Mapmaker wrote:
Plus, frankly, it gives players a huge boost in confidence that their game will continue into 2011. Having the new official map lists charted out in advance tells people that the folks keeping Organized Play going are on the ball, working out future issues well in advance of the next season. It gives people something concrete to look forward to, and new official products to invest in at the show. Without any new miniatures released at the convention, our maps will be the only new "official" content that SWM players will be able to purchase at Gen Con. Like, ever...
I think this is a very good point. As has been said before, Gencon 2010 will in many ways make or break the future of SWM; if it is a smashing success, that will give people a lot of confidence for the future...but if it's a flop, then people will likely start to drift away. And part of giving people confidence and being on-the-ball at Gencon is being ready with worthwhile information regarding significant future changes and updates...this will also be the best time to disseminate the news of those changes, especially to those who don't spend a lot of time keeping up with events on the forums.
In that regard (though a little off-topic), part of that building of forward momentum might include--if possible--a preview or two, or a set-list from the upcoming V-set. Something concrete, so that it helps to build excitement and further boost confidence in the forward momentum of the game. Both this and the updated maplists are part of the one goal of increasing confidence and building momentum for the future of the game.
Mapmaker wrote:
For that reason, I would also encourage you to make sure the restricted list includes a map from each of JC's, and my own, currently-available products. It shouldn't be hard to find a map from each that lives up to strict competitive expectations (since we've both made that a priority for some time), and it will help us both stay in business.
If you can also include on that list a map from whatever new releases we each have planned at the show, all the better (for both of us, and for the game moving forward...). I'll be happy to provide an early review for those making this decision once my plans get that far, and I understand that JC already is showing off his in-progress work to some of you. I haven't seen any of it myself, but I trust that it's good stuff.
There's my two credits.
I can see where you're coming from, and it makes sense. In order for you to continue producing maps you need to sell what you've already produced. And for what it's worth, I've bought every single product you and JC have made (and I love 'em all!).
However, with that being said, I think it needs to also be said that maps should not be added to the Restricted via some version of Affirmative Action [hides under chair as the politically-loaded word settles on peopel's ears]. That is, the maps on the Restricted list should be chosen simply and solely based on their viability for competitive play, regardless of their source. Including a map just to make sure that a certain product is supported is not smart for the game, IMHO.
But having said that, I don't imagine it will be much of a problem either. As I look at the maps being discussed earlier in this thread, it’s interesting to note in hindsight that there’s a map from each of your releases (Swamp Caves and Offworld) as well as from 2 separate releases by JC. Furthermore, as you said, both you and JC have been aiming at competitive play for quite a while now, so it’s very likely that at least a few of the maps from your future releases will be prime candidates for making the Restricted list too. I’ll say it even more boldly: the maps from your (MM’s and JC’s) most recent offerings are some of the best SWM maps ever produced! So I don’t think you have anything to worry about. I’m just saying that we can’t be putting the cart before the horse.
Going forward, perhaps one of the best ways to ensure that your maps are part of the Restricted maplist is for you to continue to do what you did with the Swamp Caves map over at Wizo’s forums: you fielded constructed criticism about your nearly-finished product and then made some appropriate adjustments, with the result that Swamp Caves is (IMHO) one of the 2 or 3 best maps we’ve ever seen.
Restricted maplist or not, I know I will continue to buy all the products that you and JC put out. I’ve never been disappointed yet!