> Alright you guys win, I'll disable them if you're logged in. I think that's a good compromise?
Definitely gets my vote!
Though I still don't know why there's advertising on the forum — certainly in the middle of the posts.
For example, there's already a "Pricing" and "Try Now" option at the top, both promoting purchase. One of those could be highlighted.
How much advertising does this forum need?
Forum threads provide an excellent opportunity for organic content for search engines - if someone is trying to make a mobile game and searches Google for "How do I make a game like Angry Birds" (just an example) there's a chance a Construct forum thread could pop up. For new users stumbling onto the site like this, providing a short but sweet CTA is perfect rather than relying on them to navigate the site.
Given the fact that Scirra's only revenue stream is the licencing model, it's perfectly reasonable for them to use every opportunity they get to communicate the value of the Construct platform to new users - especially when it comes to quality of life features like forums (which are clearly having a lot of work put in to them; embedded video, built in tab menus, tables) that cost more than you'd think to host, improve and maintain.
Rather than passing this cost onto existing users by increasing the cost of subscription, do you not feel that's best for Scirra to put more effort into expanding their userbase?
I feel like it should also be noted that the "Buy Now" page also features the free version of C3.