Section Guidelines - Read before posting

[Rainbow Dash]

What This Forum is For: It seems like every day there's a thread in the Comics or Games forum that gets closed because all they contain is a concept with no actual work done. Well, we're not changing that rule. It's there for a reason. However, it seems detrimental to limit interaction between people when a creator is fleshing out what is sometimes a very solid idea. That's where this forum comes in.

People from the Bob and George forums know exactly what I'm ripping off. This is a forum for concepts that obviously have effort invested into them, but aren't fit to be posted in any other Creative Section category. Yet.

This still isn't a place to post a thread that says little more than "I'm making a comic and want some sprites". Unlike other forums, it will be acceptable to petition help here before you have actual work completed. However, prior to doing this, it's necessary to thoroughly do the following:

1. Think out and refine your concept the most you can on your own. If your thread is obviously half-assed, it will be locked. That's all there is to it. Basically, don't post anything stupid.

2. Don't post a generic idea. What do I mean by generic? If a carbon copy of your thread can be found that was posted a month ago, you're probably not being as creative as you could be.

3. Make a descriptive thread title. Self explanitory. I should be able to read your topic title and have some idea of what it's about. This is a general rule of the forum, but I feel it bears restating. I should also be able to tell just from looking at the title whether or not it's about a game, comic, character, work of fiction, etc.

Generically, you might put one of the following in front of your thread title:

[Comic]
[Game]
[Fiction]
[Character]
[Contest]
[jesus christ you don't need to confine your titles to whatever words I happened to have thought of in 24 seconds or strictly use brackets or all capital letters because I did use some common sense people]

4. Accept criticisms and work to refine your initial concept. This is basically the whole point of the section. This can be really extensive for, say, a fan-game, because concise and well thought out gameplay concepts and details are pretty much the difference between a quality game and a shite one.

If you try to ask for help with sprites/programming/etc before doing this, you will be denied.

The idea is that your idea will eventually develop into, well, not an idea. This would be, for example, the day that the first chapter of a work of fiction is posted, or the day that the first in-game screenshots are posted for a game idea. At that point, you should contact a staff member so that the thread can be renamed and moved to the correct section.

BBD EDIT: I figured I'd add "character" to the thread labels.

[Rainbow Dash]

Rules

1. All of the other creative forum rules apply. If you don't already know what those are, this thread is the least of your concerns.

2. Think before you post something stupid. This should be obvious. If you're not sure as to whether or not something is appropriate to post, don't be afraid to send myself or another staff member a PM and ask. We won't be mean.

3. Give good criticism and provide examples. Don't just say "this could be better"; it's your role to help make the concept as refined as possible. If you're posting a comment just to say that you like or dislike the idea, please elaborate upon your reasons. It may end up being surprisingly helpful.

4. Accept and take advantage of good criticism. Seriously. If you don't bother to actually improve your idea out of stubbornness or laziness, you'll piss a lot of people off and, eventually, if it gets really bad, I'll lock your thread, as there are other, far more willing people who could use the help you're getting.

5. Keep discussions about sprites/music/etc in their respective forums and threads. If you try to criticize and develop sprites and such here, your posts will be deleted. The other Creative sections are there for a reason. In fact, as far as visuals for comics and games go, they should be kept entirely separate from this section. Everything here should be conveyable in text.

More rules will be added if necessary.

[Rainbow Dash]

FAQ

Is it alright to post an idea if I'm not sure it will ever become anything more?
Yes! Please do. If it's creative and entertaining, it's still worth posting.

Should I only have one thread in this section?
No. Feel free make a separate thread for each independent idea you might have. This, of course, isn't an excuse to spam every thought that comes to the top of your head, though.

Can you close my thread?
Only if there's a good reason to, such as if people are (genuinely) bashing you. If you're just sick of your idea or the criticism you're getting, I recommend you reconsider abandoning it.

I don't want to spoil anything. Can I omit details?
I'm afraid not. People won't come here if they don't want spoilers, but we need to know what your idea is really about if we're going to help you with it.

I made a really good improvement! Should I edit it into my first post?
I'd much rather you didn't. It's better to have the progression of your idea on display chronologically. That way, if anyone new comes along and wants to help you, they know how you've developed your concept so far. Instead, restate your initial post in a new one whenever you feel as though there's been a significant amount of change.

If you have a question to add to the FAQ, feel free to speak up.

[DWN-060 Clownman]

For a little trial period, let's see how well this goes for Contest Ideas. Basically if you have an idea for a contest, make a topic detailing all the info for it and let other people have some input on what is needed or even how it should be conducted. This way when a person is ready to send the PM to one of us, it may actually be easier for us to understand. It might seem weird but sometimes the ideas that get sent to us are a little hard to figure out without examples of somekind.

[Blackbeltdude]

Eh, I don't like that idea too much, Clownman. If only because it could give someone a head start on making a sprite for that contest. And there have been plenty of poorly run contests before too, so I wouldn't want to see those people giving out bad ideas for the contest. ("Let's let judges enter too!") Not to mention that the spriting section already has contest guidelines and suggestions.

You could also say that if they can't explain the contest concept to you well enough, then they probably shouldn't be in charge of a contest to begin with.

But, if you think it's really worth it, I guess it can't hurt to have a short trail period for the idea... I just honestly don't see it as something that would be too effective.

[DWN-060 Clownman]

That's what the trial period was for, if it don't work, fuck it.

Even then, my other idea for the forum, the code system, is still good, so either way I made a decent contribution.

[Blackbeltdude]

Originally Posted by Clownman

Even then, my other idea for the forum, the code system, is still good, so either way I made a decent contribution.

Aye, I fully agree with ya there. It's a great idea.

[HZ]

Can we possibly post [FLASH] or [MOVIE] threads? I was actually have a few new ideas...

[Rainbow Dash]

I updated the tags accordingly, HZ.