What Happened to Creatures?
Written onThere was a time when Creatures was filled with magic and discovery for many, including myself. There was always something to enjoy about the series, and an entire community to share those experiences with. So many of the new additions to the Creatures games never would have been possible without all sorts of cooperation! Yet something happened this year… Creatures, and the community itself, appeared to have lost that unique spark that kept everything going for so long. Several events made me seriously question whether it was even worth it to continue participating in the community. And in the time when everyone comes together, during the Creatures Community Spirit Festival, the annual celebration shut down after just a few days with no word since. I dug through some archives and read through some old blog posts, and found that the magic of Creatures was not completely lost for me. My love of the games is still very strong!
What, then, is the problem? My motivation to play often comes to a screeching halt for one main reason: Projects. Those have been put on hold for an undetermined amount of time to let the usual storytelling posts become a focus again. I will likely be much less active in the community so I can simply enjoy Creatures again! For so many years, this series has been a part of my life. And it will continue to be.
I also discovered that the CCSF 2013 web site was removed, for unknown reasons. All of the content is still available by searching around, but there is no longer a central location for all of the news posts. There do not seem to be any plans to change this, so please keep in mind that all previous links to the CCSF 2013 web site no longer show content for last year’s Creatures Community Spirit Festival. Just a heads up, since it was a bit of a surprise when I stumbled across it!
Well after nearly what is it 20 years? I still am very fond for Creatures. Here is the point I want to make. I am not so much fond of the game, but fond of what the game represents. It is a deep game with so much to learn and to get immersed into. Is there a game that is anything like it? We are in the second decade of the 21st century and is there a worthy successor for Creatures? Please, if there is, let us form a community around that new game. But as far as I am aware, there is nothing (let me know if there is please!). So the creatures series is all we have. The amazing thing about Creatures is that it runs so well even on old computers.
Very well said! There really isn’t anything else like Creatures out there. I still learn new things after playing for more than a decade! The science and genetics behind the scenes can be pretty advanced and complex. It still amazes me that there isn’t anything else close to Creatures at the moment!
Taking a step back to realize how much I still love the series was a pretty easy exercise: It hasn’t lost the magic for me when I simply enjoy it. And sometimes just playing the game casually is more fun than delving deep into other aspects all the time!
Finally, great point about it running so well! I’ve only encountered minor issues with installation over the years. And, of course, the GOG.com version of Creatures works like a charm!
The CCSF 2014 is very much going to continue, after Creatures Caves has undergone some more repairs. There was an issue when the website’s host disabled support for PHP 4, hence this year’s celebrations being put on hiatus. There are also plans to archive the content from the CCSF 2013, once the above issues have been resolved, and the CCSF 2014 is underway again.
Er, it’s been pretty much common knowledge in the CCaves forum that Rascii has been working to restore parts of the site that broke. It just happens that the CCSF 2013 came down because of this, too.
That said, Rascii has even answered that the CCSF 2013 stuff will be on the CCSF site, after he sets it up to allow people to choose the prior year. (Source: http://creaturescaves.com/forum.php?view=1&thread=5817&page=1)
Rascii has also set up a resource to see the current state of the website: http://creaturescaves.com/community.php?section=Resources&view=111
I hope this has been helpful!
&heart;
As Laura mentioned, Creatures Caves’ host made a change with the PHP version, causing all of the website posting and editing scripts to stop working. Without the ability to post, the CCSF was put temporarily on hold. It will continue starting on December 1st. I’ve spent hours upon hours fixing the scripts manually and wasn’t able to do it in as timely a manner as I had hoped. The change in PHP versions couldn’t have come at a more inopportune time.
Furthermore, all of the CCSF 2013 is being archived, and will be available once all of the functions of the website are fixed. I’m not sure why you said “There do not seem to be any plans to change this” when you clearly didn’t ask anyone affiliated with Creatures Caves or the CCSF if there are any plans to allow users to view the archived CCSFs.
Please note that I’m looking at a lot of things from the point of view of people who aren’t involved with the community. The important notices are somewhat hidden from someone simply looking at the current CCSF 2014 site. And all CCSF 2013 content is easily found, but I was merely surprised that the old link is now being used for the current festival. It’s not a problem… Merely an observation so that no one gets confused.
This post was merely my opinion and a way for me to get motivated to play Creatures again, with an additional observation that wasn’t meant to offend. I will continue to have a limited presence in other areas of the community, though. I’m just here to enjoy the Creatures series, and not have any more issues with community members.
Sina: Thanks for those links! I’m sure they’ll be very useful for anyone who would like to find out the official information about the CCSF! I’m no longer active on Creatures Caves, so I suppose it wasn’t common knowledge in my mind. I do appreciate you clearing that up, though!
It worries me that the home page of the creatures community is maintained by those who would rather throw blame on the casual passerby (for not digging deep into their forums enough to find the answer) than take the criticism and realize it actually isn’t common knowledge and do something to correct it, like putting up a general announcement on the front page. They’re still posting updates there from creatures online so it is obviously still possible for news to be posted, but they would rather post that information in obscure blog comments (in a condescending tone no less) rather than on the front page of their site. The post from a month ago detailing the website repairs mentions nothing about the state of the CCSF. As this is arguably the most popular event of the year, it seems irresponsible to not make its status extremely clear in a very visible place.
I speak from a place of genuine concern, as the attitude of “You didn’t ask around” or “You didn’t look hard enough” points to a culture of exclusion, a common reason that great tight-knit communities like this eventually fizzle out. If the Creatures Caves staff honestly wants to create a welcoming, inclusive atmosphere for assisting all creatures players in their hobbies regardless of how much time they have to read the forums or talk with other members, it needs to be capable of taking criticism when it fails in the area of communication with the community. If Creatures Caves wishes to create an exclusive club where only the insiders really understand what’s going on and those that do not are belittled and ridiculed, it should keep doing what it is doing, because they seem to be on the right track.
Thank you for that very honest opinion, Lemon. I’m a little concerned about the lack of communication, too. There are plenty of Creatures players who often aren’t registered users. I was a lurker for many years, and I always appreciated the prominent announcements! It’s all very confusing at the moment, even for someone who can login. Creatures 1 is still my favorite game, and I hope that the community can continue to cater to the needs of all different players. The drama and aggravation is much better left to the Norns, Grendels, and Ettins… They seem to have plenty of issues with using lifts, after all! I’m spending my time unraveling those problems and laughing, rather than letting unkind remarks get to me. Hopefully the rest of the community is having a similar positive experience!
To be fair, pretty much all of the posts (including the news on the front page) says that parts of the site may not be working. Logic would follow that if there are problems with the CCSF, it too, would be suffering from the problems mentioned.
While it could have been posted that the CCSF 2013 pages were offline, I can understand where the developer may not do that – it is a compilation of pieces that are already posted in the “need to be fixed” resource, and in the mind of someone who develops, sometimes we forget that other people do not see that it is inclusive.
Seeing that CCSF 2014 had started prior to all of this, the content from 2013 was hidden to put focus on the current CCSF. It was not publicized that it would be archived, and it was just going to have a nifty feature to select which year you wanted to see. I am sure the developer didn’t intend to make this opaque.
It will probably be noted soon on CCaves itself, but I will say it here: I am guessing that the main CCSF page will only ever show the most current year’s stuff, with the rest being archived. CCSF 2015 will be there next, with 2014 being put into its own archive like 2013. (Selectable via dropdown or something similar, I think.)
I can understand where it could be perceived that this seems to be breeding exclusivity. This has stemmed, I think, from the fact that there is only one person developing on the website and their time is super limited, what with work, life, and other obligations.
As for the remark, “…attitude of “You didn’t ask around” or “You didn’t look hard enough”…”: I do not see at all within these comments here, this happening at all. Information to clarify the issue was presented by others as well as myself. I posted links to make sure that there was no feeling of exclusivity, because I know that there are visitors to this and the Caves sites, that may stumble across this post and wonder what’s going on. I don’t see belittlement. I see information being given in a concise manner.
I know that some people may have take this as being brash or curt, but I sincerely do not think this was the case. I know that myself personally am fond of giving the most information with the least amount of words when I am posting comments, and people sometimes take the lack of emotional words or emphatics as being rude.
From what I have seen myself, as a semi-casual visitor, is that there could be an improvement on how news is communicated and posted. This entire issue proves as much. And I can tell you that I have been stepping up to see how I can help bring positive changes from this outcome.
Thanks for voicing your concern! I am positive that you are not the only one that sees things this way.
Part of the issue likely stems from previous, private issues that occurred earlier this year. I think everyone is seeing these comments from different perspectives, which is perfectly fine! A little discussion with various opinions is always welcome here. And hopefully I made it clear that your post with the links was very helpful, as I’m sure readers can easily find what they’re looking for. Thank you again for that!
I don’t mean to say anything negative about anyone or anything in particular. I completely understand that I’m a little biased due to previous events, and I respect all of the other opinions out there. All I hope is that everyone in the community continues to get along and enjoy Creatures and all it represents!
Thanks for throwing the blame right back at us, Lemon.
No one who commented seemed upset to me. A bit confused maybe, but I don’t see any ridicule whatsoever, and the only belittlement is your own. Instead facts were stated in a fair and straightforward manner. I don’t think that sharing information deserves passive aggression in return; would it have been preferable if people visited this page and came away with an incorrect impression (that CCSF 2013 is gone forever and no one cares)? Is pointing out the inaccuracy, and providing relevant information for others, really worth this kind of response?
I’m the coordinator for this year’s CCSF, and I’m sorry for not posting an announcement about the CCSF going on hiatus until the site was fixed. I should have, but I didn’t. The CSSF is back now though, and I’ll be sure to communicate better in the future. I honestly haven’t organized something like the CCSF before.
Ghost: This is an open discussion, and everyone is entitled to their own opinion. Sometimes people are upset over things that are going on, and although Lemon’s response wasn’t all rosy, there is no need to attack someone over their ideas. I appreciate your opinions, but please don’t incite a negative sort of discussion here. The main reason for this post was my own personal reason for getting back to the core element of playing Creatures.
KittyTikara: Oh, no problem! I know how insane the coordinator’s position can be, especially when you haven’t experienced it before. I’m sure there were lots of behind-the-scenes things you’ve been working on for weeks, or even months! I do hope the rest of the CCSF 2014 goes off without a hitch so you can enjoy all of your hard work. Good luck!
Wow, I’m surprised this actually got comments. I’m happy that my point has been heard, even if not well received. I am told I can be harsh in my criticism, but I still believe that if Creatures Caves staff puts just a bit more thought into their communicative methods as a result, I will have done the community as a whole a favor.
To KittyTikara, bless your heart; you’re not even staff and yet you are the only one who came forward to accept any measure of responsibility and even offer an honest apology. I think you will be a wonderful coordinator and community leader, as you have already shown your true concern for the community outweighs your personal pride. I look forward to seeing how the CCSF plays out this year.
To Sina, I really appreciate the information you have provided as well as your understanding and willingness to look at both sides of this issue. You are right that logic would probably dictate that problems with the site would lead to problems with the CCSF, but this is not always very apparent to those who don’t fully understand the impact of website upgrades. I feel that is something that should be considered, along with the understanding that, as a, (if not *the*) major community event, communication specifically about the state of the CCSF is especially important.
When I mentioned the “didn’t ask around” attitude, I was referring to Rascii’s comment on this post which states exactly, “you clearly didn’t ask anyone affiliated with Creatures Caves or the CCSF” Maybe I’m reading too much into it, but from my experience involving other small fandom communities, this is a very large red flag.
I want to reiterate to everyone that I understand that a lot of time and energy goes into maintaining sites like Creatures Caves, and I am not criticizing the downtime or even so much the lack of communication as I am criticizing the situation in which the staff has time to read and correct information on someone’s personal blog but still fails to make that knowledge easily visible to the public, all with no remorse for the miscommunication.
It’s not as though the community has never received criticism before. Nothing compares to the old alt.games.creatures days when members tried to flame each other out of the community because they mentioned pokemon. We have come a long way, and I hope we can keep moving forward to keep this a fandom that everyone can enjoy.
Whoa there, friends, can’t we all just get along?