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[Farmergnome]

Sounds cool Derek so long as whoever gets elected each week doesn't just pimp there wares (or friends wares) , that would be lame, uber lame.

"Zompocalypse - the greatest game ever!?!?!?"

I realize the irony.

I would like to see some system where different people post there though, It could add alot of flavor instead of reading the same ol about the same ol developers, flashbang, pixel, cactus, whatever, theres only so many times I can watch a minotaur china shop tech demo before I lose my marbles I GET IT HE BREAKS THINGS HARRRRRR.

But I love flashbang, seriously.

[Alec]

I'd be down for writing some C++ game engine building / development tutorials.

There are a lot of articles out there that cover parts of the process, but I'd like to write one that starts at the very beginning and takes the reader through everything - so that they don't have to stitch a bunch of different articles together to find all the info they need to start making games with their own engine.

[diwil]

I'd be down for writing some C++ game engine building / development tutorials.

There are a lot of articles out there that cover parts of the process, but I'd like to write one that starts at the very beginning and takes the reader through everything - so that they don't have to stitch a bunch of different articles together to find all the info they need to start making games with their own engine.

I have the intention of doing that, as well. It'll be interesting to see how our solutions to the same problem differ in execution.

Basically, I'm pretty new to the whole game engine development thing, so you'll obviously have some knowledge that only experience can give. The way I've made my engine is by excessive use of research through Google, GameDev.net and a few eBooks. I've also peeked into the source code of certain libraries (SDL_ttf, for one) to see how certain things work. FreeType is a bitch of a library to master, but I'm getting there. :D

[Valter]

Yeeeees. A tutorials forums would be excellent. I would recommend making it "tutorials/tutorial requests", but I'm hoping that's a given.

I also disagree with removing Front Page Comments, or requiring you to register to comment. It's supposed to an indie gaming community, so I think that cutting out all the people who don't really want to register is kind of rude. "Elitist" is the word.

I also vaguely disagree with YMM's suggestion, just because like Inane said, popularity contests aren't really so much in the spirit of independent gaming. The idea is interesting, I just feel like it would have to be implemented in a different way. Besides, the idea of giving too many people control of the blog (or blogs, as YMM suggested) would clog up TIGS. There'd just be too many articles, in my opinion.

[Powergloved Andy]

Derek Derek Derek, you're doing a fine job ol' chap! 

In all honesty I rarely come through the main site to get to the forums, I usually hit the database first because I like to see the games featured, read reviews, and see the three random games thumbnails. Although I wish the reviews were updated more often.

I think the main page should be on a regular schedule. You know, ummm, let's say like reviewer Wednesday or something. Where in a forum post TIGers talk about current indie games on the forums and the best posts and comments go on the front page and sort-of spotlight that game. You know something simple like that can take a blog a long way.

Also, where is the Retro Remake news? I mean there was a post awhile back announcing the compo, but it hasn't been updated with current entries! I know Retro Remake isn't our forum, but still it's indie news!

Anyway, you're doing a great job. All of you are.  I am privileged to be apart of a great community.

[sereneworx]

I really like the idea of people writing stuff, and then getting it voted up, something similar to the digg/reddit concept.

[Don Andy]

Now, this may sound a bit too overkill, but how about a system where every user has his own blog and can blog about whatever he wants, and then other users can vote and rate on these blog entries.

And the ones with the highest voting/rating would then get featured alongside the "main" articles on the "main" blog.

You know like a column on the side ala "What the community wrote today" with the ten highest articles.

Of course the whole system remind me an awful lot of Digg and could go horribly wrong, but I'm just throwing it in here.

Edit:
>.<

[Saker]

Now, this may sound a bit too overkill, but how about a system where every user has his own blog and can blog about whatever he wants, and then other users can vote and rate on these blog entries.

And the ones with the highest voting/rating would then get featured alongside the "main" articles on the "main" blog.

You know like a column on the side ala "What the community wrote today" with the ten highest articles.

Of course the whole system remind me an awful lot of Digg and could go horribly wrong, but I'm just throwing it in here.

Edit:
>.<

this is YMM's idea .

can we have a forum where everybody can post his own news and reviews ?.? (and then let the community decide which post should be front-paged )

[Don Andy]

this is YMM's idea .

Hence my edit. I kinda messed up during hectically reading the thread, writing my post and hiding Firefox from my boss.

[Alec]

Personally I think there's potential in using the forum as a place for users to post content and having some combination of user voting and editors to select the content. (in a similar way to how the "post the games you want to see on tigsource" thread works)

Perhaps having a separate forum with sub-categories. (like reviews/opinion pieces, news, community event coverage, etc)

[jeb]

GameTunnel lets people post news directly on the site through their forums, once asked for permissions. I don't think they've had any problems with that system. Of course, only the news' thread titles appear on the front page, which I think is fine. A moderator could then choose topics to "inflate" on the front page, displaynig the whole post's contents.

In other words:
- Thread topics are posted as a one-line news item on the front page. "World of Goo: Tomorrow or the Week After / Posted by Derek Yu 11 hours ago"
- Selected topics are expanded to show the whole post material, like how the current news items look like.

[Alec]

Definitely finding ways to link the database, the forum and the front page together would be really cool.

i.e. if there was someway to embed a small, automatically geneated description box off tigDB in a front page post, or if there was a way to automatically open a discussion thread about a game from tigDB.

[diwil]

The forums and such are powered by PHP, am I right? I could write a module for you guys to make this thing happen. PM me if interested.

[increpare]

The forums and such are powered by PHP, am I right? I could write a module for you guys to make this thing happen. PM me if interested.

forums are smf, main page is wordpress.  Both are php based.  Adding extra php stuff to wordpress is pretty easy, and I've carried out small customizations to SMF fora myself in the past.

Might be worth glancing at wordpress mu as well.

that said, if proper integration between all these different places is the goal, maybe switching to some more robust CMS would be desirable.

All this said, I don't particularly like the idea of moving stuff onto the front page that would sit more comfortably and usefully (for forum members) in the forum.

[increpare]

Also, what about inviting people from peripherally-related communities to write guest posts on tigsource?  ( Emily Short comes to mind, for instance).  Or maybe interviews would be a better format?

[Gnarf]

Personally I think it'd be pretty neat if there was some sort of system in place for just like, submitting an article and having it end up on the site if it is any good. So if people want to write something up for the site, there is some all proper way to go about it, rather than posting something somewhere on forum and hoping it gets picked up by someone. Not that guest editors and that wouldn't be totally cool, but I'm imagining that some people might come up with like one or two really worthwhile things but still be totally freaked out by the idea of being in charge for weeks at a time.

That stuff where it's a collection of blogs by everyone and everything goes everywhere or something like that sounds a bit overkill to me. Maybe it's only awesome and it's just me being like, underkill. That's like at least half right anyway.

[Gainsworthy]

Definitely finding ways to link the database, the forum and the front page together would be really cool.

Also, what about inviting people from peripherally-related communities to write guest posts on tigsource?  (Emily Short comes to mind, for instance).  Or maybe interviews would be a better format?

Yes, And Yes.

A Random/New TIGDB box would be pretty brilliant. Keep one posted on what's new in town.

And us TIGers should branch out a little - I think thoughts on various types of design, art and music as well as a larger focus on other game forms such as IF would go down nicely. Give visitors and regulars some healthy variety in their diet.


Um, also? I say keep the comments box out the front. I know I'm always saying (or is that just thinking?) to expand the community, invite all good folks to our folds, and etc. But some of the comments out the front? I'm thinking those commenters would be better off sitting around there.

Besides, comment boxes are nice and quick, and good for general use/simple updates. I always see forums as a somewhat denser object - slightly more formal discussion and such. I stayed watching the frontpage and lurking the forums for months before getting an account here. Nice to ease things in casually.



ALSO ALSO: Tutorials forum? Hell Yes. Need to help Tiglets grow up big and strong. Or grow in general. We'd require some dedicated members to actually put in some time, though.

[Akhel]

I think deadeye's idea is fantastic.

[Gnarf]

I think deadeye's idea is fantastic.

I think that's basically what I was failing at saying a couple of posts ago :|

[Akhel]

I think deadeye's idea is fantastic.

I think that's basically what I was failing at saying a couple of posts ago :|

I think we share the same opinion, then.