Time to amend the Off-Topic status?

[MMC]

I meant a new dedicated section, not a half-hidden section labelled 'Other'.

[RGBVideo]

I see your point now (didn't really think properly before answering there, sorry). I don't really think we need a dedicated forum for that since it's within the coverage of the Other Games -forum. When trying to build up a community, it doesn't make sense to split a small group (under company-sized amount of invididuals using that forum regularly is small) in order to receive new people.

If you've got a gaming project with displayable progress, you can realistically except to receive your own forum if you request it.

If you want to make more of a blog covering how you're currently making your future game or are gonna design one, make a thread about it to Other Games.

[Skanky Burns]

Originally posted by Dauphin
This thread should be moved to the OT.

Actually this is one of the few Community forum threads that actually does belong in the Community forum.

[Colonâ„¢]

I should report this thread at Counterglow you know.

[Dauphin]

Originally posted by Skanky Burns


Actually this is one of the few Community forum threads that actually does belong in the Community forum.

Glad you didn't go all American and not appreciate the irony.

[Gangerolf]

a history forums sounds like a nice idea

[MarkG]

Re: Re: Re: Time to amend the Off-Topic status?

Originally posted by Lazarus and the Gimp
Rather than simply dismissing these suggestions out of hidebound intransigence, why not poll some opinions?

well this thread (and similar threads in the past) stays open for a reason
feel free to discuss and answer my dilemma (posted in my first post....)

[PLATO]

Re: Re: Time to amend the Off-Topic status?

Originally posted by MarkG

the blanket refusal to contemplate creating new forums that might not be considered to be "On Topic" (a history forum springs to mind, such as the rather excellent one run at CFC)

why not a politics forum? and a joke one? and what about a babes sub-forum? please can we have a babes sub-forum? where would you draw the line?

Draw the line? Somewhere different than where it is now?

What are you interested in? What about Dan?

You could start by adding some things that you guys are interested in and see where it goes.

Don't you honestly think that something needs to be done to reinvigorate this place?

[Sirotnikov]

Originally posted by CyberShy
I'm not a huge off-topic visitor (used to be one during the big christianity/atheists debates years ago though 8)) but I think Lazarus is right.

A community can only live if it has a place where it can talk about stuff that's not directly on the topic of the site. Postcounts are childish but it works. It keeps people active. I'd say that in the OT all posts with more then 50 characters get a postcount. Mods can see if people are spamming (posting BS posts to get over the 50 oftenly)

Post count is childish, but in the end humans are childish. People like it to have a position somewhere. To be one of the veteran members. If you give people a huge postcount you bind them to the site. You give them a reason to return, because at that site they are someone. Maybe that's one of the reasons that I'm still here and not on CFC. Here I'm a veteran user, at CFC I'm just another n00b .

And regarding the sub-off-topic forums, I think Lazarus is right as well. If you start politics, religion, history subforums (to name a few) people will start using it. If they use it, they're bound to the site more.

That's an easy marketing trick, use something that has nothing to do with the product to attrackt people to the product and keep people interested in the product.

Actually I disagree with this.

I dislike the fact that there are some 20 on topic forums, and around 5 off topic forums....

It would be too annoying if we had 10 different topical forums instead of a single OTF. I don't want to click a different link to see only ME threads or only Joke threads. That would bore me to death! That would be over doing it! Not to mention it would further reduce the community dedicated to each forums section.

Infact, I'm all for joining many forums together.

[LordShiva]

[QUOTE] Originally posted by Sirotnikov
It would be too annoying if we had 10 different topical forums instead of a single OTF. /QUOTE]

QFT

[Jonny]

Originally posted by CyberShy
I'm not a huge off-topic visitor (used to be one during the big christianity/atheists debates years ago though 8)) but I think Lazarus is right.

A community can only live if it has a place where it can talk about stuff that's not directly on the topic of the site. Postcounts are childish but it works. It keeps people active. I'd say that in the OT all posts with more then 50 characters get a postcount. Mods can see if people are spamming (posting BS posts to get over the 50 oftenly)

Post count is childish, but in the end humans are childish. People like it to have a position somewhere. To be one of the veteran members. If you give people a huge postcount you bind them to the site. You give them a reason to return, because at that site they are someone. Maybe that's one of the reasons that I'm still here and not on CFC. Here I'm a veteran user, at CFC I'm just another n00b .

I'll second the for this. For some people, post count is an incentive for activity. It may not help tremendously, but it wouldn't hurt either.



I think forum reduction is also something that should be explored, IMHO. Right now on the main forum page, there are 66 forums listed, plus an additional 9 subforums. 75 forums is a huge number. And when a good number of those forums aren't even receiving 1 post per day, it gives the place the appearance of being more stagnant than it really is.

I humbly suggest the following: (NB- I know that some people sepnd more time at various places on the site than others, and that I may be suggesting consolodation of your favorite forum. Keep in mind that these are only suggestions from a guy with no control over the place.)

• Merge Civ4 Multiplaying and PBEM/Succession forums.
• Merge all the GalCiv2 forums.
• Merge the Civ3 General and Strategy forums.
• Merge the RoN General and Strategy forums.
• Merge both of the GalCiv1 forums.
• Merge both MOO3 forums.
• Merge Civ2 General and Strategy forums.
• Merge Civ2 Multiplaying and PBEM forums, and make a subforum for PBEM tracking threads (as is the case for Civ3/Civ4).
• Merge CtP2 General and Creation forums.
• Similarly, Merge the CtP1 General, Creation, and Multiplaying forums.
• Make the forums for the various Alternative Civ projects subforums under the Alternative Civilizations forum.
• Merge Classic Games into Other Games.
• Make MoO1/2 a subforum of the MoO3 forum.
• Merge Civ4-Stories, Civ3-Fiction, and AC-Fiction into the Stories and Diplomacy forum.

I realize that this list probably seems excessive (heck, probably is excessive), but I present it just as something to consider/discuss.

[Kuciwalker]

Jonny

[DrSpike]

I agree with the merging.

[Robert]

I agree with the mergin as well.

It would be too annoying if we had 10 different topical forums instead of a single OTF.

Well, maybe that's true after all.

MarkG: feel free to discuss and answer my dilemma (posted in my first post....)

I've tried to address your issues in my first post as well. Any comments on that?

[LordShiva]

I agree with DrS, CS, and KW, all of whom agree with merging, therefore, I too agree with merging