RAWA is our new community manager

[Paradox]

The tools they are considering for release is the custom plug-in they have built for 3DSMax.
If 3DSMax can import a .blend file then it will be possible to at least load geometry and textures.

Nothing can import .blend files. They are essentially a memory dump of the Blender process.

However, Blender can export .3Ds files (which are old Max files... newer .max files are pretty much a sequence of Max commands dumped to a file).

But I don't see Blender Ages being outdated... PyPRP will continue to develop, and probably make a lot of advances once we have the source code to double check our own code against.

[J'Kla]

I don't doubt there'll be somebody in the community that can build a one shot port tool to take a .blend file to Studio 3DMax but given the nature of the planned Cyan tools might it be a good idea to start playing with 3DMax It's manipulation is a little different to Blender. I can't help getting the feeling that a blender produced model will port but will always be the poor relation outside of the fold.

Please don't get me wrong I see nothing wrong with Blender it's almost like two different painting mediums oils and water colours both good in their own right. Neither is the right or wrong answer.

I would like to find a way to dump a 3DMax model direct to Complete Chronicles just like we do with Blender so that I can at least get a basic feel for the medium and see a basic 3DMax model in CC.

Cyan must have a basic version that they used before they added any bells and whistles. They are trying to make a version that does MOUL age level ages by stripping out stuff but I can't help but feel that if we would at least experiment with a basic export tool then it would actually teach us something prior to the full blown design suite.

I am going to have a look at what a blend export looks like in 3DMax just I suspect that exporting back and forwards will subtract more from my sum of knowledge than I will gain from this exercise.

I half remember trying this once before and being disappointed.

[Chacal]

Back to the main topic...
Yesterday's announcement by Rand Miller is exactly the kind of honest anwer I was hoping to see.
This comes after some prodding from RAWA so yes, here's our first good sign.

Rand's post confirms what we thought about Cyan's resources. I had forgotten about the testing services thing.
Not sure whether or not a Cyan-run server is a good thing or not. Probably good, because it keeps the flame burning.

[ddb174]

Heh, then it was over half a month without a post, and now it's been over a month since that single post. I didn't have an opinion on whether he would post much, but it looks like the people doubting much activity were right :P

[BAD]

To be fair, this is Cyan we are talking about. A month with zero communication is par for the course. If however we get into the 90 day area then I would say our opinion on the matter would be proven fact.

[Jamey]

Well, what has Cyan to post about at this time? Not much has changed since a month and a half ago as far as I know.

RAWA still answers PM's on MOUL as far as I know. I had a friend who sent him a question about age creation, and use of firemarbles, and he did get a response back which is good


EDIT: Take a look at this: http://mystonline.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=18766 (notice today's post)

[Chacal]

I am content with the situation. There is no news, so there is nothing to post.
Cyan is still struggling to stay alive and we can only wish them luck.

[BAD]

Well, what has Cyan to post about at this time? Not much has changed since a month and a half ago as far as I know.

RAWA still answers PM's on MOUL as far as I know. I had a friend who sent him a question about age creation, and use of firemarbles, and he did get a response back which is good


EDIT: Take a look at this: http://mystonline.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=18766 (notice today's post)

Not to make this a hot topic again, but I think you miss a bit of our point.

Our point is not to say that Cyan should communicate with us all the time or even periodically.

My point to get more specific is that Cyan does nothing to manage the community until they have content to give us. That is only half of how to manage a community of fans. The other half has to do with keeping your fans occupied (or on the hook) while you have downtime. There are many ways to do this and a little bit of research would dig up some very interesting ways that other communities have.

My hope when hearing about RAWA taking the CM spot was that he would dream up some little forum games or riddles to keep us busy while Cyan was at the task of rebuilding themselves. It seems he may be to busy to do such things. Which is a shame.

However it's still early. So I'll keep hoping RAWA dedicates some of his time to trying to move the discussions on the forum into a more positive (possibly constructive) frame of mind.

[D'nial]

If RAWA started giving out new D'ni words and phrases, or even explained stuff that's in Uru already that the fanbase never figured out, that would be totally hawt.

[Whilyam]

I think Cyan is so busy (or Cyan uses that as an excuse consciously or not) in survival mode that periodic updates are the most we can hope for now.