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[Saccade]

If you're still active here and want to be involved in the Abandoned Times still, post here with a blurb about what you can/want to do.

Loadsa people have AT badges - how many are still here and willing to do some work to resurrect the magazine?

[Saccade]

I was just thinking...

Talking to some people earlier, it sounds like people don't have much faith that it can be a concerted effort.

All these people really want to write for some magazine. Must be some sort of prestige thing or something - don't know.
It would be good if all the people put that much enthusiasm and effort into rag stuff, put it into reviews.

Instead of these liberal Abandoned Times badges, we could have some kind of Reviewer badge or something...
It could have tiers, like the lurker, veteran, elite thing, for how many reviews they had contributed.

If these badges mean, to most people, what they seem to mean - then there should be more reviews written.
A productive use of the defunct and scattered AT badge people. If they can still be bothered to write anything, seeing as it's for Abandonia, rather than a magazine.

We could then scrap the whole AT forum and archive all its stuff (remember to archive!), ready to be delved into for when people are motivated enough to make a magazine. Use the extra space to accommodate more organisation function of copy - grammar - gamepage maybe?
Or just leave it and it'd be less to look after.

Not sure what colour the Reviewer badge could be, or when you'd get it...
Maybe after submitting a few, rather than one review?
It'd have to be shiny, to attract people.

Like moths to a flame, moohoohahaetc.

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               Suck It.

[arete]

You need to raise your serotonin levels, m8. Sleeping pills, lovely lovely sleeping pills! Jk. That comic was horrible. Yeah, i'll help copyedit. Provided people don't try change their articles after i'm done correcting them. Or trying to tell me i'm wrong when english is like their third language or sth. GRRawrr! They will be eaten! Also i'm cooking up an article about how aoe changed the face of rts gaming and taught me important life lessons. I'll be a lowly sub-ed. Give me all the difficult things to proof - i love a challenge.

[TotalAnarchy]

Also you should make a list of stuff that has been already submitted. Who knows maybe there isn't as much material needed for a complete magazine as we previously thought...

[Saccade]

I don't think there's a lack of material - we need to think about what articles we want for the magazine and the rest of the content, along with the layout and cover and stuff.

The branding of the last issue was good, so that saves a lot of work.

It's going to take a while to go through all the stuff here and catalogue it. There's some good stuff.
I think that, rather than accept random submissions all the time, we could have set articles on a few topics.
I'm going to hassle Firaxis about the Ask Sid bit again...

We've got Vs articles, game reviews, lots of opinion stuff... a few rants, offers of comic strips, a few other assorted things.

Something about Studentis' plans for Abandonia, and what they are doing, would be a good thing to include. Especially as it has caused some upsets recently...
I think there should be some kind of current events pertinent to abandonware/semi-legit piracy, the site, the ring (that'll be a job in itself), old games and new(er), industry. List goes on. Too much maybe

Having stuff like that, written by solid writers - of which there are many - means regular columns. That makes magazine continuity better and makes it easier to produce a run of issues.
I don't know how people will respond to assigned writing tasks, which is why I want to know who's on the case and who's not.

[Saccade]

Something that is really needed, and can be included:
Dummies Guide to Dosbox, should definitely be run as a series. People need to read that.
Does anyone know how many downloads the first issue had..? All these people need educating in the ways of dos.

An "history of" running article would be good.
It would be good to have some collected bits off the web. Not MMO's or anything, but cool stuff.

Another thing that could be a regular feature could be some kind of spoiler/cheats/hints section. That'd draw people's attention to certain games, as well.

If it's a .pdf, we can embed video and flash - so long as the reader has an internet connection, it'll be a small file still. We can put a backup gif or something in there, in case they're offline.
That means we can put things from our Youtube channel in the magazine.
Gaming vids of how to get past bits in games or a showcase - whatever.

Loadsa stuff...

Everything will need someone on the case.
When all the things are decided, say to embed a video from youtube into a games review - a moving screenshot - someone would have to make the video, upload it and then send the link to the person who's dealing with the article.
They can then include the embed link in their review where they want it, the text is proofed, the articles goes to layout/typesetting after edit, pages are made, have another shufty at it and it's off.

That article involves a few people.
Writer, Proofer, Editor, Layout/Typeset, Quality control and that's all I can be bothered with.
At least 3/4 people for that. Maybe more if special graphics are needed or a different page design.

I suppose we'll have to see how many people are still on board...
There's no fucking way I'm volunteering to make the whole thing myself, minus some writing, proofing and finding images.
I don't mind doing some of the leg work, but there's a limit to my enthusiasm for this.

[ltsajber]

ltsajber here, checking in:

Articles ready for publication:
To young for Abandonware?


Article awaiting finalizing touch:
WolfenDoom For Doom II, Part 1


Future pipeline:
WolfenDoom for Doom II, Part 2.


*****

I can:
*Do a follow up on the article "To young for Abandonware?". It could be like a column or editorial where I in every issue, talk/write about something related to Abandoware and old games. It could be called "Abandoned Thoughts" or something.


*Do reviews, name the game and I will review it.

about:
*Can do attitude.
*Online almost 24/7
*Many many many years of gaming experience etc.

and more..


***

There you have it a small, but cheesy check in!

[Saccade]

Talk/write about games would be reviews, I reckon.

We could look at the games that need review to go on site and then pick excellent ones to feature, as an extended review in the magazine.
Having the two work in tandem would mean there's some site benefit, as well as a rag.

Take a look at the "needing reviews" list and pick a few that seem good - have a play and then say what you think.
"New to site this time" Column would be much more useful than a discussion column, I reckon, Itsajber. Or "Pick of latest..." that have recently gone on the front page.

Having a regular bit about the site's latest and greatest games means you can play more games (to get nostalgic about in 20 years ) and widens the scope of what you can say...
Comparison of platformers, fps, puzzle, etc. games that are similar - why one is better however.

It would also be good, if there was a little bit in every game (for magazine only, not for on site version - that you can also write ) review about the history of the game - what its predecessors were like, what later games like it were/are like.

Since the magazine is about old games, rather than abandonware (We need an article on what abandonware actually is - how it is different to pirated torrents and stuff) it is better if we have some basis for some serious stuff.

Don't want articles to be too personally opinionated, mind.

[Acethor]

Check.

There, I checked in

I'm always around. After all, my kingdom is only a stone's throw away from yours.

For now though, I can only promise to lend you my copy-editing skills.

[Saccade]

Come on, People.

I'll be posting a list of content we want to include soon.

Let me know you're still active - I'll be chasing you all by PM/email soon, so you can save yrselves some hassle by announcing your readiness to help.