The Hexagon Sun [Manu Interview]

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The Hexagon Sun [Manu Interview]; Community Thoughts
Topic Started: Jun 8 2013, 05:32 PM (18,878 Views)
UmbreonShadow	Jun 8 2013, 05:32 PM Post #1
Posts: 72 Group: Junior Members Member #302 Joined: May 12, 2013 Country Canada Sex Male Age 100	The Hexagon Sun was originally established from ZTV and Northern Skies back in the Spring of 2012 and then to Gaia in the Summer of 2012. The blog is made for the analysis and discussion on community matters. It's original intent was to critique and explain the events occurring in the community that may or is it causing parasitic strain in the community. It is also analyzed in the classic community sense. I will be posting some raw, classic works from the past and perhaps eventually I may start posting new content. The Forgotten Establishments Authors Note: This post was made during a time of distraught between two forums and when many designers began to walk away from Northern Skies among the download controversy. This is my opinion about the " download community " and older forums that stressed less of the entire " download " nature of the community. This blog post was made back in April of 2012 on Northern Skies and Zoo Tycoon Volcano In this day and age in the so called " community " ,many forums have been forgotten. Forums that modern community members don't even know about or would disregard as outdated. Even forums that poured the concrete for the foundation of the community and the designing breakthroughs. It is an unfortunate truth that goes by everyday. With today's forums, only a few stand alive, Northern Skies being the most active. But the question is, how did they get to that status? They could not have done it by themselves without the ideas and people branching off of several forums that were once popular themselves, including ones that bear on. What is saddening, is that these former forums are not talked about or even brought up to the table, as partners, friends or even a given a thank you! But instead people just migrate to what appeals to them the most, and that is what is of stressed high demand: Downloads. But was this community founded on the ideas of " Downloads " ?, clearly if it was we would be called the " Download Community " (which we could say that is the case today) rather then the " Zoo Tycoon Community ". And the truth is, it's not. But why? Forums in the past found it unappealing that the main focus of the community revolved around " Downloads " and the game itself because they knew it would become boring and repetitive after a while, so they experimented with other methods to socialize and expand cultural and educative awareness due to the high rate of international members joining into the community. But it wasn't because of the " Downloads ", it was because they wanted to have fun! I usually like to use Zoo Tek Phoenix as a prime example of originality of the community. Not only did they supplied downloads and great designing tutorials to help inspire curious newcomer designers but they also knew that in order to continue to be popular and diverse, they needed more diverse sections for everybody to enjoy. Zoo Tek Phoenix was one of the first forums to host a arcade for gaming, the first site to have a special forum where staff from other forums can come to discuss inter site issues and to have an Ambassador Program themselves and for staff to discuss forum news going on in the community. They also wanted to expand the knowledge of animals and there habits to a younger audience that may not even get to learn at a first hand by having there own zoologist Professor Paul and his Nature Encyclopedia!. They also encourage creativity and culture diversity by having special seasonal events based on different cultures, the list can go on on how superior there system of fun is compared to ours. But sadly, they are not the most popular forum (activity wise), but they are a pure legend and a prime example of a real element of the community, along with many of the forums you see listed on the top of each page you go to on ZTV that have given there time and effort to make this community what it was.* Unfortunately that spirit is diminishing with the inflation of downloads and lack of community spirit coming from some forums. We should reflect on these legends. * ZTV back in 2011 to 2012 had established many affiliations in attempt to unite the community. Edited by UmbreonShadow, Aug 27 2013, 03:39 PM.

Replies:
Deleted User	Jul 20 2013, 03:05 PM Post #31
Deleted User	It's that, but not just that, Murdock. I'm reading this unbelievably long interview about how someone equates the shenanigans they pulled online with their friends to some grand socio-political philosophy. It's ridiculous. I'm an egotistical asshole a lot of the time, but this kind of self-serving tripe only makes the people INVOLVED look like self-involved idiots too in love with the smell of their own shit. You're not an internet rebel demonstrating your belief in anarchy or libertarianism or whatever convoluted, half-baked political model you only kinda sorta understand (but hey, it sounds really cool and smart, so we'll just run with it, right?)... You're just an asshole with too much free time and a chip on your shoulder. Setting out to destroy, overthrow, run a coup, etc., on a goddamn internet forum focused on playing with animals in a fake zoo is pathetic. On the other hand, if it isn't "this," I suspect some of the individuals involved would be setting kittens on fire or telling the fat kid in class to go kill herself, so for kittens and fat kids everywhere... please, do carry on. /rant //seriously ///for realz.
Deleted User


Farkle	Jul 20 2013, 03:10 PM Post #32
~Rad as Heck~ Posts: 1,141 Group: Novices Member #480 Joined: Jun 20, 2013 Sex Male Real Name Alex Age 15	Well said, MIBound.



davidy12	Jul 20 2013, 03:18 PM Post #33
Posts: 1,752 Group: Trainees Member #97 Joined: Mar 7, 2013 Country United States Sex Male Real Name David Age 17	Indeed Mibound. You're very right about that.



Grumkrieg	Jul 20 2013, 03:20 PM Post #34
Posts: 38 Group: Novices Member #308 Joined: May 13, 2013 Sex Male Real Name Patrick Age 15	I agree with you 99%, MiBound.



Murdock129	Jul 20 2013, 03:30 PM Post #35
Posts: 2,756 Group: Experienced Members Member #224 Joined: Apr 18, 2013 Sex Male Real Name James Cooke Age 24	Well let me put it this way using the whole Caledra/Ch0des/Environ thing as a whole From what I can tell many of the 'ch0des' seemed to declare that they were 'epic raiders against the cesspool that is Environ' (that's a direct quote from their C-Box BTW), that they were trying to overthrow tyrannical dictators who are trying to steal the ZT2 community and who destroyed their web site to replace it with their own in an attempt to become rulers of ZT2 or something In reality it was a group of people, many of whom were former staff on a site that was closed down by one of their friends, taking their anger at no longer being the staff of an enormously popular ZT2 site out on the people who had left the site shortly before it was closed down and made their own, who had nothing to do with it shutting down besides relinquishing control to VG. And they decided that instead of doing what was intelligent and mature, aka, making another site and possibly asking VG why he killed their site, they scapegoated the leaders of Environ (especially Mysty and Komo), and spent their time shock spamming Environ and harassing the staff, including sending racial slurs and death threats via chat box.



Verdant Gregor	Jul 20 2013, 03:42 PM Post #36
Posts: 315 Group: Novices Member #560 Joined: Jul 5, 2013	Extreme though his views may be, many of the things that FP said ring true. While it does seem quite ridiculous to have so much "srs bzns" going on in a community centered around a zoo simulation, one must take into account that the community is not comprised of the game itself, but rather the people who play it, or once played it, and their friends. It is worth noting that ZTV has long since abandoned the Zoo Tycoon-centric theme upon which it was founded, instead evolving into a community unto itself. The Zoo Tycoon community, like all communities, is comprised of people. Governments and countries are comprised of people. Is a community founded upon a video game as important as a country? No. However, as with any collection of people, it can be subjected to similar social experiments, though on a smaller scale of course. An additional twist is the assumed anonymity which the internet provides. Some people, such as the aforementioned NHU's, will exploit this to the point at which it becomes ridiculous. Some people really don't give a hoot about what some kid is pretending to be, while others do. Some people actively participate in the social experiments which make up these communities. Others do not, preferring to focus instead upon real life. For them, all of this seems rather childish. For those who do elect to participate, however, it can be an interesting ride. A collection of people, governed by a smaller collection of people. People as vulnerable to tyranny and corruption in their virtual havens as real world dictators, exploiting their powers upon a smaller scale. What I personally find interesting is this passage about the Zoo Tycoon community as a whole: "As people move from forum to forum, the community adjusts to their liking; forums rise and fall, with those who serve the people the ones that win in the end, and those who let people down the ones that disappear into nonexistence." Ever since the fall of ZooAdmin, this has been a recurring theme. One or two sites will rise to power, reign supreme for a time, then fall by the wayside. ZTV, Environ, Tesera, Northern Skies, and now Gaia and TRT. There is no single site which serves as the center for the community. The people who remain seem to lead a nomadic life, roaming from forum to forum, never settling down. I suppose what I'm trying to say is, yes, so much drama in a community originally based upon a zoo simulation does seem quite ridiculous. But if you step back and look upon it from a different perspective, every online community such as this may be seen as a great social experiment. Some people don't actively participate, rooted firmly in reality. Some people participate all too much, the cyber-conflicts taking precedence over their lives. Still others seek instead to make the most of their time in this virtual realm, taking the lessons learned in this social experiment and applying it to their lives back in reality. Which group you fall in is what generally decides how you view these conflicts. Be they childish, devastating, or opportunities to learn from, they still occur and shape the community.



Deleted User	Jul 20 2013, 03:53 PM Post #37
Deleted User	Quote: Some people actively participate in the social experiments which make up these communities. Others do not, preferring to focus instead upon real life. For them, all of this seems rather childish. For those who do elect to participate, however, it can be an interesting ride. A collection of people, governed by a smaller collection of people. People as vulnerable to tyranny and corruption in their virtual havens as real world dictators, exploiting their powers upon a smaller scale. Or it's just the friggin' internet and it shouldn't be looked at as a microcosm of larger society. When people in the real world participate in a government coup, they run the risk of actually... y'know... dying. When people on the internet participate in a forum coup, they run the risk of exposing themselves for the assholes that they actually are. Honestly, if you're using a small gaming community as a platform for your social experiment, you need to get out more. There are actual real world problems that deserve your attention and interest in socio-political dynamics. Leave the pre-teens, teens, and few adults who actually enjoy the game this community is centered around alone. We're not your guinea pigs, and you aren't our liberators, rescuing us from tyrannical site admins and moderators. We're all perfectly capable of looking out for ourselves, thankyouverymuch.
Deleted User


Plus	Jul 20 2013, 03:56 PM Post #38
Posts: 5 Group: Novices Member #640 Joined: Jul 20, 2013	I do not believe you understand Mibound. It is not an experiment, it is a community. Although on a smaller scale it is still a group of people. Social dynamics will develop and things will happen. This community happens to be one of the more caustic ones on the interwebs, but that just happens to be the way things are. I do not see why you are making a big deal about this. It seems like you are the one being needlessly aggressive.
Posts: 5 Group: Novices Member #640 Joined: Jul 20, 2013


Grumkrieg	Jul 20 2013, 04:03 PM Post #39
Posts: 38 Group: Novices Member #308 Joined: May 13, 2013 Sex Male Real Name Patrick Age 15	Alas it was all in the past my fellow members. But that was many moons ago. We know for sure now that the Ch0des are extinct and plan to do no more harm as far as we know.



Deleted User	Jul 20 2013, 04:04 PM Post #40
Deleted User	We're having a discussion about how people view the community and participate in it. If you want to interpret my posts as aggressive, that's fine. I didn't throw the "social experiment" term into the conversation. It's been mentioned several times before, and I'm responding to it's use as an explanation for why certain people have done the things that they have to and (in their minds) on behalf of other members of the community not involved in their schemes/games/trolling/whatever. I'm not attempting to make it a "big deal." I'm expressing my opinion about something brought up in a public blog, which I believe I'm allowed to do. My concern is that certain people will attempt to recreate this experience here on TRT or on Gaia and then fall back on the "It's the nature of the beast! This is just how people are, online and in real life!" excuse again. I understand completely what was done in the past, and why the people who participated felt that they did what they did. I happen to think that it's incredibly stupid, and that any defense of it, or attempt to explain it as an inevitable consequence of more than 1 human being gathering in a social setting as being equally stupid. /o noes, needlessly aggressive MIBound?!?! WHO COULD HAVE SEEN THAT COMING?!?!?!?! -flounces away-
Deleted User


Verdant Gregor	Jul 20 2013, 04:19 PM Post #41
Posts: 315 Group: Novices Member #560 Joined: Jul 5, 2013	MiBound Jul 20 2013, 03:53 PM Or it's just the friggin' internet and it shouldn't be looked at as a microcosm of larger society. When people in the real world participate in a government coup, they run the risk of actually... y'know... dying. Which is exactly why people do it more often online, in a realm where one can assume that there are no consequences for their actions. If reality were akin to a video game, where death was a mere inconvenience while you waited on the respawn timer, you'd see things like this a lot more often. It isn't an inevitable consequence of society, more like the Greater Internet F****** Theory in action. When one can assume there is no consequence for one's actions, they tend to let their true self shine through, for better or for worse.



Plus	Jul 20 2013, 04:20 PM Post #42
Posts: 5 Group: Novices Member #640 Joined: Jul 20, 2013	The thing you fail to recognize is the interviewee' one exuberance and passions; he is the type of person who would look deep into trivial things and turn them into something important. He is a politician at heart and examines the political aspect of everything. Those are his thoughts on the events as they occurred. He spoke of what he saw was wrong in the forums and how he corrected them. I hope those types of events do not happen here, as fun as they were to be a part of. In order for them to happen here, there would have to have need for them to happen. They were not games; they were reform to change the community for the better. You were not around during that time, you do not know what it was like.
Posts: 5 Group: Novices Member #640 Joined: Jul 20, 2013


Deleted User	Jul 20 2013, 04:25 PM Post #43
Deleted User	Actually, I was around. I just didn't participate in your shenanigans. What you fail to realize is that not everyone clings to the same usernames that they started out with, and that just because you don't know someone personally, that doesn't mean they haven't "been around" in the community. I ghosted and downloaded what I wanted for my game. I was active on Zoo Admin, then ghosted on various sites after ZA's collapse and enjoyed my game when I found the time to play it. That doesn't mean I didn't see what was going on. Anyway... and there's a psychological term for someone who looks at the trivial in life and morphs them into items/events/ideas of great importance. I'll leave it to you to look it up.
Deleted User


Plus	Jul 20 2013, 04:29 PM Post #44
Posts: 5 Group: Novices Member #640 Joined: Jul 20, 2013	Ghosting/ Lurking are different from being on the inside. Being in the staff room during the staff wars is totally different than watching from the outside. I was not involved with the Tesara, Environ, Culdera incidents so I do not know the details. I do know FP though. I know how he gets excitable and I know he sees himself as an arm for justice. I would also thank you to not break this down into an ad hominem argument against my little buddy. Edit: It is a fun thing to tell these stories with a little excitement. If it was just a droll recounting of events then it would be a boring blog. The reason for these interviews is fun. I know FP had fun when he was writing it. Edited by Plus, Jul 20 2013, 04:31 PM.
Posts: 5 Group: Novices Member #640 Joined: Jul 20, 2013


Iben	Jul 20 2013, 04:32 PM Post #45
There'll be no foot-walking! Just air-flying! Posts: 1,289 Group: Trainees Member #127 Joined: Mar 11, 2013 Country Belgium Age 24	Plus Jul 20 2013, 04:20 PM They were not games; they were reform to change the community for the better. You were not around during that time, you do not know what it was like. Yet, I was there. I and others cleaned up a lot of the mess. Me and other had to prevent young people from seeing horrible images of sliced up babies, genetalia, etc. I remember having a shockspam filter list of about 100 links on Environ, all to prevent young children of merely 13-14 year from seeing stuff like I mentioned. Even though it might have been "to change the community for the better", the way it was done was absolute nonsense and ridiculous and solved nothing.



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