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| Building a Better Moonbase | ||
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Moderators: SteveR, brentlymills, brickfrenzy, kepplah, ColourSchemer, jaydubya, Inquisitor General, Professor Whateverly
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| jonpalmer |
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Moonbase Commander Jon Palmer posts: 309 | So, this is the basic ideal that I've tried to follow when considering most Moonbase layouts at Fests: I've taken a very democratic stance. I've always wanted any builder from any skill level to feel welcome to bring their Moonbase Module (MBM) to a layout, as long as it works correctly with the standard. Whether some people like it or not, I feel like this is one of the biggest strengths of Moonbase. That some 13 (or 30) year old newbie can have his creation right there along side the biggest LEGO nerd's flawless MBM. So, keeping this ideal in mind, and trying to respect it as much as possible, I'd like to open up a BIG discussion on how to lock down a better, more organized design and color scheme for Moonbase layouts. This is how I see it. We should never TELL anyone what to build or in what color it should be, but we can SUGGEST like mad. This will mostly not be for the many random builders that show up with many random MBMs. This is gonna be for the hardcore LEGO nerds out there that are online and have the resources and motivation to organize a better Moonbase. Help me develop a set of guidelines. A system of specific color schemes to choose from for a layout. A system that takes the old "Moonbase Neighborhoods" idea and advances it 100%. I'll do my best to promote it and give this a new section on the Moonbase site. To basically mock the idea that this would be a form of elitism, I think it would be awesome if this movement/new system/code had some sort of dumb Acronym that basically poked fun at itself. I was just talking in the chat a few minutes ago and we were throwing a ton of names around: SMUT: secret moonbase unison team MOOB: moobase order organization bureau SLUT: simple/secret layout uniformity taskforce/team CONFORM: collective organization now forming order regading moonbase CONFORM: CONtinuity FORMation HELL: Homogenization of Elitist Lego Layouts OBEY: Organization By Enforcement of You/Yetis Yeah, so this is a really trivial part of this movement, but I think a snappy name could help promote it. So, to recap a rambling post, we need to: 1. - Respect the newbie and the newbie's contribution to Moonbase. (edit: on review, filing random and unique modules with newbie modules here is not what I'm really getting at. I should have worded this better.) 2. - Create a system to develop a much more unified and color coordinated Moonbase. 3. - Do 1 and 2 at the same time. 4. - Think of a witty name for this. Talk to me. [ Edited Tue May 09 2006, 01:55AM ] [ j o n ] [ z e m i . n e t ] | ||
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| Professor Whateverly |
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Curmudgeon, Gadabout, Hiveless Mind Contributor Ley Wardposts: 1189 | I think you have made the issue very clear and I agree about the sense of a balancing act as you imply in point 3. I too appreciate the enthusiasm many of the newer builders bring to this hobby. I also understand the effort that many of the experienced builders have put into quality and presentation. Hopefully this initiative will help encourage this enthusiasm while sharing the experience of those who have put in the time. Moonbase is one of the more public expessions of our collective creativity after all, and this offers us the opportunity to make it the best it can be. Peace and progress, Professor Whateverly  | ||
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| Dr. Spamcake |
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 Tom McDonald posts: 308 | I think this is good. Moonbase does lack a great deal of cohesive style that's present even in modern day RL towns. Some might argue that that's its charm, but IMO, that's all it amounts to. Charming mocs are, well, charming, but very few space mocs were ever built to be just that. So far I haven't seen a many-participant moonbase that looks like it's been purposefully designed and envisioned *before* its parts were built. IMO, moonbases still look like bad patchwork. Different colors are good, but sometimes the layouts remind me of the Partridge Family bus. The part that I like is that it can give newbs and old timers alike a standard for which they can shoot and integrate. Obviously it won't be perfect as long as people can't transport lots of brick, and some builders don't have the parts for it. But it's a start. No acronym.. yet. (I'm writing this while tired, so forgive me if it doesn't make sense.) "We will fight them.. with peaches!" - Eddie Izzard, The Wild | ||
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| mr.stenz |
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President of the Royal Society for Putting Things on Top of Other Things Mr. Stenz posts: 205 | I can see good points and bad points. First, the good: 1. A common goal for one and all 2. Cohesion and sense of community 3. There's nothing like a HUGE chunk of Classic Grey to both uplift and depress Now the bad: 1. Massive 3-house-model subdivision, anyone? 2. The need to plan at least 3 months in advance, with decisions on what "theme" to have even earlier (while not an obstacle, per se, it might be a pain in the ass) 3. A HUGE chunk of Classic Grey I, too, like seeing a common thread, but also feel the uniqueness of each module adds to what, as I see it, is the quintessential American experience. It's not a NASA MB, it's a MB on par with the Sooners and Forty-Niners and others who see a niche and fill it. (Sorry, Canuks and Eupers) The sheer variety on offer now could be muted by a suggestion, and instead of "Wow! Look at that, and that, and THAT!" it might be, "Wow! They're all the same color/style/etc..." "Instead of the comforting rationale that merit breeds success and the successful have merit, a more rational approach would be to speculate that in our society wealth and power tend to accrue to those who are ruthless, cunning, avaricious, self-seeking, lacking in sympathy and compassion, subservient to authority and willing to abandon principle for material gain." - Noam Chomsky | ||
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| jonpalmer |
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| Moonbase Commander Jon Palmer posts: 309 | Very well put Stenz. I like the Sooners/49ers analogy. I should mention again, or more clearly, that I never want to see the random mish-mash aspect of moonbase go away, but it could be cool to have larger chunks of it be more organized. I think there's room on a layout for both. [ j o n ] [ z e m i . n e t ] | ||
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| mr.stenz |
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| President of the Royal Society for Putting Things on Top of Other Things Mr. Stenz posts: 205 | Yeah, I know. Some people wouldn't adhere to a "standard" anyway. I just maybe kinda sorta feel that this would pit those with large collections or the money to acquire one against those who do not and cannot. Nothing worse than being amongst the last among equals. I don't know; maybe I'm letting my socialist politics figure too heavily and I'm making a mountain out of a molehill. "Instead of the comforting rationale that merit breeds success and the successful have merit, a more rational approach would be to speculate that in our society wealth and power tend to accrue to those who are ruthless, cunning, avaricious, self-seeking, lacking in sympathy and compassion, subservient to authority and willing to abandon principle for material gain." - Noam Chomsky | ||
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| Evilwizardingto |
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| Bringer of Stupid Questions Will posts: 89 | So what this idea basically is, is that moonbase will stay the same but people with bigger collections (they will have the needed parts) will coordinate together to make a neighborhood and the person who is doing a moonbase at a fest will save space for their modules? | ||
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| Blind-Bricks |
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The Customizer Without Fear Ben posts: 151 | Is this fair though? Is it not disregarding the less big moudles? this may put some members off building modlues and who can you make jin this sercert placye, would anyone join fo example me? " I'd call you a genius but I'm in the room" - The tenth Doctor.  | ||
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| UnknownD |
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Chaotician Extraordinaire Matt Krotzer posts: 168 | It seems like this is just a long way of saying that it'd be neat for module builders to organize their ideas/colors beforehand. Making this any kind of "rule" or "standard" excludes the smaller builders and goes against the inclusive feel of the Moonbase Project. Seems more like something that could be handled at the organizer's end, not so much something that the builders need to focus on. | ||
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| ajcross123 |
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 Andy posts: 243 | Galactic Unification of Patrols, Production and Yardmasters (GUPPY) Moon Base Owners Association (MBOA) <-- actually fills me with dread This sounds like layout hell for the organizers. One idea is that smaller moon bases get mixed along the border between two large moonbases like a checkerboard. This could make smaller individual pieces from each theme stand out more. Unique pieces could be placed next to a large piece forcing the smaller bases to grow around those. Another idea is a "Main Street" approach. Smaller sets arrange on both sides of a road. Plenty of spacemen would be walking between places or entering those. Vehicles would be travelling up and down the road or parked by establishments. The large bases would be the skyscrapers to background these. This mimics life where people do business in the big buildings but gravitate to the smaller site providing local flavor, entertainment, dining, pursue their hobbies and enjoy life. The street could be on the table edge to present the front of more sets. A thoroughfare to the big complex may be needed. This style gravitates to more ground level bases that use more airlocks.. | ||
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| Sastrei |
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Pixelman Stefan posts: 818 | BB - Spelling dude. I think it's a good idea, but coming from a train/town background I'm used to having large sections of a layout being coordinated. -Stefan- Happiness is smashing children upon the rocks (Psalms 137:9) | ||
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| jaydubya |
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Somewhere I have never been sometimes I am Contributor Jason Whittenburgposts: 876 | Ugh! I will say it... Trying to organize the moonbase in this way is futile, at best! You never know who is coming and what their modules look like. If you did know, what if one person didn't show up, it's all down the tubes. You never know what the moonbase will look like until everyone shows up. The key is how many connections you have. What you really need to do is make sure we have lots of modules with 4 way connectors. What if all the blue modules had one connector (or even two). What happens to modules that don't fit the plan? Are they relegated to the far end of the layout? What if there isn't enough connections? I'm not trying to dis and I'm not saying to not try. I'm just saying at most layout there are bigger issues than color, this mainly being connections. -Jason | ||
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| Grand Admiral |
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pleh? Mark Sandlin posts: 735 | jaydubya said ... The key is how many connections you have. What you really need to do is make sure we have lots of modules with 4 way connectors. I'll concur with JW on this one. If you want to try to organize the moonbase into "neighborhoods" you need to make dead sure you have LOTS of extra 4-way connectors available. Here's a photo of the small layout we had at Bricksouth. It wouldn't have been possible to build much of a moonbase without the 4-way connector in the center.  This image has been resized. Click here for the original. Grand Admiral fleebnork.com | ||
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| jonpalmer |
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| Moonbase Commander Jon Palmer posts: 309 | jaydubya said ... Ugh! I will say it... Trying to organize the moonbase in this way is futile, at best! You never know who is coming and what their modules look like. If you did know, what if one person didn't show up, it's all down the tubes. You never know what the moonbase will look like until everyone shows up. The key is how many connections you have. What you really need to do is make sure we have lots of modules with 4 way connectors. What if all the blue modules had one connector (or even two). What happens to modules that don't fit the plan? Are they relegated to the far end of the layout? What if there isn't enough connections? I'm not trying to dis and I'm not saying to not try. I'm just saying at most layout there are bigger issues than color, this mainly being connections. -Jason Even if it was possible, I would never try to control the way an entire moonbase looks. This was even proposed at the roundtable that created Moonbase, and I was against it because I thought it would be impossible. What I'm really just thinking here is that it could be cool to have a little more unity and organization for the few builders who *want* to do something like this. This is what the whole balancing act is. I don't want any of the current moonbase style to go away, ever. The number of corridors thing is a big issue and I'm glad you brought it up. I was going to put something on the page about how if you have to make a module with only 1 corridor, then you MUST make and bring another with 3 or more corridors. I haven't done it yet, but I plan on it. This is such a big deal that it needs its own section too. Thanks for the input. [ j o n ] [ z e m i . n e t ] | ||
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| RocketSeason |
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Rum Runner Matt Forcum posts: 815 | I don't think the moon should have a Neighborhood association. But, this is comming from someone who: A: Has never been to a Lego event. 2: Is only just now building his first moonbase. -Matt Visit my Website or DIE! | ||
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