Is SSGN.net a good domain for the community?

[PoLiX]

As some of you know, I have spent the past few months talking to other forum admins, contacting some game admins/devs, and looking through advertising ideas. Granted I have also been working tons of overtime, so has really slowed the entire process, but I feel it is time to begin asking the community itself what it thinks of the thoughts of others.

 

SSGN.net almost sounds like a ripoff of IGN.com when I look at the domain

What does SSGN stand for and where is the game title in the domain?

.co has subspace available, have you thought about that?

I do agree that subspaceonline seems a bit long, but it is important to have the subject of your game in the title for advertising purposes.

 

Just a few of the common comments I got.

 

I'm not planning to do anything right now. But I want to know what the community's thoughts are.

 

I want to build everythig around the forums, as the last thread did confirm that most people do just come to the forums anyways. That and building a downloads site that the url would be "Forums.ssgn.net/files/" just seems odd. http://www.ssgn.net/files/ would seem better, or could even be http://www.subspace.co/files/. Could also have information on the forums, tutorials, news, etc. All could be updated easily by forum members and staff, and everything could focus here.

 

I dunno. Just some thoughts I have been having since there is nothing really major to make visiting the website itself worth wild. The scores and stats site I am still bugging Priit for along with Ghost Ship, but seems just when he gets interested, he drops off the face of the planet again for a few weeks.

 

I hate moving the community again, after just moving the forums from SSForum.net to Forums.SSGN.net last year. And ain't just going to randomly go out and do it, but what are your thoughts and opinions?

 

Should I just move the forums to SSGN.net, or try out SubSpace.co? Either way, I want the forums to be the homepage of the domain. That much I do know I want to do.

[hallucination]

Subspace.co is far better than obscure acronym ssgn. Zero people will stumble across ssgn without google. With google, no one will google ssgn -- they'll google subspace and/or continuum. Continuum has far more hits out there than Subspace, and since the consensus seemed to be that we call this thing Subspace/Continuum, Subspace is the choice.

 

Goal should be for the google >Subspace Game< the domain come up as the top hit. Wikipedia is ok as the top hit, but we must have that page primarily point to Subspace.co. Someone willing to attempt to edit that page? Right now ssgn comes in below dead site getcontinuum.com

 

Secondary goal should be that when someone starts typing subspace.co in the address bar, the browser suggests this site.

 

--hallu

[Kilo]

It's short which is always a plus because even if it's an obscure acronym it looks professional and is easy to remember. However, that doesn't mean that a better domain doesn't exist.

[Dr Brain]

I agree with Kilo/Arnk. It's professional, and it's easy. I always liked ssforum the best, but I understand why you've eschewed that.

[Wormhole Surfer]

I would estimate that over 90% of regular ss/cont players don't bother checking ssgn.net or these forums. If you're lucky, some of them will regularly check on the forums that are specific to their own zones (EG/TW/DSB,etc), but there is little reason for someone who only plays Trench Wars, for example, to read continuum-related forums other than on the TW website. The "Subspace Community" that we knew back in 96/97 was fragmented into multiple smaller communities, as you know, and the only ACTIVE players that frequent this website are generally from the smaller zones that don't have their own websites with separate forums. It's almost a certainty that if you play in _______ zone and are content with it, you don't care about other zones or what's happening in the so-called "subspace community."

[Sketter]

I much rather have SSGN - as long as it's fitting.

 

SSGN (SubSpace Gaming Network) means to me of a hub where all data and public information (and perhaps gossip) is shared and viewed.

 

The problem is this key is insignificant because every zone runs their own gig. (the larger ones) And history as shown (for a lack of common sense, to much pride and well accompanied with paranoia)no one is ever willing to give an inch.

 

The game is also to far in age and missing modern substance that to go in that direction now, just may go unfulfilled.

 

I know how i sound. It's not that i don't care, i'm just consciously aware.

 

As to going to a whole new domain. Can you give me the benefits that it will give you that SSGN doesn't?

It just sounds like adding a new layer(or fragment as Wormhole Surfer nailed it) on something that should be kept simple considering it's condition.

 

Are you giving yourself work because it needs it? Or because it's something more self fulfilling?

 

Just my gibber jabber.

 

Sketter

Edited June 5, 2011 by Sketter

[PoLiX]

I created the domain, so of course I like the url. But being the last general site for the game, I feel something needs to be updated/changed and focus on new players, not just current ones.

 

Almost any game I can think of the main website for that game has the name in the url. Callofduty.com, Starcraft2.com, etc.

 

Recently after playing some other games to get a break from all the dramatic political bs that has been happening, I soon realized every game's website I went to was easy to find. Typically just the name of the game, then .com, .net, .org, or .co.uk. Easy to find, easy for new players to realize what the site is about, and everything you needed was there. A few were just forums, or a simple frontpage with most the content being the forums. This got me thinking.

 

Bajan's download script (while designed around the idea of SubSpace Downloads) is still buggy, and even he found some huge holes he overlooked when fixing a couple for me. But more and more began showing up, so I decided to drop it. Thus the IPB Downloads script, being the best for the style I was looking for (simple structure w/ ability for USERS to upload, not just admins), lead me to the idea of a forum centralized site.

 

I had also been from time to time communicating with the people over at Valve and Steamworks trying to find the simplest way to get Continuum either working with, or just listed on steam. This led me to many other game websites, and got me thinking more and more as I'd stare at SSGN not really happy where it had gone.

 

I began posting on a few admin forums, and a few gaming websites in threads and comments about game websites, web design, forums, etc. Started a couple threads about SSGN, looking for thoughts and opinions. First comments were just about the URL itself. Next came how the website and forums don't really flow together, and how using IPB I could just drop the website itself and go with forums with all sorts of content and information. So overtime talking, and planning, ideas kept coming up. Soon at the Daytona 500, GoDaddy made a big deal of .co domains, and a couple people suggested what I had begun thinking about. SubSpace.co

 

So my vision became whole.

 

SubSpace.co, a centralized forum with downloads, information, tutorials, and everything you'd need to get help.

Get.SubSpace.co would be something like GetContinuum.com, but more aimed at just getting the players the client, basic first run issues, and then pointing them where to get help and some info on different zones/gameplay. Rather than just 1 splash page, something a bit more involved, and maybe a video on the frontpage to catch their eye. Not really to compete, but just another portal that is a bit more dynamic.

 

MGB's server website still covers everything to do with servers, bots, etc. so I'd rather keep that as is.

 

TBH, yesterday a conversation came up where I realized not even some current players can remember the url to SSGN. Many had been here, but just never remebered the url. When I mentioned SubSpace.co, many liked it, thought it'd be a lot better, and it reminded them of SubSpace.net. Many agreed SubSpace.net kept SSForum and SSCentral alive, as those domains were really only known to current players. SubSpace.net was something easy to remember, and good for new players.

 

I felt constantly going outside our community, and even this forum community was a good idea to get a broader opinion on the site.

 

My goal is just to build something worth visiting again like we did when Rowen and Cyberise were still around. I haven't had someone like Rowen to bounce ideas off in a long time, so going to others outside was the right move I feel.

[Dav]

for me the discrepancy between the client name and the game name will alsways be an issue. I think get continuum is a great domain for this and should link into SSGN to put it to full use.

 

It is a shame continuum.com as is subspace.com.

 

SSGN has potential to be the perfect hub, we just need to get more people coming to it through advertising and getting all zones involved. other more "easy to find" domains can always be used as satellite sites to draw newbies in.

[SeVeR]

The game is called Continuum! The word subspace is only relevant to people who played the game years ago.

 

When I saw you advocating subspace.co I almost screamed out loud. Are you trying to confuse new players on purpose?

 

Ditch the word subspace from everything. It's called Continuum now.

 

I mean seriously... wth, I don't understand why you want to keep the subspace name at all, I thought you were doing it here because you hadn't bothered to change the name yet.

[PoLiX]

I point you to this thread: http://forums.ssgn.net/topic/25623-continuum/

[SeVeR]

Hah thanks, 28-12 in favour of continuing the confusion, no wonder this game is dying, too many people stuck in the past, too many who can't remember what it's like to be a new player to a game.

 

People who play a game called Continuum won't come to a forum called Subspace Forums. They don't know 15 years of history, and don't want to. They'll look in google results for a Continuum forum not a Subspace forum. Call it what it is! Even if you use a subspace web address, at least change the page title to continuum forums...

 

I don't study Marketing, but even I can see you should name your site what it is rather than what it used to be. It's like making a book about Russia and calling it "The U.S.S.R. and its seaside resorts".

Edited June 9, 2011 by SeVeR

[Samapico]

Thing is, if we get a new client going... it won't be called continuum, and we'll confuse them again!

 

But I see your point... and I can't really pick a side :/

[SeVeR]

Well then, first I suggest we decide the name that this game will always be known by. I understand subspace cannot be used fully due to being the VIE original name? That means Continuum should be, as it's what we already know.

 

Any future clients can be called whatever they want as long as they acknowledge the game is called Continuum; the splash screen says Continuum, the menu title says Continuum, but somewhere it can say "The client for Continuum". Otherwise this confusion will continue and get worse each time we have a new client.

 

Or, you could acknowledge clearly in the client that the game is called Subspace, and/or put a page title on the forum that acknowledges the Client name. You could call this forum "Continuum forums" and still use subspace.co, and it would show up in google as continuum forums.

Edited June 9, 2011 by SeVeR

[freaknigh]

actually google doesn't always pick up the contents of a site very well but if the word you are searching for is in the domain name it'll always put it at the top. Either way you'll have people looking for subspace who wont look for continuum and vice versa.

 

The problem these days is not name of the game or if it has a proper tutorial etc, it is simply that there are just too many games out there. Even with a price tag of free most games have to fight to get a few players... Is the idea of a top down space shooter dead? Hell no. But it's been 14 years or whatever... Subspace has acquired some competition and developers need to step up and meet that competition. Also things are a lot more advertising oriented. If your not making front page of a game listing site that gamers trust to find new games then how the hell do you expect them to find you? It's just a sad simple truth for a lot of old games...

 

You got to have a good fun addictive stable game with a lot of replay value that can get on at least some of the game news sites and can compete with competitors in its genre.