Wait. I know it looks like a wall of text. But its a must read. Well lets start off with the basics, As most of you probably know, im Y35. I havent been along as much as some members but i've been here long enough to get to know the forgehub community, and hopefully they know me back. (I know alot of you are probably saying "Hes only been here since April, What would he know about anything" the truth is i do have another account here on forghub, and that still wasnt even my first one, I was here on the old site i just wasn't here as much as i am now. Forgehub was made a while back, and its growing ever month in popularity, cranking out maps and great members. Many other sites know how large we are, and most of them end up venturing into forgehub and lending us a helping hand with maintaining a well balanced site, it needs everyone to survive, the mods, the administraters, and even the normal everyday member. If any of those were lost, the site would go currupt. What i am here to talk about today has to do with a decision made a while back by some higher up members, that decision was putting in the Graphics and Arts Forum section. To many members, this section is known as their home, and ever post they ever hade is made within these small barriers. What i wanted to remind people of was the great section called the "Map Forum" These days in my own opinion it is getting underrates, While great maps are still being made day after day, i feel they are being bombarded by posts such as "Check out my new sig." "New avatar!" and etc. This is not a problem, but i do believe that posting a whole new forum just so you can show people your sig.(which by the way, they will see anyway if you post) This still is not a problem, infact, Many great members have their own sig shops, and sig "show-cases" you may call it. But the problem is those who seem to post a new forum for each and every sig they make. In my opinion these posts are pushing great maps and other great forums off the first page, just so members can see what others think of their new signature. Signatures are not bad by any means, Infact, i am looking for one right now, and many of you may know me for having the "ROFLcopter" Signature, and i too have probably posted a forum asking what others think of my sig, But i ask you. Please come back to the Map section, Maps is what forgehub is known for, not making sigs. Ever since the beginning we have been building up our reputation amongst other sites with our amazing map creators, and the creations. We have everything a forger could ever need, Mini game maps, MLG maps, Competative, Casual, Aesthetic, and even Racing maps. Its like a 5in1 site. But over the past month or so things is forgehub have changed, the main thing now is "Who is the best signature/avatar maker. I'm not saying STOP, i'm saying venture out, post other places, and most of all, forge and make new maps, Its always great to have a nice sig. But those only last a little amount of time, Maps last forever, i had a guy come up to me and say his favorite map was Red-Line, or something around that name (lol) i looked it up and it was running chrons map he posted months ago, And just this morning i saw one of Ivory Snakes Maps float to the top again. These are things you will remeber, Not some silly signature. Sorry for the wall of text, i tried to break it up, This is just something i thought everyone needed to see. And in no means does this say stop making signatures or avatars. And i still <7 all your Photoshop/CS3/*lists other programs* The Official Y35.
Hi Five! I agree completely. On my home site, BungieHQ, we had the same problem. But most of those annoying sig-junkies came here. (I won't name names, but you guys know who you are)
Okay, i know your probably talking abut me, and i will tell you why i only post in Graphic Arts. For the past 4 months, i have been with out an xbox, and every time i'm ready to send it into microsoft, something bad happens weather it be family issues, or vacations. I used to always post on maps, but i had a rule to myself. I would download good maps, and come back with a review, other wis i don;t think it is fair to comment on a map if you haven't played on it. So, one day i ventured into GA, found out about Gimp, and the rest, well you know. In 2 weeks when my sexbox gets back, i will comment way more on maps, and give in depth reviews, and finish some of the maps i was working on when my xbox broke. Sorry for all hat **** in GA. It gets boring over the ummer when your friends are gone, and your xbox is broken.
I'm not saying that Sig making is a bad thing, i know who is good and i always go to them when i need a new signature, I'm saying that For a site based on forging maps, the G/A section is skyrocketing in popularity and in the long-run, its spamming up the pages a little bit.
Gaah crushed by the wall! I have been very active in the G&A forum recently and i only joined about 3 weeks ago. Before that, my ONLY activity was in the maps forum. I originally joined forgehub just to download cool maps as i am definitly not the best forger you will ever meet. In fact, i suck at forging. And.....i suck at making sigs too. I was just temporarily interested in the artistic output of photoshop. It actually turned into a 100 post G&A spree as i became really interested. Idk.....i know i'm not recognized at all in the maps forum (because i suck) so i guess i just moved to the G&A forum to gain more recognition for SOMETHING at forghub as it is a smaller community there. I failed a that lol. I really like forgehub and the community here but i think i'm just confused in how i can involve myself in it and contribute to it. I think this problem may be shared among many. I suppose if some very creative person at forgehub figures out how to get the community involved (or maybe just me) then that will once again draw attention to the main purpose of forgehub instead of this seperate community of people in the G&A forum. ^My wall of text^
It kind of like "OK You're amazing with Photoshop. But this site is about Halo and since you joined you haven't tyoed a single keystroke outside of the ****ing GA board." These people are really talented and it's good to know they are there if you want a new signature but still...
I think it should be evident by now that Forge Hub is not all about the maps. We strive to be an excellent community as well, and the GFX, Off Topic, and General Chat Sections show this off very well. From as far back as I was here, the GFX sections was always in the Off Topic section. As the growth of dedicated artists and photo manipulators has increased at a exponential rate, so too has the importance of the section, leading into it's separation from the Off Topic section. You will find that not many people here even play Halo much anymore. The only good reason I have for being here is the community. Believe it or not, I don't find much amusement in looking over map after map after map of the same sculpture. The community sections help keep me sane.
thank you sir. You just explained what i was about to say. I dont play halo much anymore. I just linger around GFX for fun, have something to do. Occasionally i check out maps, but i cant even download them, so that is why i rarely enter maps section.
I vote the G&A forum should be renamed the sig forum, I rarely see any art in there. I agree with the OP, though I do agree with Nemi. And I disagree with zerosun, go to a photoshop forum if that's all you're here for.
A majority of people are afraid to venture into the Map forums because they are at a loss of words and are in fear of infractions. With the new rules put in place, one liner posts on maps are no longer tolerated. It is a good thing and a bad thing. Those spam comments helped keep the maps alive but the real comments are what improved the map. You'd find maybe 1 real comment in about 10, if you were lucky. Now it seems they're all nice and helpful posts but since people are unwilling or cannot be bothered writing up long posts they do no bother. I do agree the G&A forum has become an orge of sig thread and that, no offense to anyone and their skills in the feild, pisses me off. Sigs are such a small aspect of Graphics, photo manip with added text on a small space. I completely agree great maps can last forever, great sigs can last about a week or two.
You just wrote a short essay about why you don't like signatures... Don't get me wrong, I hate them too, but that's just sad... Sorry.
I do use map forums, just not as often. I cant download maps cuz of a really dumb problem so i just look at maps. Since i cant download and test the map, i find theres no use even commenting saying "it looks good". Thats just spam. So i look in map forums, and type in community.
X'O that was so beautiful. Anyways i think your trying to say that forgehub rocks. If so i agree completely forgehub isn't just a place to post maps its a family. There are the spammers that go through the forums looking for anything they can post on, but there are always bad things that come when there is good things, but forgehub still rocks!