How (and when) to host a community project

[MFG38]

So, you're looking to host your first Doom community project. You want to get a bunch of people together to make maps for a set curated by you. You have an awesome idea you thought up just before going to bed last night and excitedly announce it the next morning - but along the way, something goes wrong. Why hasn't your project seen a single map submitted even after a month?

 

The reason, more often than not, can be found by looking in the mirror. Yes, you are the reason your community project idea didn't take off - or more accurately, that initial forum post in which you announced your community project is the reason it failed. So what exactly went wrong? Read on and find out!

 

This post will hopefully serve as a checklist of things to pinpoint the most fatal faults in your community project announcement and refine it so that the likelihood of it catching people's interest will be at least slightly higher. That said, please don't treat this post as a be-all and end-all guide to hosting a CP - just because you closely followed every point here isn't guaranteed to make your CP a mega-hit.

 

When should I host a community project?

 

The most important question you can ask yourself prior to hosting a community project is this: Am I mature enough to host a CP? By "mature", I don't mean your physical or mental age, but rather, I mean your mapping skills and overall knowledge of Doom. Now you don't have to be as great a mapper as Jimmy or Bridgeburner in order to host a successful community project, but at the very least, you should know the fundamentals of what makes a map good. Being able to point out flaws in people's maps, whether they be in presentation or gameplay, and provide suggestions as to how to improve them is an essential skill. Unless the goal of your CP is to be a grabbag of more or less random maps with extremely varying degrees of quality, which can also work in some instances (see Tenth Gear and Half Moon).

 

You should also have some knowledge of your target source port and how things in it work. This will be a great help in the compiling process in case you need to make corrections to people's maps. Maybe someone defined the custom sky for a Boom map in ZMAPINFO instead of using the MBF sky transfer, hence it only works in GZDoom. These sorts of things are very likely to happen, especially if someone is making their first map(s), and being able to detect and fix these issues is an important skill that will help in making the final mapset that much more polished and bug-free.

 

What should I specify in my OP?

 

This is by no means a comprehensive list of things you should specify in your OP when it comes to announcing a community project, but generally, it's a good idea to include at least the following information:

• Target IWAD
• Target source port (+ target complevel if applicable) and/or map format
• General rules/guidelines
• Resource pack and its download link (or policy regarding custom assets)
• Submission deadline

Also, whip up a template for map submissions. Trust me, it'll save you a lot of suffering as time goes on.

 

General guidelines

 

• Write your OP properly. Believe it or not, presentation matters, even and especially when it comes to announcing a CP. Proper writing and formatting helps immensely towards making it that much more likely to succeed. Capitalize the first letter of every sentence, use proper punctuation, double-check and triple-check your post for grammatical/spelling errors. A well-written OP is half a successful CP.
• Be the driving force. Hosting a successful community project is much more than announcing it and waiting for map submissions. Nobody wants to work with (read: for) someone who doesn't show any signs of wanting to contribute anything towards their own project. This also ties to the above in that an OP that exudes enthusiasm from the person hosting the project is more inviting than an OP written by someone who clearly doesn't care. Show people that you are able and willing to put in the work necessary to make your CP as great as possible.
• Be transparent. What this means is that you should be honest with your participants. Don't automatically tell everyone that their map is great - if something needs improving, tell them about it. If you don't like something in a map, tell the mapper what you didn't like about it and why. If you reject an entry, tell the mapper why their entry is being rejected. That said, try not to let your personal preferences cloud your judgement too much. Be as objective as you can.
• Allow people to learn. A good leader lets people grow - this also applies to you as the leader of a CP. When you run into an issue in a map, don't rush to open up your map editor and fix it for the person that made it. Let them know about the issue and fix it themselves. Guide them through the process if needed. Allow your participants to feel accomplished and feel that sense of personal growth, however small it may ultimately be for them.
• Keep your participants on the loop. This is especially important when hosting a CP that's likely to stretch over a longer period of time. You don't necessarily have to post about the project's progress every week, however. The most important thing to keep in mind here is to let people know when you expect their submissions to be ready. Post reminders about the deadline when it gets close. Also, don't disappear mysteriously while your CP is still ongoing.
• Keep your expectations reasonable. This should go without saying, but if your OP is a poorly written mess and you're not showing any signs of being willing to contribute to your own project, you're extremely unlikely to see your CP becoming a full 32-level megawad. You'll be lucky to see a single map submission. Don't complain if no one has submitted a map to your project after a mere week.

Edited May 16, 2021 by MFG38

[Biodegradable]

I look forward to linking this to newbies all the time hehe :^P This is a great write-up, dude. Should hopefully prove really useful.

[Horus]

Very well written and very important advice! 

[MFG38]

23 minutes ago, Biodegradable said:

I look forward to linking this to newbies all the time hehe :^P This is a great write-up, dude. Should hopefully prove really useful.

 

10 minutes ago, Horus said:

Very well written and very important advice! 

 

Heh, thanks! Glad it proved informative. :)

[4MaTC]

I think this should be pinned too as well as "new to posting maps". Very usefull and i hope it serves well to everybody who is thinking about CP.

[Moustachio]

Great guide! I wish I had something like this to reflect on before doing the Interception series because there are a lot of useful common-sense points here. Points that are especially easy to overlook when hosting a community project that takes a while.

[Doom_Dude]

49 minutes ago, Moustachio said:

Great guide! I wish I had something like this to reflect on before doing the Interception series because there are a lot of useful common-sense points here. Points that are especially easy to overlook when hosting a community project that takes a while.

 

Ain't it the truth. I wish I had a guide before doing the Newdoom Community project megawad.

 

2 hours ago, MFG38 said:

Also, don't disappear mysteriously while your CP is still ongoing. 

 

That was my biggest issue but it wasn't myself that disappeared it was some of the participants. Some that took map slots, made nothing and were hard to track down. So you know, mappers out there, if you take a slot for a CP and can't make anything, at least let the project know about it before you decide to completely vanish.

[MFG38]

2 minutes ago, Doom_Dude said:

mappers out there, if you take a slot for a CP and can't make anything, at least let the project know about it before you decide to completely vanish.

 

This is a very important point that you raise here. I'll admit to being guilty of attaching myself to a CP and then failing to deliver on a few occasions, but I always had the courtesy to tell the host if I had to drop out for one reason or another.

[Hitboi]

Great Information and well written, I guess that it's easy to make a CP.

[TheNoob_Gamer]

Very helpful thread. I want to use this opportunity to post an example of making an OP @rd. did some time ago on a thread of mine also asking about how to CP.

Quote

Example of a bad OP:

Spoiler

Hello everyone my project is the 256x256 map project and the goal will be to create non-linear maps that are beautiful and take place in the space of a 256x256 area. I feel like brevity is greatly underappreciated in this day and age and I  think that everyone is going for the biggest maps possible but that small maps should be possible to do well. All source ports are welcome as long as they are compatible with Doomsday models. 

 

You can submit up to two maps for the project. Basically, I want to keep slots open so that a lot of the community can contribute, which wouldn't be possible if one person submits 10 maps. The maps can be any style you want, from slaughtermaps to adventure maps to puzzle maps, but I want the gameplay and the visuals to both be attractive, regardless of what style you use. If you make a slaughtermap, don't spam monsters, place them tactically in your layout. Likewise, puzzle maps should have a solution and not require the player to look up the map in the editor. Adventure maps should not be confusing slogs.

 

The name of the community project is still undecided but I'll let you know when I think of a good one. Alternatively, you can provide suggestions for the name below and I might take them into consideration. It doesn't matter if you're in the project or not: I'll give you credit for the name.

 

The story is that in the planet of X'4l23;4leeuia, the demons ran out of chainsaws so they came to Earth to get more chainsaws. (The story by the way also requires that all maps have multiple chainsaws in them!) Their alien ship arrived suddenly and spectacularly and the buxom marine donned his shotgun and shouted meticulously, "Wow! That's a lot of demons!" The plangent echos rang out all around the yonder world. Everyone knew: it was time to fucken' roll? The story will take place between two worlds, both earth and X'4l23;4leeuia, and I will accept maps for both episodes (no more than 50 maps each). You can use whatever textures you want as long as they are compatible with Doom 2 and in the Doom 2 textures. If you submit two maps I'd request that they be in different worlds so that you don't hog up too many maps from one episode.

 

If you submit a map I'll ask that it be beatable, and we'll have a phase where people will playtest the maps in order to make sure that they are balanced and generally enjoyable. Mappers of all levels of experience are welcome!

 

Example of a good OP:

 

 

I've been a part of this community for a while and it's the first time I'm hosting a community project, so I hope it's successful. I want to finish the project sometime this year and it will be for vanilla. 

 

 

 

Hi everyone, Chainsaw Rampage is a 256x256 restriction project centered around two episodes: Earth, and an alien planet. Each episode will contain up to 50 maps, depending on how many submissions we get.  The goal is to create non-linear maps that are beautiful and take place in a small area. I feel brevity is greatly underappreciated in this day and age.

 

Story

 

On the planet of X'4l23;4leeuia, the demons ran out of chainsaws so they came to Earth to get more. Their alien ship arrived suddenly and spectacularly and the buxom marine donned his shotgun and shouted meticulously, "Wow! That's a lot of demons!" The plangent echos rang out all around the yonder world. Everyone knew: it was time to fucken' roll?

 

Project Specifications

• Use only stock textures. Maps must be compatible with Doomsday. We will be using models instead of sprites.  
• The playable area of a map must not exceed 256x256 map units.
• In keeping with the story, all maps must have multiple chainsaws! 
• There will be two episodes: Earth and an alien planet. Each will contain up to 50 maps.  

Submissions

• You can submit up to two maps. If you submit two maps, one must be for the Earth episode and the other for the alien-planet episode.
• Playtest your maps. At the end, we'll playtest the maps as a group so that they are balanced and generally enjoyable, but I'd prefer if the maps are functional before that. 
• The deadline is September 30, 2020.
• Mappers of all levels of experience are welcome!

Guidelines and Other Commentary
 

Spoiler

The two-submission restriction exists to keep slots open so that a lot of the community can contribute. You can map any style you want, from slaughtermaps to adventure maps to puzzle maps, but I want the gameplay and the visuals to both be attractive, regardless of what style you use. If you make a slaughtermap, don't spam monsters; place them tactically in your layout. Likewise, puzzle maps should have a solution and not require the player to look up the map in the editor. Adventure maps should not be confusing slogs. 

 

[Blah blah blah more text here blah blah blah.]

 

If you're almost done before the deadline let me know, show me your work, and I might extend it for you while we test the other maps -- but I don't want this to be abused! 

 

The two-submission restriction exists to keep slots open so that a lot of the community can contribute. You can map any style you want, from slaughtermaps to adventure maps to puzzle maps, but I want the gameplay and the visuals to both be attractive, regardless of what style you use. If you make a slaughtermap, don't spam monsters; place them tactically in your layout. Likewise, puzzle maps should have a solution and not require the player to look up the map in the editor. Adventure maps should not be confusing slogs. 

 

[Blah blah blah more text here blah blah blah.]

 

If you're almost done before the deadline let me know, show me your work, and I might extend it for you while we test the other maps -- but I don't want this to be abused! 

 

 

Signup List
 

Dobu Gabu Maru

 

31 minutes ago, Hitboi said:

Great Information and well written, I guess that it's easy to make a CP.

Indeed. But the real part is how to maintain it :)

 

[Mr Masker]

If this got pinned that would be great.

[Walter confetti]

Great thread! Thanks for this

[MFG38]

Oh hey, the thread got pinned.

 

I appreciate the honor.

[northivanastan]

These are things I've tried to follow with my community MIDI pack as well. I waited to started it until I'd already started on two of my own submissions. I know that I appreciate (but never really get) feedback, and thus reciprocity demands that I provide any constructive feedback I can think of to participants. And I always remind people two days before their deadline approaches in case they need more time.

[Bauul]

I've run a couple of CPs, and the biggest advice I can give is:

 

Make firm decisions about what you want, and stick to them

 

Not to say you can't be flexible, but I've seen CPs derail extremely quickly the moment the OP says "I don't know, what do you guys think?". If you start letting the rules be decided by popular consensus, it'll instantly devolve into debate rather than progress.

 

Take advice into consideration, but be the decision maker, and stick to your rules. Don't change them halfway through because someone asked you to, or because someone said "wouldn't it be cool if...". Have a vision, communicate it clearly, and see it through. 

 

This is also why it's useful to have experience of Doom mapping under your belt already to be able to more easily make these decisions. 

[Pegleg]

"Take advice into consideration, but be the decision maker, and stick to your rules."

This is absolutely true. I have seen community project with rule sets that people considered to be too oppressive, but the project lead had a particular vision for what they wanted and stuck to those rules, and the projects turned out fine. In these cases, leadership tends to be the key.

 

My only addition to the notion of "stick to your rules" is to be transparent about what those rules are, in their entirety. The OP states to be honest with the participants, and this is part of it. Have whatever rules you want to have, but make sure they're clearly known. All the rules need to be laid out and clear to all participants. If you, as the project lead, want a particular thing, then say it. If you remain vague, and then reject maps because they don't meet your hidden standard, that just breeds resentment and people will be less likely to join the project.

 

For example, do not write, "Rule 1: I want maps focused on projectiles that are reminiscent of maps from the first episode of Doom 2," when what you really mean is,

"Rule 1: I want maps that feel like The Crusher where the only weapon is the plasma gun and the only enemies are cyberdemons." If you plan on accepting maps that don't meet your unspoken desire, then it's fine to be relatively vague, but if you start rejected maps because they're not what you really want, then that becomes a problem.

 

Even worse, don't then say, "Well, I called the mapset 'Crushing Cows with Plasma,' so it should have been obvious to everyone what I really wanted."

[Dub Bag]

When I started Tenth Gear and Half Moon. I had no idea what I was getting into. But we made it work and made a lot of good friends along the way and accumulated a lot of knowledge. One thing to note is the project is NOT about yourself. Make sure you do right by your contributors. No matter what it takes get that set done and make sure you do your best to do it right. Those people took time out of their day to contribute to you, take the time to contribute back.

Edited June 6, 2021 by Dubbag

[Sambo J]

I'm working on a Doom 2 project at the moment. If I'm good enough to complete everything I intend to do, it will be available for others to use in community projects if they ask me for permission. I'll be making regular status updates on my profile, mostly going through the most important processes to get the entire project up to the standard I want to achieve. If anybody's interested in providing feedback, I'll always find it helpful!

[TMD]

Dont host anything in May

That month is already taken :3

[Peccatum Mihzamiz]

After having participated in a few editions I was asked/offered by somebody to host an edition of their community project. Very kind of them and I was honored to be asked. I politely declined. I have been involved with Doom for less than a year, so I thanked them for the opportunity and told them I would feel more comfortable in the (near) future. Acknowledging your own limitations is a good thing when taking on the lead in a project I think.

 

I think offering these kind of chances is really trusting and it can inspire and bring out qualities in a person they might not have known they had before. In any community there are always some 'established people' that offer this kind of support to the new ones and I love that. It builds confidence and brings forward hidden talent. Plus it's a great learning experience for the person organising for the first time. Very thankful to not just see people create their own projects, but also see relatively new people being asked for these kinds of things.

[ViolentBeetle]

Want to have an Ultimate Doom project, but unsure if the time is right since there's already UD stuff going on.

[MattFright]

@ViolentBeetle I feel like you definitely should. From the CPs out there i've seen lately, most are very niche or already all claimed, and so i've seen a few people claiming that there isn't much currently going on in terms of community projects, so on that note i feel like you shouldn't struggle too much finding people who'd join yours.

[UnusualBug]

I'll give it a try. Been trying to make maps of my own.

[Nevander]

So I had an idea along the same vein as the idea behind this thread. A thread maintaining the current active community projects until released might be a handy thread for people looking to join one without digging through threads and not being sure if they are still active in development.

[Horus]

10 hours ago, Nevander said:

So I had an idea along the same vein as the idea behind this thread. A thread maintaining the current active community projects until released might be a handy thread for people looking to join one without digging through threads and not being sure if they are still active in development.

Don’t think it’s been updated in a while, but:

 

 

[MFG38]

59 minutes ago, Horus said:

Don’t think it’s been updated in a while

 

Yeah, the last update on that thread looks to be from April of 2020.