So I am going to copy and paste here.  Everything below is written by a person who knows how to actually implement this stuff (hint hint...it's gloves), I'm just getting the ball rolling.  

First, a disclaimer: This is purely 100% hypothetical. I wanted to see if it'd be viable in the eyes of the community and so I bring it here to you, the community, to provide feedback and insights. There are no plans to implement this (at this time) and for all I know everyone will hate it and we'll never speak of it again.

The idea: Start completely fresh, but keep vibe and most importantly - the community.

The why: NintendoAge is old, man. Now granted, old shit is why we're all here - we've got nostalgia boners for NES games, maybe it's the same for the forum. 

The how: My proposal would be to literally toss up a new forum. Start small, have it be literally a new forum on a new server that we can manage and update as we see fit.

The longer version: 
As I say, NA is getting on in years. In fact if rumors are true, it was built originally in around 2001 or so.  The site is on super old servers that basically nobody knows how to manage, nor wants to touch. When approached with the idea of updating the site to have SSL (HTTPS) Dain sold it and his entire collection to get as far away as possible (this is not true, purely for dramatic effect). The fact is that updating NA as it exists now is basically a lipstick on a pig situation. 

Now what would this mean for you, the user? In my proposed solution we're literally starting from scratch. The following applies:

1. Users would have to create new accounts on the new forum software
2. We'd not have transactions/feedback to start
   1. This could be re-implemented in the new software, but we'd do a phased approach where step 1 is to get everyone moved over to the new forum and get the conversation going
   2. Transactions/feedback would likely be priority #1 for a phase 2 approach, considering all the sales and trades that go on here
      1. We'd likely implement some temporary solution in the meantime, perhaps a feedback thread or something
3. We would have a game database
4. Other features that were custom built by Dain would (at least temporarily) not exist on the new site
   1. e.g. AVS Scoreboard

What are the benefits, really? 

Well first off, SSL - as I've pointed out this is actually important, even if you're not exactly getting literally stabbed in the street kind of immediately important, if someone decided to hack NA I doubt they'd have much trouble. I don't know why the site suddenly goes down sometimes but there IS a chance that someone is DDOSing the server. Further, with SSL your privacy is tops - you won't be sending unencrypted information over the web anymore; your data will be safe.

Further, we can FAR more easily make updates to the site itself; especially with the incredibly old server making any updates to the site is an honestly terrifying thought - anything you do could suddenly POOF bring the site down; furthermore the forum and server software being so old, good luck finding any reliable documentation online should you run into an issue - odds are it'll take a day or two to track down any issues and resolve them and bring the site back up.

The site will be faster. Granted, it's preeeetty quick considering the old software, but improvements can certainly be made.

More features out of the gate. Forum software has come a loooooooooong way since... 2010 or whenever it was last updated. It's far easier to implement cool new stuff and the stuff that's currently broken on NA or acts weird are resolved out of the gate on new software (Twitch embeds, quoting people with Youtube embeds, etc.). 

Responsive design from the ground up. NA is pretty responsive as-is, it looks pretty good on mobile considering it's age. But anyone who visits any other forums on their phone knows it can be soooo much better, and this is all once again out-of-the-gate done and ready for us if we just upgrade.

What is important to YOU?

NA is nothing without the community, so I want to know if this idea sites well with you. If we did this, what would be a deal-breaker for you, or what would STOP you from joining the new forum? Are there features on NA right now that you can't live without? Is it your post count? Or perhaps the posts themselves (which I'd more than encourage you to port over to the new site)? What would be the priorities we'd need to put in place to sell the idea to you?


That's it for now. That's my spiel, at least what I can think of and have considered thus far. Maybe I'm forgetting stuff - let me know if so. 

What are your thoughts? Would you make a new account and carry on the legacy in our community? What kind of features would you want to see in such a thing? And of the existing features exclusive to NA which would you want to see ported over, and in what order? Let me know what you think!

end copy and paste

FAQ:
Isn't it a dick move to post this thread?  -  Probably
Won't this thread just get deleted and you get banned?  - I don't know, maybe?
Can we call a new site NA?  - Ideally that would be best.  We asked if we could do that on our own, for free. Build the new site and call it NA.  We were told no.  We inquired about buying the site, we were ignored.  Ignoring isn't a "no", so that's progress I suppose, anything is possible there.    
Why bother? Get on social media grandpa. No thanks.  We like it here, it's just EXTREAMLY frustrating that our hands are tied when it comes to doing literally any sort of improvements. 

Most important features:

Not to be negative, but is this really worth the effort and cost? The active community here is fairly small and not super active at this point. Can creating and maintaining a site be justified?

I stopped posting on forums back in 2011. I recently started posting here because of the fact that it is quite helpful and people are generally decent while being willing to help out others in the community. I appreciate being somewhere where people aren't trying to be jackasses or bust each other's balls all the time.

It seems like as this hobby continues to change more toward comics, Cards, etc, prices continue to go up and people genuinely interested in gaming either move on or fade away from forums.

This is just my observation. Personally, I'd much rather it be back in the early 2000s when most collectors wanted to scoop up old games to play since stores and people were dumping them.

attach poll?? Also, I have sent you my pm's so u know my stance.

I would support this and would love to help make it a reality. I think you touched on a few reasons as to why this is worth it too. The community here is a major part of this site. I know I don't post often but I am on here everyday reading old threads for knowledge/insight or laughing my ass off at the "Eff thread" or reading about someone's list of Nintendo heroes that only makes sense to them. Some of these changes might bring old faces out of the shadows or get new people to join when they see a fancy new site as their first impression.

The fact that some of these games are so expensive still blows my mind since this hobby is one of the few if not the only where you can get the sought after item for free (albeit not always legitimately but dont lie to yourself) rendering the physical essentially worthless if your desire is to play the game. Can't do that with cards or comics unless you are ok with reading a photocopy of a specific issue. These are only worth what a small population is willing to pay for it.

Ideas could be implemented to make sure the rug isn't pulled out from under everyone again and could be owned and operated by the community that enjoys it. This could potentially "scare away" those who are only in it to profit off of emotions leaving a group of people who enjoy the history, the art work, the smell of a freshly opened game, and the chance to relive their younger days with people who feel the same way.

See what happens and where this goes from here, maybe no where but it's worth looking into.

A new website would be the death knell for this place. You might succeed in pulling some of the userbase to it, but you'd have even less people posting there than you do here. Activity would recede over time as all you'd be doing is creating a schism between the old and the new.

Enjoy what you have.

You do know that this site will be dead sooner than later right? There's no one doing any sort of upkeep on it, and the site itself is prehistoric as far as forums go. The new site is so that the members of NA have somewhere to go where the owners and admins will actually give a shit about the site and keep the community going.

How soon can I create an account for the new site?  

That's part of the deal. This site is not cheap or easy(or even possible) to update/upkeep. The new site would be built using current technology that is easy to update, much safer, and much cheaper to keep up.

I'll gladly join staff of said new site if you would like.

I use this place more for socializing than the database aspect of it, so I'll deflect to what the majority wants/needs.

I'd make the switch. I am not very active anymore but a change to a new forum might help. The unsecured site, recent sale, and general old style of the site keep me from surfing all that often. A refresh would definitely draw me in more.

Also a bit more active gamer gauntlet area since I don't collect much with these prices. That's a separate issue though.

Have you considered Patreon etc to help with the upkeep? I'm sure plenty of us would throw in a buck or two.

Hell yeah bud!

Ok, I'm in lol, but zeppelin, it wouldnt cost much to keep the new site going.

So we'd lose everything we have on here...yeah no?

I get that the site is old and crusty but I mean...it works. Let it be for now.

I'd be interested to see if someone has site stats, like how many people login...did it drop after Dain sold it and left? If so, wouldn't it drop even more if you make a new site and hope everyone here goes to the new site? Maybe I'm wrong and it stayed the same...but looking at posts on here, there's a lot less posts then there used to be. So I'd assume less people get on here these days.

Wow!

I'd jump over if a new site appeared. But we'd all have to check both sites for a while, especially on slow convo days.

Can we... "keep" all the game info we've gathered? As mentioned before in other threads, facts about historical releases etc. cannot be "owned" by anyone. Seems a little sleazy to copy all the game data over to another site when Jeff ostensibly bought the site for that info. Or maybe he'd be ok if everyone abandoned the forums and he could just use his neatly organized data how he wanted to.

Things the old site has that the new one wouldn't:
- Tons of old threads, some of which are pure gold
- Tons of old members, some of which have come back to say hi from time to time. It would be a shame if someone came back to find a dead forum, not knowing where to find everyone. They'd assume everyone had disbanded and then died. Unless we plaster "GO TO NA2.COM!" all over the site.
- Other history (transactions, badges that would be weird to copy over, loads of PM convos)
- Loads of pages that come up as the first search result on various topics
- Anyone who doesn't want to switch over

Would we all jump over and pretend nothing happened? Would we want to start fresh and pretend NA didn't exist? Would completion/contest thread history be erased or carried over? There are reasons to do both I guess.

Here is the thing. I have no inside information, but nothing I have seen brings me to the conclusion that NA will survive as is. How long it will last is anyone's guess, but in my opinion it's inevitable unless things change. It's just going to be a slow death by neglect. Do we want to build an alternative or not?

Im in. I think a new site could bring in even more new people if done correctly. A truly mobile friendly version would be a great start. Right now it's very difficult and annoying to add pictures in a post from your phone for example

I suppose to hard part would be to get a decent crowd from here, as someone mentioned prior its already a bit of a ghost town around here. On the slip side, a new place may make some people drop their previously formed notions of the community here.


I'd be on board for it, I've made many good friends here over the years and I'd follow suit. I'd be willing to help in whatever way I can, for what it's worth.

I didnt read all the comments so if this was mentioned I apologize. I would suggest that there was a system to mark a persons transaction history here for someone with a decent amount/alot of feedback. Just something simple like a little marker with the number of transactions with the overall percentage next too it. So say next to my username would be a (180 99.2% NA) or something similar. I havnt had a transaction since I went back to college really but when Im done and can buy again I want people to see I had a trusted reputation in the past.

As for the historical piece of the information all posted here I'd imagine that people probably have it backed up in some way where it could be shared in a manner that isn't just copy and paste.

Could I still hang out here for feedback ?

YES, alternative is the way to the future of this site. I am sure that people who are old members that would potentially come back are in contact with others here that may still be on here. That seems to be the way of this site, friendships were born here. Eventually this site will die, whether it is to old age or just the payment being stopped when someone realizes its not worth it anymore. This is just a way for the community to stick together when that all happens. Not everyone uses discord, so some old timers here will just not go there. Good luck on keeping info. Some may be able to be migrated, but technically someone owns the database and such now so i think the potential for legal hassle/hassle in general is there, even tho it would be pointless really imo. I think this is the way for the future of the community itself. I will visit NA until it is not up anymore just because I started collecting, but if the new site takes off, then I will be there more, and hopefully new and old alike will be.

If NA death is a given, then yes, alternative plz. How can I help? I'll start by complaining about NA, lol:

- Large signatures. Signatures are absolutely a pre-2010 thing that we'd do well to ditch. Or at least restrict to 1-2 lines or something.
- We joke about it, but some people actually care about post counts and join dates. Any reason to keep those?
- People can change their usernames whenever they want, and there's apparently some way to remove the "shades" icon. I've never understood either one.
- Of course, security and the larger issue of the site owner not really caring about it or us. Nice that he hasn't shut it down though.
- People get banned out of nowhere and we're not allowed to know why. Treat us like adults and let's discuss it.

Here's the thing- bannings aren't up for discussion unless they're scammers.    I can surely tell you from being NA staff for 7+ years that nobody gets "banned out of nowhere".  

If it seems that way, they're likely a returning banned user (which in all fairness, I guess transparency there wouldn't hurt).
 

One of the features I think would make this easy and more standardized would be allowing users to add links to various buy/sell/trade platforms. So like, your profile can have links to your NA account, your ebay, Amazon, whatever else. Instagram if you trade there maybe. Something to consider for sure, but I think generalizing is good cuz let's face it all our feedback is very scattered across different places, not just NA.

It's great that people value their NA feedback, but let's face it - it's not the only place we do deals. I have a few hundred ebay feedback that I think is also relevant.
 

Sure, I didn't mean they're getting banned for no reason. I should have said "seemingly out of nowhere" because to me, they're just... banned suddenly. Why can't we know why? And I guess I'm mostly talking about people who actually have a history with the site, not one-off users who joined yesterday with 2 posts. I guess I just answered my previous question about the utility of displaying post count and join date.