WB coming into its own

[hammocksleeper]

This was orginally posted in a bad thread, but it's good stuff to hear so I'm putting it up, along with some comments of my own.

The only problem with BF and Warboards coexisting together is that they're really quite alike. They have a lot of the same members, they're based on the exact same games and company, they're both built using VB, etc. etc.

Really, other than the look and the administration, there's little difference. People don't want to go to two different sites to get the exact same information, so most people will chose one board to primarily visit. Thus, there's always that chance that one board will do extremely well, while the other fades away.

This is why I think it's imperative that both boards find something that makes them distinctly different so that there's reason to still visit both :\.

Anyway, just my two cents.I completely agree with you. Unless people have a beef with BF, most people are not going to want to switch over to WB, and you have already explained that eventually most people will not use both boards. WB needs something interesting, exciting, distinctive and unique. Something that gives Warboards an identity as a community.

Radlin, your last sentence paints a pretty idealistic hope for the future. I woul drather think of it more as a competition for good ideas and thoughts (to put in posts). And ideas are brought in by people, so its a competition for people. Maybe some people don't want to have a competition. But if you do, we need something unique. Like an arcade but better ;)

[Graeme]

Ah, I'm glad someone took note of this post. I was planning to elaborate on it when I got home from work, but Hammock saved me the trouble :D.

If I could go back to this post of mine here:
http://www.warboards.org/showpost.php?p=17416&postcount=23

I'm wondering if I actually wrote up some rough details for a game of this sort, would anyone be interested on working on it with me? My knowledge of PHP right now is next to nil, but I have a giant book, and this would be a great way to immerse myself in the language, especially if I can get a few PHP adepts working with me on it.

We could incorporate how often, or how much you post on WB with the actual game, to increase activity. Obviously this may incur some spam-threads, but that's really nothing that our moderators can't handle. If things get out of hand, I'm sure the administration would be able to hire some more hands as well.

I just feel it would be a great way to jumpstart the community.

[BlackHawk]

Very good points, and I sort of touched on this in the Arcade thread (I think that's where Radlin's post that you took notice was in), here's what I said:

Or instead of directly copying them, we think of something creative on our own? Now that would be cool, and honestly the arcade will only be used the first few days in the hype, then it will die out in a weeks time, and will only be played occasionaly. You want something that lasts.

This is what I think you mean, we don't want to directly copy them, because that will just make the two of us the same. So instead of just trying to copy them outright, we should try to make something different, or just expand on something they have. Like, for example, our own game. Which brings me to this:

Ah, I'm glad someone took note of this post. I was planning to elaborate on it when I got home from work, but Hammock saved me the trouble :D.

If I could go back to this post of mine here:
http://www.warboards.org/showpost.php?p=17416&postcount=23

I'm wondering if I actually wrote up some rough details for a game of this sort, would anyone be interested on working on it with me? My knowledge of PHP right now is next to nil, but I have a giant book, and this would be a great way to immerse myself in the language, especially if I can get a few PHP adepts working with me on it.

We could incorporate how often, or how much you post on WB with the actual game, to increase activity. Obviously this may incur some spam-threads, but that's really nothing that our moderators can't handle. If things get out of hand, I'm sure the administration would be able to hire some more hands as well.

I just feel it would be a great way to jumpstart the community.

This is a perfect example of something we could do, it's a game like an arcade, but it takes it one step further. And it would be a lot more creative then just opening an arcade that stores some of the most "addictive" games on the internet, which most people by now have played many times (unless of course you live under a rock, which brings me to ask how you read this?).

Although I too, have no knowledge of PHP, I could help in another area, like art or something :D. Would be cool too, having our own game.

[Graeme]

Groove. If we get a few more people interested, I'll begin making up some rough maps, history and details on the mechanics of the game tomorrow (tomorrow being one of the few days I actually have off :)).

So, out of curiosity, would people rather see a past, present, or future-based game?

[Neo]

Guys whats the problem?

vB Arcade is an add-on for vBs. BF didnt "code" their own stuff. ANd presonally i would find that boring -- Its cool to see arcades at sites I visit.

Becuase if one cant dominate the top at WB, for instance (if/when we get an arcade) someone can goto BF adn try it there ;D

As for forums fading... WTF -- Can you people not visit two forums at the same time? I visit BF, TSL, WB, my own forums, Various game related forums, etc... like everyday. It takes like 5 whole minute to read something interesting, or maybe longer to post >_>

You make it sound as if its necessary to choose.

I think an arcade here would be great -- but you seemt o have this wierd "omg BF has an arcade RUN!" attitude. BF just installed the arcade, they didnt make it ;(

And on top of that maybe WB could be more into an arcade then BF, (Warboards after all) maybe even hold tournemants based on the games, etc...

Coding something from scratch to work with vB and for it to be a game, and for it to not be "exploited" would take so long it would become boring and defeat the purpose of fun >_<

-Neo

[Exedore]

The main problem right now is that there isn't much activity in the blizzard fansite/forum community. Everybody has pretty much found a site/forum that they visit and don't really see a need to visit others. Once the WoW beta comes along, I'm sure this will stir things up. When Blizzard betas come along, the more interested fans will seek out any and all fansites from which to get information. This causes people to find and read/post at new sites, which will help us a lot.

I never really participated in forums until after Warcraft III came out and Mystikal and Edgewize were starting tournaments at BF. But once I visited there, I decided to stay. Similarly, after the Frozen Throne beta and release, I saw a whole new group of posters in the warcraft section at BF. However, right now, BF tends to not get many new members that actually stick around to post often.

I guess the whole point of this post is that you're not going to get many new members if there aren't many people looking for new sources of information. I'm sure that if we hang tight and warcraft.org has decent WoW coverage, we'll be seeing a large influx of new people who may not have even heard of BF.

[MacG]

Right now, we need to focus on warcraft.org and starcraft.org, thats the main source of traffic for this forum, not features. Features should be secondary, but not overlooked. The forum should not be plain in anyway and should be unique from others, giving a gaming vibe and etc.

[BSTRhino]

Yes, what MacG is saying is along the lines of what I was thinking.

Technically, Legacy and ORG target different audiences. So we should be quite different. It's just because our forums have been joined at the hip for so long with BlizzForums that we have relatively similar types of communities.

The main problem right now is that there isn't much activity in the blizzard fansite/forum community. Everybody has pretty much found a site/forum that they visit and don't really see a need to visit others.

Well, that's what I had originally thought. But about 70% of StarCraft.org visitors every day find us through a search engine, which I presume means they are visiting our site for the first time. Believe it or not, during the (american) day, someone actually clicks through to WarBoards.org from StarCraft.org every three to five minutes.

I feel that the real main problem is that most people don't know how to use forums. I had actually planned on doing something about that.



As for a PHP multiplayer game, I think it's a great idea. I want to do it, but I'm afraid it'll cut into my time working on StarCraft.org (which like MacG said, is the primary focus.) It's going to have to be a no for now. Because I know that I'm soon going to have to be coding some pretty hefty changes to SC.org.

Since World of WarCraft is coming out, perhaps we should make it a game set in the past. Give people who don't play World of WarCraft a little hint on what it's like. I'm a graphic designer too, I can help out with the graphics.

[Graeme]

Neo, you totally misinterpreted my posts, and the points I was trying to convey. What I was stating was that most people do not want to take the effort to have to visit two entirely different forums, only to find the same stuff, with the same people. I'm not saying all people will choose a forum to primarily visit, but most people will.

I know I have chosen, and you know why? Because I don't like having to read forums about the exact same things, with the exact same people posting, twice.

I don't have a "Hey BF has an arcade, let's run" attitude. I have a "Hey, these boards are extremely alike, and I don't see the point of WB getting an arcade that is exactly the same as BFs, but with different games" attitude. It all seems so pointless, this rivalry, so I suggest that we, at Warboards, create something that's different, so people have a reason to still visit both sites.

I'm willing to live with the hard work, and put in the long hours to get something new and innovative up for WarBoards. If I can get some help, that'd be great. If not, and if there's not enough interest in this, I probably won't have the knowledge or the abilities to do it myself, so I won't bother. I honestly don't think that anything would have ever been accomplished in this world if people had such a defeatest attitude. Perhaps I'm just strange, in the sense that I enjoy sorting out bugs and fixing exploits and creating something from scratch?


Next, I think you're all putting far too much weight into the idea that World of Warcraft will jumpstart things at the ORG sites. Sure, it will have an effect, but my bet is that the effect will be rather subtle. There are a ridiculously large number of World of Warcraft official fansites already on the internet, already with large communities, and already with large amounts of information. I have been part of several of these communities, and I know how they operate.

As far as I can see, the Warcraft ORG site has little content, and little preparation for WoW. There has already been an abundance of news, screenshots, information and videos, so I'm curious as to why the ORG sites have so little of it catalogued? I realize that the site is currently under construction, but there should still be something more, as this is the time (just before beta and then into beta), when most people will go looking for a WoW community.

If, what you were saying is true: that you want to take the warcraft and starcraft ORG sites as first priority, then why is the Warcraft.org site so behind its time? The early bird gets the worm, and as it stands, we're still fast asleep, while the numerous other WoW communities are already playing in the mud.

Again, my two cents . . . :tu:

[BSTRhino]

Thanks for your two cents! I'm rich now!

Hmm... about WarCraft.org, there's a message down the bottom:

World of Warcraft approaches! What does that mean for the site? Stay tuned and find out.... -- Edgewize

I suggest we wait and find out.


Anyway, I agree, we do need to be different from the other forums. I'd like a cool game, try asking AJ to do it once you've got a plan laid out. If you can impress him, he might just say yes.

[Graeme]

Yeah, that was the plan. Of course, I'd want to work on coding it as well, and I'd hope that I could get a few other people to help code it. Anyway, I'll likely write some stuff up soon.

I saw Edgewize's little notice there, but you've got to admit, it's been up for a while, and the other sites are gaining headway - they have been for a long time.

Here's another two cents.

[AJ]

WC.org has big plans.
as for a game.. sounds interesting, however i can offer no time to help in its development, and unless Edge has some spare time i've never heard of, i doubt he can either. And we won't be granting anyone access to the server to develop something that would work with the vB, so you'd have to develop it independently and then give it to us and we'd check it over and then use it if we found it suiting. *shrug* just the way it'll be.

[Graeme]

WC.org has big plans.

I'll believe it when I see it ;).

as for a game.. sounds interesting, however i can offer no time to help in its development, and unless Edge has some spare time i've never heard of, i doubt he can either. And we won't be granting anyone access to the server to develop something that would work with the vB, so you'd have to develop it independently and then give it to us and we'd check it over and then use it if we found it suiting. *shrug* just the way it'll be.

I would have only expected as much anyway. I wouldn't have wanted access to any files or anything like that when writing it up. I wouldn't really need them, until (if) we actually go about implementing it/testing it. I may have a few questions about the structure of VB, and where they store user information and under what variables, etc. though. . .

[AJ]

some of that i'm not under liberty to expose, they like to keep their file/DB structure solely to those owning licenses.. and i agree. i'd rather not the general populace have free access to such things, easier to find holes.

so.. not quite sure just how much i'm going to be able to offer you.

[Graeme]

Alright, I understand. I'm sure I can work around it for as long as possible, and then send it to you and hopefully only a few MYSQL select statements would have to be changed.

[Neo]

At first WB and BF had the same things going on (IE: youd see similar threads, etc...)

But thats certainly thinned out, I rarely now see 2 threads of the same topic on either forum. Not that its mattered for 2 days... lol

Anyways, WB doesnt resemble BF much at all -- if you take the time to look.

The admins are definetly more fun, and have alot more fun doing Admin stuff <-- try to interpret that >_>

Anyways, I dont think we should nix the idea of <insert Idea> just becuase <insert other forum> has it ;(

And still, regardless if you see the same thing on two forums, its still fun to participate in both (IE: mostly applies to serious type threads, but its fun to see peopels reaction to <insert funny thing here> from different forums >_<)

-Neo

[Graeme]

Well, I quickly threw something together, which can be found here:
http://www.warboards.org/showthread.php?p=19569#post19569

-For those of you that are interested.

[Battlecruiser]

not much I can do but I want to help. I never was part of blizzforums though I look at their sclegacy site. If I can think of anything I can do I will tell you guys. The most I can do right now is just post.

Edit:I got an idea! one of my friends is a webmaster of an anime site. the site is http://www.otakurepublic.com/community/

They have a very interesting feature. That feature if that everytime you post you get virtual money called "otakus". You can then use that virtual money to buy signatures, layouts for your site, etc. The site is new so the they still don't have a way to sell layouts and everything but they already have the idea of using otakus to buy stuff. The one negative side about that idea is people will post to get the virtual money and there most probably will be an increase in spam.Do you guys think we should have that?

DC's note: Could you please make more use of the Edit button next time.