post Link to post
Liberation Posted June 14, 2019 (edited) If I can offer a few points.. Keep your CP idea realistic, especially if it's only you in charge (ie no team) Create some levels first to not only show off your idea but to include in the project itself. Make the rules simple and clear regarding engine/textures/sounds/map style etc etc. Stick to them as well, don't back down to mappers trying to push their luck. Be prepared to help others out, ie.. help finish maps, keep an eye on newer mappers and help as required. Keep people in the loop, weekly updates on discord or a simple PM here and there. Don't set a deadline in stone, allow a bit of flexibility, stressing people out does no favours for anyone. Be organised, have a system when it comes to collecting maps and building a alpha/RC builds. Make sure YOU and the other mappers are having fun (the most important bit). If you stick to the above and have an interesting concept or limit, you won't go far wrong in theory. Edited June 14, 2019 by Liberation 18 Share this post Link to post
Rince-wind Posted June 14, 2019 3 minutes ago, Liberation said: If I can offer a few points.. Thanks for the info! 0 Share this post Link to post
Liberation Posted June 14, 2019 Oh and one other point... If a map has been submitted that is well below par and is simply beyond fixing/tarting up. Hand it back to the author and say no thank you. 8 Share this post Link to post
HAK3180 Posted June 14, 2019 Here is a list of current community projects. I believe it is pretty accurate and up-to-date. You may want to use it to ensure your idea is different enough or to determine which compatibility you want, etc. 3 Share this post Link to post
yakfak Posted June 14, 2019 (edited) i have discovered im way too floaty to run a community project. it's still gonna get finished but you won't catch me whipping anyone meanwhile edit: people crave a list of available slots and a schedule and "release candidates" and all that shite. the stranger a theme you supply the less interest you'll get. you have to talk to people like you're stern, yet chill, and you have to be slightly taller than me to run a successful project Edited June 14, 2019 by yakfak 3 Share this post Link to post
Pegleg Posted June 14, 2019 Before you get started, realize that: Leading a CP is not necessarily easy. It will require effort and focus. Depending on the size of your CP and the deadline, it may require focus on your part for an extended period of time. There have been CPs here that start out with a good idea and a lot of interest, only to have the project lead grow bored with the idea and abandon it. Part of being a good leader means providing good feedback to your mappers. Understand that people will come and express interest in a project and then, for whatever reason, not do much or have to drop out. Don't take it personally. Don't bite off more than you can chew. While it is always good to learn new things, the time to learn them is not while you are leading the project. For example, if your only experience is in creating vanilla maps, it is probably inappropriate for you to lead an intense UDMF project. Similarly, if you've never mapped for Heretic, it's probably not appropriate for you to lead a Heretic CP. Not every CP needs to be a 32 map megawad. Even if your original intent was to have a 30-32 map megawad, having a high quality CP that has less than 30 maps is not a sign of failure. Don't let the map number hold up your release. Here is a list of abandoned community projects. You can peruse these and get an idea of why some of them failed, whether it was poor leadership, lack of interest, etc. Then you can try not to experience the same pitfalls. 13 Share this post Link to post
whirledtsar Posted June 14, 2019 3 hours ago, Pegleg said: Here is a list of abandoned community projects. You can peruse these and get an idea of why some of them failed, whether it was poor leadership, lack of interest, etc. Then you can try not to experience the same pitfalls. That makes me sad, I bet there's a lot of great map submissions that nearly nobody has played because they never got officially released/promoted. 2 Share this post Link to post
Rince-wind Posted June 14, 2019 1 minute ago, whirledtsar said: That makes me sad, I bet there's a lot of great map submissions that nearly nobody has played because they never got officially released/promoted. Aren't mappers allowed to release their maps separate from the project? 0 Share this post Link to post
Liberation Posted June 14, 2019 (edited) 9 minutes ago, Rince-wind said: Aren't mappers allowed to release their maps separate from the project? I would considered that rude to do before the project was released, however there is nothing you can do to stop a mapper doing that. 3 hours ago, Pegleg said: Here is a list of abandoned community projects. You can peruse these and get an idea of why some of them failed, whether it was poor leadership, lack of interest, etc. Then you can try not to experience the same pitfalls. Yes, when the [newtag] thing was made it was kind of draining the amount of CP's started and dropped. 0 Share this post Link to post
Rince-wind Posted June 14, 2019 5 minutes ago, Liberation said: I would considered that rude to do before the project was released, however there is nothing you can do to stop a mapper doing that. What if the project is dead or on indefinite hiatus? 0 Share this post Link to post
HAK3180 Posted June 14, 2019 Seems like the proper thing to do would be to remove oneself from the project officially before releasing the map elsewhere. The project can't really complain if there's been no activity. And then if it does come back and you decide you still want your now self-released map in the project, it's up to the project whether to re-accept it. If they say no, then you can't complain. But hey, I've got no degree in etiquette or propriety. 2 Share this post Link to post
Liberation Posted June 14, 2019 @Rince-windI would consider that fair enough if it was dead. 0 Share this post Link to post
Boomslang Posted June 14, 2019 5 hours ago, Rince-wind said: What are some things one should know about when deciding to host/spearhead a community project? Don't be a dick to people that's the biggest rule :) 1 Share this post Link to post
Bridgeburner56 Posted June 15, 2019 Well I just ran my first CP (a collaborative speed mapping project with randomly assigned mapping pairs) and the most important thing is that people have fun. This can be achieved in quite a few ways but if you have a positive vibe where people are enjoying themselves then they will engage in the project. This goes on top of what @Liberation said. Logistics are also crucial. He also ran 1K lines like a well oiled machine so I'd listen to him. @Pegleg has also made good points. The biggest CP killer is a lack of energy. If nothing is happening then people will drift away. 4 Share this post Link to post
Dragonfly Posted June 15, 2019 To echo a point Liberation made and elaborate on it - mapping for the project yourself is an important one. If you're passionate about the project the rest of the team/community will pick up on this passion and in turn be inspired by it. When I worked on Eviternity it appeared that my extreme levels of dedication to the project motivated most other team members to help out where possible! I'd most certainly look to have another person or two help manage the community project with you if you do launch one - Maintain ownership of the 'project leader' role and maintain that your decision is final, but if at all possible, having a few helping hands in the management side is very useful. I'd suggest someone in a different time zone to you so that they can help 'run the ship' while you're asleep or at work/school/whatever. As a little extra point; if you want people to join the project relatively quickly, make a couple of maps first before announcing the project and make sure it's a simple enough concept to understand, yet interesting enough to be worth joining in the first place. Good luck! 8 Share this post Link to post
elend Posted June 15, 2019 10 hours ago, Rince-wind said: You know CapnClevers' "New to posting maps? Read this first!" thread, is there an equivalent of it for CPs? Actually, that'd be a nice addition to the sticky threads, imho. "New to starting your own CP? Read this first!". 4 Share this post Link to post
Rince-wind Posted June 15, 2019 Well, I guess I'll go and work on my wad portfolio first then, thanks for all the tips! 5 Share this post Link to post