VictoryCommand.com - A new VaS community fan site

[Odysseus]

Hey guys! I've been lurking for a while not in the VaS forum here as I've watched the game grow over the past few months. I noticed that you guys are some very dedicated players, and I wanted to use my experience in game community building to help the Victory at Sea game!

VictoryCommand.com - http://forum.victorycommand.com - is a new site I'm starting up that will be a one-stop resource and hangout for VaS fans, and fanatics I've had experience in running these kinds of outfits, including starting up BattletechUniverse.org Battletech fan site in 2003 which is now the internet's top BT fan site. That, plus my prior enlistment in the Navy and a love for Naval history, compelled me to do a similar gesture for Victory at Sea.

So I hope you guys come on over and check the site out. As time progresses, we'll be running contests, game campaigns, working on hosting meetups, and more. I'm currently working on an image gallery where you can strut your VaS stuff - painted minis, battle reports, and more.

Looking forward to seeing you guys around soon, and thanks to Mongoose Publishing for the go ahead and encouragement for VictoryCommand.com

 

[E Nicely]

I just registered. Nice site Odysseus.

 

[Leadman]

Signed up as well. Looking forward to some good discussions.

Dannie

 

[DM]

Looks good, but do we need another VAS forum in addition to this one?

 

[Odysseus]

Hey guys thanks for the early compliments. I am still adding a lot of features to the site, but wanted to go ahead and open the doors to start getting some member feedback/participation as I keep working on the site.

Hey DM, well the reason I started thinking about a new message forum for VaS is based on the idea that the game is already growing pretty quickly, and I feel that in time it will be important to have an entire site dedicated to the game. It was a no brainer to let you all know about VictoryCommand.com since we have the VaS game brains right here on the MP forums already

Eventually I'd like to get a few of the members on staff to help out with events such as contests, organized game meets, and special projects that we can do to help promote Victory at Sea. I'll try to be working with Mongoose Publishing as much as possible in helping to push the game wherever I can.

Its great to already see some of the Salty Seadogs on victorycommand already!

 

[DM]

I know but it reminds me a bit of proliferating Yahoo groups (there are so many on naval wargaming now with the same discussions spreading across 2 or more groups, people getting confused as to which group they have posted to, who has read what etc.) Perhaps one approach may be to suggest to MGP that alternate forums such as this become the new "official" forums and that the MGP "single folder" forums for a game are closed. That would cut down on duplicated discussion and potential confusion. I'm not saying the forum is a bad idea - far from it, I think splitting out VAS into distinct areas for discussion has merit if managed well. I guess its a plea for some "configuration control" for those of us who only have limited spare time available and can only keep tabs on a limited number of forums and other online sources.

 

[Odysseus]

That's a good point DM. I'll get back in touch with someone at Mongoose to talk about that and see what they are interested in doing. Hopefully in time, as the game matures, we'll find that there's more than enough reason to justify having both or even more sites dedicated to it!

By the way, I wanted to mention that I am finished with a few of the faction ranks I am setting up. Once registered, you can now join the U.S. Navy or Royal Navy factions on victorycommand.com and start gaining rank within that faction. I'll be working on Kriegsmarine and Japanese navies here shortly as well, and am open to any additional naval factions you guys want to see.

 

[Paladin]

Looks good, but do we need another VAS forum in addition to this one?

Most definitely.

I’ve been working with Ody on the new site so I’m a bit biased. However, I think a new fansite is an excellent resources for a number of reasons:
-Yahoo groups are inefficient and the presentation of info is often severely lacking. Many are closed groups requiring the approval of an admin and delay access to info.
-It helps promote the game. More players = better game
-It can often provide greater depth of content than the main game site.
-Members are typically freer to discuss ideas and content without detracting from the core game discussions
-Better organization of materials. A single forum section on Mongoose’s boards generically lumps all content into one location and makes it difficult to find.
-Tools such as member galleries and specialized photo collections are not available on Mongoose.
-Provides fresh content outside the box of Mongoose’s materials. Custom units or house rules can be freely developed and posted for the community.
-Greater focus on a single game system increases the game’s presence/ranking on search engines making it more likely to appear at the top and provide relevant keyword searches.
-The player locator on MP is a wee bit lacking. A solid tool/resource is definitely needed.
-This particular site is planning to host contests that are not currently available at Mongoose.


I reference the success of EvoCommand.com in relation to the BF:Evo game system for my arguments.

 

[Twin-Linked Aldades]

And... registered.

I don`t have a personal opinion about `needed` or not, I just don`t want to miss out should anything intresting develops on either forum

And a forum is imho more `handy` then a Yahoo list... not to mention the recent new spam wave on the yahoo lists...

 

[DM]

hang on, I wasn't advocating a Yahoo list, I was just using them as an example and questioning the wisdom of two forums that seem to duplicate each other.

 

[Twin-Linked Aldades]

Oh, no worries DM, wasn`t wanting to say you did, i just stated that why i personally do join fora but almost never Yahoo lists...

 

[juggler69uk]

.............Perhaps one approach may be to suggest to MGP that alternate forums such as this become the new "official" forums and that the MGP "single folder" forums for a game are closed......

Not so sure on this one as the whatif scenario is what happens if Ody suddenly has a problem and his site shuts (not that it would) then the info is lost.

Far better for MGP to maintain what they have or, if they cut this forum then they should at least copy anything quoted from the new one.

Plus we know here anything thats official is said by certain people (eg matt) there may not be that certainty in a non MGP forum, esp if Matt and co dont have time to go there often

 

[Captain_Nemo]

I just signed up, Nice Forum.

 

[Odysseus]

Thanks! I just got the image gallery up and running so feel free to start posting your pictures.