Being shy or quiet or starting off with low investment does not make one an idiot. The idea that the lack of likes/dislikes acts as a bulwark against the inept/trolls (or is only of interest to them) seems baseless to me.Lord Brutus said:Like-dislike is a crutch for these folks and should not be encouraged.
If we do get to the other end of the spectrum (which is a bit of a luxury problem to consider at this point), there are a number of options to deal with it - many of which are well documented in works like Buzzing Communities, Art of Community or Community Building on the Web. A lack of familiarity is typically addressed by building subcommunities - which can't just be done by boards and childboards but by providing public and private user-owned spaces. But we will get to that matter if and when the forums can support it. Spreading activity is not what we want to do at this point A lack of sense of community is a more complex challenge but can be addressed as well. A shared narrative or awareness and understanding of major events, the recognition of shared needs and emotions, shared experiences, the feeling of being able to have an impact on the community, etc. all play a role in this. These are things we are discussing.BIGGER Kentucky James XXL said:Lower entry barrier probably isn't a necessarily good or bad thing for overall post quality, and having a larger userbase leads to the kinds of problems you get on huge forums where nobody knows anybody and it's easier for people to insult each other because there's no sense of community.
And no final decision on this matter has been made. It just comes with XF by default but can be disabled as far as I can tell.BIGGER Kentucky James XXL said:I don't think a lower entry barrier outweighs the problems an upvote system is going to cause.
So far we have not integrated any stackoverflow-esque question popularity/sorting system. And tbh it is probably too complex for the payoff it may provide - at least in terms of it being a high priority feature to be added. The consideration of a Q&A "best answer" selection was specifically made at the request of some community members that would prefer a board rather than a sticky for quick questions and answers. The forge will likely remain as it is, though we may allow users to post any questions that they have to said board if we get tags and tag filters sorted out to a satisfactory degree. You may or may not be right in terms of "finding the answer" utility (though do keep in mind that you are speaking from the perspective of an expert), but, personally, I do think being able to acknowledge and reward people that regularly give (good) answers is desirable. Since only the OP and moderation can currently assign that status to a post, it is also less prone to foul play.BIGGER Kentucky James XXL said:I also take issue with upvotes being used in a stackoverflow context too: Even in the Q&A thread, the correct answer usually presents itself immediately or not at all. Any complications are resolved in the replies. The modding board isn't active enough in my eyes for this to be necessary, and I can't see that changing with bannerlord. I can see it being useful for bug reports but not much outside that.
The steam player count has actually also been pretty stable (both are public stats btw) and other platforms have managed to retain their activity to a greater degree (at least from an outside perspective). I don't believe there is any harm in trying to support the forums. I also have no illusions about getting back to golden age levels prior to Bannerlord, but it may well make a difference in the rate of decline or the ability to achieve a stable user/activity level. Lastly, we stand the best chance if it is a team effort. I.e. I am more than happy to listen to concerns but I am also hoping for suggestions and initiative (offtopic sense of community, for instance, may benefit from reviving some of the contests or getting involved with some of the forum games or just doing a couple open game sessions, etc) https://steamcharts.com/app/48700#All https://forums.taleworlds.com/index.php?action=statsBut the thing is, I can't shake the doubt that at this point, you're not going to get that many new people registering here until Bannerlord comes out. I'm guessing Warband is probably still what draws the majority of newcomers to this forum, but Warband is 9 years old. I know mods and multiplayer can keep a game going for years, and WB has had plenty of both, but eventually there's bound to be a slump as veteran players move on and fewer people who haven't played WB before are interested in a 9 year-old game. I guess what I'm saying is, I can't see much point in lowering the entrance barrier now, if there aren't many people waiting behind the barrier who will be drawn in by the changes. You need something to draw people here, and that will happen once Bannerlord comes out.
The moderators who actively clean up the mess are and will continue to be deeply involved in this process. Members, and community elders in particular, are also very much invited to share their thoughts in the public discussion but I see no reason to obfuscate that a simple "keep the idiots out" will have little effect on my opinion.I don't think that reads like elitism, I think that reads like the words of a former moderator who knows what it's like to clean the **** up when the trolls and idiots and guys who create 40 dupe accounts come knocking. And I respect that opinion, because ultimately it's the moderators who are responsible for the day-to-day managing of the forum, so any changes TW makes to the forum may affect them quite a bit.
fudachet said:What if you just don't downvote but just add like button instead
Anyways, off to bed for now