Star Wars Sim Forum: Roleplay, Simming and Fan Fiction

COMMUNITY => OOC Cantina => Topic started by: SWSF Hoppus on September 19, 2019, 02:31:18 PM

Title: Improving these forums
Post by: SWSF Hoppus on September 19, 2019, 02:31:18 PM
I am interested in any ideas from all of you on how we might improve the forums, have more activity (both in games and outside of games), and so forth.

Medivh and Syren have their thing going on. Us few stragglers sometimes have something going or ambitions to have something going on. Most of the other folks who used to swing by are long gone (Dementat and many others). No one new really shows up anymore and if they do they post once and disappear.

Probably, having an active game going would help a lot!

But besides that, does anyone have ideas? Is the format/organization of the board not ideal? Should I allow anyone to register again without needing to get approved (did this b/c spammers)?

I would really like to see this be more than two small groups of people on here but I'm jus not sure what to do or if there is anything we can do.

One thing I do believe, and that Severus has put forward before, is that we do need to have a "blessed" game of the forum, the main attraction, something nostalgic and long running that is active... but that may take some time to work towards. I do think having that would help give this forum a bit more of an identity, and help with activity.
Title: Re: Improving these forums
Post by: gallpizi on September 19, 2019, 03:01:12 PM
We need a game on the forum to draw people in, and turn off the "approval" section. Then we can try to push for people in other avenues. 

If people come and it feels dead they won't post more. They come here/find us because of a nostalgia for SWSF. Let's give them that in the form of an active game of some type.
Title: Re: Improving these forums
Post by: EmperorSeverus on September 24, 2019, 04:47:13 PM
Not to state the obvious, but the current look/feel of the forum does not stoke any nostalgia.
Title: Re: Improving these forums
Post by: SWSF Eidolon on September 24, 2019, 08:05:31 PM

Yeah, at the very minimum a starry background would help set the mood off a little better!

A star destroyer, blowing up, would be nice.


We can make our own little SWSF logo.
Title: Re: Improving these forums
Post by: SWSF Hoppus on September 24, 2019, 09:46:06 PM
Happy to take submissions for designs! :P

Seriously, if anyone wants to provide a background image/pattern and a logo, I can put a little time into making this look better.

That being said, I always prefer the black on white BGs. Are you folks saying you want a dark theme?
Title: Re: Improving these forums
Post by: SWSF Hale on September 24, 2019, 10:23:17 PM
How about these apples?

(https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/e/2PACX-1vSblWRXcBZkAMAwYWWEsgCyzWIdSMamdyC336nS7gxEOQtZQ2lMFaRGI13swWqPsH-NOPxo1QGFPU5k/pub?w=1391&h=625)

Title: Re: Improving these forums
Post by: SWSF Hoppus on September 24, 2019, 10:45:19 PM
Ill see what i can do
Title: Re: Improving these forums
Post by: SWSF Eidolon on September 24, 2019, 10:50:20 PM


Its like a chocolate and crushed nut slathered granny smith <3!
Title: Re: Improving these forums
Post by: Syren on September 25, 2019, 09:48:26 PM
I dig it. 
Title: Re: Improving these forums
Post by: SWSF Eidolon on October 03, 2019, 04:37:42 PM
I get it confused with my PNC banking site.
Title: Re: Improving these forums
Post by: SWSF Hoppus on October 03, 2019, 05:07:13 PM
I'll see if I find some time to tweak the skin a bit at least...
Title: Re: Improving these forums
Post by: SWSF Hoppus on October 12, 2019, 02:14:30 PM
Rolled 1d5 : 2, total 2
Title: Re: Improving these forums
Post by: SWSF Eidolon on October 16, 2019, 07:19:29 PM
I just noticed under our titles for everyone it says Recruit.

Can we nix that?
Title: Re: Improving these forums
Post by: SWSF Eidolon on October 17, 2019, 10:59:36 PM

When I click the Preview button, I get bunk.  A red error message saying the field is empty and a blank preview quote up top.
Title: Re: Improving these forums
Post by: SWSF Hoppus on October 18, 2019, 07:09:34 AM
Thats probably tied to the php version change stuff. Ill have a look.
Title: Re: Improving these forums
Post by: SWSF Hale on October 18, 2019, 05:27:08 PM
These guys do custom jobs for $100 if we ever want to pool some cash for the greater good.
I'm usually good for $20 on most days.

https://www.smfhacks.com/customsmftheme.php
Title: Re: Improving these forums
Post by: SWSF Eidolon on October 29, 2019, 09:37:49 PM

Does anyone elses Previews button work??


Getting pretty damn annoying now that Im trying to do a post full of statuses >:(
Title: Re: Improving these forums
Post by: SWSF Hoppus on October 30, 2019, 09:33:19 AM
This software is crap and its not something I think I can fix, or have the time to really dig into if it isnt something very basic and simple. Which I don't think it is with how crap the code and plugins are. 

We either wait for me to write custom software which ain't going to be fast or switch to another forum software. I am open to suggestions.
Title: Re: Improving these forums
Post by: SWSF Hale on October 30, 2019, 01:05:07 PM
This looked interesting.

The open-source version is free.

VANILLA (https://vanillaforums.com/en/software/)

Might be useful to integrate some Star Wars aesthetics later on as well.
Title: Re: Improving these forums
Post by: SWSF Hoppus on October 30, 2019, 01:15:13 PM
I've seen Vanilla but it didn't seem to really fit with what we want, in terms of how its laid out and how it functions.
Title: Re: Improving these forums
Post by: Syren on October 30, 2019, 07:34:37 PM
My preview button doesn't work either but I can manage.