Reorganising the forums

Post by **Gambit37** » Wed Oct 19, 2005 2:26 am

I'd like to reorganise the forums a bit:

1) Either create a new Custom Dungeons forum in the RTC category and move all RTC custom dungeon threads to there, OR create a whole new Custom Dungeons category with sub forums for each engine.

2) Create a General Gaming forum in the General category: we're getting a lot of games chat whcih I think would be useful all in one place.

This is your place as much as mine and I won't make changes if consensus says no. However, I think things would be easier to find with these changes.

Thoughts?

Post by **PaulH** » Wed Oct 19, 2005 2:55 am

I am all for a Custom Dungeons category, with sub forums, as this is a rapidly growing area. Or maybe a new category entitled CSBWin, with subs the same way as RTC is done, with a Custom Dungeon sub forum in each category? I have thought for a while CSBwin is getting a little crowded.

beowuuf · Post by **beowuuf** » Wed Oct 19, 2005 8:57 am

You were the one resistanct to alot of forums in the past, I think it would be an idea to nudge them a little to make them easier to read too

Perhaps the 'other games ' section at the bottom should be promoted and renamed to 'general gaming'. Definitely some form of split in the custom dungeon and also the CSBwin forum, though if Christophe has plans for the dungeon uploads forum it might be an idea to hold off until we can see if there is content that perhaps should go back there first

As long as I have stable internet that evening, I'm happy to help!

Post by **cowsmanaut** » Wed Oct 19, 2005 7:13 pm

we might want a section on instructions and tutorials to inspire others to add to it? As it is I think a lot of people seem to come here to find them as it is rather than to the other sites where they may be scattered. Or we can create a sticky thread in each relevant section with links to tutorials and manuals.. and people can add new ones to those lists as they are made.

moo

Post by **Gambit37** » Wed Oct 19, 2005 7:41 pm

@Beo, you're right, I was previously resistant to too many forums, but I think as subjects have started to expand, a bit of reorganising might be in order and I think a few new forums would help us do that.

I don't really want to do anything until we know how Christophe's new site will work though; I don't want to duplicate any effort!

Post by **ChristopheF** » Wed Oct 19, 2005 9:05 pm

I agree we should discuss exactly what we plan to manage custom dungeons before implementing changes here that would again change in a few weeks/months.

I am open to propositions, please also read my post here: http://www.dungeon-master.com/forum/vie ... 8145#58145

beowuuf · Post by **beowuuf** » Wed Oct 19, 2005 10:03 pm

In an ideal world what people would really probably want would be:

+Custom Dungeon Forum
_- General comments forum:
__Sticky: List of all Dungeons (with ratings and download links)
__Hey, what's the best format?
__Hello, so many dungeons to choose from?
__Enlarge your elephant!
___etc
_+ PC dungeons forum
__-General comments forum
___Sticky: How to play these dungeons
___Sticky: Vote / nominate your favourite PC dungeon
____etc
__- Mountain of Al'Kir forum
___Sticky: Download latest version here
___Sticky: Reviews (contains spoilers)
___Sticky: Rate this dungeon (vote)
___How do I get passed the big dragon?
____etc
__-Grave of King Filius forum
____etc
_+CSBwin dungeon forum
__-General comments forum
___Sticky: How to play these dungeons
___Sticky: Vote / nominate your favourite CSBwin dungeon
____etc
__- Conflux III forum
___Sticky: Download latest version here
___Sticky: Reviews (contains spoilers)
___Sticky: Rate this dungeon (vote)
___Why do I keep getting poisoned?
___Where the **** is all this poison coming from?
___Oh, come on, who puts a pit THERE!
____etc
__-Tower of Chaos
____etc
_+RTC dungeons forum
___etc
_+DM Java dungeons forum
___etc

In a perfect world this would be how the custom dungeons could be arranged - can either website do this, and without getting overwhelmed? If not, need some compromise way of sorting them

Post by **Gambit37** » Wed Oct 19, 2005 10:28 pm

Bloody hell, I think that's overkill -- you don't want a whole forum for every custom dungeon do you? Madness, I say, it's madness. Did you hear that? Madness!

beowuuf · Post by **beowuuf** » Wed Oct 19, 2005 10:51 pm

I said what everyopne seems to want ( Iwouldn't point my fingers at anyone, say Paul, who suggested this thing) when it gets discussed, in a perfect world - a thread for reviews, a thread to download, a thread for voting on the game... it would boil down to a forum per game, under a format forum, under the custom forum

I think a forum for each format with a sticky 'how to play' and maybe 'rate the dungeons' sticky too

Trantor · Post by **Trantor** » Thu Oct 20, 2005 12:54 am

That would indeed be a perfect world Beo. I agree that the Custom Dungeons section should have some more subforums. I also agree that more emphasis should be put on reviews, as that is what keeps custom dungeons alive (at least I think so, as I mentioned several times before). I think if more emphasis is put on reviews, more reviews will be written, which would lead to more custom dungeons, as designers become more aware that their work is appreciated. What Beo suggests might be a bit overkill, but splitting into CSBWin dungeons and RTC dungeons might be a good start.

beowuuf · Post by **beowuuf** » Tue Apr 18, 2006 5:22 pm

Reviving this discussion while I'm tweaking

1) Should the 'other games' caterory be upgraded to 'gaming' and placed say below the creative writing forum?
2) Should the custom dungeon become it's own forum set with three sub forums - games, reviews & guides, and general discuion (spoilers and questions)

Discuss!

(Btw these two suggestions are what I'm prepared to do, anything more intense and you will need to ask nicely or risk my laziness)

Post by **PaulH** » Tue Apr 18, 2006 5:58 pm

The custom dungeon IMHO should be split for ease of viewing: its a big forum with lots of posts. And I think RTC should be split from CSBwin dungeons too.

beowuuf · Post by **beowuuf** » Tue Apr 18, 2006 6:06 pm

I think that is too much - zyx's list clearly splits the CSBwin from the RTC dungeons. People designign (such as suule) can decide to move from CSBwin to RTC then back again! But I am heavily biased to making a new forum set of the custom...funnily, I would therefore replace most of the conflux discussiosn back into the general thread! : )

Post by **PaulH** » Tue Apr 18, 2006 7:19 pm

I think its just a little lop-sided at the moment with 5 forums for RTC, and one for CSBWin.

How about a new forum set for CSBWin incorparating a CSBWin Dungeons forum, with a reduced and reogranised RTC set (with RTC dungeons)? And rename the Custom Dungeons forum 'Other Dungeons' which can cover the DMPC and Java dungeons that are less frequently played, but will all by consequence be brought up to the top.

Zyx's list does split them, but I think it al;l could be more efficiently done!

Post by **Gambit37** » Tue Apr 18, 2006 7:19 pm

Madness!

One step beyond..........!

Post by **Gambit37** » Tue Apr 18, 2006 7:20 pm

Shee, I didn't even notice I'd broken 5000 posts. Wooty woot.

As you were.

beowuuf · Post by **beowuuf** » Tue Apr 18, 2006 7:42 pm

Paul, nope to seperating CSBwin/RTC dungeons, for the first reason I mentioned to you, that was cross-platform ideas and so forth, and two the fact that there is no reason to shuffled off all the dungeon to different areas. Ideas and cool dungeons are cool dugeons, and someone wanting to play any custom shouldn't have to wade through three forums, with the associated crappy quoestiosn and comments, to find dungeons - or are you suggetsing two fourms for each category, makign a total of six new forums? : )

The RTC vs CSBwin forum count is totally because of a) the way the engines developed and b) the porting ofd the old forum. With CSBwin it actis as it's own archive, dead posts going down quickly as they are fixed/not accepted, bugs and features both are dealt with quite quickly if there are going to be at all, so the only reason to split would be to seperate engine complaints/suggestions and discussiosn from actual help topics - I just did that with the sticky, I hope that works, Paul S has never asked for the split hwne asked if he himself wanted it.

If you notice the RTC bugs/suggestions forum could actually merge since Geroge has got the bugs down to a rediculously small amount! Otherwise it's just the history of those forums and there is no reason to spend time merging them just now

And I dind't your post count either Gambit - congratulations?

Post by **PaulH** » Tue Apr 18, 2006 8:28 pm

Well, OK, we all have ideas! I just like the idea of the Customs split as I think it would be easier to navigate, rather than harder and would bring older dungeons to the surface. Having 30 or 40 customs in one thread seems unbalanced IMHO!

Anyone else have any views lol?!

Post by **Gambit37** » Tue Apr 18, 2006 11:46 pm

Not really as I'm not really here anyway. I am just a figment of your imagination. I'm off doing other far more interesting things.

Well, I thought I was.

As you were.

beowuuf · Post by **beowuuf** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 12:50 am

Lol, no! Bad Paul! *salts*
Sorry, just stating why I don't wanna do it, I don't think that functional ly it will help all that much, but it will be an alluring argument cosmetciially/to right some form of balance (CSBwin forum idea).

Really, each foum would need a subforum to split the reviews and questions from the actual dungeons. I thin kthe amoutn of dungeons currently are navigatable - 40 posts - only one page - so you can see the things quite easily if that's all the fourm is for - releasing games. One page is easy to scan for the tag rtc/csbwin/dmj/dm, etc too.

Anyway, more people comment - but I am still leanign to new forum set, one only for finished games, with tag at start, one for proper reviews and so forth, and then a catchall with everythign else - new games planned, discussions, everyting.

Post by **cowsmanaut** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 3:50 am

RTC forums. The were imported from a larger forum and we placed them essentially how they were found, Which meant multiple sections. Also George regualarily organizes them and moves topics out. He takes care to manage the order with in them and I imagine apreciates them seperated as such.

PaulS brought CSBwin to life and we made a forum for his works because enough posts grew from that topic that it needed it's own. The editors section if you really think about it contain editors for pauls engine... since it's based around DM in general and uses much of the same code. With the exception of DSA's which could have a forum of their own

.. There really is no need to have seperate CSBwin sub forae as there are those that take on that role as it is, bugs and suggestions are handled in the one CSBwin folder and all editor stuff is handled in the "other editors" section.

if you look at number of posts under those sections you can see that they don't readily warrant being split.

now.. custom dungeons and "other dungeons" I don't get it.. what "other" dungeons are there if they are not custom then they are orriginals. I think a sticky with reviews (which I think is as it is already) and links to each new custom dungeon is sufficent. This forum was intended for that so people could post their dungeons and their up coming dungeons.. and the editors is where they should post questions and requirements while make those dungeons..

perhaps I'm missing something here as I basically read the posts quickly.. but that's my general thoughts..

Post by **Gambit37** » Sun Feb 24, 2008 6:55 pm

Just thinking about all this again. The custom Dungeons forum is getting messy, maybe it's time to make it it's own top level category and remove it from the FTL Games category?

How should this work with the Encyclopaedia's Custom Dungeon list?

beowuuf · Post by **beowuuf** » Sun Feb 24, 2008 7:18 pm

It's getting messy because alot of people post single questions

I was going to clear it out soon.

Hmm, perhaps we could have three - dungeon threads, dungeon questions (if you don't just ask in the thread) and a top level general dungeon forum (for general ideas, general questions, or annoucing fun stuff)

But I think for now it's still ok - I've just ipdated the dungeon list again, so you can find any dungeon or proper dungeon comment thread quickly

Post by **ChristopheF** » Sun Feb 24, 2008 10:32 pm

How should this work with the Encyclopaedia's Custom Dungeon list?

I don't plan to allow visitors to post comments / questions about dungeons on the encyclopaedia but redirect them here where they can discuss in the appropriate forum(s).

I am waiting for some updates to be released to upgrade to the latest version of Drupal (my web site's engine), then I will open access to other users to post content. I think at the beginning I will open access to a limited number of users (some regulars) in order to test things out. In a second time I will install anti-spam measures and open access to anyone.

What are your views about this?

Post by **Sophia** » Sun Feb 24, 2008 11:59 pm

I don't like the idea of sorting custom dungeons by engine at the top level, because it's somewhat arbitrary, and to me, not really important. (And, I'm a bit biased. Right now there are no DSB custom dungeons worth mentioning and would not warrant a category. But where do they go when one does appear?)

Personally I prefer Beo's previous idea of having the custom dungeons forum sorted by aspects of custom dungeon design. Perhaps four subforums:

Releases

Reviews

General Play Questions

Editing Questions

Of course, the fourth may be superflous, as the editing questions could be asked in the forum related to the engine they're using, instead. It depends on how we decide to organize everything else.

Post by **ChristopheF** » Mon Feb 25, 2008 12:08 am

I've just updated the dungeon list again, so you can find any dungeon or proper dungeon comment thread quickly

Beowuuf, when I will open access to the encyclopaedia to other users, you'll be one of the firsts to have an account, and I hope you'll create pages for each dungeon there so that we have a single, sortable reference list of custom dungeons.
On the page for each dungeon, you'll be able to put links to forum topics about the dungeon.

It will also be possible to post reviews of custom dungeons, similar to the one already posted there.

Post by **Sophia** » Mon Feb 25, 2008 12:22 am

when I will open access to the encyclopaedia to other users,

Hmm! This is good!
And we have a DM wiki.

So allow me a moment of idle rambling: I'm not sure how much work this would be, so feel free to shoot this down if the answer is "too much," but perhaps these efforts, too, could be merged. It'd be sort of a DM-Wikipedia.

Post by **ChristopheF** » Mon Feb 25, 2008 8:10 pm

Good question...

I'm not sure which features are/will be used on the wiki and if it is possible to do the same on the encyclopaedia. The answer is probably yes, but I really don't know how much work this means as I don't know what is needed.

When I open access, visitors will be able to:
- Register a user account (required to post any content)
- Post content. Several types of content of possible (I can create others): simple 'normal' page, a custom dungeon, a custom dungeon review, a web link, a post in the forum.
- Post comments to existing content.