Gamers Palace

**Gaz** · by **Gaz** on Sun Apr 19, 2009 9:28 am

Forum Link #1 : http://gamerspalace.prophpbb.com/

Forum Link #2 : (optional) None

Forum Link #3 : None

Extra Comments: Thanks!

**Dreamly** · by **Dreamly** on Sun Apr 19, 2009 9:32 am

atleast provide a link to forum so we can review

**Gaz** · by **Gaz** on Sun Apr 19, 2009 9:34 am

I edited my post. Sorry.

**Mayday!** · by **Mayday!** on Sun Apr 19, 2009 9:47 am

It's okay. A reviewer (or X) will tag this soon.

**Mayday!** · by **Mayday!** on Mon Apr 20, 2009 12:14 am

Forum Index Layout

Index & Portal Appearance (Score: 8/10): You have a very nice index from what I am viewing at the moment. There are a few general issues however. Your banner and theme are a problem (read further to be acknowledged into more specific, informational terms.) You have your index set up in a great way with the theme fitting it very well- as well as the categories and forums. There's no real need to go into depth for this as there's nothing really wrong here.
Categories & Forums (Score: 6/10): As I'm overviewing your categories and forums, I see that you have most forums based on gaming objectives. That's what every reviewer and gamer is looking for in a gaming forum. However, the problem is that you have too many forums open in the index. The PC, xBox, PS, and Wii sections are capable of being in one category. You could have a category called 'The Consoled Section' (or whatever you want to call it) and have PC, xBox, PS, and Wii as the forums attached to that category. Then, you can have all of the attachments to those sections set as sub-forums. It is a pretty simple procedure and it will reduce such space in your forum's index.
This is not recommended, but it should be found in all gaming forums: I suggest that you should make a section for 'Flash Gaming' (just like how I explained the 'Consoled Gaming'.) Again, it is not recommended, but I would have that in my gaming forum if I could.

Layout total: 14/20

Forum Style

Template Layout & Color Scheme (Score: 7/10): There are many gaming forums out there with dark themes like yours; this expresses that there is no originality in your theme. I would go for a more 'whiter' theme, but your current theme is a very nice theme- it's your call if you want to change your theme or not. Overall, the theme itself is very self-explanatory and fits well into a gaming forum, so I won't deduct many points from this section.
Banner & Icons (Score: 5/10): My first impression when I viewed your index was that the banner was pretty nice, but when I focused more on it, it was highly pixelated and saved in .jpg format. That is a 'no-no' when having banners on your forum. You have a nice banner, and it doesn't need to be changed into a different one, but it is highly advised that you save it in .png format and then set it as your current banner. With it in it's current state, as of now, it makes your forum index very unprofessional and non-appealing. I advise that you get that fixed as soon as possible.
Your forum / topic icons are default on the theme (from what I can understand), however they are very nice and fit well into the general theme itself. Nothing wrong with the icons.

Style total: 12/20

Forum Moderation

Staff Population (Score: 2/10): You have only 1 Administrator and 1 Global Moderator. This is a very poor condition. Your forum might not have much to moderate such as spamming members, incorrect threads, posts that are against the forum rules, etc, but having only 2 staff members is definitely not accepted. If I were you, I would have at least 1 or 2 Administrators (including yourself) and 2 or 3 Global Moderators (including TRAV29) temporarily until you get more members.
Staff Activity & Moderation (Score: 3/10): Well, you are pretty active in your forum in both posting and moderation, however the other staff member does not fully take his half of the responsibility and management. Try to get him more active and posting a little more. You need moderation in your forums, or your forums will be havoc.
Staff Groups (Score: 2/10): You only have two staff groups: Administration and Global Moderation. Yeah, it is a very great use to have a little amount of staff groups, but for a big gaming forum like yours, I would recommend having more groups like 'Expert Gamer', 'Game Creator', or etc.
It's not recommended, but it is a high suggestion that should at least be attempted.

Moderation total: 7/30

Forum Activity

Member Population (Score: 8/10): You have around 70 members, and that is a pretty good thing. You probally advertise on daily bases and 'try' unlike most gaming forums. That's a veyr good thing, so keep up in getting more members (and be sure to have them become active from the firs day they register on your forum.)
Post/Member Ratio (Score: 2/10): You have around 70 members and over 700 posts, which is about 10 posts for each member. This is a very important thing, and with your statistics being so, your forum may have no potiential. You need to get your members to become more active and start posting a little more, or else- your forum will 'die' from lack of activity. 10 posts by each member is not a very great thing.
Member Activity (Score: 4/10): Your members aren't that active, only a few are. Not many of members have many posts or even post at all; they also don't visit the forum regularly. I recommend you persuade your members to become a little bit more active and start becomming a part of the forum.

Activity total: 14/30

Overall Mark: 47/100

What could be done to improve your forum:

It is recommended that you save your banner as .png format.
You also need to reduce your forums by organizing them.
More staff groups would be a great suggestion.
Try to recieve more members and make sure they are active; also make sure you mantain your current members and persuade them to become more active.

The best thing I like about your forum: I like how you having many forums to discuss in. You are not only capable of discussing only games in general, but general things itself.
I also like how you try to keep your forum looking appealing and professional, and that itself is it's own reward. Great work.