I have recently thought up an idea for a new project. I have ALWAYS been a fan of all the Sim series of games created by Maxis, such as SimCity, The Sims, etc. How good would it be to have a fansite all about each and every one of these games?
The forum would be a central focus point where all Sim fans can come together to chat and share ideas on all of their favourite Sim games. It is an early idea however I am keen to hear from my potential audience before developing the whole thing further. Get back to me with your ideas, suggestions, opinions and constructive criticism guys and girls! I'd love to hear from you.
Thanks!
why not. there are many succesfull rollar coaster tycoon ones. as long as you also have cheats it will be fine.
I guess, and I've noticed the large amount of Rollercoaster Tycoon fansites. I will be including cheats in the forum development as well, so there is no need to worry about that...
Thanks for your opinion T0m, much appreciated. Anyone else?
Anyone else want to give me their feedback?
Seems like a good idea. If you do a Google search for Sim City forum you will find a lot of them. Seems to be a popular idea.
Now it'll just come down to me offering something that the others don't really...
It's a hard thing to do, creating new communities when there are many laying around. But I feel that with determination and the right organisation, things could develop into something quite large. Is there anyone else that wants to provide any feedback and/or wouldn't mind joining the team to help me develop this idea further?
The Sims 3 is coming soon so you probably need concentrate on that.. and you might want to invest in buying aroudn 5 to give out as contests at your forum while the wait is on
It's a great idea, really. The Sims tugs a huge boat of eager fans. I used to be one myself, but I twirled away from it a while ago. Fortunately for you, with Sims 3 on the way, a whole bunch of used-to-be fans are going to get back into the idea. That always happens with a half-forgotten series when a new one comes out. Your timing is great, I'd say.
I think, besides having what every other Sims fan-forum does, advertising is what you need to focus on. I mean, how many Sims forums do you hear of? Plenty if you search Google, but unless you do that, you never hear of them. Bring the site TO the fans, that's my suggestion. I never see Sims forums being advertised, honestly, and that's probably the only reason I've never joined one. It's not something I'm into so much that I'd go looking for one, but if one was brought to me, I might think, "Hey, I used to be a Sims fan" and get back into it. You could spur all those old fans back into the fanbase as well as accumulate long-lasting, die-hard fans.
Aside from that, I'm just going to list some suggestions. You've probably already thought of them, as they're pretty basic, but just in case...
-Cheats, like T0m said. Every game site needs cheats.
-News. Keep your fans up-to-date on all the new releases of Maxis' Sims franchise. Not just the games... patches, accessories, and even what's going on with Maxis as a company.
-Maybe have a Sim of the Week? Have people take screenshots of the Sims they create and have a vote on which is the best. You could also do House of the Week and so on, I suppose. I love designing houses. <3
Hope I helped in some way.
http://www.rctgo.net/
I know it's Justin's site, but use it as a case study. I think this website is brilliant as it brings everything a visitor will ever need. It might not be the most popular RCT website (not really sure!) but it's certainly one of the better ones I've seen.
The Sims 3 is going to be *huge* - If I was creating a forum specifically for a game, I would go for simulation games, or Spore. They seem to be left out in the cold quite a lot.
So you guys are really suggesting I create a forum specifically for The Sims 3, rather then all Maxis games as a whole?
You might try starting with just The Sims 3, then as your forum grows you might want to start adding a few other games, like SimEarth or SimFarm or maybe one of those newer games.