How do you like RMMV.co and what direction would you like us to go?

[Xyphien]

Hello everyone. I'd like to get some HONEST feedback from the community here at RMMV! I feel that the site is doing phenomenal, however, there is always room for improvement.

If you all wouldn't mind taking a few minutes to tell us 3 things you love about the site, 3 things you dislike about the site, and 3 improvements you feel would help the site become a better, and more enjoyable site.

 

[hbn]

Resources could do with some required standards, such as requiring in game screenshots or something. I'd like to know properly what I'm getting and what it does before I download it.

Probably improved project section, that doesn't mean it conforms so strictly to a forum layout. Take a website like rpgmaker.net for example. The projects act like a simple microsite. The layout is integrated but there is enough freedom to change parts of the CSS, split images up into standard pages. I know there is a separate section for completed games but I feel that the sections could be merged with a drop down progress menu to show whether it is completed, in progress, on hiatus or cancelled and use a filter to select which to show.

That said at the moment I can't think of anything else. There is a sense of community but I do feel like the site could be a little busier. That's more to do with exposure though.

 

[Companion Wulf]

The Resources section could probably do with a base template so that it's easier to read and know a bit more detail (as @hbn stated). The template could be mandatory, but make it easily editable so the irrelevant sections for that particular resource can be removed. Essential parts are title (obviously), screenshots, description and terms of use.

Perhaps on the front page have a "Featured" section to showcase things like projects and resources, notable quotes, etc., randomized and refreshed regularly, to give everyone here more of a chance. With the amount of contributions, sometimes it's easy to overlook that little gem or useful resource.

I really like the vibe here. Friendly and un-condescending, especially the the "noomvers". (I kinda like that word, typed by accident, which almost got deleted!)

 

[Dad3353]

Three things I like about this site..?

1 - The friendly, non-aggressive interventions from Mods and most Members
2 - The excellent gracious offerings in the 'Resources' section; there's some really wonderful stuff posted there, from some very talented people.
3 - The prompt and erudite replies one gets to technical and artistic queries, again from some very smart folks.

Three things I dislike..? Hmm, that's a bit more difficult; let me think...

1 - This here 'Badge' stuff; I've no idea what it does nor how it works. If it helps to keep folks attached to the site, why not, but I'm not, in general, a fan of 'Like'-counting and the like (but then again, I'm just an old crust, so maybe don't count...).
2 - The ads that pop up; I'd rather pay a subscription than have ads, although I recognise that sites cost money to run. Still, you asked what I don't like, and that's one.
3 - The 'Smilies', I find, are, to my tired old eyes, all the same, and don't really give any information concerning the sentiment expressed. I prefer this format...

...but that's really only a tiny detail. Still, I find 'em more expressive on other sites.

Three things to improve the site..?

1 - Keep on keeping on..?
2 - Change for better 'Smilies'..?
3 - Stay modest; you already have the best MV site, so don't go overboard with any changes. Upgrades, improvements, little by little, patiently, without precipitation. Have an opinion-search such as this one every couple of years..?

I've not been signed up here for very long, but have had ample opportunity to compare with other sites on this, and other, subjects. I moderate elsewhere, and can appreciate just how 'delicate' it can be, some days; well done for the balance already achieved. Keep it up, please, and thank you..?

 

[Xyphien]

Resources could do with some required standards, such as requiring in game screenshots or something. I'd like to know properly what I'm getting and what it does before I download it.

Something I haven't gave much thought into. We do have a set of rules, however they're currently not being enforced as much as they should, nor available for most people to read. I'll look into adding a bigger, more noticeable link when creating a new resource so members will be able to see the rules, etc. as well as have a template for them to look of of. I'll also let the staff know to start enforcing the resource rules a lot more. I completely agree, I don't download anything that doesn't show and explain what the product is prior to downloading.

Three things I like about this site..?

1 - The friendly, non-aggressive interventions from Mods and most Members
2 - The excellent gracious offerings in the 'Resources' section; there's some really wonderful stuff posted there, from some very talented people.
3 - The prompt and erudite replies one gets to technical and artistic queries, again from some very smart folks.

I am extremely glad to hear that you're enjoying the community here, it's something I strive to achieve is a friendly, and inviting feel/community.

1 - This here 'Badge' stuff; I've no idea what it does nor how it works. If it helps to keep folks attached to the site, why not, but I'm not, in general, a fan of 'Like'-counting and the like (but then again, I'm just an old crust, so maybe don't count...).

Badges are something that provide members with 'goals' and keeps them active from time to time. Each badge has EXP (Experience) which adds to your overall level. Once you hit Level 10 you will unlock things to your profile. One of the things it unlocks are custom profile backgrounds. When members visit your background *See mine for example* you can chose what they see when they arrive at your page. Little stuff like this you get for becoming level 10, or a Premium member.

2 - The ads that pop up; I'd rather pay a subscription than have ads, although I recognise that sites cost money to run. Still, you asked what I don't like, and that's one.

Currently I have all ads hard-coded into the website, making it extremely hard to simply add a paid subscription group to disable ads. However, there is a resource for $50 that enables me the opportunity to do so. Once we receive that amount in donations this addon will be the first thing we get for the community. Though I will have to add a new usergroup called Adless or something, which will be more expensive than the normal paid Premium user. Most likely $15 a month. This is because we have the highest tier hosting due to our large amount of resources and traffic. This means in order to keep the site up and running we need the ads to help raise money for it, as you stated.

Perhaps on the front page have a "Featured" section to showcase things like projects and resources, notable quotes, etc., randomized and refreshed regularly, to give everyone here more of a chance. With the amount of contributions, sometimes it's easy to overlook that little gem or useful resource.

We have this, however I've been sadly neglecting it due to being busy with past events. However, I'm starting to get the time to do so, and will re-start this ASAP!

3 - Stay modest; you already have the best MV site, so don't go overboard with any changes. Upgrades, improvements, little by little, patiently, without precipitation. Have an opinion-search such as this one every couple of years..?

Don't worry about that :) I'm looking for updates that have been stated above. Ones that don't add much extra, however, change little things that aren't the best currently. Such as adding a template/enforcing rules with the resources. Stuff like that is what I'm currently looking for in updating the site/making it better :)

Thank you all thus far for your helpful inputs. I greatly appreciate this, and will strive to improve the site.

 

[Dad3353]

Ha..! Sneaky, eh..? Banners targeted at the User..! Very cunning. I've already replied to the topic in question, but it's certainly visible, alright..! Ha..! ;-)

 

[Sinnistar]

For things I like I'd have to say this:
The community is ALL friendly and very helpful here. That's why I continue to help out by adding to the resource pool here!
The general mood set throughout this site creates this very positive vibe that makes it easier to get into a creative mood (don't ask how cause idk lol)
The staff are pretty active and also quite helpful to those who ask for assistance in multiple fields.

Things I don't like....
The way resources are organized makes it a bit tedious to navigate through to find things that you're looking for.

There's almost no enforcement on the quality of the resources anymore (no offence to those just starting out) but some are literally the same as RTP tilesets and such with maybe 1 pixel different. There needs to be some kinda minimal reqs on that.

I agree with the above too that there should be a sort of template requiring at least 3 things (Title of the resource, Credits (to all involved in it's creation), and lastly some kind of detailed explanation or screenshot of the resource.) I'd rather not have to download something to know what it looks like only to find out it sucks and is of no use to me (again, no offense to anyone just starting out, we were all there at one point lol).

Lastly, sometimes I feel like some of my resources are literally "shot down" by others who can obviously make better quality stuff (because far more practice at digital art/pixel art than myself or whatever). This gives the idea that this type of attitude is acceptable. It's one thing to give feedback, it's entirely different to straight up say it sucks (even if not in so many words). For someone starting out, when I was, this almost made me not want to bother any further. So definitely something to look into preventing in the future for other newcomers who want to get into the resource making part of the community.

Some other things you can improve on:
Staff interaction - There's a lack of this lately and the communication between staff and members has dropped quite a bit since earlier this year.
General site layout - This can always find some form of improvement. Some things are in awkward areas and should be in a better, more organized, layout.
Keep the good stuff - And just keep the good things! Don't change what's not needing changed ya know. This site is great, and I know you know this. If it wasn't, I wouldn't be here lol. Just keep the stuff that makes it unique and original around and try not to be too harsh on resource makers and members in general (I.E. like how RPGMaker.net does it with their harsh enforcement of double posting and other crap....like only 1 resource post per person....EVER....)

Anyhow, it's great you want to improve it further, and you should! Just try not to be too creative with it heh, too much improvement can easily become a lot of mistakes. I'll continue to add to the resource pool with hopefully quality content heh (I know some of mine aren't as good as others but I try heh and most of it is decent).

 

[Companion Wulf]

We have this, however I've been sadly neglecting it due to being busy with past events. However, I'm starting to get the time to do so, and will re-start this ASAP!

Totally love it! The banner is bold, but not brash! And little did I expect that one of my plugins would be featured! Sweet!

The 'Smilies', I find, are, to my tired old eyes, all the same, and don't really give any information concerning the sentiment expressed. I prefer this format...

Been thinking about this and, while I rarely actually use smileys (except maybe the textual ones I'm used to), when necessity calls that an appropriate emotion needs to be expressed, it can be somewhat difficult to find. I agree that this area may need improvement (if viable or possible).

 

[Cunechan]

Actually I really love these smileys
@sage made them all, didn't he?

Things I don't like....
The way resources are organized makes it a bit tedious to navigate through to find things that you're looking for.

Totally agreed. It's weird and I'm not sure how to change that but it feels chaotic and i have to click on almost every resource to check what it is/what it looks like and sometimes i have to download to check.

Probably improved project section, that doesn't mean it conforms so strictly to a forum layout. Take a website like rpgmaker.net for example. The projects act like a simple microsite. The layout is integrated but there is enough freedom to change parts of the CSS, split images up into standard pages. I know there is a separate section for completed games but I feel that the sections could be merged with a drop down progress menu to show whether it is completed, in progress, on hiatus or cancelled and use a filter to select which to show.

Thatya good thing. I feel like all the projects are drowning in the resources section and they just get a few downloads (atleast thats what my feeling says). Something like that would improve the system and give developers a better chance, although I still prefer presentation threads to handle the downloads of games/demos.

A thing that has been bothering me is when you become a new member and you see thiss green box (which is not a bad thing) but it then says post an introduction. I don't know how to explain this but when you encourage people to introduce themselves and they get 1-2 welcomies. I'm not sure how to explain this but it makes me kid of sad, I used to reply to almost every introduction thread, then sometimes not, then sometimes again, but lately I just did not have the time. I just wish for everyone to read that to give new members a welcomed feeling and to encourage them to contribute to the forums too. I think the weird thing is that the green box urges the new members to make a thread and they dont get too many replies D: But I've seen that it already changed. I just hope that anyone takes some time to give new members a sweet welcoming hug <3 But it goes to all members, it's just something to think about...

What I like about this place? The people, the atmophere, the friendly and nice mods. Really, I like this place~

 

[Xyphien]

The way resources are organized makes it a bit tedious to navigate through to find things that you're looking for.

We've organized the resources around 3 times thus far since the birth of the site, and if you have any suggestions as to how we'd go about re-organizing it, don't hesitate to make a post about it, and give some details on it. I'm always looking for better ways to organize the resources, though be mindful that the resource section is limited in its customization options.

I agree with the above too that there should be a sort of template requiring at least 3 things (Title of the resource, Credits (to all involved in it's creation), and lastly some kind of detailed explanation or screenshot of the resource.) I'd rather not have to download something to know what it looks like only to find out it sucks and is of no use to me (again, no offense to anyone just starting out, we were all there at one point lol).

I've added this in already :) Go and add a new resource to see the link. I'll also try and add the link above the review sections on resources, which I'll explain further down.

Lastly, sometimes I feel like some of my resources are literally "shot down" by others who can obviously make better quality stuff (because far more practice at digital art/pixel art than myself or whatever). This gives the idea that this type of attitude is acceptable. It's one thing to give feedback, it's entirely different to straight up say it sucks (even if not in so many words). For someone starting out, when I was, this almost made me not want to bother any further. So definitely something to look into preventing in the future for other newcomers who want to get into the resource making part of the community.

Who has been shot down, and by whom. If you wouldn't mind looking that up and PMing the links. Unconstructive criticism in an overly negative way is something in the general forum rules, and shouldn't happen. More than likely the staff has missed these comments, as they would have been removed depending on the severity of the comment.

This being said, I'll see about adding the rules link above the review/rating section of the resources so people are aware of the rules, etc. when reviewing/rating, commenting, etc. on someone's resources.

Staff interaction - There's a lack of this lately and the communication between staff and members has dropped quite a bit since earlier this year.

We're currently in the process of changing this, and also a new election might be on it's way. *Cough, Cough* This is why I made this post as well, to try and get more interactive with the community once more. I've been extremely busy, we're still settling back down stateside, and it's quite hectic still at times.

General site layout - This can always find some form of improvement. Some things are in awkward areas and should be in a better, more organized, layout.

As with the resource organizations, if you have any ideas and improvements on how to make it better/easier to navigate make a detailed post in the suggestions section :) This way everyone can have a voice on it, and we can go from there to make it better and more organized :)

Actually I really love these smileys
@sage made them all, didn't he?

Yeah sage made them :) The smileys are one of the things we most likely won't change. They've been around since the creation of the site, and is something that isn't mandatory to use. It's one of those things where some people like them, and others don't.

A thing that has been bothering me is when you become a new member and you see thiss green box (which is not a bad thing) but it then says post an introduction. I don't know how to explain this but when you encourage people to introduce themselves and they get 1-2 welcomies. I'm not sure how to explain this but it makes me kid of sad, I used to reply to almost every introduction thread, then sometimes not, then sometimes again, but lately I just did not have the time. I just wish for everyone to read that to give new members a welcomed feeling and to encourage them to contribute to the forums too. I think the weird thing is that the green box urges the new members to make a thread and they dont get too many replies D: But I've seen that it already changed. I just hope that anyone takes some time to give new members a sweet welcoming hug <3 But it goes to all members, it's just something to think about...

I will be replying a lot more now that I'm starting to have more time. However, this is something that I'll look into trying to make more of an active thing. Maybe attempting to get a badge for posting x times in the welcome thread, or something. It might encourage some people to do so. Other than that it's a personal thing. Members will have to strive to do this themselves, I agree though. The more people that welcome you the better, but the thing is we have so many new members and introductions a lot of people feel it's too hard to keep up with all of them.


Once again, thank you all for taking the time to suggest things to the site, and I'm trying my best to keep this place awesome, and the best RMMV community out there! There is always room for improvements, and even the smallest idea can have a dramatic change on everything :D

 

[Companion Wulf]

How about support for Soundcloud the same way video media is supported? I notice a number of musicians on here refer to Soundcloud, so songs can be previewed first.

I don't have problems with the smileys themselves, just finding the right one. Ok, so they're words in brackets mostly, but I'm still used to the old-school Yahoo-esque smileys.

Would it be viable to have more image options (and this is purely from a design point of view)? Like resize: [img=50x50] or

 

[Dad3353]

Am I allowed another couple of micro-gripes without my welcome wearing thin..? No..? OK then, I'll hide 'em in a 'spoiler'...

Spoiler

1 - Is there any simple way to have the Member's Location made visible in the mini-profile on the left..? Most especially when the text is in faltering English it would be of help, I suggest, to know if the person is in the UK, USA, Indonesia or wherever.
2 - Although aesthetically defensible, I find that the use of dark grey text on a black background very difficult to decipher. Could it be reserved for really exceptional use, or, at least, brightened up a few tones..? There's a lot of it about on the site. I understand the contrast being useful against the lighter grey, and maybe not so tiring in a darkened room; I may be alone in this, of course.
Just sayin'.

 

[Xyphien]

How about support for Soundcloud the same way video media is supported? I notice a number of musicians on here refer to Soundcloud, so songs can be previewed first.

I've added the ability. Simply post your soundcloud song, and it will display. As seen from this song by @Sinnistar

 

[Cunechan]

I will be replying a lot more now that I'm starting to have more time. However, this is something that I'll look into trying to make more of an active thing. Maybe attempting to get a badge for posting x times in the welcome thread, or something. It might encourage some people to do so. Other than that it's a personal thing. Members will have to strive to do this themselves, I agree though. The more people that welcome you the better, but the thing is we have so many new members and introductions a lot of people feel it's too hard to keep up with all of them.

M'aww that's so nice of you. Thank you <3 These things make me happy~

 

[Companion Wulf]

I've added the ability. Simply post your soundcloud song, and it will display.

Awesome! If it was there before for some reason it didn't work for me (maybe a mistype). Anyway, good to know!

 

[Sinnistar]

I've added the ability. Simply post your soundcloud song, and it will display. As seen from this song by @Sinnistar

lol I saw my name xP don't see the song though >.> there's nothing there for me.

 

[Amysaurus]

I haven't been around much, (Medical problems, woo!) but let's see...

Spoiler: 3 things I like:

- The community and staff are generally very friendly.

- Topics like this showing up pretty frequently. More established sites tend to stop caring as much about user input (why fix what isn't broken? etc.), so it's nice to see that it's a concern.

- I think the color scheme of this site has always been very nice. Red/black/white is a classic, and having the default theme be darker like this helps differentiate this site from other forums.

Spoiler: 3 things I dislike:

- I can be gone for weeks, and it feels like I've missed nothing at all. Even when I see new posts and all of that, it really never feels like a very active community to me. Or maybe I spend too much time on my Discord server.

- The resource page layout. It may just be me being used to a more traditional forum layout, but navigating through the resource page has always been a pain for me. I like having a the majority of a creator's resources on a single page rather than having to sift through them individually.

- Mind you, I'm carbon-copying my complaints from back in January, but I think resource quality/rule abiding still needs to be a bigger concern. I'm still seeing resources that include default MV assets, and that kind of thing can get the site in trouble. Also, there are still issues with more minor things like not including screenshots.

Spoiler: 3 suggestions for improvement:

- I'd suggest focusing less on new features, and more on making the best of what features are already around. I always get a vibe that features are being tossed at this site as a means to improve it rather than trying to develop a more active community.

- Find more staff members. As of right now, you've got 4 people trying to keep over 9,300 members in line (sans the inactive ones). I'm not saying there needs to be a huge legion of mods, but enough to give the current staff members a bit of a break. Have someone ready to look over the wiki, have a few people looking over resource/game submissions, etc. The community feels more active when you can see staff actively looking at the site, and I think it would help resolve a lot of the issues in resources, etc.

- The smiley face on the announcement banner for this page is absolutely horrifying. Like, straight out of my nightmares. Can... can we have something else for that?

 

[Troctzul]

suggestions for improvement:
- I'd suggest focusing less on new features, and more on making the best of what features are already around. I always get a vibe that features are being tossed at this site as a means to improve it rather than trying to develop a more active community.

- Find more staff members. As of right now, you've got 4 people trying to keep over 9,300 members in line (sans the inactive ones). I'm not saying there needs to be a huge legion of mods, but enough to give the current staff members a bit of a break. Have someone ready to look over the wiki, have a few people looking over resource/game submissions, etc. The community feels more active when you can see staff actively looking at the site, and I think it would help resolve a lot of the issues in resources, etc.

- The smiley face on the announcement banner for this page is absolutely horrifying. Like, straight out of my nightmares. Can... can we have something else for that?

Yes, I am glad to see the Wiki back, it is one of the initial things that attracted me to this website! However, I worry that without proper emphasis on its use, it might as well not exist. Moderator doesn't have to mean "Staff", and with as many users as you have, it doesn't feel like there is enough content at times. I know the forum is one thing and has likely been the main source of traffic, but you have all these other features hardly being used. In all honesty, if I wanted just another forum, I would just stay at other websites. This place is like a giant warehouse with fancy equipment and no inventory...

Also yeah, that happy face in the banner looks like it is done with life...

Either way, I still prefer this community over many others out there and will do all I can to help it grow!

 

[LTN Games]

I just want to chime in because my presence has not been very strong around here lately and I want to let everyone know I am here, mostly behind the scenes with my status set to hidden , anyways, my feedback on the site is pretty much where everyone else stands, I have the same likes and same dislikes. Mind you I see a bit more than everyone else so my dislikes may not be as strong as others but they're there. Over the last month or so I have been wanting to do so much, especially now that we have the new Wiki but I have been so busy this summer, which is weird because it's usually when I get free time, instead of staying indoors I been doing a lot of stuff outdoors, though.
Either way, because of this busyness I have not been able to do 90% of the things I had planned and wanted to achieve this summer. The good news is that I'll be slowly freeing up more time as this month progresses. With all that being said I had planned to start a few Wiki templates as well as a guide and a wiki page about what the Wiki should contain, I had also planned my Javascript blog to interconnect with the Wiki but even that has come to a halt.
The resource database, on the other hand, is not a one man job and I am looking forward to seeing new Mods/Staff members to help out with a majority of those tedious tasks( Already being talked about between the current staff, behind the scenes). Well, I'm glad this is being talked about and I'm glad I'm able to hang around a bit more than what I have been. In the next couple weeks I promise to get things kicking in action for all the members who have been sticking around and enjoying the community, I pretty much have everything already planned I just need to take the action and get things in gear.
What you can expect from me and the other Staff members in the next few weeks are:

• Wiki Guidelines
• Wiki Templates
• More Contests
• Resource Database organization
• Resource Templates
• More resources by me(Plugins)
• More Javascript Tutorials(My blog)

 

[Axel]

I support Sinnistar in this opinions:

Things I don't like....
The way resources are organized makes it a bit tedious to navigate through to find things that you're looking for.

I agree with the above too that there should be a sort of template requiring at least 3 things (Title of the resource, Credits (to all involved in it's creation), and lastly some kind of detailed explanation or screenshot of the resource.) I'd rather not have to download something to know what it looks like only to find out it sucks and is of no use to me (again, no offense to anyone just starting out, we were all there at one point lol).

And I will say:

Yes, it is a bit tedious to navigate through. Unless you are completely familiar with the order of the folders it's a little tedious.

There should surely be some sort of template requiring at least Title, Credits (with all the names given by the very creators, 'cause in my case I'm axel but if you wnt to credit me I'm SirAxelloid_1460(Youtuber), because it's more difficult to confuse with other - Axels - .) But I think there's a little thread where is said that every uploaded resource needs to have a screenshot or a preview of the resource itself.


Finally I'll say, the badges are good, but the needed of experience can be a bit boring because are more the times you earn badges than the times you level up. So my point is, Or more badges, Or more experience earned with each badge, or change the experience leveling up for one where the amount of badges is the experience needed to level up. Don't know if I explain myself.