I have to say, I was a little surprised upon one of my many returns to find Drule calling the shots here. However, as others have commented, he's actually DOING something rather than just letting the community die and sitting back as KING SHIT. I mean that's what I would have done, for sure. Or sent people threatening PMs if they commented about how they were going to leave the site.

I don't think my opinion carries a huge amount of weight around here nowadays (NOT LIKE THE GOOD OLD DAYS EH BOYS?!?!) but I'd just like to state that I'm fully behind the changes that Drule is making. People fear change, but from what I've seen GW hasn't really progressed or advanced at all since I left. Don't get me wrong, I'm not creating a parallel by any means (in actual fact my contribution to the site was mostly threatening people into creating content and personally creating boring administrative features like STAFF HIERARCHIES and SENIOR POSITIONS - pointless busywork to make myself feel important!!!), but this is just how I see it. There has been a lot of great stuff created, but I haven't seen a huge improvement either way with whatever admin team has taken over. I think this is probably because people wanted to just RECREATE GW GOLDEN AGE rather than change and adapt things to suit the new times we live in. People who're commenting negatively about this without offering any advice or how they would do things differently are pretty much douchebags.

By the way - a comment on changing the name: Many years ago, Bart created GW after leaving RPGMaker.net. RPGMaker.net was a site with a huge name - many conflicts happened over rights to the name, such was its importance seen. GW eventually acquired the name and didn't do shit with it - neither did many others. It's now finally a functioning (and quite decent) site I believe. The rambling point I'm trying to get across is that a name is just a name. If Drule is actually creating something that improves the community, see it as just that - not "piggybacking", but improving and advancing. Don't call it astrojone though - that name confuses and excites me, in a fairly erotic way.

So yeah, like I say, I'm sure I don't have the huge weight of popular opinion or ancestral respect on my side any more, but I still thought I'd add my two cents. Keep going Drule - FEEL THE BURN!!!

PS: Build it and they will come. By "they" I mean "me", and by "come" ... I'll let you make up your own mind about any perverted euphemism that I could be implying there!!!

Its pretty Rad to know Faust is for the change!

Not when the name doesn't exactly suit needs anymore, and Because it's to be a Different forum from GW(w/ New staff and connections from other sources than GW, Along with some From here; Drule, Ase, Countless other Followers, and Troll-lings!) , with a lot of GW's Community and Characteristics and some new things to attract more modern day user interest.  GW will live onwards until Bart pulls the plug (which is hopefully after the new site and not latter.)  So if you don't like the new place, don't stick around and see how long the last thread holding GW up snaps and it plummets like many a (rpg)Gaming Site before.

A new site and name also leaves room for more freedom, less "this isnt like old GW" whine, more Life like it used to be, but a little different.
Also leads to more traffic as a new site with flowing content draws more traffic than a reworked a thousand times site, which is its own thing in itself. This can and will attract new users to boost the community.




DARE to be DIFFERENT!

I still don't really see what the problem is here. If you could maybe be more specific about what is wrong with creating this new website.

That was a quote from Drule, responding to feedback. So I guess the idea that he isn't responding is false!!

There's a lot of emotive language being used on this thread. In my younger day, when (for example) Rowain took over the site, I was full of "OH NO IT WILL NOT BE THE SAME", and as far as I'm concerned GW post-2004 wasn't the same as the GW that I knew and loved. That's not blaming Rowain at all - don't misinterpret. It was simply a change, and the community changed also. Not BECAUSE of it, it just happened. Things changed and shit.

So yeah, a future built on what GW is now? Isn't that paradoxical, considering the current idea that the place is just a forum? How about a future built on the best of ideas from GW - which, as far as I can see, Drule is including.

Man, I know I'm rambling, but if I would have voiced this shit back in 2004 a lot of people would have called me a douchebag. How about just making suggestions or some shit. It makes more sense than harking back a few years to a time that not all of us think was HOT SHIT.

So yeah, a future built on what GW is now? Isn't that paradoxical, considering the current idea that the place is just a forum? How about a future built on the best of ideas from GW - which, as far as I can see, Drule is including.

YES!
What the new site is going to be is a Melting pot consisting some of the great(est) things from all GW eras and put them together with some new ways of thinking and a new crew(alongside our own "current" crew) for a much more widened perspective, and other great ideas and angles to help attract more new people to our current community and family.

But alongside this discussion of What is and isn't GW, and what should and should happen to whichever site. Drule has voiced asking for our suggestions for ideas for the site/forum/community (apps, themes?, features, community events, miscellaneous ideas to attract members or make members stay longer, post more and be more involved in community). So what are your Ideas Guys? Lets get this Site fleshed up great from launch!