Change thread depth levels?

[doctorgonzo]

Is there a way to change how many levels of a thread are shown in hybrid mode? Or is that something that can't be changed? In long threads, clicking on "More replies below this depth" repeatedly can make it hard to keep track of where you are.

Alternatively, another option would be to have the bottom "Post Reply" button create a new post one level under the first post, instead of one level under the last post made. Now, a thread with 30 replies could have 30 levels of posts, requiring many clicks of the "More replies below this depth" link.

[Punked Out Comp]

The whole hybrid mode confuses me. Can you explain how it works. levels? depth?

[doctorgonzo]

Originally Posted by punked out comp The whole hybrid mode confuses me. Can you explain how it works. levels? depth?

Instead of one list of replies one after another, in hybrid mode you can see posts and what they are in reply to. If the following posts are in chronological order by letter, it may look like this:

A (first post)
|->B
|->C
|   |->D
|   |->F
|->E

Notices that F posted after E, but since F posted in reply to C's post, it appears under post C instead of post E. That can make it easier to follow when people are replying to each other's posts. If a person asks a question ten posts down, and then ten posts below that another person answers it, with the normal display there is no connection. In hybrid mode, you can see the connection right away.

My questions revolve around the fact that right now, threads often look like this:

A
|->B
    |->C
       |->D
           |->E

and so forth, with each new reply attached to the last post. That can take away from the point of the threaded model. At other websites that use a similar system, the default is for it to look like
A
|->B
|->C
|->D
|->E

and only when people consciously reply to a post other than A's is a new level created. I'm just wondering if that is possible or if that was looked at, because if A asks a question and ten people answer it, the latter format makes more logical sense than the former, because those ten people are really responding to A, not to each other.