Real-time / fast support

[HitCoder]

This is possibly a weird thing to mention, but while forum discussion for getting help for issues and working on projects and providing resources and information etc is very useful, I feel like some issues are very small and do not require entire forum threads for discussion.
I say this because I want to suggest potentially setting up an IRC channel or discord server or similar, so that people can actively discuss DSGM on a faster more instantaneous platform.
I definitely do not think this will kill the forum, but it will allow for an easier space for people to have general discussion and talk about smaller issues.
I don't know how the rest of you would feel about such a thing though, but I thought I'd put the idea forward just in case.

[DigitalDesignDude]

I can understand what you mean by small issues should ideally not need entire threads.

I believe this may be less of an issue when there are good amount of tutorials and example projects in the tutorials and resource sections.

A lot of the previous DSGM examples and tutorials have been lost with the original forum back in 2014-2016 or so, but I do have some examples backed up. I just need to go through them when I have time.

*** Ruffsa's Edit: We do have "manuals" per say on the website - left menu..

Ideally we should have something like a beginners manual/tutorials series as well, but for now all we have is the DS Game Maker Coding Documentation: viewtopic.php?f=14&t=40

A place to get quicker support with notifications and livechat would be great. Just wish it could be integrated with the forum in some way so that it doesn’t compete with it but instead compliments it.

It might be a matter of switching to a different type of online community solution with those features, so that all discussion is in the same place and is available for everyone. Thinking that might be a bit too much to ask for right now though.

[HitCoder]

I understand this but at the same time with regards to more users coming in i feel like there will be more and more questions that have simple fix responses. I'm very unfamiliar with DSGM's programming language, and the documentation available is very lacking, and I do not know what I can achieve and how I can achieve things. I'm experienced and familiar with many many other languages (GML, EDL, Java, Python, C#, C++, JS, PHP, Lua) but due to the lacking of documentation I'm at a loss with DSGM, and would very much appreciate some kind of instant messaging or live chat platform where i can ask more experienced users small questions to help work on practice projects.
I'm struggling even with just the basics of DSGM. I don't even know how to manually draw sprites in code

// ===== EDIT === ///
I don't think having it external will harm the forum at all. look at literally any other project similar to this and you'll find that there is a forum + IRC or Discord server (for example, SRB2 and enigma-dev)

[Ruffsta]

Currently there is no "real-time/live chat support" - keep in mind i am 1 guy who wanted to bring dsgm back to life after MANY years and James doesn't have the time to be fully focused on this anymore currently.. we're all basically fending for ourselves here... all info James and i can give is either located on the website or on here.. and i update them both accordingly..

James and i do not have the time or patience to run an irc channel.. nobody is getting paid to do any of this.. this is a small re-starting community.. any and all "official" DSGM related material MUST be approved by me or James.. also, the forum says we have 10 current members but only 6 are active, there is absolutely no need for a live/fast response channel at all. At this time, this forum is your fastest way to get help and DDD has been doing a very good job at responding rather quickly and i have done so too by usually always being here and checking in.

DSGM is not that hard to understand.. it is a little confusing but not that complicated and with fellow coders and tutorials things get so much easier! we have to rely on ourselves at this time.. i am sorry to say that, but it is true. i have many many projects to complete but i cannot at this time.. not until we get some coders back - (especially with members being focused on 5.12) - you want easy then switch to 4.9 that's my opinion - (James and I will never agree on which version to use lol). i appreciate that DDD is willing to be helpful and we need more like him. i consider him an asset and i think eventually, he will make a good future staff team member. he still yet has to show some of his current work, but i do know him from the old forum.. so i can say i hold high recommendations for him.

[imadedsgamemaker]

We had a 'live forum chat' back in the day. Three problems:

(1) going off topic (it's just one thread, so you would find it frustrating to get help there)
(2) moderation - we can't moderate+monitor a chat 24 hours a day
(3) search - let's say you do get the answer in there and someone posts 10 lines of useful code. How do other people find that later?

(3) is the deal breaker for me. This forum is the documentation.

[DigitalDesignDude]

@Ruffsta, Thank you for your acknowledgments and positive opinion of me. I hope to continue helping where I reasonably can.

@HitCoder, it may not be the same as a live chat, but you can let me know via discord when you post small questions to the forum for a speedier reply. Currently, there’s not a lot of active members with prior DSGM 5.12 and coding experience so I’m most likely the best person to help out right now. (Discord name: DDesignDude#0055)

I would like to keep support conversations exclusive to the forum so that others who may have the same question may find it here.
Understandably, this will likely lead to quite a few topics, but the forum may benefit from that since it’s a little barren right now.

[HitCoder]

@Ruffsta @James @DDD

Okay, understood. I just felt like I would be an annoyance by creating thread after thread after thread every 5 minutes to just understand how coding in DSGM works. Please understand that I am not trying to ask you to work any harder or to devote more time to this, as I know people have their own lives.

@James
I understand, though your statement "the forum is the documentation" is not optimal in my opinion. Would it be of interest to create a wiki? I'm pretty sure there are free options available and I would be more than happy to contribute to it.

While yes we only have 6 active members, I feel like the resources available are lacking to a point where attracting any new members is unlikely. I will be trying to document anything I can that may be helpful.

Regardless, I apologize for coming across demanding, it was a suggestion and not a demand and I hope you understand why I had such interests.

[Ruffsta]

@HitCoder

nobody thought it was demanding or anything of you. We just replied with reasonable and justified answers. just post reasonably and not create 100 topics.. or just make 1 topic and stay within it.. i'm sure DDD will keep an eye on things and reply to you as soon as he can.

[Ruffsta]

@James
I understand, though your statement "the forum is the documentation" is not optimal in my opinion. Would it be of interest to create a wiki? I'm pretty sure there are free options available and I would be more than happy to contribute to it.

If someone is willing to create and maintain it consistently.. then i'm fine with it - but it HAS to stay up to date! james and I just don't have the time to devote to such a thing honestly..

@HitCoder, it may not be the same as a live chat, but you can let me know via discord when you post small questions to the forum for a speedier reply. Currently, there’s not a lot of active members with prior DSGM 5.12 and coding experience so I’m most likely the best person to help out right now. (Discord name: DDesignDude#0055)

I will agree that DDD is the BEST person to receive 5.12 help from.. However, he will respond when he can and has time to do so.

[BowersIndustry]

@James
I understand, though your statement "the forum is the documentation" is not optimal in my opinion. Would it be of interest to create a wiki? I'm pretty sure there are free options available and I would be more than happy to contribute to it.

If someone is willing to create and maintain it consistently.. then i'm fine with it - but it HAS to stay up to date! james and I just don't have the time to devote to such a thing honestly..

@HitCoder, it may not be the same as a live chat, but you can let me know via discord when you post small questions to the forum for a speedier reply. Currently, there’s not a lot of active members with prior DSGM 5.12 and coding experience so I’m most likely the best person to help out right now. (Discord name: DDesignDude#0055)

I will agree that DDD is the BEST person to receive 5.12 help from.. However, he will respond when he can and has time to do so.

What do you mean by a wiki? I am working on one currently. It will have a bunch of DSGM history on it. At least at first. What exactly were you saying?