Why has CivFanatics overtaken Apolyton in members?

[Robert]

Something else that plays in,
We have 4 owners, but out of these 4 three aren't into civ4 (at least not more then playing it now and then) and 1 of them is DEEP into civ4 but not into apolyton.

DanQ: not into civ4
Rah: not into civ4
Ming: not into civ4
Locotus: deep into civ4 but hardly into apolyton-civ4 (busy on other civ4 duties)

Maybe Ming/Rah/DanQ are into civ4, but as far as I can see they're not deep into it or deep into the community. I don't blame them for that, but the spirit behind Apolyton is not a civ4 spirit anymore.

Further, the civ4 mods aren't active on the civ4 forums as well. Solver is the only one I saw there! Kudo's to Solver! (and a +1 HOF vote of course) (+5 )
(Strange how Solver is THE civ4 mod but still not in the HOF!!!!!!!)

Since yesterday Dan made me a civ4 mod as well, and OzzyKP and me were civ4:mp mods for quite some time already. (The MP civ4 community is really active, both the diplogame community and the PBEM community)

I'd say, boot Gramphos and Locotus from the civ4-mod list (they both still can be mods, hey, Locotus is mod everywhere!) and replace them by 3 new civ4 players that are active in our forums.
Make OzzyKP responsible for all civ4 forums as well. And put 2 of the new mods in the staff as well, let them be able to access the staff forum to have influence on the direction of apolyton.

I think there's much to gain in a good database!
The CFC mod 'database' is a pain! It's almost impossible to find the right mods! They're not categorized per topic, not by quality, by nothing! It's just a forum. We do have a database, but it's not easy going.

I'm a database programmer, but I can't programm in perl/whatever is used here. I am willing though to make an architecture of a new database, that's easy to use, shows only the needed info at once, searchable, and easy to make. Then we must advertise with this new db, put all mods we can find into this db and encourage people to create new mods.

Start a campaign to let the 2 best new Apolyton mods win the next XP or civ game (if one ever comes)
Invest a little bit to get more content!

Conclusion:
1. Re-structure the civ4 forums (suggestion posted this morning in apolyton-community forum)
2. assign 3 new mods for the civ4 forums (include Ozzy)
3. assign 2 of the civ4 mods into the staff
4. create a new civ4 db (volunteers for writing the code? I'll volunteer for writing the plan and the functional design)
5. create a mod-contest and let the winners win realy prices. If there's no money for that, I am willing to invest. Let it go along with the rumoured 'new' civ content that's coming out.
6. Shout out loud about these new mods and the contest

[Ming]

Originally posted by CyberShy
Rah: not into civ4
Ming: not into civ4

Are you? Because if you were, you would see that both of us are quite active. Maybe you should take a look in the MP forum and check out "Rah's saturday game II" one of the most active group of Civ IV MPers outside of the Diplo games. This is a group that plays every saturday night, and a few other nights as well depending on schedules. Do you play Civ IV

We both are also active posters in the Civ IV forums. While we don't play in the demo or diplo games, we are both very active MP players.

[Harovan]

lol pwnz0red LOL

[Solver]

Yeah, CS, on that one you got it quite wrong, Ming and Rah are both quite into Civ4 . Not only they play MP, but I've also seen numerous posts by both in the strategy and general forum.

But it's a fair point that the OTF is the most important place for many members. Frankly, I think there are many people here who wouldn't give a damn if we started some tournaments or other good activities in the Civ4 section. It's possible that such news would generate less talk on the site than reintroducing +1s in OTF did, and then we know we have a real problem .

[Imran Siddiqui]

[q=Solver]But it's a fair point that the OTF is the most important place for many members.[/q]





(and yes, I still don't know why I was chosen to be a PolyCast co-host )

[-Jrabbit]

While CyberShy clearly "stepped in it" by suggesting Ming and Rah are "not into Civ4," I do think he has a valid point regarding forum mods. The Poly Civ4 community needs nurturing, and neither Ming nor Rah has the time to to devote to it that like they did back when they were among the leaders in developing knowledge and strategy of Civ2.

Maybe a Civ4-specific staff expansion could be considered.

[Ming]

Yeah... the OTF is a community... And while it's good for site traffic, we really need to improve particaption in the gaming forums.

Many of the points CS brought up are good ideas... many of which are ideas that have come up before amoung the staff and are being considered.

But again CS... rah and I are both very active in Civ IV.
Just because we don't spam the Demo games forums like you and your buddies, it doesn't mean we aren't active members of the community.

Keep on Civin'

[Robert]

Originally posted by Ming




Are you? Because if you were, you would see that both of us are quite active. Maybe you should take a look in the MP forum and check out "Rah's saturday game II" one of the most active group of Civ IV MPers outside of the Diplo games. This is a group that plays every saturday night, and a few other nights as well depending on schedules. Do you play Civ IV

We both are also active posters in the Civ IV forums. While we don't play in the demo or diplo games, we are both very active MP players.

Glad to hear that you guys both play civ4! Seriously!
But what I meant is that outside that Rah saturday game (how could I forget, I see the thread 100 times a day ) I'm not sure if you guys are as much into the community. That's not to blame you guys! Really not.

I wonder btw if laughing hard at (semi-wrong(?)) analyses is the right way to get this site better

I'm not posting this to get the point cross that the poly site owners/admins/staff/whatever is not paying enough attention to civ4 etc.
I just try to get the site better. And I feel, and I may be wrong in that, that a part of the problem is that you guys were more into civ2 then into civ4. I'm sorry if I'm wrong! Well, in fact I'm happy to be wrong!

[Arrian]

I must be the only person who liked civ3.

No, Dis, I liked it too, even with its faults. In particular, fully-patched Play the World was pretty solid. Conquests broke the system again and was never quite put back together again (though efforts were made).

-Arrian

[Robert]

But again CS... rah and I are both very active in Civ IV.
Just because we don't spam the Demo games forums like you and your buddies, it doesn't mean we aren't active members of the community.

No need for personal attacks
I don't spam the demo games forums, I actually have never posted a single post in there, thanks for making wrong assumptions as well

[Ming]

Originally posted by CyberShy
No need for personal attacks
I don't spam the demo games forums, I actually have never posted a single post in there, thanks for making wrong assumptions as well

Not meant to be personal at all... My intent was to make the statement that just because we aren't members of the "very active" demo games, doesn't mean we aren't active in the community. Both rah and I are active posters in the Civ IV forums, and both play MP regularly. Rah, as he was in Civ II, is the ring leader for setting up direct IP games, and is very active in keeping that tradition alive at Apolyton. MP players who are sick of the shoot em up high speed games that can be found elsewhere, are now finding the Saturday night IP games a wonderful alternative. A dedicated group of people now make up the CIV IV IP community.

[Robert]

No offense taken, hence the
I still am searching for your last post in the civ4-general forum though :P (notice the :P)

[Robert]

I feel like we get distracted from the subject.
Ming, I may have been wrong about you not playing or loving civ4. I still wonder if you're deep into the civ4 community.

I know that I'm more into the diplogame community then the general civ4 community myself as well (though I try to change that once again)
I wonder if you and rah are posting much in the forums that do not relate to your own MP games.
Like Locotus, we all know that he's knee deep into civ4! He breaths the game, but he's not very active on the forums.

THAT's NO PROBLEM
I just ask you guys to get a few very dedicated civ4 forum guys who can moderate it, and let 2 of them become a part of the staff as well. That's my point!

I don't want to insult anybody, and I'm sorry if I did, I just want to improve the site.

[Robert]

btw, it's not really weird that you guys have less time to post in the civ4 forums, you are running a huge site!
And I know how dedicated you all are to run this site!

But it's not so weird that less time is left over for civ4 forum posting, etc.

And what about my suggestion for a new db?

[Harovan]

CyberShy is spamming