...so why not propose a merger of sorts so that this community can still stay together (what's left of it) and FEFF can get a nice activity boost from the people here?

Both boards are about FE and plenty of members go to/used to go to both boards.

I don't see anything but benefits in this. FESers can still stick together and have a place to discuss stuff and post sprites and do everything they can do here, except more people will be involved. FEFF will be saved from decay in the process.

I'm leaning towards an agreement with this idea of a merge but I want to find out what is FEFF before I say yes, I've never heard of it. Then again, I rarely go outside the Fire Emblem forums that I'm on.

Edit: Mm, never mind, I think I found it. It seems more dead than FES.

I don't really see any harm in this, I say yes, but I'm not one of the higher ups so, my opinion is next to moot.

Sure, why not. I have been wondering why the Fire Emblem community has been dying out recently, though. Anyone got a good answer to this?

People are moving on to bigger and better games, and Fire Emblem is a.) repetitive and b.) unoriginal and not creative.

But I love it. I dig a merge.

Hmm...interesting idea. This was proposed way back when FES was active, but declined then (We are talking about Fusion, the affiliate on the bottom, right?). I dunno; I'm not sure how that helps FES, other than just giving our members a place to go and solidifying FES' deadness.

I'm not sure I would support it. Sure, I don't want FES to be this dead place that it is, but I don't want to see it gone forever. I think merging would be a bit too drastic.

How would the merge work? Would FES members keep their posts and information? Or is FEFF moving here? It's not like we can actually fuse the two boards together.

The truth is, as dead as this place is, I still don't want to see it gone. Not under any circumstances.

I'm agreeing with Zephiel.

So you'd rather have both communities die than have everyone go to FEFF and work out a merger? That's probably what's going to happen.

FES isn't beyond saving and I doubt FEFF is either. The problem is no one wants to do anything. I think people took to this idea because it requires little work on either part. All we do is argue and that never got us anywhere (that vet thread).

This solution is too hasty. FES and FEFF aren't dead yet so there's still chance of revival.

@inui - I don't like the idea of a merge. But I do respect your concern for the sites future.

Aw, and here I was hoping Fire Emblem "Fusion" could use that name legitimately for the first time in its existence. *shot*
Anyway, don't mind me. I lurk this place to watch the spriting and stuff. As a staffer over at the other end I'd support a merge myself though I'd probably lose my position if it went through.
FEFF is seriously lacking in active spriters and artists well, lacking in overall activity now, but even in the past. FES would be able to plug that hole.
Obviously a merge poses a few obstacles, but the idea doesn't seem to be that well accepted here anyway so there's little point on me giving more reason against the idea. >>

Best of luck to both forums regardless, we're fighting an uphill battle trying to base our forums off of Fire Emblem these days..

Anyway, cool emoticons. :dv:

~ Kovu

The boost in the length of the sites lives (because they will die) is not worth changing FES, imo

I'm open to similar ideas with similar ends. I don't really ... care, actually

Everyone should go to FEP

ew, FEP

That's funny because I think FEFF is near death/almost beyond saving and this place is much worse off right now.

It's time for drastic measures.

Everyone from here can go to FEFF. FEFF is the larger and more established forum, so it'd be used and not FES. Sorry about that, but it makes the most sense. FES's upper staff and maybe Khriss can be added to FEFF's staff and FESers can be opened with open arms into FEFF's community. If everyone from FES banded together and moved to FEFF, it'd be very easy for all of you to feel confortable and still keep your community in tact.

Communities are made up of people. Where you are doesn't matter as long as you're still the same people. If 20 FESers showed up at FEFF, and 10 stayed active, FES's culture would naturally merge with FEFF's.

Edit: At FEFF I proposed that FES can choose two people to represent them in the staff lounge out of Dez384, Dark Overlord Zack, yoshi71089, Jem(Dark Valamor), Khriss, and Denning. We may be open to others(like Merc and Jeigan), but those are the current upper staff members of FESS along with the two most prominent veterans. Obviously, some decent activity is required.

FEFF is currently working on getting a new RPG started, possibly starting some RPs, trying to revive FE debating, and other things. Now is an amazing time for everyone here to jump into those projects now while they're in the beginning stages. It'll be easy and you'll get to add your own ideas.

If we can't survive seperately, how can we survive together? Getting more members is the same process either way. Joining together is a desperate attempt at trying to gain activity when the inevitable truth is that both boards will probably die anyway. I personally would rather die in my own home than in someone elses.

I can't speak for everyone but I stay here because of my connections with this place and the community, not the FE or Spriting public considering I barely do either anymore. Sorry, but I can't leave FES for death. I won't.

Because more members in one place = a lot more activity. FEFF has like 30 consistently active members and this place has about 10. Combined, it's like 40, and we could match FEP in no time.

Yup, the merger is a desperate attempt to gain activity. Both boards are dying, but this place is suuuuper dead already. I barely ever see new posts. Toss away your sentimental stuff and realize that FES's community can survive if this merger happened.

As I said before, the community = the people, not the place.

If both forums are dying, I doubt joining them together would really solve the problem. If they feel the forums were worth their time, or they're like me, and simply don't have forum time hardly at all anymore, I don't see a community union really doing much. It may go over well, it may tank, whichever. I don't think it'll spell out an instantaneous solution, though, either. It could seem like a revolutionary idea in the first few weeks/months, and then it may spill out and become utter waste.

And I don't think it's Fire Emblem that's getting repetitive - as long as people are still buying the games, and apparently, if there are eleven games out with more undoubtedly on the way, there's still some subject matter to talk about, so that argument's thrown out of the window - but what we use to entertain ourselves with Fire Emblem, however, is. Debating - pretty difficult now with FE11 introducing reclassing and several characters not being usable, along with 5 modes of difficulty, making tier lists that much harder to produce seeing as everyone is garbage in H5 - and Spriting - only so many people really have a true knack for it, anyway; even fewer with time and creative abilities - have lost the mass appeal that they once had.

RPs? You also need time for them. FEFF's new RP just sounds like another waste, to me. It doesn't take much for RP's to die, yet it takes extraordinary efforts to keep them breathing.

Going to FEP just sounds both ridiculous and ingenious at the same time; probably because a union of FES and FEFF would yield the same result, just smaller. Also, when I'm thinking of one forum community/a unified one, I'm not thinking of outlying ones - we should just establish a solid community, not one that'll necessarily "match" with FEP.

...Not having time for this place just trucked my grammar, too.

Okay, let's say we have 40 people combined. Let's say that a year ago FES had 40 active members. Over a year we lost 30, now we have 10. How can we keep that from happening to the combined group as well? Get new members? Then how do we do that? There's nothing different from the way we would boost activity as a group and the way we would boost activity seperately. Survive for how long? A year? Then we would just go through this process again. Merging isn't going to solve anything.

And I refuse to throw away my sentimental stuff.

Maybe the people here value this place more than they value their current bonds with other members. Idk

It's sort of a shame a true merge isn't possible.
That is, combining the two forums-- keeping the posts/threads of both forums-- the members (those registered at both forums would merge) and stuff like that.
So long as the closest we're going to get is hey everyone pack up and move over there nobody's going to want to.
This place is these people's e-home. I wouldn't leave FEFF if the tables were turned and we were the less active forum-- as illogical as it might sound. Heck, it took me awhile to get used to the new FEFF when we had to move 'cause of the crack.

FEP. Great forum, it's more active than any other FE forum (does FESS still exist?) out there with its own active RPs, RPGs and a thriving member base. Good for it. It's not the place I feel sentimental about. I'd be more active at affiliates if I had the time, I don't.

I'm for a merge on the sheer principle of it inducing (at least short term) activity, but unless there's some way to make it a true merge, in which both forums will retain their identity I can't see it happening.

You should try running non-automated text based RPGs. Now those are fragile. Makes RPs look easy as cake.

~ Kovu

The combined group = the people dedicated enough to still be around. It's not likely that they will disappear as well. Combining the populations of FES and FEFF would mean the board could get advertised by more people, have more content, and get more hits per day. Merging is going to solve the problem of nothing being done here at all. Nothing has been done to save this place. Nobody has stepped up with amazing ideas, concrete work, or anything like that.

Why? You'd rather sink with the ship than stay alive with your friends?

It is a far better choice than doing nothing.

I meant to just match FEP in activity. Nothing else.

I could go either way

Seeing this thread was enough to bring me back for the moment.

People against: Everyone dies eventually, so why not kill youself now to not prolong the inevitable?

I'm 100% for.

The most important things right now are for most of the community to approve of this and for the administration to shut this place down with a notice explaining what happened and a link to FEFF.

That's the main problem, right there. From the way you just put that, FES is simply getting swept under a rug, with the remaining population just up and moving to FEFF. Which means, a forum is deleted and only a very small part of that forum's active memberbase - which is countable on both hands, maybe even one, only counting people who'd be down for moving - moves to the new parent forum, meaning that activity there will only go up by so much.

Not to mention, there are already enough FESers at FEFF with accounts; not enough active both here and there to make a noticeable boost in activity.

And Sety, that logic is just ridiculously bad. Everyone dies eventually, so why not just kill yourself now to speed up the process? Delete both forums, then, if the end result is the same for both. That's the business, I suppose.

I'm almost surprised how much activity this one topic is getting. It's certainly getting a lot more attention than anything else on the forum. I'm wondering if we could possibly redirect that to other areas rather than arguing amongst ourselves?

Sure, we haven't come up with any solutions to save ourselves, but neither have you. When we join together, is someone going to have some magical epiphany that could never have been had seperately? If FES and FEFF are failing then maybe it's our time.

There is no magical solution to this. If we actually want to revive our boards it will take time.

I guess I would.

A merge I'd agree on. What you're suggesting is an absorption and that definitely puts us on the short end of the stick. If you want what you're asking to be agreeable then you need to make things a bit more fair on our end; if you expect FES to make sacrifices then FEFF better be prepared to make some as well.

If you're someone going against it though, you better be working your ass off to bring some life back to FES because at this point, there's not much justification for this place to even remain open.

Why can't FES just exist? I'll still visit.


Also, why do I get the feeling FES is being seen as the lesser of the two sites? :?

Because it is. It's much younger and much smaller.

How else could they merge? FEFF's much older and the larger forum. It's not going to do anything like a name change or just add all of FES's staff to its own. FEFF is perfectly willing to take on a few FES members into the staff. What sacrifices is FEFF supposed to make?

qft, and I haven't seen anything yet

Yes, I have. Combine the activity of both forums in order to stay alive. If FES's total activity was added to FEFF's right now, it would equal FEFF's activity back when it was in no danger of dying.

It will take time. FES's members can all stay friends, continue talking with each other, continue spriting together, and all that stuff, but with a lot more people if they're at FEFF. It will help FES's community actually stay alive.

How else would it be done? The best I can think of is allowing two acceptable FES members into FEFF's staff, which is ample representation, and welcoming FESers enthusiastically. Should FES members get their own private board at FEFF to talk amongst themselves? Would that be good enough?

Like Merc, I'd still visit the place. Hell, I'd be active at both boards just like I was before if I still had the time.

We could invite people to be active at both forums so neither dies. If FES were to shut down, would all active members become active at FEFF? I'm thinking more than one wouldn't.

But there wouldn't be any new posts... >_>; Hell, even now, there are barely any new posts.

That probably won't work. FEFF is ancient and was once very large. I don't think it holds any interest in showing up at other boards beyond FE fandom geeks like me. If FES was to shut down with the community actually wanting to survive at FEFF, I'm hoping most FESers would move there.

We're willing to make this "merger" as beneficial as possible for FES.

-We will take 2 acceptable FES members into the staff in order to represent the community. That's pretty good considering ~10 will actually move over to FEFF and be active. When it comes to any secret or important things at the site, FES's community will be represented, so you're not getting shafted.
-If FES so desires, a private board can be made for FES members that only they can see. This will allow FES's community to have its own place within FEFF that only FES's community can see. Your community can use that board to retain your own identity as FES amongst yourselves.
-Post counts and Veteran status can be transfered over. If you already have a post count at FEFF, the two can be added together.

Sounds pretty damn good to me. I'd do it.

And it's more than I would have asked/demanded.

Just out of sheer curiosity;
1. Would the FES staff members have to already be Staffers, or any of us?
2. Would we get a separate member group? With the little icon and all?

^^^

How the hell would that help?

Hey Inui, can I have a post count merge? :D

Nobody said it would. Hence the sheer curiosity disclaimer. If you must know, it's the difference between merging and assimilating.

Btw

Will agree to merge if made staff

Just FYI

:B

I like this.

With all those extra perks I'd feel like I was intruding. I don't deserve the posts or the veteranship there so why should I have it? I do deserve what I have at FES. FEFF =/= FES.

They'd need the approval of FEFF's staff, which is why members of FES's staff are prefered. However, my top pick is Khriss, who's just former staff.

There's really no need for a seperate member group. If the majority of you want it, we can probably do that though.

That can probably be easily arranged. I don't see why your FES post counts shouldn't transfer over if it's a true merge.

The merger will make FEFF = FES. You wouldn't be intruding. You'd be welcomed because you'd be saving FEFF. You'd also be saving your own community. If you're a FES Veteran, you should still retain your Veteran status at FEFF. There's no reason to make any of you downgrade yourselves with the exceptions of some of the staff due to FEFF not being able to take that many people into the staff.