|
|
Post by Pete on Sept 19, 2012 1:41:43 GMT -5
Hello everyone,
As the maintainers of this board we are always striving for new ways to keep ahead of other companies and forums with new ideas. Sometimes we implement new things without discussion, but there are times where we do discuss things and are unable to reach a resolution internally within the admin group.
To help us reach a resolution for how we intend to maintain the "multiple" forums we run going forward, we are opening the discussion up to the floor with 2 proposed ideas.
We have as you know opened up more than one forum, with the intent in the future of having several forums revolving around digital TCG games that users might play. We have noted that there are 2 kinds of users, A first type who plays just one game out of the forums we intend to host, and a second type of user who plays multiple games (EG: This type of user might play Duel of Champions AND Assassins Creed Recollection).
The basic brief is that we want to have a "web portal" type landing page where all the forums we maintain are located in one location, but accommodates both groups of users in equal fashion.
One proposal is being presented and backed by myself, and a second option will be put forward by another admin,The Rancord, who you all know.
The format for the proposals will be as follows:
The Rancord will introduce his proposal, and have an opportunity to promote his idea (why is it good?)
I will post a rebuttal, arguing why it falls short in certain areas (why is it bad?), and propose my own idea (Why is it good?)
The Rancord will be allowed to rebuttal why the shortfalls I have raised are not of a concern, and why my own idea falls short in certain areas (why is it bad?)
Lastly I can explain why the shortfalls raised against me are not of a concern.
After these posts have been made, a poll will be added that runs for 10 days. At the end of this period, the winning proposal will be the proposal that is taken forward as the correct, and only option for progressing. Only one of the 2 options will be created, and so you are voting for which one you wish to have.
If this is all clear, then I invite The Rancord to post his idea now. Please refrain from posting in this thread until the 4 debate posts have passed.
Kind regards
Peter
|
|
|
|
Post by The Rancord on Sept 19, 2012 5:58:56 GMT -5
Thank you pete.
The Main Idea is to provide a starting point for all online TCG players (standalone games like shadow era or assassin creed recollection) and give them options on the possible big player in form of cardlist deck editor strategi articles, while offering a general overview what new game is coming and what new features does this other game have now. (so basic information on every online tcg we find info, and more dedication to the big players.
Now the 2 options differ in how we want to realize this. And especially about how the forums should be realized. The ACR forum will be not touched in anyway with both options.
So I suggest a Forum where everything is manged. The different games can be kept apart quit easily by skinns, Mobile software tapatalk works as well. So I add now the advantages of a forum controlled directly by us:
- You only need one account, so if you wanna participate in a discussion from another game there is no need to create a 2nd account.
- We can integrate it directly with the webpage, using the same account for comment function in news as well or on feedbacks of strategy articles or videos.
- If we want to add a replay system (no game offers one with files, mm: doc has it planned) or an in-forum deckeditor or showing cards when u hover over them in forum, we have the full power to edit the forum to make this happen.
- the whole presentaton is more professional overall, by having one system wich works for everything.
- no double work, since we can spread information over one channel.
So next pete will present the other option and the advantages of it.
Cheers
Andy
|
|
|
|
Post by Pete on Sept 19, 2012 6:39:07 GMT -5
Rancord (Andy) is proposing a single forum for all the games we wish to add to our portfolio. While I agree this has several advantages, such as one single account to log in with, I argue that it causes issues for players who use only a single forum and have no interest in other games. Consider: Using the "new topics" function for example, would show all topics on the forum, including games you did not play. Additionally, you must now navigate a forum that is a subsection overall of the main site. While this might be acceptable it is not ideal. This is akin to the "deck" area on this forum where 3 subsections exist. Additionally I would argue that whilst Rancord has shown nothing but good intent, it ties up all ownership with a single person. In the current format with proboards, If I was to leave, I could simply hand someone the password to the admin account and everything can carry on as normal. In a dedicated forum idea, these servers are owned and maintained by Rancord, including the domain name, if he was to disappear then there is no way to easily transfer ownership, if at all. Finally, since this forum uses proboards and his forum would use the Tapatak platform, there would be 2 applications to purchase on your mobile device, if you wanted a dedicated app to access the forums. The increase in cost per user, may not be somthing people are happy with. My proposal is to leave things as much as possible the way they are, and have separate pro-boards forums per game, totally distinct from one another. This introduces several problems, such as having several usernames and passwords per site, however with modern browsers such as Firefox, I would argue that people mostly save passwords for sites. Instead, I would propose to create an "illusion" of a portal, when in fact there is no central location at all, simply a central repository that allows easy access to the multitude of forums we run, via a toolbar at the top of a page that frames several proboards forums. As a working demonstration I have posted this webpage tcgportal.org/index.htmlYou will note that there are several bugs in the current form, this is due to simply putting something up, and not spending a large amount of time on it, while it is simply a possibility and may be rejected (On the ipad there is a white bar on the side for example). However I believe this virtual central repository is better, since it allows dynamic content to be served under the resources tab, dependent on forum and means that at any time users can simply access the forums as they always have directly, with no change at all to how they already do so if they dont buy into the concept. To close I would like to clarify, the 2 options proposed are in essence: 1 forum hosted by Rancord that holds as subsections the multiple forums we administer. This allows MORE flexability in what can be done, but MORE changes. alternatively Several forums with proboards, and a central repository, that creates an illusion for being held in a single location. This idea offers LESS flexibility, but also LESS changes to the way users view the content. Im sure Andy would like to address any of the issues I have mentioned at this point  Kind regards Pete |
|
|
|
Post by The Rancord on Sept 19, 2012 16:23:15 GMT -5
Well the mobile app tapatalk is the same u can use for many forums, including shadowera one. U can put once a settingto see new posts grouped, to know exactly wich game they would affect.
Especially with own forum software, whatever we want to do, we can do. Still acr forum will stay like it is.
Anyway I just love TCG and dedicate so much timeintoit since 1994, so chances i suddenly stop and disappear are not very likly.
|
|
|
|
Post by Pete on Sept 19, 2012 23:54:56 GMT -5
Well true, to his credit, he has maintained his web server for a number of years, and so it appears unlikely he would leave.
Did you want a post a link to your forum proposal or not?
At this point everyone can feel free to chime in an discuss whatever they want, I will add a poll later once rancord confirms if he wants to add a link to his proposal or not (it's still under development so he may not wish to).
Pete
|
|
|
|
Post by The Rancord on Sept 20, 2012 1:08:19 GMT -5
www.skullsearch.net/forum is the software for the forum. I just set up with nothing so far, cept the 2 test posts and no subskinn. Only one for whole board so it would be ready to fire off directly and later care about skinns for the different games. I dint have a demo for webpage, because it depends heavily wich plan we will folow.
|
|
|
|
Post by Pete on Sept 20, 2012 1:45:39 GMT -5
Poll is up, you cannot alter your votes.
Pete
|
|
|
|
Post by thest4lker on Sept 20, 2012 1:48:30 GMT -5
Before I vote, a question for Rancord.
Pete has said that on your proposal, if we click new topics, we would see the new topics from all the various subboards dedicated to different games, at the same time. That is probably the thing I hate the most on Ubi's game forum. Is this the case? As this is the way I keep track of all the forums I am part of, that would be a deal breaker for me voting for your idea.
|
|
|
|
Post by The Rancord on Sept 20, 2012 3:56:07 GMT -5
In the mobile app (tapatalku) can switch settings, that you get them grouped, and then u can just checked those grouped under the game u like. I also sent a mail to tapatalk for asking what other solutions exist, and awaiting an answer to tell u. So im exploring some things there, like setting up different board urls, so they would be like different boards in ure app and u only add those u want, but I need some more insight on the technical specifications from them first. (atm u can use in the general screen (not entering a forum) set from show last, to show by categories in settings to see how it would look like.
In webpage itself the categories allow even different style to differn from each other. With control over everything, its possible to set up an overview for each subcategory to just check that. Im not sure if this option comes right away with the standard, or If i need to install an addon first, but its no deal on the page itself.
|
|
|
|
Post by The Rancord on Sept 20, 2012 4:45:41 GMT -5
Some addition: tapatalk access something on the forum to access the data, so I can alter that for sure and then each user would need to set prefered forums once. Because all database is in my control, I can easily give another output to the tapatalk. But I dun wanna code something if it allready existe, since it saves alot of time. |
|
|
|
Post by thest4lker on Sept 20, 2012 4:46:22 GMT -5
Ok, well, as long as I control what comes up, I don't mind one place for all the games
|
|
|
|
Post by Tuism on Sept 21, 2012 3:51:18 GMT -5
As long as people who only play the one or the other won't have to wade through posts of the other games in the app or online (with latest/new posts), I don't see a problem with it |
|
|
|
Post by Pete on Sept 28, 2012 0:34:57 GMT -5
Well Votes almost over and it appears there was less interest than I hoped. We are tied with less than 10 vos cast. I am assuming that noone really cares?
|
|
