Card Creation Forum Questions

[Bram]

If you have any questions about the card creation process or any other question related to this forum that do not directly involve specific cards we're making, please post them in this thread.

[Matt]

Well, I actually was guarding against just such an eventuality and have 95% of the master list backed up on my computer. I last did that about a week before the site went down, though, so there's a few cards that I don't have. Also, when Jeek finishes making the previous boards viewable, I'll transfer/make new threads for all the then-works-in-progress.

Also, about that last rule: does that mean that discussion of what makes it into the first set should be in Community?

[Bram]

Well, it's only a rule if YOU agree with it. This is your forum as much as it is mine (hell, maybe even more, considering the amount of work you put in).

However: tyhe intention of the rule was to stop OTHERS from starting non-card posts. We can do whatever the hell we want We could make a 'set discussion' sticky.

I propose 3 stickies:
- Master Thread
- Mockup Thread
- Set Discussion Thread

The art submission / mistakes thread was very rarely used in the months before the site went down, and I believe we can do without it. LMK if you have a different opinion. We'll have our shit back together in no time flat!

Oh, and good to finally see you agan

[Matt]

Ah, right. Sounds good. We don't need a mistake thread if we simply don't make mistakes!

[rvs]

On a sidenote about art submission: If anyone has something that they think is really cool, they can email me with it at MoreFling at Morphling dot de, and I'll happily make something out of it.

[Matt]

I'd like to see how long we can get away without a limit on the number of open threads a person can have. As long as people use some common sense, I think we could get away with more than two each.

EDIT: Actually, I see that there's talk of opening the forum up to non-full-members. I think this is fine to try, and if it creates problems, it can be reversed. But if it were to come to pass, we would definitely have to lower the limit to one thread per person. If we do this, I propose that we shorten the amount of time it takes to get something finalized.

[rvs]

the reason there is a 24h clock is for people who don't check that regularly, so with the 3 day standard waiting time AND the 24h clock, you are assured everbody has a chance to get their opinion in.

[Matt]

No one is more aware of the reasoning behind those institutions than I am, but if they stay and we have a limit of only one card per person (probably necessary given a large influx of users) then it will take forever to work through all the ideas the more prolific card creators have.

What if we had a double standard, where basic users could have one card at a time, and regular users/adepts could have two?

[rvs]

double standards are just a bitch to use. In the end, it'll result in BS. It's what usually happens. 1 thread per user is fine for me, but basicly, I don't think you should cut down on the finalising times too much.

[Bram]

I agree with Matt; I think we can safely remove the limit for the time being and see how it works out. I'm not so sure about opening the forums to non-full members, however. That might well become problematic and lead to a Brainburst-like infux of crap that we cannot hande. Oh well, guess we'll see.

Here's another problem. The CC archives will only be up temporarily. This means the master thread cards will link to non-existent threads (or as it is right now: to nothing at all). Do we stop linking alltogether, or link the newer cards? That would look messy.

[Matt]

I think we should just stop linking alltogether, and I know Jacob agrees. Not having to do that will cut in half the work needed to add a card.

[Bram]

Ain't that the truth...OK, agreed. But can we at least make the titles bold? That would increase readability. It's easy now with the phpBB functions, too. I'll do it, if you want.

[Matt]

I was just going to go through it, brute force style, but if you can do it easily, go for it. I also need to get the flavor text italicized again; I'd've done it last night, but it was late and I was tired.

EDIT: Don't mess with black, I'm doing that one myself. Also, let's make the beginning and ending cycles lines in italics and NOT bold. That should make cycles stand out more.

[Bram]

Well, easy....it's easier to click on a button than to type [/b] all of the time

I'll do it for a single color right now, to see how it looks.

By the way, this is really no longer a 'welcome back thread'. Shall we un-announce it? Do we even need it anymore now that I have posted the rules in a separate thread?

[Matt]

Where is this button?

[Bram]

Looks to me like you already found it, since I noticed you just finished for black.

I've just finished Blue and Green. I'll do more tomorrow.

[Matt]

No, I did that by hand.

[Bram]

And by 'by hand' you mean actually typing in the [\b] stuff and such? Coz you can simply select a line of text and then just click the B button in the under the subject line box when you edit a post...that's still 'by hand', but a little less work.

[rvs]

On a sidenote: is anyone still making mockups?

@Bram: I need the programs again, since I lost them when my harddrive died.

[Doctor Phanan]

Sorry if I'm breaking any rules or inturrupting anything, but I have a question. What exactly is the long term aim for this project? Will it be printed up as a homebrew set? Or just the accomplishment that you designed somthing you can be proud of?

[Jacob Orlove]

Sorry if I'm breaking any rules or inturrupting anything, but I have a question. What exactly is the long term aim for this project? Will it be printed up as a homebrew set? Or just the accomplishment that you designed somthing you can be proud of?

Part of it is to design balanced t1  cards for wizards to see, part is to have fun, part is to design flavorful, cool cards, and part is to ultimately have an online appr/mws/netdraft patch for a set comprised entirely of our own cards.

[rvs]

A purpose Jacob not really touched is to see what's possible. How far can you go in terms of effects and abilities. At least I always think that's interesting.

[Shadow-Walker]

I have a large number of cards (eventually 2 blocks) that ive been working on and would like to post them on here to share my ideas/get feedback from TMD members.  Is there an appropriate way I could do so?

[Jacob Orlove]

I have a large number of cards (eventually 2 blocks) that ive been working on and would like to post them on here to share my ideas/get feedback from TMD members.  Is there an appropriate way I could do so?

This has always been a problem with the system we have set up. You can either post cards where you most want feedback, one by one, or if you want to post the whole set(s), then we'll have to work out some kind of system for that.

[Nantuko Rice]

What's the ultimate flavor behind our "TMD expansion." Is there any storyline or is it multiple stories all rolled in one. This would help in the card creation processes.

This has been asked already but I think I need to reiterate in a different way. What is the aim of this project? I am aware designing cards for fun and possibly for wizards to see, but will we ever "print" these cards and say... draft or play limited?

I have alot of experience in limited formats and believe I could contribute. Are we also going by the set sizes that wizards came up with? I forgot the exact numbers, but I think it's like 55/55/55 (co/un/ra) for the smalle expansions.

Also, don't you feel we are using alot of mechanics from over many blocks? If we're designing a generic set, I think we should just use core mechanics (first strike, trample, flying, etc) or create our own unique mechanics.

Finally, my own personal favorite "storyline favor" was the one from around Fallen Empires/Ice Age. A world in chaos and war, empires struggling to survive, and powerful mages gathering mana and armies.

[Jacob Orlove]

The first set will be a large-size expansion, with a legends/revised "feel"; basically, just a lot of cool stuff, with some small cycles and connected pieces. We aren't ruling out any mechanics, but since we have most of the set together, we don't want to add cards with mechanics we don't already have.

We might work out a storyline for the next set, and add flavor to some of our generic cards to support it.