I've noticed a number of RPG Maker MV support-related topics being posted in the Theory & Development sub-forum of the Developers Den.
I think the ambiguity of "Developers Den" gives the impression that all game development related subjects (Including MV support and discussion) belongs in this sub-forum and because the MV Discussion & Support section is lower-down, users will stop at the "Developers Den" section and not find the more appropriate support forum.
My proposal is that the sections get renamed to put primary focus on what the contents of the section should include.
I'd then re-order these sections to group the MV program-specific sections together at the top (considering this is rpgmakermv.co, the primary focus of this site is MV).
The next likely reason a new user would join would be to advertise their project. After that, familiar members would discuss the deeper intricacies of general game design. I do not think discussing game design is a primary reason new users visit this website as there are other communities that are better built for this kind of discussion, which is why I believe it belongs below the MV sections, not at the top where it currently is.
The commercial area is in a good location, but I believe the name could be tweaked slightly to add clarification that it's game development related, as opposed to being an exclusive "area".
I'd like to see other people's opinions and ideas on this one
EDIT: For additional incentive on these changes, by moving the MV Resources up to below Community Center the link to https://raisegamer.com/ would be moved up the page, exposing it to more visibility.
[doublepost=1494105278,1486321463][/doublepost]I'm going to bump this as I've noticed another clarification/categorisation issue with the board.
Discussion of Game Design & Development would logically be in the currently named "Theory & Development" category, however reading the description of the category suggests that this section is exclusively reserved for developing specific game project ideas through feedback, as such there's no category for discussing general game theory or development practices.
I've reviewed the sub-forum names and descriptions to investigate where these issues exist.
Developers Den (Game Design & Development)
Theory & Development
I have no suggestions regarding the title of this sub-forum (I don't think much clarification is needed), but I think the description should be amended to allow general game theory/development discussions to be allowed, without needing any specific project attached.
I also think this removes the shared ambiguity that mentioning "music" in the description has with the Visual & Sound Design sub-forum.
Visual & Sound Design
I'd re-write the description to be a little more generic and allow discussion of more than just the "content" - such as the process of designing graphics and audio.
By wrapping (including mapping) in parenthesis the idea that this section includes mapping is highlighted, so those who are less adept in graphics and audio, but more adept in mapping, would still be attracted to posting in this section.
Javascript & Event Design
I think the fact that this thread exists shows that the description/name (and frankly, the entire use) of this sub-forum should be revised.
This section is pretty much filled with support questions, so undeniably there's been a failure with communication. Even the sub-sub-forum Script Tutorials has support questions in them.
I think this has come about as this section is higher-up than the MV section, and one major reason people visit this community is for support with using RPG Maker MV, so they see this section before they see the MV Support section.
I believe my advice in the first post on this thread would help solve this, but a better description would also help out.
As hinted by that description, I'd also rename "Script Tutorials" to "Javascript & Event Tutorials" - I'd also make the "Javascript & Event Tutorials can also be found here" part of the description into a hyper-link that takes the user into this sub-sub-forum.
I also think there is cross-over here with the MV Tutorials section. Perhaps it's best to scrap the "Javascript Tutorials" section entirely, allow tutorials for the Javascript language to be posted in the discussion section and have Plugin development and Event development tutorials in the MV Tutorials section.
I think "feedback on event and Plugin design" suggests that this is a support section for writing Plugins and creating events, which I think it certainly should be. The MV Plugin support section could be changed to be support exclusively for installing and using Plugins, rather than developing them.
Resources (MV Resources)
I want to stress again that I feel this entire category is in-conflict with the developer's den section. First post in this thread covers this issue.
I think every instance where "Resource" is mentioned should have "MV" in-front.
Completed MV Resources
Rename "Scripts" in the description to "Plugins" and also change "Resources" to "MV Resources".
MV Resources in Progress
The Completed MV Resources sub-forum's description does the job of describing overall the types of Resources expects, however perhaps this could be repeated to further solidify what is expected to go here.
MV Resource Requests
What is a "Linklist"? This is not common-terminology and programmers seeing this will be confused as it is a well-defined programming terminology. I think this description can be made more explicit;
I don't think the "Completed Requests" section is needed. If a request is completed, then it can sink in the forum through age. If the author wishes to publish the created resource request, then they can do so in the Completed MV Resources section (once a request is completed, it's just another resource like any else, I think the distinction of its origin is benign).
Licensing concerns should probably laid-out in a Sticky Thread, explaining that any licensing concerns should be discussed in each request thread posted, but I don't think this is a major issue - I'm just thinking the only reason Completed Requests could exist is to try to separate ownership/licensing issues from published MV Resources, having it addressed in a Sticky Thread is enough to cover this possible intended use for the Completed Request section.
Helpful Resources
I'm a bit on the edge about this sub-forum. A lot of the tools here aren't going to be MV specific, so it shouldn't be called "Helpful MV Resources".
Perhaps expand this to be "Helpful Resources, Templates & Programs"? I'm concerned about this section crossing with MV Tutorials. It's probably fine as it is for now.
MV Support & Discussion (MV Discussion & Support)
MV Discussion
A click on this shows that some support questions exist in here. Again, I think this is due to a main reason people visit this forum is for accessing MV usage support. From the looks of things, some people have questions about MV in general that aren't related to actual usage support.
Description could be changed to be more explicit and make it clear that support goes in the forum below;
I'd also move this sub-forum to be below the MV Tutorial sub-forum, so the Support and Tutorial sub-forums are noticed before this one. Discussing MV itself isn't going to be something many people do, as most people will more likely talk about their game and the issues surrounding their game's development.
One big thing; why on earth is "Other RM Discussion" inside "MV Discussion" inside the "MV Discussion & Support" section?
I think "Other RM Discussion" should be pulled out "MV Discussion" and renamed to "Legacy RPG Maker" with the description;
"Talk about past and older RPG Maker programs such as Ace, VX, XP and older!"
It's not a going to be a total focus of a forum called RPGMakerMV.co to discuss older RPG Makers. Maybe even consider moving it to the Off Topic section.
MV Support
I'd have this sub-forum as the first in this category.
I'd say "guidance questions" because this allows people to ask for things that may be less obvious, such as "Keeping Track of Credits?" - which is an excellent problem to discuss, but doesn't fit very well into any of the categories as they are currently described/titled.
MV Tutorials
Title should be plural.
The description can be made more explicit;
There is some conflict with video-tutorials. Do these go in the MV Videos section or in this section? I'm not even sure on this one. Perhaps MV Tutorials should be text tutorials, with supporting videos being an option, and video-only tutorials go in MV Videos, but how should this be described?
MV Videos
Maybe add more suggestions to what kind of videos go in here.
Video tutorials is probably the one to think about. Demos is a big one I think, as there are many videos out there demonstrating things such as graphical effects, cut-scenes, Plugins, ideas, etc.
The reason I made this thread is because the lack of clear indication on what forums should contain has caused some threads to be posted in strange places and has actually prevented me from making topics as I cannot find a category that best suits the topic (or sometimes there's two categories it fits in, due to ambiguity).
This is all open for discussion.
I think the ambiguity of "Developers Den" gives the impression that all game development related subjects (Including MV support and discussion) belongs in this sub-forum and because the MV Discussion & Support section is lower-down, users will stop at the "Developers Den" section and not find the more appropriate support forum.
My proposal is that the sections get renamed to put primary focus on what the contents of the section should include.
- Developers Den → Game Design & Development
- Resources → MV Resources
- Game Development → MV Projects
- Commercial Area → Commercial Development
- MV Discussion & Support → MV Support & Discussion
I'd then re-order these sections to group the MV program-specific sections together at the top (considering this is rpgmakermv.co, the primary focus of this site is MV).
- Community Center
- MV Resources
- MV Support & Discussion
- MV Projects
- Game Design & Development
- Commercial Development
- Off Topic
The next likely reason a new user would join would be to advertise their project. After that, familiar members would discuss the deeper intricacies of general game design. I do not think discussing game design is a primary reason new users visit this website as there are other communities that are better built for this kind of discussion, which is why I believe it belongs below the MV sections, not at the top where it currently is.
The commercial area is in a good location, but I believe the name could be tweaked slightly to add clarification that it's game development related, as opposed to being an exclusive "area".
I'd like to see other people's opinions and ideas on this one
EDIT: For additional incentive on these changes, by moving the MV Resources up to below Community Center the link to https://raisegamer.com/ would be moved up the page, exposing it to more visibility.
[doublepost=1494105278,1486321463][/doublepost]I'm going to bump this as I've noticed another clarification/categorisation issue with the board.
Discussion of Game Design & Development would logically be in the currently named "Theory & Development" category, however reading the description of the category suggests that this section is exclusively reserved for developing specific game project ideas through feedback, as such there's no category for discussing general game theory or development practices.
I've reviewed the sub-forum names and descriptions to investigate where these issues exist.
Developers Den (Game Design & Development)
Theory & Development
I have no suggestions regarding the title of this sub-forum (I don't think much clarification is needed), but I think the description should be amended to allow general game theory/development discussions to be allowed, without needing any specific project attached.
A forum where you can discuss the various aspects of game development and get feedback and ideas for your game's plot, systems, designs, etc.
I also think this removes the shared ambiguity that mentioning "music" in the description has with the Visual & Sound Design sub-forum.
Visual & Sound Design
I'd re-write the description to be a little more generic and allow discussion of more than just the "content" - such as the process of designing graphics and audio.
Discuss the various visual and audio design aspects of game development (including mapping) and receive feedback on your graphics, sound and music design.
By wrapping (including mapping) in parenthesis the idea that this section includes mapping is highlighted, so those who are less adept in graphics and audio, but more adept in mapping, would still be attracted to posting in this section.
Javascript & Event Design
I think the fact that this thread exists shows that the description/name (and frankly, the entire use) of this sub-forum should be revised.
This section is pretty much filled with support questions, so undeniably there's been a failure with communication. Even the sub-sub-forum Script Tutorials has support questions in them.
I think this has come about as this section is higher-up than the MV section, and one major reason people visit this community is for support with using RPG Maker MV, so they see this section before they see the MV Support section.
I believe my advice in the first post on this thread would help solve this, but a better description would also help out.
Discuss Javascript coding practises and tools, as well as receiving feedback on event and Plugin design. Javascript & Event Tutorials can also be found here.
As hinted by that description, I'd also rename "Script Tutorials" to "Javascript & Event Tutorials" - I'd also make the "Javascript & Event Tutorials can also be found here" part of the description into a hyper-link that takes the user into this sub-sub-forum.
I also think there is cross-over here with the MV Tutorials section. Perhaps it's best to scrap the "Javascript Tutorials" section entirely, allow tutorials for the Javascript language to be posted in the discussion section and have Plugin development and Event development tutorials in the MV Tutorials section.
I think "feedback on event and Plugin design" suggests that this is a support section for writing Plugins and creating events, which I think it certainly should be. The MV Plugin support section could be changed to be support exclusively for installing and using Plugins, rather than developing them.
Resources (MV Resources)
I want to stress again that I feel this entire category is in-conflict with the developer's den section. First post in this thread covers this issue.
I think every instance where "Resource" is mentioned should have "MV" in-front.
Completed MV Resources
Rename "Scripts" in the description to "Plugins" and also change "Resources" to "MV Resources".
MV Resources in Progress
The Completed MV Resources sub-forum's description does the job of describing overall the types of Resources expects, however perhaps this could be repeated to further solidify what is expected to go here.
This section is for showcasing MV Resources that are currently being developed (Plugins, Music, Graphics, Maps, Sprites).
MV Resource Requests
What is a "Linklist"? This is not common-terminology and programmers seeing this will be confused as it is a well-defined programming terminology. I think this description can be made more explicit;
Request custom MV Resources for your project here.
I don't think the "Completed Requests" section is needed. If a request is completed, then it can sink in the forum through age. If the author wishes to publish the created resource request, then they can do so in the Completed MV Resources section (once a request is completed, it's just another resource like any else, I think the distinction of its origin is benign).
Licensing concerns should probably laid-out in a Sticky Thread, explaining that any licensing concerns should be discussed in each request thread posted, but I don't think this is a major issue - I'm just thinking the only reason Completed Requests could exist is to try to separate ownership/licensing issues from published MV Resources, having it addressed in a Sticky Thread is enough to cover this possible intended use for the Completed Request section.
Helpful Resources
I'm a bit on the edge about this sub-forum. A lot of the tools here aren't going to be MV specific, so it shouldn't be called "Helpful MV Resources".
Perhaps expand this to be "Helpful Resources, Templates & Programs"? I'm concerned about this section crossing with MV Tutorials. It's probably fine as it is for now.
MV Support & Discussion (MV Discussion & Support)
MV Discussion
A click on this shows that some support questions exist in here. Again, I think this is due to a main reason people visit this forum is for accessing MV usage support. From the looks of things, some people have questions about MV in general that aren't related to actual usage support.
Description could be changed to be more explicit and make it clear that support goes in the forum below;
Discuss the RPG Maker MV program's features, updates and changes and its role as a Game Engine.
I'd also move this sub-forum to be below the MV Tutorial sub-forum, so the Support and Tutorial sub-forums are noticed before this one. Discussing MV itself isn't going to be something many people do, as most people will more likely talk about their game and the issues surrounding their game's development.
One big thing; why on earth is "Other RM Discussion" inside "MV Discussion" inside the "MV Discussion & Support" section?
I think "Other RM Discussion" should be pulled out "MV Discussion" and renamed to "Legacy RPG Maker" with the description;
"Talk about past and older RPG Maker programs such as Ace, VX, XP and older!"
It's not a going to be a total focus of a forum called RPGMakerMV.co to discuss older RPG Makers. Maybe even consider moving it to the Off Topic section.
MV Support
I'd have this sub-forum as the first in this category.
Post inquiries and guidance questions for using RPG Maker MV here.
I'd say "guidance questions" because this allows people to ask for things that may be less obvious, such as "Keeping Track of Credits?" - which is an excellent problem to discuss, but doesn't fit very well into any of the categories as they are currently described/titled.
MV Tutorials
Title should be plural.
The description can be made more explicit;
This forum is dedicated to all RPG Maker MV related tutorials, including creating MV Resources, maps, events and Plugins.
There is some conflict with video-tutorials. Do these go in the MV Videos section or in this section? I'm not even sure on this one. Perhaps MV Tutorials should be text tutorials, with supporting videos being an option, and video-only tutorials go in MV Videos, but how should this be described?
MV Videos
Maybe add more suggestions to what kind of videos go in here.
Post any and all videos relating to MV here, including Let's Plays, development blogs & streams, tutorials and demos.
Video tutorials is probably the one to think about. Demos is a big one I think, as there are many videos out there demonstrating things such as graphical effects, cut-scenes, Plugins, ideas, etc.
The reason I made this thread is because the lack of clear indication on what forums should contain has caused some threads to be posted in strange places and has actually prevented me from making topics as I cannot find a category that best suits the topic (or sometimes there's two categories it fits in, due to ambiguity).
This is all open for discussion.
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