HamsterSpeak 47 Online

marionline · Post by **marionline** » Mon Mar 07, 2011 5:05 pm

Then I discoverd Hamsterspeak, i was really happy, because this made me realise, that there is a whole community ( = real people!) standing behind the OHR.
And these people are not only making games, but also their own newspaper!
Wow!

I'd be very sorry, if Hamsterspeak would end just now then I found it.

I really like it!
Please don't give it up!

Pepsi Ranger · Post by **Pepsi Ranger** » Mon Mar 07, 2011 5:57 pm

what the magazine needs is more monthly contribution. maybe a Q&A section about the OHR, game making, plotscripting, what have you. a monthly comic strip would be cool too (i'm neither artistic nor funny, so that would have to be someone else's department).

This may be one of the reasons why Surlaw is asking if it should end. The truth is, and any new reader who has gone far enough back in the issues will know, is that the magazine has had all of these features at one point. The problem here is that no one in the OHR community is consistent or dedicated to keep up with it (no one, except for Surlaw, who has been consistent and dedicated in releasing an issue every month since March 2007).

If anyone has the resources to broadcast knowledge of the OHR to high trafficked Internet spots (I'm not talking about Facebook, where only ten people will look at any one person's status updates, but a real news site that thousands, if not millions of people would discover on a daily basis), then that is the thing that will bring in regular contributions to the magazine, because that would mean greater volumes of OHR users, and greater volumes of people who want to write for it.

Speaking from experience, the same five people get tired of writing the same stuff month after month. It's the very reason why the older OHR publications died. HamsterSpeak survived for as long as it had because unpaid writers and artists for a niche magazine are given time to refresh, while new writers take up the slack for a given month. As time has continued, the number of dedicated writers has dwindled, and now, as Spoonweaver accurately put it, the magazine survives on content written mainly by writers who submit to keep it alive. This is why the message is constantly doled out that if you love the magazine, write for it, because you are the only one who can make it happen. If you don't contribute, then you rely only on hope that it will go on. Surlaw is telling you that this magazine won't work on hope anymore. It'll only work on action and dedication.

I have a feeling this question is leaning more on justification than on a vote. Or, if not that, then a gentle reminder that readers need to become more active; otherwise, they will lose it.

I still think the magazine could use a break to give Surlaw time to recover. Being the only consistent person involved with the magazine is certain to burn a guy out. I'd hope that people will still send in articles and artwork throughout the break to give a possible #51 re-launch issue a hefty dose of comeback. But the only reason why we should have an Issue 51 is because people still want to read it and are willing to contribute because they have something to share.

Moral of the story: tell all your friends about HamsterSpeak, and then tell them to write something for it. Build the community up to a forum of a thousand public and active users while you're at it. Otherwise, we're just riding on fumes.

The Wobbler · Post by **The Wobbler** » Mon Mar 07, 2011 6:17 pm

The burn out isn't just writers, we used to get way more comments on articles, way more suggestions for new articles, and way more votes in the polls (both magazine polls and the GOTY2010 vote). Readership, going by web stats, is humongously higher than the first year's issues, and yet feedback is way, way lower. That's frustrating for everyone involved. Pepsi pretty much nailed everything else I have to say on the subject.

Willy Elektrix wrote:Basically, I really want Hamsterspeak to stay around and would be willing to contribute more content to help. I don't have the design/html skills to take it over myself, but I want to know: what can I do to help you out, Surlaw?

By writing a review/retrospective a month you're already doing more than most people, and I really appreciate it. Your retrospectives have also been pretty popular. Just keep doing what you're doing and I'll be grateful.

That said, there's a pretty long list of new releases from the past year that never got a review.

Gizmog · Post by **Gizmog** » Tue Mar 08, 2011 4:25 am

It might just be me, but when I vote in the "Which articles did you like?" thing, I feel like I'm doing my part towards feedback. Maybe if there weren't that easy way out, people would be more vocal?

I always enjoy the reviews, I honestly can't remember a bad one and I've especially been enjoying Fenrir's features that go beyond the usual boundaries of the OHR, this month's Minecraft skins or his previous D&D stats of OHR Characters, even if I'm not sure they're something I'd ever use.

I don't want Issue 50 to be the last one and I don't think anybody does, but it's obvious that everyone who works on it is getting tired and maybe a hiatus to build up demand and recharge everyone's batteries would be a good idea.

Momoka · Post by **Momoka** » Tue Mar 08, 2011 6:06 am

Was anyone interested in my writing articles enough to want to read another one?

Pepsi Ranger · Post by **Pepsi Ranger** » Tue Mar 08, 2011 7:19 am

Momoka wrote:Was anyone interested in my writing articles enough to want to read another one?

Yes, they were great.

I also want to see 8-bit's music article finished.

And it would be nice if someone wrote more articles about developing interesting battles, whether through OHR default or something plotscripted (with a side bar about status effects and balancing). I say this under the assumption that the person who would develop such a series of articles is also interesting, as the subject of battle balancing is not.

And I don't recall there ever being an article about designing special menus and how to keep them from looking crappy.

I think string functions have been lacking the love in the features department, as well.

Sheesh, how many design topics have we neglected in the last four years? Seems unusual that we've been lacking features for so long now.

The Wobbler · Post by **The Wobbler** » Tue Mar 08, 2011 1:38 pm

Gizmog wrote:It might just be me, but when I vote in the "Which articles did you like?" thing, I feel like I'm doing my part towards feedback. Maybe if there weren't that easy way out, people would be more vocal?

There was a huge lack of feedback before the polls were added, too, that was the reason they were added. I appreciate you voting in the polls, and I wish every reader did, but as readership is increasing people voting in the polls is somehow decreasing.

Shizuma · Post by **Shizuma** » Tue Mar 08, 2011 2:41 pm

I have to blame faceboook, people have got accustomed to just pressing the "like" button instead of giving feedback. So you should just make Hamster Speak a facebook page and you'll get a lot of feedback in likes!

... I'm only partially kidding.

mjohnson092088 · Post by **mjohnson092088** » Tue Mar 08, 2011 4:56 pm

Surlaw wrote:That said, there's a pretty long list of new releases from the past year that never got a review.

if i were to write a review, how would you want me to go about doing it? create a .txt file and send it to you? writing it on slimesalad.com would kinda be pointless if it's meant for the magazine.

JSH357 · Post by **JSH357** » Tue Mar 08, 2011 5:06 pm

mjohnson092088 wrote:
Surlaw wrote:That said, there's a pretty long list of new releases from the past year that never got a review.
if i were to write a review, how would you want me to go about doing it? create a .txt file and send it to you? writing it on slimesalad.com would kinda be pointless if it's meant for the magazine.

Write it in whatever word processor you want, then either convert it to .txt or .html if you know how (That will save Surlaw a lot of time). Take a look at how some of the other reviews are done for examples. I recommend using a lot of pictures; people respond to those well.

The Wobbler · Post by **The Wobbler** » Tue Mar 08, 2011 5:48 pm

Shizuma wrote:I have to blame faceboook, people have got accustomed to just pressing the "like" button instead of giving feedback. So you should just make Hamster Speak a facebook page and you'll get a lot of feedback in likes!

... I'm only partially kidding.

I post HS stuff on Facebook regularly but it's generally ignored.

mjohnson092088 wrote:if i were to write a review, how would you want me to go about doing it? create a .txt file and send it to you? writing it on slimesalad.com would kinda be pointless if it's meant for the magazine.

http://www.superwalrusland.com/forum/vi ... ?f=5&t=243

Post by **Bob the Hamster** » Tue Mar 08, 2011 6:44 pm

Surlaw, in the light of your burnout, and the impending possible end of HamsterSpeak, I want to say thank you. It is clear that HamsterSpeak is a labor of love, and although people volunteer content, you are the one who brings it all together and keeps it going.

HamsterSpeak is a delight to me, and I always look forward to it.

But I do understand that the audience is very small, and the interest waxes and wanes frustratingly. If I knew a way to get more people reading it, I would do it, but I can't think of anything.

So anyway, THANK YOU.

mjohnson092088 · Post by **mjohnson092088** » Tue Mar 08, 2011 6:57 pm

James Paige wrote:But I do understand that the audience is very small, and the interest waxes and wanes frustratingly. If I knew a way to get more people reading it, I would do it, but I can't think of anything.

step one would probably have to be to get more people aware of the OHR community in general, but that is another issue.

also, i will write a review for Castle on the Night Land, Princess Flesh, and the FFIII remake. and was my game so crappy as to not be mentioned in the list of "yet to be reviewed"?

The Wobbler · Post by **The Wobbler** » Tue Mar 08, 2011 11:39 pm

Readership isn't really the problem, the number of unique views we get more or less increases every month. It's contribution/feedback that's a bigger hurdle.

mjohnson092088 wrote: also, i will write a review for Castle on the Night Land, Princess Flesh, and the FFIII remake. and was my game so crappy as to not be mentioned in the list of "yet to be reviewed"?

It was overlooked by mistake, it's been added to the list.

I strongly recommend only thinking of reviewing one game at a time, so that it doesn't tie up the other games in case someone else wants to write about one at the same time. If you finish the first game's review early and there's still time to write another then by all means do so.

The Wobbler · Post by **The Wobbler** » Tue Mar 15, 2011 2:11 am

Shizuma wrote:I have to blame faceboook, people have got accustomed to just pressing the "like" button instead of giving feedback. So you should just make Hamster Speak a facebook page and you'll get a lot of feedback in likes!

... I'm only partially kidding.

Going back to this idea, I've now added an actual Facebook Like button on the left sidebar for this issue. If anyone wants to press it that would be great! I'll include one on each issue but I think it would be ugly to have one on each article.