Next Big Thing

[Null Parameter]

So, here we are. XForgery. The best thing since sliced bread. ;P
My question is, what do we need to do to get other people to see that fact?


I'm going to be starting a huge push in the near future for enrollment and activity on the site, and I would like your help to make it a success.


What feature(s) do you want, or think would help us attract the masses?

I want it all. Everything from Pie in the Sky Dreams to Simple Changes to make your life easier.

Anything you have ever thought of to make XForgery the Haven it should be.

Thanks,
- Null

O M G!! This is Null's 1000th Post!!!

[Nemihara]

Well, duh.

Do a Map DB.

It's been in the works in FH for MONTHS now. And I still don't think we've even done anything.

[Null Parameter]

Well, duh.

Do a Map DB.

It's been in the works in FH for MONTHS now. And I still don't think we've even done anything.
Like I've been saying, I don't know of anything that we can't do that they had planned, except possibly embedding cooliris for integrated browsing.

We can already search through all of our maps (http://xforgery.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=59). I plan on possibly upgrading/reworking this feature in the near future, but it definitely works as is.

And we can use cooliris, just not embedded. For those of you with cooliris installed, you can browse all of the available maps by using cooliris right here (http://xforgery.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=7). This is a really cool feature, for those of you who haven't checked it out yet, go grab cooliris (http://www.cooliris.com).

I worked really hard to actually get the embedded version of cooliris up and running a while back, but for some reason it would never function correctly. Now, with the newest version, nothing is showing up at all.

Reading the forums, it looks like any images shown with the embedded version have to be hosted on your web server, but they're working on a fix to this though. Since right now everyone hosts on Photobucket, or something similar, this isn't possible at the moment. And our server probably couldn't handle hosting all of those additional images.


Now, if you have any more ideas to do with said Map DB, I'd be willing to jump into it, but those are the two main features I can come up with.

[Nemihara]

Huh. That's funny, I made an embedded version that worked pretty well. I wanna see why it's not working.

Uh...you need something that'll make your site stand out like a French guy in Korea. Something to do with Forge, but it should be with the site...

I dunno. Maybe if you can improve on the flow of the downloading process for maps, somehow. We were speculating on connecting FH with the B.Net accounts maybe, if we were allowed to.

[WoozyJoJo]

Site wide:
- Either lure in more FC2 and LBP fans, or just take both out. We literally have no members that are here for either game. Most people are here for Halo, that's it.

Aesthetic:
- Move calender and FAQ to Quick Links to clean up the bar a little.
- Have a better default skin that's no so generic. If I were to go to a new site, where everything was default but the header and there wasn't anything interesting at first glance, I woudn't think twice before going somewhere else.

(update when I think about it more)

[Null Parameter]

Huh. That's funny, I made an embedded version that worked pretty well. I wanna see why it's not working.

Uh...you need something that'll make your site stand out like a French guy in Korea. Something to do with Forge, but it should be with the site...

I dunno. Maybe if you can improve on the flow of the downloading process for maps, somehow. We were speculating on connecting FH with the B.Net accounts maybe, if we were allowed to.
I made a temporary html version (http://www.xforgery.com/forum/cooliris.html) of the page, to make sure it wasn't something funny in my PHP, so you can check that out. And if you look at the source for it, it leads you to the Media RSS Feed (http://www.xforgery.com/forum/external.php?type=media&count=20&lastpost=1&forumid=9), which looks just fine, passes Feed Validation (http://feedvalidator.org/check.cgi?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.xforgery.com%2Fforum%2Fexternal.php%3Ftype%3Dmedi a%26count%3D20%26lastpost%3D1%26forumid%3D9) and works for the non-embedded version, so I'm at a loss and the image hosting is the only real variable left.


As far as linking to the B.Net profiles, that would probably be pretty difficult to do, because we'd need to go through Bungie and then to Microsoft, since B.Net uses the Windows Live ID for login.

One thing we could do though, is provide links to each user's Profile, File Share, Screenshots, etc.... on B.Net so that they are more easily accessible from XForgery. But that really doesn't simplify the download process in anyway.

[Null Parameter]

Site wide:
- Either lure in more FC2 and LBP fans, or just take both out. We literally have no members that are here for either game. Most people are here for Halo, that's it.

Aesthetic:
- Move calender and FAQ to Quick Links to clean up the bar a little.
- Have a better default skin that's no so generic. If I were to go to a new site, where everything was default but the header and there wasn't anything interesting at first glance, I woudn't think twice before going somewhere else.

(update when I think about it more)
We actually did talk about removing the games in the past, but decided against it because we didn't want to limit people from what we already gave them. But, we could simplify what we offer for each game. For example:

We keep our Halo 3 Section as is, but we create a new section for Other Games. This new section would be structured something like this:



Other Games

LittleBigPlanet

Discussion
Maps


FC2

Discussion
Maps





Which would mean that on the front page you would far less clutter, because each game wouldn't be in its own section.


I agree that the Calendar can be moved out of the Navbar, but the FAQ should stay where it is, because the new people who might actually need it won't know to look in the Quick Links menu.

Also, the XBL Leaderboard is already available in the Quick Links menu, so we could theoretically remove that from the Navbar as well, but that makes it less accessible/known to new folks as well.



While I would love to have a better default skin, it really isn't possible. As you most undoubtedly know, creating a skin is a big piece of work. It can be done quickly though, if we had a plan and dedicated the time to it.

Therein lies the problem. I can code my brains out to make a skin work, but I don't have anybody to do it with me. Almost all attempts to work with the GFX Team for the last couple months has yielded no results. No GFX = No Skin. I've tried looking for some created by other people, but a lot don't appeal to me, and either way I'd need the GFX Team to make a banner and buttons to match.

[ACloggingtons]

Perhaps you could implement a chat feature. For example, look at the chat feature on facebook.

I really dont know anything about this kinda stuff, but i'd imagine that would be kind of difficult though. :confused:

[CostlyAxis]

While I would love to have a better default skin, it really isn't possible. As you most undoubtedly know, creating a skin is a big piece of work. It can be done quickly though, if we had a plan and dedicated the time to it.

Therein lies the problem. I can code my brains out to make a skin work, but I don't have anybody to do it with me. Almost all attempts to work with the GFX Team for the last couple months has yielded no results. No GFX = No Skin. I've tried looking for some created by other people, but a lot don't appeal to me, and either way I'd need the GFX Team to make a banner and buttons to match.
These looked pretty good to me.
Teguh (http://vbskins.com/theme/teguh.html)
Perwira (http://vbskins.com/theme/perwira.html)
Neorange (http://vbskins.com/theme/neorange.html)
Techron (http://vbskins.com/theme/techron.html)
Merahitam (http://vbskins.com/theme/merahitam.html)
Titanux (http://vbskins.com/theme/titanux.html)
Futura (http://vbskins.com/theme/futura.html)

Perwira and Titanux would be my personal favorites of the batch though. Of course, you would probably need to do some editing to them for use here. Then again, I chose those from my tastes but that site has a ton more to look through.

[Null Parameter]

Perhaps you could implement a chat feature. For example, look at the chat feature on facebook.

I really dont know anything about this kinda stuff, but i'd imagine that would be kind of difficult though. :confused:
Yes, that would be rather difficult. There is the possibility of bringing back the shoutbox, but that is a major server hog, which is definitely not a good thing.


These looked pretty good to me.
Teguh (http://vbskins.com/theme/teguh.html)
Perwira (http://vbskins.com/theme/perwira.html)
Neorange (http://vbskins.com/theme/neorange.html)
Techron (http://vbskins.com/theme/techron.html)
Merahitam (http://vbskins.com/theme/merahitam.html)
Titanux (http://vbskins.com/theme/titanux.html)
Futura (http://vbskins.com/theme/futura.html)

Perwira and Titanux would be my personal favorites of the batch though. Of course, you would probably need to do some editing to them for use here. Then again, I chose those from my tastes but that site has a ton more to look through.
Yes, there are tons of available styles, I just don't see any that jump out to me as what XForgery should be. So, we might have to do something like use a different style as a template and customize it to match our needs.

I also like the idea behind Titanux, but the bronze/brown color is just too much for me. Just an example of something we might need to change to make it work.

Feel free to fill this thread up with ideas for styles as well.

[PsychoBucket]

I know this has been brought up before, but I think the map organization needs to change. When someone is looking for a map they usually are not concerned with the level the map was forged on. They are concerned with they type of map it is. We should sort the maps by type then by the level the map was forged on. Actually we only have about 150 maps, so we probably only need to sort it by they type of map. Yes, I know there is a map search to find the maps, but it just seems weird to sort the maps like that.

I can code my brains out to make a skin work, but I don't have anybody to do it with me.

I'll help. Just tell me what you want me to do and I'll try to do it.

[Murdock Sampson]

I think I've suggested this before, but I'm going to say it again: name change.

"XForgery" basically adds up on the "default" skill look. The name sounds so basic. I mean you have to come up with a name that sounds really general, but just the inclusion of "X" is really confusing. Like I said you might wanna change it to something like "Game Creations" or whatever so that people fully understand what the site is about without even looking into it extensively. It also gives off an awesome vibe.

As I side note, I'm working with a few music programs and my guitar and with any luck I should have something of a "Forgery" theme song in a few days. :D

[PsychoBucket]

Why is the "X" confusing?

[Murdock Sampson]

Why is the "X" confusing?

Not confusing, I guess I worded that stupidly.


Have you ever tried to go to a site and typed it in wrong and gotten one of those weird clone sites? For example, Failblog.com (http://failblog.com/).

That's kind of the vibe that XForgery gives off. It's obviously not the same deal, but it looks so bland and the name is so bland that it kind of seems... IDK. Just sort of like some one started the site and never went on to finish it. Which is ridiculous because of how much work that has gone into this site.

Hopefully that explains it slightly better.

[Shell]

Adding to what Sampson is saying, XForgery sort of sounds like we're against forging. Atleast, I thought so.

[Null Parameter]

I know this has been brought up before, but I think the map organization needs to change.
There is a 99% chance that this will never change. Most of us that were here originally like the way it is organized. I realize that some people like it, and some people don't, but until there is a high majority demand for it to change, the chances are slim.

I think I've suggested this before, but I'm going to say it again: name change.
While I disagree with the whole "unfinished feel" to the name, I'm naturally a little bit biased. The name will most likely never stray from the "Forgery" key word, I can tell you that much; but given that our venture into the realm of other games has been very lightly accepted, partially because of the quality and availability of the chosen games, I'd be willing to take suggestions for a name change. Although, http://www.halo3forgery.org still remains intact, so that is definitely a starting point for heading back to our roots.

[Murdock Sampson]

I'm just saying the whole "X" just seems like a really bland filler.

I'm not saying to get rid of the "Forgery" part. Just make it a name that people can pick up what the site is about.

"X" gives no information

[Null Parameter]

I'm just saying the whole "X" just seems like a really bland filler.

I'm not saying to get rid of the "Forgery" part. Just make it a name that people can pick up what the site is about.

"X" gives no information

I know, which is why I asked for suggestions, because the "X" was the best one we came up with.

[Morphine]

There is a 99% chance that this will never change. Most of us that were here originally like the way it is organized. I realize that some people like it, and some people don't, but until there is a high majority demand for it to change, the chances are slim.

I would just like to say that I agree with psycho bucket on this point. When you think about it realistically the majority of forgers now use forge hub, which does not separate the maps by map pack. If we want to attract more people to our site we need to have a more familiar yet logical sorting system. The only real reason I could see to separate the maps by map pack would be for users who don't have the legendary map pack, which will likely become free within the next 2 months. Not to mention your logic is a bit flawed, you're not going attract enough attention for change if the users are turned off before signing up.

[Null Parameter]

I would just like to say that I agree with psycho bucket on this point. When you think about it realistically the majority of forgers now use forge hub, which does not separate the maps by map pack. If we want to attract more people to our site we need to have a more familiar yet logical sorting system. The only real reason I could see to separate the maps by map pack would be for users who don't have the legendary map pack, which will likely become free within the next 2 months. Not to mention your logic is a bit flawed, you're not going attract enough attention for change if the users are turned off before signing up.
I'm not saying that it wouldn't be logical to switch it, I'm saying that we have a system that has worked for us; not to mention that a lot of the back-end coding deals specifically with this forum structure.

I completely agree with both of you that it might be better to change it up, because unfamiliarity can scare people away. But personally, I'd rather draw them in with something more enticing, because I can't constantly change everything. I'm basically working on my own here, so if I'm going to make a major change, involving restructuring and recoding, I want it to be more necessary than just a "this would make people feel more comfortable". If other people speak up, I'm definitely willing to consider it.

Like I said, if a majority say they want it, I'll definitely look into it. It isn't too difficult to get a majority from a grand total of 20-30 people.

[Murdock Sampson]

I'm basically working on my own here, so if I'm going to make a major change, involving restructuring and recoding, I want it to be more necessary than just a "this would make people feel more comfortable".

I would help you if I was good at something. :D

[Nemihara]

I made a temporary html version (http://www.xforgery.com/forum/cooliris.html) of the page, to make sure it wasn't something funny in my PHP, so you can check that out. And if you look at the source for it, it leads you to the Media RSS Feed (http://www.xforgery.com/forum/external.php?type=media&count=20&lastpost=1&forumid=9), which looks just fine, passes Feed Validation (http://feedvalidator.org/check.cgi?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.xforgery.com%2Fforum%2Fexternal.php%3Ftype%3Dmedi a%26count%3D20%26lastpost%3D1%26forumid%3D9) and works for the non-embedded version, so I'm at a loss and the image hosting is the only real variable left.

Odd. Out of the dozen or so images that populate it, only one (Pacifism V2 by Morphine) has the image working. Why? It's because that map is the only one with a properly set up Map Thumbnail Image. I'm pretty sure if they did start to do it, then you'd see those images better.

I'm not sure, but you might need to make an automated script to cache lower-res versions of the thumbnails so they don't take so long to load at first.

Addendum: Yeah, definitely the whole 'needs lower-res versions so it'll load faster' bit. That's why it doesn't look like it's loading. They will, eventually, but you need to set up a caching script so that the server makes a low-res (maybe about 100x150) thumbnail of it, and then it'll load up a higher-res version when the client wants to look at it more carefully. It's kinda like Google Maps.

As for the other map images not working, I suspect that it's because it wants to use Flickr, and not anything else. I noticed that the only ones showing up were from Morphine, who's using Flickr as his host.

AND as for that...P3t...thing, the guy just messed up with his image hosting.

Oh yeah, and get a script to populate the Media.RSS file from the database, will you? Christ, did you actually do all that manually?

[Null Parameter]

Yeah, definitely the whole 'needs lower-res versions so it'll load faster' bit. That's why it doesn't look like it's loading. They will, eventually, but you need to set up a caching script so that the server makes a low-res (maybe about 100x150) thumbnail of it, and then it'll load up a higher-res version when the client wants to look at it more carefully. It's kinda like Google Maps.
Sadly, that isn't something our server could handle. Not only would it have to generate those images, but store and send them every time, major overload for our tiny establishment.


Oh yeah, and get a script to populate the Media.RSS file from the database, will you? Christ, did you actually do all that manually?
Nope, that is all automatically generated from the DB, thank you very much......

[Null Parameter]

Like I said, if a majority say they want it, I'll definitely look into it. It isn't too difficult to get a majority from a grand total of 20-30 people.
I just also wanted to say that while I'm willing to make this change, before I do so, we are going to also need a new solution for the problem.

How will things be structured? Will we still have some denotation of the Map Packs (possibly via Thread Prefixes)? And probably lots of other things that I haven't thought of.

[PsychoBucket]

I just also wanted to say that while I'm willing to make this change, before I do so, we are going to also need a new solution for the problem.

How will things be structured? Will we still have some denotation of the Map Packs (possibly via Thread Prefixes)? And probably lots of other things that I haven't thought of.

Yes, it would be nice if it was structured differently, but if it is going to take a huge amount of coding, you should just leave it.

[Null Parameter]

Yes, it would be nice if it was structured differently, but if it is going to take a huge amount of coding, you should just leave it.
I have no problem doing the coding if it will be worth it.

[WoozyJoJo]

While I would love to have a better default skin, it really isn't possible. As you most undoubtedly know, creating a skin is a big piece of work. It can be done quickly though, if we had a plan and dedicated the time to it.

I'd be willing to do it again, as long as I don't have to go into the admin CP again :scared:. Or, you know, we could get my old skin working again. I still have all the graphics sorted and everything.
(on a side note, those other things will probably be started/finished tonight due to the superbowl being on and me, not being into football, getting kicked out of the room with the xbox/ps3/everything else)

[Null Parameter]

I'd be willing to do it again, as long as I don't have to go into the admin CP again :scared:. Or, you know, we could get my old skin working again. I still have all the graphics sorted and everything.
(on a side note, those other things will probably be started/finished tonight due to the superbowl being on and me, not being into football, getting kicked out of the room with the xbox/ps3/everything else)
Great! That's the one other thing that I wanted to get done before extreme advertising. I'll attempt to be online throughout the day, so I'll be available if you have any questions.

[PsychoBucket]

I think we need to do something big with the release of sandbox/mythic maps. The mythic maps are going to increase the number of people forging and playing halo 3 in general. We just need to make sure that some of the increase comes here. Then when forge slows down again, we will end up with more active members then we have now. Most of us have not posted a map in the last month, but we still come here.

[Denominator]

What if we make a distinction between those who have posted a map recently and those that haven't?

I have two ideas:

1) Add a new class of coloured names for "recently posted maps". You'll be able to see who has posted a map in the past X days instantly.

2) In the "Maps Posted" section of the buttons that appear under a persons name when they post, add a "date last map submitted" entry, that shows how long ago a map was submitted.

[Null Parameter]

What if we make a distinction between those who have posted a map recently and those that haven't?

I have two ideas:

1) Add a new class of coloured names for "recently posted maps". You'll be able to see who has posted a map in the past X days instantly.

2) In the "Maps Posted" section of the buttons that appear under a persons name when they post, add a "date last map submitted" entry, that shows how long ago a map was submitted.
1) This would be incredibly difficult, and I have no idea how to switch people into different usergroups.

2) This is theoretically possible, but difficult; I'd have to start implementing things a little bit differently to either record when people submits maps or to make a query for their last thread started in the map forums.

[PsychoBucket]

What if we make a distinction between those who have posted a map recently and those that haven't?

I have two ideas:

1) Add a new class of coloured names for "recently posted maps". You'll be able to see who has posted a map in the past X days instantly.

2) In the "Maps Posted" section of the buttons that appear under a persons name when they post, add a "date last map submitted" entry, that shows how long ago a map was submitted.

Well that wasn't really my point. I was saying that people stay even when they lose a little interest in forge. I was thinking that there would be more people to recruit since the new maps are coming out, so we should try to get as many of them to join as we can. Then even if they lose interest in forge, they might stay.

We also need to do something to get new members posting. Many of them join but never post.

1) This would be incredibly difficult, and I have no idea how to switch people into different usergroups.


Couldn't you do it like you do the supporter status? When you lose supporter status, you lose the supporter status color, or do you do that manually?

[Null Parameter]

Couldn't you do it like you do the supporter status? When you lose supporter status, you lose the supporter status color, or do you do that manually?
All manual. There isn't a good way to automate that, to my knowledge anyway.

I thought you were going to have some profound thing to say here, because you had been replying to this thread for the last hour or so. ;)

[PsychoBucket]

I thought you were going to have some profound thing to say here, because you had been replying to this thread for the last hour or so. ;)

The Super Bowl was on . . . . :facepalm:

You should have guessed that.

Oh yah . . . Stop stalking me! :nono:

[Denominator]

Well that wasn't really my point. I was saying that people stay even when they lose a little interest in forge. I was thinking that there would be more people to recruit since the new maps are coming out, so we should try to get as many of them to join as we can. Then even if they lose interest in forge, they might stay.

We also need to do something to get new members posting. Many of them join but never post.

I know, I just took your idea and modified it. I think a lot of why we aren't seeing a lot of new maps posted is because there's no incentive to post new maps. You don't really gain anything from posting a new map, and you don't lose anything from not posting a map, so there's really no point to post a new map.

The other option I was tossing around in my head was that you have some sort of count based on posts compared to maps submitted, so you can see the people that are more active in the forums as opposed to those that post lots of maps.

[Nemihara]

Perhaps the Cooliris function would only apply to your 'Community Maps', or whatever you call them.

[Null Parameter]

Here are the ideas that I've gathered so far, both the feasible, and not so feasible.......

Likely To Happen


Remove Calendar (and maybe XBL) from Navbar
Customize Default Skin
Tone down FC2 and LBP involvement, bring Forgery back to its roots

Possibility Of Happening


Provide mild Bungie.net integration (links to File Share, etc...)
Change Map Organization
Last Map Submitted On Stat
Rearrange "Dots" to accentuate Halo 3 Stats

Not So Likely


Embedding cooliris (because of the server load of creating and loading thumbnails)
Name Change (costs money and people know "XForgery")

Keep 'em coming, some pretty good ones thus far, but I'd like to see a lot more. You may even see some of these be enacted in the near future. :thumbup:

[PsychoBucket]

Keep 'em coming, some pretty good ones thus far, but I'd like to see a lot more. You may even see some of these be enacted in the near future. :thumbup:

We have a place to enter our Xbox gamertag and the playstation ID. Why not add the Wii ID so people can go play Wii games if they want to. If you add this to the list, I would put it on a low priority because it has nothing to do with any of the forge games and it probably won't be used that much.

[Null Parameter]

We have a place to enter our Xbox gamertag and the playstation ID. Why not add the Wii ID so people can go play Wii games if they want to. If you add this to the list, I would put it on a low priority because it has nothing to do with any of the forge games and it probably won't be used that much.
I thought about adding that one when I added the PSN ID, but decided against it because I remembered that the Wii sucks at online play.

[Denominator]

I thought about adding that one when I added the PSN ID, but decided against it because I remembered that the Wii sucks.

Fixed.

[Null Parameter]

Fixed.
The Wii doesn't suck. It has its place, and a lot of the games are fun, but usually only when you have a group of people sitting in front of the TV flailing their arms around.

[Null Parameter]

I'm still looking for more suggestions. I have already removed the Calendar from the navbar, and more things are on their way.

I've also come across a nice little mod that brings more attention to the Social Groups, so look for some additional statistics at the bottom of the Forum Homepage (http://xforgery.com/forum/index.php).

[PsychoBucket]

I was thinking about buying a capture card and making forge tutorial videos.

[Null Parameter]

I was thinking about buying a capture card and making forge tutorial videos.
I know that Costly had started work on that before, but I'm not sure how far he got.
I personally think that it is a wonderful idea, and something that our site is most definitely missing.

[PsychoBucket]

I know that Costly had started work on that before, but I'm not sure how far he got.
I personally think that it is a wonderful idea, and something that our site is most definitely missing.

The only problem is that I'm not sure If my computer is good enough to capture in good quality. I was going to get a labtop, which would make it easy, but now I'm not. I might have to bring a tv and xbox to my other computer or my computer to the xbox.

[CostlyAxis]

I know that Costly had started work on that before, but I'm not sure how far he got.
I personally think that it is a wonderful idea, and something that our site is most definitely missing.
I had pretty much everything recorded, but I'm sure I've misplaced most of the files (mass deletion of files that I didn't recognize with generic names). Ganye (to my knowledge) didn't record his portion of the items, and support died out before I could get a commentary or text vote (I don't have an audio input device). To add, school is now (wasn't then) in session and I'm usually booked with homework or other things.

Thread located here (http://xforgery.com/forum/showpost.php?p=7883&postcount=1).

I'll be more than willing to upload all the files I can find if someone wants to mess around with them. So long as Megaupload is fine.

[PsychoBucket]

I'll be more than willing to upload all the files I can find if someone wants to mess around with them. So long as Megaupload is fine.

To your fileshare or have you already used a capture card to get them to your computer?

[CostlyAxis]

To your fileshare or have you already used a capture card to get them to your computer?

I've already captured them, and have them saved on my computer (I only found one recording session). However, they're all in DVD format currently and you'd need an editor that can use the files or a file converter. I could start the file conversion before going to school, but I'd need split the file as it's over 1GB.

[Null Parameter]

Likely To Happen


Remove Calendar (and maybe XBL) from Navbar
Customize Default Skin
Tone down FC2 and LBP involvement, bring Forgery back to its roots

Possibility Of Happening


Provide mild Bungie.net integration (links to File Share, etc...)
Change Map Organization
Last Map Submitted On Stat
Rearrange "Dots" to accentuate Halo 3 Stats

Not So Likely


Embedding cooliris (because of the server load of creating and loading thumbnails)
Name Change (costs money and people know "XForgery")

As you've probably already noticed by the time you read this, two of these items have already been completed.

Trust me, more changes are on the way, some from the list above, and hopefully more from the flood of additional suggestions that you are about to give me. ;)

[PsychoBucket]

I like the slideshow thing on the beta! :thumbup:

[MovingTarget602]

I like the slideshow thing on the beta! :thumbup:
yeah, that is cool

[Null Parameter]

I like the slideshow thing on the beta! :thumbup:
yeah, that is cool
Thanks guys! I thought that it might be an interesting addition. Whether it makes it to a full blown default feature is still up in the air, because it does add additional resources to the front page, and not everybody has Javascript enabled.


So, I've been giving more thought to the rearrangement of the Halo 3 Map forums. And I guess before I even fully consider going through with it, I'm going to need an idea of the forum structure that you guys think we should have.

No matter what, we are going to keep the sub-categories that we already have defined (Aesthetic, Mini-Game, Re-Make, Infection, MLG), but what do we want to do with the rest of the maps?

Do we want to have a general Halo 3 Maps section, and any that don't fit in those categories goes there?

Do we want to have the very overused "Competitive" & "Casual" categories?

Or is there something else, completely different out there?

[PsychoBucket]

Thanks guys! I thought that it might be an interesting addition. Whether it makes it to a full blown default feature is still up in the air, because it does add additional resources to the front page, and not everybody has Javascript enabled.


So, I've been giving more thought to the rearrangement of the Halo 3 Map forums. And I guess before I even fully consider going through with it, I'm going to need an idea of the forum structure that you guys think we should have.

No matter what, we are going to keep the sub-categories that we already have defined (Aesthetic, Mini-Game, Re-Make, Infection, MLG), but what do we want to do with the rest of the maps?

Do we want to have a general Halo 3 Maps section, and any that don't fit in those categories goes there?

Do we want to have the very overused "Competitive" & "Casual" categories?

Or is there something else, completely different out there?

Guess who had post 666 in Suggestions and Tech Support! ^^^^

I would use these.
Conventional
Mini-Games
Infection
MLG
Race
Aesthetic
Remakes

[Null Parameter]

Do we want to have a straight out "Conventional" (or "Standard" or something else similar) group? Will that confuse people too much?

We could also do something similar to what we've been doing. Instead of having a section for those particular maps, have them just go under the Halo 3 Maps forum, and then the sub-categories will have forums underneath.

[PsychoBucket]

Do we want to have a straight out "Conventional" (or "Standard" or something else similar) group? Will that confuse people too much?

We could also do something similar to what we've been doing. Instead of having a section for those particular maps, have them just go under the Halo 3 Maps forum, and then the sub-categories will have forums underneath.

I think that not putting them in a category would confuse people even more. I would go with Standard.

[Null Parameter]

I would like to get some other opinions on the matter as well. So, if you read this, please respond.

[PsychoBucket]

I noticed in the top 5 stats for Latest Blog Entries it only show new blog entries. Would it be possible to change it to a green color when a blog is posted, then use the orange/yellow color when there is a new comment?

[Null Parameter]

I noticed in the top 5 stats for Latest Blog Entries it only show new blog entries. Would it be possible to change it to a green color when a blog is posted, then use the orange/yellow color when there is a new comment?
Sadly, the Top 5 Stats isn't my mod, so changing it isn't that easy. I can look into it, but the chances are very slim.

[CostlyAxis]

I noticed in the top 5 stats for Latest Blog Entries it only show new blog entries. Would it be possible to change it to a green color when a blog is posted, then use the orange/yellow color when there is a new comment?
But isn't it supposed to list the latest posted blogs? Unless of course you want comments added to that list as well. Comments don't seem to affect that list.

[PsychoBucket]

But isn't it supposed to list the latest posted blogs? Unless of course you want comments added to that list as well. Comments don't seem to affect that list.

Yes, they are sorted by last blog posted, and I don't think that should change. I just thought it should show you if there is a new comment on a blog.

[CostlyAxis]

Oh, now I understand. That would be pretty useful if possible.

[Null Parameter]

Do we want to have a straight out "Conventional" (or "Standard" or something else similar) group? Will that confuse people too much?

We could also do something similar to what we've been doing. Instead of having a section for those particular maps, have them just go under the Halo 3 Maps forum, and then the sub-categories will have forums underneath.
Any more thoughts on this subject?

[Murdock Sampson]

I think there shouldn't be a lot of subcategories.

And the categories should be what people look for when trying to find a map.

Like I don't want to go through a bunch of maps on different map packs just to find an infection map. Which is why you should do it by some sort of grouping that is more descriptive of what is to be played on it.


Also we need to try to think of something that will draw people in. Pedophiles use candy. We need to use some sort of online-candy to lure people to this site... but what would that be? Answer is not porn BTW.

I think we should use B.Net for advertisement, since thats where forgehub gets most of their new recruits.

I mean no publicity is bad publicity. Not that we should use publicity. Just with the whole ForgeHub map thing... people didn't see "ForgeHub Mod is a Jerk" they saw "Forgehub... a place to post your maps".

Because Forgehub is a bigger community, they are constantly talked about on B.Net. And that only makes them bigger. An infinite loop. Forgery needs to get in on that.

[Shell]

Also we need to try to think of something that will draw people in. Pedophiles use candy. We need to use some sort of online-candy to lure people to this site... but what would that be? Answer is not porn BTW.

I think we should use B.Net for advertisement, since thats where forgehub gets most of their new recruits.

I mean no publicity is bad publicity. Not that we should use publicity. Just with the whole ForgeHub map thing... people didn't see "ForgeHub Mod is a Jerk" they saw "Forgehub... a place to post your maps".

Because Forgehub is a bigger community, they are constantly talked about on B.Net. And that only makes them bigger. An infinite loop. Forgery needs to get in on that.


I think I figured out the answer to that. If we can get one of our maps into MatchMaking, then bam! We have people coming here like crazy. Personally, I vote that Null should submit The Quad.

[Null Parameter]

I think there shouldn't be a lot of subcategories.

And the categories should be what people look for when trying to find a map.

Like I don't want to go through a bunch of maps on different map packs just to find an infection map. Which is why you should do it by some sort of grouping that is more descriptive of what is to be played on it.
Okay, that's fine. I'm still trying to find out what categories we should actually use.

We have


Aesthetic
Infection
MLG
Re-Make
Mini-Game

Other suggested options include


Competitive
Casual
Standard
Racing

And I'm sure there are a lot more options as well, so give them to me and help me decide on the final set.

Also we need to try to think of something that will draw people in. Pedophiles use candy. We need to use some sort of online-candy to lure people to this site... but what would that be? Answer is not porn BTW.
Trust me, that's what I've been trying to do. That's why we have a Map Search, that's why we have a Map Submission Form, that's why we track the maps players have submitted, that's why we have map thumbnails, that's why we have Forgery Challenges, etc....

If you have more ideas to be our "candy", tell me right here.

I think we should use B.Net for advertisement, since thats where forgehub gets most of their new recruits.

I mean no publicity is bad publicity. Not that we should use publicity. Just with the whole ForgeHub map thing... people didn't see "ForgeHub Mod is a Jerk" they saw "Forgehub... a place to post your maps".

Because Forgehub is a bigger community, they are constantly talked about on B.Net. And that only makes them bigger. An infinite loop. Forgery needs to get in on that.
I know that PsychoBucket has had lots of luck getting people from B.net, as you can see in his referral count. I personally have done a little advertising there, with a little success; but I was waiting to do major advertising until we had this giant set of changes, being discussed here, finished. So that this new "candy" would both reel them in and keep them here.


I think I figured out the answer to that. If we can get one of our maps into MatchMaking, then bam! We have people coming here like crazy. Personally, I vote that Null should submit The Quad.
I guarantee that is we got a map into Matchmaking, we would get tons of people. No doubt about it.

I have no problem submitting The Quad (http://www.xforgery.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123), assuming that it fits into a category that is actually being accepted. I've been working on a version that will hopefully be escape proof, but haven't taken the time to go finish it, because we all know that it is more fun to build something new than it is to fix something old.

The main reason that I hadn't submitted it yet is because you need 3 gameplay videos and when I asked people to play on it with me, I never got a response.

[Morphine]

i think the map categories should be as follows with no separation between legendary, heroic, and pre-dlc:


Aesthetic
Infection
MLG
Mini-Game
Competitive
Racing

The reason I took out the remakes section is that remakes would likely also fit into a different category as well.

I think the JS map viewer is a good step in the right direction, but it needs some work. I think once that's done and there is a new default skin put in place the site will be looking pretty sharp. It would also be nice if you were to develop something to search all maps from other major sites such as monitor build, RCG, FH, etc. Then we can maybe get that 2v2 tournament going with a respectable prizes. Maybe a Best of Xforgery contest?

[Null Parameter]

i think the map categories should be as follows with no separation between legendary, heroic, and pre-dlc:


Aesthetic
Infection
MLG
Mini-Game
Competitive
Racing

The reason I took out the remakes section is that remakes would likely also fit into a different category as well.
That's basically the thought I had, and getting rid of the re-makes section is an interesting idea as well. There really isn't a need for a "Casual" section in our case, because we encompass that with the rest of our categories.

I like this so far. Anybody else care to give their thoughts?

I think the JS map viewer is a good step in the right direction, but it needs some work.
Sadly, unless we want to upgrade to a larger JS Library, editing that script is going to be a rather large endeavor. Feel free to search for a better JS slideshow and point me to it, but most of them are relatively the same as the one there. If you do go searching, we need one that uses the CSS/HTML of the page to generate the slideshow, not one that reads from XML/RSS.

It would also be nice if you were to develop something to search all maps from other major sites such as monitor build, RCG, FH, etc.
While that's a nice thought, doing so would be an extreme undertaking. It would mean that we would have to index all of their maps, because they don't have the same interface we do for searching. And parsing all of those posts for keywords and filtering them into a DB is far beyond what I would like to get in to at the moment.

Then we can maybe get that 2v2 tournament going with a respectable prizes. Maybe a Best of Xforgery contest?Once these changes are all finished, I plan to really ramp up all of the activities (i.e. Advertising, competitions, etc...)


As far as the Custom Style goes, I'm not an artist myself, so if somebody has ideas for what would go well and do our site justice, feel free to tell me, I'm wide open. I've had several people tell me they would be willing to do some graphics work for the style as well, any additional help is welcomed.

[Murdock Sampson]

The main reason that I hadn't submitted it yet is because you need 3 gameplay videos and when I asked people to play on it with me, I never got a response.

I'll play with you sometime. You're going to have to add Sampson Temp though...

i think the map categories should be as follows with no separation between legendary, heroic, and pre-dlc:


Aesthetic
Infection
MLG
Mini-Game
Competitive
Racing



I'd make it with a few subcategories:


Hardcore (sound better than competitive, yet may turn newby yet competitive players off)

MLG


Casual

Racing
Infection


Fun (really I have no idea what to name this category, but the sub-categories fit together so well...)

Aesthetic
Mini-Games





I think the JS map viewer is a good step in the right direction, but it needs some work. I think once that's done and there is a new default skin put in place the site will be looking pretty sharp. It would also be nice if you were to develop something to search all maps from other major sites such as monitor build, RCG, FH, etc. Then we can maybe get that 2v2 tournament going with a respectable prizes. Maybe a Best of Xforgery contest?


I don't think 2v2... of course with the site size it may be best. Maybe 1v1, so then more teams and longer.

Sounds good... I have to get a few mini-games in, so make sure theres a mini-game section XD.

---------

I'm racking my mind for more stuff.

Also, I did a few google searches, using keywords like "Halo 3 Maps" or "Forge Halo 3 Maps". Short of using the words "Forgery Halo 3," which most people looking for maps won't use, this site won't make 1st page. IDK how to change that. Maybe putting "Halo 3" back into the site name might help. Sorry about how my suggestions keep coming back to the name, because I'm aware you don't want to change it.

My last suggestion (For now.... HA HA HA HA!) is that we need more maps. I know that's not you admins problem, so this is more of a call to all members of forgery. I have 2 mini-games that i'm going to put up as soon as I renew Gold for Murdock Sampson. I also have a few other good ideas, I'm just waiting for Sandbox. In the meantime I might cook something up for Foundry or even one of the other maps.


Also for the skin thing, why isn't black-ice the default. That's at least more interesting while you're trying to come up with a new skin (I might be able to help btw if I get back into GIMP. But i don't have any idea for how it'd look... that's not my area of expertise).

[Shell]

I believe that the Maps section should be ordered like so:


Halo 3 Maps

Hardcore

MLG

Casual

Infection
Remakes

Amusement

Racing
Mini-Games
Aesthetic




It includes all of the most used gametypes and map ideas, allowing for room for every map.

[Denominator]

I believe that the Maps section should be ordered like so:


Halo 3 Maps

Hardcore

MLG

Casual

Infection
Remakes

Amusement

Racing
Mini-Games
Aesthetic




It includes all of the most used gametypes and map ideas, allowing for room for every map.

Except for average, normal, everyday maps. You need a section something like "Online Playable Maps".

[PsychoBucket]

Except for average, normal, everyday maps. You need a section something like "Online Playable Maps".

Also there is no point in having a Hardcore category, if you only have MLG in it. You might as well just make it MLG

[WoozyJoJo]

Except for average, normal, everyday maps. You need a section something like "Online Playable Maps".
Come on Denominator, we all know no one does that anymore.

[Murdock Sampson]

I believe that the Maps section should be ordered like so:


Halo 3 Maps

Hardcore

MLG


Casual

Infection
Remakes


Amusement

Racing
Mini-Games
Aesthetic






It includes all of the most used gametypes and map ideas, allowing for room for every map.

This sounds like a pretty good idea.


Except for average, normal, everyday maps. You need a section something like "Online Playable Maps".
Also there is no point in having a Hardcore category, if you only have MLG in it. You might as well just make it MLG

I think what you guys don't understand that you don't HAVE to go into subcategories, you can post in the main categories.

And perhaps there won't even be sub-folders at all, just tags (like [SUGGESTION] in Suggestions and Tech) to add to the thread title.

MLG has specific rules. For competitive maps that make use of CTF, Assault, KotH, or even just Slayer, but don't follow MLG rules, would just fall under the category of "Hardcore".

Regular maps would go into the main category "Casual."

[Null Parameter]

I personally think this is getting too confusing again.

I wouldn't ever put The Quad (http://xforgery.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123), for instance, in a section labeled Hardcore, because I don't see it as fitting into that type of setting, but I also definitely wouldn't put it in Casual.

For the most part, I think we should stick to a flat layout, similar to what Morphine suggested. Unless somebody can give a good argument as to why a tree structure is better?

But remember, we are trying to make the map section more accessible. By leaving it at a flat level, users can see all available forums from the front page, but if we have a tree they will have to navigate into each section separately to view all of them.

Examples (Bolded forums are visible on frontpage):

Flat


Competitive
Mini-Game
Racing
Infection

Aesthetic
MLG

Tree


Hardcore

MLG

Casual

Infection
Remakes

Amusement

Racing
Mini-Games
Aesthetic




Not only that, but most people (because of FH and other forging sites) are used to seeing the "Competitive" section for the more standard type maps, and sadly, we need to appeal to the masses, because that's what we need; our current, non-mass-appealing structure apparently doesn't go over extremely well with everybody.


Sorry guys, I know I put in a lot to read in each of my posts, but I appreciate those who do read it all. I just want to make sure that we are making the right decisions on all fronts.

[Denominator]

We already have tags on maps that work with the map search function, which is what really sets us apart from other forging sites.

So I think we should just have one big map section, listed by date submitted (most recent at the top, like posts), and then emphasize the map search function to aid in finding maps.

[Null Parameter]

We already have tags on maps that work with the map search function, which is what really sets us apart from other forging sites.

So I think we should just have one big map section, listed by date submitted (most recent at the top, like posts), and then emphasize the map search function to aid in finding maps.
While it's a nice thought, and probably the right one, I don't think most people will go for that. Now, if I can get my current project off of the ground, I might be more apt to agree with you.

I'm attempting to make a search where you put in your search criteria, similar to the current search (http://www.xforgery.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=59), but now the search results will instead appear directly below the search form, so you can just change your search criteria and search again, without having to ever leave the page.

Sadly, this isn't going as smoothly as I'd have hoped. It's an odd blending of vBulletin code, PHP, HTML, Javascript and AJAX, some of which I'm not overly experienced with.

So, sadly, we'll probably still have to section off the maps.

[Morphine]

I'd make it with a few subcategories:


Hardcore (sound better than competitive, yet may turn newby yet competitive players off)

MLG


Casual

Racing
Infection


Fun (really I have no idea what to name this category, but the sub-categories fit together so well...)

Aesthetic
Mini-Games


I don't think the name hardcore really works. For those non halo 2 players out there, 'hardcore' was once the name of the unofficial MLG style of play therefore might be kind of confusing to some veterans. As null said before, we already had problems with trying to over categorize aspects of the map making. It would probably be best if we kept it as 6 straight forward catagories.

[Denominator]

I don't think the name hardcore really works. For those non halo 2 players out there, 'hardcore' was once the name of the unofficial MLG style of play therefore might be kind of confusing to some veterans. As null said before, we already had problems with trying to over categorize aspects of the map making. It would probably be best if we kept it as 6 straight forward catagories.

I think we need to keep it even simpler. The subcategories even get too confusing.

The "hardcore" section is overkill, as, in my experience, any hardcore map works as a normal map too. So the map search would pick those maps up but you don't need to categorize them.

I think the biggest and easiest way to divide the maps is like this:


Non-Specific Gametype

MLG
Normal

Specific Gametype

Infection
Remakes
Racing
Mini-Games
Aesthetic




Now, if you want to go and download an average map, you can go there, or if you want to play a mini-game, you know immediately that it has a Gametype to be downloaded as well.

It also gives us a black and white rule immediately, which will aid in sorting the maps properly.

[Denominator]

Sorry for the double post, but I just thought of this.

We should have a "maps" button on the top bar. I'd put it beside "forum". That way you can come to the site and immediately jump to all the maps that XForgery has produced.

[Morphine]

I think we need to keep it even simpler. The subcategories even get too confusing.

I think the biggest and easiest way to divide the maps is like this:


Non-Specific Gametype

MLG
Normal


Specific Gametype

Infection
Remakes
Racing
Mini-Games
Aesthetic


If you think the subcategories are confusing why did you use them? I agree that they aren't necessary, which is why I think we should just list them as featured and community then split them by the 6 'flat' categories I had previously suggested. When I go to download a map, the first question I ask myself isn't, 'am I looking for a specific gametype or not?'. Not to mention most aesthetic maps allow you to play on them with mostly any gametype.

[Null Parameter]

I think we need to keep it even simpler. The subcategories even get too confusing.

The "hardcore" section is overkill, as, in my experience, any hardcore map works as a normal map too. So the map search would pick those maps up but you don't need to categorize them.

I think the biggest and easiest way to divide the maps is like this:


Non-Specific Gametype

MLG
Normal


Specific Gametype

Infection
Remakes
Racing
Mini-Games
Aesthetic




Now, if you want to go and download an average map, you can go there, or if you want to play a mini-game, you know immediately that it has a Gametype to be downloaded as well.

It also gives us a black and white rule immediately, which will aid in sorting the maps properly.
If you think about it, you are basically just getting back to the whole Competitive & Casual setup now. And with this setup, only those two categories will be viewable from the front page, which I'm not sure is ideal for accessibility.

I personally don't think that having the different categories listed separately is confusing at all, because they are exactly what they say they are, there really isn't any crossover.

Theoretically, we could still subdivide the categories if we wanted to.



Competitive

MLG

Mini-Games

Racing

Infection
Remakes
Aesthetic

This would make it less cumbersome to the front page, yet also provide some depth.

We should have a "maps" button on the top bar. I'd put it beside "forum". That way you can come to the site and immediately jump to all the maps that XForgery has produced.
This is easily doable, but we'll need to decide how we want it to work.

Do we want just a single Maps button that will bring you to the Halo 3 Maps Forum, or do we want a drop-down menu of all of the available subcategories (i.e. Competitive, Aesthetic, Infection, Etc....)?

Also, I'm going to need somebody with GFX ability to make a button for it on Blak-Ice/Fire. I have a PSD template for the buttons, but somebody will need to add the text and such.

[Denominator]

[/LIST]
[/LIST]
If you think the subcategories are confusing why did you use them? I agree that they aren't necessary, which is why I think we should just list them as featured and community then split them by the 6 'flat' categories I had previously suggested. When I go to download a map, the first question I ask myself isn't, 'am I looking for a specific gametype or not?'. Not to mention most aesthetic maps allow you to play on them with mostly any gametype.

I used them simply to show where they would go, if we were to use them. I think it would be better just to have the 2 categories and then tag all the threads with the game variants.

If you think about it, you are basically just getting back to the whole Competitive & Casual setup now. And with this setup, only those two categories will be viewable from the front page, which I'm not sure is ideal for accessibility.

Yeah, it comes back to Competitive vs Casual, but without all the connotations carried in those two words. I wanted only 2 categories so that when you look at the maps section to post a map, right away you go "Does my map have a gametype or not?" It's a simple yes/no answer as opposed to having to find the right subforum.


Theoretically, we could still subdivide the categories if we wanted to.



Competitive

MLG

Mini-Games

Racing

Infection
Remakes
Aesthetic

This would make it less cumbersome to the front page, yet also provide some depth.

This would work, provided all the subforums don't appear on the main page. I'm not a fan of the number of subforums currently listed on the main page.


Do we want just a single Maps button that will bring you to the Halo 3 Maps Forum, or do we want a drop-down menu of all of the available subcategories (i.e. Competitive, Aesthetic, Infection, Etc....)?

I say drop-down menu. And I was actually originally thinking the single button would go to map search with a default search pre-entered that brings up all the maps. Then it's simple to search from there, or all the maps are immediately listed.

[Null Parameter]

Yeah, it comes back to Competitive vs Casual, but without all the connotations carried in those two words. I wanted only 2 categories so that when you look at the maps section to post a map, right away you go "Does my map have a gametype or not?" It's a simple yes/no answer as opposed to having to find the right subforum.
With our current map submission system though, you would only pick one of the categories, no matter what, because there is only 1 form. You wouldn't ever have to ask yourself if you had a gametype or not when posting your map, you just choose one of the categories (Aesthetic, Infection, Competitive, etc....).

Also, I personally find the Gametype vs No Gametype confusing without an explanation behind it, which I have a feeling would be a general consensus from new people.

This would work, provided all the subforums don't appear on the main page. I'm not a fan of the number of subforums currently listed on the main page.
I'm pretty sure that I, and I think other people as well, were looking to have a higher number of subforums on the main page, to have them more easily accessible.

What's the point in first having to go to "Casual" or "Gametype" if I know that I want to go see "Infection"?

I say drop-down menu. And I was actually originally thinking the single button would go to map search with a default search pre-entered that brings up all the maps. Then it's simple to search from there, or all the maps are immediately listed.
Either one works for me, and both are theoretically possible. I just need people to agree on which it should be.


I spoke earlier about a new Map Search, and this is slowly coming along, rather nicely if I do say so myself. All of the search results are loaded dynamically and placed right onto the Search page, so you never have to navigate away from the search page. I'll hopefully have a demo on the Beta Style sometime soon.

[Murdock Sampson]

First off, I want to point out that the map submission should be easiest for new users trying to find maps. Not members who want to post maps.

Subcategories can be confusing if not immediately visible. And if visible, it kind of clutters. I think there should be tags that you can use instead of separate subcategories. That pops out a lot easier.

And the categories should probably be something like:


Competitive (Thread Tags: [MLG])
Casual (Tags: [Infection], [Racing])
Mini-Game
Aesthetic


I am in no way organized. So I'm not saying it should be those. Just like that.

I'm pretty sure that I, and I think other people as well, were looking to have a higher number of subforums on the main page, to have them more easily accessible.

Or no subforums at all would make it REALLY easy.


What's the point in first having to go to "Casual" or "Gametype" if I know that I want to go see "Infection"?

Maybe having the thread tags inside the forum titles, like: Competitive (MLG)


Either one works for me, and both are theoretically possible. I just need people to agree on which it should be.

Drop down sounds best I think. It shows people whats there quickly.


I spoke earlier about a new Map Search, and this is slowly coming along, rather nicely if I do say so myself. All of the search results are loaded dynamically and placed right onto the Search page, so you never have to navigate away from the search page. I'll hopefully have a demo on the Beta Style sometime soon.
This is why we love you.

[PsychoBucket]

Competitive (Thread Tags: [MLG])
Casual (Tags: [Infection], [Racing])
Mini-Game
Aesthetic




You should not have a category unless you can have at least 2 sub categories. Maybe MLG and Non-MLG, if you really want "Competitive". I think you should remove competive and just move MLG to a main category. A new person might come in here and say, "OMG my Infection map r SO Competitve not Casual!!! !!! Where r i gonna put z map?"

[Null Parameter]

You should not have a category unless you can have at least 2 sub categories. Maybe MLG and Non-MLG, if you really want "Competitive". I think you should remove competive and just move MLG to a main category. A new person might come in here and say, "OMG my Infection map r SO Competitve not Casual!!! !!! Where r i gonna put z map?"
This is the reason for the separate forums for categories like Infection. Then there is really no way to mistake where maps like that would go.


This is why we love you.
:wub:;)


I think that the Prefix idea could theoretically work, the question being that we (or at least I) had talked about using the Prefixes to carry on the Map Pack separation we had already started.

Example:

[Heroic Map Pack] My Awesome Infection Map

[Morphine]

And the categories should probably be something like:


Competitive (Thread Tags: [MLG])
Casual (Tags: [Infection], [Racing])
Mini-Game
Aesthetic


[/quote]

I think this might work, rather than subcategories it might just be better if the forums are more general and have tags. Another tag that should be added though is [puzzle] in minigames.

[PsychoBucket]

I have another idea, but it might be to much to do. I think we should change the review scores. I think that each map category (when we figure out what they will be) should have a different point scale, and each section in the category have a different value.

For example, This could be for Mini-Games

Gameplay: ?/40
Creativity: ?/30
Replayability: ?/20
Aesthetics: ?/10
Overall

Aesthetics

Aesthetics: ?/60
Creativity: ?/30
Gameplay: ?/5
Replayability: ?/5

Regular Maps

Gameplay: ?/30
Creativity: ?/25
Replayability: ?/25
Aesthetics: ?/20
Overall

I think that the numbers should be gathered base on a percentage. For example, the review team could give 85% for creativity. That 85% would then be converted into the number of points for that category. Then all the categories would be added up for the Overall score because the categories should not be equal.

You could keep the 5 star graphic. You would just need to change the thing that says the number of stars (when your mouse is over it) to say the percent.

You could use this for the graphic:

00.00% - 04.99% = 0.0 Stars
05.00% - 14.99% = 0.5 Stars
15.00% - 24.99% = 1.0 Stars
25.00% - 34.99% = 1.5 Stars
35.00% - 44.99% = 2.0 Stars
45.00% - 54.99% = 2.5 Stars
55.00% - 64.99% = 3.0 Stars
65.00% - 74.99% = 3.5 Stars
75.00% - 84.99% = 4.0 Stars
85.00% - 94.99% = 4.5 Stars
95.00% - 100.00% = 5.0 Stars

This would require you to re-score all the maps or lock in the maps that have been judged already. This is just an idea. I know it probably won't happen.

[Null Parameter]

I think this might work, rather than subcategories it might just be better if the forums are more general and have tags. Another tag that should be added though is [puzzle] in minigames.
There are a few things to think about here.......


This is moving closer and closer to exactly what Forgehub has. Do we really want to define ourselves as "another copy"?
Again this leads to the question of who says people won't go looking in Competitive for Infection maps, because that's how they see them. When they don't find any, do they assume that they are in Casual or that we don't have any?
I technically don't know how to add Prefixes to the threads via the form, so to figure it out, I might need a fair bit longer to figure it all out.

[Null Parameter]

I have another idea, but it might be to much to do. I think we should change the review scores. I think that each map category (when we figure out what they will be) should have a different point scale, and each section in the category have a different value.
........
I love this idea, and I know that other people on the Review Team would like it too. But until we get the Review Team up and moving again, it is at the bottom of the list.

[Morphine]

There are a few things to think about here.......


This is moving closer and closer to exactly what Forgehub has. Do we really want to define ourselves as "another copy"?



I personally don't think the one thing that is defining us as a different community is how we organize our maps.

[PsychoBucket]

This is moving closer and closer to exactly what Forgehub has. Do we really want to define ourselves as "another copy"?


I don't think we should have competitive or casual. They can be based off of opinion. Also, without those we won't have it set up like forgehub.

[Null Parameter]

I personally don't think the one thing that is defining us as a different community is how we organize our maps.
While I agree that how our map forums are structured shouldn't define who we are, I'd hate to give the people who do seek to keep us down any more ammunition than they already have. Plus, why not try something different and shed a new light on the idea of map organization; it might be a breath of fresh air if we pull it off correctly.

I don't think we should have competitive or casual. They can be based off of opinion. Also, without those we won't have it set up like forgehub.

Just for reference, here is FH's forum structure (with prefixes afterwards)


Competitive ([Pre-DLC], [Heroic DLC], [Legendary DLC], [Mythic DLC], [Conquest], [Foundry], [Non-Foundry], [Sandbox])
MLG
Casual ([Infection])
Racing
Mini-games ([Puzzle])
Aesthetic ([Switch])

Personally,


Competitive (Thread Tags: [MLG])
Casual (Tags: [Infection], [Racing])
Mini-Game
Aesthetic

Is pretty dang close to exactly the same thing, except they have MLG and Racing extracted as different forums.

Like PsychoBucket said, I think we should stick away from the Competitive/Casual layout. I understand having Competitive, because that's what people know, and it makes sense in most situations.

The Casual field just makes it too ambiguous when it comes to normal maps, which is why I think that having the separate forums for Infection and Racing and such to work out well.

[PsychoBucket]

Why would they have Foundry, Non-Foundry, and Sandbox? All 3 could fit into a different category.

Edit: Post # 11,111 - Cipe Niw!

[Null Parameter]

Why would they have Foundry, Non-Foundry, and Sandbox? All 3 could fit into a different category.
They literally just added the Map Pack Prefixes a week ago (probably to copy our Map Pack Separation ;)). So, they are probably keeping the Foundry and Non-Foundry Prefixes to be consistent, and added Sandbox because, like Foundry, people will be looking to find maps built on the new amazing forging map.

[Null Parameter]

So, I was a having a conversation with an unnamed individual (http://www.xforgery.com/forum/member.php?u=108) the other day, and through a random series of events and discussions, we came across an interesting thought.

No matter what we do, in one way or another, people are going to look at Forgery as a FH knockoff. There are always going to be those people who see us as the lesser being, whether they are correct or not.

We decided that in order to thrive as a community, Forgery needs to find it's niche and it needs to be just that; a Community.

A lot of sites, like Forgehub, are looked at as Aristocratic, which leads to many disputes about whether this person or that map was treated unjustly. Not to mention the many other issues that arise when it comes to overuse of power.


What would you guys think if we edged Forgery into the niche of actually being Community Based? We won't have Staff Picked Featured Maps, but rather Community Voted Favorites. We won't have overly strict rules in our General Discussion sections (not that we do now), so the community has more free reign over what happens and how it happens.* Want to see a new feature or rule? Get community support for it, and it is yours (within reason, of course).

Forgery would be more of a Democracy than a Dictatorship. This would put far more power into your hands, and the hands of all future members that want to see their favorite maps highlighted, instead of those from the top of a skewed pile.


I think this would work out well in two ways.


It will help our community excel by giving you guys what you want.
It will be an extreme advertising tool, because a lot of people are fed up with aristocratic nature of other sites.


Thoughts? Suggestions? Ideas?

*Naturally, some order and rules will have to be kept in place besides those that the community selects, to stop this from becoming anarchy, but you get the point.

[PsychoBucket]

I have an Evil Plan! Mwuahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha . . cough . . choke . . cough . . haha!

There seems to be many ways to organize the maps, and there is no best way everyone can agree on. So, let’s do none!!! (Yes, with three exclamation points)

These should be the 2 categories.

1 = Map Search
2 = Submit A Map

Then you can put all the maps in the same forum (or organize it any way) that only the admins can see. Then everyone would be happy because you can organize it any way you want through map search.

You would also have to add more to the search feature.
Search all maps(maybe above the regular search options).
Search by date( Start date - End date)
Search by DLC (in Canvas below the normal maps)

[PsychoBucket]

So, I was a having a conversation with an unnamed individual (http://www.xforgery.com/forum/member.php?u=108) the other day, and through a random series of events and discussions, we came across an interesting thought.

No matter what we do, in one way or another, people are going to look at Forgery as a FH knockoff. There are always going to be those people who see us as the lesser being, whether they are correct or not.

We decided that in order to thrive as a community, Forgery needs to find it's niche and it needs to be just that; a Community.

A lot of sites, like Forgehub, are looked at as Aristocratic, which leads to many disputes about whether this person or that map was treated unjustly. Not to mention the many other issues that arise when it comes to overuse of power.


What would you guys think if we edged Forgery into the niche of actually being Community Based? We won't have Staff Picked Featured Maps, but rather Community Voted Favorites. We won't have overly strict rules in our General Discussion sections (not that we do now), so the community has more free reign over what happens and how it happens.* Want to see a new feature or rule? Get community support for it, and it is yours (within reason, of course).

Forgery would be more of a Democracy than a Dictatorship. This would put far more power into your hands, and the hands of all future members that want to see their favorite maps highlighted, instead of those from the top of a skewed pile.


I think this would work out well in two ways.


It will help our community excel by giving you guys what you want.
It will be an extreme advertising tool, because a lot of people are fed up with aristocratic nature of other sites.


Thoughts? Suggestions? Ideas?

*Naturally, some order and rules will have to be kept in place besides those that the community selects, to stop this from becoming anarchy, but you get the point.

Well, this whole thread shows that we are more Community based!

[Null Parameter]

These should be the 2 categories.

1 = Map Search
2 = Submit A Map

Then you can put all the maps in the same forum (or organize it any way) that only the admins can see. Then everyone would be happy because you can organize it any way you want through map search.

You would also have to add more to the search feature.
Search all maps(maybe above the regular search options).
Search by date( Start date - End date)
Search by DLC (in Canvas below the normal maps)
This is what Denominator was getting at before, I do believe. We have the map search, and I am highly improving the capabilities of it, so we should accent what we have. But even then, I think that a lot of people would still like the forum feel for browsing maps.

Well, this whole thread shows that we are more Community based!
I completely agree with you, which means it would be an easy step to make it a full blown thing. Then we can use that as an advertisement tool, saying "Hey Check Us Out! You actually get your voice heard over here!".

[PsychoBucket]

This is what Denominator was getting at before, I do believe. We have the map search, and I am highly improving the capabilities of it, so we should accent what we have. But even then, I think that a lot of people would still like the forum feel for browsing maps.


When you search for a map it brings you to a search forum, so it will sill have the forum feel. This would emphasize how great the map search is. It is more evolved then the normal map forums and will set us apart from other forging sites. We can't hold ourselves back just because forgehub does it differently. I have a feeling that if we do this, other forge sites will want to do it also. The problem is that they probably don't have a super coder like we do! ;)

For this to work we would have to hide the actual forum from everyone but the admins and maybe review staff.

[Null Parameter]

For this to work we would have to hide the actual forum from everyone but the admins and maybe review staff.
That part is easy.

When you search for a map it brings you to a search forum, so it will sill have the forum feel. This would emphasize how great the map search is. It is more evolved then the normal map forums and will set us apart from other forging sites. We can't hold ourselves back just because forgehub does it differently. I have a feeling that if we do this, other forge sites will want to do it also. The problem is that they probably don't have a super coder like we do! ;)
I'm all for this, if other people think it is actually a good idea. All I know is that if we want to pull this off, we need to do it flawlessly, so I will need people's help in designing everything. First though, I want to make sure that everyone thinks this is a good idea.

[PsychoBucket]

That part is easy.


Oh yah, you also need keep the actual map in the Latest Posts on the top 5 stats. I know for the supporter status forum (do we even have that anymore?), you need to have access to that board for it to appear in the top 5 stats.

I thought of a problem we could have if we set it up like this. Eventually the latest posts section will become obsolete. Now you can find the whole days worth of posts there, but when we get more active people, you will need to go into the forums to look at the new posts. If we set up the map forum with only a map search, we would not be able to do that. To fix that we would need to have a search all, which would be sorted by last post.

[Null Parameter]

Oh yah, you also need keep the actual map in the Latest Posts on the top 5 stats. I know for the supporter status forum (do we even have that anymore?), you need to have access to that board for it to appear in the top 5 stats.
Yep, I don't think that will be a problem, we can easily hide forums from being displayed, but they should still show up in the Top 5 Stats.

And yes, the Supporter Forum is still there. Let me know if, for some reason, you can't see it.

I thought of a problem we could have if we set it up like this. Eventually the latest posts section will become obsolete. Now you can find the whole days worth of posts there, but when we get more active people, you will need to go into the forums to look at the new posts. If we set up the map forum with only a map search, we would not be able to do that. To fix that we would need to have a search all, which would be sorted by last post.
You bring up a good point. It will be incredibly difficult to just browse the map forums and find maps you have already posted in, especially if you want to just go back to continue a conversation with somebody about the map.

One thing we could do is just offer both interfaces; then we have the best of both worlds.

We can advertise saying, "Hey, come check out our unique map browsing interface!", but also tell them, "If you'd prefer plain old forums, here are those as well.".

I'm sure it would end up getting people to utilize both areas, just under different circumstances.




And now........... for all of you to enjoy...........
I added a Map Search link to the Navbar in the Beta Style.
Don't get too excited, it only allows searching by User Name right now; but it will give you a damn good idea of what is in store for it later, as almost everything else is complete as far as background processing goes.

[Denominator]

Yeah, this is pretty much what I was getting at.

If we have the map search working, there's no need to have the forums at all. The forums currently sort the maps so we can find them, but they'll be no need to do that once we can find them via map search.

When you can search for a map there will be no reason to use the subforums.

All the maps go into one big database that is searched from. Then you can still have the top 5 newest maps there, and tag everything so it shows up in the map search in the proper section.

[Morphine]

Yeah, this is pretty much what I was getting at.

If we have the map search working, there's no need to have the forums at all. The forums currently sort the maps so we can find them, but they'll be no need to do that once we can find them via map search.

When you can search for a map there will be no reason to use the subforums.

All the maps go into one big database that is searched from. Then you can still have the top 5 newest maps there, and tag everything so it shows up in the map search in the proper section.

Yeah, I think if we indeed want to do something different yet logical the master list of maps might be the way to go. That way we can just pick primary tags for our maps to be sorted under such as:

[Completive]
[MLG]
[MiniGame]
[Racing]
[Puzzle]
[Switch]
[Aesthetic]
[Infection]

This way a map could essentially be a mix of multiple categories and would show up under both searches/category sorting. But in this case you would need a map search/sort functionality that would sit above the maps list.

[Null Parameter]

Yeah, I think if we indeed want to do something different yet logical the master list of maps might be the way to go. That way we can just pick primary tags for our maps to be sorted under such as:

[Completive]
[MLG]
[MiniGame]
[Racing]
[Puzzle]
[Switch]
[Aesthetic]
[Infection]

This way a map could essentially be a mix of multiple categories and would show up under both searches/category sorting. But in this case you would need a map search/sort functionality that would sit above the maps list.
The thing with the Prefixes, which is what the [] things are, is that each map can only have one. So we can't have maps show up under multiple categories in that way.

But, from what it sounds like, you are saying that we would have 1 Master List of maps, so basically one forum (at least from the eyes of the user). But, above the forum we have search/sort functionality, so that the user can find what they want from within the giant list of maps?

If what I assumed is correct.......... how is that not exactly what the Map Search is? Having only the Map Search available to people would basically be having only one "forum" and allowing them to Search/Sort it at will.

[PsychoBucket]

Hmmm . . . the picture shrunk, but I still think you can tell what it is. The area in the red box is a huge waste of space.
http://img382.imageshack.us/img382/2447/87015237kb0.png

I think there should be more information about the map there. For example, Canvas, map size, # of players supported, gametypes, and a short description. Those probably won't all fit, but it would help to give more information about the map before going into the thread about it.

[Null Parameter]

Hmmm . . . the picture shrunk, but I still think you can tell what it is. The area in the red box is a huge waste of space.
http://img382.imageshack.us/img382/2447/87015237kb0.png

I think there should be more information about the map there. For example, Canvas, map size, # of players supported, gametypes, and a short description. Those probably won't all fit, but it would help to give more information about the map before going into the thread about it.
Fix'd! ;)

You jumped ahead of me, I already had plans to do that. I won't really be able to do it in the actual forum, but on the search results I can do anything.

[PsychoBucket]

but on the search results I can do anything.

Can you send me ten million dollars?

[Null Parameter]

Can you send me ten million dollars?
Yep! I now have it configured to send you this image (http://happywilson.com/images/ten_millon_l7qd.bmp) every time somebody does a search. ;)

[Shell]

So, I was a having a conversation with an unnamed individual (http://www.xforgery.com/forum/member.php?u=108) the other day, and through a random series of events and discussions, we came across an interesting thought.

No matter what we do, in one way or another, people are going to look at Forgery as a FH knockoff. There are always going to be those people who see us as the lesser being, whether they are correct or not.

We decided that in order to thrive as a community, Forgery needs to find it's niche and it needs to be just that; a Community.

A lot of sites, like Forgehub, are looked at as Aristocratic, which leads to many disputes about whether this person or that map was treated unjustly. Not to mention the many other issues that arise when it comes to overuse of power.


What would you guys think if we edged Forgery into the niche of actually being Community Based? We won't have Staff Picked Featured Maps, but rather Community Voted Favorites. We won't have overly strict rules in our General Discussion sections (not that we do now), so the community has more free reign over what happens and how it happens.* Want to see a new feature or rule? Get community support for it, and it is yours (within reason, of course).

Forgery would be more of a Democracy than a Dictatorship. This would put far more power into your hands, and the hands of all future members that want to see their favorite maps highlighted, instead of those from the top of a skewed pile.


I think this would work out well in two ways.


It will help our community excel by giving you guys what you want.
It will be an extreme advertising tool, because a lot of people are fed up with aristocratic nature of other sites.


Thoughts? Suggestions? Ideas?

*Naturally, some order and rules will have to be kept in place besides those that the community selects, to stop this from becoming anarchy, but you get the point.

...

This must be done. Now.

[Null Parameter]

This must be done. Now.
Anybody else agree with this?

[CostlyAxis]

Anybody else agree with this?
But aren't we like that already? Besides featured maps, everything else has always been up for discussion.

[Murdock Sampson]

I love this idea, and I know that other people on the Review Team would like it too. But until we get the Review Team up and moving again, it is at the bottom of the list.

I'd be willing to do reviews, if it's any help.


So, I was a having a conversation with an unnamed individual (http://www.xforgery.com/forum/member.php?u=108) the other day, and through a random series of events and discussions, we came across an interesting thought.

No matter what we do, in one way or another, people are going to look at Forgery as a FH knockoff. There are always going to be those people who see us as the lesser being, whether they are correct or not.

We decided that in order to thrive as a community, Forgery needs to find it's niche and it needs to be just that; a Community.

A lot of sites, like Forgehub, are looked at as Aristocratic, which leads to many disputes about whether this person or that map was treated unjustly. Not to mention the many other issues that arise when it comes to overuse of power.


What would you guys think if we edged Forgery into the niche of actually being Community Based? We won't have Staff Picked Featured Maps, but rather Community Voted Favorites. We won't have overly strict rules in our General Discussion sections (not that we do now), so the community has more free reign over what happens and how it happens.* Want to see a new feature or rule? Get community support for it, and it is yours (within reason, of course).

Forgery would be more of a Democracy than a Dictatorship. This would put far more power into your hands, and the hands of all future members that want to see their favorite maps highlighted, instead of those from the top of a skewed pile.


I think this would work out well in two ways.


It will help our community excel by giving you guys what you want.
It will be an extreme advertising tool, because a lot of people are fed up with aristocratic nature of other sites.


Thoughts? Suggestions? Ideas?

*Naturally, some order and rules will have to be kept in place besides those that the community selects, to stop this from becoming anarchy, but you get the point.

I agree that we already do this, but if we maximized it then it'd be easier to point out.

Anybody else agree with this?

I do.
-----------
Hey so on a side note a good idea on how to get more people on the site would be to get a really good clan, video series, map (or anything that people can easily find on other sites that they'd want to publicize) associated with this site. I mean if one of us had come up with "Halo 3 MythBusters", for example, and said "BTW, visit XForgery" then it'd be quite the visitor-magnet.

Of course my ideas always have a catch. This one is quite obvious, which is we need to create said brilliant clan/video series/map. Sorry.

[Denominator]

I'd be willing to do reviews, if it's any help.

Morphine and I are currently working to get the Review Team back on its feet and running fully. We figured it would be best if we moved the forums forward and the reviews at the same time so that everything transitions forward in sync nicely.

We're also running into a second problem - nobody is posting maps! There have been only 4 new maps posted in February so far. That means a monthly output of maps of less than 10. For a community with these numbers:

*15 members who are on almost daily
*25 or so members who are on weekly or so (including group above)
*30-40 who come monthly

That is pathetic. That's saying that each active member posts one map every two months. Of those 4 maps, one was posted by a Master Reviewer, one was posted by somebody who comes monthly, and the other two by a new member.

So I think everybody needs to stop and think "What am I contributing to this community?"

If we're going to do a community based system, then we need to have the entire community contributing. And since we're a community based on forging, then the best way EVERYBODY can contribute is by forging.

[Murdock Sampson]

That is pathetic. That's saying that each active member posts one map every two months. Of those 4 maps, one was posted by a Master Reviewer, one was posted by somebody who comes monthly, and the other two by a new member.

So I think everybody needs to stop and think "What am I contributing to this community?"

If we're going to do a community based system, then we need to have the entire community contributing. And since we're a community based on forging, then the best way EVERYBODY can contribute is by forging.

Yeah. I have too maps at like 90%. Problem is Murdock Sampson has no gold, so I can't change my File Share, and we can't playtest them. I should have gold by the end of the week. We can playtest them sometime this or next week, and then you can have 2 new maps in about a week and a half. :D

[RightSideTheory]

Sorry if this seems like a simple idea, but why not include a shoutbox?

That wouldn't really draw new members, but it takes away from spam as members can just shout out there random crap there, and it makes it easier to communicate with other members.

[Null Parameter]

Because a shoutbox is the biggest hit to server load you can take, and we can't afford $100/month like FH can for a server, and we aren't about to add all of the ads required to actually get that much.

[RightSideTheory]

Because a shoutbox is the biggest hit to server load you can take, and we can't afford $100/month like FH can for a server, and we aren't about to add all of the ads required to actually get that much.

Sorry, it was just an idea. I didn't think it would cost a lot more to add it in, I was just throwing out my 2 cents.

[Null Parameter]

Sorry, it was just an idea. I didn't think it would cost a lot more to add it in, I was just throwing out my 2 cents.
Sorry, I didn't mean to come off as hostile at all. It is a very great idea, and one we've discussed at great lengths before. Especially if we are going to be getting a large increase in users, I don't think our $5/month server can take it.

[CostlyAxis]

Sorry, I didn't mean to come off as hostile at all. It is a very great idea, and one we've discussed at great lengths before. Especially if we are going to be getting a large increase in users, I don't think our $5/month server can take it.
What about making the IRC chat thing more known (http://www.xforgery.com/forum/misc.php?do=startircchat)? It's rarely used, but it can be a temporary solution. Right?

[Null Parameter]

What about making the IRC chat thing more known (http://www.xforgery.com/forum/misc.php?do=startircchat)? It's rarely used, but it can be a temporary solution. Right?
I've actually wanted to take that out for a very long time, but Thomas wanted it available. IRC is hard to do because you have to keep up a separate window, and we'd need somebody there to moderate at all times, which isn't feasible, and I don't know how to moderate IRC anyway.

[GodlyPerfection]

Alright I'm going to send you a HUGE message in about an hour or two Null...

As for the shoutbox thing... we will be able to afford it, what people don't know is I can fund things like that, I donate to friends and what not all the time, if we need a $100/month server it's really not that hard... but I'm gonna finish that message and help with some changes before we start setting up huge things like that.

I agree with RST (not because we are friends... lol). A shoutbox removes ALOT of clutter from forums in general and the cost for it is worth what we would get in return... FH is no longer a community like it was... it used to be good... now it is a fan site. When I finish that message Null I'm sure we can get ALOT done to this site to both set it apart from FH and improve on what FH had started at the same time...

Oh and IRC is a waste of space, it is hardly used at FH and they have TONS of members... I agree with just removing it...

[PsychoBucket]

I agree with RST (not because we are friends... lol). A shoutbox removes ALOT of clutter from forums in general and the cost for it is worth what we would get in return... FH is no longer a community like it was... it used to be good... now it is a fan site. When I finish that message Null I'm sure we can get ALOT done to this site to both set it apart from FH and improve on what FH had started at the same time...


I think we should hold off on a shoutbox for that same reason. If all of our chat went into a shoutbox, our forums would be a dead zone. I think we should wait until we get at least double the active members we have.

[Murdock Sampson]

Yeah... but i think that the size has been increasing pretty quickly recently.

[GodlyPerfection]

That and I can double the members pretty quickly... I mean, you can't really sign up for events, post maps, or stuff like that with a shoutbox... lol

[Null Parameter]

That and I can double the members pretty quickly... I mean, you can't really sign up for events, post maps, or stuff like that with a shoutbox... lol
What he's getting at is that right now, a lot of our Core Members have slowly migrated away from Halo, so this has also become a haven for random banter. Therefore, a majority of our posts at the moment are the stuff you'd find in a shoutbox.

[GodlyPerfection]

I get what you are getting at... well the forums will act as a sort of thing were you can have a record of the crazy stuff that you guys talk about... and plus with the release of the mythic map pack, there will be alot more Halo involvement...

[Defiance]

I'm coming back and being active again.
My internet has been on the frits and my computer had to get sent in twice but now im back for good :D

[Thomas]

Alright I'm going to send you a HUGE message in about an hour or two Null...

As for the shoutbox thing... we will be able to afford it, what people don't know is I can fund things like that, I donate to friends and what not all the time, if we need a $100/month server it's really not that hard... but I'm gonna finish that message and help with some changes before we start setting up huge things like that.

I agree with RST (not because we are friends... lol). A shoutbox removes ALOT of clutter from forums in general and the cost for it is worth what we would get in return... FH is no longer a community like it was... it used to be good... now it is a fan site. When I finish that message Null I'm sure we can get ALOT done to this site to both set it apart from FH and improve on what FH had started at the same time...

Oh and IRC is a waste of space, it is hardly used at FH and they have TONS of members... I agree with just removing it...

Well, the IRC issue is pretty much resolved. <3 you AZN. You'll all know what I mean in a couple dayz.

[Null Parameter]

I think that we have all of the huge updates we need for now.

For other, smaller things, make a new thread. ;P

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