scumble on 11/5/2007 at 08:16
Quote Posted by fett
The existing community is attracted across the board to 'games that don't suck' and as has been said previously, there is no need to articulate that. There's plenty of people out there who are like us, but there's nothing on Hub to clue them into the fact that they belong here right now.
I may also add that there are many people who aren't that keen on browsing forums, and may appreciate a front-end filtered by those of us who can condense information spread over a thread that lasts for a few days or a week.
It's a good point to raise that many people may not realise there's an interesting community behind the main sites. I'd argue that for many it's more difficult to get the hang of a forum, so it helps to have a "hook" to get people interested. I've never been that interested in SomethingAwful's forum, but the products of it turned into articles are more likely to hold my attention. Ultimately this sort of principle should be a draw for non-forumites to get involved.
Incidentally, the edge we should have over something like SA is focus and not diluting the gaming angle.
Quote Posted by Scots_Taffer
I think scumble has connected with what I, Piglick and GBM is saying in many ways, by expressing that as a community we approach gaming unlike most others by not always paying regard to the technology of the day and the latest whizzbang DX10 effects, but rather the longevity of titles and the intelligence of the gaming experience
Perhaps to boil it down more, less news (novelty) and more reflection.
PigLick on 11/5/2007 at 09:25
Yeh scumble you are right, I have utterly no interest in the SA forums, but I do enjoy some of the front page content.
Gingerbread Man on 11/5/2007 at 14:51
There's a front page?
242 on 11/5/2007 at 16:36
Well, I suggest to make from it a game portal about intelligent action/adventure/RPG games in spirit of LGS games. Thief/SS/ES/Deus Ex/ArxFatalis/BioShock/Stalker are good examples of games TTLG should specialize in. Games like that, intelligent games.
Firefreak on 11/5/2007 at 21:06
How about a dedicated group that narrates (possibly) popular (or at least interesting) threads from the forums on the main page - like CNN does for example. A short abstract, possibly developing over time, that tries to give an essence of the thread.
Instead of posting news of the world and let it be commented, make it the other way round. This way, one may get a glimpse of what a 8 page long thread is about - or at least what the current consent is.
A member drags something in, others talk over it, special ones polish and present the result(s) and new strangers might get interested.
The idea of this is, that there doesn't need to be a written guideline of what TTLG is about - if the topic is interesting, one with reporting skills writes an excerpt - so I guess that would be a major difference to digg if someone saw a similarity based on the popularity scheme there.
Gingerbread Man on 11/5/2007 at 21:37
A certain amount of forum stuff could be showcased on the front page, but the direction of "creating a front page out of the forums" is pretty much the reverse of what we're trying to achieve.
We have no problems attracting people to the forums, so showcasing it to strangers isn't as important as a) getting strangers to read and return to the hub and b) giving the existing forum community a reason to read and return to the hub.
TheCapedPillager on 12/5/2007 at 00:19
I agree, while the intention behind making the hub a portal for the forums may be to introduce newcomers to the community, they might be left a little 'in the dark' regarding what makes TTLG different when confronted with a homepage consisting of forum posts.
I do, however, think that it would be a mistake to completely 'hide' the forums behind a front-page. Although I've seen it done before with varying success, a sidebar containing the most recent (or most popular) posts from each of the forums would be a nice way to introduce new visitors to the heart of TTLG.
For the hub itself, there's a wealth of information stowed away in the TTLG network so there would need to be links to the different main websites (although these links should be a bit more prominent than the current portal). As far as content goes, I would be very interested in some kind of editorial content being offered, maybe an articles section, reviews section and previews section would allow visitors to get a general feeling for what TTLG is about and the type of games the community is interested in without anyone having define a genre as such.
Speaking of articles, it would be useful to have occassional articles added that would be of interest to gamers and FM makers alike. As examples, FM makers might be interested in an article on storytelling in games (such as Frobber's excellent article) or various other editing techniques etc that could be added to DromEd Central, and I'm sure everyone would appreciate an article on the future of games on the PC versus consoles :tsktsk: .
-- EDIT
Oh, almost forgot, I do think that news items should be added to the front-page. Back when the news page was added frequently, I always used to start my trip down the rabbit hole by checking for any important news before wading into the forums. In the interest of 'pimping' the hub to new visitors, adding a news item about an upcoming game would probably be the best way to advertise the site to people through search engines. Obviously you would need to be selective about what kind of games would be worthy of news (or risk attracting FPS trolls).
Orobas on 12/5/2007 at 03:58
Pardon my ignorance, but there's some points that I feel might need to be touched upon. First, is that while I knew TTLG and Thief-the-circle.com were related, I didn't have any idea which came first, or that there was a hub. I always came to TTLG to get into the forums, and had no idea it was meant as anything else.
Second, (and I only speak from the fact that I only play Thief) one of the biggest problems that is presented to us is that Thief is almost ten years old. It is ancient by computer gaming standards, and while it has had worthwhile additions to its 'verse (Yes I mean even TDS) there is nothing in the works to keep the genre alive other than games like it, or the fan missions dedicated to T1, T2 and TDS. Even that, it seems to me, to have slowed somewhat. This contributes to the fact that a year can go by with no new news.
Another thing is that in many ways, a hub is there to allow someone to go from one place to another. I have heard about and when I go to TTLG, I will see stuff on SS, Arx Fatalis, etc., but since I don't play them, I will probably never go to those forums. I may also be mistaken, but do people who play Thief, play Arx Fatalis? Do people who play SS, play Stalker?
I also believe that something else that will become an issue will be organization, and maintenance. A successful hub has a caretaker, a P.T. Barnum if you will, who keeps the place looking good, active and most of all, keeps people interested in coming back. I hardly ever give the TTLG page much more than a casual glance before heading off into the forums, mainly because nothing ever seems to happen there.
Anyway, just thought I'd mention... :erm:
Fingernail on 12/5/2007 at 09:57
How about a little "Current headlines at TTLG.com" feed somewhere actually on the forum index? That would help people who just have the forums bookmarked to notice what's going on, follow the link to the (newly rejuvenated) hub and read the latest (whatever the latest may be)
twisty on 12/5/2007 at 13:48
Quote Posted by Gingerbread Man
The question of what to do with the main hub has been a conversation several of us have been having for more than a few months in the Staff Discussion forum.
Don't you mean a few years? I can't remember how many times that it's been bought up :cheeky:
My suggestion each time has been around reviews for the types of games that appeal to us here. As in, the types of games that tend to appeal to us TTLG folk. I'm sure that some book and film reviews might also belong, but that might be stretching ourselves a bit thin.
