Marlow

sweet Jesus Turps.
good stuff. :thup:

Shall read it in a bit.

Marlow

well, after finishing that's a great article Turps. You've put some great points accross there and I must say I agree with them.

Goldy

Yep some very good points brought across Turps and a lot i agree with myself and there are lots of things that we as a community can make a start on and build for the future of the forum.

coisty

LOL Turps, thats one hell of a post.

Some good points there. I would like the CMO to become more of a close community.
Was filling out my form for the yearly awards and realised I only realy know folk in my own clan and Powley who is every where. It would be good to get to know more hardcore CMO'rs

Jimbhoy

A wee simple idea for people to think about.

How about rounding up 7 people who are willing to host a 7 separate long term online game 1 night each for set times this instantly creates 7 new 'clans'.

This would be like a spawning ground where anybody new and interested in playing online can test the water with an organised game hosted by an experienced host

Goldy

The idea does sound good Jim however what will come up is these 7 people are probably already involved in net games and its going to be difficult for anyone, especially an experienced host to find the time to host another additional game with his own.

dogs

I must admit i agree also with the majority of the above post.

It's a very thought provoking and well put together piece.

You are right when you say that I am 100% behind the positive development of the CMO forum. I will endeavour work with everyone to transform this forum into what it should be, one of the most prominent communities on the SI webby.

Don't forget that the future of all games, not just CM 03/04 is mutliplayer, the very strong rumour is that the next installment of the CM series or Si series will be based on the mutliplayer format. We want this forum to rock simple.

Deano

100% of the people who post on this forum whether they are applying to join a clan or attempting to setup one of their own, love Champman. When they first hear about online champo, they get all fevered up and want to give it a try. However, the main problem is that they often come from the land of the single player, this generally leads to unrealistic expectations that playing CM online is just the same as single player but against other humans, and this is just not the case. This is the fundamental reason why we have so many clans that last only a few sessions and why we have people who join a clan for one session and then never return.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Jimbhoy:
A wee simple idea for people to think about.

How about rounding up 7 people who are willing to host a 7 separate long term online game 1 night each for set times this instantly creates 7 new 'clans'.

This would be like a spawning ground where anybody new and interested in playing online can test the water with an organised game hosted by an experienced host<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I’d like to expand on Jim’s idea a bit, and make it into something slightly different.

Education is the key to taking this community to the next level, we somehow have to manage the expectations of new users and give them a guiding hand in finding out what playing champo online is all about. So let me explain the concept of …..

Drop-in Games

Basically these are test games that will run say Monday – Friday. They are not long term games in their first evolution, they are simply games where people can drop into the mirc channel on that particular night join a game and test the water.

Now this will take a fair bit of organising, but it was the only way I could think of that will help to educate the new visitors to the community, rules, faq’s etc all have their place and will be useful to some people, but many people will never read them no matter how much you ram them down their throats. Allowing people to dive right in is often the only way to get and keep them interested, I mean how many people have actually read cover to cover the manual that comes with CM, I know I haven’t, but we expect people to read all the rules and regulations and faq's that go with this forum, it just isn’t realistic.

In my everyday life as a Manager of a Technical team, I can send people on numerous training courses, but they never begin to add value until they are given the chance to apply that knowledge in a real environment, to me this is no different to the problems that CMO faces, people need education to get them started, it is just a case for the experienced guys to show them the way and show them the ropes.

In the end some of these games may go onto to produce/spawn clans of their own, but at the very least they will have given the people playing an insight into online play.

And before anyone asks, yes I would personally host a test game, one evening a week

sav112

The creativeness and banter is there in buckets in the Scots clan in my opinion. I can’t comment on the other clans but I do realise the effort the guy’s in the clan I’m with put in and appreciate it enormously. Playing in this clan has been an education in it’s self with regards to learning how to really get the most out of a game I’ve always enjoyed.
To play CM online with so many human players was a real eye-opener and I’m always advertising the fact in some of my posts out with the clan that playing online is were the best experience is to be had. I was a complete newbie to CM clan games and even though I’ve not represented the Clan always in the best light :o the lads have been brilliant and understanding to the point I’m proud of the Clan in which I play.

I was always disappointed at the recognition these clans got on the forum :thdn:; it’s definitely the way forward for the game and the community. Some of the work that goes into the web sites and the setting up these clans is remarkable. Anything that leads single players to get interested in clan games can only benefit the community.

With regards to the drop in games, I think anyone setting up a clan would benefit from a stint in a recognised Clan for a few sessions just to get a feel for it and pick up hints and tips off the Host and realise the problems involved when running a clan game or there should be a help thread with the hosts of the recognised Clan games promoted to mod the pages and give advice if they wanted.

Cesc Fabregas the Phenom

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Mr X:
We want this forum to rock simple.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Best thing I have heard lately.

Turps, that read like a heartfelt post. Some very good points fella. You have said many things I didn't even know I was thinking or was ever too scared to say to be honest. Im glad Dogs is taking this by the scruff of its neck. Lets hope we can all make this a significantly better place.
Im happy to use myself as a n00b example. I was a huge n00b when I got here. Im forever grateful to Paul for giving me a chance in the EMA. He has taken my enjoyment of the game to a whole new level. Understanding and good control are key elements to make a unique forum like this a success. Most importantly like Deano said is Education. You just have to hope new members are willing to learn a little if not alot.

If someone is willing to give Drop-in games a go like Deano has said then I think its an idea that could be tried at the very least. No harm can be done IMO. The key being having dedicated people organising it.