Games forum re-merge

Magill

Don't see the problem with the current system, just delete some of the inactive forums.... cant be that hard.

Penn

The problem then is, what defines an inactive forum? Some may be slow but would pick up a lot when a new game is released.

As mod of the GTA and MGS forums, I have to say that both are slow at the minute, and could be for a while. But a forum like GTA would be mental when the next game is released. And as such, I was opposed to closing it.

That being said, after listening to the arguments and discussions of others, I've been convinced. I don't really remember the games forum without most of the subforums, but if people say the games forum was much better without them, I'm all for doing what's necessary to help make it that great again. Its just finding the balance between what needs to be kept. Some forums may be slow, but still have a bit of a community around them.

However, I feel this thread is a good way to not only decide if we need to get rid of some forums, but also revise the entire Games Category to see if it can be improved, and get an idea what people want.

Retr0gamer

I wouldn't worry about fighting games forum, It's far and away the best community here on the games forums.

TheFairy

Tallon wrote: »

To be fair, the CoD forum is pretty big too.

Them games come out so frequently that there is always a big following and so a big demand for the forum

Yes it is, however as a PC gamer I dont want to discuss the XBOX version of the game. I have no interest in it! If I make a post about the PC version of the game I want PC COD players to reply, I'm sure others feel the same about vice versa.

Tallon

TheFairy wrote: »

Yes it is, however as a PC gamer I dont want to discuss the XBOX version of the game. I have no interest in it! If I make a post about the PC version of the game I want PC COD players to reply, I'm sure others feel the same about vice versa.

Thats why there's prefix's

Are you saying you want a CoD forum under each console section? Or one thread in each section

GothPunk

I'm also in favour of a merge of some sort. It's bothersome having so many threads dedicated to the same thing across several sub forums, or having what could be an interesting discussion buried within a small forum and thus perhaps avoiding the attention it deserves. It's diluting the discussion as it were.

There are some potential negatives to the merge but surely we can all figure out the best way to implement the changes. I don't see why we couldn't have cross platform mega threads devoted to the multiplayer component of a game if the OP would update the first post with all the people who have posted their ID's in the thread (broken down by platform etc). This is how it is done on other gaming forums, such as NeoGAF, and I think it works well. However I think a regular poster's edit rights for an OP would expire after 24-48 hours? So perhaps it wouldn't work for how Boards is set up.

I would like, if possible, for the Japanese RPG subforum to remain as is, or perhaps merged with another niche subforum. Whilst there aren't that many threads in the JRPG forum compared to some in the gaming section, some of the discussions are quite involved and it's a fairly busy forum. More importantly I think that any community that is starting to grow there would be nipped in the bud.

.......
Retr0 I'd like to hear what you think about the JRPG forum being merged or remaining as is, or do you have any ideas? Would posts about Ys 7 get lost amongst the multiple console FPS threads or would it bring new people to such games/discussions?

quarryman

TheFairy wrote: »

Yes it is, however as a PC gamer I dont want to discuss the XBOX version of the game. I have no interest in it! If I make a post about the PC version of the game I want PC COD players to reply, I'm sure others feel the same about vice versa.

Then you state you are playing the PC version. Why would an Xbox player respond to that?

Honestly, there are COD and Oblivion forums out there that don't even split discussion into PC and Xbox. Reason being 95% of the discussion is about the gameplay.

Look at the Bethesda's own forum on Oblivion.. There is no segregation for discussion the the gameplay, it all goes into General Discussion. There is a separate section for HW issues.

johnny_ultimate

Having a quick look through the forums there, it seems that a lot of the individual game forums are actually pretty active. Perhaps the key is just clearer charters to specify what goes where, along with a merge of the truly quiet forums. Personally, the more I think about it, a pure 'games only' main forum is tantalising: keep all the technical stuff and online stuff somewhere, but if I want to discuss the latest news about the Last Guardian, or the flaws and strengths of Red Dead Redemption, I know exactly where to post it for the best response! It wouldn't really affect most of the communities who can keep themselves afloat, but just centralising general discussion and making it crystal clear where that centre is could go a considerable way towards dealing with many of the issues that seem to be concerning people.

quarryman

Here's my list for the chop:

Racing Sims
Webgames
Strategy
Roleplaying
Game Editing
Game Reviews
Game Recording & Editing (why was this even created?)
Battlefield
Call of Duty
Counter-Strike
Grand Theft Auto
Half-Life
Halo
Metal Gear Solid,
Resident Evil,
Unreal,
Wolfenstein
Console Modding, Nintendo, PlayStation, Sega, Xbox <-- Merge all these to Games and keep ONE separate area for Tech questions be it PC or console.
Blackout Rugby
Flight Sims (Link)
Football & Championship Manager
Guitar Hero & Rock Band
Pro Evolution Soccer & FIFA
Racing Sims
Tactical Shooter
The Sims


This leaves:

Games
Quake
Fighting Games (This is very active)
Arcade and Retro
MMORPG
Technical Questions
Poker

Anything that has the last update on the page older than a month ago should be merged with something else.

There will be the usual moaners saying they need to keep forum x,y,z but why not discuss it amongst the full community?

Tallon

I'm sorry, but thats retarded!

Why dont you just subscribe to the ones you want, most of the ones you listed are very active forums

johnny_ultimate

quarryman wrote: »

This leaves:

Games
Quake
Fighting Games (This is very active)
Arcade and Retro
MMORPG
Technical Questions
Poker

Honestly think that's way too harsh a cut. If only for tidiness sake, I'm totally for keeping the format specific ones, for both technical and online issues. The last thread on the PS forum main page is from last week: and over half of them are non-game specific issues. Plus, there are many active members on there. Same goes for Xbox and (to an admittedly lesser degree) Nintendo.

Also, a 'sports game' subsection seems pretty necessary to me. They're amongst the most popular games around, with new entries in the two biggest franchises just around the corner. Totally cutting that community seems like cuts for cuts sake - plus, we don't want the games forum infested with Pro Evo topics Then you have the CoD, Battlefield forums etc... still active. Killing active communities is solving the wrong problem.

Myrddin

quarryman wrote: »

Here's my list for the chop:

Racing Sims
Webgames
Strategy
Roleplaying
Game Editing
Game Reviews
Game Recording & Editing (why was this even created?)
Battlefield
Call of Duty
Counter-Strike
Grand Theft Auto
Half-Life
Halo
Metal Gear Solid,
Resident Evil,
Unreal,
Wolfenstein
Console Modding, Nintendo, PlayStation, Sega, Xbox <-- Merge all these to Games and keep ONE separate area for Tech questions be it PC or console.
Blackout Rugby
Flight Sims (Link)
Football & Championship Manager
Guitar Hero & Rock Band
Pro Evolution Soccer & FIFA
Racing Sims
Tactical Shooter
The Sims


This leaves:

Games
Quake
Fighting Games (This is very active)
Arcade and Retro
MMORPG
Technical Questions
Poker

Anything that has the last update on the page older than a month ago should be merged with something else.

There will be the usual moaners saying they need to keep forum x,y,z but why not discuss it amongst the full community?

Thats not a chop, it's a bloody massacre man. Overkill doesn't even come close. Certainly some of the lesser active forums, but rolling all that into one forum would be such a mess - you need some form of segregation, if even to maintain useability.

yimrsg

TheFairy wrote: »

Yes it is, however as a PC gamer I dont want to discuss the XBOX version of the game. I have no interest in it! If I make a post about the PC version of the game I want PC COD players to reply, I'm sure others feel the same about vice versa.

The COD forum is very busy and it'd great to interact with ps3/pc/360 guys so I'd definitely be reluctant to alter that. As Tallon said use the PC prefix and ask away. It's not a typical forum as it has a very regular stream of new games from 2 producers and there is usually a new game on the horizon and a current one to discuss. I will say that PC is in the minority there but given that most PC gamers abandoned MW2 due to lack of dedicated servers that's probably your reason.

The Halo forum was quiet but since Reach arrived it's picked up and it has a massive online potential, throwing it into "a generic xbox fps forum" would be detrimental it as there is so much to discuss and share. I know it's nearly xbox exclusive franchise but lumping it into a fps forum is not the way to advance the forum. Isn't it possible to relocate quieter fora to an old folks home where they are still as is, but out of sight for the neat freaks (I kid, I kid!) who want to take a brush to everything?

I also think each forum and possible forum merges / closures should be judged on it's own merits, as there is so much involved. A move / merger could wipe out or stunt whatever community is present as regular posters might not like the change and we'd be back to the same before the great "games fora divide".

I do agree that some things need to be looked at and perhaps changed; having the Xbox Battlefield Community in the Xbox forum in a megathread and having the PC guys in the Battlefield forum is a bit nonsensical but that's the way it is. I personally think it would be better if the COD format was adopted where there is integration not segregation. But my thoughts are not those of the regular posters.

On the subject of format specific megathreads, they do keep things neat but they're not a solution to everything. Someone used the example of a room with 100 conversations going on and you're 101. Going back to COD forum, there are about 5 or 6 threads which fit the megathread format; megabitch/love, about last night (ps3/360), off topic, post your vids and they're all used fairly regularly. I'd completely agree with posters claiming that COD is not a typical forum but it does to me seem well organised and run.

The technical issue element is one that could be put into a megathread as the posters there would all be looking for some solution and there would be a constant theme in there without the need for new threads asking the same questions already asked. Where the technical issues megathread would go is another matter.

johnny_ultimate

EnterNow wrote: »

Thats not a chop, it's a bloody massacre man. Overkill doesn't even come close. Certainly some of the lesser active forums, but rolling all that into one forum would be such a mess - you need some form of segregation, if even to maintain useability.

Just imagine the tens of stickies :eek:

Mr E

No decisions have been made yet, but I am pretty sure that communities like COD/BF/GHRB/Arcade and Retro/Fighting etc.* have nothing to worry about.

(* "etc." added to cover my ass )

Quarryman's cull list is completely OTT.

Penn

Games
- Subforums:
Arcade & Retro
Fighting Games
Sports
GH RB
FPS Shooters
RPGs
Quake
Game Reviews

Technical
- Subforums:
Console Issues
PC Issues

Online
- Subforums:
PSN/XBL/Nintendo
PC
Console Modding

Poker

Miniature Gaming

Roleplaying

Strategy

Toys and Boardgames

marco_polo

TheFairy wrote: »

Yes it is, however as a PC gamer I dont want to discuss the XBOX version of the game. I have no interest in it! If I make a post about the PC version of the game I want PC COD players to reply, I'm sure others feel the same about vice versa.

I think most people are looking for one main thread in the games forum for single player game/campaign discussion threads, not for multiplayer as everyone realises that they are very different beasts.

Now what the best way to do that is another story entirely

yimrsg

quarryman wrote: »

Here's my list for the chop:

Racing Sims
Webgames
Strategy
Roleplaying
Game Editing
Game Reviews
Game Recording & Editing (why was this even created?)
Battlefield
Call of Duty
Counter-Strike
Grand Theft Auto
Half-Life
Halo
Metal Gear Solid,
Resident Evil,
Unreal,
Wolfenstein
Console Modding, Nintendo, PlayStation, Sega, Xbox <-- Merge all these to Games and keep ONE separate area for Tech questions be it PC or console.
Blackout Rugby
Flight Sims (Link)
Football & Championship Manager
Guitar Hero & Rock Band
Pro Evolution Soccer & FIFA
Racing Sims
Tactical Shooter
The Sims


This leaves:

Games
Quake
Fighting Games (This is very active)
Arcade and Retro
MMORPG
Technical Questions
Poker

Anything that has the last update on the page older than a month ago should be merged with something else.

There will be the usual moaners saying they need to keep forum x,y,z but why not discuss it amongst the full community?

So no room for first person shooters? I think you've lost the run of yourself there. Are you deliberately trying to scupper your side of the debate? FM/CM forum is small but I enjoy reading it and I know there are a few dedicated posters keeping it ticking over bringing Kildare to the champions league knock outs etc. I'm sure there are other fora who fulfil a niche which would be lost if incorporated into a catchall subforum.

Also Games as a subforum of Games?

quarryman

Won't someone please think of the children!!!!
I knew that would arouse some "protests".

Yep its OTT but it should be closer to what I suggest than what we have now.

Mr E wrote: »

No decisions have been made yet, but I am pretty sure that communities like COD/BF/GHRB/Arcade and Retro/Fighting etc.* have nothing to worry about.

GHRB? community? cmon....

paddyirishman85 wrote: »

Games
- Subforums:
Arcade & Retro
Fighting Games
Sports
GH RB
FPS Shooters
RPGs
Quake
Game Reviews

Technical
- Subforums:
Console Issues
PC Issues

Online
- Subforums:
PSN/XBL/Nintendo
PC
Console Modding

Poker

Miniature Gaming

Roleplaying

Strategy

Toys and Boardgames

This is closer. I think an Online section for Xbox/PSN etc would get a little confusing. Good job otherwise though!

Myrddin

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

Just imagine the tens of stickies :eek:

It doesn't bear thinking about. This needs more thought and proper planning, as it could very easily have the opposite to intended effect. Maybe start with one forum at a time, as a kind of test-bed - as opposed to an overnight splurge of moving.

A single forum that busy, to me would be kind of off-putting. Take AH for example, I tend to read one or two threads there daily and move on. There's simply too much to take it, too much to follow. AH can afford it though, because it's an 'off-topic' forum. A gaming section can't. At least having categories, you can pick & choose the topic, and then casually browse as you see fit.

There's no doubt the section is swollen and needs attention, but caution is also recommended.

Myrddin

quarryman wrote: »

Yep its OTT but it should be closer to what I suggest than what we have now.




GHRB? community? cmon....



This is closer. I think an Online section for Xbox/PSN etc would get a little confusing. Good job otherwise though!

Do we really need a pc issues sub-forum? Aside from patches etc, any pc gaming issue will surely be a pc issue, and there's already a forum for that. We'd be back to square one with having to search multiple forums for answers. Also what has console modding go to do with an online forum? Apart from "Don't use a modded console online", there isn't much more to be said....?

quarryman

EnterNow wrote: »

This needs more thought and proper planning,

Judith They've arrested Brian!!
PFJ What?
Judith They've dragged him off. They're going to crucify him.
Reg Right. This calls for immediate discussion.
Judith What?!?
Rebel1 Immediate.
Rebel2 Right.
Loretta New motion?
Reg Completely new motion. Eh, That, ah. That there be, ah, immediate
action,
Francis ... ah, once the vote has been taken.
Reg Well, obviously once the vote has been taken, you can't act on a
resolution 'till you've voted on it.
Judith Reg, for God's sake, let's go now, please!
Reg Yeah, yeah. Right, right. In the, in the ligh of fresh information
from ah, sibling Judith.
Loretta [Who's taking notes.] Ah, not so fast, Reg.
Judith Reg, For God's sake. It's perfectly simple. All you've got to do is
to go out of that door now, and try to stop the Romans nailing him
up. It's happening, Reg. Something's actually happening, Reg. Can't
you understand? Aaawoooooo!!!!!
[She rushes out in a rage.]
Francis Ooh. Ooh dear.
Reg Hello... and a litle ego-trip for the feminists.
Loretta What?
Reg Ah, oh, sorry, loretta. Aah. Aah, read that back, would you?

RolandIRL

EnterNow wrote: »

Do we really need a pc issues sub-forum? Aside from patches etc, any pc gaming issue will surely be a pc issue, and there's already a forum for that. We'd be back to square one with having to search multiple forums for answers.

i think unless it's a hardware related issue (that would belong in graphics/comp & tech forums), and totally related to the game itself (like keeps crashing when i reach this level...etc), then a PC issues forum could make sense. people in Games Category would be more likely to understand the issue imo than Tech category.
there would be a bit of overlap, but a mod could easily move the thread if it would be better answered in the other forum.

D4RK ONION

quarryman wrote: »

GHRB? community? cmon....

GH&RB is currently inbetween games in fairness. Like I said, if RB3 doesn't pick it up, I'll totally consider it being chopped. It's only a month away.

Tallon

quarryman wrote: »

GHRB? community? cmon....

Yes, there is a community, it can be slow between games, but there deffo is a community there.

I really think your just trying to get rid of forums you don't want and not whats best for the site / games

quarryman

Tallon wrote: »

Yes, there is a community, it can be slow between games, but there deffo is a community there.

I really think your just trying to get rid of forums you don't want and not whats best for the site / games

I have Rock Band sitting at home hooked up to my Xbox. Great game. That doesn't mean it needs a forum of its own on an Irish General discussion message board.

GHRB has 9 threads in the last month and a half. 3 are megathreads for RB3 and DLC. The others have a handful of posts. How could this community be disrupted by moving those megathreads to a more general Games section?

I'm not trying to get rid of these forums, i like the games. I'm doing what I can to involve other gamers with a casual interest to partake in that game's discussion which currently is hidden away under 4 layers of hierarchy of the board.

F1ngers

paddyirishman85s' suggestion is fairly good imo. http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=68117606&postcount=137

It'll take a while to get to that set up or something similar, but should be fairly doable.

EnterNow wrote: »

Also what has console modding go to do with an online forum?

Technical section for console modding?

For a start, I think the Sega forum can be deleted after posts have been moved, most of them to Arcade/Retro.

MMO and RPG can be merged into one category and keep their sub-fora.

Further tidying up can be done on an ongoing basis.

A nip here and a tuck there and Games should be nicely tidied up.

Myrddin

F1ngers wrote: »

Technical section for console modding?

I meant online as in an online gaming community (XBL/PSN). Console modding doesn't have a place there, it's better suited as a proposed sub-forum for a console hardware forum kind of jobbie.

Retr0gamer

GothPunk wrote: »

Retr0 I'd like to hear what you think about the JRPG forum being merged or remaining as is, or do you have any ideas? Would posts about Ys 7 get lost amongst the multiple console FPS threads or would it bring new people to such games/discussions?

This is a weird one. Before the split I used to create a lot of threads about obscure japanese RPGs and they would always get replies and about 2-3 pages of discussion for about a week about them. However when the split came aboutmost of the more knowledgeable users left for better forums since the level of discussion went so downhill. If I started a Y's Seven discussion now it would definitely get drowned out. I think at the moment there's a place for it. As a FF forum it was terrible but since it's a JRPG forum it gets some good discussion going on some more obscure games. The only thing is though it misses discussion from the masses. As an example the thread I started about the new Mikami/Suda 51 game. It got about 4 posts before disappearing. Before the split that would have generated a good bit of discussion. So I think the JRPG forum has a place but if discussion improves it could be merged back into the main forum.

quarryman wrote: »

Here's my list for the chop:

Racing Sims
Webgames
Strategy
Roleplaying
Game Editing
Game Reviews
Game Recording & Editing (why was this even created?)
Battlefield
Call of Duty
Counter-Strike
Grand Theft Auto
Half-Life
Halo
Metal Gear Solid,
Resident Evil,
Unreal,
Wolfenstein
Console Modding, Nintendo, PlayStation, Sega, Xbox <-- Merge all these to Games and keep ONE separate area for Tech questions be it PC or console.
Blackout Rugby
Flight Sims (Link)
Football & Championship Manager
Guitar Hero & Rock Band
Pro Evolution Soccer & FIFA
Racing Sims
Tactical Shooter
The Sims


This leaves:

Games
Quake
Fighting Games (This is very active)
Arcade and Retro
MMORPG
Technical Questions
Poker

Anything that has the last update on the page older than a month ago should be merged with something else.

There will be the usual moaners saying they need to keep forum x,y,z but why not discuss it amongst the full community?

Total overkill there. Loads of those forums have great communities and a few of them support communities outside of videogaming like the RPG forum

For me I'd cut:

Racing Sims (although i there's a community there it should definitely stay)
Webgames (although no experience of how active it is)
GTA (absolutely no point in it)
Half-Life (although changing this to a Valve forum is a good idea since there's a big TF2 community)
Metal Gear Solid (really no need either, a megathread could easily cover the next release)
Resident Evil (no need again)
Unreal (it's kind ofa dead franchise but if it picks up again then there'sno problem getting it reinstated)
Wolfenstein (again a dead multiplayer franchise)
Blackout Rubgy (wtf?)
Flight Sims

Again I've no experience with the communities of these forums so if there is a community, even a small one then it should stay.

The big question is the console forums. I'd like to see them reduced to technical questions forums and ALL game discussion moved to a centralised games forum.

Halo is a maybe but I think the community is strong enough there to leave it. However I think discussionof a new Halo release should be in the main games forum to get more interest and stop multithreads happening.

cherryghost

IMO

Video Games
-> Games
-> Arcade & Retro
-> Fighting Games
-> FPS Shooters -> Battlefield -> Call of Duty -> Halo -> Quake -> Tactical Shooters
-> RPGs
-> Massively Multiplayer -> World of Warcraft -> Eve Online
-> Casual and Party -> Music and Rhythm Games -> Family Games
-> Game Reviews
-> Game Recording and Editing
-> PC and Console Events

Technical
-> Console Support
-> PC Support
-> Console Modding

Online
-> PSN/XBL/Nintendo
-> PC

Poker

Miniature Gaming

Roleplaying

Strategy

Toys and Boardgames


Looks a bit messy at first, but it clears up the empty forums, introduces new ones and throws them into a nice and neat bundle.

DOUBLE EDIT: Poker obviously still has its subforums, as does strategy. Just focusing on the Games section