The "State of the Underground" Address

Guess I'll start with saying Hello to everyone.

So I randomly decided to check up on the forum and read some of the more important topics, and came to this one. I noticed the discussion going on, and despite the fact that I never was much of a forum poster (always preferred to just play Brawl) decided I might as well.

The main reason I stopped coming to this site was basically because I got bored and forgot about it. It became harder and harder to get Brawls with others, and it got to the point where I stopped coming to the site to see if anyone wanted to play.

I was never a huge forum person I always preferred the chat box and just playing Brawl, and without Brawling, I basically had nothing to do here. This is the main problem with getting new people to join and stay. No one who joins and checks out the site is going to start off making lots of forum posts. (There are some people who will, but check the active members compared to the amount of accounts and it's obvious that most won't) Basically you have to keep someone entertained long enough that they start to actually see the site as a community and care enough to become a member of it.

This can't be done with tournaments and such, as that only targets the current active members of the site. What the site needs, as Guru stated in his first post, is competition. You need money to make money, you need a few people very active in Brawl to get more people who are very active in Brawl. The site does have active people, but not people who are active enough at playing the game the site is based around. This was the case back in September when I left, and from these topics and posts, it seems to be the case now.

Basically the main thing I'm trying to say is, when people come to a SSBB site, they come to play SSBB, and it's difficult if there are no people who are playing SSBB on that site. : P

Gaming Sites grow in this Order. More Active Gamers -> More Active Forumers

Sites such as AiB have popular forums, not because everyone decided to create a forum and then play SSBB, but because people came to it to play SSBB, and decided to join the forums.

Honestly if you wanted the site to grow, you need to focus completely on the chat box aspect of it, because it's the simplest way for people to arrange games and such.

Some people may completely disagree, but I'll just point to pretty much every clan forum for any game out there. People meet up on servers, such as Battlenet, or a server in a FPS like Counter Strike or something. Eventually groups form in these games, due to the constant playing and ease of chatting with each other. Then after a while, someone will realize that they have a lot of people, and only then a forum is made for the clan. As the in-game clan grows, the out-of-game forum grows. The major problem with SSBB is the complete lack of a meeting ground for it. To make up for this, you basically need a chat box, and you need people constantly playing games while in it.

It's one thing to get online and see a forum where posts are being made, and it's a COMPLETELY different thing to join a chat and see people messaging each other right in front of you. It makes a world of difference for keeping people's attention.


All in all what I'm trying to say is, First you need a group of active people who are very, very visible to newcomers the second they check out the website (maybe even by making the chat box on the main page or something) A newcomer should be able to play a game with someone, and basically not be bored upon reaching the site. Eventually you'll get more and more people active in the chat, and as more are active more will come, and even more will begin to participate in the forums. That's the way 95% (random high number) of gaming forums have developed, granted the chat boxes were in game instead of on the site itself, but once against that's the SSBB flaw.

Edit : Also, seriously what's up with all the drama? If everyone is going to let drama take hold over the site then it IS dead, everyone just needs to relax. Any drama between people can be handled in PMs, criticizing people and basically all this stupid stuff only leads to more of it. In my opinion anyone who brings stuff like that AND anyone who responds to it should be warned / punished via temp ban or something. That's why there are PMs, so stupid drama doesn't have to effect the site as a whole.

Well 1st off nice to see u again Robo havent seen since LmS

2nd hes kinda right...i mean usually i post saying if ne 1 wud like to play & so on and half the times no 1 bothers to look or even reply back so if i was a new member i wud be pissed and forget the forum( just saying)

Glad to see RoboFerret!

......The whole deal is getting out of control!

I mean seriously, if you get stressed over the internet? Then, something is truly wrong. Robo himself, stated why he left. Let's work on that.

And saying we are gonna fail just because one person quit? Get some common sense, he is still here but being an admin is ALOT of work. It truly is especially, when I think back to RTB.

Look if y'all really don't wanna be in a clan here, then how about we shut down the forum and go join F5? Or would you rather be in F5? I mean it seems that F5 is "beast" (**** annoying term) so we should all just go there an try-out....Right?

Rei, I didn't say anything mean or rude but, I do have a problem with "your friend" spying on us.

But, seriously this is the last straw!

We need to stop arguing. We need to stop being the individuals!!!

UNITE!!!

Guru said that if the thread was a failure he would give up on the site. lets work together to bring hope. We are too good for this, seriously!!!

This is the last stand....

You choose the path we walk down.....

Wait. Rei isnt really leaving is he? like, not really? because If any one here can not see that Rei is the person who holds this site together than they must be blind.

I dont think that I ever heard(read) Rei say(type) anything mean or derrogatory to anyone on this site, and I think that is what is most important to a forum, a friendly atmosphere. When we get members, and then within a few days they leave it is because of the members, not because they suddenly lost an interest in brawl within two days.

I have a lot of fun on this site, got a lot better at brawling, and met some cool people. So, for the sake of the site I have to ask Rei not to step down from moderator as that would inevitably lead to the end of Smash Underground. I never was great friends with Rei, but he would at least not ignore me when i asked questions or made comments.

Sooooo, yeah in conclusion basically im asking if Rei is actually stepping down (which I dont believe he is) and if he is im begging him not to.



btw kingdom a tad to dramatic for my taste, but I agree.

Agreed with Kingdom. If any of you have a grudge with him, I think its time to... Get, Over, It. Now is not the time to be holding grudges against people, now is not the time to give up on our precious site, now is not the time to say DIE. Now is the time to work together, now is the time to unite as one and prevent the collapse of the Underground.

Rei, quitting adminship has indeed went towards the Underground's fate. I'm sure you have seen my phrase, "Never give up, Never say die". That you need to apply to yourself, Don't give up on the site, help us keep what you have worked so hard towards. Never give up, Never say die.

As for everyone else, you have a choice. Make the right one.

Never give up, Never say die.

GuruKid wrote:Now, I'm not one to start "drama", but I'd just like to say a couple things.

I started off the thread with this statement for a reason... it was my insinuation for everyone NOT to cause petty drama. Don't point fingers and bad-mouthing each other with nonsense; we're not in Kindergarten. Make love, not war.

First off... sup Robo!!! Long time no see!

RoboFerret wrote:The main reason I stopped coming to this site was basically because I got bored and forgot about it. It became harder and harder to get Brawls with others, and it got to the point where I stopped coming to the site to see if anyone wanted to play.

This. This. This... THIS is the reason why the site's failing. Collectively, we are simply not doing the activity this forum is based on.

Remember Naks, the Zelda player? I was the one that referred him to the site, after meeting him in a tournament. I told him it was a "cool place to play brawl; you'll meet some really good players there". After about a month or so of being on this site, he tells me he quit the site. A good time later, while we're hanging out, he tells me why he quit the site, after my asking him.

"Underground wasn't active. It wasn't fun."

He went on to explain further, and I couldn't defend my site from what he said; he was telling the truth. I understood what he meant, and even more, from then on, I stopped advertising my site at in-person tournaments... simply because I felt the site went so askew in direction that I felt ashamed to promote a site which does not accomote competitive, focused, tournament-level players.

Ryko, Kai, HolySapphire, Spazn, Killa... five driven, focused, tournament-minded players I encouraged into this site... have all come and gone, likely because the site served no use for them.

The site has to make a competitive turn, if it is to survive. It can surely cater to casual play, but competition must be the priority. Becoming a clan/crew is the site's best option; with a strong core memberbase (even if it's only 5 or 6 people), if that core is skillful and (more importantly) driven enough to compete with other clans out there; only positive results can come about.

Clans/crews provide the following;

- free advertising and promotion (by warring other clans and posting in public clan sites, you're making yourself known out there)
- activity (your own members + rival crew members coming into the chat to analyze the competition... + potential members who are interesting in scouting and trying out for your clan)

Sites thrive on these two bonuses. Promotion and activity are the underlying supports for ANY site.

Yeah, enough of the petty arguements and baby games. Lets get back tou our roots which is brawl. This board really shouldnt be as multi-faceted as it is. WE should have one goal, getting better at brawl, and competing with the best. That sounds great to me.

Err... Kingdom, my friend wasn't spying on you. He said he was browsing NWA and was looking for a clan and saw yours. He looked at the chat box and saw the funny nonsense going on inside lol. No big deal. It's not my problem anymore. Also, if you want to tryout for F5 then you should. Nothing wrong with having a clan, right?

Yeah, SmAsH, sorry but I'm done. Btw SmAsH, I'm thinking of picking up Sonic, we should play sometime .

Sorry Jag, I have tried too hard and have given a lot into this site have gotten nothing in return (wasn't expecting too).

Non of this is my problem anymore. This is the forums problem. I'm sick of this lame internet drama. Even my friends saw what was going on and left because they didn't want to be caught up in this "petty kids" argument.

Guru, can you make me a normal member, please. Thank you.

Oh, well thats to bad. But, you know I am realizing how stupid some of the stuff is on here anyway, and I dont really blame you. Thanks for getting the caps right in my name tho.

No problem xD.

Well, sorry, Rei. I apologize then. If you felt hurt by that, I am really sorry. I hope we can just forget all of this. And I hope that one day you come back and start leading the site once again, but it is all your choice.

Never judge peoples skills. I beat Taz in a match the other day. Don't pick people until you know every aspect of how they play...Skill doesn't prove everything either...There is luck, and many other things.

Iceburns wrote:Well, sorry, Rei. I apologize then. If you felt hurt by that, I am really sorry. I hope we can just forget all of this. And I hope that one day you come back and start leading the site once again, but it is all your choice.

uhh... sure. No lol, I wouldn't lead this site again even if someone offered me all the money in the world.

I'd might as well be a nanny if I'm going to run this site. (Anyone who knows what I mean gets a kewkie).

*sigh* well i tried...to be reasonable...BUT if this keeps up im not what to do...couldnt sum1 jus lock this topic and get over it and on with our lives? i dunt think i wanna waste my life debating over whats right or wrong...I came here to have FUN, meet new brawlers, and jus chill out. Now look where we are 2day... were're sitting here arguing when we could jus forget this happened and go back too being the FUN clan i joined a year ago? so comeon guys Truce???

Ok, I am the biggest hypocrite in the world period the end(.) Get over it.

It doesn't matter how good our clan is right now!

We still need to play so until we play and either win/lose against a clan we don't know where we stand.

All the drama....useless not to be rude, but it seems as though Rei (can't really blame), Iceburns, and Zeph are trying to make things like a soap opera here.

Does anybody even listen when i say......

What's the worst that could possibly happen from being a clan?

We play other people, maybe make some friends, learn a thing or two, and most IMPORTANTLY, ABOVE all else, we have FUN!

That sounds like a bad idea?

Well, I'm willing to lead a clan if noone else is gonna step up to the plate. It doesn't matter.....

This isn't gonna be a hit or miss. No matter how it goes we WILL still have fun!!

lolk.

.....

Guru didn't quit he took a break. He is still someone with high authority. Rei, calm down. You are taking things way too serious!

Take a break, don't quit!

I beg you....

lolk. no.

Someone just close this thread, I don't think we need more begging, more fights, more humiliations, or more lolk's (even though they are kind of funny). So, can we just close this thread...





Lolk::

Well I think we got our admin back. Nice! Now stop crying, and lets move onward my fellow companions.