First Impressions:
My first impression of your forum was okay. There are somethings that I will refrain from discussing here only because I'm discussing them in the next section and I don't want to repeat myself. However, I will discuss the other things that won't be covered elsewhere. I do like the banner/header for your forum, I think that is a nice idea when you consider the niche` of your forum. I do think you can make it a little bigger though. It just seems like it's a little overwhelmed and croweded by the navigation bar and the other stuff that is all around it. I do like the "Welcome" message located at the top. It helps make the forum feel a little bit more inviting when you add it. I also am not a fan of the "About Me" being located at the very bottom of the forum so that I have to go looking for it. I think it would be better suited if you can add that to the top along with the welcome message or at least create a link to that in the navigation bar.
Average
Site Structure:
The first thing I would do is take the widgets showing the "Recent Topics" and the one showing "Recent Posts" and move those to the top of the forum so that when a guest looks at your forum for the first time, they don't have to spend time scrolling down to see it. It should be proudly displayed towards the top so that you can show guests the activity level on your forum. That is one thing that can draw them in and make them want to become an actual member who will want to participate in those discussions.
I also think that you have
A LOT of sections on your forum and I actually think that some of them can be combined. For instance, I think the "Announcements" and the "Suggestions & Feedback" areas can be added to the "Member's Area" section. I also think the "Tech Talk" can be added to the "General Development". The reason I am recommending that you combine some of the stuff is because I think it can be a little overwhelming to have so many different sections, especially since you have some that only have 1 or 2 areas in them. I would also take the "Wasteland" and make that so that it can't be viewed my guests and regular members. I only suggest that because I don't really see a point in guests and members being able to view that. You and your staff will be the ones that will send any unwanted or broken threads to the "Trash Can" or "Recycle Bin" or whatever it is that you call it so I would recommend that you make it so that the staff are the only ones that can see it on a regular basis.
Poor
Thing you liked best about forum: The darker background making the forum stick out more.
Thing you liked least about forum: I think there is room for improvement in the way the forum is laid out.
Overall Mark:
I like your forum and the idea of your forum. I'm sure it's something that will be beneficial to lots of people but I do think there is room for improvement to make it even better. I wish you and your forum all the best in the future!
