Thankless indeed! Matt and Corey, both well spoken. However, I think some more needs to be said; I guess it could be considered a final "clearing of the air" on my part.Allow me to briefly summarize what I did when reviewing a map (disregarding the process of researching and approving a proposed project):
- Trackwork was given a rough once-over to locate major errors, which were marked for revision
- Trackwork would then be compared with the image and any available track maps/charts; variances would be noted for correction
- A detailed examination of the trackwork would be performed; I would frequently examine curves and complicated yard trackage at the pixel level to ensure proper alignment (a very time-consuming process)
- Every turnout on a map was checked to ensure it was of appropriate length and laid with correct orientation
- Labels were checked for proper format (both in text and style)
- .his files were checked to ensure all information contained in the text was correct, header format was correct, and coordinates were included; I performed a thorough editorial analysis upon the text (I have no idea how many .his files I partially or entirely rewrote)
- Connections were thoroughly checked to ensure correct prototypical routing, all appropriate connections included, written connections matched actual map/exit numbers, etc.(Yes, that's a brief summary.)Of course, all this had to be done in a manner in which I could help designers fix their mistakes, not simply bark out orders. For those who believe I did just bark out orders, I will state that I assumed after a concept had been fully explained once and a correct resubmittal made, no further effort on my part would be needed to describe a problem. My purpose for creating the IMD and MDR was to streamline the review process; by referring designers to the appropriate sections, I expected them to see what was correct and practice their skills until they could readily replicate proper form. If I wrote "turnout too long" on a designer's third submittal with that problem, I expected the designer to recognize the problem and fix it. If I wrote "track spacing bad," well, that's what it meant, and I wanted it fixed -- look at all the other examples out there that had already been approved, don't whine to me about insufficient comments/instructions on my part. If I requested a designer to reference another map to observe a solution to a problem, I expected the designer to study what had already been done correctly and apply those techniques to their maps.I do not apologize for any offense these assumptions of mine may have caused because, quite simply, I expected the designers to achieve a learning curve. It's not a matter of "I'm not any good at maps!," it's simply a matter of taking the time to study what's already been done and then duplicating those techniques in your own maps. Take pride in ensuring you've created a detailed map; don't rush to "finish" a whole bunch of maps in a short time. As Matt demonstrated, if you put in the time and effort to get the map done right the first time, it'll get to the server much quicker.
While I handled all of the work listed above when I began my tenure as Superintendent of Maps way back whenever that was, as the number of projects grew I could not have accomplished what I did without gracious and copious help from Paul, Corey and Matt. Without their aid, the level of quality present in new maps published under our purview could not have been maintained.Frankly, as time progressed, it saddened me that instead of being thanked for our efforts, for investing hundreds of hours of our personal time in YD, for selflessly helping designers improve their skills while sacrificing the time we could spend on other things important to us... Instead of being thanked by those who benefitted from our volunteer efforts... All we seemed to hear were complaints that the process took too long, that stuff that was submitted to the design staff hasn't been posted to the server, that the reviews were too harsh... It was frustrating and demoralizing. I would sometimes dread downloading my email for fear of finding a bunch of emails from designers with complaints.While I do miss participating in the YD community, I am glad I simply no longer have the time to deal with those design supervision issues. I now dread the continuous flood of homework I have to deal with, but I no longer have the stress of worrying about getting homework done and upholding my volunteer commitments to YD.
Additionally, while I'm ranting, I would like to point out that Paul's efforts to help the game grow in its early stages are often overlooked; YD would not be where it is today without his invaluable input. Also, Jim Hill's successful efforts to resume posting maps (and perform other duties) during Jim Wisman's absence has been an incredible help to the game.I would also like to state that Mr. Wisman's continued absence from supporting software (and associated components) which he agreed he would never "<walk> away from ... and <leave> ... unsupported" (Paul M., 06/06/04) when he wrote, "No way, never gonna do that" (06/08/04), among other such reassurances, is an incredible violation of the trust we players had in him and his contractural obligation to provide a service in return for receiving financial consideration for use of his software. I repeat what I wrote in a previous post: Anybody who sent money to Mr. Wisman who has had the payment accepted and has not received an unlock key should contact their credit card company or bank to seek remediation of such payment.
To all the players out there: Please remember that all of the people who are helping to maintain the game's backbone, helping it to grow, helping the new players... are doing this on their own time. Regardless of how strained things may sometimes become, YD is a community and cannot exist otherwise. Before you complain about the lack of new maps or the slow turnaround time from the Maps department or whatever else you want to discuss that isn't a software bug... Think first about who is volunteering their time for that function and what they're giving up from their personal lives, or perhaps what they're involved in that's inhibiting their YD time. Sit back, calm down, enjoy the ride, and offer to help out.
I bid you all good luck. Hopefully you've learned what I've tried to teach (and yes, preach) about map making. Hopefully you'll all learn from the lessons of the past and take proactive action to ensure a major conflict doesn't arise again. For the mapmakers, please make use of the website I put dozens of hours into creating; it's still up, and I don't anticipate taking it down anytime soon.Perhaps someday I'll return to YD; perhaps I'll choose to devote my time to TD3; perhaps I'll get my 500+ photo backlog posted to my website; perhaps come June I'll have a job with long hours and excellent pay and won't have time for YD or TD3 or much of anything. Who knows what the future will bring? I can't wait to find out.73,
-Dave
http://www.davehonan.com/
http://members.trainorders.com/dwhonan/yd/Post quoted above:
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