This forum index change is clearly a turn for the worse - as it is...

I have no doubt that it has involved a lot of work for the people responsible for all this but the result is so poor that I can only say that you guys will have to work some more, for the sake of this site and the people that come here, sorry but there it is. The main culprit seems to be primarily the screwed up guidelines, principles, ideas and ambitions behind it. As it is the results does strikes me as straight up counterproductive in short. Now, I'll try to be constructive here...

The good things about it...

  • NTW has now seemingly received full recognition as a game in its own right (controversy or not - there is more gained in that then lost by doing it).
  • The more straight forward and basic names on sections/sub-sections at the expense of the previous stranger Org-naming conventions (which I never truly understood).
  • The modders general "cross-game" discussion forum/section is a good idea (as I already said in the past).


The bad things about it, the highlights (but not limited too)....

  • Drastic loss in visibility in the index for all proceedings and happenings for all regular TW-stuff (whatever it may be) and this regardless the game - save STW2 (as usual).
  • Drastic loss in detail in the index for all regular TW-stuff (whatever it may be) and this regardless the game - save STW2 (as usual).
  • Drastic loss in both detail and visibility on the index for all modding activities on TW-stuff (whatever it may be) and this regardless the game - save STW2 (as usual).
  • Drastic loss in detail and visibility in the index for all serious and released TW-work hosted here and this regardless the game/engine - no exceptions. All visibility and traces of discussions and posts related to that are now shut down on the index. That is just hostile. It is even worse then over at the CA boards that has done similar crap to mods - severing them from the engines/games they clearly belong too. It is just counterproductive.
  • The bunching up of all TW-games in one section. It gives a very unserious impression of this site - besides that it is plain stupid and totally unwarranted. The games are games in their own right as each engine is different and functions differently - that is a matter of fact - we all know this. And, it is counterproductive. Just because the CA-boards does this kind of crap does not mean that it has too be or should be repeated here…
  • We still need to scroll the damn index anyhow so that excuse/motive for doing all this and the actual nominal gains in scrolling truly achieved here is done at unacceptable and horrendous costs in both detail, visibility and sections on the index. It does not stand in any reasonable proportion to the price it demands. If people can't be expected to scroll somehow then they basically have no future or business on the internet as practically everything needs to be scrolled somehow - it comes with the territory. And, this sites purpose is not to cater to or wet-nurse people who can't manage to scroll. And, there is no future in aiming for such people either - not for this site.
  • Another claimed motive for this change was the supposed increased visibility that all this would lead to. Which is ridicolous nonsense. It is plain impossible to ignore that the effect has been the very opposite of such claimed intentions. It has thus been explicitly counterproductive in that very regard.
  • If this site was actually called "ShogunTotalWar2.Org" or some such - then all this would make some limited sense. However it is "TotalWar.Org" and because of that none of it makes much sense or is very beneficial for this site - or for many people that come here. There are plenty of people who have invested ridiculous amounts of energy, time and effort that obviously have benefited this site in various ways over the years - this beyond the staff - AND it is not all done in the name of STW2 (or the latest TW-game). There are other games in TW, and there are other people here that is interested in them and who frankly don't give a rats ass about STW2 (more or less). If that were not so, then the other TW-games would have no posts and discussions anywhere - we all know that this is hardly the case. This goes across the board and it is valid for all TW-games and stuff related to them. I wager that in reality, there are more people - this in 2012 - concerned with TW-stuff not related to STW2 somehow then the other way around. This index-stunt does not reflect nor does it correspond to that, it just ignores it... That is just counterproductive and destructive for this site.


***

So, what to do...?

For starters, realize that there is a point when cutting sections and sub-sections does not create clarity and advantages but confusion and drawbacks - when that happens it becomes counterproductive and just stupid to do it. We are well beyond that point here. Thus, if change of index is a must - we are left no choice but go back and have more sections again somehow. There is no way around that if we look at these things rationally and what is good for this site.

The purpose of the main index is to serve - ALL the people that come here. To bring clarity on what is covered here and an overview on what is happening on this site and the boards. ALL sections. The purpose of it is to help us find and locate the stuff that interest us - not to work against us by hiding and shutting down things that can be reasonably expected to be regarded as interesting on general terms somehow (ex. hosted mods, modding etc.). Thus we have no choice but to have more sections again, it is the only way to achieve this.

Now, the only way to do this - and actually get a functional and relatively non-controversial result long term - which is desirable - is to do this seriously and sensibility. That means that we must be fair and reasonable when building up the forum index again. This means that each TW-game get their own index section. Each game, get some visibility and detail on the index (last posts show up on index etc.). Mods, modders and modding get it as well and this within respective relevant sections. I thus think three index sub-sections ("regular section", "hosted mods", "modding and development" - and I suggest in that very order) as per index section is the absolute minimum before clarity, order and fairness begin to collapse into arbitrary and senseless nonsense. I fail to see how there are other (serious) ways to achieve it.

We should indeed standardize, apply self-explanatory naming-conventions on all sub-forums, of which there should be plenty in each index sub-section as to bring some order and clarity for each game and what concerns it somehow. The borders between TW-games should be properly maintained in all regards - this also includes tech-help which is clearly specific for each TW-game - different engine, different problems and all that. So a sub-forum assigned to each game for that is an obvious and sensible solution to that problem.

As for the in increased length of the index as a direct result - it can't be helped as it simply is impossible have a serious and reasonable index that does not need to be scrolled somehow – that is just how things are. That goal is impossible to achieve - and - still have a serious treatment of all TW-games. Period. The only thing that I can think of to combat that circumstance is that we somehow create a "forum index-map" with links/gateways to each index section (not index-subsections) and put that/it as a sub-forum at the top - this under the welcome/new members-index section that the Org traditionally has. That way all new members can easily find it and locate the stuff and sections they might be interested in - and - this without much scrolling involved (if any). Although, I personally find plain 'ol scrolling easier and less demanding to do....


To be continued in next post.

- A