SMAC Fiction in the Apolyton Directory?

[MarkG]

First of all, if you havent heard about the Apolyton Directory see the directory itself http://apolyton.net/dir and it's faq http://apolyton.net/forums/misc.php?action=faq&page=9

Now, would you find it helpfull to have the stories posted here archived and perhaps categorized in a special category of the Directory?

It would allow for a more organized archival, reviews/comments always separated from the stories and even votes, although i dont think anyone here would be writing in order to just get a good vote

Also, if you like the idea, anyone interested in helping in the entering older stories whose authors are not around?

looking forward to you feedback

[Andemagne]

it would be great if the original/official stories, "Journey" and "Arrival" could be included.

[Kassiopeia]

I think it'd be splendid. I could help out, at least to some degree, i.e. categorising and submitting stories. The fact that we could arrange commenting a hoot better then how we have now would be swell.

[MarkG]

cool

any ideas on sub-categories?

[Kassiopeia]

First off, there's a load of old unfinished stories around that will probably never be completed. They would probably have a category of their own, or at least there should be a warning stating that this story will be incomplete. At least I'd be pissed off if I spent two hours to read a story that doesn't finish. Edit: *or* we could ignore them too.

Then there's the business of RPG/Multi-author threads. I am not sure how we could implement them; any ongoing ones would have to be updated once the original threads are finished... we could either leave the Multi-author ones out altogether, or post complete episodic ones; for instance, the first couple of Chiron Chronicle threads and the first BAC thread when it's completed.

Now I'll check the stories hosted by the ACS itself at the AC section. Haven't been there for a looong time.

So I suggest we categorize them not by content (ie. Aliens or no Aliens etc., which would be rather tricky and time consuming), but by structure.

How exactly would a thread be formatted and uploaded to the Directory?

[MarkG]

1) warning: we dont really have many stories in the ac section

2) no need for a thread to be formatted in any way! the description field will be used for a introduction to the story, a small summary. the main url field will be used for a link to the thread(in the case of multiple threads, the first one. the rest of the threads could be linked from the description)
if there is a discussion thread, it can also be linked from the "related forum thread" field

[MarkG]

3) i think unfinished stories should not be added, or at least that our focus should be in the finished ones.
ongoing, multi-threads stories wont need often updates except when there is a new thread

[Kassiopeia]

Originally posted by MarkG
1) warning: we dont really have many stories in the ac section

That's why I never visit it!

2) no need for a thread to be formatted in any way! the description field will be used for a introduction to the story, a small summary. the main url field will be used for a link to the thread(in the case of multiple threads, the first one. the rest of the threads could be linked from the description)
if there is a discussion thread, it can also be linked from the "related forum thread" field

Clever. Very clever.

3) i think unfinished stories should not be added, or at least that our focus should be in the finished ones.
ongoing, multi-threads stories wont need often updates except when there is a new thread

Sounds like a plan.

So what we need is people reading the stories, summarizing them and sorting out links? Can do.

[MarkG]

Can do

great

one thing remaining: categories

[Kassiopeia]

Is this what you feel like after selling your soul to the devil?

Categorising... It's tough really. There's humour (like "What Chironian kids get for Christmas", "University Saga"), we have stories with not so many characters from the original game (The Hunt thus far, The Homeworld), we have not-so-AC stories (Heritage, Aldebaran).

Edit: I talked of Zakharov and Deirdre and their friends as "people", not "characters". In-te-resting.

[Alinestra Covelia]

I'd be happy to help. I think we should have a "canonical" category (where the fiction either is the original story themselves as in "Journey" and "Arrival" or makes an effort to stick to them). I have a copy of "Journey" by Mike Ely on my harddrive and could post that if necessary. Of Arrival I only have a few scattered chapters, though.

I'm a pretty fast reader and I can usually come up with synopses and responses. The horrors of an English Literature degree...

[MarkG]

arrival is in our smac section

http://apolyton.net/smac/Tales/3_X/3_x01.shtml

[MarkG]

and journey too (files database)

http://apolyton.net/cgi-bin/smac/files/search.pl?title=&type=Info%2FMedia&description=Journey&dispNum=10&author=&sort=title

[Sovereign]

Hmm...

I have a suggestion how to simplify the categories.


Categories:

1. Unfinished stories. (Post here if no new posts in over a year or more).

2. Short stories. (Stories only running 1 full forum page or a few posts. A good example would be the story about Cha Dawn... forgot the title, something like Rising Sun)

3. Epic stories. (Joe, Wizard of Chiron, The Hunt, etc)

4. Multi-author stories. (BAC, Spartan Chronicles)

5. Others. (Hydro's stories of his PBEM's like Unlike Minds, Among Friends, etc)



Does that sound like a good plan?

[Sovereign]

Arrgh! I forgot to mention my other idea.


Add a 6th category for feedback. That way, people can quick-click to that particular area. Then click on "feedback" for a particular story. My idea of the Feedback Category would be like this:

(link to click on)
Story Feedback.

(List of stories to click on, then write your own feedback in the thread)

BAC Feedback

Spartan Chronicles Feedback

Joe Feedback

Wizard of Chiron Feedback

and so on.


That idea any good?