Notice Regarding the RP cleanup

[Godzillawolf]

Thanks!

 

[Heroic Sociopath]

The activity in these forums was never nowhere near enough to justify the bevy of subforums it had. This was the result of an overly ambitious RPG moderator having zero conception of how to run forums, and little ability to actually bring a project to fruitition before losing interest and moving on to other things.

1)They made the top-level forum unused. This is one of the worst design mistakes possible. The top-level forum should have been used for either start-up or sign-up.
2)They introduced needless split. Splitting start-up and sign-up may have been sensible; splitting pokemon and non-pokemon, outside extreme levels of activity (which this forum was never even close to) was an utterly senseless split.
3)They forced people to shuffle between two separate forum to see active RPs then find out the threads for joining them (for those that still took sign-up. Unnecessary hassle
4)They encouraged a bureaucratic approach to RPing, with ridiculously over-detailed RP sign-ins forms. This is horrible game design.
5)It's not immediately obvious to a newcomers to RPG what sign-up and start-up threads are, so needless confusion.

They were in every possible way a horrible idea. You are not getting them back. Move on.

Alright, if you don't want input from people who aren't on staff, I guess I will.

 

[Fig]

Asking the RPG forum people for input on whether you'd like your subforums taken away is pretty much akin to asking people if they want their taxes raised. We didn't expect this to be popular with regular users at any point.

Chiefly because, well, you guys are the ones who are on this forum. If the forum confused you, turned you off, or made you leave, you wouldn't be here to answer. It's obvious you're at least okay and in some cases happy with the current situation. But it's also obvious you're not enough to keep a quality forum going (and, in our evaluation, the problem predates november)

Many of the other decisions we've settled on as part of trying to turn the RPG forum into something more easily accessed probably won't be entirely popular either. But in the long run, RPG was on the verge of justifying its own deletion (or, at best, merger with fun and games or war room), so we figure trying to find a way to rebuild things is a better alternative.

That doesn't mean we won't listen ever. We will listen. But we're also going to stay the course on unpopular decision if we feel they're better for the forum in the long run)

 

[AiedailEclipsed]

The activity in these forums was never nowhere near enough to justify the bevy of subforums it had. This was the result of an overly ambitious RPG moderator having zero conception of how to run forums, and little ability to actually bring a project to fruitition before losing interest and moving on to other things.

1)They made the top-level forum unused. This is one of the worst design mistakes possible. The top-level forum should have been used for either start-up or sign-up.
2)They introduced needless split. Splitting start-up and sign-up may have been sensible; splitting pokemon and non-pokemon, outside extreme levels of activity (which this forum was never even close to) was an utterly senseless split.
3)They forced people to shuffle between two separate forum to see active RPs then find out the threads for joining them (for those that still took sign-up. Unnecessary hassle
4)They encouraged a bureaucratic approach to RPing, with ridiculously over-detailed RP sign-ins forms. This is horrible game design.
5)It's not immediately obvious to a newcomers to RPG what sign-up and start-up threads are, so needless confusion.

They were in every possible way a horrible idea. You are not getting them back. Move on.

Oh. Snap. I'm hurt. Really. Tell me how you really feel about me Figgy. Of course, I personally thought it was clear two years ago. Its time to move on honey. ;D

 

[Heroic Sociopath]

Asking the RPG forum people for input on whether you'd like your subforums taken away is pretty much akin to asking people if they want their taxes raised. We didn't expect this to be popular with regular users at any point.

Chiefly because, well, you guys are the ones who are on this forum. If the forum confused you, turned you off, or made you leave, you wouldn't be here to answer. It's obvious you're at least okay and in some cases happy with the current situation. But it's also obvious you're not enough to keep a quality forum going (and, in our evaluation, the problem predates november)

Many of the other decisions we've settled on as part of trying to turn the RPG forum into something more easily accessed probably won't be entirely popular either. But in the long run, RPG was on the verge of justifying its own deletion (or, at best, merger with fun and games or war room), so we figure trying to find a way to rebuild things is a better alternative.

That doesn't mean we won't listen ever. We will listen. But we're also going to stay the course on unpopular decision if we feel they're better for the forum in the long run)

Fair enough. I disagree with your methods, but best of luck all the same.

 

[Yun]

This is also why we encourage using the same thread for Sign-ups and Start-ups, so you don't have that problem.

Like I've said before, that would be incredibly unorganized.

Sorry to say it, but the old format worked better. Splitting Start-Ups and Sign-Ups was an incredibly good method in the sense that we could find everything. Now, it's prefix after prefix; which only mitigates the problem for those who know exactly what they're doing. It's counter-intuitive, really.

 

[Flaze]

Speaking as an RPer that has been here for over four years, I can say that I honestly don't see what the big problem is. Listen you guys, I can understand where you're coming from you know, it's a different kind of thing and it seems messed up but honestly...I don't see what's so hard, I mean it's like you're just drowning in a glass of water because you're not even trying to accept the change.

I get that it seems hard and it doesn't make sense but would it kill you to at least try it? really I don't see any problem with the prefixes, they clearly define themselves and that's also why we mentioned the same thread RPs. And no Yun they don't get confusing because at least if they're all in the same thread you just go back to the page that you put your sign up in, it's just one click as opposed to having to switch sections over and over again to refer back to it.

I'm sorry if it sounds like we're being unfair but just as your entitled to your opinion you also have to try and deal with things, instead of sitting here making theories about what could or couldn't happen try to live with it for a while, if after a while you still have complains and still feel like it's wrong then you can tell us, but only after all the things you mentioned happen.

 

[Fig]

This is also why we encourage using the same thread for Sign-ups and Start-ups, so you don't have that problem.

Like I've said before, that would be incredibly unorganized.

Sorry to say it, but the old format worked better. Splitting Start-Ups and Sign-Ups was an incredibly good method in the sense that we could find everything. Now, it's prefix after prefix; which only mitigates the problem for those who know exactly what they're doing. It's counter-intuitive, really.

And yet for years before the divide was implemented, people worked perfectly fine without those subforums. And on other forums before that. And there was nothing counter-intuitive about putting things in the same forum.

It's not about intuitive or counter-intuitive. It's about habits, and what you've grown used to, and change. Yes, it's going to take time to adjust to, but quite frankly, unless you want to imply that the people of six years ago were better at intuitively understanding single-forum organization, the idea that this organization is counter-intuitive is laughable.

 

[Heroic Sociopath]

I'm sorry if it sounds like we're being unfair but just as your entitled to your opinion you also have to try and deal with things, instead of sitting here making theories about what could or couldn't happen try to live with it for a while, if after a while you still have complains and still feel like it's wrong then you can tell us, but only after all the things you mentioned happen.

So you guys are willingto change it.

 

[Iteru]

On the forum index you can sort threads by prefixes (its the dropdown box which says "Prefix:"). That way you do not need to wade through forum pages.

Yeah, but if the point is to make the forum more accessible to newcomers, would they know to do that?

Considering nearly every forum here has them its something fairly easily picked up.

This is also why we encourage using the same thread for Sign-ups and Start-ups, so you don't have that problem.

Like I've said before, that would be incredibly unorganized.

Sorry to say it, but the old format worked better. Splitting Start-Ups and Sign-Ups was an incredibly good method in the sense that we could find everything. Now, it's prefix after prefix; which only mitigates the problem for those who know exactly what they're doing. It's counter-intuitive, really.

Let's be clever about this: It isn't unorganised if you use the OP well. Why not link to the post which the RP starts in the first post? It's fairly easy to edit and *is* being organised.

I'm sorry if it sounds like we're being unfair but just as your entitled to your opinion you also have to try and deal with things, instead of sitting here making theories about what could or couldn't happen try to live with it for a while, if after a while you still have complains and still feel like it's wrong then you can tell us, but only after all the things you mentioned happen.

So you guys are willingto change it.

As Flaze said, that would only be after a good duration has commenced with the new structure in place and the Head of RP will decide what to do.

I am personally of the opinion that the Head should not have to consider re-changing if users don't make an attempt to try out things with the new changes but that is not my call.

 

[Alolan Ninetales]

I'm sorry if it sounds like we're being unfair but just as your entitled to your opinion you also have to try and deal with things, instead of sitting here making theories about what could or couldn't happen try to live with it for a while, if after a while you still have complains and still feel like it's wrong then you can tell us, but only after all the things you mentioned happen.

So you guys are willingto change it.

We're not changing it now and that is my final call. I'm sorry, but you either have to get used to it or not. It might be up for changing in the future, but now, no.

 

[Yun]

[...] the idea that this organization is counter-intuitive is laughable.

Okay, one: that was uncalled for. It's one thing to refute my feedback/complaints, but another to outright insult it. I may be wrong about that, but that is definitely how I'm taking it.

The divide was already implemented when I was here. People have grown used to it. Going back to single forums is absolutely nothing I can change. However, I would like to state my opinion on the matter. I've stated it, so I'll drop it. Not like my opinion matters in the first place, really. I'm but a normal user.

No matter what happens, I'll always love the RPG section. But, I guess I better walk on egg-shells; lest my statements be considered laughable.

 

[Alolan Ninetales]

[...] the idea that this organization is counter-intuitive is laughable.

Okay, one: that was uncalled for. It's one thing to refute my feedback/complaints, but another to outright insult it. I may be wrong about that, but that is definitely how I'm taking it.

The divide was already implemented when I was here. People have grown used to it. Going back to single forums is absolutely nothing I can change. However, I would like to state my opinion on the matter. I've stated it, so I'll drop it. Not like my opinion matters in the first place, really. I'm but a normal user.

No matter what happens, I'll always love the RPG section. But, I guess I better walk on egg-shells; lest my statements be considered laughable.

That was in response to another user. ^^;; Not to worry, he wasn't talking about anything you said.

 

[Yun]

[...] the idea that this organization is counter-intuitive is laughable.

Okay, one: that was uncalled for. It's one thing to refute my feedback/complaints, but another to outright insult it. I may be wrong about that, but that is definitely how I'm taking it.

The divide was already implemented when I was here. People have grown used to it. Going back to single forums is absolutely nothing I can change. However, I would like to state my opinion on the matter. I've stated it, so I'll drop it. Not like my opinion matters in the first place, really. I'm but a normal user.

No matter what happens, I'll always love the RPG section. But, I guess I better walk on egg-shells; lest my statements be considered laughable.

That was in response to another user. ^^;; Not to worry, he wasn't talking about anything you said.

Well then, I sincerely apologize.

Hectic day at work, and I thought I was being insulted ^^
@Evil Figment; My bad, dude. The RPG section is my home. I just want to be able to talk freely and help the mods by giving some feedback.

 

[Fig]

It's alright. I understand being attached to this forum. I created Bulba's first RPG forum, a decade ago, made the first RP in it, and was its first moderator. (And, before that, my first moderator post was a mod of the RPG forum on The Pokemasters).

 

[Yun]

You've got some history here. That's actually pretty sweet.

 

[Pain Split]

What's done is done, no going back. And I have to say, at first I was a little shocked to find a new change, but I think I can live with it. But just a thought: now isn't really the most... active time for RPing, is it? Summer tends to serve more activity, I think. So, this change makes it look less dead, and then in summer, it gets even more lively, leaving navigation in the forum somewhat Mystery Dungeon-ish (just my strange analogy). What I mean is that the thread can be anywhere in the forum. Not complaining, just a simple thought.

 

[Yu Narukami]

I prefer this new set-up. It's simpler for me,and most likely other's tbh, less clutter.

 

[Heroic Sociopath]

Seems I was wrong. New layout is working sublimely. Most rad.

 

[Italy-kun]

What I don't understand is why activity = the right to have subforums.