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The future of SMWCX

Activity in the SMWCX forums had slowed down to a crawl, with little being done on trying to seek the project through to the end. Because of this, we (the staff team) had a discussion about this issue at hand and we had came up with some ideas. We can either:

1. Find new leadership to get the ball rolling again.
2. Turn the collaboration into a contest similar to the current VLDC.
3. Call it quits, but try to create a finish product on what we already have.
4. Throw in the towel and call it quits for good.

However, we had came to the concluding that it will be best to ask you guys on what the future of SMWCX shall look like. With that in mind, what do you believe needs to be done about this issue at hand?
Originally posted by notgoodwithusernames
Activity in the SMWCX forums had slowed down to a crawl, with little being done on trying to seek the project through to the end. Because of this, we (the staff team) had a discussion about this issue at hand and we had came up with some ideas. We can either:

1. Find new leadership to get the ball rolling again.
2. Turn the collaboration into a contest similar to the current VLDC.
3. Call it quits, but try to create a finish product on what we already have.
4. Throw in the towel and call it quits for good.

However, we had came to the concluding that it will be best to ask you guys on what the future of SMWCX shall look like. With that in mind, what do you believe needs to be done about this issue at hand?


Why, I think a contest would be nice ,but I would really go with number 1: find new leadership.
1 and 4 for me: attempt to find someone who knows/cares enough about SMWCX, and if that doesn't work, throw in the towel. SMWCX has already suffered from incompetent leadership in the past, so the last thing it needs if it is to get finished is more of the same.
Shouldn't this be turned into a poll?

I've never really been involved with the SMBCX project, except for making a level, but I'd vote either for either 1 or 3. The contest can be a good idea, but there's a risk of low participation as SMBX is not the focus of the site.

If leadership can't be found, just find somebody to test all the complete levels (screw the incomplete ones), get the authors to fix what needs to be fixed (or get somebody else to do it if authors won't), put it all together and call it a day.
Like I've said in the past, I'm perfectly fine sticking with moderating levels; I'm frankly a lot better at doing that then I am at actually making them. The only real reason that SMWCX dropped is because our leadership was pretty spotty. If we can get some people who would stick with the project throughout (which is why I won't let myself volunteer) then we can definitely go places with this.
I have looked over the SMWCX forum a couple of times over the past few months and at first it really intrigued me. Although I was never involved, it seemed to have potential in it (I have never participated in any such thing at all at the time so I couldn't really participate). However, it seemed to stagnate and with things not getting done, I lost some faith in the project. Right now, I am reminded of SNN's little sentence right here:

Originally posted by S.N.N. here
Once the initial spark is gone, you can't really reignite it.

Poor management in the beginning meant SMWCX was probably doomed since the beginning. Sometimes, I did see some activity regarding the reviewing of levels and similar stuff present though they seemed to be months ago (a few people in my mind that stood out are NoelYoshi in the beginning when it started, Mirann, Egadd and a few others who have done quite a bit of work and I will congratulate them for doing such stuff). If SMWCX was to really succeed, it should have been managed properly and maintained throughout its entire existence (this WILL attract other people to joining this collaboration if those steps were taken). First impressions of collaborations are important if other people are to join.

I would go with 1 if someone was willing to step up, maintain activity and inspire people but I don't see that happening. 3 and 4 seem like the only probable solutions now (3 would ensure that people's completed work won't go to waste). Keeping the completed things and scrapping the unfinished things (or if they are nearly finished, try and end them) seems like the best solution to me.

Sorry for the gloom and doom here but that is how I genuinely feel. Well done to the few people who managed to keep this collaboration alive during its existence and well done to the people who participated and finished something at least.
I think a contest might be a good way to go, but there's really no telling how many people know how to use the SMBX engine in the first place.

As far as leadership goes, who would even qualify to be a good leader? The leader needs to be interested in this, and ultimately have good traits; like being a respected member, and somebody people know and/or look up to in the community; a trait many here have. Leadership is earned we say.
Like, I saw this collab stagnating quite a bit regarding leadership and I have to say that's not good to be fair. A part of the reason I didn't participate in it is because there was incompetent leadership as well as a few problems I had with the editor (not that it has to do with the main issue) and besides, not many people know how to deal with most of the issues found in it. I'd go with 1 if someone becomes interested with leading the collab, but if that doesn't work, either 3 or 4 would be the best solution.
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I'll go for 1. I think the current leadership needs some help with the collaboration and this person should be well-known, so he/she could promote the collab and give ideas for the collab.

If new leadership won't work, then 4 would be probably the best solution...
I would like to see the SMWCX continues on. So my vote is 1. Find new leadership.
I think the first solution is the best, because leadership will help to continue this big project, and that's what we want !
TEST
At this point, I say we should just copy what Talkhaus did and host our own SMBX level design contest. I already felt that this starting up after ASMBXT was telling me something. We also do have a few levels already that could be turned into finished products, or are finished products.
To be honest, when I saw SMWCX go up in the first place I didn't understand why it was even something that was happening. Basically my thoughts were "We're still in the middle of SMWCP2 and its slow crawl to completion and here we are started an new collab?"

I know SMBX is a new engine with new possibilities and the like but it didn't seem smart to me to start a collab when we seem to be having a really hard time finishing another.

I haven't been involved in the project, nor have I been following it but judging by what I'm seeing now and what I'm reading here, I would say either 3. salvage what you have and put it out as just a level compilation or 4. just throw is the towel.

Sad, but realistic.
A project with this much freedom shouldn't have much of a problem getting attention...or at least I would've thought. Honestly though it seems like the problem is bad management more the anything. I myself am intrested in the project but didnt bother to get invovled do to this. Can't expect for anyone to be interested in the project if the leaders aren't even showing interest. (At least it seems that way.)

Despite this though I vote for option 1. I do want to see the project go somewhere and would even like to help it go somewhere. I'm not sure how big the SMBX crowd is but I think this collab is a good way to branch out to those who don't SMW hack or hack SMBX more. (Again not sure how many people that is.) It may be hard to find someone who's interested in running the project at this point but I say we should at least try. Don't throw in the towel after one attempt or without even trying...
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My opinion is 1 or 2.But if everyone selects 1,then yes,we need a new leadership.
Gotta agree with FirePhoenix here. When I first heard that SMWCentral was going to be hosting a collaboration project for SMBX, I was very puzzled. We were nowhere near done with SMWCP2 back then (and is it currently stands that project has been bogged down by space issues), and out of the blue, some folks decide we should be running another collab?

I understand there are a lot of ex-factors that led to this, such as Talkhaus' ASMXT and a general community yearning for another collab project with how much SMWCP2 has slowed down, but these projects are really not something that people can take lightly. Take it from someone who tried, and failed (miserably, I might add) at one, it takes both strong leadership and capable manpower to make these projects successful, and much of that had already been devoted to other projects at the time. Not just that, but expecting users to basically learn new tools and methods compeltely different from SMW hacking further complicates things.

If this project hadn't seen so much effort put into it, I would probably go for option 4, but at this stage it seems too unfair to everyone that was involved up until now. Option 3 could be the simplest solution, but the game could ultimately feel unfinishing and lacking in polish to the players. This is one of those problems where there is no ideal solution to it.
I'd prefer option 1, but who will be the new leader? I'd like to give it a shot, but I'm not certain if I'm the right person for that position. I have little experience leading a collab and I'm busy with real life stuff. I'd still like to help out, though. It would be a shame to let all the work that's put into it go to waste. That's why, if noone steps up, it would be best to go for option 3.