Expand Web-site?
Quote from xitooner on December 9, 2007, 5:26 pmThere are so many huge HL2 download sites already; lots of mapping tutorial sites as well. Portal is what makes this site unique, and (so far) this site does it better and has attracted a larger following than the rest, IMO.
Having some focus on lesser things (TF2, etc) is fine, but I think your best bet is to stay focussed on what you already do well, and make them even better:
- Lots of portal downloads/content.
- Good portal-related discussions (mapping and otherwise)
- Monthly mapping contests to encourage new content
- Reviews. "Official" reviews are your weakest point by far (you really need to work on that), but its great that you have such a large group of people willing to make constructive comments on WIP, etc. Encourage that; it will make this the favored place to showcase new content.
- Portal-related tutorials are a natural, but its harder to distinquish it from all the other non-portal things you can do with Hammer. That will never be the thing that makes this site unique. By all means do tutorials, but also provide links to other tutorials, etc; have you noticed the Valve Developer Wiki has a number of portal-related tutorials now?My biggest gripe; apparently people just arent going for the ratings aspect of the download area; I can live with that, but what I'd really like to see as content keeps growing is a way to seperate the really good stuff from the. . . not-so-good stuff. Sort of a Hall-Of-Fame sort of thing, to let new people (like the ones who are going to get Portal at Xmas) know whats ceratainly worth downloading. Build up a list of 10 or so quality winners, and then add 1-2 more a month. Let mappers know what their standards should be; and make it an honor to be on the list.
Just my 2 cents. . .
There are so many huge HL2 download sites already; lots of mapping tutorial sites as well. Portal is what makes this site unique, and (so far) this site does it better and has attracted a larger following than the rest, IMO.
Having some focus on lesser things (TF2, etc) is fine, but I think your best bet is to stay focussed on what you already do well, and make them even better:
- Lots of portal downloads/content.
- Good portal-related discussions (mapping and otherwise)
- Monthly mapping contests to encourage new content
- Reviews. "Official" reviews are your weakest point by far (you really need to work on that), but its great that you have such a large group of people willing to make constructive comments on WIP, etc. Encourage that; it will make this the favored place to showcase new content.
- Portal-related tutorials are a natural, but its harder to distinquish it from all the other non-portal things you can do with Hammer. That will never be the thing that makes this site unique. By all means do tutorials, but also provide links to other tutorials, etc; have you noticed the Valve Developer Wiki has a number of portal-related tutorials now?
My biggest gripe; apparently people just arent going for the ratings aspect of the download area; I can live with that, but what I'd really like to see as content keeps growing is a way to seperate the really good stuff from the. . . not-so-good stuff. Sort of a Hall-Of-Fame sort of thing, to let new people (like the ones who are going to get Portal at Xmas) know whats ceratainly worth downloading. Build up a list of 10 or so quality winners, and then add 1-2 more a month. Let mappers know what their standards should be; and make it an honor to be on the list.
Just my 2 cents. . .
Quote from msleeper on December 9, 2007, 5:37 pmAnyone who thinks they can write a review is more than welcome to, and if someone wants to be an official Map Reviewer then all they have to do is read the Sticky here in General and send me a PM. I'm not the best writer in the world, plus I have my hands full with other stuff, or else I'd write reviews myself too.
As for the Download Database... I know I've said it a hundred times already, but I am still planning on revamping and modifying the download database to be a bit more user friendly. The pafileDB mod isn't necessarily my favorite, but it is the best one for phpBB integration, which is what I wanted when I was looking for a file system.
Anyone who thinks they can write a review is more than welcome to, and if someone wants to be an official Map Reviewer then all they have to do is read the Sticky here in General and send me a PM. I'm not the best writer in the world, plus I have my hands full with other stuff, or else I'd write reviews myself too.
As for the Download Database... I know I've said it a hundred times already, but I am still planning on revamping and modifying the download database to be a bit more user friendly. The pafileDB mod isn't necessarily my favorite, but it is the best one for phpBB integration, which is what I wanted when I was looking for a file system.
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Quote from Rivid31 on December 9, 2007, 7:24 pmI agree. As great a place as this is, it can't compete with the already well established HL2/CS:S mapping sites. The only possible expansion I could see coming would be to be a central place for Portal mods, once the base is updated, and even with that, there will probably be one of the other sites that take over who already deal with mods. Not to say we won't have a new forum for mods around here (I would assume), but I'm skeptical if we'd become one of the biggies when it comes to Portal Modding.
I agree. As great a place as this is, it can't compete with the already well established HL2/CS:S mapping sites. The only possible expansion I could see coming would be to be a central place for Portal mods, once the base is updated, and even with that, there will probably be one of the other sites that take over who already deal with mods. Not to say we won't have a new forum for mods around here (I would assume), but I'm skeptical if we'd become one of the biggies when it comes to Portal Modding.
Quote from Hober on December 9, 2007, 9:00 pmtaco wrote:I'm pretty sure Accident Prone has been the sites featured map since forever.The logic behind that is that it won the October mapping contest, and will be replaced by the winner of the November contest. That will put updates about six weeks apart, assuming a one week voting period.
Put that way, it does seem like it could use more updating.
Also, just to put this out there: I do a lot of work on the wiki because I have an almost pedantic sense of grammar and style. If you feel intimidated about writing reviews because you're not a great writer, I'd be more than willing to edit them for you. The only reason I don't write them myself is that I have a hard time being critical. I like most stuff I run in to, so everything would probably get a 5/5. :shrug:
The logic behind that is that it won the October mapping contest, and will be replaced by the winner of the November contest. That will put updates about six weeks apart, assuming a one week voting period.
Put that way, it does seem like it could use more updating.
Also, just to put this out there: I do a lot of work on the wiki because I have an almost pedantic sense of grammar and style. If you feel intimidated about writing reviews because you're not a great writer, I'd be more than willing to edit them for you. The only reason I don't write them myself is that I have a hard time being critical. I like most stuff I run in to, so everything would probably get a 5/5. :shrug: