If somebody posts something and it gets downvoted to hell, all that says is that the majority of people didn't like what he had to say. It does nothing to refute his argument; it's just a measure of popularity.
Initinally I agreed with you, but after some thinking im starting to lean more in favor of a Downvote Upvote System.
If we are arguing about facts and logic, then yes I agree we don't need a measure of Upvotes and Downvotes, as no amount of downvotes will change the fact that 1+1=2.
However, it is no secret that this forum was made as a place to share ideas on how to improve Armagan's video games, (and techinical support too).
In other words, we are sharing opinions, not facts.
And look at this through the view of a Taleworlds Game Developer. Lets say you are browsing the Bannerlord forums looking to add in a new feature or ideas in the game to appease the fans and make your game better. Instead of reading through pages and pages of arguments and moderator warnings to determine if a controversial feature should be implemented, they can simply refer to the score on the post to see if the majority of the users actually want a feature implemented. Upvotes? Great, add it in. Downvote? Lets skip and instead look for more important features to add in the game, only the monority of users are dissappointed.
This way the majority of consumers for your game is pleased, and you do not need to spend a day reading threads and discussing with your coworkers and Armagan to implent a feature that can potentially hurt sales. Especially in a buisness where you work to make dreams come true for as much people as you can, you need to reach the majority of people. And the majority of the people do not go on forums to write long posts explaining why they think a feature is good or bad and argue all day and that is fine.
Overall I think this can be a great timesaver if we consider what the forums was originally created for, to discuss and decide game features.
As for the bullying and targeted downvotes, Reddit has systems in place to prevent trolls and bots from targeting a person and has banned people for using multiple accounts, prominent example is that one scientist guy u/Unidan.
I imagine if we apply simple security measures such as CAPTCHA, IP logging and banning duplicate accounts, machine logging and banning, and moderators who keep an eye on the forums, then trolls will not be an issue.
Here on TW, though, where so many arguments and debates take place, I think people are better off spelling out why they do or don't agree with someone. A reply can be argued with, its points supported or refuted by the other posters. A click on an up/down arrow can't, so it contributes nothing to the discussion. Also, I'd worry that a downvote system would be abused, as a way for a group of people to pick on someone they didn't like (especially someone they viewed as an outsider) by downvoting pretty much everything he said.
