14 KiB
| layout | title | date | comments | categories | author | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| post | Mopar Monthly #1 | 2013-05-30 01:23 | true |
|
Flame_ |
This month on the Mopar Monthly: I am happy to announce that the first edition of the Mopar Monthly is now public! For those of you who don't know what this is, the Mopar Monthly is going to be a monthly magazine where users can see the best of the best in the forums for each month, user interviews, rants, and more! Users are free to submit controversial news articles, thought-provoking rants, and anything else by contacting any members of the Mopar Monthly team.
####Included in this edition will be:
- The Best Tutorial of the Month
- Developments With Much Potential
- Interesting Models/Graphics Designs
- The Overall Most Helpful Member of the Month
- New Forum Competitions
- An Interview With a Forum User
Before we begin the first edition, I'd like to point out that the MoparCraft forums have been merged with the MoparScape forums! When you get the chance, please take some time and head down to the MoparCraft and MineCraft discussion boards, while also viewing the MineCraft server advertisements here. If you're interested in MineCraft as well as everything involved with it, then this is the place for you!
#####Section 1: The Best Tutorials of the Month:
This category is here to pay tribute to those who go out of their way to create notable, helpful, or otherwise revolutionary RS2 Server/Client tutorials. If you have any nominations, please do let the Mopar Monthly crew know!
######Tutorial 1:
- Language: Java
- Creator(s): Arham 4
- What the tutorial is: A ranking system, inspired by the Call Of Duty - MW2 game.
- Base: Delta
- Link: click me
######Tutorial 2:
- Language: Java
- Creator(s): Arham 4
- What the tutorial is: A different way to incorporate dialogue into an Allstar-based server.
- Base: Allstar-Scape
- Link: click me
######Tutorial 3:
- Language: Java
- Creator(s): Arham 4
- What the tutorial is: A tutorial meant to implement a sounds system for weapons.
- Base: Allstar-Scape
- Link: click me
#####Section 2: Notable Developments:
Found here will be a column dedicated to sending our luck to developers that seem to have a lot of potential. This category will not be reserved solely for RS2 developers, but general programming and game development as well. Included within each description will be a similar setup as that of the Best Tutorials section.
######Development 1:
- Name: Arios 498
- Type: RSPS
- Revision: 498
- Development Started On: December 24, 2012
- Developers: sonicforce41, vexia, prothium
- Link: click me
######Development 2:
- Name: Avarrocka - Simple As That
- Type: RSPS
- Revision: 474 Loading +
- Development Started On: May 8, 2013
- Developers: Arterm, Rob, Steve, Ryley, Jacob, Cory, Ruby, Andrew
- Link: click me
#####Section 3: Interesting Model/Graphics Designs:
This section will be used for showing off the work of members within the site. Found here will be noteworthy works of modeling and graphics, made using programs such as Photoshop, Metasequoia, Cinema 4D, and more.
######Design 1:
- Creator: Cole1497
- Program: Cinema 4D
- Render of: iPhone
- Link: click me
######Design 2:
- Creator: Bowser jr
- Program: Bamboo Sketch Tablet
- Type: Sketches/Drawings
- Link: click me
######Design 3:
- Creator: Cole1497
- Program: Cinema 4D
- Render of: Iron Man Mask
- Link: click me
######Design 4:
- Creator: amy webb
- Program: Actual Sketchbook
- Type: Sketches/Drawings
- Link: click me
#####Section 4: The Overall Most Helpful Members of the Month:
This category is not necessarily meant for those who always know what they're talking about. It is to give a special thanks and a shoutout to those who are willing to go out of their way to help others. I've looked through the Server and Client help boards for a little while, and have come to the conclusion that this month's overall most notable helpers are:
######Java (R.S.P.S.):
- ohokay
- sk8rdude461
- 3lv3n Snip3r
- Vain_
- xxxtillyxxx
######Web Design:
- 3lv3n Snip3r
- Ruby
- RevengePK
######General Programming:
- imthenull
- Taharok
If the community has any other nominations, please do let me know so we can add them as nominees for next month's edition! If you feel that a person listed this month does not belong, please let any of the Mopar Monthly crew know privately so there aren't any heated arguments within the forums.
#####Section 5: New Forum Competitions:
This category is meant to bring forward new competitions that are notable and would be fun for more members to take part in. Included with each competition will have a link to the thread, a general overview of the competition, and the judges (if any).
- Type: General Programming
- Judge(s): No judges, but expect criticism on code
- What the challenge is: Provided with a block of text, you are to find the secret password. The password is the longest substring that is the same in reverse.
- Rewards: Criticism
- Language: Any.
- Link: click me
- Type: Modeling Competition
- Judge(s): amy webb, the wanderer, silentcj
- What the challenge is: Let your imagination wander with this competition based off of modeling. With the theme being RuneScape gods, you are to create a 3d model and enter it to the competition to be judged.
- Rewards: As the winner of the model contest, your model will be stickied in the RS2 models section until the next contest winner is announced. There is also a chance that you will receive a badge/cup under your forum name, yet this is not a permanent reward (will be removed during and after the next competition unless you win again).
- Language: Use any 3D modeling software
- Link: click me
#####Section 6: An Interview With A Forum Member: This section of the Mopar Monthly is perhaps my favorite. Within this section, you will be able to hear the thoughts of one user after each question asked of them. The best part of this is that the interviewed user switches monthly, so you could be the next interviewed user! Due to this being the first edition, and because the team is still deciding on what questions will be asked in the future, this interview will be shorter and lighter in questions than those potentially asked later on. This month's interviewed user is the Mopar admin, Tom. Please note that anything stated by the user in this interview does not reflect the future decisions, current decisions, or past decisions of the Mopar staff team. These opinions are the interviewed person's own, and therefore cannot and should not be related to possible future additions to the MoparScape forums.
- You're an administrator now, what was the transition like and how are you finding it?
The transition from a moderator to an administrator wasn't really as scary as I thought that it would have been. Prior to becoming a global site admin, I spent a while administrating moparcraft. This wasn't so worrying for me, simply because I had already had experience managing a forum, as well as a game server. All in all, it's nice to be able to implement successful ideas and have comprehensive discussion with a multitude of members. I really have heard some of the coolest, and weirdest ideas.
- How did you find Mopar, and what was it like at the time compared to now?
I was originally looking for a way to satisfy my desires on RuneScape. I was somewhat of a noob at the time (mind you, I still am) and was unable to motivate myself to actually obtain anything of worth, or game stats that people would respect. So I turned to Google (which was a fairly abstract concept for me at the time), and landed on the MoparScape website. It was a very lively community, with harsh moderation, and eager members - a lot of whom aren't really around anymore. This was before any form of non-rsps related boards were added to the site, so you were quite literally forced to post rsps-related content or head on over to moparisthebest, which not surprisingly, most didn't do. I think the community is a lot more tame and relaxed than it used to be. It certainly doesn't feel as chaotic to me.
- Enough of the moparscape related questions for now, tell us about yourself.
As most would have figured by this point, my name is Tom. I currently reside in the UK, England and I'm 17 years old and studying computing in college. I have one more year left until I finish my course, and then I hope to have gained enough points to further my education at university. I'm also a male if that wasn't obvious enough already.
- Who do you feel is the clown of the forums?
I'm not sure if I should answer that. :-)
- What type of staff member would you put yourself as? As in your moderating style etc.
I've always tried to be consistent, and down to earth with my moderation of the forum. It's important to know where the line is, and when somebody has crossed it.
- Where do you see the site heading, and is there anything you can tell us about what the staff team is working on/discussing?
As most are aware the suggestions board was recently reimplemented, this has introduced a whole array of ideas that require discussion and attention by not just the staff team but the community as a whole. We're regularly holding staff discussion on multiple different platforms to process, and recognize ideas the community likes. Clearly not all our discussion will stem from the suggestions board, but as a staff team we're active in looking at the viability of all suggested ideas and revisiting ideas that were previously shunned, or rejected in their previous form. I'm reluctant to go into specifics, as I would hate to unintentionally announce something that isn't correct, or actually going to happen.
- How do you feel about the Mopar Monthly, and where do you see it going?
I think it's a good idea, and a productive way to populate the blog. Though it's something that requires contributions from the community, and a fair amount of effort from the person who takes charge of it. I can only wish those who want to contribute the best of luck, and hope they remain motivated and active so the idea doesn't burn out.
- Do you ever plan on returning a modified version or the same reputation system back to Mopar?
The reputation system has been a hot topic among the community even before it was removed, as it stands there are no immediate plans to reimplement the system but we're still discussing it whenever possible. The reputation system will not be reimplemented in its old form but we are actively looking for new ways to create the same sort of intended effect. We've gone over various systems such as a currency system, whereby reputation would act like currency. The thanks system which I'm sure most are familiar with (If not checkout the SMF mod), and other variations of the same system.
- Has there ever been plans on updating the forum software in order to provide more user choice such as themes?
Mopar is unlike any other forum, the way it is setup makes it difficult to implement and maintain things such as themes, and modifications. This means that things such as themes can be added, but they are hard to maintain so require a large base of support to justify the level of work that goes into maintaining it. If the support is there and the staff agree things can be added to the forum and have been so posting support for something such as a theme wouldn't be a waste. On the bright side, with forums that were previously on seperate sites coming back to MoparScape so it makes the process easier, and with any luck the forum will be worked upon in the future and adding themes, and doing things will be made a lot more simpilstic. This will take time though.
- Your opinion on mods that become inactive? Should they be demoted, or does it not hurt to have them stay as mods?
We've never removed staff who have become inactive, and we never will.
- When you were first promoted to administrator you handed out a few badges, that seems to have stopped now, do you have any plans to hand out more badges?
I don't set myself a goal for the day on the amount of badges I should hand out. If somebody deserves a badge, whether I notice it or the staff team nominate the person they will obtain the badge. I do believe that the management of badges was neglected for a while so the sudden burst of people getting badges when I was first promoted was simply me catching up with staff nominations.
- What do you guys have planned for the future?
We have some pretty awesome changes, and plans coming up. We're stilling working on them, so I won't reveal anything but we are still discussing changes to the forum.
- Thanks for answering these questions, Tom.
Thank you.
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. Interested in becoming an editor/writer? Contact Flame_!
#####This edition of the Mopar Monthly was published by Flame_.