Release Inside The Box - Anyone interested in Pandora-only Zine ?

[MkidTrigun]

I'll start to write up my articles over the weekend and send them over when they're finished then!


Because the Pandora can emulate so many different consoles, there are so many different games that go overlooked because everyone chooses to play the most popular titles of each platform, so I'd like to have two articles - one article to praise an often overlooked title, and one to point out a really bad title that still gets overlooked.


How does that sound?

 

[EvilDragon]

We'll also need to know what format you want.


Should we just send text files and you'll include that?


How many words?


Pictures?


Etc.

 

[StreaK]

Just sent me TXT [of course i'll accept any -> oo / doc / rtf] and some pictures [PNG should be the best (with transparency / or without transparency), but GIF will also fit. [worst format for ITB is JPG]]. There's no text limit , and graphics shouldnt be bigger than 800x480.

 

[Neelix]

Some thoughts on this:


If you're willing to commit to this I'd suggest putting up an announcement in General Talk, briefly outlining what the project is (you can refer to this thread for more info) and advising that you are accepting submissions. You should include the descriptions of the type of material expected and the technical specs regarding format. I think you should also set a deadline, when you will stop accepting new submissions for this issue. I'd also recommend you set this deadline a week or two before your intended publication date to allow yourself time to compile everything.


- Neelix

 

[gadgetoid]

Some thoughts on this:


If you're willing to commit to this I'd suggest putting up an announcement in General Talk, briefly outlining what the project is (you can refer to this thread for more info) and advising that you are accepting submissions. You should include the descriptions of the type of material expected and the technical specs regarding format. I think you should also set a deadline, when you will stop accepting new submissions for this issue. I'd also recommend you set this deadline a week or two before your intended publication date to allow yourself time to compile everything.


- Neelix

Seconded.


I just had a whale of a time even locating this thread, and I already knew it existed.


If you want to make it happen, you need to get the idea of a Zine into the Pandora consciousness and get some plans laid out.


I'd love to contribute, when I figure out what it is I should write about!

 

[StreaK]

Like i said before, i can give an engine + I will prepare everything for proper release. You [as a community] are needed to make articles / reviews / tips & tricks. There isnt much i can do at the moment in terms of spreading the word about zine.

 

[GiraffeeDreams]

Is this idea still going on? I was intrigued when I first read it here, I'd contribute if I had more time on my hands, I did a couple of comparisons for an article in a magazine an old friend did as part of a design course, top marks on the whole, it was things like the differences between the UK and US versions of retro games.


Even if it doesn't become a pandora only ezine, you could do a community based site that focuses on the best of pandora, possibly with pandora-native resolution.


Here's hoping for some updates.

 

[StreaK]

Nope. ITB is officially dead, at the moment. I still didnt received any article / review / anything to put into ITB from many months. Maybe if i get +10 articles/reviews i'll think about resurrect ITB, but not now. Sorry...

 

[Neelix]

Looking back over the thread I can see that there has been plenty of interest in contributing material, but at no point has there been any indication that there would any point in actually going ahead with *creating* any such content because you have never committed to publishing an issue, and have never set a deadline. If you want people to send you 'tribs there needs to be a commitment to publish at least 1 issue, and the potential contributors have to be aware of the details, as I outlined in my previous post.


Perhaps what is needed is for someone to volunteer to be the editor, but you had implied that you would be fulfilling that function yourself.


- Neelix

 

[StreaK]

Looking back over the thread I can see that there has been plenty of interest in contributing material, but at no point has there been any indication that there would any point in actually going ahead with *creating* any such content because you have never committed to publishing an issue, and have never set a deadline. If you want people to send you 'tribs there needs to be a commitment to publish at least 1 issue, and the potential contributors have to be aware of the details, as I outlined in my previous post.


Perhaps what is needed is for someone to volunteer to be the editor, but you had implied that you would be fulfilling that function yourself.


- Neelix

This is not really a problem [not setting the deadline.. or similiar problems]. I was working on zine back in 1999-2000 and there wasnt a thing such a deadline. If someone wants to write about something, writes it. No deadline will force people to write [especially people who dont consider themselves as "the part of the team"*], i know it because i done few zines in the past...


*- some people only declared: "maybe i will contribute, but i dont promise anything"

 

[skeezix]

A deadline is a pretty good idea, as a motivator; if you never say 'we need it by X', then peopel think it'll never come, or they let it slide, or it removes timliness as an option -- writing abotu something 'current' or 'happening'. (I produced an in indue music/punk newspaper for awhile and ran a local newspaper for awhile, and I found that if we didn't give people targets, they didn't do a darned thing (Same thing for coders


ie: A function of population; if you have a larger viewershiop, then you can fly by the seat of pants and get a few submissions, but if your audience is smaller, then you need to actively drive things.


I mean, I could write up an article, but I'm not going to unless I know for sure there is a publication deadline to make it worth my time; it works both w2ays.. you're not in unless peopel support you, and they're not in unless they know it'll come to fruition. Chicken, meet egg


jeff

 

[Neelix]

The point isn't to force people to write, the point is to motivate people to write. If they know (for example) that 'StreaK will be releasing issue one of ITB in January, and needs material for it' then they have a reason to write something and send it through. If on the other hand, all that is known is that you want contributions, but can't be sure if you'll ever do anything with them... why would anyone bother? same deal with deadlines... its all about motivation...


....and skeezix just said it a lot better than I did but I'm going to post this anyway. h34r:


- Neelix

 

[pmprog]

Also, I think you should be more specific with the "format" you want your submissions. You'll get a headache trying to work out what are headings etc. if one person ***Title***s and another Tilde underscores it on the next line down

 

[StreaK]

Also, I think you should be more specific with the "format" you want your submissions. You'll get a headache trying to work out what are headings etc. if one person ***Title***s and another Tilde underscores it on the next line down

Here:


http://boards.openpandora.org/index.php?/topic/5099-inside-the-box-anyone-interested-in-pandora-only-zine/page__view__findpost__p__88488


TXT format like i said previously in post here:


http://boards.openpandora.org/index.php?/topic/5099-inside-the-box-anyone-interested-in-pandora-only-zine/page__view__findpost__p__100791

 

[StreaK]

The point isn't to force people to write, the point is to motivate people to write. If they know (for example) that 'StreaK will be releasing issue one of ITB in January, and needs material for it' then they have a reason to write something and send it through. If on the other hand, all that is known is that you want contributions, but can't be sure if you'll ever do anything with them... why would anyone bother? same deal with deadlines... its all about motivation...


....and skeezix just said it a lot better than I did but I'm going to post this anyway. h34r:


- Neelix

I can say straight, if i get +5 rather good articles/reviews to december, i can create a deadline for feb'2012. There will be no deadline if i will not get any test articles, because it is pointless since im not a writter. I need people to write, because english is not my native language [which i think, is visible enough ]

 

[skeezix]

Scope is just Pandora?


Or Retro? Is there any retro ezine (not RetroGamer etc), coulod team up, or start a retro zine and get other sites fols to help out too.


ie: I'll write up some Atari ST game reviews for you for retro sake, with Pandora spin I coudl write boring firmware justifications, but no one wants to see that


But a deadline is better; "Submit articles by Dec 7th, and I will get issue put together on website and PDF by end of January" is how you do it; further, you ask people to commit -- if you can get peopel to say they _will_ have it done by deadline _now_, you can start in advance; ie: If you can get 10 people to commit now, you can probably assume you'll get 5; but if you gget more, great; if you get 3 or 4, then you can try another round of bugging to get the final 2 needed, etc.


Its about being 'active' and not 'passive'; I know what you want to do .. post annoucne, wait for articles, then rewact if they come. But what likely needs to happen is you making the push, getting commitments, seeing what comes, then making another round of push, then publishing, then repeat; each cycle being easier tjhan the last, hopefully, as the project grows.


If you're wanting the easy road, you might not have the energy/interest for what is needed?


I'm the busiest guy alive right now, so I'm not writing somethign unless its for sure a go; if you can get commitments from 4 or 5 other people, I'll write up something.


So use the thread to get some commitments, and that way no one lifts a finger until it looks like a sure thing; once you get (say) 5 commitments or more, you can say 'we're go' and the 5+ ppl can start writing, knowing you'll go with it.


I'd think more than 5 would be nice.. 1 headliner article, a few random articles, and a few sideliners like my idea of retro reviewing something. I'm sure you could get Prometheus to go on about Megaman for 37 pages


jeff

 

[GiraffeeDreams]

I have the impression that this zine is for the pandora, with general reviews and articles of various retro games and consoles and recommendations to play on the pandora.


The problem is I'm not sure everyone is on the same level, it seems some believe it is just a pandora zine excluding other consoles, others may think its pandora specific software?


What I suggest is a definite outline, perhaps with a demo zine, even if it's just a jumble of random text and pictures it'd be a good way to let everyone know the expectations and the outline of everything.


I think if a few people could commit to regular articles, then this could pick up again but I feel that at the moment there isn't any organisation and it's messy.


I really hope this could take off.

 

[pmprog]

Also, I think you should be more specific with the "format" you want your submissions. You'll get a headache trying to work out what are headings etc. if one person ***Title***s and another Tilde underscores it on the next line down

Here:


http://boards.openpa...dpost__p__88488


TXT format like i said previously in post here:


http://boards.openpa...post__p__100791

No, sorry, you misunderstood me. Say I wrote an article like this:

Welcome

~~~~~~~~

This is my first article, where we review [application]


Score

~~~~~

6.4 - Okay, not great

Now, say somebody else wrote their's like this:

****** WELCOME

Today, I'll be reviewing [game]


*** SCORES

Total : 3 stars

Brilliant

You can see the difference, and if each article is different, it kinda makes it all confusing for the reader.


If you're going support any formatting such as bold or italics, it might be worth considering something like HTML. You get them to write it, but they can only using the Header tags (<h1>, <h2>, <h3>) and basic formatting (<p>, <br>, <b>, <i>). Strip out all other tags (like scripts, and divs).


You don't have to render has HTML, but it will force people to be consistant with their articles.


I hope that helped clarify what I was talking about.


If I can think of a topic, I will write an article for the first issue... I'll have a think

 

[pmprog]

I was thinking, I could maybe write a "diary of a game" on the development of Hot Pursuit, as it's going to be released on the Pandora. Document my struggles and failures getting to grips with OpenGL ES and all that good stuff? Stepping through demos etc. That'll give you a few "editions" worth of content.


That's if, StreaK, you're still interested in running with this.

 

[milkshake]

how far along are you with hot pursuit?