General Chat / Kumba's "TO DO" list

maybe we can get a better overview like this what the majority thinks needs fixing/cleanup the most.

Kumba, you might as well post your "to do" list in here.
this is what, in my opinion, needs a change or invention most badly.

parkmaker pages - make it so that every parkmaker, both active and inactive, can manage (upload images, upload sv4/6 (zipped), edit text) his own page. that way the parkmaker pages will stay up to date forever.

the list - it's just a personal thing of iris. sure it's historic, and he loves, i know, so it must stay, but additionally an ne downloads database kinda thing would be very useful.
an alphabetic tree, potentially javascript powered dropdown effects (http://script.aculo.us/ (ekimmel would figure it out, i'm positive) where you can find all ne releases starting with "a", "b", "c", ..., with a little icon or tag saying it's a spotlight, super runner up, runner, design or contest entry and rct1 or rct2 plus by whom it was made.
so later people can sort and search for entries at hand of these tags and find eg all rct1 designs, all releases by parkmaker xyz, all rct2 spotlights, etc...


write your ideas, suggestions.

I pretty much want the same as posix does.

I think definetly bring back "on the radar" so new parkmakers can come fourth, also inspires them to build more

I say scrap NE3, why build an entire new site? just update this site, as Posix said about the parkmakers pages, introduce new ideas. Dont waste time building an entire new site, that probably wont get finished and will not make a difference. Organisation and content is much more important and tbh i love this site, having a new one would just ruin it.

Posix's ideas are fuckin' wicked.

*edit* -- maybe once h2h is done, kick off another contest.

Edited by Trajan, 17 September 2006 - 12:27 PM.

^Actually I'd like it if when h2h is done that we DON'T kick off another contest and do our best to encourage everyone to build full size (125^2 or larger) solo parks. There's been a real shortage of those things for quite some time and a lot of it probably has to do with the parkmakers that would do them being tied up with contests.

Maybe a non-parkmaker only contest and a new "Ne Collabro" would work though... I think any of us could handle doing an area in a park while the non-parkmakers battle things out with maybe a parkmaker spot or two up for grabs (assuming quanity standards for such a reward are met).

An "on the radar" list would be cool too, the competitive spirit really used to have this place jumping.

The Parkmaker pages MUST BE updated and though format-wise I think we should only be able to up .zip-format files for download and then images (prolly .gif, .jpg and .png). Having parkmaker be able to update their own pages though is an awesome idea, I've always wondered why it wasn't that way before...

Ride6

Ban all n00bs.

Except the good ones.

Oh... and add a porn forum. Im horny. /peado grin

artist, about scrapping ne3, it makes sense, and i had kinda thought that way, too. the basement (an organised, tidy and up to date ne2) isn't really set.

Actually I'd like it if when h2h is done that we DON'T kick off another contest and do our best to encourage everyone to build full size (125^2 or larger) solo parks. There's been a real shortage of those things for quite some time and a lot of it probably has to do with the parkmakers that would do them being tied up with contests.

i used to think exactly that and it's why i boycott h2h4, but i talked to iris about this, and he said without h2h4, he was too afraid that there wouldn't be any activity parkmaking-wise whatsoever at ne, so he started it.
i have to admit, he's good quite a point there, yet i'm not sure if he's actually right.

adonis, hmm, ban all noobs?
say goodbye.

I really like just about all of these ideas, but atm no-one can work on the site, at leased till I get in-touch with iris...

As for scrapping NE3 I think that would suck after all the hype so we are trying to finish it, if it seems like a total lost cause maybe we can just update everything.

I think the best idea is the contest gap so we can finally see some big parks get worked on and maybe get a few spotlights. The parkmaker page one sounds cool, id like that Posix, on the rader would also be great to have again. A wanna be collabo would be awesome, just it would need strict deadlines and alternets. And sorry Voodoo, no Porn areas, maybe start a RCT/Pron site with X250 or something...

The thing about just making full size parks is that it's the type of activity that requires huge amounts of self-motivation, and simply not everybody has the energy to finish a park like that. But when given motivation like a contest, people turn up the heat sometimes.

If you want to build a full size park, just don't enter the contest, right?

Well why not put out a non-parkmaker collabo?

That could work. But a couple of months after h2h and say you need to present an up to date screen of your work to be able to enter, seven people will be chosen, based upon their screens and when the park is finished. I dunno rewards to be given, parkmaker spots, whatever. I think thats cool mainly because most parkmakes have retired now.

No contest=no rctcommunity
Contests=rctcommunity
fullsizeparks=lot of time consuming, poor number of different parks...

Congrats Kumba, I'm glad someone is in charge who is consistently around the place and still has bags of enthusiasm for the game/site and I wish you well in getting NE back to the glory days. My to do list would be:

- Update parkmaker pages as suggested by everyone else.
- Clean up all the deadlinks around the place and bring all pages up to date if NE3 isn't coming anytime soon, the site to me feels a bit like an overgrown garden at the moment and the weeds need to be pulled out!
- Actively seek out future parkmakers through collabos/contests to get a bit of a competitive spirit around the place again.
- I would suggest scrapping NE designs as I feel they were/are just an excuse for updating the main page and it's an easy way for someone to get a bit of limelight without making a full park or enterting a contest etc. I would also scrap super runnerup status for the same reason and just stick with spotlights and non-spotlights. Hopefuly this will encourage more full parks to be built and maybe make spotlights more special again. It also makes things more simple and when the site was most busy and succesful things were simple in my opinion.
- Keep contests to a maximum of 2 a year (excluding H2H) and perhaps have a set date for each season of H2H (June to October?) each year to make it easier for people to plan and finish solo/group projects etc.
- An alphabetical park database would be awesome.
- A poker forum?

Edited by Themeparkmaster, 17 September 2006 - 04:24 PM.

I'd like to see the H2H link on the home page updated, just so people can go back and look at all the H2H parks.

you're forgetting, the spotlights are what really made this site.

people have always been doing solos over the years. why not anymore recently??

tpm, fixed dates for contests sounds awesome.

Edited by posix, 17 September 2006 - 06:00 PM.

*edit* -- maybe once h2h is done, kick off another contest.

nooooooo. not more contests.
i like them yes but it leaves no time for people to do their own thing. i blame the lack of solos almost entirely on contest.

Also u try and organise a project like the Revolution project 3 at a time when H2H is going on. its impossible.

contests are integral to the site. but so are parks......

As Posix said, this place used to live on spotlights, sometimes as many as 3 per month. Then it all just sorta stopped... If you look at how many contests there've been lately VS. the number of solo parks getting built let alone finished it's very telling.

I built four full-scale solo parks in a year back in the day. Sure I'm not happy with the majority of the shit I did on them now but I was proud of them then. Part of it is setting goals then meeting them. After h2h is over how about every non-parkmaker start building a park that they thing would be a solid runner up or even a spotlight, every parkmaker aim at the big one and just let the site seem dead for about 3-4 months. At the end of that parks will make a return.

To keep interest up in the dead period run some speed contests. Bring back the "deathmatch" again with it's 24 hour deadline once a week or maybe every-other week. I also thought of a contest called "challange" where people basically post in a purpose made thread saying they're "ready" and someone else challanges to a h2h-style thing. Each person has two weeks to build a 50X50 or smaller park to turn in and it's posted on the front page and people vote on which is better.

Contests can be positive if they're kept small, short and don't involve the majority of the site. Anything big like H2h, the Pro Tour, etc. should happen maybe once per year. I guess h2h is it for the year 2007, lets say no big contests until (for example) febuary of 08' then. That way they'll be a gap with little contests for those of you who don't have the modivation or patence to build a full park.

Ride6

you're forgetting, the spotlights are what really made this site.

people have always been doing solos over the years. why not anymore recently??

tpm, fixed dates for contests sounds awesome.

Solos are decreasing in popularity as the level of detail in parkmaking is increasing steadily. Where it used to be you could finish parks in a month or so, it can take a year (or more, for those who are busier with school and work) to finish a park. Building a single building in RCT2 can take the better part of an hour, making a park is a whole 'nother story.

Contests are now a good way to encourage parkmakers to get active because they involve smaller, higher-detail parks, plus the level of quality is upped because you're gonna get judged against another person. I don't like contests like the Pro Tour because they put everything on hold for a few months at a time, but something smaller like High Rollers always gives a big boost in site activity.

Ride6's idea of challenging parkmakers to "matches" is kinda cool, but I don't really know if the community itself is competitive enough to keep something like that. I'll take you on for the first one, though.

Imo, having regular (but not huge) events going on throughout the year one at a time (like after H2H, do Project Revolution, wait another month, do a smaller contest that lasts 2 months, continue in this fashion) is a good way to give people extra reasons to stay in the community and participate.

hah, I would if h2h wasn't still going on, and this isn't/ won't be the specified thread for the challenging thing...

I just think it'd be cool. Oh and once someone challenges you you're obligated to deliver, however you can only be challenged once for each time you post saying your looking for a challenger... That is if Kumba and/or Iris decides to enact it.

Ride6

Pos Pos how dare you imply me a n00b. My career has been long and fulfilling, I have many decorations, such as highest rollercoaster and park with best facilities, as voted by the peeps them selves.

Yeah, how about THEM apples, bitch.

All I got to say to your ass is shake and bake baby, shake and bake.

Edited by Adonis, 18 September 2006 - 12:13 AM.

I like most of the ideas. No contests for the next couple of months sounds great aswell. I'm defenatly looking forward to making a solo park. Already have some things in mind ...

The front page really needs to be updated. New parkmaker pages etc.
There is just one really big problem with this. As far as I know NE is really low on webspace, means there can't be new parkmaker pages without deleting the old ones or with more webspace. More webspace means that the site will be more expensive. So in the end it we need someone to pay for all this.
Also I heard NE wanted to switch to a new host and all that. Maybe that way we can get more webspace for small money, still most of the suggestions made would be really expensive.

Hopefully ekimmel can make a database for all the parks (if they are not organized in a database already). Then we just need a search page (which shouldn't be too hard with some php knowledge) and finding all the parks should be easy. Big problem there is the webspace again. Parks need to be uploaded at NE if we don't want to have broken links all the time.

All in all money is the big problem.

And last be not least, someone has to do all the work. (I would defenatly like to help, but all this just works with an active and reliable team.)

There needs to be a break between major contests here. H2H4 and PT2 have dominated the last year. I need time to work on my solo before the next big thing (PT3 qualifiers?) starts.

NE3? Personally I think that should be a lower priority than getting all the parkmakers pages updated. Content over eye candy. Always. Especially when the eye candy is already pretty nice.

More thoughts later.