Here's Part Two of the results of the "Who's MFGG" survey. This report analyzes the qualitative questions - how you found MFGG, what you like best about MFGG, and what you'd like to see changed on MFGG. These queries are more subjective in nature, and I've had to do a bit of merging and condensing to keep this post within a sane length. But fear not - there's some interesting nuggets in here, and some interesting topics for discussion. It'll pay to keep reading! Note that some responses have been edited for length, clarity, and style. If you think I mangled the context of one of your responses, just shoot me a PM and I'll fix it. [b]How did you find MFGG?[/b] While several survey respondents were a little fuzzy on how they first discovered the site, over 50% said they first found the site through Google or another search engine (in one case, Lycos!). Most of them were searching for fangames or sprites (including four different users who said they were using them for sprite comics, not fangames). There were also a few people who first found MFGG while searching for ROM hacks or a specific fangame. About a dozen forgetful folks said they have no idea how they first found MFGG. Five different people were referred by a friend, and one said he found the site when his brother showed it to him. Referrals are still a good way to bring in new members, and if you have any friends or family members that you think would enjoy MFGG, don't be afraid to give them an invitation! Another common source for visitors is linkbacks from other sites, including the following: [list][*]4 from Caiman Games (including myself, albeit indirectly) [*]4 from YoYoGames (often via the Hello Engine) [*]4 from TSR (including two who found us through affiliate links, which I was pleased to hear) [*]3 from assorted YouTube videos [*]2 from the mysterious "another site" [*]1 each from Flipnote, Mario Wiki (also via affiliate link), Newgrounds, Video Game Director's Cuts, and Yahoo Japan[/list] Others found the site advertised in game credits or through assorted game engines (in particular, Hello's). Interestingly, one person said he remembered hearing about MFGG on G4 of [url=http://wiki.mfgg.net/index.php?title=Mario_Fan_Game_Gallery]Mario Fan Game Gallery[/url] fame, but he apparently didn't join the site until quite a few years later. Finally, our make-believe Chinese-speaking lady from the Central African Republic found our fangaming community in a thoroughly interesting (albeit jocular) way: [quote="Joke Response"]Now this is a story all about how my life got flipped turned upside down, now I'd like to take a minute just sit right there, I'll tell you how I became the prince of a town called Bel-Air.[/quote] [b]What do you like best about MFGG?[/b] As you might expect, people list a variety of things as their favorite part of MFGG. The most popular pick was the community, followed by the resources and games. Some of the more interesting votes were the how-tos, "the blue colors of the site," the MFGG Wiki (yes, one person chose that), the administration, and last but not least, VinnyVideo himself. Many users praised our friendly community and the constructive feedback you can receive on your work. Here's a sample of some of the more interesting comments: [quote="Someone"]The friendly community. Everyone knows each other and is willing to help out.[/quote] [quote="Someone"]The people there are all very nice and supportive, and almost everyone on the forums is able to give good constructive criticism. I also enjoy being able to help people out with their creations.[/quote] [quote="Someone"]It's small and close enough to feel like a big family in a way. [/quote] [quote="Someone"]I like being able to communicate and connect with other people interested in Nintendo, fangames, and other relevant topics.[/quote] [quote="Someone"]The games, by far. The reason I like the games so much is because as much as I like seeing good games, I like laughing at purposely bad games.[/quote] [quote="Someone"]People are nicer than in real life.[/quote] [quote="Someone"]The sheer amount of spriters and sprites available is what's great. No Body, Rapid the Hedgehog, BlackSquirrel, NESlug... etc."[/quote] [quote="Someone"]I can make fan games on here and get decent feedback[/quote] [quote="Someone"]It's a family friendly website, it has the best fangames around, no swearing at all, the people here are very friendly, and they create the best sprites, too![/quote] [quote="Someone"]The fan-games. Even if I originally came by here for sprites, new fan-games are what keeps me visiting.[/quote] [quote="Someone"]While the site is in many ways similar to YoYo Games, the focus of Mario fangames appeals to me because I am a huge fan of the franchise. Also, there is a sense of equality between members, and sometimes humour or helping others; this is especially present on the forums.[/quote] [quote="Someone"]I like the idea of having a game be published worldwide and people can play your own made game.[/quote] [quote="Someone"]Overall, MFGG is undoubtedly the best website (rivaled with The Spriters/Sounds/Textures Resources) to go to for Mario-based resources, especially sprites.[/quote] [quote="Someone"]The active community, and... well it's all Mario![/quote] [quote="I"]It's a fun place full of creative, interesting people. I still enjoy playing Mario fangames, and I've grown attached to the community over the years. Plus, I'm the most active administrator there, so I get to USE MY POWER... to make it a better place (I hope!).[/quote] [b]Is there anything you'd like to see changed on MFGG?[/b] A lot of people suggested/complained about the same things, so I'm breaking this down into a few basic categories: [u]Mainsite Interface[/u] Seven different users (including myself!) said they would like to see the mainsite undergo a visual revamp. I'm all for that, although progress on updating the mainsite has proven to be more complicated than originally expected. [u]Skins / Appearance[/u] Two users suggested creating more skins. While adding new skins to the mainsite is going to be a bit more complicated, especially since we're planning to do a visual overhaul of the mainsite, making forum skins is pretty easy. If anyone would like to design a new skin or port one of the old IPB skins to phpBB, shoot me a PM. [quote="Someone"]Better smilies[/quote] Yeah, four of the smilies clash with the others. If any talented spriters would like to redo them, be my guest! [quote="Someone"]New post icons (Birthday, Science, Forum Games, Story)[/quote] I like the idea of the Birthday posting icon, since birthday announcements have always comprised a decent percentage of topics in the GC. Some of the other posting icons could use some updating, too, so if anyone would like to improve on the existing icons, please let me know. [u]Features[/u] A lot of members suggested new features for the mainsite: [quote="Someone"]When you update a submission, the changes should be made instantly, instead of putting it back into queue, so bugs and glitches can be fixed ASAP.[/quote] I'd love for the next version of the MFGG mainsite to streamline the submission approval process. It would mean less work for us staffers and a better experience for site contributors. I think updated submissions should only require one vote to be accepted. [quote="Someone"]The message board, mainsite, and wiki really should all share the same account.[/quote] I agree that requiring people to create separate accounts for all three sites is inconvenient and confusing. However, Kyori and others have found that adapting the phpBB database system is surprisingly complicated, so the only way this could happen is if someone created a custom forum software that integrates with the mainsite. [quote="Someone"]I think some features seen on the forums should make the jump to the mainsite, notably badges and customisable avatars.[/quote] I doubt a badge system for the mainsite will happen until the mainsite and forums are integrated. Technically, regular members can customize their mainsite avatars, but they won't be visible anywhere unless you're a QC staffer. [quote="Someone"]There should be some sort of rating system for (at least custom) sprites and music.[/quote] Perhaps a 1-10 reviewing system, or a way to "like" or "recommend" a submission? [quote="Someone"]Add a compatibility field for games[/quote] This is something I've suggested previously, too. Not all games work properly on every operating system, however. This would be a relatively easy feature to add to the database, but the hard part is finding someone who's willing to test all 1,002 games on the mainsite on every major operating system! [quote="Someone"]Add thumbnails to sprite submissions on mainsite updates[/quote] Hmm, might not be a bad idea. The Internet world is more visual than it was when the current version of the mainsite was launched eight years ago, and it would be a good way to see what's new in an update. This feature would make mainsite updates slightly longer, though. [quote="Someone"]Whenever you search for something I'd like the icon to be displayed too[/quote] This would be one good way to spice up the search results. [u]Organization[/u] [quote="Someone"]I think the ""How-Tos"" category should be split into two categories: Tutorials and Game Sources. How-To submissions that show you how to do a specific thing go in Tutorials, and those which are game engines go into Game Sources. If anyone feels the need to release their game as open source, that person can upload the source file(s) as a Game Source submission. [/quote] [u]Content[/u] [quote="Someone"]Increase the file size limit from 50 MB to 100 MB[/quote] Two different people suggested increasing the file size limit for games. I don't know how much storage space is currently available on R II's server, but I wouldn't be surprised to see this limit get expanded again in the not-too-distant future. [quote="Someone"]More 3D Mario games[/quote] [quote="Someone"]Support for Unity fangames[/quote] Seeing more 3-D games would make for a happy VinnyVideo, too. [quote="Someone"]More fangames from other universes or indie games.[/quote] Our first name is Mario for a reason, but there's no reason you can't post such things on the forums! More indie games would be nice - in fact, we've seen some fairly polished indie games hit the forums in the past couple of years. [quote="Someone"]I also don't understand why the boards support indie games. There are sites deigned JUST for that. When I made an account, I expected to see Mario fangames, not just any game.[/quote] I guess some people don't like indie games so much after all! But that's one of the main reasons the forums exist - to provide a platform for sharing material that doesn't have a place on the mainsite. [quote="Someone"]I've noticed there's hardly any coverage of the newer games. At least add them to the list of games, maybe?[/quote] A lot of newer Mario games are absent from the list of games. If you see any that deserve to be added (for example, newer games that people have ripped content from), send me a PM and I can add them to the database in a wink of an eye. [u]Quality Control[/u] Nine different users said the Quality Control had room for improvement. Six different people think the staff should get tougher on borderline-quality submissions, and three said the QC should process submissions faster. A lot of the other QC staffers have been busy with their jobs or studies lately, and that's one reason it's been tougher to keep everyone judging "balls and strikes" the same way. We're planning to promote another QC staffer within the next month or so, so if you'd like to help, there might just be a place for you! Stay tuned. [u]Quality[/u] While some people said the Quality Control needs to be faster and more consistent, others noted that the MFGG community could do a better job of giving us content to accept: [quote="I"]More serious spriters contributing to the mainsite and fewer quicky recolors.[/quote] [quote="Someone"]Different non-overused graphics[/quote] [quote="Someone"]Fewer clone games [/quote] [quote="Someone"]More emphasis on making more creative fangames[/quote] [quote="Someone"]I'd like to see members take opportunities to learn and improve rather than just doing what they already are good at over and over[/quote] [quote="Someone"]More Clickteam games[/quote] I wouldn't mind seeing these things happen, but what's the best way to make them come to pass? While most people who responded to the survey wanted to see us get tougher on iffy sprite submissions, one dissenting voice thought we should be more lenient: [quote="Someone"]I'd like to see less strict rules (you know, besides recolors), because almost any sprite posted could be used for something.[/quote] Over the past couple of years, more "joke games" have been submitted to - and accepted on - MFGG. People disagree over whether or not this is a good thing: [quote="Someone"]Please, please, PLEASE, start banning (or at least heavily restricting) ""joke""/""ironicbad""/etc. games, especially if the gameplay is mediocre or worse. [/quote] [quote="Someone"]More joke games :D[/quote] And last but not least... [quote="Someone"]In recent years, the overall quality of Sonic the Hedgehog fangames, for instance, has seen a dramatic increase, some special cases, such as Sonic: After the Sequel, having astounding amounts of polish put into it for an unofficial video game, such as Flash-animated sprited cutscenes, full high-quality original music and a multitude of original graphics. I feel that Mario fangames need to take this step up, as well.[/quote] You are Black Squirrel reincarnated. [u]Activity[/u] [quote="Someone"]The only thing I'd like to be different about MFGG is the activity on the main site. The main site seems to be very inactive, which is a bit unfortunate.[/quote] [quote="Someone"]My only real complaint is how few people there are - that's not really anything that can be changed, though. Maybe spread the word a bit more?[/quote] [quote="Someone"]More submissions of content that has not yet been ripped. But this is something that is more up to the users, rather than the MFGG staff.[/quote] [quote="Someone"]Maybe some way of encouraging more complete fangames (as opposed to minigames).[/quote] These are all things I could live with - more active users, and more fangames reaching fruition. How to do this, I'm not so sure. [quote="Someone"]I want to see wiki pages filled up with how to make a platform game.[/quote] The Wiki needs a lot more tutorials in general, and the existing tutorials need some work. As usual, if anyone wants to expand on these, you're more than welcome to do so! [u]Community[/u] [quote="Someone"]A bigger community. I'm not begging for it, but it would be nice for it to be as active as it used to be a few years back.[/quote] It would be hard to make this happen, as most online forums are less active than they were 5-7 years ago. That said, Mario is a still a very popular franchise, and MFGG still has many things going for it, so there's not reason we can't shoot for the stars. [quote="Someone"]Official communities like a Facebook page or YouTube channel to showcase MFGG updates, game of the month, quality tutorials sent by members, award show, events, debate/news topic/rumors on Nintendo news.[/quote] I think a YouTube channel or a Twitter page would be a useful way to promote MFGG [b]if[/b] - if someone's willing to maintain them. Even when MFGG was a lot more active than it is now, it was often hard to find people who were willing to write things like the Monthly News or GOTM awards on a regular basis. I don't think Facebook is a good way to go, though, as it has too much potential to cannibalize the actual forums. [quote="Someone"]I'd like to see more of an effort being placed in making the forums a more open place. I know the memberbase isn't as large (or mature) as it once was, but being less restrictive might attract new or old members.[/quote] Hmm, I'm not sure what you mean by "a more open place," but does anyone think the forums are too restrictive? (Also, I've been around long enough to know that immaturity has always existed on MFGG, or on the Internet in general. Fortunately, though, the current flavor of MFGG immaturity is a lot more benign than the circa-2009 immaturity.) [quote="Someone"]I feel like sometimes the admins are too lax around here.[/quote] Or are we too lax? [quote="Someone"]Forum reports should actually get taken care of (or at least have the staff respond to them if they don't think actions should be taken).[/quote] An interesting complaint. Does anyone share this sentiment? [quote="Someone"]Friendly competitions between members to do better or do something new.[/quote] In the past we've had a few head-to-head "duels" - essentially, two-participant Minigame Competitions. Those were always fun, and I'd love to see something like that return. [quote="Someone"]Better team development.[/quote] Few things in life are more challenging than team projects. That goes for everything, not just MFGG. [quote="Someone"]More discussion about game design and different methods on how Mario engines can be created. For some reason it's popular throughout the community to shun games that use a pre-made engine, and that everyone should create their game from scratch. It stems from hating Hello's engine and its clones, but it overflowed into all engines. How is fangaming going to grow if everyone has to start from the bottom?[/quote] I see your point. One of the reasons it's tough to get started with game making is that most of the tutorials on MFGG and the GMC are badly-designed or are hard for beginners to understand. (That said, computer programming is a very egalitarian world, and everybody starts at the same place - the bottom.) [u]Other[/u] [quote="Someone"]Add some coverage from Nintendo. Like have someone monitor Nintendo's main site and post a brief post with a link to the update when something new related to the Mario Franchise arises, like a new game.[/quote] Yeah, MFGG should be better about posting big Nintendo-related happenings, like new Mario games being released. Posting these links in mainsite updates might be a good stating point. [quote="Someone"]Maybe you could make it so that Clickteam libs can be dowloaded as a PNG file.[/quote] There isn't a way to convert Clickteam libs en masse, but if you need to open a lib and you don't have access to a Clickteam product, you can [url=http://mfgg.net/index.php?act=resdb&param=02&c=6&id=27419]try this[/url]. [quote="Someone"]Other than people stop using game makers that crash on windows 7 but I guess that's too munch to ask, so, I'll live with it.[/quote] I would love you forever if you could force Microsoft to make a special version of Windows that is fully compatible with every Game Maker and Clickteam game ever made. One member complained about another member here, but to protect the innocent (or not-so-innocent), I won't post it here. [quote="Someone"]I've been having trouble logging in for the past several days.[/quote] In the unlikely event that you're reading this, shoot me an e-mail and I can see what I can do. [u]Some features already exist![/u] Several users suggested adding features that already exist: [quote="Someone"]There needs to be a system where users can tell which games have high-quality content. Perhaps when users rate a game, it can go into a section of games that have high ratings.[/quote] I think this feature could be laid out better, but it is possible to sort games in order of review score. [quote="Someone"]And when I post a comment on a page, I want an email if another comment gets posted there. That is my largest complaint about the message boards BY FAR. At least give me the option to subscribe to the threads I like! And I would like to see a visual cue that tells me which threads have comments I haven't viewed yet.[/quote] Everything you suggested exists, at least on the MFGG forums. [quote="Someone"]"Next Page" and "Previous Page" links when browsing submissions would be a nice addition.[/quote] These exist, too! [u]Happy Stuff![/u] And lastly, quite a few people said they loved everything about MFGG and that they can't think of any way to make it better: [quote="Someone"]Keep doing what you do best![/quote] [quote="Someone"]No, MFGG is as close to perfection as you could probably get it.[/quote] [quote="Someone"]Not really. Just keep up the good work.[/quote] [b]So what does all this mean?[/b] MFGG is still an active, vibrant community full of fun, creative people. Now that we have a better idea of who uses MFGG and why, it's easier for us to make informed decisions about where to take the site in the coming years.

[quote="VinnyVideo"] [quote="Someone"]Better smilies[/quote] Yeah, four of the smilies clash with the others. If any talented spriters would like to redo them, be my guest![/quote] I think someone posted reshaded smilies in the Sprite W.I.P. topic

new smilies? [url=http://puu.sh/aeRwR/e449a303de.png]hmmmm...[/url]

[quote="Mit"]new smilies? [url=http://puu.sh/aeRwR/e449a303de.png]hmmmm...[/url][/quote] I think the smilies should be these

I'll be the first to second that

I'll be the third to second that one heh

In retrospect maybe I should have put more thought into the optional fields in the form. Oh well. A couple of thoughts about this data: * I don't mind joke games, but it seems that far too many of them depend on being awful as their primary source of humor. Contrast with Mushroom Pancakes, where the game is actually pretty good and the joke value comes from the utterly nonsensical plot and non sequitur pop-up messages. * Forum reports should definitely be responded to if possible, so people don't get the impression that their reports are being ignored. * I'm not sure about making the forum a more open place. My interpretation is that it involves generalizing the forums in some way (e.g. new boards), which may not be a good thing. * What qualities do you look for when screening for potential Quality Control staff members?

[size=50]I'm interested in becoming a QC staff member as well, so to reiterate[/size] [quote]* What qualities do you look for when screening Quality Control staff members?[/quote]

[quote="[url=http://phpbb.mfgg.net/viewtopic.php?p=411290#p411290]LuigiM9[/url]"][size=50]I'm interested in becoming a QC staff member as well, so to reiterate[/size] [quote]* What qualities do you look for when screening Quality Control staff members?[/quote][/quote] me three also, I'm so confused, I have *no idea* which of these things were written by me! haha. I don't even remember *any* of the options I chose, like favorite game or anything lol

[quote="Mit"]new smilies? [url=http://puu.sh/aeRwR/e449a303de.png]hmmmm...[/url][/quote] Yeah!

[quote="[url=http://phpbb.mfgg.net/viewtopic.php?p=411270#p411270]VinnyVideo[/url]"]making forum skins is pretty easy. If anyone would like to design a new skin or port one of the old IPB skins to phpBB, shoot me a PM. [/quote] Whoa wait really? Better get my spriting finger ready!

[quote]This is something I've suggested previously, too. Not all games work properly on every operating system, however. This would be a relatively easy feature to add to the database, but the hard part is finding someone who's willing to test all 1,002 games on the mainsite on every major operating system![/quote] This should definitely be on the list. Perhaps we can host an event of game test drives from various of users. If there's any missing compatibility for a certain game, one can simply report it to staffs for any compatibility or not.

I agree with most all of the suggestions. Overall, the wiki is fairly good though.

What about Main Site skins?

[quote="Mit"]new smilies? [url=http://puu.sh/aeRwR/e449a303de.png]hmmmm...[/url][/quote] I could live with those. [quote="Cap'n Coconuts"]I don't mind joke games, but it seems that far too many of them depend on being awful as their primary source of humor.[/quote] Well said. It's possible to make games that are funny and irreverent, yet are still fun to play. (I'm hoping my Cheerwine Deluxe 3 will achieve those objectives, but no guarantees can be made.) [quote="Cap'n Coconuts"]What qualities do you look for when screening for potential Quality Control staff members?[/quote] We're looking for people who are responsible and are enthusiastic about contributing to MFGG. New QC staffers should be willing to check the queue at least once a week, and preferably more often. Life happens, and it's OK if QC staffers disappear for a bit, but the moral of the story is they need to be helping on a regular basis. We prefer people who have been significant contributors to the forums and especially the mainsite. Both quality and quantity count, and recent contributions count more heavily than things people did (or didn't do) 5-6 years ago. [quote="Hypernova"]If there's any missing compatibility for a certain game, one can simply report it to staffs for any compatibility or not.[/quote] If we implemented a compatibility feature, we'd probably include a tool for members (or at least members who have been vetted as quality contributors) to include notes and comments on compatibility, and staff members could view a running log to make sure no one's abusing the feature. [quote="Mors"]What about Main Site skins?[/quote] I don't know how you'd create a new skin for the mainsite. If you really want to do so, it's best to speak to Guinea.

[quote]significant contributors to the forums and [b]especially the mainsite[/b][/quote] Well shit, I'm screwed.

[quote]I think a YouTube channel or a Twitter page would be a useful way to promote MFGG[/quote] I said I'd be willing to make a YouTube channel a while back. I'm still up for it.

[quote="VinnyVideo"]We prefer people who have been significant contributors to the forums and [b]especially the mainsite.[/b][/quote] Drat... I'm really interested about what QC is like tho.

[quote="VinnyVideo"]We prefer people who have been significant contributors to the forums and [b]especially the mainsite.[/b][/quote] noice

[quote="VinnyVideo"]We're looking for people who are responsible and are enthusiastic about contributing to MFGG. New QC staffers should be willing to check the queue at least once a week, and preferably more often. Life happens, and it's OK if QC staffers disappear for a bit, but the moral of the story is they need to be helping on a regular basis. We prefer people who have been significant contributors to the forums and especially the mainsite. Both quality and quantity count, and recent contributions count more heavily than things people did (or didn't do) 5-6 years ago.[/quote] Hmm. I'm sure there are people more qualified than me but I wouldn't mind giving it a shot.