Go Back   Forums > Abandonia.com > Abandoned Times
Memberlist Forum Rules Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read
Search Forums:
Click here to use Advanced Search

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 18-08-2017, 09:34 PM   #1
LianneJW1912
Abandonia nerd


 
Join Date: Aug 2017
Posts: 55
Default What's the current status of Abandoned Times? And Some Thoughts...

So I'm here because I'm interested in writing some articles/generally helping with the writing or producing of Abandoned Times (funnily enough). I've seen some forum posts from 2017, so I know some people are still enquiring about production of the magazine, but most of the responses I have seen have been mere conjecture, or several years old, and I've found little concrete evidence on the progress on, or indeed even the existence of, Issue 4 :P I just wanted to know what the situation was and who to discuss the eZine with, seeing as there seems to have been a change of editor since the first issue, which I was lucky enough to read when it first came out as a mere 12 year old (so I am something of a young gun, yes :P )

I would also be interested in contributor's opinions of expanding outside of DOS, as is the scope of the website, for the magazine; incorporating things such as the Amiga line of computers, something very dear to retro computer gamers of the UK, or the Atari ST etc. It may also be a good idea to recognise the nature of the eZine and how articles are produced, and opt for a smaller, more concise format: Say 20 to 30 pages, which would likely allow for an easier production and more output. If we were to take this model, for example, and apply it to the current magazines, there could have been a total of 5 - 7 issues to show for everyone's hard work, which certainly looks more appealing for potential readers.

Another question I have was the readership of the magazine. It was mentioned in the editorial of Issue 3 that the readership was, and I quote, "[smaller] than an obscure doujinshi at the Comiket". Do we have rough figures for that? Downloads, number of different users, etc? Just out of interest more than anything else... What is the status of the magazine with contributors? How many do we have, how many articles come from the editor and how many come from other people? SO many questions, I know, it must feel like playing 20Q, but I'm very interested in the magazine and helping to make it better, where I can. It's been a real influence on my growing up, and made a huge change to the games I've been interested in as I moved to adulthood. Where others of my generation got excited over the new games on Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii, I was hunched over my desk, violently tapping my keys in frustration trying to get DOSBox to work! There's been some fantastic work put into this magazine over the years, and I think there's still more to give. Sorry that this got so long, it wasn't supposed to happen haha

Yours,

LJW1912
LianneJW1912 is offline                         Send a private message to LianneJW1912
Reply With Quote
Old 19-08-2017, 10:31 AM   #2
tienkhoanguyen
[BANNED]

 
Join Date: Oct 2016
Posts: 833
Default

Well since this is kinda long I'm going to unofficially type inside your original quoted reply below. I'm sorry if I'm the wrong person however Thank you for responding since I haven't heard anything in like months and that is not too long compared to years ago.


Quote:
Originally Posted by LianneJW1912 View Post
So I'm here because I'm interested in writing some articles/generally helping with the writing or producing of Abandoned Times (funnily enough).

I've seen "defender of Anarchy and arête and Mr. Japo etc." are some of the people on staff so they might be able to answer. They have fallen quiet because I have been talking a bit and so they do not know what to make of it. So the squeaky wheel gets the oil type deal. The easiest way to reach the audience is start your own thread in my opinion and just upload your content or put a link to your content right in the thread like Smiling Spectre says. He is also a supermod.









I've seen some forum posts from 2017, so I know some people are still enquiring about production of the magazine, but most of the responses I have seen have been mere conjecture, or several years old, and I've found little concrete evidence on the progress on, or indeed even the existence of, Issue 4 :P I just wanted to know what the situation was and who to discuss the eZine with, seeing as there seems to have been a change of editor since the first issue, which I was lucky enough to read when it first came out as a mere 12 year old (so I am something of a young gun, yes :P )






I'm guessing it is hard to gauge readership so the official work to the magazines might have fallen off for fear of people not being interested. However in my experiences there is just not enough people bold enough to voice their feelings. So the authors think there is no further interest and stop.




I would also be interested in contributor's opinions of expanding outside of DOS, as is the scope of the website, for the magazine; incorporating things such as the Amiga line of computers, something very dear to retro computer gamers of the UK, or the Atari ST etc. It may also be a good idea to recognise the nature of the eZine and how articles are produced, and opt for a smaller, more concise format: Say 20 to 30 pages, which would likely allow for an easier production and more output. If we were to take this model, for example, and apply it to the current magazines, there could have been a total of 5 - 7 issues to show for everyone's hard work, which certainly looks more appealing for potential readers.




If you look at a PixelTHING's production shown every Sunday on here you will find that he produces everything from DOS to XBOX and PS4 etc. So I am guessing if you are the author in charge then you will be able to do it your way.





Another question I have was the readership of the magazine. It was mentioned in the editorial of Issue 3 that the readership was, and I quote, "[smaller] than an obscure doujinshi at the Comiket". Do we have rough figures for that? Downloads, number of different users, etc? Just out of interest more than anything else... What is the status of the magazine with contributors? How many do we have, how many articles come from the editor and how many come from other people?






I know when I first see the opening pages of the forum the first thing I look for is new content. So I suggest keeping it manageable and frequent to catch the reader's attention.




SO many questions, I know, it must feel like playing 20Q, but I'm very interested in the magazine and helping to make it better, where I can. It's been a real influence on my growing up, and made a huge change to the games I've been interested in as I moved to adulthood. Where others of my generation got excited over the new games on Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii, I was hunched over my desk, violently tapping my keys in frustration trying to get DOSBox to work! There's been some fantastic work put into this magazine over the years, and I think there's still more to give. Sorry that this got so long, it wasn't supposed to happen haha

Yours,

LJW1912


Sincerely,
tienkhoanguyen is offline                         Send a private message to tienkhoanguyen
Reply With Quote
Old 20-08-2017, 08:08 AM   #3
Japo
Autonomous human
 
Japo's Avatar


 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: ,
Posts: 4,613
Default

Quote:
It's been a real influence on my growing up, and made a huge change to the games I've been interested in as I moved to adulthood.
Thank you! In the name of the people who did contribute to the magazine (not really myself, who tried the first issue but became frustrated after it got stuck for months before it had to change editor)... I'm sure they'll appreciate these words.

I like your ideas, and I agree it's good to make the magazine shorter considering how much work it takes.

I don't think I have a way to measure downloads of the issues or anything like that. I wonder if the backend admins could, if I ever asked. I suspect past traffic estimations must come only from readers who later post on the forums to communicate their appreciation or feedback. This isn't a reliable measure -- as your own case illustrates, if this is the first time you post about it.

Whom to discuss the magazine with, is whoever replies on this board. Past editors have preference of course, and we would actually like them to pick the task up again, but that depends on their showing up. :p The situation is that any discussion of future issues died down months or years ago, so it's more or less starting from scratch again.
__________________
Life starts every day anew. Prospects not so good...

Last edited by Japo; 20-08-2017 at 11:13 PM.
Japo is offline                         Send a private message to Japo
Reply With Quote
Old 20-08-2017, 07:15 PM   #4
LianneJW1912
Abandonia nerd


 
Join Date: Aug 2017
Posts: 55
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Japo View Post
Thank you! In the name of the people who did contribute to the magazine (not really myself, who tried the first issue but became frustrated after the first issue got stuck for months before it had to change editor)... I'm sure they'll appreciate these words.

I like your ideas, and I agree it's good to make the magazine shorter considering how much work it takes.

I don't think I have a way to measure downloads of the issues or anything like that. I wonder if the backend admins could, if I ever asked. I suspect past traffic estimations must come only from readers who later post on the forums to communicate their appreciation or feedback. This isn't a reliable measure -- as your own case illustrates, if this is the first time you post about it.

Whom to discuss the magazine with, is whoever replies on this board. Past editors have preference of course, and we would actually like them to pick the task up again, but that depends on their showing up. The situation is that any discussion of future issues died down months or years ago, so it's more or less starting from scratch again.
I'll be honest, I've actually started drafting up an 'issue 4' of my own, one of those things where something went from a vague idea and then kept me up most of the night haha, I'm a bit strange like that A yardstick for myself would be an eZine called 'Warning Order', which is a wargaming publication that consists of some 30 pages usually, and goes from strength to strength. They've post about four a year, so it's managable for them, and I think the same principle could be applied to AT. I'd be very much interested in seeing what could be done with the magazine from this point
LianneJW1912 is offline                         Send a private message to LianneJW1912
Reply With Quote
Old 20-08-2017, 11:22 PM   #5
Japo
Autonomous human
 
Japo's Avatar


 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: ,
Posts: 4,613
Default

That's great. :-) Anything you could post here about your progress would be appreciated, as it could also attract participation from other volunteers. Even if you have many good ideas and dedication, the magazine will only be better if more people can contribute to it.

As long as you're alone you don't need anything but our blessing. If you would eventually produce an issue up to the quality standard of previous ones (no matter if it's shorter as you say) we would of course more than happy to give it.
__________________
Life starts every day anew. Prospects not so good...
Japo is offline                         Send a private message to Japo
Reply With Quote
Old 20-08-2017, 11:22 PM   #6
Japo
Autonomous human
 
Japo's Avatar


 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: ,
Posts: 4,613
Default

That's great. :-) Anything you could post here about your progress would be appreciated, as it could also attract participation from other volunteers. Even if you have many good ideas and dedication, the magazine will only be better if more people can contribute to it.

As long as you're alone you don't need anything but our blessing. If you would eventually produce an issue up to the quality standard of previous ones (no matter if it's shorter as you say) we would of course more than happy to give it.
__________________
Life starts every day anew. Prospects not so good...
Japo is offline                         Send a private message to Japo
Reply With Quote
Old 21-08-2017, 01:35 AM   #7
LianneJW1912
Abandonia nerd


 
Join Date: Aug 2017
Posts: 55
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Japo View Post
That's great. :-) Anything you could post here about your progress would be appreciated, as it could also attract participation from other volunteers. Even if you have many good ideas and dedication, the magazine will only be better if more people can contribute to it.

As long as you're alone you don't need anything but our blessing. If you would eventually produce an issue up to the quality standard of previous ones (no matter if it's shorter as you say) we would of course more than happy to give it.
I'll see what I can manage, no guarantees though... For sure I wouldn't want to just do it on my own, and would appreciate any assistance I can get, but for now I'll put together a rough draft and see what comes of it
LianneJW1912 is offline                         Send a private message to LianneJW1912
Reply With Quote
Old 21-08-2017, 08:44 AM   #8
Smiling Spectre
10 GOSUB Abandonia
20 GOTO 10
 
Smiling Spectre's Avatar




 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Cherkessk, Russian Federation
Posts: 2,078
Send a message via ICQ to Smiling Spectre Send a message via AIM to Smiling Spectre Send a message via MSN to Smiling Spectre
Default

I am bad with creating texts (and with English in general, actually), but I can check results, add or correct something, if it will be about games I know.
__________________
Smiling Spectre is offline                         Send a private message to Smiling Spectre
Reply With Quote
Old 21-08-2017, 05:19 PM   #9
LianneJW1912
Abandonia nerd


 
Join Date: Aug 2017
Posts: 55
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Smiling Spectre View Post
I am bad with creating texts (and with English in general, actually), but I can check results, add or correct something, if it will be about games I know.
It will be dependant on what the plans are by previous editors and workers on the magazine, because I don't want to encroach on others work (if mine is even any good at all!), but your help would be fantastic
LianneJW1912 is offline                         Send a private message to LianneJW1912
Reply With Quote
Old 21-08-2017, 09:08 PM   #10
Japo
Autonomous human
 
Japo's Avatar


 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: ,
Posts: 4,613
Default

It's still possible that this initiative may convince past contributors and editors to show up, so I hope for the best. :-) Keep it up!
__________________
Life starts every day anew. Prospects not so good...
Japo is offline                         Send a private message to Japo
Reply With Quote
Reply


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Abandonia's current status and future: Questions and Answers Mighty Midget Old Suggestions 56 16-01-2009 12:59 PM

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump
 


The current time is 11:06 AM (GMT)

 
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.7.1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.