Forum Compromise

flogen

I noticed a forum suggestion a few days ago which would be xbox live (or just xbox) exclusive.
It was decided that this would cause a need for a ps2, gc, gba, etc forum and cause chaos....etc.

What about an online console forum that would cover xbox, ps2 and gc online?

the games forum could stay the same, but the console online one would cover online games, features, news and setup info etc.

ps, not sure if this was suggested and denied before, sorry if it was

Flogen

Syth

gc online

Alas there is no such thing as an online gamecube...

amp

I'd argue against this but I'd be accused of protecting my mighty Games forum and not allowing others to speak through my domination of the thread. I wouldn't want to get another thread locked would I?

Dont be at yourself

Allow me to pick up your baton, amp.

What's the point? There already is the games board, MMO and lan party board. Surely anything you need to post about online console games could be posted on one of those. There is nothing to stop any poster from starting threads regarding Xbox Live!(!!!111) on the games board - indeed, there are several of them there already.

And while some may see this as beating them over the head with an old argument.. well, it is a valid argument, an argument that gets repeated time and time again for a reason. Surely it makes more sense than further dividing the games drop-down. The majority of people who read the games board have at least a passing interest in the online aspects of consoles; to make them visit another board to discuss them is a bit silly, isn't it? (And while I appreciate that it takes very little effort to navigate to another forum, it's a lot less simple than allowing them to be discussed on the existing boards. Also, my subscription list is already over-long, I'll cry if I must add yet more boards to it.)

Feel free to put this down to some sort of unhealthy love for the games board, or even amp, but that'd just be a dirty lie. I speak the truth, man.

Syth: Phantasy Star Online is playable online on the GC, as far as I know.

flogen

firstly, asNekkidBibleMan said, there is GC online, but it is quite small compared to Live! and the up and coming PS2 online.

Secondly, I appreciate the un-willingness to divide the games forum, and the fact that there is a LAN forum etc. I just thought that perhaps there was sufficient interest to make an exclusive online console forum, rather than a general online gaming one and a general gaming one.
Im not sure how true this would be, but one counter-argument would be that the LAN is majority PC, and the gaming forum is for general game questions (as in how do you do this? how much is this? is this any good? and all that). it could be said that an online console forum would give a more direct community for like minded (eg) Xbox Live! gamers, and would allow the other forums to focus on PC online, which differs in many ways from online consoles, and general gaming issues respectively.

Anyway, it was just a suggestion, not something i am dying for... just thought there might be interest in the idea.

cheers for the feedback anywho.

Flogen

GuanYin

Why ot just restucture the games forum ala sc/tech?

Would that not keep everyone happy as the current mods stay in place.

I'd personally prefer to search through a thread of PC/Console threads if only for the sake of organisation and finding things.

Dont be at yourself

I just thought that perhaps there was sufficient interest to make an exclusive online console forum, rather than a general online gaming one and a general gaming one.

The question, as I see it, is not whether there is sufficient interest to make an exclusive online console forum, but rather is there so much interest that the other boards are swamped with online console related posts.

You can follow the attitude of "if there's enough interest, make a board", in which case you'll have hundreds of boards talking about relatively specific things with only a small number of posts per board, or you can take the attitude of creating boards only when required, so you'll have a relatively small number of boards covering broad topics with many posts per board. In my opinion, the latter makes more sense. It'd certainly foster discussion, as well as keeping the site easily navigated by its users and more easily managed by the admins.

Also, the lan party board is "majority PC" because nobody has bothered to post console-orientated stuff on it, not because its not allowed there. Similarly, just because the majority of topics on the games board are general games question, it doesn't mean you're not allowed to post other less general topics on it.

flogen

Also, the lan party board is "majority PC" because nobody has bothered to post console-orientated stuff on it, not because its not allowed there

is LAN not different to online gaming?
anyway, even if it isnt, I dont think people realise its not Pc exclusive, which is why they avoid posting there. If i had an online console question or comment, i would sooner post on Games or even Broadband before LAN, but thats neither here nor there.

now posts regarding online consoling would not clog up the likes of the Games forum, but perhaps a re-jig of the setup would ease usage.

You can follow the attitude of "if there's enough interest, make a board", in which case you'll have hundreds of boards talking about relatively specific things with only a small number of posts per board, or you can take the attitude of creating boards only when required, so you'll have a relatively small number of boards covering broad topics with many posts per board

ok, lets go with this. look at the 'games' menu, the forums LAN parties and MegaLAN are both dead. just look at them. besides that, they both seem to cover the same basic topic, so why are they seperate? Also, the individual gaming forums are somewhat busy, however afew are not.
heres my suggestion. Merge LAN parties and MegaLAN into 'Online Gaming' which would also include Consoling. This could cover both entertainment and technical aspects of online gaming on all formats. then but the likes of the Half-Life and Quake forums as subsections of either Games or Online Gaming where applicable (for example Championship Manager would go under games while Unreal would be more suited to Online Gaming).

The sub-sections idea is obviously not vital, but it is worth considering as a way of tiding up the games menu, but i would certainly reccomend merging the LAN forums and making it very clear that the new forum includes console issues.

(oh, and just incase you didnt realise, Im not suggesting all this just to become a mod, to be honest i dont know alot about online gaming, i just felt this would help things out. Id say the mod situation would be unchanged if you did the above)

Flogen

[edit]oh, just as an after-thought, perhaps the forum Massively Multiplayer could also merge, although this perticular forum seems to have a healthy "fan-base", and it might not be practical/necissary[/edit]

Dont be at yourself

LAN is different to online gaming, yes. But as its possible to have LANs using GC, Xbox and, I believe, PS2s.

Regarding the perception that certain boards are exclusively for PC focused discussion: there's a number of things that could be done about that. A change in the charter, a sticky or simply a few console threads on those boards would enlighten most people. And if not, they will most likely take their thread to another board, most likely games(as you say). And that's not really a problem, is it?

Also, its not a super-long dropdown menu that I have an issue with. Reordering and sub-catagories won't really solve the real problem - that of the typical user who has an interest in games having to visit several different boards in order to discuss closely related subjects. Merging boards? Now there's an idea!

(Best to let those beardy MMO posters keep to themselves, though. I've heard some strange stories about their type.)

amp

My 2 cents

Stephen

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

BioHazRd

My tuppence worth .....

LAN is very different to online gaming, (LAN stands for LOCAL area network - there is NO online aspect to it) so I don't feel there is any merit in merging LAN and online gaming issues, it just doesnt make sense. Also, if anyone wanted to run a console LAN, they are quite entitled to post the information on the LAN party board, and if memory serves me right, this has happened in the past.

As for the LAN party board being dead, I think you may need to check your facts - it is quite an active board, with the fifth largest thread count in the Games category.

There may be a case for making MegaLAN a subsection of LAN parties, but that decision is for others to make.

Bio

BluE-WinG

I feel that xbox users will not check Lan Parties for Xbox Lans as they have never been advertised before, what would an Xbox only gamer even look at the Lan Parties forum board for?

BioHazRd

Originally posted by BluE-WinG
what would an Xbox only gamer even look at the Lan Parties forum board for?

For information on LAN parties, perhaps :rolleyes:

It doesnt say anywhere that the LAN party board is strictly the domain of PC users. Maybe it just takes one person to educate everybody else by posting details on their xBox LAN there ?

Bio

Lucutus

Yes, while we're at it, we should seperate out the music boards with more sub sections for the different brand name makes of CD player like Sony, Phillips, Panasonic, Bose...

Music >> Rock / Metal >> Sony Board!

</sarc></troll>

BluE-WinG

Originally posted by BioHazRd
For information on LAN parties, perhaps :rolleyes:

It doesnt say anywhere that the LAN party board is strictly the domain of PC users. Maybe it just takes one person to educate everybody else by posting details on their xBox LAN there ?

Bio

The Lan Party board has been strictly PC for at least the past 2 years, Most boards.ie users know it as a PC based Forum. WHY would they go there to look for a console lan if One has NEVER been posted before?

ecksor

As DeVore said on his last post on the other thread (and nowt to do with me if he bans ye all as he threatened ), there's a wider issue here around how new forums get created. There isn't always a problem that needs to be solved when a new forum gets created, but for some bizarre reason it often promotes a load of posts on the subject even though the original forum for the purpose was both welcoming and suitable for those posts. I also see the point that nekkidbibleman raises about the ever increasing list of subscribed to forums however, and the question of why people don't just post to the original forum that's provided after they are told that it is OK to post there is also a mystery (they usually have an explanation, but rarely have the same explanation).

MindPhuck

The LAN forumn has never been dedicated to just PC's. Thats just a perception that people have.

All it takes is one guy to setup a Xbox (console) LAN and bam, it would be very interesting indeed. In fact, ground breaking (hint - someone do it!).

As for the LAN forums being inactive... oh stop plz. The LAN scene in ireland has never been so active in the history of Irish Lans.



..Megalan ? whatsthat ?

BluE-WinG

Originally posted by MindPhuck
The LAN forumn has never been dedicated to just PC's. Thats just a perception that people have.

All it takes is one guy to setup a Xbox (console) LAN and bam, it would be very interesting indeed. In fact, ground breaking (hint - someone do it!).

As for the LAN forums being inactive... oh stop plz. The LAN scene in ireland has never been so active in the history of Irish Lans.



..Megalan ? whatsthat ?

Hehe, There has been a console / PC lan hybrid mentioned - GameCon. The only thing Im not so happy about is, when we advertise it on Lan Parties, its not advertising it to Xbox users Which is why it will have to be said in the generic Games forum.

Dont be at yourself

Which is why it will have to be said in the generic Games forum.

And that's a bad thing?

I'm sorry, but I really don't understand what the problem is.

flogen

Yes, while we're at it, we should seperate out the music boards with more sub sections for the different brand name makes of CD player like Sony, Phillips, Panasonic, Bose...

Music >> Rock / Metal >> Sony Board!

</sarc></troll>

hold on, Im not asking or suggesting that we make more forums, quite the opposite. my subsection suggestion was simply stating that you could move existing forums from the main menu to subsections of the Games forum, Championship Manager 4 is after all a game, as is Half Life etc. and i dont see why they should be seperated from that forum (i think they should remain as independant forums as there is enough interest in them for that, but they should be sub-sections).

As it has been stated LAN and Online Gaming are two different things, and so online gaming of any description is not catered for.
I also would like to know why LAN Parties and MegaLAN are not put under a single LAN forum. (which is something i have mentioned before)

the closest thing to a gaming online forum is the Multiplayer Mahem forum, which doesnt cater for every aspect of online gaming.
perhaps a simple name/charter change could fix this.

Amp, i see your point with the new forum suggestions. you also say the following:

Ultimately these forums will die. There will come a time when even Counter-Strike will fade away. Sure with each new version of Half-Life (if those nasty hackers stay away, bold hackers, bold) there will be a new version of Counterstrike. But games don't last forever. Quake didn't. Pong didn't.

thats true, they are bound to lose appeal in years to come, but i doubt that online gaming will fade away. if a gaming online forum was to be made, encorporating the multiplayer forum already existing, you could put Half Life and Counter Strike as sub-sections (if they dont seem suitable in games).

NekkidBibleMan said

Also, its not a super-long dropdown menu that I have an issue with

i think that reorganising the long menu will help people alot, and make it easier to find the suitable forum for their post. for example, if you put the individual games forums as subsections, merge the LAN forums, and create a gaming online forum that encorporates Multiplayer you would cut the menu down by EIGHT forums. this would then read as follows:
Emulators, Game Editing, Games, LAN, Gaming Online, Racing, Real World Games, Roleplay, Stategy, Webgames.

does anyone (and im not being cocky, i am seriously wondering) know of a games related topic that doesnt fit into one of those forums, and that wouldnt require visits to numerous forums to get answers?

Flogen

BluE-WinG

Originally posted by NekkidBibleMan
And that's a bad thing?

I'm sorry, but I really don't understand what the problem is.

Double postings.... Thats whats wrong with it.

flogen

so is there any feedback for my above suggestion for a change on the current Games menu and forums?

Flogen

amp

Oh shut up Rim.

flogen

sorry, you must have me mistaken, Im flogen.

and i dont think that telling me to shut up says much for your argument.
Im making an honest suggestion here that (i think) will improve the games forums.
If you dont agree just say "no, its a bad idea", and, if its not too much trouble, afew reasons why. even if those reasons are because Im suggesting your MegaLAN forum be merged with another LAN forum.... if so, just say it rather than trying to start a stupid slagging match.

Flogen

honru

The only problem I really have with the Games board is the fact that computer games and video games are lumped together. I think it should be split.

flogen

Do you mean PC and Console games?
I think this was suggested before and it was refused, i guess it would cause alot of confusion all the same...

Flogen

amp

Originally posted by flogen
sorry, you must have me mistaken, Im flogen.

and i dont think that telling me to shut up says much for your argument.
Im making an honest suggestion here that (i think) will improve the games forums.
If you dont agree just say "no, its a bad idea", and, if its not too much trouble, afew reasons why. even if those reasons are because Im suggesting your MegaLAN forum be merged with another LAN forum.... if so, just say it rather than trying to start a stupid slagging match.

Flogen

Did you read my Journal?

P.s. heh (For those that didn't see it Flogen here once spammed boards with his own forums address. When he got banned for it he asked his users to flood boards. Instead boards.ie's angry users spammed his forums to death.) You'll forgive me if I don't think you have boards.ie's best interests at heart.

flogen

P.s. heh (For those that didn't see it Flogen here once spammed boards with his own forums address. When he got banned for it he asked his users to flood boards. Instead boards.ie's angry users spammed his forums to death.)

firstly Im sure alot of people saw that, and I make no odds about it. Yes I stupidly spammed boards.ie with my site addy (I was new to having a site and wanted everyone to know about it). When i was punished for it i reacted stupidly and was later banned. when i did return to the forums, however, i decided to act like a proper poster and make some contribution (not always a great one, but a contribution nonetheless).
I dont see why something i did 3 years ago should be held against a point Im making that is of a completely different topic (not forgetting that I have already been disiplined for those actions).

Now, as far as your journal goes, yes I have read it, and have afew points i want to raise with you. The section that is most applicable to my suggestion would be the following paragraph.

The internet is changing a lot of things, including Gaming. If Games get's split along the lines of Offline/Online gaming then what happens when all games have some sort of internet feature? It's inevitable that all households will gain access to the highspeed internet, even in Ireland. Just like electricity and telephones before it. Online gaming is just the latest revolution in gaming. Should Games have been split into 2D and 3D during the transition from 2D to 3D? No. Just because gaming changes doesn't mean the Games forum needs to change.

Now, firstly, i dont think it will ever happen where every game has online features. Even if it does happen, it will not replace offline gaming 100%. just like 3d didnt get rid of 2d, no matter what online features are available, there will never be an end to single player/offline needs. And even if offline gaming was totally gotten rid of in favour of online play, when do you think this will be? I doubt anything like this would be forseeable for many many years, and yet games such as counter-strike (which you yourself name as being finite, in the sense that one day interest will dissapear for it) are given unique forums. Even if there is only a difference in online and offline gaming for another 10 years, why shouldnt there be seperate forums that specialise in the topics until then??
As for your comment that gaming forums should not change just because games change, I find that very confusing. do you want the forums to become obsolete and out of touch with modern gaming?

As for the other parts of my idea. Please tell me why the two LAN forums shouldnt be combined (also, as a matter of interest I would like to know what megaLAN is anyway... honest question). Also why shouldnt the individual games forums be moved to sub-catagories of the games forum? after all, CM4 is a game, is it not? as is half life and counter strike (these could also fit under online gaming, as the majority of content on these forums regard the online features of the games).

You'll forgive me if I don't think you have boards.ie's best interests at heart.

you are entiteled to your opinion, naturally, but if you dont mind me asking, whos interest do you think i DO have at heart?
not my own, thats for sure. I have already stated that I have no interest in becoming a gaming mod. I have a dial up connection at the moment, so online gaming is a pipe dream for me. I have never been to a LAN party or have had any experience with LAN, so it means nothing to me. And of the games in the menu I only own 1.
why I have suggested the change is so that if i (or many others) have got an interest in gaming, online, LAN or other, I know that there is one forum i can go to where my answer will be compitentily answered. is it not in the best interest of boards.ie to cater for such a huge part of gaming as online play/features (including multiplayer, which it would encorperate). is it not in the interest of boards.ie to give people interested in LAN a single source of information, rather than two which would just cause confusion to those that know little about LAN. is it not in the interest of boards.ie to make the gaming menu more accesable and easy to navigate while still catering for the most popular of games?

Please, amp. explain to me what is wrong about my suggestions. what is wrong with my online forum idea, LAN idea and games idea (noting my above points on your journal entry).

So show me the problems in the Games forum. Highlight them. Give examples like I've done and then we can get down to the task of fixing them.

Flogen

amp

Actually, if I remember correctly, it was twice you spammed boards.

P.s:

Originally posted by amp
Oh shut up Rim.

flogen

Actually, if I remember correctly, it was twice you spammed boards.

was it? it was so long ago i struggle to remember.

As i have already said, it was 3 years ago and I have since become a contributing member of these forums.

You bringing up my past actions is simply avoiding my questions. All i ask is for an explanation as to why my ideas are not in the interest of boards.ie. you offered to work on problems when you are shown them, and thats what Im doing.

the petty name calling isnt much of a defence, i must say.

Flogen (thats F-L-O-G-E-N.....not R-I-M)