Sagan 4 Alpha Wiki:Spreading the word
- This page is under construction.
Sagan 4 is the longest-running evolution game and possibly the biggest speculative evolution project ever made. But Sagan 4 also depends on an inflow of new members to bring in new ideas and prevent it from stagnating--and you can help.
What not to do
We aim to avoid spreading common misconceptions about Sagan 4, and we most certainly don't want to create new ones. The following list has been forged from numerous cases where careless users have scared off or misled a potential newcomer, and applies not just to spreading the word about Sagan 4, but to conduct in front of newcomers in general.
Regarding drama
- Do not tell potential newcomers about current or recent drama. While it's possible that we might someday have a lapse in moderation that justifies a warning to newcomers, the majority of drama in this community is petty arguments that won't matter tomorrow.
- Do not tell potential newcomers about your beef with another community member. Interpersonal drama should stay interpersonal. Also, it could be mistaken for major, ongoing community drama if you feel especially strongly about it--and we don't want that.
- Do not share your theories as to why someone left the community, especially if your theory is an accusation of a serious crime. It's not impossible that someone will turn out to have done something horrible that warranted a ban or caused someone else to leave, but wild, unsourced accusations, especially in the age of the internet, can spread quickly and ruin an innocent person's reputation. Also, saying "why did these people leave, did someone turn out to be a pedo?" will scare away anyone who sees your message.
- Historical drama should be given care and only mentioned in context. For example, it's fine to mention the Terran Diversification Project if someone asks what's up with those weird snowball-era nodents. However, you must make it clear that it happened over a decade ago.
Regarding joining the Sagan 4 Team
- If someone introduces themself and says they want to make fanart, do not try to funnel them towards making species. Making a whole species may be second nature to us, but not to everyone--we should support fans and encourage their fan endeavors, not make them feel like they can't be in the community unless they make species.
- Do not tell newcomers that any aspect of making a species is "too hard" or "too strict". What's too hard or too strict to you is not necessarily reflective of other people's experiences. It is up to the prospective newcomer to judge the difficulty of joining the project, not you.
Regarding Artwork
- Do not make it sound like you have to be a good artist to join Sagan 4. This is not true, you only need to be capable of drawing something recognizable as what it's meant to be. Further, in order to become a good artist, you need to be a bad artist first--and that's okay. Beginner artists should instead be encouraged so that they feel good enough to keep practicing.
- Do not mock or disparage "poor" artwork, past or present. Per the previous "don't", Sagan 4 cares more about recognizability than quality, and to become a good artist, you need to be a bad one first. You also shouldn't poke fun at your own art in front of newcomers, who might have art quality similar to it, though you can showcase your own progress.
- Do not claim or imply that Sagan 4 is overrun with AI. This is not true, we screen newcomers for AI-generated content and reject submissions that we believe are generated by AI. If we missed one, you should instead let a moderator know with a link to a specific example.
Regarding ambiguous and controversial biota
- Do not claim that Sagan 4 has nothing but Earth clones. This claim is completely untrue, given the prominence of saucebacks, wingworms, skuniks, shockers, and countless other biota that are nothing like anything on Earth.
- And don't claim that Sagan 4 has "a lot of" Earth clones, either. Whether it's true or not (the definition of "a lot" is subjective), someone unfamiliar with the project will interpret that as meaning the majority of species are just Earth animals rebranded as aliens.
- Do not tell potential newcomers about broken species without mentioning any ongoing elaborations, and don't talk about formerly broken species that have already been fixed. We don't want to give newcomers the impression that Sagan 4's canon is a complete mess, though it is still valuable to direct newcomers to elaborations if they feel inspired by a species that's currently under repair.
- If any tool-using species that is not one of the 3 official sapients is brought up, do not call it sapient or sophont. And if someone else calls it sapient or sophont, correct them and explain that it's just a tool user, like an ape or a crow. We do not want to mislead newcomers into thinking they can build civilizations outside special events, lest they spend hours or days on a sophont species only for it to be immediately rejected.
Regarding side projects
- Do not refer to Sagan 4 Beta as a reboot. "Reboot" implies that Sagan 4 Alpha has ended, and even if you clarify, it can still lead to confusion. This is because for the majority of evolution games, a reboot means starting over entirely and ditching everything that came before. (See NESLife and Janjira as examples)
Misc.
- DO NOT MARKET SAGAN 4 OVER RANDOM DMS. This is very annoying, doesn't really work, and will damage both our and your reputation. Instead, only advertise Sagan 4 publicly in appropriate or designated spaces.
- Do not make Sagan 4 look bad. You're trying to make people want to join, not convince them that they shouldn't touch the project with a 10 foot pole.
What you should do
Whatever you do, make sure people know what Sagan 4 actually is
Here are some samples of how to explain it; some explanations work better for certain audiences.
- Literal:
- Sagan 4 is a collaborative worldbuilding art game about evolution.
- Sagan 4 is a game where artists make up new creatures based on existing ones using the theory of evolution.
- Comparative:
- Sagan 4 is a bit like Spore, but you draw the creatures and write down how they live and what they eat.
- Casual/Humorous:
- Sagan 4 is an art game where a bunch of bored artists got together to "evolve" made-up creatures for fun.
Raise awareness
Submissions, fanart, dioramas, emojis, anything you've drawn that's Sagan 4-related--share it on your preferred social media platforms, on various discord servers, anywhere you can think of that allows you to post artwork. Say it's for Sagan 4, that it's an evolution game or a collaborative worldbuilding project that anyone can join, and link to either the species' wiki page or the project itself if allowed (see #Links).
Sharing sketches and speedpaints in particular is also encouraged. These tend to get more attention than finished artwork on its own on many social media platforms, which could improve reach.
Make Sagan 4 sound cool
How you do this is up to you, but here's some strategies that might work:
- Focus on the parts of Sagan 4 that you love or enjoy the most yourself; the genuine feeling behind your words will show.
- Gush/infodump about your favorite species and clades (link to their wiki pages if you can)
- Refer to unique aspects of Sagan 4, such as its size and longevity, as an impressive feat
- If you need to, tweak your phrasing until you've convinced yourself that Sagan 4, or whatever aspect you're sharing, is superbly amazing (as long as what you say is still truthful)
Encourage Artists
Artists, especially beginners, frequently have low confidence in their work and could be scared away by any semblence of negativity. Because of that, you should give them positive comments. Even a simple "good job" will help, and any constructive criticism--even if they directly ask for it--should always be wrapped in positive points both before and after.
Links
Direct advertising instructions
DO NOT MARKET SAGAN 4 OVER RANDOM DMS. This is very annoying, doesn't really work, and will damage both our and your reputation. Instead, only advertise Sagan 4 publicly in appropriate or designated spaces.
On servers and forums, if advertising is allowed, link to the project (either the wiki or discord server); if only promoting your own art is allowed, link to a list of all species you've made (find it in here). Be sure to put the link next to either a sick diorama or your own artwork if you can.
If a server or forum has a place for posting links to other people's art, post link to individual species' wiki pages there. Alternatively, you could post these links on social media expressing what you like about them, or submit these links to blogs, subreddits, and social media pages dedicated to raising awareness of obscure artists.