Glad to have you back around these parts,
@
Lamaclown
. I joined the site 3 days before you retired from the SoV, so you're one of those "old-timers" that I look up to immensely. Here we are 6.5 years later and I'm the second-longest-tenured judge
I very much agree about playing the game as much as possible. I became a much better customs creator and evaluator when I started playing competitively and frequently. Online 'Scape was a big boon for me in that regard. The more you play, the more you get a feel for what "fits" the game well. Even when you design to plug those proverbial holes, game experience gives you the background to do that in a thematic and game-appropriate way.
Good post, I look forward to reading more!