Doom64EX needs a new forum home, looking for advice

Yesterday the forum for Doom64EX (which was using Invisionfree) got switched to some new system which, besides being done without asking first, is also so buggy that people can't even log in with existing accounts. Nobody involved in running the forum trusts or wants to stay there after this. We're trying to figure out what to do about setting up a new forum somewhere else.

This is the second time the Doom64EX forum has had to move as the original forum suddenly died some years ago. Overnight it just wouldn't load anymore and all posts were lost.

I don't want this to end up happening a third time. So I'm asking here for advice on what might be a more stable place to have a forum. I think free forum hosting might be dying in general which is extra worrying. I don't know if non-free hosting would be a viable option.

Does anyone know what other Doom related forums use for their hosting, or know some place to be long term reliable that they can recommend?

I was kind of surprised that there wasn't a dedicated sub-forum for Doom 64 here already. It may not be the most popular game in the series, but it has its place here I think. I don't have an N64, nor do I want to pirate the ROM for it, so my experience with the game is very limited.

Lets ask @Linguica and @Mordeth what they think about this.

Let's give Doom 64 the home it deserves. :)

10 hours ago, Linguica said:

I guess I don't see any reason why we couldn't have a Doom64 forum, it could hardly be less active than, say, the Doom 3 forum (heyo)

Can @Kaiser be nominated to be a moderator of said forum? (Do individual forums still have independent moderators like the old software?)

11 hours ago, Linguica said:

I guess I don't see any reason why we couldn't have a Doom64 forum, it could hardly be less active than, say, the Doom 3 forum (heyo)

Oh yes please; I've been loving Doom 64 EX since it came out and this could push me further to mapping for it.

I for one world like to see the development of a Doom 64 modding community, as there are far too few maps. I think it would also be nice if we could get something like an D64 version of Smooth Doom or Beauriful Doom, as Brutal Doom 64 is a good example of enhancing the aesthetic.

On 16/11/2017 at 5:30 PM, Linguica said:

I guess I don't see any reason why we couldn't have a Doom64 forum, it could hardly be less active than, say, the Doom 3 forum (heyo)

Would such a forum only allow Doom 64 EX content or just anything related to Doom 64, such as expansions for Brutal Doom 64 which itself is technically a mod for Doom 2?

16 minutes ago, hardcore_gamer said:

 

Would such a forum only allow Doom 64 EX content or just anything related to Doom 64, such as expansions for Brutal Doom 64 which itself is technically a mod for Doom 2?

I would imagine that it probably would include anything related to Doom 64, even BD64 despite being a Doom II mod.

1 hour ago, Skeletonpatch said:

I would imagine that it probably would include anything related to Doom 64, even BD64 despite being a Doom II mod.

I'd go as far to even include PSX doom on it, since D64 is a direct descendant of the PSX port, but that's just my opinion, regardless a D64 forum seems a great idea

I'm down for seeing Doom 64(EX) have a home here after the colossal fuck ups they've had to endure over the years.

13 hours ago, hardcore_gamer said:

 

Would such a forum only allow Doom 64 EX content or just anything related to Doom 64, such as expansions for Brutal Doom 64 which itself is technically a mod for Doom 2?

Most logical for me would be that generic Doom 64 topics would be in the general "Classic Doom" forums, just like discussions about Heretic, Hexen, Strife, Chex Quest or whatever other Doom-engine games. Doom64 EX would get a new forum in Special Interests, like Eternity or Freedoom.

There's sections for Doom 3 and Doom 2016, would be nice to have one for Doom 64 aswell, be nice to have a little place for people to discuss 64 or 64EX and it's mods.

Doom 64 uses a customized version of the classic Doom engine, just like Heretic, Hexen, and Strife. I figure if we don't have separate forums for Ultimate Doom, Doom II, Final Doom, PSX Doom, GBA Doom, and what-have-you then Doom 64 will have to rub shoulders with its cousins.

Doom 3 and Doom 2016 are very different games with nothing in common (beyond the basics of being first-person-shooting games with demons and zombies) in terms of gameplay, modding, utilities, and so on.

1 hour ago, Gez said:

Doom 64 uses a customized version of the classic Doom engine, just like Heretic, Hexen, and Strife. I figure if we don't have separate forums for Ultimate Doom, Doom II, Final Doom, PSX Doom, GBA Doom, and what-have-you then Doom 64 will have to rub shoulders with its cousins.

 

Doom 3 and Doom 2016 are very different games with nothing in common (beyond the basics of being first-person-shooting games with demons and zombies) in terms of gameplay, modding, utilities, and so on.

I'm not reallu sure why it matters that Doom 64 is based on the same engine. Isn't this like saying that CoD is the same game as Quake 3 because it's technically Id tech 3?

It matters for the reasons I have listed in the post you have quoted. Try re-reading them again.

^^ Nobody says they're the same game. Merging/splitting forums is less about exact categorization of their subject matter and more about finding an appropriate granularity so that neither forum will be too small, too big, or too much less useful than other forums.

9 minutes ago, Gez said:

It matters for the reasons I have listed in the post you have quoted. Try re-reading them again.

In that case might aswell just merge Freedoom and Eternity categories with Doom General.

Are you being dense just for the fun of it? Freedoom and Eternity are projects. Doom, Doom 2, Ultimate Doom, Final Doom, GBA Doom, GBA Doom 2, Mac Doom, Jaguar Doom, PSX Doom, PSX Final Doom, 3DO Doom, 32X Doom, Saturn Doom, Pocket PC Doom, iOS Classic Doom, Zodiac Doom, SGI Doom, WebTV Doom, SNES Doom, Xbox Doom, Heretic, Hexen, Mac Hexen, N64 Hexen, Saturn Hexen, PSX Hexen, Strife, and Doom 64 are games.

Now, a project is a thing that has a team (of at least one person) working on it to develop it. A game like the aforementioned are completed, released products. A project forum is going to have threads such as "here's a new version", or "there's a bug here", or "how can I help". A game forum is going to have threads like "here's my new mod" or "what tools should I use to edit it" or "how do I reach the secret on map whatever".

2 hours ago, Gez said:

Freedoom and Eternity are projects.

So is 64EX.

1 minute ago, dmg_64 said:

So is 64EX.

Yes, and?

5 hours ago, Gez said:

Most logical for me would be that generic Doom 64 topics would be in the general "Classic Doom" forums, just like discussions about Heretic, Hexen, Strife, Chex Quest or whatever other Doom-engine games. Doom64 EX would get a new forum in Special Interests, like Eternity or Freedoom.

Shit, I just noticed that this thread is actually in the EE section. I thought it was in Doom general. Hope I'm not in trouble :/

Doom 64 is not technically "classic" Doom though, and thus should go into a Doom 64 specific section of the forum. Just my two cents.

On 11/17/2017 at 5:40 PM, DMPhobos said:

I'd go as far to even include PSX doom on it, since D64 is a direct descendant of the PSX port, but that's just my opinion, regardless a D64 forum seems a great idea

Yep. I think "Doom with Mood,"  "Ambient Dooms" or "Atmospheric Dooms" would be a sufficient catch-all. 

On 2017-11-18 at 7:47 PM, Nevander said:

Doom 64 is not technically "classic" Doom though, and thus should go into a Doom 64 specific section of the forum. Just my two cents.

there's been several threads in Doom General regarding various other ports of Doom, though, most recently i can think of was a GBA Doom vs SNES Doom thread. if those discussions go there, i don't see why Doom 64 can't, too (in fact, i'm pretty sure it has already, thinking back to Aubrey's post about the redux version of the Doom 64 OST); the stipulation here is that talk about Doom 64 EX, the source-port and mods for it, specifically, would get its own home here as its own subforum, whilst general Doom 64 talk (recreation mods, the game itself, points of interest, like that article about the game before it was released...) would go into Doom General. which i think is a fair assessment of the situation.