The CAP project encourages newcomers, but we do not encourage newcomers to join the project and participate based on their probable first impression of the project. Over the history of the CAP project, we KNOW that many, many newcomers to the project look at the project at first glance and think,
"Oh wow, Smogon is making a fake pokedex of cool pokemon ideas from the general public! I have lots of ideas for new pokemon -- I'll jump right in and start telling everyone about them."
It happens A LOT.
And since those users don't take the time to understand the goal and operations of the project, they get admonished by other project participants or possibly infracted by the forum staff. I really don't like to see new members get discouraged like that -- but I don't like the CAP project getting derailed by newcomer BS even more than that. So, if forced to choose between infracting newcomers, or letting non-competitive fanboy BS run rampant in the CAP project -- I'll choose the former.
But, I would prefer to have neither. I'd like to have a interesting focused project, AND encourage newcomers to join in the fun.
For that reason, we have tried to advertise in as many places as possible
"NEWCOMERS WELCOME - But please don't jump in based on your first impressions of the project." That's why we wrote the Newcomers Guide, and that's why we placed it front and center in the middle of the CAP website. That's why we put big bold disclaimers on Policy Review threads, and that's why we liberally reinforce the competitive focus of the project in almost every other thread in the CAP project.
I can certainly see how that stuff may be intimidating. But, I think it is far less intimidating than getting berated publicly, or being infracted for posting in what appears to be a silly little fanboy fakedex project. If the information or wording appears elitist -- I can see that too. We certainly feel like this project is a competitive project, and that other fakedex projects on the internet are not competitive-focused. I also think this project is the best fakedex project on the internet. If that is elitist -- so be it. The entire Smogon community is regularly perceived as "elitist" -- mainly because we take a "stupid kids game" like Pokemon, and emphasize the serious competitive aspects of the game. If the CAP project gets painted with that same brush -- so be it.
I can see how our constant references to "competitive focus" might imply to people that "you better be a REALLY good battler to participate in CAP". But, that is certainly not true, and no one on the project believes that. We do have some very accomplished battlers here, but we also have people that battle very rarely, if at all. Just because everyone is "competitively focused", that does not mean everyone is "competitively accomplished". Unfortunately, if we do not advertise the competitive focus of the project all over the place -- newcomers will think this is a purely fan-based effort. So, we have to keep beating the competitive drum, even if some people misconstrue the message. Nowhere in any of the project propaganda, do we say you have to be a good battler. But, we do expect all active posting participants to know the competitive metagame and how it is played.
I want the CAP project be open and available to newcomers. That's why I want the Newcomers Guide prominently located on the front page. The existence and placement of the Newcomers Guide, is a strong statement that newcomers are a big part of this project. But, hopefully, the wording of the guide and other rules makes it clear upon which terms newcomers' participation is welcomed.