I really don't think the state of a pack at release is as big a deal as you feel it is. I suspect the large majority of texture pack post views are driven from outside: PMC, youtube links etc. But the portion that comes from MCF has little memory. The random forum user who stumbles across your page will respond according to what your top post looks like at that moment-- not what it looked like when your first wrote it. And the random forum user is very unlikely to see your post if it is not in the first few pages. Update your thread if you want responses.
Well, I don't really have a driving force that might bring users to MCF, which is the problem. I rely on people replying, which doesn't go so well.
I updated my original topic, but it didn't increase download counts much, and certainly didn't increase replies. It could be that my pack was still not "good enough" where people were feeling compelled to reply. what I was specifically worried about was users reading the replies that were already "fixed" and getting a bad impression from those.
But part of my worry isn't the "random MCF users" but the denizens of the resource pack forums (like the TAU members and regulars) making up their mind and not changing it despite all of this time. First impressions aren't everything, but they are important.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"I'm an outsider by choice, but not truly.
It’s the unpleasantness of the system that keeps me out.
I’d rather be in, in a good system. That’s where my discontent comes from:
being forced to choose to stay outside.
My advice: Just keep movin’ straight ahead.
Every now and then you find yourself in a different place."
-George Carlin
I updated my original topic, but it didn't increase download counts much, and certainly didn't increase replies.
Nobody knows when you edit a post. If you make significant changes to the OP you need to add a post to the thread, saying something like :" X, Y, and Z added to the Top Post:
But part of my worry isn't the "random MCF users" but the denizens of the resource pack forums (like the TAU members and regulars) making up their mind and not changing it despite all of this time. First impressions aren't everything, but they are important.
If you are worried about other pack artists then what you post in the TAU thread is IMHO the major factor in their opinion of a pack.
So change that. You can't control youtubers, but you can put your pack on PMC and/or Curse.
Nobody knows when you edit a post. If you make significant changes to the OP you need to add a post to the thread, saying something like :" X, Y, and Z added to the Top Post:
If you are worried about other pack artists then what you post in the TAU thread is IMHO the major factor in their opinion of a pack.
My pack is on both PMC and Curse. Both of those don't get that much "ambient views" (in other words, without updating). I have no idea on Curse views, but it sure doesn't get me many downloads (about 100 per month). I highly doubt that these would carry over to replies on MCF. For one, what reason do they have to go to MCF, and if so, why wouldn't they comment there in the first place? (The answer: they have no reason, and likely are the crowd who doesn't feel like replying)
You don't think I did that? I had a summary of the update in the title (like "ore update"), AND a description near the top AND newest images AND a full changelog near the download. I quite often replied for updates, but the problem was that I didn't want to have to reply to get my thread to the top, even for an update, making my thread consist mostly of replies by myself, especially me being double/triple posted or just every other poster. Sometimes it would go weeks (or even months) without replies. I just feel really uneasy when it comes to that, I feel it's not something I should have to do.
That said, it isn't that I'm trying to take a fully "serious approach" on this, just that (as previously stated) I shouldn't have to make utterly desperate attempts just to stay "afloat" with my pack. Example: MCF? Barely 1,000 downloads for about 2 years. Curse? 700 downloads, 7 months. PMC? Nearly 6,000 downloads, 10 months.
I didn't mean specifically the TAU, I was just using that as an example of the sort of people I was talking about (that likely will not revisit a thread for progress because they'll remember the title). I've posted there a few times, and it just gets washed over, I rarely get replies let alone feedback (If I do it's usually 1 reply). That's one of the reasons I rarely post on the TAU thread anymore.
Basically, the longer I wait, the better it will be received, because the pack will not only be better, but the model format will be better/more used which will make the pack even better. Right now, it's a "oh, snapshot feature? Tell me again why I should care?" issue, because as they say, "default is king". Specifically most users likely use stable or older. Anyways, screenshot of my latest update:
Mostly recolorings (gold/lapis/mushrooms). New raw/cooked chicken, brick, and firework rocket icons. Reshaded ingots. More emerald-y emerald (the coloring was too much like Jade before).
Specifically, has the coloring gotten better? I've really been trying to tone down the saturation/contrast in the work I've been doing.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"I'm an outsider by choice, but not truly.
It’s the unpleasantness of the system that keeps me out.
I’d rather be in, in a good system. That’s where my discontent comes from:
being forced to choose to stay outside.
My advice: Just keep movin’ straight ahead.
Every now and then you find yourself in a different place."
-George Carlin
The contrast seems about right, although I feel like the gold could be a bit more shiny.
I feel like a lot of your things seem to lack noticeable hue shifting though, which leaves all the colors a little bit dull, no matter how well you pick the original color.
The contrast seems about right, although I feel like the gold could be a bit more shiny.
I feel like a lot of your things seem to lack noticeable hue shifting though, which leaves all the colors a little bit dull, no matter how well you pick the original color.
That's because I personally don't like hue shifting (you've mentioned this before). Even if I started doing it, it'd be sort of out of place if I didn't do it everywhere. The only thing I can remember using hue shifting on is the new gold, just to make the darkest part a bit more orange as "reflection" (so, that's a special case). I DO use saturation shifting.
Note that I used to use the cyan saturation trick on leaves/plants, which looked great in a few places, but the issue was that it had different blending in different biomes, particularly deserts where it was red/green which was a stark contrast and an eyesore. Grass also had it, which made tiling worse. Maybe I could add it in back later through CTM? But generally I just decided I'd rather have dull, better-tiling stuff than sometimes looked better but was generally horrid in most places (like plains, so superflat was ugly).
EDIT: as for gold.... I tried doing a 24x version, but I didn't like how it turned out so I decided to just scrap it and do a quick 15x version similar to what I had before with better coloring. With the shape (which is rather flat) I didn't really thing it would have strong highlights, and I figured strong highlights on the top would be too contrasting, and it wouldn't really be possible to make it varied within a 3px strip (one of the reasons I tried to make a 24x version).
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"I'm an outsider by choice, but not truly.
It’s the unpleasantness of the system that keeps me out.
I’d rather be in, in a good system. That’s where my discontent comes from:
being forced to choose to stay outside.
My advice: Just keep movin’ straight ahead.
Every now and then you find yourself in a different place."
-George Carlin
Well, I don't really have a driving force that might bring users to MCF, which is the problem. I rely on people replying, which doesn't go so well.
I updated my original topic, but it didn't increase download counts much, and certainly didn't increase replies. It could be that my pack was still not "good enough" where people were feeling compelled to reply. what I was specifically worried about was users reading the replies that were already "fixed" and getting a bad impression from those.
But part of my worry isn't the "random MCF users" but the denizens of the resource pack forums (like the TAU members and regulars) making up their mind and not changing it despite all of this time. First impressions aren't everything, but they are important.
"I'm an outsider by choice, but not truly.
It’s the unpleasantness of the system that keeps me out.
I’d rather be in, in a good system. That’s where my discontent comes from:
being forced to choose to stay outside.
My advice: Just keep movin’ straight ahead.
Every now and then you find yourself in a different place."
-George Carlin
So change that. You can't control youtubers, but you can put your pack on PMC and/or Curse.
Nobody knows when you edit a post. If you make significant changes to the OP you need to add a post to the thread, saying something like :" X, Y, and Z added to the Top Post:
If you are worried about other pack artists then what you post in the TAU thread is IMHO the major factor in their opinion of a pack.
• Follow Lithos on Twitter for release announcments
* Join the Lithos Discord for previews and to help
My pack is on both PMC and Curse. Both of those don't get that much "ambient views" (in other words, without updating). I have no idea on Curse views, but it sure doesn't get me many downloads (about 100 per month). I highly doubt that these would carry over to replies on MCF. For one, what reason do they have to go to MCF, and if so, why wouldn't they comment there in the first place? (The answer: they have no reason, and likely are the crowd who doesn't feel like replying)
You don't think I did that? I had a summary of the update in the title (like "ore update"), AND a description near the top AND newest images AND a full changelog near the download. I quite often replied for updates, but the problem was that I didn't want to have to reply to get my thread to the top, even for an update, making my thread consist mostly of replies by myself, especially me being double/triple posted or just every other poster. Sometimes it would go weeks (or even months) without replies. I just feel really uneasy when it comes to that, I feel it's not something I should have to do.
That said, it isn't that I'm trying to take a fully "serious approach" on this, just that (as previously stated) I shouldn't have to make utterly desperate attempts just to stay "afloat" with my pack. Example: MCF? Barely 1,000 downloads for about 2 years. Curse? 700 downloads, 7 months. PMC? Nearly 6,000 downloads, 10 months.
I didn't mean specifically the TAU, I was just using that as an example of the sort of people I was talking about (that likely will not revisit a thread for progress because they'll remember the title). I've posted there a few times, and it just gets washed over, I rarely get replies let alone feedback (If I do it's usually 1 reply). That's one of the reasons I rarely post on the TAU thread anymore.
Basically, the longer I wait, the better it will be received, because the pack will not only be better, but the model format will be better/more used which will make the pack even better. Right now, it's a "oh, snapshot feature? Tell me again why I should care?" issue, because as they say, "default is king". Specifically most users likely use stable or older. Anyways, screenshot of my latest update:
Mostly recolorings (gold/lapis/mushrooms). New raw/cooked chicken, brick, and firework rocket icons. Reshaded ingots. More emerald-y emerald (the coloring was too much like Jade before).
Specifically, has the coloring gotten better? I've really been trying to tone down the saturation/contrast in the work I've been doing.
"I'm an outsider by choice, but not truly.
It’s the unpleasantness of the system that keeps me out.
I’d rather be in, in a good system. That’s where my discontent comes from:
being forced to choose to stay outside.
My advice: Just keep movin’ straight ahead.
Every now and then you find yourself in a different place."
-George Carlin
I feel like a lot of your things seem to lack noticeable hue shifting though, which leaves all the colors a little bit dull, no matter how well you pick the original color.
That's because I personally don't like hue shifting (you've mentioned this before). Even if I started doing it, it'd be sort of out of place if I didn't do it everywhere. The only thing I can remember using hue shifting on is the new gold, just to make the darkest part a bit more orange as "reflection" (so, that's a special case). I DO use saturation shifting.
Note that I used to use the cyan saturation trick on leaves/plants, which looked great in a few places, but the issue was that it had different blending in different biomes, particularly deserts where it was red/green which was a stark contrast and an eyesore. Grass also had it, which made tiling worse. Maybe I could add it in back later through CTM? But generally I just decided I'd rather have dull, better-tiling stuff than sometimes looked better but was generally horrid in most places (like plains, so superflat was ugly).
EDIT: as for gold.... I tried doing a 24x version, but I didn't like how it turned out so I decided to just scrap it and do a quick 15x version similar to what I had before with better coloring. With the shape (which is rather flat) I didn't really thing it would have strong highlights, and I figured strong highlights on the top would be too contrasting, and it wouldn't really be possible to make it varied within a 3px strip (one of the reasons I tried to make a 24x version).
"I'm an outsider by choice, but not truly.
It’s the unpleasantness of the system that keeps me out.
I’d rather be in, in a good system. That’s where my discontent comes from:
being forced to choose to stay outside.
My advice: Just keep movin’ straight ahead.
Every now and then you find yourself in a different place."
-George Carlin