added third edition of mopar monthly by Ambokile

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+---
+layout: post
+title: "Mopar Monthly #3"
+date: 2013-07-31 00:00
+comments: true
+categories: [MoparScape, RSPS, RS, Mopar Monthly]
+author: Ambokile
+---
+This month on the Mopar Monthly:
+Welcome to the third edition of the Mopar Monthly! We've received good feedback for the first two issues and hopefully this will be another issue that you enjoy. If you've never come across an issue of the Mopar Monthly before, it's a monthly magazine produced by members of the MoparScape forum that highlights the best of the forums for each month. It also includes a user interview, user awards and other content. If you wish to submit content to the Mopar Monthly's next issue (which will be published at the end of August), please contact [Ambokile](//www.moparscape.org/smf/index.php?action=profile;u=576712) or [Flame_](//www.moparscape.org/smf/index.php?action=profile;u=600800). A big thankyou to everyone who has provided feedback and submissions for this months issue!
+
+####Included in this edition will be:
+
+* The Overall Most Helpful Member(s) of the Month
+* Notable Developments
+* Featured Tutorials
+* Community Polls
+* An Interview With a Forum User
+
+<!-- more -->
+
+#####Section 1: The Overall Most Helpful Member(s) of the Month:
+
+This category is used to highlight users who have been willing to routinely give up their time in order to help other users who need it. This award doesn't mean that the user knows everything - they may also need help - but it means that they're willing to give up their time to ensure that other people get the help they need.
+
+######Server Help:
+- [Null Amount](//www.moparscape.org/smf/index.php?action=profile;u=567674)
+
+######Web Design/Development:
+- [Ruby](//www.moparscape.org/smf/index.php?action=profile;u=534060)
+- [RSCShadow](//www.moparscape.org/smf/index.php?action=profile;area=summary;u=446948)
+
+######General Programming:
+- [Taharok](//www.moparscape.org/smf/index.php?action=profile;area=summary;u=28549)
+
+If you have any other nominations for future editions of the Mopar Monthly, please send a private message to [Flame_](//www.moparscape.org/smf/index.php?action=pm;sa=send;u=600800) or [Ambokile](//www.moparscape.org/smf/index.php?action=pm;sa=send;u=576712). If you feel that a user listed doesn't deserve to be listed, please bring it up to one of the team via a private message and don't make a public issue about the nomination.
+
+#####Section 2: Notable Developments
+
+######2006Redone:
+* Type: RSPS
+* Revision: 377
+* Development Started: Summer 2012
+* Developer: mr extremez
+* Link: [click me](//www.moparscape.org/smf/index.php/topic,640580.0.html)
+
+######World 901:
+* Type: RSPS
+* Revision: 474
+* Development Started: July 05, 2013
+* Developers: Arham 4, JavaLearner
+* Link: [click me](//www.moparscape.org/smf/index.php/topic,642510.0.html)
+
+#####Section 3: Featured Tutorials
+
+This section will grant recognition to the tutorials which are most deserving of recognition this month. A good tutorial shows the user how to achieve a required result but also explains it well enough for them to apply the knowledge that they learned in another situation. Congratulations to all users who have had a tutorial listed, and if you want to learn something useful then head over to the listed tutorials!
+
+These tutorials aren't listed in any particular order. If your tutorial isn't featured this month, take a look at the tutorials that are listed, improve yours accordingly and you could be featured in the next issue!
+
+######Executors and their importance:
+* Language: Java
+* Creator(s): [iz3 legend](//www.moparscape.org/smf/index.php?action=profile;u=262678)
+* What the tutorial is: An explanation of the benefits of executors, and an explanation of their usage.
+* Link: [click me](//www.moparscape.org/smf/index.php/topic,644677.0.html)
+
+######Loading/Saving your characters in XML-format:
+* Language: Java
+* Creator(s): [RandQm](//www.moparscape.org/smf/index.php?action=profile;u=542860)
+* What the tutorial is: A tutorial on how to use XML for character loading and saving.
+* Link: [click me](//www.moparscape.org/smf/index.php/topic,644948.0.html)
+
+#####Section 4: Community Polls
+
+This is the second issue containing the community polls, although the instructions for last month's polls weren't particularly clear. I'd like to apologise for that and hopefully we can rectify that in this month's issue. The purpose of the community polls is simply to provoke some new discussion within the forum, around a range of ideas chosen by either the Mopar Monthly writers or the community itself. Contact [Flame_](//www.moparscape.org/smf/index.php?action=pm;sa=send;u=600800) or [Ambokile](//www.moparscape.org/smf/index.php?action=pm;sa=send;u=576712) if you wish to submit some poll topics!
+
+There are a number of ways in which you can discuss the topics raised in the community polls. You can post a thread bringing up points about them in the relevant section on the MoparScape forum, or you can discuss them in the [Mopar Monthly thread](//www.moparscape.org/smf/index.php/topic,638049.0.html). If you don't want to be publicly linked to your opinion on the poll, then you can send a private message to one of the Mopar Monthly writers who will bring up your opinion for you.
+
+* Poll #1: Where do you feel RSPS is headed within the following months and years?
+
+* Poll #2: What can we as a community do to make the forum a better place to be?
+
+* Poll #3: Do you ever think that there will be ever be a fits-all programming language?
+
+#####Section 5: An Interview With a Forum User
+
+Welcome to what we believe is the most anticipated part of the Mopar Monthly - the interview! In this section, you will be able to see a MoparScape member answer a selection of interview questions about a variety of topics. Every month will see a different member interviewed which means that next month's member could be you! This month's interviewee is the ex-staff Guru of Java [Davidi2](//www.moparscape.org/smf/index.php?action=profile;u=324294). We hope you enjoy the read!
+
+* To start this interview off - why don't you start by telling us a bit about yourself?
+
+> Sure. My name is David, and I've been here for almost 5 years now. I'm 18 years old, living in Washington state of the USA. I'm a PC gamer and I love programming, more specifically creating things that players or users find amazing or useful. I also love my pets (three cats and two dogs), cooking, reading, and writing.
+
+* If you don't already work in such a field, do you think that you will ever program for a living?
+
+> A year or two back, I did decide that I thought I might want to program for a living. Until very recently, that's what I was aiming for. Unfortunately the market is moving offshore and getting a job as a 'code junkie' isn't as easy as it was a few years ago. It limits your possibilities a lot, you need to have something the code junkies in India and China don't have -- and skill is definitely not the option. If you really want to get into the programming field, you need to specialize in something that is taught well here and has a lot of options, something like cyber security or game development. Problem is, getting a degree in software development usually isn't enough for that anymore. Long story short, I'm working towards a Computer Science degree, but I doubt it will be enough to get a job doing what I really want to do.
+
+* Are there any users on MoparScape who you find particularly inspirational?
+
+> Si Force, Newty, SilentCJ, Tico, Evil_, and Rich were/are my favorite mods, and I respect all of them. Evil_ was one of the few members here that I would call a friend, and I'd say he's been pretty inspirational joining the armed forces. As for normal users, I can only really recall one that I think was 'inspirational'. I think Wintercanon was an example of someone who worked hard to learn what he needed to learn and put in the effort to accomplish his goals, and I admired that, even if he wasn't active for very long.
+
+* A lot of ex-staff fail to keep up activity after leaving - what makes you stay here?
+
+> It's all relative, isn't it? Some of the ex-staff that posted maybe a few times a week even when they were staff may hardly ever post anymore. However, I was making 10-20+ posts per day but now I probably hardly ever post more than 5 in a day. Still, I think the reason was just the difference in why people left. I resigned because I needed a break from Moparscape/RSPS and didn't know when I'd be back. 2 or so months later I started posting again, but I definitely don't feel the same pull I used to. Does that mean I don't care about MoparScape? I still like the forums and discussing topics here. I just don't see it as my "internet home away from home" anymore, if that makes sense.
+
+
+* What did you learn most about people in general during your time as staff?
+
+> I honestly think I'm a pretty good judge of character and I have a lot of thoughts about different people on this forum. Especially staff, as they are the ones I spent the most time talking to. I could name names and list dysfunctions, but to summarize, the biggest problem on this forum is the popularity contests. They are everywhere. People worried about their image, bandwagoning, sucking up for hopes of getting something in return, avoiding doing anything themselves because they fear confrontation, etc. Sometimes I'd rather people flame and rage than 'try too hard' to be liked, noticed, or thought well of in general. The part that bothers me is how it really does limit the marketplace of ideas in regards to the staff section. But that's too complicated and/or personal to really talk about here.
+
+* How long do you think MoparScape will survive for, and remain as an active board?
+
+> Like I've always said, I think the activity of this site is directly proportional to the activity of RuneScape. Unless RuneScape becomes very popular again for some reason or this site branches out into other things (which I think is a good idea actually) I would be very surprised if this site remained active for 5 more years.
+
+* Would you ever consider working on another RSPS project?
+
+> My main draw for RSPS hosting has always been the players. I like to be able to create content players like, and to do that you need a decently sized playerbase. If I was confident that a server I made would have 50+ active users on at a time (but not 3000....), I would be happy to get into RSPS again. Problem is, in the current state of the RSPS community that's almost impossible without a lot of money and I don't want to waste my time developing something I know I would lose interest in once I started hosting and nobody played. If MoparScape had an official server (I mean an actual hosted server, not just a download) I probably wouldn't mind developing for that either.
+
+* What originally brought you to MoparScape, and how did the forum differ from today's?
+
+> I was brought here by a neighbor of mine that I used to play RuneScape with, and he showed me the client and how you could spawn items and such. I thought it was incredible (I was 13 at the time) and wanted to learn how to do it myself. I hosted a 317 dds-specz (I believe that's how it was spelled) server and started learning Java. I was so proud of myself when I made drinking a keg of beer make your character say *hik* and start walking funny . After that I eventually moved on to 508's, which is where my heart still is. 508 is my favorite revision, and it (DavidScape 508) was the first server I hosted that actually got popular with nothing but word of mouth. I think I hit 60+ players online pretty often if I recall correctly. Anyways, I can't remember much about the differences in the forum back then. I was more so someone that just posted in server help and downloads. I'd say the main difference was we had a lot more learning and development going on there and less general discussion.
+
+* If you could make one change to the forum, what would you do?
+
+> I think the top priorities of this site should be (in no particular order):
+
+> - Either pull it together and have an official hosted server to bring people in, or branch out into other subjects
+- Redesign the homepage
+- Do something exciting every once in a while. Have this be a real community with events and such, something to keep people interested even if they leave RSPS
+
+> There are a lot more things that could be done here, but those are the ones I can think of off the top of my head.
+
+* Have you noticed any promising developments or discoveries recently?
+
+> 'Promising developments' are a dime a dozen here. People have great ideas, and while looking at the server development (and teams) sections, there is a lot of potential. What we lack is the commitment, follow-through, and (in some cases) the skill. So no, there are no RSPS developments currently that I think will even come close to accomplishing their goals. That said, Thornefall (new game in development by Digipen students, so far looking very similar to RS) does look quite interesting and if finished I think it will be quite cool.
+
+* If you could nominate a single song to be the MoparScape soundtrack, what would it be and why?
+
+> Obviously the "We didn't start the flame war" cover someone made here a few years back. 
+
+* Is there anything else you want to say? A final comment?
+
+> I'm always happy to discuss almost anything with anyone here, if you want my opinion or to ask me a question feel free to PM me.
+
+That concludes this month's edition of the Mopar Monthly! The Mopar Monthly team would like to thank everyone who has taken the time to contribute to the first ever edition, and we are always welcome to more contributions. You can view the Mopar Monthly thread on the forums by clicking [here](//www.moparscape.org/smf/index.php/topic,638049.0.html). Interested in becoming an editor/writer? Contact [Flame_](//www.moparscape.org/smf/index.php?action=profile;u=600800) or [Ambokile](//www.moparscape.org/smf/index.php?action=profile;u=576712)!
+
+#####This edition of the [Mopar Monthly](//www.moparscape.org/smf/index.php/topic,638049.0.html) was published by [Ambokile](//www.moparscape.org/smf/index.php?action=profile;u=576712), with help from the MoparScape administration.