Less splits?
by Tomas Dahle · in Torque Game Builder · 04/03/2005 (5:58 am) · 6 replies
Am I the only one that thinks it takes forever to go through the 12 different forums for T2D just to see if there is anything interesting going on?
Nothing wrong with some categorization, but does it have to be so many categories?
Well, maybe everyone else loves this?
Nothing wrong with some categorization, but does it have to be so many categories?
Well, maybe everyone else loves this?
About the author
#2
I'd much prefer something like other forums where the icon changes colour after you've read the thread and changes back the moment a new post is made. That way you can nip on the forums when you only have time to read a few threads, and not have to mark everything are read.
When you return, the threads you've read still have a gray icon, unless someone posted in your absence.
The mark all read is ok, but only if you read all the new threads in one sitting imo. Although this is really more of tha forum suggestion for GG as a whole rather than T2D :P
04/03/2005 (6:16 am)
I like the forum splits (especially as the number of users/posts begins to increase), I just don't like the mark as read function :P I'd much prefer something like other forums where the icon changes colour after you've read the thread and changes back the moment a new post is made. That way you can nip on the forums when you only have time to read a few threads, and not have to mark everything are read.
When you return, the threads you've read still have a gray icon, unless someone posted in your absence.
The mark all read is ok, but only if you read all the new threads in one sitting imo. Although this is really more of tha forum suggestion for GG as a whole rather than T2D :P
#3
04/04/2005 (6:34 pm)
More categories = better organization = easier to find stuff! I hated it when it was just one forum for posting everything that wasn't a bug. I'd be like - "ok now... where was that thread on Script Objects? Page 7? Page 9?" And so I'd have to look through page after page (cause the search sucks). Now I can just go to the Scripting forum and there are way less posts to sort through. That one forum was getting hundreds of posts a day at least cause the community was so active! I'd lose my thread under three pages of new ones! :P So say what you want about lots of categories, but the more the better.
#4
Well, consider this. I made a rather long and lengthy response to an inquiry about OpenGL and blending. Where was this? In an already existing thread in the Scripting section. The post itself clearly belongs in something like the General forum, but the post in the Scripting section was what provoked my reply. Now, suddenly, a topic that might have been marginally useful for people not interested in what's going on in the Scripting section suddenly became very useful to anyone needing to understand framebuffer blending.
You can never tell when a thread is going to wander into another forum's area of discussion. Now, in order to stay informed, you have to check 10 places for potentially interesting threads.
If you need to view more threads on a page, we should be able to view more than 10 threads on a single page. As in whomever is responsible for the forum needs to make this possible.
In fact, to be honest, these forums are kinda crappy in overall presentation. If you want exceptional forum design, look no further to the Allegro.cc forums. Those forums have exceptional design and features.
I would argue for having sections, but having fewer of them. One for C++ engine coding, one for TScript, one for Bugs, one for Suggestions, one for general stuff, and one for showing off (just to get it out of other threads). We don't need an art forum, nor do we need separate forums for specialized T2D stuff like physics, the particle system or the tile system. The General forum would suffice nicely for all of those inquiries. We need categories for very specialized things, but only just for them. And for removing clutter from the other threads.
04/04/2005 (8:17 pm)
Quote:So say what you want about lots of categories, but the more the better.
Well, consider this. I made a rather long and lengthy response to an inquiry about OpenGL and blending. Where was this? In an already existing thread in the Scripting section. The post itself clearly belongs in something like the General forum, but the post in the Scripting section was what provoked my reply. Now, suddenly, a topic that might have been marginally useful for people not interested in what's going on in the Scripting section suddenly became very useful to anyone needing to understand framebuffer blending.
You can never tell when a thread is going to wander into another forum's area of discussion. Now, in order to stay informed, you have to check 10 places for potentially interesting threads.
If you need to view more threads on a page, we should be able to view more than 10 threads on a single page. As in whomever is responsible for the forum needs to make this possible.
In fact, to be honest, these forums are kinda crappy in overall presentation. If you want exceptional forum design, look no further to the Allegro.cc forums. Those forums have exceptional design and features.
I would argue for having sections, but having fewer of them. One for C++ engine coding, one for TScript, one for Bugs, one for Suggestions, one for general stuff, and one for showing off (just to get it out of other threads). We don't need an art forum, nor do we need separate forums for specialized T2D stuff like physics, the particle system or the tile system. The General forum would suffice nicely for all of those inquiries. We need categories for very specialized things, but only just for them. And for removing clutter from the other threads.
#5
04/04/2005 (8:39 pm)
Smaug: if you go to "My Garage", then preferences, scroll down to Misc and change the value under " Page Size represents the default number of items displayed on search result pages." from 10 to 30 or 40, then the forums will display that many threads when you go into a forum. Makes it a little easier to cruise around.
#6
04/05/2005 (6:07 am)
I like it the way it is, of course if it gets changed I will probably like it the way is still, as long as there is a way to find what I need quickly. I would argue for having seperate sections for physics, collisions, audio, etc, because then if you have an issue you know exactly where to look, instead of looking through 30 pages of general scripting threads. Although that would be okay if the search function was improved to allow searching of a specific forum, i.e. instead of searching through ALL resources, just search through t2d ones. 
Associate Melv May
All you have to do is come back later and check unread posts. You shouldn't have to search.
We only had a few before and a forum split was asked for and makes total sense otherwise everything gets put into one bin.
Using the "Unread Posts" is the way to go; couldn't use the forums without it myself. :)
- Melv.