THREAD MASTER'S WAR ROOM: Suggestions for Making the List/Running the Forum

[Shining1]

Re: future tech thread.

I don't think this is necessary. Remember, CivIII is the first stroke of the broom of time - the game probably won't go past 2100 before it breaks into either SMAC(II) or Sid Meier's Expansion Game (SMEG for short). So future tech is pretty much going to be the stuff that's in SMAC.

BTW, someone slap Brian and tell him that sentient econometrics is impossible. It violates the 'lack of imformation' principle - to get a coherent future prediction, you need an infinite amount of data recorded to an infinite precision.

[the Octopus]

Yin, do you want us to alert you when you need to close a thread because we've moved to a new one, or are you just going to watch?


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CIV3-THE MASTER LIST-TECHNOLOGY "THREAD MASTER"

[yin26]

Octopus, if the thread hits 60, please tell me--but chances are it's because I'm away from the computer anyway and will catch it ASAP.

All Thread Masters:

Please <a href="http://apolyton.net/forums/Forum28/HTML/000039.html?date=00:47">click here</a> to jump to THE SUMMARY THREAD. The paperwork continues!

[This message has been edited by yin26 (edited May 21, 1999).]

[Koyaanisqatsi]

Yin, could you clear out some of the non-list topics in here before you go? They're starting to clutter up the place . . .

[the Octopus]

Unless we need to keep track of who posted which idea, we do not need to tell people to manually keep track of who posted what in a thread. I've already said I will develop a perl script to do that for us. It will be easy. Yin, stop telling people to do it. It's pointless work.

If anybody is still doing that "first time posted in this thread" stuff, cut it out. Completely unnecessary.

<u>Summary Comments</u>: I think I have some comments about some of the styles used for the various summaries, but I don't want to "pollute" the summary thread with them. Where should we do that?

<u>STANDARDS</u>

Please, people, can we start working on some standards?

I think every thread should have a header that explains the basic purpose of the list, what a thread master is, etc. Please look at the beginning of my <a href=http://apolyton.net/forums/Forum28/HTML/000038.html>Technology</a> thread to see what I am talking about. A header post like that sets the groundwork for a thread, and properly orients somebody who has just arrived on these forums. I think every thread should have one. Once we establish what sort of content is appropriate, we can post a template which you can just cut-and-paste into the beginning of your thread.

Thread names: I think each thread should have a major name in all caps (like TECHNOLOGY or UNITS), a revision number (like 1.2 or 3.7), and a "hosted by ______" (this is probably superfluous, but it makes the threads stand out a bit).

For the numbering scheme, use numbers to the left of the decimal point for major revision and numbers to the right of the decimal point for minor revisions. (I leave undecided at this point the question of whether 1.11 is greater than 1.9).

I welcome anybody else's suggestions for standardization, but please, let's at least start thinking about it. This forum is going to be confusing enough for people coming in for the first time without every thread master doing everything in a different way.


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CIV3-THE MASTER LIST-TECHNOLOGY "THREAD MASTER"

[JT]

Dang it, Octo! I've done all the paperwork of getting the names and now you say it's unnessacary!

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-Civ3 Thread Master of OTHER and UNITS.
"We get the paperwork, you get the game!"

[yin26]

I've already said I will develop a perl script to do that for us. It will be easy. Yin, stop telling people to do it. It's pointless work.

O.K., O.K., Don't yell at me! If you can do this for us, that's really going to save us a lot of time. MUCH appreciated.

As you all know, I'll be out of town soon, so I might not be able to help set these standards over the next few days. But if you guys agree to Octopus' system, I'll update all the thread titles ASAP.

Do you like his system, everybody?

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CIV3 DEVELOPMENT LIST COORDINATOR

**(un)Officially Making Lists for Firaxis Since SMAC Enhancement 3!**

[tfs99]

I think it would be simpler to just number then 1, 2, 3 ... Roman numerals are confusing and the 1.x approach runs out of x's.

Civ3 n ... Ted S.

[the Octopus]

"Dang it, Octo! I've done all the paperwork"

I said at the time it was unnecessary. If you didn't listen it's your own fault .

tfs99: The "running out of numbers" problem can be solved by either starting more conservatively at 1.00 and moving to 1.01, or by declaring that it isn't really a decimal number, and that 1.10 is greater than 1.9, not equal to 1.1 (with that system, you can continue down the path to 1.10.2.17 if you were some sort of masochist and branched off...). I think we lose a sense of continuity with either arabic or roman numeral naming systems. It is a lot clearer that "Technology 1.3" is related to "Technology 1.2" than it is that "Technology 3" is related to "Technology 2". At least, the way I look at things it is clearer that way...


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CIV3-THE MASTER LIST-TECHNOLOGY "THREAD MASTER"

[the Octopus]

Yin: I noticed you closed Rong's thread before he was able to start a new one. Do you really think that's wise? People who might want to post in that topic are sort of left in the lurch until Rong shows up, and posts whatever he wants to post at the beginning (hopefully a summary), etc. I think our system should be that the Thread Master should post a "this thread closed" message directing people to the new thread, and then you can lock it down. Anybody agree/disagree?


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CIV3-THE MASTER LIST-TECHNOLOGY "THREAD MASTER"

[yin26]

O.K. I like Octo's system. Can I just stick with 1.1, 1.2--2.0, or should I go down to 1.01? Let me know what you think.

[Lancer]

Hi All,
OK,I have a clue.I'll just start a borders thread,make the title look kinda like the others.I put my opinions in on how it might be done in a perfect world.If it isn't right Yin you fix it please.
Once I have 60 people put in suggestions I bring them down into a reasonable size and then I post em all again.Then umm,umm,well that's enough for now.I'll get started.

[yin26]

Lancer,

FYI: I'll be closing your thread at around 50 posts. At that point, you'll carry a clean summary to your new thread. The numbering system for the thread titles will be fixed soon.

By the way, everybody:

If I don't get any further feedback by later tonight, I'm switching all titles to the 1.0, 1.1, system. Thanks.

[Lancer]

Yin,I see constant references to "cut and paste"
but am an old fart and don't know much about computers.
Also I saw a reference to UBB and HTML.No clue.
Does this lack of knowledge effect my eligability to be a threadmaster?

Absolutely not! Take a look at my UBB code thread. Find a post with some formatting trick in it you like. Then click the "edit message" button. You'll see all the codes in the message. Now all you have to do is use those codes in your own stuff if you want. Easy. In fact, if you click "edit message" on this post, you'll see how I did italics. Here's bold. Piece of cake! If you need more tricks, just ask. *Yin*


[This message has been edited by yin26 (edited May 22, 1999).]

[tfs99]

Certainly the numbers 1.0, 1.1, 1.2 look similar. But I fail to see how prefixing a "1." on 0, 1, 2, 3 makes it better than a 1, 2, 3 by itself. Maybe it's an inclination towards computer revision numbers.

Any "decimal" numbering system will have an intuitive discontinuity at either the transition from 1.9 to 2.0 or at 1.9 to 1.10. It introduces needless complexity. A simple numbering system suffers from no such discontinuity. Remember the KISS principle.

There is another possibility: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc.

Civ3 n ... Ted S.