Games forum re-merge

Retr0gamer

I think strategy covers such a wide variety of games that it should stay especailly since these games have online communities.

Again big issue is the console forums.

quarryman

EnterNow wrote: »

That could also be the case, at times the simplest solution is the most effective.

____________________________________
boards.ie --> games --> General Discussion
_________________ --> Quake


Done!



ah, I can only dream.....

Myrddin

quarryman wrote: »

____________________________________
boards.ie --> games --> General Discussion
_________________ --> Quake


Done!



ah, I can only dream.....

:pac::pac: Niiice!

Fnz

quarryman wrote: »

____________________________________
boards.ie --> games --> General Discussion
_________________ --> Quake


Done!



ah, I can only dream.....

Why bother complicating thing with 'General Discussion'?

TheChrisD

quarryman wrote: »

Here's my list for the chop:

*snip*

You sir, are absolutely mad.

cherryghost wrote: »

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

This looks really good. However, I would suggest a few things:
- There maybe shouldn't just be a specific Games sub-forum of Video Games, rather Video Games should be the base original forum where general things could be posted, and anything more specific could be placed into a sub-forum. Yes, it does mean that there would be a load of sub-forums at the top of it, but I think it would be easier.
- Also, try and make it clear that the RPGs sub-forum of Video Games is for just that purpose, while the Roleplaying forum is explicitly left for real "sit down at a table with pen, paper and D20's" RPGs, LARPs and the rest.
- What would be encompassed in the general Strategy forum?

Rev Hellfire

quarryman wrote: »

Its pretty dead though. The only sizable thread there is Dragon Age: Origins which is a PC/Xbox game. I didn't even know the thread existed!

There's also a couple of PC game threads there that should be in Games, minecraft etc.

This is a nice example of why attempts to merge the category into big silos will typically fail, the assumption is there's a one size fits all.

If I'm looking for a perspective on a crpg one of the last places I'll look will be a general games forum where it will typically get quickly removed from the first page.
I'll simply go off to a site which features role-players who will typically have the perspective I value.
The same is equally true for console users, those who are into the more realistic tactical games, etc. In such cases people will simply goto those sites which are tailored to their tastes.

Its a sure fireway to drive eyeballs away from the site if not done carefully imho.

quarryman

Fnz wrote: »

Why bother complicating thing with 'General Discussion'?

cus I don't want no stinkin Unreal Tournament threads amongst my Quake ones.

duh.

johnny_ultimate

Also, to piss off Roger Ebert, games should be moved to the arts category.

TheFairy

TouchingVirus wrote: »

You're being elitist about this. What's so pertinent that you only discuss it with PC only gamers and complete shun console gamers? As far as I'm aware the only difference on a crossplatform game is how you physically play the game (as in the controls). In my mind you're still failing to give adequete reasoning behind your stance.

How am I being elitist? I see console and PC gaming as two completley differing beasts. I'm seeing it as I see it, what else do you want me to say? As Rev just posted recently, get this wrong and you drive lots of people away from the site!

Also remember that some of us have been reading and posting in the games forums when there were only PC games to post about, I've been gaming for over 25 years now, more than likely longer than a lot of the people posting on this thread.

I'm sure, as I've previously posted, there are console gamers who also dont want to read about what PC gamers are getting up to.

quarryman

TheFairy wrote: »

I've been gaming for over 25 years now, more than likely longer than a lot of the people posting on this thread.

oooh, elitist AND ageist now too!

Retr0gamer

The way I see it, a good games a good game no matter what format you are playing it on unless control schemes come into it and even then you can live with it. I own a PC and all current consoles so I miss nothing.

TheFairy

quarryman wrote: »

oooh, elitist AND ageist now too!

Grumpyoldgitism maybe

elekid

TheFairy wrote: »

How am I being elitist? I see console and PC gaming as two completley differing beasts.

I'm sure, as I've previously posted, there are console gamers who also dont want to read about what PC gamers are getting up to.

I don't really understand this. As a console gamer, I will ignore any threads about a PC only game and happily read a thread about a multiformat game. It's still the same game.

I recently played Oblivion and enjoyed reading back over old threads even though I'm sure a lot of posters on them were playing it on pc. It would have been very irritating to have 2 different threads talking about the same thing in 2 different places. The odd reference to the pc control setup and such didn't bother me in the slightest.

I'd be in favour of integrating games discussion from the 3 console forums back into the main Games forum, it's a pain having to check each one individually and it feels like they would get a lot more posts in a more central place (I found the recent Metroid: Other M thread on the Nintendo forum very slow-moving and disappointing - I actually ended up going to a different forum to read peoples opinions in the end).

TheFairy

elekid wrote: »

I found the recent Metroid: Other M thread on the Nintendo forum very slow-moving and disappointing - I actually ended up going to a different forum to read peoples opinions in the end).

Surely thats the problem. Had there been a clear forum division in this case, ie Nintendo --> Wii , etc then all discussion would have been in this forum?

elekid

TheFairy wrote: »

Surely thats the problem. Had there been a clear forum division in this case, ie Nintendo --> Wii , etc then all discussion would have been in this forum?

I think that would make it even worse. The problem is that not enough people see threads like that because they are shunted off to a side forum like Nintendo. I think it would have had a lot more posts in the main Games forum. Several people have even said on this thread that they are currently boycotting the 3 console forums due to the current divided setup.

Retr0gamer

I really don't see how having a seperate Wii forum would have changed things? Other than making it worse.

We actually used to have a massive Nintendo following here on boards but it's all dried up now since the split. It's a real shame.

Rev Hellfire

The problem isn't the number of forums, but rather layout.
I personally think a smaller number of genres at the root is required into which further sub-forums provide more refined context.

ie.

First-person
+ Quake
+ Battlefield Series
| + BF Vietnam, BF2, etc
+ Source
| + TF 2
| + Counter Strike
+ Tactical
| + ARMA II (for example)
| + Counter strike (linked to above)

Duplication of the forums isn't an issue since you can just do links.

To take CS as an example those who are mainly interested in the realism are served since they navigate following their logical path while those who are interested in source(HL) follow that path.

Oblivion for example is an RPG but for those who don't think of that a link under fps should brought bring them to the proper category while allowing them link up to other CRPGs (via a rpg parent).

At least thats how I see it, a smaller number at the top dealing in more general terms, constantly refined by child forums dealing with series/classes of games down to actual games where demand warrants it.

TheChrisD

Rev Hellfire wrote: »

At least thats how I see it, a smaller number at the top dealing in more general terms, constantly refined by child forums dealing with series/classes of games down to actual games where demand warrants it.

Bear in mind though the maximum depth of child boards that's in the navbar thus far is only 3 layers, so it'd be an idea to remain within that limit.

EDIT: On second thoughts maybe disregard that, I found a depth-4 forum: Biz -> Consumer -> Bargain Alerts -> Boards Deals -> Boards Deals Experiences :pac:

RolandIRL

TheChrisD wrote: »

Bear in mind though the maximum depth of child boards that's in the navbar thus far is only 3 layers, so it'd be an idea to remain within that limit.

EDIT: On second thoughts maybe disregard that, I found a depth-4 forum: Biz -> Consumer -> Bargain Alerts -> Boards Deals -> Boards Deals Experiences :pac:

There's another one.
Tech -> Net & Comms -> Broadband -> ...Talk to -> Vodafone though that's just a link to the Talk to Vodafone under Biz

Chairman Meow

lets face it, in the end, youre going to always have at least ONE person arguing that the 'obscure game x with no posts in the last 60 days' should exist because that one person still hopes that one day their forum will flourish back into life, and the arguing will go round and round, and nothing will change.
Said it before and ill say it again, every games forum on the webnets can condense conversation into 3 or 4 forums and make it work, this place just has had it different for too long that nothing will ever change even tho most of the scores of subforums are as active as a wet sunday in a nursing home
Discussion is too diluted here at this stage, i think most people who want a proper discussion forum for games have moved on.

quarryman

Chairman Meow wrote: »

lets face it, in the end, youre going to always have at least ONE person arguing that the 'obscure game x with no posts in the last 60 days' should exist because that one person still hopes that one day their forum will flourish back into life, and the arguing will go round and round, and nothing will change.
Said it before and ill say it again, every games forum on the webnets can condense conversation into 3 or 4 forums and make it work, this place just has had it different for too long that nothing will ever change even tho most of the scores of subforums are as active as a wet sunday in a nursing home
Discussion is too diluted here at this stage, i think most people who want a proper discussion forum for games have moved on.

this + 1 million.

and i said the same a couple of years ago.

and more forums were created.

said it again.

more were created.

those who enjoyed proper discussion have moved on. a simple "tidy up" is sticking your head in the sand.

4/5 years ago i would drop in regularly. Now I need to click through 20-30 sub-forums to pick up on everything that might interest me. I've given up. Grcade and Neogaf serve my needs much better. And this is a pity, the Games section used to be brilliant.

oceanclub

I agree it needs to be sorted out. Sometimes I don't bother posting games articles since I simply haven't a clue in which forum they should go.

P.

Rev Hellfire

oceanclub wrote: »

I agree it needs to be sorted out. Sometimes I don't bother posting games articles since I simply haven't a clue in which forum they should go.

Seriously? I find it hard to see how someone could not post about a game because they can't find the 'right' forum.
At a minimum there's always the generic games forum. Perhaps an example would demonstrate the issue.

Chairman Meow

quarryman wrote: »

I've given up. Grcade and Neogaf serve my needs much better. And this is a pity, the Games section used to be brilliant.

Aye, i remember back in the day this was the only games forum id post on, but now, its pretty much the last place id check as most other forums would have new trailers/news etc long before it gets posted on here. I dont know wether thats down to a smaller userbase here or just that you miss alot of stuff if you dont check out every subforum, but that jsut how it is.

oceanclub

Rev Hellfire wrote: »

At a minimum there's always the generic games forum.

There's no real point in posting in a forum I don't follow. And I don't follow it precisely because it's generic.

P.

Rev Hellfire

oceanclub wrote: »

There's no real point in posting in a forum I don't follow. And I don't follow it precisely because it's generic.P.

And having less forums solves this how ?

Retr0gamer

I'm posting on HG101 a lot more. Single games forum, never over crowded and always good discussion. Used to be the same here except a lot more active. Wouldn't have dreamed of looking at another forum since boards was all I needed.

Penn

Rev Hellfire wrote: »

Seriously? I find it hard to see how someone could not post about a game because they can't find the 'right' forum.
At a minimum there's always the generic games forum. Perhaps an example would demonstrate the issue.

There was recently a thread in the Xbox forum asking if there was any info on the next GTA game. There is a GTA forum though. Not only that, but PS users wouldn't have seen the thread and as a multi-platform game, would equally have been able to join the discussion

oceanclub

Rev Hellfire wrote: »

And having less forums solves this how ?

Less forums which don't have multiple overlaps would solve this.

I mean, at the moment, there's multiple forums for games genres, specific games and platforms. I remember asking why there wasn't a PC Game forum, and being told that PC games were covered by the relevant game/genre forums. But that reasoning applies to console forums as well. It doesn't make any sense.

P.

Rev Hellfire

paddyirishman85 wrote: »

There was recently a thread in the Xbox forum asking if there was any info on the next GTA game. There is a GTA forum though. Not only that, but PS users wouldn't have seen the thread and as a multi-platform game, would equally have been able to join the discussion

But that didn't stop you posting in either forum.

In the end of the day you can't force people to go to forums they aren't interested in, they'll post where they feel is appropriate. To take your example if you simply mandated that no-one could post about GTA in the X-Box or PS forums you'll simply drive those people who are only interested in that aspect of the game away.

The best you can do is structure your site in such away that people naturally gravitate to the appropriate place.