Okay, so in light of this thread and the problems in terms of topics being posted in the wrong place, as well as the changing nature of a forum, we're looking at restructuring the way in which the forum is built. The main issues which we're looking to address from the current layout (as from a moderation standpoint) are:
There's also the problem that there's not any room in the C&C section for general discussion about mods or strategy, and a lot of useful topics are found to either not fit any location perfectly or fit multiple locations (such as the Civ Colour Database or the Index of Civilizations). The current proposal which we worked out amongst the staff is the following:
Posting in the main C&C forum would be disabled, with all general discussion in the 'Mod Discussion' forum. We've established a decided forum for questions and support with a clear distinction between it and the tutorial section to be made (the tutorial section will be within the help section though, so that it's easy to find for people who are stuck). Also added is a section for mods in development, which was the other main contributor to topics in the main forum. Within this is the section for large scale mods which have their own subforum, along with a set application forum where mod authors may apply to get their own subforum, with clear guidelines as to what is needed in order to get one.
The completed mod subforums are all within a section which clearly identifies it is for completed mods, so to prevent incomplete mods from being posted there. Project threads which contain both completed and in-progress mods are still allowed there, as otherwise there would need to be a split between the completed and the in development, which doesn't help anyone. The modpacks section has remained the same for the time being, as its use in Civ 5 remains the represent large scale mods which add more than just a wonder or a civilization, although that necessarily won't remain if someone can come up with a better option. We've also got the tentatively-named 'Small mods' section in place of Mod Components, for stuff like wonders which doesn't fit elsewhere and has little impact. The Mod Components forum, since it's been mentioned, has been moved outside the specific mod subforums and is now dedicated to items which would contribute to a larger mod, such as a unit model or a piece of Lua code.
Ultimately this is all subject to change, but the main point of the topic is that, as the people who will have to live the most with the changes, we want to get your input into the proposed changes and any suggestions for changes which you may have before we implement the changes overall.
- Questions being posted in the Tutorial section
- In progress mods being posted in completed mod subforums
There's also the problem that there's not any room in the C&C section for general discussion about mods or strategy, and a lot of useful topics are found to either not fit any location perfectly or fit multiple locations (such as the Civ Colour Database or the Index of Civilizations). The current proposal which we worked out amongst the staff is the following:
Code:
Creation & Customisation
Modding Help and Support
Modding Tutorials & Reference
DLL / Lua
Mod Discussion
Mod Strategy
Mod War Academy
Mod Suggestions
Databases and Indexes?
Development Threads
Large Scale Project Development
Subforum applications
<Mod subforums go here>
Mod Components
3D models
Icons and 2D art
Code Snippets
Completed Mods and Project Threads
Modpacks
Small mods
Civilizations
Scenarios
Maps & Map Scripts
Modding Utilities
--> Link to Download Database
--> Link to Civ 5 Steam Workshop?
Posting in the main C&C forum would be disabled, with all general discussion in the 'Mod Discussion' forum. We've established a decided forum for questions and support with a clear distinction between it and the tutorial section to be made (the tutorial section will be within the help section though, so that it's easy to find for people who are stuck). Also added is a section for mods in development, which was the other main contributor to topics in the main forum. Within this is the section for large scale mods which have their own subforum, along with a set application forum where mod authors may apply to get their own subforum, with clear guidelines as to what is needed in order to get one.
The completed mod subforums are all within a section which clearly identifies it is for completed mods, so to prevent incomplete mods from being posted there. Project threads which contain both completed and in-progress mods are still allowed there, as otherwise there would need to be a split between the completed and the in development, which doesn't help anyone. The modpacks section has remained the same for the time being, as its use in Civ 5 remains the represent large scale mods which add more than just a wonder or a civilization, although that necessarily won't remain if someone can come up with a better option. We've also got the tentatively-named 'Small mods' section in place of Mod Components, for stuff like wonders which doesn't fit elsewhere and has little impact. The Mod Components forum, since it's been mentioned, has been moved outside the specific mod subforums and is now dedicated to items which would contribute to a larger mod, such as a unit model or a piece of Lua code.
Ultimately this is all subject to change, but the main point of the topic is that, as the people who will have to live the most with the changes, we want to get your input into the proposed changes and any suggestions for changes which you may have before we implement the changes overall.