Forum Issues!

[DeletedUser]

I know I have trolled recently but that was just for jokes. I am going to post a serious thread and you can feel free to add to it without insulting. Forums are dying, there are several reasons behind it but I feel this can be reversed with the help of mods.

I feel moderators are responsible for the activity of a forum, they should promote activity and JOIN in with the players in discussions and such. The mods then could learn between when there's banter and insults.

I hate seeing a moderator only interacting with players only to tell them off. Mods should build a friendship with the players and get to know them, cthen we don't rebel.

It seems mainly that the moderators that I get along with are those that I play with. That's due to the fact that we interact and get to know each other. I am not asking for mods to play with everyone, just get to know them.'

I want to send this out somewhat as a public requests to the mods and see what they say and what people think.

This has been approved by Richard. Guys please try not to go off-topic. We may actually get somewhere.

 

[DeletedUser23516]

This is a good argument, but the mods can't meet and talk to every player. We need to meet them half way

 

[DeletedUser27700]

Well, I try to stay out of convos in the world I mod, mostly because I have no idea what they are talking about
Any worlds I do play, I talk to anyone who notices me

 

[DeletedUser]

I honestly don't think moderators are responsible for all activity on the forum. We are suppose to enforce the rules. We try to be as lenient on the rules as possible but when they are broken we aren't given much option. The players are the ones that build the community. Without the players we don't have anything and there is no need for moderators. Yes, we have competitions but the moderators can't always be the one to think of them. The players should jump in to help as well...Yes, I agree somewhat with what was said above... It seems to every time a feature comes out everyone thinks of the negative aspects of it though..Maybe if we all stopped for a second and thought of the good things as well as the bad we'd get some where, aye?

There are a lot of things we can improve on as a community though.

~ Lane

 

[DeletedUser]

need more good posters

 

[DeletedUser6983]

The people who talk on the forums have been slowely leaving and there hasnt been replacements for them when they have left. Many of the theads started are useless and die after about 2 days of discussion.

 

[DeletedUser18132]

This is why I wrote this some time ago, to get more people on the forums. It passed, but the devs haven't implemented it yet...

 

[DeletedUser]

This is why I wrote this some time ago, to get more people on the forums. It passed, but the devs haven't implemented it yet...

wow, yeah. that would be an excellent idea. i actually didn't start using the forums until a year after i started playing this game.

 

[DeletedUser]

Way I see it, there are five primary possible issues for the slowdown here:

1. The much improved Wiki has limited the Question threads.
2. The improved software has limited the Bug threads.
3. People have given up on game idea suggestions.
4. Game trash-talking gets old quick.
5. The off-topic forums are (possibly rightfully) kept too calm for most debaters' tastes.

 

[DeletedUser22940]

I understand your concern and share the same concern Strike.
But, I also hear what Lane is saying.

I remember the days on Delphi, me and BBG used to keep things spicy. Things got heated, but it all added to the "drama" of the world and, thus, livening the forums. Unfortunately, I was taking a walk down memory Lane (no pun intended) and many of our posts going back and forth at each other were deleted. Not very cool as him and I pretty much kept that forum alive. Some mods seem to be more stringent than other mods and a lot of the rules are left open for interpretation.

I made a comment recently and received an infraction because of it. Obviously something which I would have never thought of receiving an infraction because of or else I would not have posted it. I have posted some crazy things during my last tenure here (about a year ago) and I would have never thought that this comment would have brought down the hammer based on other things which I have seen/personally said.

My point on all of this is that the strictness of the forums has definitely increased since I was last here.

Note to the mods: Remember, we are all here to have fun. I would recommend that you guys chill out a bit unless there is a clear breaking of the rules (profanity, death threats, etc....) or someone reports a message for some reason and it is investigated. We all appreciate what you do and why you do it, just keep it in moderation (man I am full of them today).

One final note...I remember seeing something a while back about running a PnP competition. Might want to fire that idea back up as it will surely bring attraction back to the forums. You guys can give out gold and some flashy new hero-like sig things.

 

[DeletedUser6029]

I don't think it is that game trash talk gets old quick as much as with it being an international server, one persons funny offends another person and the threads get locked, sticks and whips get brought out, and it is impossible to talk trash without offending someone. I have noticed it is a bit more lenient since I was last here, but unless one can beat ones chest, or someone elses, what is the point? ergo, why bother to talk smack on the world forums?

Everything else I agree totally with.

 

[DeletedUser27700]

My point on all of this is that the strictness of the forums has definitely increased since I was last here.

I have noticed it is a bit more lenient since I was last here.

And here is a fundamental problem: Perspective.
Some say it is more lenient now, others less. Perhaps things are just different. There is lots of stuff you can do as players to keep forums active. PnP's are always fun, as long as they follow the rules. You can't tell me that they are only fun if someone is insulted.
The rules are simple when it comes to things like this; don't offend someone on a personal level.

But a simpler rule I go by is the Grandmother rule. If I would be ashamed to show it to my Grandmother, it probably shouldn't be on the forum

 

[DeletedUser11965]

I demand more spam

 

[DeletedUser6029]

And here is a fundamental problem: Perspective.
Some say it is more lenient now, others less. Perhaps things are just different. There is lots of stuff you can do as players to keep forums active. PnP's are always fun, as long as they follow the rules. You can't tell me that they are only fun if someone is insulted.
The rules are simple when it comes to things like this; don't offend someone on a personal level.

But a simpler rule I go by is the Grandmother rule. If I would be ashamed to show it to my Grandmother, it probably shouldn't be on the forum

Hi Ice, you don't know me but I am Dom.
And when I say less I refer to getting warnings for saying "minor" swear words, or I read a post the other day that someone called someone a stupid noob or something. Prior, that would have been an instant warning/infraction. I am not saying the smack talk is less, for all I know since it is all but absent, it might be gone because so many people are afraid of mods on speed.

How can you guys expect a war game with real cities lost, real cash and time lost and real aggression and competition not to get dirty sometimes? PnP's are boring if they have to be politically correct for every culture in every part of the world.

But to give you an example, I told someone at one point to stop being douchish.....one of your illustrious teammates found that was entirely out of joint and I got I believe an infraction....but, if you go to urban dictionary, it is not a disgusting insult, but the "person" I dealt with didn't care that it wasn't meant as a direct insult, it was a catch all. Here in texas "hook 'em horns" hand symbol is as offensive to norweigens s as giving the bird....thus causing a HUGE stink trying to get it changed. You see my point here? Now I did finally work it out, and I hold no grudges, except one...but, it is sad to see the forum every other thread a negative thread about the forum, when I think really it isn't all that hard to figure out how to meet in the middle and get it back to being amp'd again. Communication and consistancy is all that is needed, and the understanding that this is an international server, and some smuck not from my part of the world assume something is insulting when it isn't....ie: the word S-W-A-N-K.

edit: I have been informed by another community mod that my post could be taken offensively and I mean no disrespect. I did ask for an "inno" opinion so I can make sure that it doesn't come across as something it was not intended to be. I am simply giving honest feedback to what seems to be a reoccuring issue on the forum in hopes of opening dialog to maybe improve (?) things.

 

[DeletedUser27700]

I see your point, and StrikeHards as well.
I am by no means in any form of authority on this, im just a entry level mod voicing my opinion.
I asked to become a mod not to give warnings or ban people, I am doing this because I enjoy playing Grepolis and perusing the forums. I want to have fun with everyone, but it is a job of sorts.
There are simple rules here, and we have to enforce them. Of course, if this was all american, or any other country, it would be easier to draw a line when it comes to insults. But being international is another one of the great things about Grepo. I have met people from America, UK, Australia, Egypt, Serbia, Russia etc. etc. This is one of my favorite things about the game.
And the rules for this forum are the same as they would be if you visited them in their respective countries; Don't be a Jerk.

Some of the funniest PnPs iv'e seen had absolutely nothing to do with an individual at all, but an entire Alliance.
In my view it would be extraordinarily difficult to offend a whole alliance

But anyway, that's just my take. I want to see an active grepo forum community just as much as the rest of you

 

[Baudin Toolan]

The issue with banter and how we as mods react to banter comes down to personal insults vs attacks on someone's ingame persona. Th majority of players seem to believe these are one and the same. You can call someone a terrible attacker and mock their inability to hit the broadside of a city wall with a catapult all day long but once you insult their intelligence, lifestyle, family, etc you have made the change from a player based attack to a personal attack. This is indeed a war game so poke fun at each other's terrible playing ability or an alliance's inability to realize that recruiting 500 people under 4 alliances is not the key to victory. However leave the personal insults out of it, real life is rough enough without having to get verbally assaulted while playing a game.

The real issue with lack of banter is't the strictness of the mods or players taking it too far. It's lack of things to banter about. I can't remember the last time I was on a world where every alliance in the top 12 was a good alliance. Lately it's been the top 3 or 4 are worthwhile alliances and of those 2 will fall apart due to inactivity and the top spot will be taken by a newly formed "elite" alliance. I believe the dynamic of the game has changed and the forum needs to change along with it. What that change is I don't know for sure, maybe new comp's or better ways to pull players to the forum and keep them around. Regardless constantly hoping for a return to what was will only prevent us from moving forward.

 

[DeletedUser6029]

Baudy, do not misunderstand I am not referring to personal insults, I refer to moderation and definitions of offensive behavior. For example, I am playing again, and the leader of this alliance was on Skype moaning Nd groaning about this and that, I offered him some nice advice, to which he informed me he has all the ideas he needs even though bviously his ideas are sucky. So I told him to man up, be-muncher kicked me. If I say anymore strategy begins to come out, but when he starts getting his nads lynched I would love to come make a post of what a twit both his play style and leadership style is like, as well as his child like mentality of the game. How many people will report what I just wrote as an insult? How many mods will see red? And yet l of it is applicable And game related without bringing in his family. That is just smack talk, and you know someone would be offended by something even if I am simply talking giant Texas sized crappola.

I will edit this aT a later time when My phone isn't an issue.

I do want to add, maybe Shan needs to pass on the discontent and the results of this mad world release, and try And get inno to understand long term int all about the money. Give us a world to play for a few months rather than everyone keep holding out ecause a new world will open every month.

Oh and ice, I will post A picture later of hook 'em horns and wait for someone to report it and then you will get my point. And I go to the rule of if I can't say it at church, I won't post it. So we are still at an impasse

 

[DeletedUser345]

But a simpler rule I go by is the Grandmother rule. If I would be ashamed to show it to my Grandmother, it probably shouldn't be on the forum

My grandma doesn't mind cretin or idiot next time you give me a warning -.-

 

[DeletedUser]

Time for my two cents ;-)

I grew up with forums and bulletin boards. My first computer was an IBM mainframe with paper tape. So for me the use of these boards is second-nature and the first place I looked for information to how to play the game.

The thing for newer and younger players is that their forum of choice will be social media such as facebook, twitter and youtube. Compared to these mediums the bulletin board is a clunky interface and the presence of moderators may in itself be intimidating. To be blunt, the developers of games such as Grepolis need to develop a facebook-like interface that integrates more directly into the game instead of a separate area away from the action. Instead of moderators users need to be educated into managing their newsfeed by using blocks to stop annoying spammers or people with gratuitous insults. The presence of moderators is then only one of encouraging the formation of pages/groups around particular worlds, the pushing of new messages, and monitoring for regular abuse that requires action.

 

[DeletedUser22650]

well everytime sasukapran posts its to close a thread in caly, normally for being "off topic" so no conversational progression and all that is allowed is single digit post counting threads, no wonder ppl cant be bothered to post there

....saying that i would call that a bad egg and not the cause of every server tab dying, mostly its just empty servers that are the problem, im sure 2013 will be the year we see servers drop below 300 and being closed before world wonder eras even begin