Indexing the Network Node factions

[Buster's Uncle]

(Not to spoil the ending or anything, but here's the Custom Factions Section on the AC2 Wiki.  Now on with the thread...)



Here's a project idea that I'm just never going to get to, but would be INSANELY useful to AC modders everywhere.  I'm trawling through my collection of other people's custom factions, over 90% of which is NN stuff, looking for aquatic factions.  I'll never get back the over an hour I've already spent.

(Here's the big file with the whole shebang I'm referencing: http://alphacentauri2.info/index.php?action=downloads;sa=view;down=102  No modder should be without this resource on their hard drive.)

If someone took the trouble to comb through and make lists of categories like that - Earth nation/national pride factions would be another useful one, .txt factions that could use an artist looking for a projects is another, also - incomplete art, crappy art that could use tweaking (even a lot of otherwise good ones where the bases and/or leaderhead needs more shading and realism, which happens a lot with NN stuff), magic/psychic factions, terrafromer/colonist factions, Unity crew/reunite the misson factions, dark/bad guy/evil factions, alt. Progs, WWII sorta factions (there are several), and a million other categories I'm just not thinking of right this second.

You'd need something that will let you view .pcx files to make a competent job of it.  Google GIMP if you don't have such a program - it's free.

A master alphabetized catalog of everything w/one or two sentence description would be a good start.  You'd be welcome to include the 57 custom factions of mine here http://alphacentauri2.info/My%20Custom%20Factions/Custom%20Factions.htm too.  Any factions from other sources should be added as we become aware of them.

If you really want to unleash your inner obsessive/compulsive pedant, adding thumbs of leaderheads, bases, logos and diplomacy landscapes with each entry would be capital.  I mean, SUPER helpful.  (It's easy to make the thumbnails in GIMP or another program.)  We can worry about breaking it into categories later.  Many factions will belong in several, depending...

[Buster's Uncle]

Mindworm factions.  I've done two, and there are at least two more in the NN collection.  Kilkakon, the Worms faction in 23634_dmmfactionpack10 is a way better graphic design than Antimind, IMAO.

[Buster's Uncle]

Factions with good art but Hive/other official bases, factions that need stuff scanlined - there was a time when I was a beginner looking around for faction graphic projects, and lists organized like this would have done a lot of good, and would have resulted in much improved graphic versions being available for EVERYONE's use...

[Kilkakon]

A database, as you suggest, that would pool together all the NN factions under banners of what people are looking for sounds like a great idea to me. It takes a good 5 minutes to shift through all the factions.

@BUncle I'm not sure which one you are talking about. I don't have any scenario factions other than the Return to Earth one. Unless the NN download here is more comphrensive than the one I have.

[Buster's Uncle]

I never did anything to sort out downloads from other sources, so I can't swear this is Network Node stuff.

[Kilkakon]

I prefer Antimind as an idea (it is one of my childhood yay factions), although the fungal tower cities look pretty decent.

[Buster's Uncle]

No idea how they play, and of course I'm attached to the two take-over-human(and Cha)-faction factions I've done, but this is a solid graphic design, is all, while I find Antimind a little busy and confusing to look at by comparison.

Still, that's four worm factions that would be neat for some novelty/theme game.  Probably a good springboard for a GotM scenario...

[Buster's Uncle]

In fact, the index would be endlessly valuable to the GotM team...

[Buster's Uncle]

I realized that I'd been remiss in not linking the NN collection we have in Downloads (and suggesting GIMP for viewing/making thumbnails) in the OP.  This has been rectified now.

I'm counting on someone with a lot of patience and stamina to make themself VERY popular by taking this task up.  This could be used as a project development thread, with as little as one faction summary entry posted at a time until it's done and we look at how to organizes the index.

[Kilkakon]

Well not me, not now, at least, as I have already volunteered for other things that I better get on with first.

[Buster's Uncle]

Absolutely.

I thought of the perfect guy for this job two days ago, after I initiated this thread, but he despises me and would have to be lured out of retirement.  In fact, I can think of three people who would be perfect, and alas, they all hate my guts. 

Probably better to hope for a third party to step up.

[Buster's Uncle]

I'm bumping this sucker from time to until some brave soul volunteers, so save everybody the wait and me the trouble by volunteering now...

[ete]

If we get a wiki I can work on then I'll see what I can do. Infoboxes/other templates, categories, and collaborative editing would make it much easier/more useful. Looks like this could be a pretty fun option. I love wikis, and there's plenty of other potential uses for one.

[Buster's Uncle]

Great!  But-

I wouldn't even begin to know how to go about getting a wiki...

[ete]

Someone with root access would need to install and configure one, which probably means sisko. I found one possible which I linked from the previous post (also maybe useful link).