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Simple question; Is LucasForums dead in all but name?


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I miss coming to these forums. I don't come here very often but when I do I mostly just lurk around and not post anything. I really would like to help out in any way that I can to give this place a fresh start. Sadly I am not very knowledgeable about web designing.

 

I have small knowledge of business management and auditing, as well as 15+ years with computers.

 

If there is anything I could do feel free to PM me and I will gladly discuss the issue.

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I am definitely beginning to think so. I posted a question, and promptly edited the post to ask the mods to move it to the proper forum for I had posted it in the wrong one. After about two weeks I got one answer, and it still sits in the wrong forum.

 

These boards are becoming rather useless now, methinks.

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I am definitely beginning to think so. I posted a question, and promptly edited the post to ask the mods to move it to the proper forum for I had posted it in the wrong one. After about two weeks I got one answer, and it still sits in the wrong forum.

 

These boards are becoming rather useless now, methinks.

 

That might have worked in the old days when more of the moderators were extremely active, but we don't always have time to read everything you post (not to mention reading it a second time to check and see if you've edited the post asking for us to move it). You'll get a much better response if you PM us.

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With little in the way of worthwhile suggestions left to make on the subject, I offer two schools of thought for consideration.

 

1. Firstly, it is necessary to be certain that a return to the days of regular forum activity is truly what you desire (from what I have observed of the replies to this thread, it seems to be). However, keep in mind that while more users and more regular activity on part thereof does entail an expanded sense of community, it doesn't tend to engender the feeling of a small, tight-knit community that the last few holdouts on an obsolete web forum offer. I can't pretend that I was around for those days, although I can vaguely recall lurking on LF as early as perhaps 2009-2010, if not earlier (based on the timeframe in which I first acquired TSL and became interested in the EU, circa 2007 or so). However, I have been a moderator and admin on forums that eventually shrank to see less user traffic than LF sees now, and I can attest that it's not easy, if it's even possible, to kickstart any online community that's as small as LF, let alone on an outdated medium such as the forum, which many of today's youngest generation of Web users will likely never even hear of. We tried everything to promote our old forums. One of our admins had 30k subscribers on YouTube, and even his advertising campaign flopped.

 

2. After cumulative weeks of lurking online, I have noted a consistent trend in user activity, which is that while anywhere upwards of 100 guests may be online at any given time (145 at the time of this posting), the number of registered users online tends to average about three to five, although I have seen as a few as one and as many as seven registered members online at the same time, but even then it has proven rare to see any of them post at the same time as you're online. Perhaps the most direct avenue to increasing forum traffic is to somehow encourage guests to register accounts? Since Web-based promotion seems to fall flat these days, it may be helpful to take advantage of the already curious viewers using the forums from day to day. Of course, given the current state of affairs here on LF, we don't exactly have much to bargain with in regard to convincing guests to sign up...perhaps that will change with the advent of the new movies? Or, alternatively, as Disney and companies espousing licensed Star Wars merch continue to flanderize the franchise to the preadolescent demographic, it may prove that older fans of the age necessary to properly contribute to an online community may be permanently turned off to the prospect of joining LF. Let us hope this is not the case.

 

Anyways, that's my two cents. Probably worth about that much.

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Not all those guest visitors are not registered users, though... I, for example, usually go throug the forums as guest, because I'm only reading posts. Even better, the forum keeps kicking me out if I take too long to read one page, so I need to re-login, which I may not notice in several hours, and when I do, I don't bother to logging in again.

 

Anyway... I like forums, and even though as I may not have much to say, I'm not going anywhere. The forum could need a new skin, though. This current one does indeed look quite old-school. Not to say it's necessarily a bad thing, but if it wants to look modern and welcoming to people who are not used to use forums, it may help. At least a bit.

 

Or maybe not. How would I know. Never managed to administrate a forum that would have survived long enough.

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You make a good point. I inadvertently do the same thing myself sometimes without realizing it. I suppose I can hardly blame people for not wanting to log in (or, in the case of guests, for not wanting to register) if a new post only rolls in every few days or so, and even then it may not be worth replying to.

 

Lamentable, though, that only as few people pass through as do. The Knights forum seems to see the most traffic, from what I've been able to discern. I notice the Dig forum hasn't had a new post in several years.

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My computer should be back from the repairman by next week. Although I have only the crudest knowledge of how modding is done, it's something I've always wanted to learn. I could put some time into studying it and maybe try to update the tutorials or write some new ones, if you like.

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It's interesting, I think newcomers generally are attracted to newer products of the SW franchise whereas a lot of older members are from the LucasArts/Internet Forum era and less the new mobile app/phone dominated internet browsing generation. However, the new generation does not necessarily know where their material comes from, whereas the generation(s) before this have experience with older windows, DOS, and a younger Internet.

 

So people coming in now are more likely to have an experience where they come across something older like KotOR or Jedi Outcast and then they seek us out here. Before it was a little more commonplace for that to happen but I just don't see smartphone internet users coming here, and the internet by phone is now only growing in popularity. Also the younger ones who are not of a mind to appreciate visual arts probably associate all this with being a kid instead of enjoying great video as an adult, again because they are being raised with different or newer technology and they probably keep to the new releases. So its good that there's so much new star wars coming down the line, and also user generated material based on the new material from Star Wars might become a good way to attract younger audiences into the older game communities.

 

This forum has a lot of like minded, creative people and I don't think it will be dying.

Especially since I will be even more bored and lonely if it does.

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This forum has a lot of like minded, creative people and I don't think it will be dying.

Especially since I will be even more bored and lonely if it does.

 

Those are my sentiments. I also feel that one of the strengths of LF (which may be magnified, if anything, because of the current small size of its user base) is that it's a welcoming forum used by a mature group of like-minded persons who all share a common interest, and that's something that's becoming increasingly difficult to find online. With most online communities in my experience, the rule seems to be that if you don't speak the lingo, don't understand the unwritten rules that no one seems willing to explain to newcomers, or step on the wrong moderator's toes, you aren't invited. At best, your posts will be deleted or ignored; at worst, you'll be driven away by territorial little keyboard commandos.

 

Don't get me wrong, I've heard that Reddit tends to be a pretty welcoming place, but I just never got around to checking it out. LF is the only online community I've ever been able to belong to, for lack of better words.

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It might help if there are sub forums for those newer star wars products that were previously mentioned.

 

A place to talk about swtor, or the new battlefront game are just the two that come to mind.

 

Not really as psyched about the lack of a single player campaign on the new battlefront game though...

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Are there currently any ideas on the table as to how the forums may be improved?

 

I don't suppose anyone has already thought of a shout box or some other form of real time communications as an addition to the forums. But I know not all forums support features like that, so I guess I'm out of ideas, short of manually organizing timetables for everyone to appear online. :thmbup1:

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I think in order to bring this place back to life we must let go of the past. Yes the older games have a special place in our hearts, bring back memories and every once in awhile we get new people playing them and coming here for advise or what not.

 

Because of nostalgia reasons, we do not want to accept the change. We do not want to admit that these classic games are becoming outdated and no longer as popular as they once were.

 

"You can't stop change any more than you can stop the suns from setting." ~ Shmi Skywalker

 

I think what would be best is start new. All of the classics should be downsized into simple discussion threads for each game. All matters of modding should be done on other sites that host files for the games.

 

Current and upcoming games should be the new focus. We should still maintain SWTOR as this is a still active game with upcoming content. Battlefront should be another as well as Star Wars Uprising. I think including mobile games will help get things on track. There are a few minor mobile games that could be considered as well but possibly just added in sub-categories.

 

 

Also I'm not familiar with how running a forum works but it seems to me that maybe the admins need to step down and pass there positions on to those who are willing to be more committed to the forums. Nothing personal to the current admins.

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I, for one, am here to stay for the long haul, provided I don't meet with a tragic demise or something similarly unforeseen before the forums start jumping again.

 

Preordering has already begun on the new Battlefront (reserved myself a copy last week), so perhaps we're on the road to the prophesied Star Wars revival? I swear, we as a franchise could really use a jump start. Last time LucasArts had something good going was with The Force Unleashed, but the second game only set us back four years if anything.

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I think in order to bring this place back to life we must let go of the past. Yes the older games have a special place in our hearts, bring back memories and every once in awhile we get new people playing them and coming here for advise or what not.

 

Because of nostalgia reasons, we do not want to accept the change. We do not want to admit that these classic games are becoming outdated and no longer as popular as they once were.

 

"You can't stop change any more than you can stop the suns from setting." ~ Shmi Skywalker

 

I think what would be best is start new. All of the classics should be downsized into simple discussion threads for each game. All matters of modding should be done on other sites that host files for the games.

 

Current and upcoming games should be the new focus. We should still maintain SWTOR as this is a still active game with upcoming content. Battlefront should be another as well as Star Wars Uprising. I think including mobile games will help get things on track. There are a few minor mobile games that could be considered as well but possibly just added in sub-categories.

 

As for a Star Wars revival, one can hope. Honestly, I think it is too early to tell, and we'll have to wait and see what Disney and EA do with it. If Star Wars gaming explodes again, perhaps this forum will too. But again, the forum needs a restructure if that is to happen. However if they make the franchise crash and burn, then who knows. And it's not like that's out of the realms of comprehension given how much has been announced for the next few years. Battlefront alone seems to be average at best based on a significant number of reports.

 

Also I'm not familiar with how running a forum works but it seems to me that maybe the admins need to step down and pass there positions on to those who are willing to be more committed to the forums. Nothing personal to the current admins.

 

The thing is that Deadly Stream seems to fit this bill and I've heard has quite a large crowd. Lucasforums must first try and find a new purpose. Maybe shift towards a film and tv forum too, instead of a primarily gaming forum based on old games.

 

I've been here since 2007, which makes me feel ancient but it wasn't really all that long ago. Yet, regardless, I've barely ever set foot out of KotOR's forum because I simply found no reason to. A more general, simplified, consolidated forum would improve such an issue that I have no doubt others have too.

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I've been here since 2007, which makes me feel ancient but it wasn't really all that long ago. Yet, regardless, I've barely ever set foot out of KotOR's forum because I simply found no reason to. A more general, simplified, consolidated forum would improve such an issue that I have no doubt others have too.

 

 

I've been around for nearly that long, and I agree with this statement. I've barely made it to any other area simply because it's too big of a tree to climb from way out at the network. My bookmark it to the Knights forum and that's where I've always been. There are too many small forums to possibly read it all.

This forum needs to be modernized, and simplified. I'd love to help revive this place. I would love to work on the website that essentially got me to learn how to computer in the first place. It's the reason I am a web-developer now. I just cannot do anything as a regular user, however.

 

Maybe if I can get a few minutes I can code us a mock "LF 2.0". Maybe thats what we need to get stuff rolling.

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I came back to see what was going on here and am glad to see that there is finally some real discussion about this. I would love to see this network become a popular Star Wars forum again.

As much as I love the feel of coming back to such a nostalgic place that brings me back to younger years, I also think that we can become a relevant place for the future. Most of the Star Wars places I have visited recently are just not the same interest level as this place once was.

This place really just needs an updated style and forum set. I love the old games too, but some are really old now and not warranting the same level of discussion as they once did.

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I've been around for nearly that long, and I agree with this statement. I've barely made it to any other area simply because it's too big of a tree to climb from way out at the network. My bookmark it to the Knights forum and that's where I've always been. There are too many small forums to possibly read it all.

This forum needs to be modernized, and simplified. I'd love to help revive this place. I would love to work on the website that essentially got me to learn how to computer in the first place. It's the reason I am a web-developer now. I just cannot do anything as a regular user, however.

 

And that's why the current admins need to pass their positions on to other members. We have admins not doing much of anything and members screaming to do something.

 

Maybe if I can get a few minutes I can code us a mock "LF 2.0". Maybe thats what we need to get stuff rolling.

 

Maybe try a free website site. Is freewebs still around?

 

If the LF Admins are incapable of action, I suggest new Admins are needed.

 

I move for a vote of no confidence in LF Admins leaderships!

 

Merged your double post, you little mutineer...

 

-SS

 

And that's why the current admins need to pass their positions on to other members. We have admins not doing much of anything and members screaming to do something.

 

 

 

Maybe try a free website site. Is freewebs still around?

 

If the LF Admins are incapable of action, I suggest new Admins are needed.

 

I move for a vote of no confidence in LF Admins leaderships!

 

Merged your double post, you little mutineer...

 

-SS

 

So, you have the interest. You have the manpower. You have something that bears the semblance of a plan. I've even noticed the frequency of replies to this thread increasing over the past week. I'm no coder or web developer, but it seems to me that the powder's all in the keg. Someone just needs to light it. The next question seems to be whether the powers that be may be petitioned to act, or if new admins are called for to put the plan into motion (if that's what this is).

 

For what it's worth, my experience with forums includes management, enhancement and promotion. I also have limited experience with CSS. Can't pretend to be one of the OGs like Canderis and the rest of the crew, but I'd be happy to help out any way I could should the opportunity arise.

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The people who have been admins have been admins for years. They know each other, they had ongoing communication (one would assume) with each other. Admin responsibilities will not be given to someone who they don't know very well, someone who doesn't partake in the forums all that much or someone who is simply new to the forum.

 

However, new admins ARE definitely needed. Darth333, Stoffe, Jeff et al all seem to pop their heads out the window but don't partake in what they're seeing nowadays. I would say we could do a simple nomination followed by vote.

 

But please, let's get rid of terms like 'powder keg', we're not staging a mutiny or revolution ;)

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So all this talk of "overthrowing the old admins"... have any of you considered private messaging the entire admin list to get them to give you positions in which you can actually do something about this as staff members instead of just talking about this as members from the sidelines? Who knows, something actually might come of it if you actually DO something.

 

Do you know how I became a staff member after joining this place in 1999 as a member? I TOLD them to make me part of the staff.

 

I didn't ask.

 

 

 

EDIT: Also, get this whole thing about the admins being some kind of cabal designed to keep anyone who isn't "friends" with them down. None of us actually know each other and this whole image people have is complete bull****. That's just an excuse people make to justify why they're not "chosen" to become a staff member. No one is chosen, they just contact whoever and tell them they want to do something with LF and chances are, they'll get in.

 

And it's also not about the admins liking or not liking the person either. When I told them to make me a staff member, a lot of people in staff didn't quite like me and thought of me as this annoying kid who didn't know when to shut up.

 

Yet, here I am.

 

I guess the moral of the story is: Don't deflect your way to obscurity, bludgeon your way to victory!

 

 

...or something.

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