vBulletin??
- Thread starter Monorail
- Start date
Because free forum software is just plain terrible. It's a pain compared to working with paid forum software. I prefer vBulletin, but anything is better than PHPBB - IPB, Xenforo, etc...
If Amy's willing to take the proposal, a vB 3.8 forum can be up in no time
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@Oswald: Thanks for that, I hadn't seen it yet.
Xenforo is an OKAY alternative, but it's not ready for prime time yet. It's still missing basic features, like a good multi-quote.
If Amy's willing to take the proposal, a vB 3.8 forum can be up in no time
.@Oswald: Thanks for that, I hadn't seen it yet.
Xenforo is an OKAY alternative, but it's not ready for prime time yet. It's still missing basic features, like a good multi-quote.
Because, if you are going to make a game this popular, and have 
of members, and this and that do you really want to use a free forum software? A license is a one time cost. You buy it, you own it for the rest of your life. It's worth the investment over the long run for a game like this and if she is willing, there can be a cost split between people. As I said, I would be interested in backing the forum license but I would not be like Grace on oVMK and own it 100% myself. I would include Amy and whoever else she would like (say for example, another staff member she trusts) and myself and we would purchase it and I would give her majority control of the forum license and I would take much more of a backseat role. I have no intention of running the game or the forum other than just helping to get a suitable forum license going because I truly care about the game and I know how important a forum can be for VMK because it brings players and the community together.
Also, Xenforo is a bad choice. It lacks basic features that you can get for a much cheaper price from a used license of vB. And it is being built to be more social networking than an actual forum. So based on just that I don't think it is appropriate.
A Xenforo license is $140 but a used license of vB 3.8 can be had for about $100 to $150. Sometimes less than $100 if you look hard enough. The same price as Xenforo but better support, more of a forum and better features. It's a no brainer.
of members, and this and that do you really want to use a free forum software? A license is a one time cost. You buy it, you own it for the rest of your life. It's worth the investment over the long run for a game like this and if she is willing, there can be a cost split between people. As I said, I would be interested in backing the forum license but I would not be like Grace on oVMK and own it 100% myself. I would include Amy and whoever else she would like (say for example, another staff member she trusts) and myself and we would purchase it and I would give her majority control of the forum license and I would take much more of a backseat role. I have no intention of running the game or the forum other than just helping to get a suitable forum license going because I truly care about the game and I know how important a forum can be for VMK because it brings players and the community together.Also, Xenforo is a bad choice. It lacks basic features that you can get for a much cheaper price from a used license of vB. And it is being built to be more social networking than an actual forum. So based on just that I don't think it is appropriate.
A Xenforo license is $140 but a used license of vB 3.8 can be had for about $100 to $150. Sometimes less than $100 if you look hard enough. The same price as Xenforo but better support, more of a forum and better features. It's a no brainer.
Tigeraceray said:
Because, if you are going to make a game this popular, and have of members, and this and that do you really want to use a free forum software? A license is a one time cost. You buy it, you own it for the rest of your life. It's worth the investment over the long run for a game like this and if she is willing, there can be a cost split between people. As I said, I would be interested in backing the forum license but I would not be like Grace on oVMK and own it 100% myself. I would include Amy and whoever else she would like (say for example, another staff member she trusts) and myself and we would purchase it and I would give her majority control of the forum license and I would take much more of a backseat role. I have no intention of running the game or the forum other than just helping to get a suitable forum license going because I truly care about the game and I know how important a forum can be for VMK because it brings players and the community together.
Also, Xenforo is a bad choice. It lacks basic features that you can get for a much cheaper price from a used license of vB. And it is being built to be more social networking than an actual forum. So based on just that I don't think it is appropriate.
of members, and this and that do you really want to use a free forum software? A license is a one time cost. You buy it, you own it for the rest of your life. It's worth the investment over the long run for a game like this and if she is willing, there can be a cost split between people. As I said, I would be interested in backing the forum license but I would not be like Grace on oVMK and own it 100% myself. I would include Amy and whoever else she would like (say for example, another staff member she trusts) and myself and we would purchase it and I would give her majority control of the forum license and I would take much more of a backseat role. I have no intention of running the game or the forum other than just helping to get a suitable forum license going because I truly care about the game and I know how important a forum can be for VMK because it brings players and the community together.Also, Xenforo is a bad choice. It lacks basic features that you can get for a much cheaper price from a used license of vB. And it is being built to be more social networking than an actual forum. So based on just that I don't think it is appropriate.
Most people don't realize that no one takes free forums seriously. Most people won't even join them, because they're used to the industry standard: vBulletin. Believe it or not, forum software can make or break a community or game. It's one of the most important decisions you make... vBulletin makes the most sense because that's what most people are used to. It has easy installation, you're more likely to find people with experience with it rather than other forum software, you have access to some of the best add-ons ever, skinning is so easy, etc...
To be honest, XF isn't for gaming communities, IMO. I feel like they market it as a forum, but it's truly a social networking platform. I never really paid attention to the lawsuit, but XF dealt with it badly IMO. People complain about vB's support, but from what I've seen, XF's is much worse..
If the community went with a vBulletin license, it should be owned by Amy. The reason why? OpenVMK. Grace used her license to weedle her way into the forum staff. Once she was in, she held the license over peoples head to get what she wanted, until she eventually had control of the servers with her boyfriend, Aaron. I do not want to see this happen again. If the license isn't owned by Amy or a very, very close friend of hers that she trusts 110%, I would not be for switching the software.
I agree, but I also think it's the community's responsibility to run a forum. VMK never had an official one, Habbo doesn't, Wizard101 doesn't, VFK doesn't, etc...and all of those work out great. It seemed like the forum was one of the main problems of OVMK. The developer should run the game, and update people on the game's site. Users then update other users of those updates on the forum.
I actually know of someone selling a used vB license, so if Amy is interested, I'll let them know ASAP.
I actually know of someone selling a used vB license, so if Amy is interested, I'll let them know ASAP.
You misunderstand me. I am all for the game having an official forum run by the staff. However, I am not for the hiring of someone just because they possess a licensed copy of vBulletin. I think buying the used copy of vBulletin would be a great idea! No one would be holding a license over anyone's head for power
Jess said:
No, you misunderstood me. I'm saying I agree with you, but I think it's better if the community sets up the forum (as a fan forum or something). 
Fiyero said:
Jess said:
No, you misunderstood me. I'm saying I agree with you, but I think it's better if the community sets up the forum (as a fan forum or something).
I agree that it can be... But how may successful MMOs can you name with official forums? (I think I can think of one.)
I'm not saying the developers of these games don't post on these forums, because many of them do all the time. The point is, someone from the community gets to run the forum which is one less worry for game developers. There's less drama too. Grace not only ran the forum, but was over in-game staff, right? Community-made forums, the way VMKMagic was, aren't like that.
It doesn't really matter. I just think that's how it works best :P.
I'm not saying the developers of these games don't post on these forums, because many of them do all the time. The point is, someone from the community gets to run the forum which is one less worry for game developers. There's less drama too. Grace not only ran the forum, but was over in-game staff, right? Community-made forums, the way VMKMagic was, aren't like that.
It doesn't really matter. I just think that's how it works best :P.
Smallworlds has an official forum, and it works great. The one benefit of having it is that everyone stays together (which makes discussion about the game easier for the developers). With VMK, there were tons of fan-run forums. Although VMKMagic was the biggest, I felt like everyone was separated into different communities. This way Amy and staff can see how the community reacts to updates, ask our opinions, etc.