SpaceSimCentral

VinhDucanh wrote:
A Section or Group for Books and maybe Short Stories would be nice.Venor Vinge, Orson Scot Card, Isaac Asimov, Poul Anderson etc... All nice reads, Especially Vinge
I not read anything by Venor Vinge or heard of him.maybe just start a thread in the General Chatsection,recommended books.

As you mentioned a layout change in the other thread D1,I Thought I would throw in a few suggestion for the look of the site,don't know if any of this feasible. 1 Change the background colour from white/blue grey to black with white lettering,don't know what any one else thinks about this but for some reason I think the white/grey background does not look right for a sci-fi site.2 A Hal like red eye (from 2001)to indicate whos online instead of the band.3 Some sort of coloured percentage bar for the game which are in development so as you can see how far along they are.

PINBACK wrote:
1 Change the background colour from white/blue grey to black with white lettering,don't know what any one else thinks about this but for some reason I think the white/grey background does not look right for a sci-fi site.
I was going to put up a test site real soon and i will play with some different styles i can find for phpbb. i like the darker styles myself. So when I get this up I will install a few styles and take some screenshots and let the community vote on them
PINBACK wrote:
2 A Hal like red eye (from 2001)to indicate whos online instead of the band.
Hmm this might be doable depending on the style that is chosen and if I can find a good image to reflect Hal9000. We can come back to this one once we choose a style.
PINBACK wrote:
3 Some sort of coloured percentage bar for the game which are in development so as you can see how far along they are.
Now this would be great but have no clue on how to get that info to begin with. I would need developer feedback on this. Or maybe a simple addition to the forum description with Status: <Released>, <Under Development>, <Alpha>, <Beta>, etc...The above is doable and pretty easy to implement on the forum descriptions. On individual topics that would be tougher and would need to be added manually to the post on ever new addition.----I was going to work on posting some links in the forum descriptions back to the perspective gallery and I will add something for release status as well and people can tell me what they think.

Look under the 'Standalone Space Sims' category in the forums and see how ya like Pinback, still need to finish up.

That diffently works,just maybe a slightly bolder typeface to make it stand out a bit more.

Ok, i'll bold the colored names. I will be doing this on all the relevant forums and should have it done tonight sometime. Now to work on populating some of the galleries for those games

.I usually like your style, Pinback, but:
PINBACK wrote:
Change the background colour ... to black with white lettering
Ewww!SSC is one of the most appealing sites anywhere. And most white-on-black sites are ugly.(Just personal preference, I suppose).Darkone: I would not mess with the colors at all. Layout is one thing, but the colors are excellent as they are. IMHO.

I am hoping to please everyone with the present style (ProSilver SE) which will still be the site default and and a darker style that people could switch to if they wish after registration. I cannot promise anything yet but will try. I am not to graphically inclined but if someone is I can show them a pic of the style I might use and if someone could craft a logo it would be much appreciated :)Right now I have setup a test server on my USB stick and I work on it on my free time at work and at home. I will be trying to do the following (just a heads up):- Upgrade phpbb3 (forum software) to latest version. I'm three versions behind and there is now over a thousand fixes/enhancements I don't have, not counting security holes plugged.- Upgrade portal to latest version compatible with phpbb (still waiting on its release its 90%+ done now).- Work on styles and mod integrations (including download mod).- Improve security with tougher registration questions, you guys will love this stuff. Basically if your not a scifi fan your in trouble when answering these questions they will be all about the games - Consolidate and make a few new areas. I will do this prior to upgrade to make it easier for me. So this will happen over the next month or so. So feedback is appreciated on forum categories and layout.The main focus is the forum/portal upgrade to fix all the flaws and security issues with the site and people should see a performance increase as well.

Your improvements sound very good Darkone The registration quiz should put a stop to the ad bots at any rate. I noticed they pop up from time to time on the Frontier Forum and try to sell you all sorts of junk. I dread the day these things are developed with sophisticated AI routines, then there will be no escape :oI also noticed there was some mention about actual content of the site, for example talking about games not within the space Sim genre. I believe the site should stay focused mainly on space themed games, but allow for "fuzzy edges" too as sometimes it's nice to have a little variety. Speaking as a space & flight sim fan, I think these two really go hand in hand, so the inclusion of aircraft related stuff is fine by me, even if it's just a little section out on the "fuzzy edge" of the forum.

I do have the flight sim forum area, near the bottom of the forum page and that was all I planned for that genre of games unless people need more. The content of the site I was thinking about adding or changing is the following:- Creating a Classic/Vintage area for space games.- Creating a Space Story/Roleplay area for the creative people.- Probably going to combine the Community and Indie forums into one area.Then I need to catch up on my moderating and sift through the posts and move them around to the right areas or delete some not worth keeping. I will probably do all this stuff this weekend. So if people have any more ideas on making the forum area easier to use just let me know

Cheers on the Colored 'Status' areas below the sections. I may just be behind the times, but its a cool addition that I didn't notice until just now.

Thanks IronHound, any other small tweaks you think need to be done just post them. I am going to be working on the site update and want to try to get in all the stuff before the upgrade or least have a TO DO list to work from. The status piece was recommended by Pinback

Darkone wrote:
I am hoping to please everyone with the present style (ProSilver SE) which will still be the site default and and a darker style that people could switch to if they wish after registration. I cannot promise anything yet but will try. I am not to graphically inclined but if someone is I can show them a pic of the style I might use and if someone could craft a logo it would be much appreciated
As to a logo how about a collage of ships or scene from the last 30 years,as an example you could have ships fromSpace Raiders,Elite,Wing Commander,Free Space,Eve,X3 then some thing from one of the new games being made.Good to see the retro section up and running.
Bullwinkle wrote:
.SSC is one of the most appealing sites anywhere. And most white-on-black sites are ugly.(Just personal preference, I suppose).
I don't think the pastel look works too well always prefer the X/eve look as it feels morespace like.

That does sound like a good idea for a logo, I will be putting my paint skills to the test doing that stuff But over the next few weeks I will give it a try. Going to be working on sifting through the posts and delete the ones that are not relevent any more. I also want to push all images from the gallery so that will take some time too.Was thinking the other night that if I combine the indie and community forums I might mess with any links out there that link back to SSC. But I only plan on doing this once, I like the general layout right now and think its pretty solid for now.Any opinions on the Classic/Retro area? As game forums age out I will drop them in this area as sub forums. And I will link in the gallery sometime this week.

Darkone wrote:
Any opinions on the ... ?
Darkone, you keep asking for opinions, and I cannot give you any specifics (other than to point out that you already have one of the most attractive and most functional forums I know).However, I do have a general comment... without a specific solution: I get lost easily at SSC.I have no problem with the use of Three-Letter Acronyms (TLA's) inside a thread or post, but using then in titles is a good way to obfuscate content. What the heck are MMOGs and 4x Games and all the rest of the jargon here? How would a person even learn these TLA's?(OK, so I figured out what a 4x game is, but I cannot figure out the logic about why some games are called 4x while others are not... the term does not seem to exactly follow the literal definition).In other words... the jargon itself is confusing.So any efforts you invest in making your sections and titles more descriptive (perhaps with Alt/hover text?) would help those of us who don't know what everybody else is talking about half the time. :)PS: I think that your logo or banner should include a Switzerland metaphor, because SSC is open to everyone, like a Junker base or a Freeport. (Or, maybe, an Istanbul metaphor for the pirates in the crowd).I don't know how you would represent Switzerland graphically. Maybe work in a nice picture of a girl in a dirndl, like the St. Pauli Girl, or something? You could use a popup bubble that says, "SSC is like Switzerland... we welcome everyone!"Space Sim Central is like Switzerland... we welcome everyone![hsimg]http://www.stpauligirl.com/images/KatarinaVonDerham.jpg[/hsimg](or not... )

I am hoping to address that in acronyms in the next update of the portal. Because phpbb forums doesn't have a acronym system. The portal that i use does have one and I planned on setting it up. Just waiting for the latest version to do my work on since i have issues with the database entries for the portal and bringing them forward into a newer version.And I want to make sure Bullwinkle your only 'getting lost' when it comes to terminology correct? Or is the site not easy to navigate?i would like to think SSC is open to anyone that wants to learn about space games. But another side of me kinda likes the exclusiveness to know that most everyone on the forum is a die hard fan like myself. I know I don't advertise the website much because I liked the focused feel and information that is gathered. But i also want to make the community bigger so maybe we can have both ranges of users without effecting focus.I'm trying to keep the website as simple as I can but also have some features to keep peopl occupied and of course coming back. I know at one point I thought about a news letter but it was way to much effort for me.

Darkone wrote:
I am hoping to address that in acronyms in the next update of the portal.
While an acronym system could help, I think it is really more about paying attention to what you write at the top. All it takes is spelling things out and a few words about the topic(s) (and/or examples) at the top of the forum listing.As they taught you in grammar school, spell it out the first time, and put the Three Letter Acronym (TLA) in parentheses. After that, everybody knows what you are talking about.
Darkone wrote:
And I want to make sure Bullwinkle your only 'getting lost' when it comes to terminology correct?
Right. The site is easy enough to follow... but, other than "Space Sim", I do not know what most of the other jargon means. And I have been following both sci-fi and games for a while, so it is not as though I am a complete newbie. Honestly, I don't have a clue where you even pick up these acronyms. Do they come from magazines? Game-oriented web sites? TV?
Darkone wrote:
i would like to think SSC is open to anyone that wants to learn about space games. But another side of me kinda likes the exclusiveness to know that most everyone on the forum is a die hard fan like myself.
Makes sense. You mentioned a registration quiz, so here is: Quiz Proposal #1 (Easy)But, wait... does that mean "no Pauli Girl" in your banner? (heavy sigh)OK, so what about an alien or an android or a mutant or something? [hsimg]http://scifibabez.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/SevenOfNineJeriRyan.jpg[/hsimg].

Bullwinkle wrote:
Honestly, I don't have a clue where you even pick up these acronyms. Do they come from magazines? Game-oriented web sites? TV?
Most of the time I catch these acronyms while on that games forums or the devs will drop it in a post/PM and I just start using it since its much easier than writing it out all the time. But I can make sure i'm not using acronyms in the categories and do my best to not put it in my titles at least.The acronym feature will underline anything I put in there and when people mouse-over it, they will get some description or link. Granted like you said it can be solved by just putting in the acronym when the post was created. But this will at least help. Because I am at fault here to . Guess I should have paid more attention in grammar class. Oh come on Bullwinkle this was to easy:
Bullwinkle wrote:
1) _C_ Can change appearance. Eats people. 2) _A_ Built-in WiFi to the Collective (broken). Nanobots promote rapid healing. Smarter, faster, stronger than most people. (7 of 9)3) _E_ Controls the weather. (Storm)4) _D_ Can change appearance. Does not eat people. (Mystique)5) _B_ Built-in WiFi... still works. Inhumanly smart/fast/strong... mainly because she is not human. Actually, she is the biggest, baddest, warship in three galaxies. (Rommie)
Now back on topic... I have been thinking about a collage of images so maybe you never know. 7 of 9 could make a appearance

Quote:
The acronym feature will underline anything I put in there and when people mouse-over it, they will get some description or link. Granted like you said it can be solved by just putting in the acronym when the post was created. But this will at least help. Because I am at fault here to . Guess I should have paid more attention in grammar class.
Don't be so hard on yourself, D1. Bullwinkle may have a point but you're not doing anything wrong either.This site IS a niche site, catering only to a very small (but fanatically loyal!) sub-section of the gaming population. Most of us here, as true enthusiasts of the genre, know our topic inside-out so short-hand and jargon is only to be expected; communication between members flows more smoothly and new ideas can be expressed and topics discussed more easily within a mutually understood framework of common references.On the other hand, as Bullwinkle has pointed out, some of these terms can be a little bit of a barrier to entry for new people. The key, I believe, as with most things, is in striking the right balance.Don't fear jargon, Bullwinkle. At first a new person may not know what a 4X game is, but given time and an exploration of the site they should very soon come to understand - it's all there. Failing that, ask. There are lots of really friendly people hereabouts who are more than happy to say hello to anyone who wants to learn about their hobby, and to either explain something or point them in the right direction so they can find out for themselves. It's unreasonable to expect someone to visit a place like this and understand everything right away, as it is with any new hobby a person might pick up; there are always going to be things to learn and long-term practitioners will always have developed a way of speaking about their subject matter than might baffle the observer. This actually applies to some of the 'games' you'll find us talking about here, too. While we do play a lot of arcade-style shooters, some of the hard-core like to really get into the simulation aspect and 'play' things like Orbiter that require some skill and a LOT of learning actual real-life knowledge of things like escape velocities, gravity coefficients and even orbital mechanics. This is not all aliens and laser guns! Among the drooling over ship-types and conversations about enormous fleet battles you will find we veer occasionally into very dry and heavyweight discussions in such fields as cosmology and astrophysics - it's just who were are, and this website is all about celebrating that. The thrill of these pursuits is in the learning just as much as it is in the playing, so from our perspective having a new person scratch their head at a few pieces of jargon and having to work out a few things for themselves is not such a bad thing. ;)It's not that we won't help, or don't want to help - it's just that our own journeys of discovery have taken us to some amazing places, and we wouldn't want to rob anyone new of that experience if we can possibly help it.However, maybe there should be a small guide to the Space-Sim genre that new people can be directed to that will help them find their feet. Like the 'Newbies Guide for FFED3D' that's currently being written, but covering the genre as a whole, and perhaps including a few of the more [un]common terms of reference used between seasoned veterans?Something to think about, anyway.

Darkone wrote:
Most of the time I catch these acronyms while on that games forums or the devs will drop it in a post/PM
Aha. So it really is secret code. I thought so! :)And 7 of 9 would be outstanding in your collage!(BTW to Stardreamer... haha! I sling lingo with the best, but Darkone was asking for opinions. I usually try to toss in a tongue-in-cheek thought while I am at it, just to keep things from becoming too serious. )
Darkone wrote:
Oh come on Bullwinkle this [quiz] was too easy
Well, I thought you wanted people to be able to pass in order to join the site?! :)My goal was that most sci-fi-ers would score well, but many non-geeks would not be able to score a perfect 10 out of 10, as you did, Darkone.If you want tougher questions, try: Quiz #2 (Advanced).