polytourist97 on 12/5/2007 at 19:28
Quote Posted by TheCapedPillager
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.
Essentially, this is what I wanted to convey in my scattered suggestion, but Pillager was able to do it much more effectively. I think this would be at the very least a good starting point for developing a new Hub.
Moghedian on 13/5/2007 at 00:41
Quote Posted by polytourist97
Essentially, this is what I wanted to convey in my scattered suggestion, but Pillager was able to do it much more effectively. I think this would be at the very least a good starting point for developing a new Hub.
Totally agreed. That one change has been mentioned several times, and it would be a definite improvement.
Generally, the only time I visit the Hub is by accident, or when I'm trying to remember the link to the forums. It always seemed like an older dusty version of The Circle (and the "lite" version at that), or else that place I wind up when I misclick a link. I don't go there on purpose because it just looks bland, and doesn't show off the good stuff that is available. It is also cluttered up with all that little tiny print that makes me ... not want to read it. So if some of my suggestions are already at The Hub... my apologies.
It would be awesome if the Hub had:
* a page that has links and info for the thief/system shock/Deus Ex/etc sites and projects.:D
* A weekly article featuring an interview with a game developer/fm maker/ darkmod creator/etc would be good, too. This was tried once before for fm makers, but I don't know why it didn't continue.??
* A feature on getting older games to run on newer equipment.
* A weekly feature showing off or doing a review of a fm . It wouldn't necessarily have to be a new fm, just one that was chosen for the review because it had good gameplay, or some interesting feature. Pictures should be included, and spoilers too.
* It would also be nice to have a page of upcoming fan missions, as well as the threads on them:(
http://www.ttlg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=109278) first thread and (
http://www.ttlg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=94149) the second one
The key to Digi's 'Teacup Theory" may be to find out what keeps -the forums- going. With the exception of the Community Center, the thing that holds the forums together is the games. So concentrate primarily on the games that are featured out in the forums. There is a lot of good stuff out there in the forums, and unless you know where to look, you'll never find it :( Another thing that could be included on The Hub is links to uh...not sure how to describe this.. community history ? Community folklore? For example, the TTLG cookbook or something similar resurfaces periodically up in Comm Chat. So do TTLG meets and the occasional GBM story (like (
http://www.ttlg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=97433&highlight=bathtub) what will happen to me ? which had me laughing the rest of the day). If The Hub draws off of the subjects and games in the forums it will evolve over time (just like the forums have) and might continue to be interesting.
Aerothorn on 13/5/2007 at 02:24
Haven't written my full idea yet (if I can get one) because I'm still on page one, but in answer to the "Why do you come to TTLG" questions, my answer is
1. Humor. Obviously.
2. Maturity. Which is not the same as being 'mature' - obviously we have plenty of 'immature' people, including myself. But the folks here are generally good at not taking anything too seriously or personally, and being able to push all boundaries of tact and good taste without actually breaking them, if that makes sense. Behind the snarkyness, people seem to actually care.
And (the most relevant to the site design question)
3. Illumination. The main reason I come to the forums is all the stuff it highlights. I hear about games I wouldn't have, and even more so news stories/events I wouldn't have. I am exposed to views and arguements I haven't heard elsewhere and have assimilated many of them into my own belief structure, and THAT is the heart of good writing. When you're able to convince someone on the internet to change their mind about ANYTHING, that's damn impressive.
Of course, there are already 'undereported news" and "undiscovered games" sites, but there's already EVERYTHING, we just have to do it better.
Obviously the focus should be on games, but would politics/news/events be completely out of line? Honestly, TTLG is my most trusted news source.
And I gotta echo what Scots said on page one - despite being a gaming site, I also thing we really should be something more. A lot of members (including me) are, I think, tired of much of modern gaming, for a variety of reasons. Me, I've just played too many damn games and I need fresh stuff and fresh stories that I'm not finding more than once or twice a year. Could this be a tappable theme - not a "grumpy gamer" thing, but a sort of "disillusioned by hopeful" gamer?
ALSO (sorry, I keep getting new ideas and editing them in) the forums should be more integrated into the main page. I think a lot of folks don't use forums, don't get them, are afraid of them, whatever - took me a while to figure out what they were when I first started using the 'net. Something Awful has been, as far as I can tell, wildly successful in large part due to the way the forums are integrated into the rest of the site.
Gingerbread Man on 13/5/2007 at 03:57
One of the things I think I'm hearing a lot is that we would do well to embrace our snobbishness in the greater aim of reinforcing a reputation as a resource and discussion place for people who want to play a good game rather than the latest game, necessarily. If the two collide, well happy day! But we've never been swayed by "zomg can u see every blade of grass has its own PHYSICS!!!" things beyond the appreciation of cutting-edge gaming technology and a general sense of "man, aren't games looking great these days?" Okay, the CryTek demos are sweet, so was that Alan Wake footage, but when they come out there had better be good games or they'll just waft away on the breeze of meh.
It's interesting to us, but the next question we all ask is something along the lines of "so how come no one's making any good games with this?"
I'd love it if we decided to embrace the "snobbery" to be honest. And I don't even think "snobbery" is the mot juste. It's just that we seem to be more inclined to dig for gems than order cubic zirconium from Amazon. Or something. I'm not good at metaphors.
And we keep what we find. Thief and System Shock are ancient games, yet they've still been the consistent draws around here. No one starts posting in CommChat... Except Monkeysee, I think. Maybe it was Turtle. Point is that people start by posting in ThiefGen or ShockGen because we're the biggest thing in the Tubes on those two subjects, almost a decade later.
Um. Not sure where I'm going with this. I've been drinking beer and wandering around in the sun today.
But yes, I think we would serve ourselves well by striking a bit of a pose in that respect.
AHA!
Connoisseurs. That's the word I wanted.
thiefinthedark on 13/5/2007 at 07:32
Wow. In 5 years of lurking here, this has got to be the single most active thread i have ever posted. O_O
I must say, i'm rather shocked. I kind of expected to just get told i was wrong, and shot down.:D
scumble on 13/5/2007 at 09:36
Quote Posted by Gingerbread Man
Connoisseurs. That's the word I wanted.
Quote Posted by twisty
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.
Humourous Connoisseur Reviews? Of course these don't have to be current, and I don't think there would be too much harm in having different views of the same game by different people at different times, as not everyone gets to play a game on release. We often dig around for games that we may have missed, and current reviews of an older game would be interesting to a number of people who can't get excited about anything current, or they just can't afford to upgrade the rig.
BEAR on 13/5/2007 at 20:49
Quote Posted by Gingerbread Man
We have no problems attracting people to the forums
Yeah, we attract plenty of the wrong type of people (see bioshock forum).
Vigil on 13/5/2007 at 20:52
The problem is that the kinds of games that appeal to us TTLG folk ("connoisseurs") are also the kinds of games that appeal to us TTLG folk ("pseudointellectuals who have disappeared up their own asses"). Hence, the Bioshock forum. I'm not sure you can have the one without the other.
Gingerbread Man on 13/5/2007 at 21:02
Quote Posted by BEAR
Yeah, we attract plenty of the wrong type of people (see bioshock forum).
I take it you haven't had a look at the 2k BioShock forum.
Spitter on 13/5/2007 at 21:17
I definitely see that game snobbery is something TTLG should strive for in the future, as the current games can only attain fresh meat for so long and the ttlg games backlog is rather snobbish already. Games like Anachronox, Psychonauts, Stalker (which has its own temporary forum now), Prince of Persia: Sands of Time, Planescape Torment, etc pop up in Gengaming from time to time and I feel that getting some articles and whatnot on about them might fill in a niche that's lacking in Internet forums.
Although there's probably not enough material to start making new forums or anything, this could revitalise the gengaming forum which is rather grim right now (I'm counting five POST YOUR FAVOURITE threads on the first page, only one of which has even a slight amount of originality in it).
Just my two cents take it or leave it !!!
