FREEWARE FORUM - feedback/comments/suggestions

[eMTe]

Since it has to be the most important forum here (I heard it someday somewhere from someone ) I thought I'll make this post and await some useful comments not only from the crew.

Ive established a set of basic rules, if you have any comments feel free to post them here.

Currently I await replies from authors and what troubles me is that not all replied, but I hope this problem will be overcame somehow.

The main goal is to make this forum flourishing and alive, full of discussions about particular games, help questions and such, so we count on you.

The second main goal is to invite authors and developers and prompt them to register here and tell us about their games.

The third main goal is...well, I'll post it later, cause I have to rethink it - it's a really big idea, probably too big for this forum and not doable...anyway, I'll post more about it soon...

[Chroelle]

That last part sounds like a dare....

I like your goals anywho, and it looks like a great thing you got going there. Getting authors in here to tell about their games, sounds like a lot of work, but an amazing thing if doable! This would definently get you the employee of the month sign (Sorry for excluding others, but hey look at the idea, and what it could do for us...)
The thing about help questions might be a bit more complicated than that, as we have a tech help forum.... But if we need a help-on-this-particular-game thread then maybe we are looking at a subforum? Something that is not techy, but more like hinty... Might that be a suggestion? And what about discussions on games in general... What if someone wants to make a debate about freeware games in general and their status in society... I am not sure if this is the place to discuss this as we have already talked about keeping the forum clean for suggestions of games, but is this a problem???

[moshboy]

Getting developers to sign up here would be no easy task. The best way to get developers to tell you about their games is to as as I do and request an interview. Few developers even have the time to join up to other forums and join in on discussions (and by asking may see it as advertising). However a good interview with an interesting developer can attract some good press for your site.

For example I interviewed the author of Soldat. The day after I published the interview he put news on his website, regarding the interview. Then some fansites caught on and also put news on their sites. It was sortof like a chain reaction but it lead to the first time my site cracked 1,000 uniques in a day. It all depends on the popularity of the developer ofcourse.

Anyways just my two cents.

[eMTe]

The thing about help questions might be a bit more complicated than that, as we have a tech help forum.... But if we need a help-on-this-particular-game thread then maybe we are looking at a subforum? Something that is not techy, but more like hinty

I was thinking of subforum... Mixing tech help and general discussion would make a mess, that's true. I think things will be more clear when new downloadspage will be ready and we'll have more games. Actually two subforums wouldnt be bad either - one techy and one hinty...

And what about discussions on games in general... What if someone wants to make a debate about freeware games in general and their status in society... I am not sure if this is the place to discuss this as we have already talked about keeping the forum clean for suggestions of games, but is this a problem???

You read in my thoughts. This is the part of my big plan, but only one part... As I said, I'll post more soon and in other, "strategic" topic... The reason why I still put this off is that my idea sounds a bit utopian, more like Martin Luther's "I had a dream" than the real plan...

Getting developers to sign up here would be no easy task. The best way to get developers to tell you about their games is to as as I do and request an interview. Few developers even have the time to join up to other forums and join in on discussions (and by asking may see it as advertising). However a good interview with an interesting developer can attract some good press for your site.

For example I interviewed the author of Soldat. The day after I published the interview he put news on his website, regarding the interview. Then some fansites caught on and also put news on their sites. It was sortof like a chain reaction but it lead to the first time my site cracked 1,000 uniques in a day. It all depends on the popularity of the developer ofcourse.

Anyways just my two cents.

Sounds ok, but is not doable for two reasons: a) I wont have so much time, b) Id need help of fluently speaking English person. But I hope adding another mod for freeware forum is only a question of time...

[moshboy]

My suggestion to your concerns would be the following:

1. Create a sub-forum (if there was enough interest), regarding interviews.

2. Ask all members to participate. Threads could be created by members, regarding which developers they are interested in knowing about (one developer per thread).

3. Once you decide someone you (all) might be interested in knowing about, find out the developers e-mail address and e-mail him/her, requesting an interview. Wait for a response. If you are worried about your English, ask for a fluently speaking volunteer to send off the e-mail.

4. If you receive a positive response, ask all members to help come up with the questions for the interview. Once this is finalise get the volunteer to send off the interview and wait for a response.

5. Publish.

6. Promote if you feel the need.

[Chroelle]

I never got around to saying that this seems like a great idea.

It will definently be done when site is good enough to present to people....

I already have some small-timers in mind...

[eMTe]

Im writing it primarily for myself just not to forget what I plan to do.

-change all links pointing to underdogs and such to CWF links
-make list of validated games and get rid of these ugly yellow markers
-make list of all uploaded games' status
-send inviting emails (+ our banner) to all authors/developers whose games where accepted as soon as version 1.0 will be launched

What I wont do (mainly because of lack of time):
-screenies
-checkup of games' status

Had to give up some tasks as it is too much atm for me (gamehunting ). Will come back to it as soon as I'll do above lists (which should take me around week or two).

[Eric]

I presume this thread is for feedback on the Freeware Games forum topic...?

1. It this forum for the listing of potential freeware games, talking about freeware games or all of the above... it's just easy to miss a game or post because they get buried by other posts... and it gets (to my eye) messy.

2. In reading some of the game posts, I check out the game only to find it's in a language which I can't understand - should the language(s) be part of our descriptive process when highlighting these games?

[Chroelle]

Which games are in another language? If we stumble on this, we should of course notify. I know that Racer is in Czech, and maybe we didn't mention that beyond the game hunter forum. Are there others?

Well it is kind of weird the freeware forum. It is simply because it serves so many purposes. All games get their own seperate thread. This way you can discuss a single game without it getting messy. BUT as you say the individual threads tend to disappear under tons of other threads. Well, the answer to this one is that most members will propably find the game-thread from its link on the downloads page anyhow (the link that says READ MORE ABOUT THIS GAME IN THE FORUM). We also have a lot fo games that will never get their own downloadspage because they didn't make validation-requirements. These game-threads are simply for using to discuss a game off-site. That way people can stay on this site even if a particular game is not to be found here. It also gives us the possibility to link to lots of games in a way not much harder than that of Planet Freeplay. Also if a game is not hosted and still gets a lot fo hype we could of course reconsider our validation score... Maybe it was good enough to host.

[Eric]

Are there others?

My mistake - the link to the game was a Czech site (which I couldn't understand either) but the game was in fact English - it was the Buffy game Pater Alf had mentioned.

Well it is kind of weird the freeware forum. It is simply because it serves so many purposes. All games get their own seperate thread.

I can understand that the game related threads in that forum are likely to be viewed only after following the game specific link - but my point was what about the other threads in that forum - what about the threads that may talk about the freeware scene, development of games or discussions on freeware gaming in general - should games have a particular message icon to identify them? - or do any such discussions belong elsewhere in the first place?

The "Tool" threads are now buried near the back where they are not going to be useful to anyone....

[Chroelle]

Oh yes. The tools have same function as games. They will get linked from main site too. I have though had the same worries regarding debates. I think it would be good to have that somewhere else, but I think we need to let eMTe in on this debate too. He will afterall be moderating....
I would be satisfied with a subforum or a parallel forum, but I am open to suggestions.

[Pater Alf]

Are there others?

My mistake - the link to the game was a Czech site (which I couldn't understand either) but the game was in fact English - it was the Buffy game Pater Alf had mentioned.

It seems it´s always me with the Czech language (and I don´t even speak this language). I will look for another link (to an english site) when I´m back from my holidays.

[Eric]

I wasn't terribly interested in the game anyway - I was just browsing the games which people had listed - and so when I checked the site and immediately saw .cz I didn't bother going further - the game turned out to be in English apon further examination but the review on it certainly wasn't.

I agree, and this has been the point of my comments, with regards to a separation of FW game listing and FW game discussion. A subforum in the Freeware forum seems like a good idea to me.

[eMTe]

I know there's a problem with freeware forum... Maybe not a problem, but too much emphasis is put on submissions and too less (if at all) on discussions. And there's nothing about discussions in rules thread. My fault, but when I became a mod I didnt know how this forum will evolve, I didnt even know how the site will evolve... So forum's shape is like it is atm without even slight suggestion in rules encouraging people to starting debates... I'll change it in 2007 and I even have some debate topics on my mind... But feel free to start them first, Eric.

And btw, forum still needs more hands for work, so if you're interested just say it. Freeware forum as the most (one of most) important here is the one which imo needs more mods than other forums and needs someone who will shape it and push it into right direction.

Separate forum is needed, but maybe it would be better to make another forum for freeware debates instead of subforum... Simply because making subforums hides interesting topics that should be visible at once. This is my suggestion...

[Eric]

It would be nice to see a forum separating the game listing and any discussion which may occur - perhaps it could be entitled "Freeware Submissions" and all the game posts could be moved there. The existing Freeware forum would remain as it is although renaming it to "Freeware Gaming" would be suitable.

But what about the "Tool" type threads - perhaps moved to the Tech Help forum and a sticky in the "Freeware Submissions" forum pointing towards them?

Lets see what the new year brings us

[Chroelle]

I think that a lot can be done with simple moving, and if we leave a shadow thread, I dont think the mainpage links will have issues...

I like Erics idea, but since eMTe is the one that has to clean the mess up, I will let him decide if this would be a way to do it.
And any comments on eMTe's suggestions, Eric?

[Eric]

And any comments on eMTe's suggestions, Eric?

Separating the FW game listing and FW game discussion was pretty much was the point of my initial comments... I'm unfamiliar with phpBB2 Plus software but I imagine that creating a new forum and moving the relevant threads wouldn't be to difficult - and probably best to so it while there aren't too many links that would (might) need to be corrected to reflect the changes.

As I said, this can all wait until the new year anyway.

[Chroelle]

That wasn't the suggestions I was talking about.

And btw, forum still needs more hands for work, so if you're interested just say it. Freeware forum as the most (one of most) important here is the one which imo needs more mods than other forums and needs someone who will shape it and push it into right direction.

[Eric]

No, I didn't think it was....

There are currently (inclusive of the Hunter squads) 5 Mods in the FW forum. That seems like more that enough to make progress.

And prior to anything, we need a roadmap of what we hope to achieve as far as style, layout, presentation is concerned (look at my Xenon 2000 post for an idea of what I think we need to aim for (although I presume you have already discussed this in the Crew / Game Hunter Squad forums)) - this is how ALL submissions should be - complete, ready for "validation" - all that needs to be done is the uploading a copy to the game server and adding the CWF download link in the first post.

Only my 2 cents, remember

[Maz]

I am not 100 %sure moving a thread changes the URL. (Whether a shadow is left or not.) I believe it will not. Try it out. If URL is not changed as I believe, then there's no problem with the links on download pages.