NOTES FROM THE UNDERMUNITY
By Reismark I
June 12, 1999
note: This is The Column, a part of Apolyton where primarily Markos and Dan write whatever we want :). Well, not just the two of us. The Column is open to everyone. If you feel like writing submit your article to
civ2@gamestats.com
Gentlemen, I have become known throughout the Civilization community (which I played my own part in creating) as the community man; the one always encouraging unity among those who come together to play this great game. Here, I will outline the following - the state of the Civilization community, and the improvements which can be made upon it. First
let me say very clearly - the Civilization community is in a time of crisis. What is that, you say? The community is more unified than ever before? Oh yes, that is true, but unfortunately there are nagging situations which threaten to drive it apart. I will take a category, and touch upon it in turn. Gentlemen, lend me your eyes for just one moment...
THE "COMMUNITY" SITES (Scenario League, CivLeague, H.A.C.)
There has been tremendous success for these websites as they exist now in our community on Apolyton - yet,
they are not as successful as they should be, especially in the case of the latter two. The Scenario League, for instance, is doing quite well with over 50 scenario reviews at last count, and a forum that's probably the most active among the hosted sites. When, then, was the last time you saw a Scenario League review appear on a site other than the Scenario League? The CivLeague has over 600 members, but how many of them have actually played a game and reported it? How many have participated in tournaments, or in the tribe system? Even my beloved H.A.C. falls victim to this scourge. It has awarded its first group of widespread awards and is even running the Scenario Design Contest the Scenario League created, but when
was the last time the community played a role in shaping a contest? Suggesting, or even improving a contest? Are these sites really "community" sites if they don't get response from the community that they serve?
WHENCE THE OTHER BIG NAMES? (SidGames, Civnation, Civworld)
Most of you will not be surprised to learn that most people in the Civ community are patrons of Apolyton. This can best be exemplified by what went on in the Apolyton off-topic forum last week - the e**ct**n for the "unofficial" g**e**m**t of Apolyton (if I say those two words in full, some people are going to be after my hide). This e**ct**n proves only one thing:
Apolyton IS the community. So where are all the other major CivII sites - SidGames, Civnation, Civworld? They are practically non-existant in the community, especially Sidgames (which seems to avoid Apolyton like the plague - when was the last time you saw Kunal Shah post on Apolyton?), and the mysterious Civworld (not Gary Longo's site, which is Civnation, but www.civworld.com, which has seemingly decided to fold... where had it been all of these months?!?)
Gentlemen, this lack of participation on the part of sites other than Apolyton is disturbing. It says we are disjointed, and disunified. So, you're saying, how can we solve these problems? Good question. Here's your answer.
THE CIVILIZATION WEBMASTERS UNION (C.W.U.)
The goal of this organization would be to bring together the major leaders in the Civ community (Markos and Dan of Apolyton, Kunal of SidGames, and Gary and myself of Civnation) and get to working together. The major goals of this organization would be to set standards for the running and maintenance of Civilization sites, and to assist any entrepreneurial
newbie webmasters into the Civilization community in starting their projects. A lot of good sites disappear every single day because the big names don't help out (one of the reasons I think Civworld folded). The expanded Apolyton newsletter is unfortunately not enough. These sites need "physical" help as well as somebody spreading the world. Independent of the big
names, this could help to solve all of the problems.
In closing, gentlemen, I ask that you focus your attention on the great crisis the Civ community is in. It's not on the surface, but it's there, and it could break us apart. The SMAC-CTP issue isn't helping matters either. We need to come together and support each other if we are to endure in the next millennium.
And now I must stop, for I fear that I have typed too many words and that you are not even reading them right now due to the spell of sleep it may have brought upon you.
Gentlemen, I bid you good night.
The opinions expressed on this page do not necessarily reflect those of Apolyton CS or GameStats. They are just the personal opinions of the writer.
