The Gamer's Quarter

[Slonie]

And oh yeah, I agree with the idea of requiring vouches or applications for new members. Mainly for preventing the forum invasion, but it probably wouldn't hurt too much in general.
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-Slonie

[wankerwitson]

Thats it extralife i've had it with your non-contributive drivel you're banned.

Also fuys will aderack join our mighty forums for justice?
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tim?

[extralife]

I think he will at some point.

winker I will be sure to contrinbute more than lesbian talk and zelda hate to sellectonecoinbuttonproject ok*

*(not really)

[wankerwitson]

the extralife the
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tim?

[ionus]

I am absolutly happy that this metamorphosis is occurring. This is the first time I've been happy since the whole BS began. Obviously not a regular poster here, I'm mearly a student and have nothing to add to most discussions this forums have clued me into insights into game concepts and designs I've never even dreamed of,) but am a regular lurker, and enjoy reading impressions and news gathered at IC. It's nice to see this group gearing to create more of its own news now!

I also appreciate the opening of NGSAM as well. Vinc would most likely not like my reasoning, but I like having alternitive hubs when the main forums go down.

That said, Selectbutton has a quick ring to it (even though some might find it bland,) Project One Coin has a lot of heart (but is longer, though POC has a nice ring to it,) forumaxe sounds...nostalgic. I guess?

[Intentionally Wrong]

I appreciate what Ionus and Ebrey and James are suggesting, but it strikes me as unrealistic. I don't see a need for a forum frontpage--it'll be just another thing I have to click through to get to the thing I'm trying to see. I'd rather see the forums get resuscitated first, and if you guys want to get some auxiliary projects going afterward, whatever.

Please don't think I'm trying to be negative and rain on everyone's parade! Far from it. I just think that the thing that will serve the community the best is the community itself, in some functional state.

People only have a finite amount of attention. The reason I enjoy the IC Hivemind as much as I do is because there's so much attention paid to the discussion going on--the more people you charge with updating newsrolls and summarizing threads and crafting articles and organizing programs, the less those people will contribute to the discussion. Because they have other responsibilities now.

I like the pillars of this community. I don't like the idea of them vanishing for weeks at a time because they've been occupied with site-related tasks.

Besides, I'm not sure we have enough attention collectively to make it worthwhile. The people with the most drive to create are already out
creating. Meanwhile, the Wiki only experienced a surge in productivity whenever somebody promoted it on the forums or a niche game enthusiast decided to represent the "fans"--otherwise, it was pretty slow. I don't see the value in a frontpage that slow; it's far better just to use sticky topics, isn't it?

[108]

[dongle]

That is an excellent way to make the forums less elitist.

And more like a sorority.

[Rud13]

[extralife]

No, that's a way to make the forums more elitist. Would you ever, ever attempt to join a forum that required you to write an essay in order to join?

I wouldn't.

It's not just that it's elitist (and it is), it's that most people join forums on a whim, and integrate themselves on the job, so to speak. That adds to the character of the forums, in the long run. If these people are scared away because they have to provide esoteric, concrete evidence as to why they belong...well, would they even bother? I think this is about the worst possible idea. Hell, a self-contained forum already isn't going to have many new posters as it is--they should be celebrated, not put through the ringer.

[dongle]

[schild]

What has happened to IC here was nothing like what happened when my forums started. But the meltdown is practically the same. You're going to end up with a diaspora of a bunch of forums that could easily be a great forum unless some sort of unification is achieved.

As far as TGQ goes, this place supports a magazine. Just like The Escapist forums support a fake magazine (ironically, where my ex-admin-partner dude is editor or some shit).

But for NGSam, Namakoteam, etc, etc - it's going to create a rip. Yea, it's fun to be administrator. But for the greater good, isn't some sort of collective forum the best way to go? Many people say they like reading a lot of forums, but that dwindles until they only read one. And if IC is split asunder - as it very well may be, you're going to end up reading all these forums and in a matter of time you'll just be reading neogaf and a bunch of blogs.

Get together, get a core group of people to administrate, people that trust eachother - it doesn't matter if they trust the users. In fact, it's best they don't.These people need to support eachothers decisions even if they don't agree. At the end of the day this can be a joke or a serious Big deal for the community. But you all have something good, don't rip it into a bunch of little pieces.

Edit: Also, an essay or questionnaire is an insane idea. Right when we opened we had one. It had shit about the 1920s, the magna carta, exxon-valdez, and china on it. It made no sense whatsoever. BUT! Some of the responses were pretty funny. I'd recommend just going for mod/admin approving of members. Though, with an efficient enough staff of people, you can have open membership and always have at least one staff person around to watch all of that shit - which is why what I said in the 4th paragraph is so important.

[B coma]

yeah, schild is pretty right on with that.

for the record, again, I don't want to see this forum migrate to a forum only site, in the end (though I'm more or less cool with that as the temp thing).

we have enough creative energy between us to maintain a pretty bang up front page without much hassle. we just need volunteers when the time comes. between our aspiring writers and the old game dev forum we can do it. really.

but uh, hmm. I'm kind of torn on the names so far. in that I am least bothered by select button and prefer that the most. maybe, lets just start making logos?

[schild]

I'm dead serious when I say the people who want to run the site need to be committed. I dropped, in the last 3 years, about, well, enough money on my site. it's on a dedicated server now. You need to have a big plan.

I'm willing to help whatever group of people want to do this. I can't dedicate a huge amount of time to it, as I'm working on another forum project for myself right now. BUT! I really did love IC and all of the little sites that went along with it. It was my place to get away from my own corner of the web. And I'm sad it's gone.

But anyway, things I'd recommend.

1. Pick a focus for the frontpage and stick with it. Do you want that philosophical elitist shit? Do you want a more irreverent site focusing on the bullshit in gaming? Do you want to make a japano-centric arcade watching site? Do you even want to be focused or do you just want to be console/handheld gaming and ignore the rest. Or indie gaming? What? You can expand, but start with a focus in mind and when you have the people and talent, expand further. There's more to how this works as a site gets larger, but this is the jist of it.

2. Do you want the forum to be the focus even though there is a frontpage? Everything on my site autogenerates backlinks to the forums and the popular news engines and shit.. Do you even care about that?

3. IC was big enough and had enough page views (I think) to pay for it's own server or at least a virtual dedicated if need be. It would have been responsive and awesome and it could have provided downloads of indie titles on site. Do you care about shit like that?

4. Are you crazy enough to keep a forumaxe? My site tried this once, every other forum hurt because of it, and I sort of think the same thing happened at IC. I'd have gotten rid of it even though I found it funny as a motherfucker. You decide.

This is an "are you in or are you out" type deal here guys. Long haul. Don't dick around. Don't create a bunch of sites. Do it right and do it ONCE.

[Wilkes]

if we're talking about building a new website -- you know, competition to insert credit -- we've gone off topic.

(I couldn't choose the case of my next sentence; whether to say "we" or "you" so I'll just stop.)
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[schild]

What? I thought we were talking about a replacement for ye old coffee shop, insert credit. If we aren't, I'm insane. This is about new stomping grounds, rite? RIGHT?

[Rud13]

schild I don't know what you're saying.

[B coma]

competition though? given the overall tilt the forums had from IC proper I don't really see that happening?

I just kind of like the idea of a frontpage, even if it isn't updated with a fury. we just need it for stuff that comes along now and then like our videogame averaging project or game releases or professor scissors game dev month or, eh, something.

[Wilkes]

the idea is that people don't seem to want JUST a forum, because the community is somehow devalued not dangling by some credible front page.
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[B coma]

[Rud13]

Well, when we see all the claims that if we become only a forum the site will die, well I don't want to take that chance. We have a wonderful crew of people that I think we could have a steady stream of nonforum content that wasn't just interesting to us.

[Wilkes]

[schild]

[extralife]

Should we go the direction of front page/site proper, I would not be opposed to being a part of its upkeep.

[B coma]

yeah, I'm good with just starting these forums quickly so most of the community can move in there. I just want a silly front page at some point, that will maybe get less silly and really worthwhile.

[schild]

[schild]

Actually, there's something important I kinda wanna ask.

Do any of you want this site to grow, or is it simply a labour of love to keep the community together. Because I gotta say, if it's not the former, you might as well post anywhere you want. Without constant influx of new fish, people DO eventually get sick of eachother once they can predict the opinions of all the other users.

[wankerwitson]

I don't think any people were only staying at the IC forums because of the website. I mean the website itself was pretty nonactive for long stretches of time except for the odd bit of news.

Haven't you guys ever been to rllmuk? That's a forum only site that made a mass exodus (from the old edge forums) and it's thriving. Bigger than ever in fact. And that manages to maintain a core of old posters and a strong identity.
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tim?

[extralife]

That's what I've been thinking, to. A forum cut off from its source will eventually die. So we will probably need a new source.

[Rud13]

I'd like to make the site grow personally.

[extralife]

I don't know that we're big enough to pull that off, winker.

[Quick Shot II Turbo]

I'd vote for a temporary replacement if the admins of said forum would agree on taking it down completely once IC proper (henceforth known as "the cradle") is back online.

That is, of course, if brandon even wants us back. If he doesn't, then, well, whatever.

Edit: rllmuk is also a forum only site, which is what I would like the neo IC to be. New people will join most likely, especially if we manage to foster our own identity.
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I love how all of a sudden there are all these "newbies" starting threads about all the problems with the PS3 that they're having. Seems like a conspiracy to me.

[B coma]

then I guess the real question is, who are going to be the key players in organizing something that works? even if we take a while to work out content/style, you're right, in that we need a definite framework with serious people at the helm.

[wankerwitson]

and, guys, even hell was able to generate a steady influx of new posters. Or at least it could back when I posted regularly.
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tim?

[extralife]

winker are you saying you are the key

[wankerwitson]

Toups if you're going to have front page content I can supply my insight from time to time (Will ensue MEGA HITS) but not all the time, word.
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tim?

[Wilkes]

[schild]

Tomorrow night, if people are willing (we're talking late-ish), I'd be up for laying out all the necessary things in IRC to make a new site work and be self-sufficient over time. If anyone is interested, what say we meet in #insertcredit at around 9pm arizona time which is 11pm EST and 8pm PST.

And if anyone thinks I'm being elitist here, I'm really not. As mentioned multiple times, I simply Need this community to stay together for my internet browsing sanity.

[wankerwitson]

et tu wilkes?
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tim?

[stotelheim]

I think the important thing to do is to set up the forums. Then, after that, we possibly consider expanding our dominion to articles or news posts or imageboards or what have you. I could see myself doing news, or some other relatively trivial duty, if the need arose.

Anyway selectbutton is a bit bland, but maybe not in a bad way.

[Wilkes]

[wankerwitson]

wilkes soon i will be badmin and you will pay
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tim?

[B coma]

I guess I'm wary because I've been a part of communities that have withered away once they were severed from the root*. if new people join on a regular enough basis, that's swell - though I think it's harder to attract new (and desirable) posters if you don't have a front page of sorts to reflect content that you might find on the forums. I guess my secondary motivation is to be a part of something we might all take pride in, but hey, first things first.

*strangely, years after I quit this old forum, I ended up meeting several of it's posters in real life right in my backyard (well, almost, it was the backyard of a friend of mine), including this one girl girl that flew in from Australia to meet board members from across the US (lol).

I had so much more fun talking to them in person than I ever did in probably a year on that board. In fact, things had gotten so small and insular and weird that by the time I left people who liked me pretty much reacted by saying "fuck off" out of desperation, or somesuch.

[B coma]

[stotelheim]

Winker, hell is more of a counterexample than anything else. Der Dragon Warrior lured in many a soul, but after a while, as new updates failed to materialize, less and less new posters registered. Hell, remember Xenon's law? That was only there because people had started to lose interest, and because everyone new that joined was a complete tosser.

I think we need some kind of attractor, but I'm not certain.

[Wilkes]

[B coma]

holy shit wilkes we have the same number of posts.

no I just oneupped you sorry.

[Wilkes]

[B coma]

seriously though, let's blindly hand vision a bunch of power, or at least final say on the visual aspects of the site.

I mean, it only makes sense, he had the best avatars/sigs on the forums.

[Wilkes]

post count +1
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