Early season closure? - new concept

[zaqrack]

Hi!

As activity seems to be low (not on the last track, thank heavens!) and I have less and less time in the near future (until the end of summer for sure) I have developed (partly, idea still under construction) a new concept which allows exciting races with low activity - some kind of a mix between permanent competitions and monthly ones.
I have also noted that some great tracks gain high activity (ZCT75), while some boring ones we could just skip after a month.

I am considering closing this season earlier -with last month perhaps as september (ZCT79) and start the new concept with ZCT80, in october.
Please read below the details, tell your opinion and vote.

Dynamic tracks:
the season starts with -lets say- 3 tracks released. You can race on each of them. Deadline is never set - tracks run until there are no replays sent for 7 consecutive days (some people call that a week ) After this inactivity period, the track will be announced "scheduled to be closed", and all pipsqueaks will be notified - from that moment pipsqueaks will have one more week to send their finishing their replays (could be quiet days, dunno yet), After this week the final results will appear.
With this method, boring tracks could last for only 2-3 weeks, but if there is a track with lots of potential, it could go on maybe for several months. Also new pipsqueaks would have more possibilities to catch up with those starting the season earlier.
Option: tracks running for a long time (3 months?) would get the award: "eternal track", and would become a permanent track available for racing forever (like Default

One small question: what about season's scores - most likely they'll turn into something dynamic too - like currently running worldranklists, but with all your past result taken into account forever - even if only a little bit.

Interactivity:
pipsqueaks would have the possibility to upload their own tracks, but the number of active races currently going on would be limited (5?) Newly uploaded tracks would first appear on a waiting list, and users could maybe vote for some cars from an array given by the track designer.  After a track has finished, the first one from the waiting list starts.
With this, the role of the competition manager changes, as the competition sort of becomes a community organised competition - yes, it's like web 2.0 compared to web 1.0. Community means really a lot!
I'd be only someone ensuring the site is always working. I decided this because I'd like to heat up the community a bit and - lets face it: I didn't become a better track designer in the past 6 years despite all the tracks I created

It's almost sure that I'll implement this new idea, as I hope it'll sort of revive the competition. 6 years was just too much, in my opinion the monthly races -with all those other great competitions running- made ZS a bit boring. 71-72-73-74-75 - huge numbers, track after track... it was enough I guess.
The only question is to wait until next year, or start with october? I'll most likely have some free time in August so I could code this "dynamic" ZakStunts.

[CTG]

I think you are a bit tired of organizing ZakStunts (you didn't race on ZCT75!!! It never happened before on a ZCT track!).

-I raced, but the race didn't finish. I didn't have time to race again, Kalpen was top priority.
-I am tired with managing as I was many times before. The only difference is that now I have lots of other things to do and this low motivation means I don't spend my free time on managing the site but other stuff. August will be better, I don't know yet what comes from September, depends on my future job.

My vote is the third option.

Ok! I also respect this one.

[Krys TOFF]

My vote is the third option.

Ok! I also respect this one.

Errr, is it me or it seems one or more posts are missing ? Where are options 1 to 3 ?
Zak : you edited CTG's post instead of quoting it it seems.
Please CTG explain again your 3 options.

Well, regarding the proposal, it sounds interesting. "Team competition" concept was good too, but was never applied.
I think we should start it when all "special rules" ideas have been done. How many other "special rules" do you have in mind Zak ?

[Akoss Poo a.k.a. Zorromeister]

I am a passive observer of this competition nowadays. (I use a P4 computer at home, and a P3 laptop in the dormitory, they are not available for stunts: problems if I push 3 buttons together - e.g. forward, left, transmission, no sound which means cca. -2 seconds/minute, preparring for my state exam (Thursday), I still doubt the existance of some drivers) Rarely, but I check the news and the results about ZakStunts. I read the summer break thread, and, by seeing the falling activity, I wanted to recommend the closure of this great competition, and as a solution, the concept of a permanent competition also lept into my mind. When I read this announcement, I decided to tell this here. This competition had many great years. Active drivers, communicative drivers, long old nights spent in the chatroom, later on msn, live races, arguments, many races, great replays, very high competition level... what I see now, is far from this, and in my opinion it is not worthy for the name ZAKSTUNTS. The value of the victory is somewhere around the value of earlier Stunts LOL races... Forum is used by the members to communicate between a very few drivers, to be more simple, to read and react on CTG's spam. Usrin, CTG and me communicate here as old classmates, and not as Stunts pipsqueaks. Chatroom is died, I can't even find the old conversations... It's a long time I haven't seen most of the drivers on msn, this year I only talked once with Dark Chaser there... People aren't keen on spending time and money on having a Stunts meeting somewhere. Last year's meeting missed a real party (unlike 2004, 2005), this has also contributed to the lack of enthusiasm, I guess. It seems, Stunts racing and Stunts racing community is died, or close to its death. I think it's time to silently close the competition before the whole thing gets ridiculous (the competition really fails because of total unconcern), and suspend the ideas about "World Stunts Meetings". (I hope we'll meet once again, somewhere, race and drink together, but I can't imagine this at the moment.) So I recommend the immediate closure of the competition (without naming a champion), and we should start a permanent one... I'm really sad to write these words.

[Krys TOFF]

The value of the victory is somewhere around the value of earlier Stunts LOL races...

Really ? OK, try to beat CTG's time at Z75 then.

So I recommend the immediate closure of the competition (without naming a champion)

Without naming a champion ? Like Kalpen stop back in 2001 ? Not a good idea : Mark Nailwood and CAP never came back since then. I don't want to see the same happen to current ZS leaders frustrated not to have their "medals".

[Krys TOFF]

One more thing : how many replays received last months for ZS current "permanent" tracks ? None, or almost none.
CTG tried a permanent competition at the beginning of USC in 2002, it had no success too.
Tracks must have a deadline, else, they are not raced. The idea to put deadline 2 or 3 days after a complete week without replay is good : no "never ending " tracks.

[Akoss Poo a.k.a. Zorromeister]

Really ? OK, try to beat CTG's time at Z75 then.

I mentioned VALUE, and not strength of winning time.

[CTG]

Krys: see the poll.

[CTG]

Mark was as fast as Alain, Chulk was like Ayrton. This is value. Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaays faster then your best perforamnce ever.

[Duplode]

#1, or whatever helps to keep the competition healthy (and Zak is most likely the best guy to listen in this respect). The rulings can be fine-tuned later on, as to avoid never-ending races or excess parallel tracks. As Krys mentioned, a good time to switch would be when ideas for special rules run out (forecast for about... October?). And finally, if you pardon the unelegant (as of now) outsider intromission , I do not see you drivers giving up ZSC... as for this newbie, I hadn't even the chance to join!!

[Chulk]

I think option 1 is the best. It will give enough time to competition leaders to fight for the championship but still it will end when Zak says he has time to do it. Generally I like the new idea, except maybe for the pipsqueak's tracks (Drivers can upload a track they have drove a million times)

[zaqrack]

I It seems, Stunts racing and Stunts racing community is died, or close to its death. I think it's time to silently close the competition before the whole thing gets ridiculous (the competition really fails because of total unconcern), and suspend the ideas about "World Stunts Meetings". (I hope we'll meet once again, somewhere, race and drink together, but I can't imagine this at the moment.) So I recommend the immediate closure of the competition (without naming a champion), and we should start a permanent one... I'm really sad to write these words.

Altough I agree with some of your words I completely disagree with this part.
There have always been ups and downs in activity. Just check 2004 compared to 2003. The drop was almost as radical as 2007 to 2006.
Many of us are in the age where lots of things have to be done in real life, there is not enough free time left. Hell, I face a state exam,the greatest journy of my life, while I have two workplaces, am applying for other ones, have other hobbies, am considering getting engaged... lots of strange, previously unknown stuff, really. But surely we'll (and surely I'll also will) get used to it soon.
If the competition would only depend on pipsqueak activity, I should have shut it down in 2001 june, when I got 6 or 7 replays through a whole month. Sorry, 2 months. I won't shut down ZakStunts, no way. More than 6 years of hard work lay within, lots of fun and lots of memories (altough I can't remember any of the track by name, unlike many of you do )
I just want to change it into something which you can also enjoy even if you don't have the time to race regularly each week. Because for monthly competition you need weekly activity.

And about Stunts meetings: Personally I feel that I can't live without seeing my Danish and German friends next year. And of course seafood. Maybe meetings will never be the same as in 2004 and 2005 - but my life will also never be the same as it was, when I was younger. Still I enjoy it - still I'll enjoy the meetings.

[DieselJoe]

Altough I agree with some of your words I completely disagree with this part.
There have always been ups and downs in activity. Just check 2004 compared to 2003. The drop was almost as radical as 2007 to 2006.
Many of us are in the age where lots of things have to be done in real life, there is not enough free time left. Hell, I face a state exam,the greatest journy of my life, while I have two workplaces, am applying for other ones, have other hobbies, am considering getting engaged... lots of strange, previously unknown stuff, really. But surely we'll (and surely I'll also will) get used to it soon.
If the competition would only depend on pipsqueak activity, I should have shut it down in 2001 june, when I got 6 or 7 replays through a whole month. Sorry, 2 months. I won't shut down ZakStunts, no way. More than 6 years of hard work lay within, lots of fun and lots of memories (altough I can't remember any of the track by name, unlike many of you do )
I just want to change it into something which you can also enjoy even if you don't have the time to race regularly each week. Because for monthly competition you need weekly activity.

And about Stunts meetings: Personally I feel that I can't live without seeing my Danish and German friends next year. And of course seafood. Maybe meetings will never be the same as in 2004 and 2005 - but my life will also never be the same as it was, when I was younger. Still I enjoy it - still I'll enjoy the meetings.

@Akoss: If you have such a negative sight about the current state of the Stunts community, keep in mind, that this is your sight, don't state it as a universal fact! I think Zak spoke very well, I couldn't add anything to that! I'm really looking forward to meeting you again in the future, this year would have been the second time where it would just not have been possible (financial situation became even worse, I'm going to bomb the BAF?G-agency ), it had nothing to do with my motivation!

And by the way, I also think these planned changes are a nice idea! I voted for the first option, as I think it would be hard to find innovative special rules for a full season.

Long live ZakStunts!

[Krys TOFF]

Krys: see the poll.

Oh, yes, stupid me.

[JTK]

what I see now, is far from this, and in my opinion it is not worthy for the name ZAKSTUNTS. The value of the victory is somewhere around the value of earlier Stunts LOL races...

Sorry Akoss - that's crap. Zakstunts still is the most successfull contest in the world. And the value of the victories depends of their pipsqueaks anyway. Race, and make it better!

Forum is used by the members to communicate between a very few drivers, to be more simple, to read and react on CTG's spam.

I do agree partly, I also think that some spam leads to the fact, that people do not write into the forum anymore.

Last year's meeting missed a real party (unlike 2004, 2005), this has also contributed to the lack of enthusiasm, I guess. It seems, Stunts racing and Stunts racing community is died, or close to its death.

Hello? Haven't you been there? The meeting was great in my eyes! Great races and I feel partied enough for me. The community can't be dead as long as people are communicating and playing Stunts! Remember the fabulous number of newbies in my contest this year!

I think it's time to silently close the competition before the whole thing gets ridiculous (the competition really fails because of total unconcern), and suspend the ideas about "World Stunts Meetings". (I hope we'll meet once again, somewhere, race and drink together, but I can't imagine this at the moment.) So I recommend the immediate closure of the competition (without naming a champion), and we should start a permanent one.

Come on, you do not race, why do you want the contest to be closed? Although I'm not a good pipsqueak I race this contest and I like the idea with the extra rules. I want to go on racing this season! And I will work for a meeting in 2008!

I'm really sad to write these words.

So am I. The community changes everytime! We just had one peak two years ago but that was not the only one. The community was very active in the last years of the nineties for example although we had noithing more but a group e-mail. And in my opinion the most important thing is: Stunts is alive as long as people race!