Ever since Bungie.net began to change people have been calling for re-implementation of past features, or changes of new features. "We want ___________." While this is a good thing, I strongly believe that the Community's interest in tailoring this site to how they feel it'd work best is great, but it doesn't quite capture any tangible thoughts. How do these ideas play out, what do they look like, and how do they benefit the greater picture? This is what I want to try and lay out, and I'd like to thank everyone in AP, specifically Prometheus, burrito, Burninator, and DE4TH, for providing a lot of structure to ideas I've only had floating around in my head. And if by chance anyone has any artistic prowess, I'd love to have someone provide mock-ups of how these ideas could look. One last thing, I'm going to refer a lot to B.old throughout this post, and I can never stress enough that I don't want the old forums back. I make these references and suggestions in the hopes of creating a new website that melds the things that were good then with the things that are good now. [b]1. The Forums[/b] The newest iteration of Bungie.net has a lot of neat forum features that work well together, but I do believe there are certain features that could be re-envisioned and better implemented. [u]Nested Replies[/u] - These need to go. The downside to nested replies are that instead of having a linear thread where all of the replies are in order, you have a tree where every post can have several branches leading off of it. This ultimately interrupts the flow of conversation, and ultimately all you end up having is a single conversation between two individuals. To solve this solution I suggest returning to an older format similar to what B.old had. Each forum post would have the "reply" option underneath, and if you were to click on it your post would be prefixed with @UserYoureReplyingTo. This prefix would be hyper linked to the initial post so users scrolling through a thread would be able to follow conversations back to their root if they were so inclined. Replying directly to the OP would omit this prefix and would functional as a "post" as opposed to a "reply." In addition a "multi-reply" feature would be useful, where individuals can select multiple individuals to reply to in succession. These features would allow all of the posts to be viewable in a linear fashion so individuals would not need to dig through a mass of sub-replies, and it would allow an individual to create one post to reply to multiple individuals, as opposed to having to create multiple replies to multiple users. [u]Up-Voting/Thread Structure[/u] - The up-voting is a wonderful feature that I think should never be done away with, but it could use a little bit of tweaking. As it stands threads are organized by whichever post has the most recent replies which is a good way of showing which posts are the ones the conversation is centered around, but much like with nested replies, it obscures the flow of the conversation, similar to starting a new movie half way through. Admittedly this feature would not work on smaller devices, I use a TV for my computer screen and as such have a ridiculous amount of real-estate space, but with creative implementation it would work. I suggest that posts again be ordered from oldest to newest, just as with B.old. This would allow users that are new to the conversation to follow the posts chronologically, and not miss out on points that have either been discussed, or information that it necessary to reply to. In addition, similar to how the "Followed Tags" bar appears on the left side of the screen on the desktop version, there could be a "Highest Voted" and "Most replied to" news feed on the right side of the screen, allowing users to see which posts are most popular within the thread, and to navigate to them directly if they desire. If nothing else, adding filters to individuals threads that would allow you to sort by post age, popularity, and no. of replies would accomplish this to the same extent, and would most likely function better for the companion app. This feature would only work if Nested Replies were removed, otherwise the continuity of posts would still be interrupted, even if you could view them from the very beginning. I also do not believe a "newest post" filter would be necessary, as it is not difficult to navigate to the end of a thread. That said, it wouldn't hurt either. [u]Tagging[/u] - Tagging, I believe, is one of the best features that the new iteration of Bnet brought. It allows users to organize their threads making it easier for others to in turn to locate threads of interest. My only complaint is with the #Destiny, #Community, etc., tags. Yes, they do function the same way as individual forums, but this suggestion is a little less about function and more on feeling. As the system stands forums don't feel like forums, but more like a giant room with angry roommates that divided the room up from one another with tape. There are clear divisions, but they don't feel particularly individual. One of the things I enjoyed most about B.old was the individual communities that each forum had. Users had a preferred habitat and they had a strong identity with it. Yes, the Flood hated the Community forum, and the Community forum wanted nothing more then for Achronos to nuke the Flood, but in a way it was kind of charming, like a sibling rivalry. I'm not entirely sure how something like this could be put into place, but clearer divisions between forums, I think, would help strengthen the Community and the culture that these forums have for so long supported. [b]2. Member Titles[/b] Technically these belong under the forums section, but I believe that they are important enough to warrant their own. Member titles served several different function on B.old. Yes, they were hats users sometimes wore a little bit too proudly, but they were also more. They were rewards for being a user that met the qualities that the Community favored, and they were a sign of recognition that let the more experienced users stand out from the masses. Every users post should be held to equal esteem, but there are plenty of long time users on Bnet that have good information to share, but are unable to do so because they don't have "Mentor" or "Moderator" next to their name. Account age isn't something that is prominently displayed, and as such it means very little. Bringing back titles would be a boon for so much more then just the egos of a few. They would help the Community. The idea that I'm most fond of for titles is again, and improved system of what B.old had. As a nod to older users I'd love to see the old "Heroic," "Legendary," and "Mythic" make a comeback. For the base titles I feel that account age would be a good requirement for the titles. A way to encourage users to invest into a single account for the long term. Then, in addition to the base titles there would be prefixes and suffixes. Prefixes would be similar if not identical to the old prefixes. Granted to users for various factors, such as length of time without being banned, activity, etc.. Suffixes however, would be tied directly to Destiny, and would come from the various factions in the game(similar to what Prometheus has in mind), but instead of being based off of Bnet activity and accomplishments, they would be tied to Destiny and perhaps grimoire progress. For example, unlocking the grimoire for a Fallen Captain would earn you the suffix of "Captain," or perhaps "Gate Lord." Additionally, prefixes and suffixes would be customize able, and users would be able to select which ones they would like their profiles to display. One day a user could be an "Intrepid Heroic Gate Lord", and the next, a "Honorable Heroic Captain". Ok, so Honorable Heroic Captain doesn't necessarily work, because the Fallen are none of those things, but surely a system like this would not only be popular, but would be functional too. Allowing users to not only become legend in game, but on the forums as well. [url=http://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/95521952/0/0/1]Continues...[/url]