I have been gone for nearly 3 whole days and I return to but a handful of topics and replies. It is disconcerting to say the least. I remember a time that there would be pages.... Anyway.

I have two questions. Hopefully they will incite some replies.

1) Why do you remain at Snarkpit. Not to be confused with why you came here. Whats here that keeps you returning?

2) If you had Leps ear, and he promised to grant you one wish, what would you change? This assumes only that your wish pertains to the sites database code.

Yeah, I have my reasons for posting this thread.

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The best things in life, aren't things.

1) To bask in the wisdom and glory of decent/good mappers.

2) FTP uploading for the pits.

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One day you'll know what you're talking about, I can hardly imagine

Maps! - Audio blog!

Well, the guys, and HL1 kept me here. Knowing that someday I'd actually make a decent map kept me here. The release of HL2 tore me away, I couldnt keep up and a serious lack of imagination.

FTP? I've got my own up, as best as I can, until the parents shut down the box. If it's a popular enough idea, I could provide space (up to about 100GB currently though)

1. I stay here, lurking, because I know the place. I'll be with this site until either me or it dies, whether I'm still mapping or not. Right now I cant map due to other commitments, but I still help out in the editing forums when I can.

2. Theres not really one big thing that bothers me about the site mechanics, just a lot of little things. If I had to choose, I'd say Lep should be at the pit at least once a week, or give someone else his powers. Unfortunately, it doesnt look like either will happen any time soon :sad:

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"If you talk at all during this lesson, you have detention. Do you understand?"

• My yr11 Economics teacher

1. Why not

2. I love you guys just the way you are

1) I remain, because I have no place else to be. I look around and think, this place is comfortable.

What I would change has nothing to do with the database code. I didn't think of everything here, but I approved of everything done so, nothing I can think of code wise needs altered.

2) What I would change is the perception that Snarkpit is a society that caters to Elitists views. I know that this is a false perception but it is still a prevalent one none the less.

If I had to write one sentence that exemplifies Snarkpit I would say "Snarkpit treats no one differently, Pro or newbie everyone gets the same level of honest feedback"

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The best things in life, aren't things.

1). The same reason I went to the other mapping sites, to give back my expertise. I've always used this site to help me with HL problems, and now I want to give something back.

Also, I stay because this is a great place to learn how to actuatly get into the game design industry.

2) Open more pits, for some of us, latecomers. Also, fix the stupid javascript problems with the latest FF.

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Dark_Kilauea
DVS Administration
http://www.dvstudio-production.com/

1) Interesting things are said here, and I like (most of) the people.

2) FF 1.5 and Java aren't communicating well here (last time I checked, this could have changed without me knowing as I still use 1.0.7, if so, please ignore #2).

About the "Elitist views" thing:
As you mentioned, feedback and reviews of newbie maps on the SP tend to be honest, almost harsh. As those who frequent the SP know, it's not to put the mapper down, just to give them as much to go on as possible. Killboxes don't get the same praise they do some places, though even killboxes occasionally get a little praise for their good aspects. I think it's also how we act in the general banter forum, we can get into some intense discussions. Plus people who post stupid $#!% in tend to get called on it a lot more often than at a lot of other sites. I'm sure there are other reasons too, but I can remember being a little intimidated when I first joined the Snarkpit, and I remember my first map, de_buried, "looked like HL1" and was "nothing to show off", which kind of put me off at first. In any case, the Snarkpit community is definitely different from most any other place on the internet.

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o

1) When I look at other mapping websites, people often post one-word compliments or some equally useless comments. Few people put the time into actually looking at the map and saying what they think is wrong with it. It's irritating. Meanwhile, crits are (or at least, were) expected behavior here.

Much like Jay Gatsby, I hold onto this ideal of community, and I try to stay here no matter what... Well, until I get shot in the penultimate chapter by a deranged cuckold (probably Hugh, in this case) :wink:

2) ... Uh, I don't know.

1) I've developed a history with this site and it would be a shame to just walk away.

2) Maybe implement a way to export and save an archive of the snarkpit so I can read over everything if I ever wanted to.

1. Hell, I like it here. I came here as someone new to mapping, got some excellent tips, advice and tutorials, and now I'm ... less new to mapping. Quality stuff here, that's the bottom line.

2. Firefox 1.5 + Javascript problems

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:: Forceflow.be :: Nuclear Dawn developer

1) I'm used to the place and, especially, to the people. Also, PFL, my
first love, is dead, PHL has gone down the hill and gamedesign.net has
only recently decided to slowly pull itself from the shallow grave it
dug itself. So there's really no other place to go. And as I said once
you get used to a whole set of people, it's hard to move somewhere else
where you don't know anyone.

2) Fixing the quoting system.

1. This is my internet home, and I don't really feel like moving :smile: Good folks, good banter, and, in general, a good sense of camaraderie and mutual assistance.

2. The ability to create new article pages - such as those used for the contests - would be useful.

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[img]http://card.mygamercard.net/sig/Default/reno84.png[/img]
Designer @ Haiku Interactive | ReNo-vation.net

1. The thing that led me here, keeps me here. The fact that this place
is a good source for information on mapping and that people in here
actually make useful comments. And I don't see the "elitistic" attitude
as a problem. Yeah, it kept me from registering for two years, but
during that time I managed to get some basic skills on mapping.

2. FF 1.5 + Java problems. I'm still using 1.0.7 though so it doesn't affect me too much.

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''Everyone wades in s**t until they're competent enough to walk on it. Jesus style.''
Dystopia - Empires

Pvt.Scythe said:
. And I don't see the "elitistic" attitude as a problem. Yeah, it kept me from registering for two years,

These two replies tend to cancel each other.

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The best things in life, aren't things.

Let me rephrase it for you Orph. It kept me from submitting s**t for
two years and actually do something about my skills in the area of
mapmaking.

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''Everyone wades in s**t until they're competent enough to walk on it. Jesus style.''
Dystopia - Empires

Pvt.Scythe said:
Let me rephrase it for you Orph. It kept me from submitting s**t for two years and actually do something about my skills in the area of mapmaking.

You lost 2 years you'll never be able to replace.

That saddens me because it was needlessly self imposed.

I cannot recall the last time someone new was actually picked on. This site just will not tolerate it.

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The best things in life, aren't things.

I cannot recall the last time someone new was actually picked on. This site just will not tolerate it.

Yet another great thing about this place.

Andrei said:
<DIV class=quote>
<DIV class=quotetitle>? quote:</DIV>
<DIV class=quotetext>I cannot recall the last time

Yet another great thing about this place.
</div></div>

Yeah, go ahead and rub it in. My limited ability to recall isn't the stuff of jokes.

:kitty:

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The best things in life, aren't things.

1. Been at the pit for almost 6 years, and its still the first site I
check out in the morning when I get online. Mainly its the community,
as a whole its a pretty good bunch of people. The best thing is that
the mapping guru's were and are always willing to spend the time to
give your work a fair go. Without the SnarkPit I can't really imagine
having stuck with mapping. Also its the regulars that make it worth
coming to.

2. Reviews, its something that made me come to this site, and something
I miss sorely. And before you say anything Orph I know what you've said
to me in the past, but back then I didn't have the time to map, let
alone review other peoples work. However with my new cushy job close to
home, I'm willing to have a crack at it. Do we have a review system set
up? If so could one of the admins hook me up.

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Ham and Jam Contributor
http://www.hamandjam.org

'Get your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape!'

1) It is probably one of the only mapping websites on the internet where 90% of the maps on the site, and the mappers, are not completely n00bs. (See FPSB for an example). Even though I like FPSB, and have almost 2 times as many posts, and like 30 times more submissions there, it is nice to talk to people who didn't just learn how to map.

2) I wish that more people would post. Each post is like 2 hours apart, and I check the site almost every 15 minutes (I have no life)

EDIT To #1: I alos like it because there are about 20 or so active forum posters. It's like our own little family. We all know eachother, our opinions, and all that stuff. Other forums I go to, like Something Awful, they have 100,000 members. And it's hard to keep track.

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http://img362.imageshack.us/img362/8521/windows981dk.jpg

Nickelplate is my dad

1) As said by my good Scottish friend, this is one of my two intenet
homes - never released a map, but play Half Life and its sequels/addons
every day since.. 1998? I have a duty to moderate and invigorate
the community - tho Orph seems to be doing that just fine so i'm
on holidays for now :wink:

2) Lotsa things! bugs, bugs, bugs... ! bits of the admin control panel need fixing up too, but we'll see.

1) you guys are awesome, and i feel this is a good place to learn to map, as i am just about to start doing finally

2)firefox coding problems

Don't really have an answer to part 1 at the moment. Past looking at other people's work and getting ideas, but that's been sparse over the last year.

But, On the second one. The site really needs a makeover in functionality when it comes to the editing forum. It's really bare. Also, it seems the site isn't very intuitive on initial usage (thus all the new people posting editing questions in the general forum). So, there's something to be said about that.

I just think the bulk of content for a mapping site should be the mapping. Of course, there's things that could be tweaked in the mapping forum too

Other than all that, there's miscellaneous "bugs" here and there ... That highlighted text over games in a map profile having a higher index than the content of the map is very annoying when a long name like "Counter Strike: Source (304)" begins overlapping!

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Blame it on Microsoft, God does.

• I keep coming here because I always used to come here. I used to come here to do mapping stuff, but then I ran out of time, and now I just drop by occasionally just to argue or lurk. And to see some of the old fellas (the few that are left). But mostly, I stay for nooba and Hugh, they need me.
• I would like that bit of code gak in Firefox to disappear in the reply window.

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I tried sniffing coke, but the ice cubes kept getting stuck in my nose.
http://www.dimebowl.com

Agent Smith said:
...review other peoples work. However with my new cushy job close to home, I'm willing to have a crack at it. Do we have a review system set up? If so could one of the admins hook me up.

you should, you make great critiques

as for the questions

1. Only community i've come across that makes me coming back every day for more than 2 years now. Dunno, i guess it has the right size and culture. There's the right balance between humour, info, and discussions, all on a mostly mature level. i also find it interesting how all the personalities react and how little tensions play out in the short and in the long term.

The mapping system is another strong point in comparison to other sites. Most maps are commented on in an honest way, though it seems there's less feedback nowadays than there used to. Imo most of the gurus only comment when a map interests them or if it's for a fellow-guru. Though i have to admit i also mostly only take the time to comment when a map captivates me.

2. No coding probs for me as i'm still perfectly happy with ie :razz: . As for managerial issues, it would be handy that a head-admin would be appointed who has the devotion and commitment to lead events such as competitions to a good end.

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These words are my diaries screaming out loud

1. I don't really know why. I've got MANY better, more important things to do with my time, but I still lurk around here. I think it may be simply that I respect the opinions of many hereabouts, and I think the international character of the community provides a diversity of opinion I can't pass up.

2. Nothing I can think of...

1. It's the most grown-up mapping site I've ever been to. Honest and interesting feedback, people that actually have an opinion and unusual humor.

Somehow the site's reminding me of SI. In order to get a working community of non-obnoxious people most noobs are scared away. I never really posted at the SI forums. Although they seemed to be a fun place it was an elitist club that made it hard to feel comfortable as a newbie. In the short time I've been at Snarkpit I've seen a couple of occasions where someone new to the site postet a stupid question/map, got an annoyed/aggressive (compared to other sites where people are used to noobs) answer and never came back. I'm sure we all did once, even the "Gurus". You could probably be nicer to beginners that are very proud of their first big box'o'props and give them some time to get used to the Snarkpit's standard of quality. This could draw some beginners to the site. People that will stay.

2. I agree with most people. The firefox/java coding needs a fix. What I'd also like to see are preview buttons for forums/maps/news ect.

BlisTer said:
Imo most of the gurus only comment when a map interests them or if it's for a fellow-guru. Though i have to admit i also mostly only take the time to comment when a map captivates me.

I agree and disagree. There aren't as many comments as there were, but there are also not as many requests for feedback as there were. I am unclear as to why but I suspect that its for 2 reasons. 1) Its easier to obtain the feedback you want to hear from other sites than this one. 2) With the feedback you receive here, its so long before the person receiving the feedback gets back to you that you lose heart. With chaotic schedules this is going to happen, but when someone requests feedback but doesn't use it for a month, it seems a waste of time.

BlisTer said:
As for managerial issues, it would be handy that a head-admin would be appointed who has the devotion and commitment to lead events such as competitions to a good end.

I know you didn't mean that personally but I took it in the gut anyway. You may also have had someone else in mind than I so again I know it wasn't personal. You know that Leps and my viewpoints clash. It took me ages to get this position.

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The best things in life, aren't things.

1. I haven't been here for a long time so I can't answer this question. But I can see the people are nice and they don't act like children. In the time I was in here no one ever flamed any one, spammed these forums and usally have an intresting opinion that not: 'ooo...that thing sucks'. The posting rate is a bit slow, 1 post per hour and sometimes longer times.

2. This site is really nice. It has a nice layout, really easy to navigate. Alas it's sometimes horribly slow on my wireless connection. When posting map comments it never reloads the page, I have to press the refresh button after a few moments.

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Elon Yariv

Orpheus said:
<DIV class=quote>
<DIV class=quotetitle>? quoting BlisTer</DIV>
<DIV class=quotetext>As for managerial issues, it would be handy that a head-admin would be appointed who has the devotion and commitment to lead events such as competitions to a good end.

I know you didn't mean that personally but I took it in the gut anyway. You may also have had someone else in mind than I so again I know it wasn't personal. You know that Leps and my viewpoints clash. It took me ages to get this position. </div></div>

You know you've got my respect for organizing this current competition, and i know you will see to it that it all goes well. I was refering to the 2005 competition, which was handled badly due to lack of leadership. If there would have been a head-admin that could make up for the fact that Lep disapeared, things would've been handled better imo. Now no-one knew who's responsability it was. I agree that no-one could foresee this, but now we have been "leaderless" for 9 months. The admins managed fine, ofcourse, but for truly big events like competitions, a person that has the final call, and responsability of things, could be handy. Dunno, maybe i'm biased due to the previous compo. If this compo goes smoothly then maybe we don't need a head admin, just dedicated people like yourself...

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These words are my diaries screaming out loud

A competition is only an excuse to make a map. Yes, its a fine excuse but the lack of a competition seeing an ending isn't reason enough to be discouraged from mapping.

IMO, the only thing a competition does is provide a focal point. Even if the competition fails to see fruition, that focal point still served a purpose.

I imagine that all the maps that would have finished by the end of the 2005 comp, did. Competitions do not guarantee that any of the participants finish.

As much as I hated seeing the 2005 one fail, my only concern is.. People will not join this one because of it.

My only regret at this point is, I couldn't persuade anyone to take an admin responsible position, and at that time, I had no ambitions of being one. I finally came to the conclusion that I had to step up to the plate and accept responsibility. Whats the use in being a member here if you cannot be responsible ever so often. :sad:

If the 2006 comp fails, it will be because it was overshadowed by the 2005 event. I cannot accept that.

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The best things in life, aren't things.

Orpheus said:
As much as I hated seeing the 2005 one fail, my only concern is.. People will not join this one because of it.

Well i don't know about Loco or the others, but i'm entering this one. I guess i was just picturing a scenario where you lost your internet and no-one else felt responsible to take over :smile:

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These words are my diaries screaming out loud

My connection is tenuous and I'd hope that someone would take up my slack if I lost it but if at all possible, I will see this through to the ending.

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The best things in life, aren't things.