Will we ever *gulp* upgrade the forum?

[Jonpachi]

Before I get smart-bombed, let's not forget that the forum has been upgraded in the past. When I first discovered it around 2001 or so, the threads were not nice clean pages to scroll but rather a series of replies, like one big messy Gmail discourse. Then we had the big loss of data around 2005, and the forum was then rebooted in its current form.

Don't get me wrong, there's a certain nostalgia to the blue space pattern and quaint old BBS system. Yet, the abilities of more modern communication systems does leave me wondering what a modern days shmups forum might look like.

Just thinking of all the things that Skype lets me do, I'd love to:

- "@" specific members to notify them of a thread or call them into a discussion.
- Create groups that can be "@" notified when a specific topic comes up.
- Drag-and-drop images and gifs into a post.
- Curate which threads/channels I am active in and clean out my homepage of noise.
- Reply to specific posts and create sub-threads to discuss a topic instead of the "quote" system within the larger, singular thread.

The list goes on from there, but those are just some daily wants. So, am I alone in this? Any appetite to consider an upgrade?

[BareKnuckleRoo]

Being able to "ping" someone who's been mentioned by name in a post would be a neat upgrade. And incorporating the scoring section with an automated scoring table like how the French shmup forum has been discussed as an improvement.

- Drag-and-drop images and gifs into a post.

This particular idea is unlikely to happen, mostly because it would dramatically increase system11's hosting costs (some threads get really image-heavy). Once you start hosting images server-side, the server would be responsible for the drive space and bandwidth from everyone viewing the images. This is as opposed to using (IMG)(/IMG) tags to show images being hosted elsewhere on a free uploading platform such as Imgur which is what folks currently tend to do, with the disadvantage there being that the images vanish if a free image hosting platform goes under or deletes them after a period of time.

Speaking of bandwidth costs, didn't there used to be a Donate button at the top right of the forum? Where'd it go?

[Krushal]

I keep seeing/ hearing negative comments about BBS, don't understand them personally. There's a lot to be said for it's cleanness and simplicity.

Reddit-style sub-threads and replies tend to be a mess: you just want to read the meat of a discussion, but all these tangential (at best) blocks of text get in the way.

Discord (@'s, groups) is obviously something different entirely. Not at all a replacement for a proper forum.

Of the suggestions listed, image-hosting would be great, but it's obviously omitted for bandwidth/ cost reasons.

TL;DR - A strong vote for BBS.

[BareKnuckleRoo]

Yeah, phpBB is a great platform and is honestly vastly superior for management of information and usability compared to the messiness of something like Reddit's commenting system or Discord and trying to use their search functions to find a specific discussions or search for a piece of info.

[Udderdude]

Forum's stuck in the past, much like it's userbase. I say keep it that way.

Last thing I want is to come here one day and it's been turned into some Web 4.0 abomination.

[Mortificator]

I would press the "like" button for the first post but I can't seem to find it...

[6t8k]

I've been having this in mind for a while now and had been thinking about asking system11 in the Forum software / theme bugs thread whether there were any respective plans.

I like the current forum software quite a bit for its lightweight feel and focus on the essentials. What works well doesn't have to be changed just because it's old; being all new'n shiny is not an end in itself. Sufficient consideration is always crucial for obviating potential great clamour afterwards when it comes to decisions like this, which change some of the ways communication will flow going forward.

That said, the current software is, without any doubt, aging – while I think that it absolutely shouldn't try to imitate Discord (there's Discord for that) or Reddit (there's Reddit for that), it could use some quality-of-life improvements. Furthermore, it's of utmost importance that any software be updated regularly for security reasons, and I'm pretty sure we're running an outdated version of phpBB 3.x and PHP.


My suggestion for future evaluation would be WoltLab Suite Forum (formerly called WoltLab Burning Board). Although that would mean a departure from FOSS software, with arcade-projects.com, a noteworthy and thematically related forum has already been using it for a few years. I'm active there myself on and off, and I think it's great. There's a ready-made importer for phpBB 3.x. I believe it would support most of the OP's feature requests (and likes for posts).

Alternatively, an update to phpBB 3.3 could be performed; good old phpBB is still maintained dilligently, although some frequently requested amenities regularly don't make it into the main product, followed by a hint at developmental priorities and the existence of extensions.
Thus @mentions and likes for posts, for example, would have to be facilitated by use of extensions (by the way, I appreciate that we currently are not using any extensions, as far as I can see).

[Shelcoof]

I love everything about this forum. It'll be hard for me to adjust if anything changes

[Jonpachi]

Not sure how this became “off topic” but so be it. As said, I don’t hate the current format but it is limiting, and it seems to be “on topic” to the community as a whole to discuss the future. I just wanted to open the discussion and got booted out of the main discourse.

[Sumez]

There are quite a few features that I think could potentially improve the forum, but on the other hand I'm still not seeing those features in most other popular modern forum software out there.

Instead, they tend to add a lot of annoying bloat and annoying designs that feel much less condensed.

Not sure how this became “off topic” but so be it. As said, I don’t hate the current format but it is limiting, and it seems to be “on topic” to the community as a whole to discuss the future. I just wanted to open the discussion and got booted out of the main discourse.

Not sure what subforum you created this thread in, but I'm curious which you feel would be more apt than off-topic?

[Austin]

Invision's forum software offers all those modern features and is good (as an example, you can look at AtariAge or Doomworld, they both use it). It looks and works very well.

However, I can't imagine a transition from something like phpBB to be easy. I believe Invision's software also costs money, which would likely be difficult to justify at this forum.

I personally don't have an issue with the forum software as-is. It at least works and it looks better than the typical phpBB forum. The extra fluff would be nice, but is not necessary.

[drauch]

The ye olde forums should not change. Being able to 'like' is nice instead of just wastefully responding, "I totally agree" or some sort, but not necessary. I'd have a billion posts if I just read through the side-scroller thread and commented on everything I enjoyed or appreciated reading. So let it be known I appreciate it .

You can always easily just use imgbb to drag in a photo and link that. Obviously not as simple, but it's still a fast process, unlike Photobucket before it went the way of evil incarnate, and that other one that was replaced with that goddamn smiley face goon. Again, would be nice, but not worth the cost I'd assume.

Discord is like an extended AOL log and Reddit is just a repetitious mess. And Facebook groups... by the gods.

Love live the simple forum. Hail!

[dan76]

Don't change anything.

[Mischief Maker]

[null1024]

Just thinking of all the things that Skype lets me do, I'd love to:

- "@" specific members to notify them of a thread or call them into a discussion.
- Create groups that can be "@" notified when a specific topic comes up.
- Drag-and-drop images and gifs into a post.
- Curate which threads/channels I am active in and clean out my homepage of noise.
- Reply to specific posts and create sub-threads to discuss a topic instead of the "quote" system within the larger, singular thread.

I like pretty much all of these ideas except the absolute last one, which kinda just seems like a way to internally fragment threads.

That being said, this is the last traditional web forum I go to and I'll be kinda pissed if the layout gets severely mucked about with in the name of modernity.
A lot of modern sites are both ugly as sin and have layouts that get in the way of actually using them. They've got all kind of modern features, but they're an absolute pain in the ass to use.

[Bratwurst]

Don't change anything.

[rapoon]

Discourse isn't bad with it's contemporary bells and whistles and it's one of the most common alternatives to phpBB, but I still vehemently prefer the simplicity of the later. Reddit and discord are both shit and neither are 'forums'

[ED-057]

Don't do it. I will never enable javashit. NEVARRRR!

[Turrican]

Forum's stuck in the past, much like it's userbase. I say keep it that way.

Last thing I want is to come here one day and it's been turned into some Web 4.0 abomination.

This.

[BIL]

It could work... if I get to design all the stickers.

EDIT: gimme the board logo and I'll do it FO FREE

[MintyTheCat]

Forum's stuck in the past, much like it's userbase. I say keep it that way.

Last thing I want is to come here one day and it's been turned into some Web 4.0 abomination.

This.

Sometimes we get a load of self-righteous, still living with mummy & daddy types signing up if that could be seen as an 'upgrade'. Apart from that it's pretty much the same as ever and I quite like it. I was only thinking yesterday of how many games and even music acts that I've found through the forum and it's always nice to see how the long-termers are getting on. Why change it and be like everyone else eh?

[MX7]

Likes don't really contribute anything to a conversation other than a digital head nod. I like the fact that to signify appreciation you have to say something constructive or just not waste bandwidth.

The conservatism of this forum is its greatest strength. There are already Discords and irc channels and SubReddits I can cheerfully ignore but it's nice to know they're out there. Frankly I would like to see less functionality. It would be great if the 'three lines max' for signatures rule was enforced. And. gif spamming is rare but still annoying.

[Bananamatic]

Likes don't really contribute anything to a conversation other than a digital head nod. I like the fact that to signify appreciation you have to say something constructive or just not waste bandwidth

Likes only contribute to the place becoming an echo chamber, especially if you can do them anonymously

[Sumez]

Liking, upvoting or (especially) downvoting definitely never did anything positive for a discussion forum. The only potential additions that I think would be positive have already been mentioned:

Easier embedding of images (goes well with a way to prevent those huge-ass 10,000px photgraphs in sales threads)
A simple notification system that combines subscribed threads, people quoting you, and a basic @tagging system.

I guess a new, slicker design wouldn't hurt. But there's some nostalgia in the cheesy logo font and starry background.

EDIT: Maybe a more mobile friendly design. But to be honest, this forum tends to passively work better on my mobile than a lot of forums that intentionally try to be fancy for that format.

[6t8k]

When I first discovered it around 2001 or so, the threads were not nice clean pages to scroll but rather a series of replies, like one big messy Gmail discourse. Then we had the big loss of data around 2005, and the forum was then rebooted in its current form.

Whoa

Spoiler

2000


2004


since 2005 (only very minor changes since then)

I love everything about this forum. It'll be hard for me to adjust if anything changes

Well, me too. :[ it's undeniable that it has a certain simple charm and patina.

Personally, I don't necessarily need anything more than we already have in terms of functionality and/or looks (although I'd find it handy to have an @mention/tagging/quote notification system combined with subscribed threads). However, some change will come as sure as night follows day (if only for security reasons), the question is when. With an update to phpBB 3.3, not much will change functionality-wise, but there's the question whether our theme can be used as-is/be ported.

However, I can't imagine a transition from something like phpBB to be easy.

It should be quite straightforward, provided you know what you're doing, which should be a matter of course. It can be a bit of work, but considering the kind of run-of-the-mill software we're talking about, if it's hard, then something's not right.

It could work... if I get to design all the stickers.

I completely agree that the disadvantages of introducing likes/dislikes may outweigh the advantages by far.

[Jonpachi]

Oh man, those pics take me back. I remember the HEATED discussion of adding an "Off Topic" section to the V2 forums! "You're going to splinter the community!" LOL

[MintyTheCat]

Oh man, those pics take me back. I remember the HEATED discussion of adding an "Off Topic" section to the V2 forums! "You're going to splinter the community!" LOL

Wow - I remember the japanese text - that takes me right back. I was a lurker for many, many years whilst still at University way back in 1999 I think it would have been but only joined properly once I had my own Inet connection post-Univ. around 2006 think it was.

It still makes me laugh at how the youngsters and the gaming community en-masse regard folks such as us as being unusual. I still get the kids around asking me 'why play old games' and being totally bewildered by my replies. I also very much so enjoy seeing them play badly at older games and not have the patience for Shmups. Many of us are from an entirely different era it seems, but, that's fine : I have ma' Betamax player here so I shall be fine

[qmish]

Just don't degrade forum engine to "subhuman" ones like vanillaforums or discourse



XenForo is good alternative that has wide functionality but also doesnt loose what phpbb had.

[Bratwurst]

Likes don't really contribute anything to a conversation other than a digital head nod. I like the fact that to signify appreciation you have to say something constructive or just not waste bandwidth

Likes only contribute to the place becoming an echo chamber, especially if you can do them anonymously

I'm somewhat remorseful here that I essentially did just that by mirroring dan76's sentiment in a quote earlier. I just feel that there's so much to do in life that if something isn't broken it doesn't warrant 'fixing.'

[Mortificator]

Likes don't really contribute anything to a conversation other than a digital head nod. I like the fact that to signify appreciation you have to say something constructive or just not waste bandwidth

Likes only contribute to the place becoming an echo chamber, especially if you can do them anonymously

I'm somewhat remorseful here that I essentially did just that by mirroring dan76's sentiment in a quote earlier.

That's why likes are a worthwhile feature. They give you a way to easily show agreement or appreciation of a good post without empty or low-content quoting, which just clutters the thread with dead space. Sometimes people sum up a point completely and concisely such that there's nothing meaningful to add, but they get no feedback otherwise. There are no downsides to a XenForo-style list of users who left likes; you can echo just as much in your chamber without them.