Dawn of a New Era?

[Element Lord of Milk]

On the subject of terms to differentiate old and new Bionicle (which are definitely going to be necessary to prevent confusion if it is a reboot) I think Generation 1 and Generation 2 will work just fine, being abbreviated to Gen 1 and Gen 2 or G1 and G2. It's pretty clinical and neutral and it's quick.

[CHTrilogy]

I'm still not entirely sure about it. I think we'll need more evidence before I can come to a conclusion.

[Hakann-The Bully]

Goodness.... how long has it been? I suspect many veterans of Bzpower (like me .___."""") have gradually turned into lurkers instead of active posters, but I've still been checking for the past few years' for reviews, MOCs and the like. But yes, I've enjoyed the welcoming and accepting forum Bzpower was, and has always been for the few years I've been here, so I hope it stays like this! And with that, I guess I've returned XD

[Tristan Teridax]

Goodness.... how long has it been? I suspect many veterans of Bzpower (like me .___."""") have gradually turned into lurkers instead of active posters, but I've still been checking for the past few years' for reviews, MOCs and the like. But yes, I've enjoyed the welcoming and accepting forum Bzpower was, and has always been for the few years I've been here, so I hope it stays like this! And with that, I guess I've returned XD

Well you came back with a nice Surpise!

[Adventurer]

I always remember the older fans being slightly more cynical of the later Bionicle sets and stories and what not, but they were the minority. With a return I feel that will be the case again, however that particular demographic will be a bit larger (how large will depend on the success of the new line I suspect). For the most part though assuming some other successful fan site doesn't appear and steal our thunder I think the majority of activity will increase and be fairly positive - maybe a few more old grumps than before though.

[Chaos Lord]

Who knows? Maybe even unknown users from the early years, with comically low post counts, will re-emerge.

 

...wait

[Gladius Dei]

Ooh man. My first post on here since Bionicle died.

 

While I'm sure the rules here have changed a bit over the years, in my experience, those in charge of the site have generally done a good job enforcing things and keeping discussion civil. That being said, if Bionicle is revived and there's an influx of new members, I believe it will be up to us old codgers to provide a good example for the newbies. Here's hoping the new guys will follow suit.

[Gatanui]

Ooh man. My first post on here since Bionicle died.

BIONICLE never died. And welcome back.

 

-Gata

[believe victims]

 

Ooh man. My first post on here since Bionicle died.

BIONICLE never died. And welcome back.

 

-Gata

 

 

Of course it didn't die. Die is a passive word, a natural act. *looks out the window on the rainy Chicago streets* And THIS *puffs cigar* was a murder.

[Gladius Dei]

Thanks, Gata. It's good to be back.

[Tristan Teridax]

 

Ooh man. My first post on here since Bionicle died.

BIONICLE never died. And welcome back.

 

-Gata

 

The sets more or so rested and the community waited for their return from hiatus...

[16N1K4]

Ever since Bionicle was discontinued, I hardly ever went into the forums (if I did, it was a few times a year). A visit to BZP within these four years would only go as far as to look at what news was on the front page. I rarely even lurk, much less post throughout this time. In fact, seeing this on the front page is what brought me back in the forums.

I guess with the possibility of the greatest facet of my childhood making a triumphant return, I could become a little more active (read more posts and provide opinions, share MOCs I've worked on for the past few years, etc. etc.). Hopefully the civility that I remember years ago will still be intact when a surge of new Bionicle fans join our ranks.

[Boidoh]

When it returns, we should have a sort of adopt-a-newbie thing, where a member who is more experienced with the old BIONICLE lore and stuff, can 'adopt' a member who is new to BIONICLE.

[Willess12]

I am conflicted on that iiddeeaa.  On the one hand, the thought of teaching a little kid scares me.  On the other hand, I like talking about Bionicle and am a literal know-it-all on Bionicle.

[Boidoh]

I don't remember where, but I think some other forum had that idea for newbs to the forum to get a hang of stuff and how the site works, ect.

Edited August 2, 2014 by Boidoh

[Pomegranate]

On the subject of terms to differentiate old and new Bionicle (which are definitely going to be necessary to prevent confusion if it is a reboot) I think Generation 1 and Generation 2 will work just fine, being abbreviated to Gen 1 and Gen 2 or G1 and G2. It's pretty clinical and neutral and it's quick.

The thing about that is that Bionicle already has its gens, with a lot of people referring to the people who praise 2001-2003 and consider those years "the good Bionicle" as "gen 1 fans" or gen wunners. 01-03, 04-05, 06-08, and 09-10 all feel like their own generations and different fans sometimes proclaim themselves fans of those particular years or "gens", and then there's also 01-08 and 09-10 being considered two different things because of the sudden shift to Bara Magna... it's kinda confusing, at least to me. I'd feel like I would need to ask people what exactly they mean by "gen 1" because of the different possible meanings. Of course, if Gen 1 and Gen 2 become the popular terms for the old and new stuff, it'll be a lot more obvious, yeah.

[Duarack5]

While I would like to see a continuation of the story (What's the deal with Marendar and Velika and and everything?!) A reboot would make it far easier for younger fans to get invested in the series.

I'e heard Bionicle described as "too big for its own good" in reference to the series' later years, and while I have no problem with a complicated story, I do recognize that Lego has to cater, first and foremost, to the kids who are going to buy the sets, and starting off with a simple good-vs-evil story is a great way to ease them into a universe as vast as Bionicle's.

A hard reboot would mean starting completely over at the Quest for the Masks story, and a soft one would simply involve fast-forwarding a few years from where the last story left off. The former seems like the safer option.

[joev14]

When it returns, we should have a sort of adopt-a-newbie thing, where a member who is more experienced with the old BIONICLE lore and stuff, can 'adopt' a member who is new to BIONICLE.

 

Oh mayn, I wanna adopt a newbie! There's just something about seeing somebody read through the books for the first time, with all the plot twists, seeing them understand characters, remember names and such...playing MNOG for the first time. I just love it. It's almost as good as if I were able to relive it myself.

 

We really do need a more welcoming home page. Something like...

 

WELCOME TO BZP. WE LIKE BONKLES. 

 

With flashing lights and colors and hype trains going all over the place and stuff. 

Edited August 3, 2014 by joev14

[Tristan Teridax]

 

When it returns, we should have a sort of adopt-a-newbie thing, where a member who is more experienced with the old BIONICLE lore and stuff, can 'adopt' a member who is new to BIONICLE.

 

Oh mayn, I wanna adopt a newbie! There's just something about seeing somebody read through the books for the first time, with all the plot twists, seeing them understand characters, remember names and such...playing MNOG for the first time. I just love it. It's almost as good as if I were able to relive it myself.

 

We really do need a more welcoming home page. Something like...

 

WELCOME TO BZP. WE LIKE BONKLES. 

 

With flashing lights and colors and hype trains going all over the place and stuff. 

 

Well this site could add more "pazazze" considering how old it is.

[Obsolescence]

 

 

When it returns, we should have a sort of adopt-a-newbie thing, where a member who is more experienced with the old BIONICLE lore and stuff, can 'adopt' a member who is new to BIONICLE.

 

Oh mayn, I wanna adopt a newbie! There's just something about seeing somebody read through the books for the first time, with all the plot twists, seeing them understand characters, remember names and such...playing MNOG for the first time. I just love it. It's almost as good as if I were able to relive it myself.

 

We really do need a more welcoming home page. Something like...

 

WELCOME TO BZP. WE LIKE BONKLES. 

 

With flashing lights and colors and hype trains going all over the place and stuff. 

 

Well this site could add more "pazazze" considering how old it is.

 

I've got to say a massive no to that. The front page is iconic. It needs to stay as is.

[Relapse]

Alas, pizazz is costly. However, with an influx of new members comes the possibility of an influx of new premier members, and that means possible upgrades. Who knows? Maybe we'll get flashy animations or something.

[Tristan Teridax]

 

 

 

When it returns, we should have a sort of adopt-a-newbie thing, where a member who is more experienced with the old BIONICLE lore and stuff, can 'adopt' a member who is new to BIONICLE.

 

Oh mayn, I wanna adopt a newbie! There's just something about seeing somebody read through the books for the first time, with all the plot twists, seeing them understand characters, remember names and such...playing MNOG for the first time. I just love it. It's almost as good as if I were able to relive it myself.

 

We really do need a more welcoming home page. Something like...

 

WELCOME TO BZP. WE LIKE BONKLES. 

 

With flashing lights and colors and hype trains going all over the place and stuff. 

 

Well this site could add more "pazazze" considering how old it is.

 

I've got to say a massive no to that. The front page is iconic. It needs to stay as is.

 

I will say that but some of the links and material on the frontpage is out dated and isn't that useful 

[believe victims]

I've got to say a massive no to that. The front page is iconic. It needs to stay as is.

 

 

The front page is only iconic because it's barely been touched since the site's inception. The front page is not only a security risk with its old coding, it makes the site look practically abandoned. It features the Toa Nuva and Takua, for christ's sake. Besides the news stories, there's no sign the site has been active since the late 2000s.

[Tristan Teridax]

 

I've got to say a massive no to that. The front page is iconic. It needs to stay as is.

 

 

The front page is only iconic because it's barely been touched since the site's inception. The front page is not only a security risk with its old coding, it makes the site look practically abandoned. It features the Toa Nuva and Takua, for christ's sake. Besides the news stories, there's no sign the site has been active since the late 2000s.

 

I still have no idea why we still have the quick nav and hot topic thing when they are basically piontless.

[Pomegranate]

Would it be difficult to save a copy of the current front page somewhere where us nostalgic folks could look at it? Or have there be a "theme" system inabled where switching the theme switches the front page to its current version? 'Cause that would be very convenient.

I think the front page badly needs an upgrade, but that doesn't mean it needs to be redesigned completely, just upgraded. Larger images and more convenient links, with current stuff shifted around a little bit where necessary, some things scaled up or down and typefaces updated, maybe some subtle textures or patterns in the background colors. As long as you keep the same visual style, it's still gonna look like BZPower, but then we'll have page widgets that have up to date links and actually work, and it'll be easier to navigate. A way to jump straight to a certain subforum, for example, would be lovely, and more functionality for your Friends list would tie in well with some way to display it on the front page. The Hot Topics list was great, that needs to be fixed for sure, and a Hot Blogs or something similar would be neat as well-- there's a lot of great discussions there that just don't get seen by a lot of members. Some kind of alert system would be neat-- "Reminder to avoid posting spoilers" "forum will be down for maintenance in: [00:06:12]." "Vote in BBC Contest #302" "Newest Topic: We Miss Hero Factory, We've Made a Huge Mistake" etc. I think that there should also be a little "Established in 2001" or "Serving the Bionicle Community since 2001" or something making it clear that we are one of the oldest and most popular Bionicle forums out there so that folks know we're the real deal-- I think nobody has suggested that yet 'cause the appearance of the front page does it all by itself  Little things that display current online users and total active/registered users in general would really help that, too. Also, links to other Bionicle fansites that would be handy for new folks to have, like BS01. That's something that needs to be on one of the sidebars on the front page in a big image block, like the link to the BZPRPG.

At the very least, there are a lot of widgets like the Member Spotlight and the search bar that need to be made functional again, and links that need to be redirected or updated, so that the front page doesn't look like it's dead, as someone suggested.

All this stuff needs to be on the front page 'cause even with the current way it's set up, there's plenty of room for all that stuff, and it's stuff that folks would need to know about BZPower to see all it offers and how active it is without needing to enter the forum itself.

Edited August 3, 2014 by Pomegranate

[Nato G]

I agree, a full overhaul of the website is neccessary, but at the same time, we don't want to lose what made BZ great: the community. We want to be welcoming to new members, but we don't want to completely alienate the old or anything like that. We need to find the right balance. I figure we should wait until we get official images of the new Bionicle, then throw together a sort of anthology wallpaper showing popular sets from every year alongside the new ones, and putting that on the front page, that way we're recognising both generations of Bionicle. 

[Tristan Teridax]

I agree, a full overhaul of the website is neccessary, but at the same time, we don't want to lose what made BZ great: the community. We want to be welcoming to new members, but we don't want to completely alienate the old or anything like that. We need to find the right balance. I figure we should wait until we get official images of the new Bionicle, then throw together a sort of anthology wallpaper showing popular sets from every year alongside the new ones, and putting that on the front page, that way we're recognising both generations of Bionicle. 

Yeah I would rather have a site that looks and celebrates all bionicle generations rather then just nostalgic 2001-2003.

[Nato G]

 

I agree, a full overhaul of the website is neccessary, but at the same time, we don't want to lose what made BZ great: the community. We want to be welcoming to new members, but we don't want to completely alienate the old or anything like that. We need to find the right balance. I figure we should wait until we get official images of the new Bionicle, then throw together a sort of anthology wallpaper showing popular sets from every year alongside the new ones, and putting that on the front page, that way we're recognising both generations of Bionicle. 

Yeah I would rather have a site that looks and celebrates all bionicle generations rather then just nostalgic 2001-2003.

 

 

If we want to draw in new members, then we must embrace the new. But we must not forget our roots, and so we must commemorate the old as well...

[joev14]

I think there's a pretty big consensus that wants to upgrade the main page, we just have to look at the fact that this will be a difficult task. However, I strongly believe it's worth it. And we should start on it as soon as possible. We should have it finished before NYCC, when Bionicle will inevitably be revealed. That way, any new fans that are searching around will come to us right away. If we wait too long, they might go off and create their own forums and such. Honestly, we've upgraded the rest of the site with a bit of work...the mainpage's make over is long overdue.

[Tristan Teridax]

 

 

I agree, a full overhaul of the website is neccessary, but at the same time, we don't want to lose what made BZ great: the community. We want to be welcoming to new members, but we don't want to completely alienate the old or anything like that. We need to find the right balance. I figure we should wait until we get official images of the new Bionicle, then throw together a sort of anthology wallpaper showing popular sets from every year alongside the new ones, and putting that on the front page, that way we're recognising both generations of Bionicle. 

Yeah I would rather have a site that looks and celebrates all bionicle generations rather then just nostalgic 2001-2003.

 

 

If we want to draw in new members, then we must embrace the new. But we must not forget our roots, and so we must commemorate the old as well...

 

I feel if new fans are to stay interested here we need to update it because most kids these day are used to more modern sites.

[MIY]

It would be cool that whoever made an account before Bionicle was announced to return got a little pin beside their name.

I'm pretty excited to see Bzpower return to its poularity that it once had. I don't know if it ever will reach the height it once was, where new members aspired to be famous comic makers and the community truely felt like its own world. I will probably not experience the joys of getting replies on comics or having people read and respond to my posts like i did when I was younger, but Bzpower holds some of the biggest memories that I've had on the internet.

[Element Lord of Milk]

I don't know if another way to differentiate old members from new is really necessary (or would be beneficial) .

 

We already have the spinnies, which serve pretty much the same purpose if you know which one corresponds to however many years.

[Adventurer]

I feel segregating the community would be a very bad idea. If you gave something to older members it'd feel unfair to the newer members and if you gave both something it'd seem pointless and basically just encourage a club like mentality which this site tends to deter (serious clubs that is).

[LQ1998]

A lot of people are talking about a wave of younger members, I think there may as well be an influx of users like me who knew Bionicle well at the time,  but were a bit too young to discuss it (or didn't get around to it) while it was still around. I know me and quite a few internet pals of mine will be looking to become more active here because we believe Bio discussion in general will boost. We previously did not become fully active users because we did believe there to be enough Bionicle discussion to satisfy us. We discussed it in smaller groups and communities where there wasn't as much non-Bio discussion getting in the way. (though I'm sure these points of why we have not joined can be debated among the more active users here, but none the less, they are our reasons.)

[cowardlyzebra]

Hopefully this will unite hf and bionicle fans

[LewaLew]

I'm concerned for how the community will react to whatever changes may be made to the theme, provided the rumors of BIONICLE's return are true. I think most of BZP has softened to the idea of change since Hero Factory first showed up, but in those later years, I also noticed that much of my interaction on BZP was in arguments, though not always about Hero Factory. I think a lot of the BZP members had grown to be more set in their opinions and more hostile towards those who saw things differently. Both sides of an argument were able to make good, valid points about the subject, but there seemed to be an underlying hostility nonetheless. There were also a lot of real-world, controversial issues that people began to apply to BIONICLE, Hero Factory, and Ninjago which bordered on political discussion without quite reaching that point. Discussion like that, while technically within the bounds of the rules, did not encourage friendly discussion; and even though I was not a participant in some of the cases of which I am thinking, I found those instances to be very negative experiences.

 

I think, in order for the BZPower community to grow, "adult" issues like these will have to be avoided by older members for the sake of maintaining a welcoming atmosphere. Most kids will either not care or will be put off by discussions like those, and I think the old guard will need to be more prudent about which discussions will be beneficial to a community in which adults, teenagers, and kids all interact. After all, as a kid, I would not have understood why people were complaining about sexism in Toa Orde's backstory or perceived disrespect to Japanese culture in Ninjago and I definitely would have been confused over why the blogs went through cycles of hatred and passive aggression from both sides of several real-world issues.

 

I've been gone for a while, only popping in for a lurk now and then, but from what I saw during one of my visits earlier this year (when that Ninjago cultural issue I mentioned was going on), this is still a problem for the BZP community. I still don't plan on returning even if the rumors are true--and I believe they are--but from my experience, this problem will have to be solved to provide a friendly place of discussion for kids. If this restart is to be successful, LEGO needs kids to get into BIONICLE like we all once did, and if it succeeds, BZP will need to become more kid-friendly while still being a home for older fans, just like LEGO would do with our favorite theme.

 

 

Also, hi. I decided to post because of reasons. I'm only making another quick visit, though, mainly because of the rumors.

[Pomegranate]

It's important for kids to know that kind of thing, though; one of the biggest reasons people get mad about it is that they didn't realize it when they were young. I think there shouldn't be a restriction on those kinds of discussions, but there does need to be something that tells those involved that they absolutely must be civil and calm and rational during those discussions, otherwise they do more harm than good, like you said, especially with all the negativity on the blogs. If kids don't really understand, they'll either learn something from reading 'em, or they'll just ignore them. Definitely need to keep kids in mind during those discussions, though, 'cause in the last iteration of the sexism thread some particularly risque topics and themes were brought up unnecessarily, and things certainly got heated. It went way better than the last couple of similar thread, though I'm sure the staff will step in to make it clear that something may be getting out of hand, although I think if Bionicle does come back and get a bunch of fresh meat, there'll be a lot more active discussions on other topics going on and those types of topics will probably be popping up less. I feel like right now, it might just be because of a lack of alternatives for things to bring up that forces folks to bring up things they normally wouldn't bother dealing with. We need to exercise some common sense and delicacy, basically. I'm sure nobody is gonna have difficulty with that. You have to keep in mind, however, that everyone is different, and there are always folks who are more passionate and vocal than others, and sometimes they've got a really bad attitude or intent, and there's really nothing you can do about that other than avoid fanning the flames.

I think I've used up all my remaining uses of the word "discussions" for the rest of the week.

Edited August 6, 2014 by Pomegranate

[dramatic.chipmunk]

It'd be weird were it to come back. Of course it'd be changed in some way to be fresh again, but we'd still have the name BIONICLE there and obviously recognize it. If anything the story and mythos will have to be streamlined for new audiences. Because I have the feeling that the vast story behind the series will be intimidating, ya know? Making it tough for someone to get into it due to not being around since the start. 

A fan is a fan regardless though. New or old, if you enjoy something that someone else enjoys, that's great! If you know a bit more than someone else, or you know less, that's great too! If BIONICLE does come back, it'll be something else.

[Noxryn]

There were also a lot of real-world, controversial issues that people began to apply to BIONICLE, Hero Factory, and Ninjago which bordered on political discussion without quite reaching that point. 

 

 

Bionicle, Lego, etc... don't exist in a fantasy void completely separate from the real world. They're pieces of media people consume, kids consume, that put forth values and lessons that those kids then learn and allow to become a part of how they think later on when they interact more with the real world. As a result, it is a positive thing to make mention of the negative things Bionicle and other lines do that potentially (or flat out do) malign other people of the fanbase (even if they're a minority in the fanbase), so that others understand that it's a flaw with the line and isn't a message to be taken from it. And people didn't "apply" it to these lines, the writers of the lines applied it themselves in practice -- they're the ones who made the blunders and errors.  

 

In most cases, though, Pomegranate's more or less right in terms of that a lot of members held various forms of those opinions when they were younger and getting into the line (for example, being a young girl and enjoying the line and upset that there weren't more characters for you to identify with and that the theme felt incredibly boy-centric when it didn't need to be). So, undoubtedly, there would be future kids who'd feel similarly if Bionicle trudged onwards the same and unchanged and I'd have no issues for those kids expressing their concerns, their desires to see themselves represented and so forth. I do express concern for those who would try to tell them they can't feel that way, think that way, that their discussion is less valid, that they're too immature to have that discussion or take part in it. The latter are honestly the people who turn those discussions negative. 

 

Especially with a potential reboot on the horizon, these are important discussions to have, important critiques to make, since nothing would ever change in any story if no one gave their criticisms and opinions. I am still hoping Lego chooses to make some more of the Mata female (since they seem to be rebooting with them), as that'd right a wrong that existed from Bionicle's inception and would open up the line to a larger audience without alienating so many people for no reason. 

[spen17]

I am honestly really excited that bionicle might be coming back.

My brother and I were disappointed when we found out it was cancelled back then, but now i am looking forward towards a new generation of bionicle.