stopping ForumMaster from destroying BattleMaster

[Revan]

I don't see why people only posting on one island is bad, why should they have to participate on islands they don't want to on? I myself post on Atamara, Beluterra, FEI, and Dwilight. I have actually posted on Beluterra longer than FEI and probably just as long as I have on Dwilight despite never playing on Beluterra, but I don't see how whether I just post on Dwilight or all the boards I currently post on matters.

Well, my impression from the discussion in this thread is that there is a perception that the most vocal players hang around in certain locals sub-forums. There they monopolise the discussion and become perhaps too passionate in their interactions. This perhaps gives out a negative impression to irregular or new forum users who wish to participate and instead choose not to.

Kai pointed out that the present structure of the locals boards might help entrench this. They're shadowy areas far removed from the daylight of the rest of the forum. We're all playing the same game, ostensibly part of a single community, but the locals area divides us into smaller social groups by default. Each of the island boards offered different and contrasting community experiences. Something that went beyond content and affected interactions too.

If the locals area was restructured to just Stable/Testing islands say, or flattened completely as suggested by Kai, the community might mix and gel together better. You don't have to look at threads on things you're not interested in, but you can still get an overview of a wider BattleMaster experience. Hopefully it would encourage broader community participation and curb impressions of forum cliques related to particular continents. You'd be engaging in a larger cohesive community rather than in competing sub communities.

I know that some players frequented several locals areas on a regular basis already and that not everyone might agree with my interpretation of things here, but I do think Kai was on to something.

[Kai]

Moderate? The d-list? I remember more than one hostile exchange gracing my Inbox, some of them as bad or worse than anything I've seen on the forum, and I wasn't a member for all that long before Tom did away with it.

Jesus I said "moderation to post topics which affect BM as a whole and not any individual continent, realm or other subset", not "moderation to make people nice to each other".

[Tandaros]

My two cents:

close the local forums. They definitely contribute to meta-gaming and a degree of OOC grief. I'm glad this discussion about the forums' purpose is taking place, actually, and to see the emphasis return to IG interaction.

[Geronus]

Jesus I said "moderation to post topics which affect BM as a whole and not any individual continent, realm or other subset", not "moderation to make people nice to each other".

What I was responding to was your implication that people were somehow more "moderate" on the d-list than the forum because they knew that everyone on the list would read what they wrote. And that implication was and is wrong. People were absolutely brutal to each other on the d-list on a regular basis, worse I think than almost anything I've ever seen on the forum. I'm sure moderation kept that to a minimum on the moderated version of the list (which I apparently did not sign up for), but then moderation should be able to accomplish the same thing with the forum which in any case has been on the whole far more civil than I recall the d-list being relative to the total volume of content.

[Gustav Kuriga]

My two cents:

close the local forums. They definitely contribute to meta-gaming and a degree of OOC grief. I'm glad this discussion about the forums' purpose is taking place, actually, and to see the emphasis return to IG interaction.

I don't see this at all. If you would like to, point out examples. Besides the fact that most of the people on the forums are also extremely active IG as well when it comes to interaction, so I don't see how the forums effected them negatively in that regard.

[jaune]

There was several messages and discussions ongoing events in the game. Example Phoenix Empire's creation, Silnaria's creation etc. Issues which most of the players, or characters had no clue about it were discussed and assumptions made, one direction or to another.

I'm pretty sure that the discussion, were it truth or just speculation, effected many peoples ingame actions and IC behaviour, intended or not.

-Jaune

[Kai]

What I was responding to was your implication that people were somehow more "moderate" on the d-list than the forum because they knew that everyone on the list would read what they wrote. And that implication was and is wrong. People were absolutely brutal to each other on the d-list on a regular basis, worse I think than almost anything I've ever seen on the forum. I'm sure moderation kept that to a minimum on the moderated version of the list (which I apparently did not sign up for), but then moderation should be able to accomplish the same thing with the forum which in any case has been on the whole far more civil than I recall the d-list being relative to the total volume of content.

I never said or implied that.

[Geronus]

The reason the d-list never attracted this kind of criticism is because of the flat structure. That every post is always seen by every viewer of the d-list acts as a strong moderation to post topics which affect BM as a whole and not any individual continent, realm or other subset.

This is what I was responding to. Whether you meant it that way or not, that is how I read it.

[Tom]

An article with interesting thoughts and material outside this forum:

http://www.polygon.com/2013/8/15/4622252/plague-of-game-dev-harassment-erodes-industry-spurs-support-groups

[Gustav Kuriga]

An interesting article, Tom, but that is hardly what is going on here, so I don't see the relevance.

[trying]

An article with interesting thoughts and material outside this forum:

http://www.polygon.com/2013/8/15/4622252/plague-of-game-dev-harassment-erodes-industry-spurs-support-groups

It's the same with Youtube.

[Gustav Kuriga]

That article was biased in favour of big names. Sorry if I don't shed any tears over Call of Duty, Microsoft and George Lucas being lightning rods for harassment.

I'd love to discuss your blatant disregard for the feelings of the people who work for the companies AND their families, but this is neither the time nor the place, and I have to wonder why Tom posted that in the first place.

[Kwanstein]

I'd love to discuss your blatant disregard for the feelings of the people who work for the companies AND their families, but this is neither the time nor the place, and I have to wonder why Tom posted that in the first place.

The employees of King Louis XVI often had their feelings disregarded too. The lesson to be learned is that working for an unpopular organisation might not be a good career path for emotionally fragile people.

[Tom]

An interesting article, Tom, but that is hardly what is going on here, so I don't see the relevance.

So, I assume you read the parts about fanatical devotion, emotional reactions, over-reacting and disregard for the impact of ones actions, but you can not see the connection?


I'm sorry, Gustav. For the past weeks you have come out in many topics and you consistently oppose anything I say, usually with one-liners. I'm not in the mood of wasting a lengthy explanation. I do see a strong connection, with the zeal and blindness we are talking about here springing from the same source.

[Gustav Kuriga]

So, I assume you read the parts about fanatical devotion, emotional reactions, over-reacting and disregard for the impact of ones actions, but you can not see the connection?


I'm sorry, Gustav. For the past weeks you have come out in many topics and you consistently oppose anything I say, usually with one-liners. I'm not in the mood of wasting a lengthy explanation. I do see a strong connection, with the zeal and blindness we are talking about here springing from the same source.

There's a difference between people sending death threats, and me being a tad angry that a viable line of communication has been completely severed for getting news of the goings on in realms I'm not a part of and being rather blunt when I say that this was the wrong decision. Have you seen anyone threaten you with death, or the raping of your loved ones, on these forums? I sure haven't seen it.

Furthermore, I don't oppose anything you say, just this issue you have with the forums and the feelings you have about Dwilight.