Entire VR Category Forum...What Do You Think?

[Neil]

Hi Guys!

I have an idea to run by you. The VR section kind of...well...exploded. It doesn't seem fitting to just be a minor sub-forum now because the conversations are getting very involved and complex. I'm also getting requests for special forums for other unique open source VR projects (FreePIE for example).

I'd like to create a new top-tier forum division for VR, and have VR forums under this. I also like that we can avoid too many sub forums this way too. It should also be easier to break ideas down into threads and make conversations easier to follow. Would this work for you?

Regards,
Neil

[CyberVillain]

Sounds perfect!

[Neil]

Ok. Please suggest a tier structure top-down, and I'll put it together this weekend.

I don't want to inadvertently ruin the forum chemistry with my blasted tinkering.

Regards,
Neil

[BillRoeske]

Hey Neil,

I'm completely new around here, but here are some ideas to get the discussion rolling. Please weight my suggestions according to my time served.

• General Discussion (news, reviews, and VR concepts discussion)
• Projects (research topics, personal and community projects, comfort mods, etc.)
• Compatibility (troubleshooting for people trying to resolve software/hardware issues)
• Buy/Sell/Trade

[brantlew]

I've only been here for about 9 months but in that time I have noticed a massive surge of activity in the VR section. It's one of hottest tech forums around with a lot of intelligent adult discussion and minimal bulls*** You've know you've got something special when industry luminaries are monitoring and joining in. I'm all for expanding the VR section. I would suggest dividing along different technology lines, like Head Mounted Displays, Input Devices, Software Integration, etc..

[FingerFlinger]

I joined the forum specifically for the VR discussions, and definitely think that having some more structure would increase the quality of the discussion, just because older threads will be easier for newcomers to find.

I would also love a subsection for people to make work logs and share research projects.

[PalmerTech]

As a reader, I like having everything in one place. Makes it easier to keep up, no sub-forums to break into.

On the other hand, if I were a newcomer, our single massive block of threads sure can be intimidating. In the long run, it is probably a good idea.

Another idea: Move this section up the forum list a bit, so it is not so close to the bottom! It has more posts than any section on MTBS3D aside from the "General" section!

[cybereality]

I think its a good idea. However I wouldn't want to VR forum to have too many sub-forums of its own, else we run into the same problem.

I'd suggest no more than 3 to start out with, for example:

- General Discussion / News
- DIY Projects / R & D / Hacking
- Technical Support

I don't think the VR section warrants its own Buy/Sell/Trade section, but that might be a good idea for the site in general.

But, to be honest, it doesn't make much of a difference to me since I always hit "View new posts" (on top right) and read every thread anyway.

[Bishop51]

Just my opinion but:

* VR News & General Chat
* VR Projects

Keep it simple and digestible for the general public for now, expand later as demand grows.

[cybereality]

Yea, maybe 2 would be better.

[davidgutierrezpalma]

Just my two cents:

* VR News & General Chat
* VR Projects
* HMDs
* Trackers
* Software

[Neil]

Hi Guys,

Before we start moving threads around, check out the updated structure:

General VR/AR Discussion
DIY / Gamer Projects
VR/AR Software Development
FreePIE

I think this covers the bases without getting too complicated. What do you think?

Regards,
Neil

[cybereality]

There should just be one "VR/AR Projects" sub-forum. The thing is that VR/AR projects usually require both hardware and software together, so it does not make sense to make the separation.

Also, I think it should be called "VR/AR Research & Development" since many threads are not completed projects but vague ideas and works-in-progress.

[Neil]

Check it now.

Regards,
Neil

[cybereality]

Ok, looking better. But what does "Gamer Hardware" mean? I've never heard that term used before. I think just saying "DIY Projects" is enough.

[BrockSamson]

Just lurking and thought I'd throw in some encouragement and give a new comers (Noobs) perspective. First off I love that this thread is happening and think that the first step in developing a rock solid open source community is having a streamlined way to guide peoples interests and research. A lot of times this means catering to the lowest common denominator which in many cases is people like me. I was inspired by rift E3 videos and immediately began tinkering however, I had questions... "Whats the best tracking software?" "How do I make use of accelerometers and what software would I would need to do so?". A few hours of research have answered these questions to some degree. However, the experience I had finding the answers makes me feel like it could have been easier if the forum was organized differently. As it stands now, the two areas (general discussion and DIY) seem like they would have very similar posts in relation to these questions and at least for me personally it was a bit of work to find the answers I was seeking. As much as cyberreality is correct about how the systems work in tandem with each other, I feel like for a lay person (as well as late game organization) it makes more sense to have forum sub topics according to different systems (Tracking, software, HMDS) assuming a new person logs on right now with the same questions I had and a search doesn't turn up the answers, their process is to first click on the general VR tab, search every post, if they cant find the answers and then do it over again on the DIY post. If organized by system a person could click on "Trackers" and search all tracker related posts, if the answer isn't there they can ask a sub forum filled with tracker posts a question about trackers. This seems much more streamlined than having to figure out what sub forum (DIY or general) the tracker related post would go in, and then posting a question in a sub-forum filled with posts about (When can i play COD with my HMD?! or "RIFT kickstarter goes live?!". This also helps people who will be posting questions not to clutter up forums with non related content. Maybe the answer is to just start a beginners or intro section or to make sub sections for the DIY section that cater to new comers, but general discussion and DIY projects both seem like very broad topics which could make it difficult for people to find what they are looking for by lumping together a great deal of system (hardware, tracking, accelerometers, HMDS...) into the same two subforums with the only difference being the persons motivation for the question (DIY or General knowlege). I absolutely see the reasoning behind Neil's and cyber reality's choice to set it up the way it is now, I just wanted to make sure that you guys had an idea of what its like for a new person who knows very little about the topics to navigate and learn from the forums. Very excited that the future of VR is open source.

[WiredEarp]

I see where BrockSamson is coming from actually, I was thinking earlier that it should be organized along lines like that. It makes sense to have sections to logically VR components. However, I also think the idea of less is best is good, in that we are most effective when most of the talking takes place in one forum, due to the fact we are still a small community.

I think the solution lies in sticky threads about each topic. We need a FAQ thread for each topic, such as the best trackers, the best HMD's, the best drivers, etc, and we can then just put those in the general forum, or in a subforum, for people to easily find. We can keep them updated.

I'm a bit hazy about the actual forums. This was the best I could come up with:

- General VR/AR Discussion (main forum, we can post news, and VR gear for sale in the main discussion just as threads, at least until the community gets too large).
- Technical Information and Projects (post all the stickies here, make this the place for people to go to get technical info, and perhaps discuss something technical. I'm a bit unsure about using this for technical discussions however, as I don't want to fragment things too much).

FreePIE could be moved into DIY / Gamer Projects along with stuff like CR's driver, Emersons recent posts, etc. It would make a great sticky project FAQ as well.
I agree with CR in that the software development one should be rolled into the Projects forum. Actually, I also agree about not calling it Projects

[cybereality]

The best thing right now is probably to have a sticky thread in the General VR section with an FAQ for the most important data. When I have some time I can make this thread, but if someone else wants to do it just PM me and I can make it a sticky.

[BrockSamson]

Stickies sound good to me. the only other thing i can think of is that it seems like RIFT and VR interested peoples might quickly account for the vast majority of the traffic to the site. Maybe making VR a more visually centric part of the front page will help funnel people into the the forum. I know that when i first got interested my impulse was to google "VR forums" and "occulus rift forums" and you get a bunch of press coverage.