Txbennett wrote: I suggest let's ask sc-race-fan to please design us one more patch, produce it and offer it to our buds as our final patch -- honoring Nome. The Moderators can offer comments on the design and then approve it without going through a cumbersome approval and selection process with few participants.
In my honest opinion Tx, if the patch concept has come down to leaving forum members completely out of the equation, I would rather see it chloroformed entirely! The whole idea behind the patch was member participation in every aspect from design to sales. To have just one person design and only mods make the decisions, and then serving it without options to members for purchase, is not really how the patch was envisioned when started. The last patches especially should have member input at all junctures.
One can mention disinterest and lack of member participation, but in the first few years of the project the mods regularly sent a mass mail message out early to all forum members asking them to start thinking about and submitting ideas and designs for the next patch with a deadline. There was plenty of time and many designs and ideas were provided after that, and even people who couldn't draw had their good ideas drawn by somebody with artistic talent and submitted that way. But I know that over the last several years, I myself have never received such a mass mail message, and I can only assume others did not either. Not sure why the solicitation of ideas that way stopped. To keep interest one has to pique interest.
I know there was opened in the mod lounge several years ago, an area where unused ideas and non winning drawings were put and could continually be put every year, so that, with a little tweaking perhaps, one or another could be utilized and entered in voting for future patches in times of idea drought, or when only one idea was submitted. I don't know if that still exists or not, but I don't recall one of the old designs ever being brought up for design tweaking or a vote.
sugarriver wrote:
I’d like to see everyone get a chance at submitting designs and or ideas given this as a starting point. Maybe we would get three or four sketches to vote on.
I agree wholeheartedly Sugar. Mail everyone informing them of the last 2 patches and really solicit them to submit ideas and designs. I would hope for a good response and hopefully some good ideas.