25 replies to this topic

[devilhunter]

Hello everyone.

We're nearing completion on the system we were trying to build, on the Porting Team v3
The Front Page is finished and looks good, and hopefully we get some contributions from you for it once in a while.
The Forums have been cleaned up and most of the legacy stuff imported from the old Forums have been refreshed.
The Port Database is the perfect place for everyone to post Ports, it's very easy to view/post/download/rate/manage Ports. Everyone from the Porting Team helps to make it what it is now. The Members & the Porters.
The Tutorial section will get cleaned up a bit in the near future, with more user friendliness and more Tutorials on everything.
The Members Projects Sections have enough space for the Projects of every Member who wants to share Ideas or Creations with others, and offers a lot more.

This may be the point on where we'll mostly leave the system as it is now, with some minor changes to some things here and there if a good idea pops up.


The main thing we are still missing and what we can't do anything about for is popularity or activity.
Like any website on the Internet, you have to specialize on something or you'll go down in the deepest reaches of the net without any trace whatsoever.
Contradicting this 'general rule', we don't specialize in something, but cover lots and lots of things. Game Developer websites have a few to a few dozen Games to provide support for.
We have hundreds. In the coming months, perhaps even a thousand or more. Also different Wrappers, porting techniques, tools, information.
Specializing in one or a dozen Games is not our strength. This is a big drawback in terms of user friendliness or an easy learning curve. And because this is a community driven project, not a cash-backed company.

So there's not much action around here, in the Forums or in the Port Database. Slow days where almost nothing happens in the Forums, or Ports from people who worked hard to make them don't get downloaded.

We can't change that. We don't have the focused specialization or the Ad Dollars to make Ads for us. We can't actively look for People who want to join the Project.
But you can.


Every Member of the Porting Team is this Project's biggest and best advertiser.
Took a lot of time to make a Port or wish that more people should check it out?
See something here that is really great and could mean fun for lots of other people?

Share it.
Like with the usual Twitter or Facebook social stuff that's going around for years and years there are other possibilities.
Or, think different and use what we have made now.


We call it the Port Database Nexus
The Port Database Nexus is inspired by the mac App Store and some app wall projects, and it displays a Nexus of Ports that you'd normally not see with the normal Port Database interface.
The Port Database is the general collective place for Ports, neatly categorized and easy to find what you're looking for; but the Nexus is meant for sharing.

Port Database Nexus

The Port Database Nexus looks like a simple search result from an app search engine, and rightly so. It's a proven concept and the connection to our Port Database.
On the Nexus you can view pages that show:
- the latest Ports
- the latest updated Ports
- the most popular Ports
- the most downloaded Ports
- and Today's randomly picked Ports by the system.

These Pages should be great for normal Members to check out what's new or share this with others.
So good so far, but this isn't the real strength of the Port Database Nexus.


My Nexus

The My Nexus Page may be the thing you could be looking for if you are a Porter, a Member who submitted something to the Port Database.
People not noticing your Port or not getting enough downloads on your Ports?
Take the fight to them. Advertise these Ports for yourself. Tell people about them. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Forums. Where you like.

The My Nexus Page will be your best friend if you are a Porter in the vast world wide web, a single page to show what you can offer.

example My Nexus Pages from some Members:

thedoctor45's Nexus
waves' Nexus
Battlefiler's Nexus
DanIsTheMan's Nexus
SouthTuna's Nexus


Don't think we are begging the userbase to advertise for us with this. We are not.
We see what the Porting Team Project can become and what is missing. It's missing people.
Everyone who checks the Port Database is noticing only a few dozen downloads for popular Ports, while some do not get any downloads at all.
As mentioned, we can't help you with traffic or interest.
Only you can do that.

Ported a great new first person shooter game? Tell others in a shooter forum.
Got a great RPG? Tell others in a RPG forum.
Got a anime-like game Port? Go tell others in an anime Forum.

You'd be surprised how many mac lurkers are there looking for running that Game with Bootcamp or other ways.
So if you are not looking for these users, they will not notice what you made.



The Port Database Nexus and the My Nexus Pages are currently just a preview what can be done in this direction, and will continue to get improved.
Please give a huge thanks to syao, our php specialist and the developer of the Nexus pages. (seriously, PM him and say that you love him )


Planned Upgrades to the My Nexus Pages are:
- 'User featured Ports' - Users can feature what Port they want featured from their collection on their My Nexus Pages (like our Port Database has)
- embeddable iFrames - on each Member's My Nexus Page will be a small text box where you can copy your My Nexus Page as an iFrame into the clipboard.
This iFrame can be used to embedd your whole Port collection in a html/php site, or even post it in Forums Posts/Blog Posts that support iFrames
- next/previous page indicators - currently every Nexus Page is limited to the last 50 Ports, but we'll implement some next/previous pages for the 51+ Ports
- Forum Integration - the Port Database Nexus and My Nexus Pages will be more tightly integrated with the whole system. Every Member will get a My Nexus Page (link) in his Profile - done
- disabling specific Types of Ports that others can view via your My Nexus Page
Got some Full Game Backups or WIP Ports that you don't want others to see where you post your My Nexus Page? (or vice versa) No Problem, user selectable categories to show on the My Nexus Page to the rescue.



Some Notes about the Port Database Nexus and the My Nexus Pages:
- currently everything will be shown on your My Nexus Page, including Full Game Backups.
We don't have a problem if you post your My Nexus Page containing Game Backups somewhere else; as mentioned multiple times, there are reminders about these Backups on each setting that is made for them (viewing/downloading/etc)
- clicking on a Port from the Nexus Pages opens the Port in the Port Database.
Clicking on Game Backup Ports results in a reminder to log in and/or enable viewing Backup Ports
- Ports in the Port Graveyard or 'broken' marked Ports do not appear on the Port Database Nexus Pages, only on your My Nexus Page.
Other People should remind you to reupload them if they are broken. Or ask a Moderator to delete the dead Ports.
- some old User Avatars from the old Forum are not quite compatible with the Nexus Pages. please resubmit your Avatar if you don't see your Pic in your My Nexus


That's about all we can do from our side.
The rest is up to you.
You are the Porting Team after all


-syao & dev

[julus]

Just a question, why I see every my port 3 times?


Same goes with the nexus view (for example, most downloaded)

[devilhunter]

julus, on 10 May 2012 - 04:10 PM, said:

Just a question, why I see every my port 3 times?


Same goes with the nexus view (for example, most downloaded)

seems to be a bug.
we'll investigate.

Edit:
it's gone now.
Seems to be cache issues from the pages.

[syao]

devilhunter, on 10 May 2012 - 04:14 PM, said:

seems to be a bugfeature.

IPB is capable of some very advanced magic certain times.  So advanced that nobody can figure out why it breaks so badly. :x

If it happens again, please let us know

[cybershark]

I really like the nexus. It looks great. I can just say, great work

[KGameLover1]

Freaking awesome!

[BLACKNIGHT]

It looks great

[Digital404]

Awesome job on the nexus and my nexus.

[hmtinc]

Great concept ... it looks awesome .
But my avatar doesn't seem to display properly .

[syao]

That's my fault.  I assumed avatars to be square, so I put them in a square canvas and made them to stretch to fill it.
Fixed now.  Images are no longer stretching (just shrinking to fit, in case they're too big).

[BLACKNIGHT]

I have a little Problem

[syao]

This seems to happen randomly, and to fix itself not long after... Still trying to figure the reason, else I'll just apply some hacky workaround to avoid it showing like that

[wMin17]

This looks really awesome, you guys!

[pseudo3d]

I like the idea, but the fact is, our "ports" aren't real ports. I mean, it's great you can run this stuff on a Mac, but for every app, it's bloated (up to 200MB per app) and slow (in some cases the actual app itself, but also starting time).

Do the apps for modern games (like Portal 1, Plants vs Zombies) run better than the official Steam Mac versions?

[cluthz]

pseudo3d, on 12 May 2012 - 02:13 AM, said:

I like the idea, but the fact is, our "ports" aren't real ports. I mean, it's great you can run this stuff on a Mac, but for every app, it's bloated (up to 200MB per app) and slow (in some cases the actual app itself, but also starting time).

Do the apps for modern games (like Portal 1, Plants vs Zombies) run better than the official Steam Mac versions?

No, they don't, at least very few does. (There are some exceptions, like my KIng's Bounty wrapper runs twice as fast as the native mac version)
99% of the ports has no mac counterparts, and the ones that do are most likely ported before there were available for mac.

Anyways, this is pretty off topic, so if you have further questions feel free to make a new topic.

[chrisangel]

This looks great and all, however I am a bit confused on how this will create more users being social on the forums. Or is that not the point.

[devilhunter]

chrisangel, on 14 May 2012 - 03:48 AM, said:

This looks great and all, however I am a bit confused on how this will create more users being social on the forums. Or is that not the point.

Not really the point.

The point is, that if you are a Porter, you should take your My Nexus Page with your Ports there and plaster it all over the Internet, where the hell ever you want. It shows one page with everything you did.
If you are a normal User who did not post any ports, you could post the My Nexus Page from someone else (like doc's or waves' ) or the normal Port Database Nexus Pages anywhere you like, if you want others to look at things you like.

Basically it's an Information about your Ports, that you can use to tell others. (think advertisement)

[bushidounohana]

LOVE THIS. I've been wanting to share some of my ports with all my rowdy Mac friends, but I've longed for an easy and elegant way to show my wares with a single link. Thank you!

[Hrachya]

and how do we access other people's nexuses and the PD nexus without going to this thread?

[devilhunter]

Hrachya, on 15 May 2012 - 01:07 AM, said:

and how do we access other people's nexuses and the PD nexus without going to this thread?

Quote

Planned Upgrades to the My Nexus Pages are:
- Forum Integration - the Port Database Nexus and My Nexus Pages will be more tightly integrated with the whole system. Every Member will get a My Nexus Page (link) in his Profile

[Hrachya]

Oh so this is like a beta version right?

[eridani]

Sexy, cute and fucking awesome. =P
Can´t wait for the iFrames to be implemented.
Love that it says "Download this classic" for retro games.

Just one question. How do i access My Nexus and PDB Nexus? other than by clicking the links in the green box. Oh!, and is a tab for this planed?

[REBOOT]

Nexus? Awesomeeee!

[devilhunter]

eridani, on 15 May 2012 - 04:38 PM, said:

Sexy, cute and fucking awesome. =P
Can´t wait for the iFrames to be implemented.
Love that it says "Download this classic" for retro games.

Just one question. How do i access My Nexus and PDB Nexus? other than by clicking the links in the green box. Oh!, and is a tab for this planed?

Hrachya, on 15 May 2012 - 01:07 AM, said:

and how do we access other people's nexuses and the PD nexus without going to this thread?

The Nexus has been integrated into the system.
You can view your My Nexus Page by clicking your Profile and clicking the 'view my Nexus' Button. Also you can view the My Nexus Pages from other Members this way.

In the Port Database, the Port Database Nexus Links are now visible on the top of the main content box.

[Hrachya]

yeeeeeey

[Scottm]

sounds good