Forums not what they used to be

[TheJBurger]

Reading this has reminded me of this thread which makes me miss Helm all the ever more.

Helm should come back, even if it's only for Christmas!

[ambientcoffeecup]

Reading this has reminded me of this thread which makes me miss Helm all the ever more.

Helm should come back, even if it's only for Christmas!

Hahaha... That guy sounds like a real stellar dude.

[Sylvr]

Where did he go anyway? Did he just vanish?

[DGMacphee]

Heya DG

Heya Andail

[lo_res_man]

DGMacphee: Didn't you used to have an eyepatch, or am I thinking of someone else who used to haunt these blue walls?

[MillsJROSS]

I think what we're missing is antics. It seemed like in ye old days there were plenty of people making joke threads and such. When the community got big it started to get too much. I think most of the people who were here were around the same age, and the same maturity level. Most of those people have grown through pivotal parts of their lives and have lost interest.

I don't think it's really up to the old ones to give this forum a sense of community. We've seen all the posts before, including this one several times, and it's hard to get re-interested in things already discussed. I also just plain don't have the desire to read as much from these forums as I used to. It's not so much a lack of interest, because I still read things fairly regularly, but it's a lack of time.

I also am not really interested in meeting new people. That doesn't mean I don't like to meet people, but there have been so many people that have come and gone that it's hard for me to remember who's who (of the newer members). Now when I read a persons post, I don't remember if I like what they generally have to say or not.

The only way to rekindle that sense of community is to go to Mittens events. I know I've only been to one, but I had a blast and really felt like I connected to my fellow mitteneers.

While I may occasionally feel that the forums have changed, I had the same feeling four or five years ago, too. I think it's more of our perception than anything. In your youth you tend to look up to people who've been around longer than you. When you've grown a little longer, your respect for them might be there, but now it's there as equals (Assuming you've matured nicely). Slowly you start noticing that the people that you came in with and those before are dwindling, and you don't have anyone to look up to. The new crowd seems to have their own clicks, and you just can't relate to them anymore. It's not that any of them aren't nice, it's just their in a different stage of life then you are.

There have of course been some changes. The amount of forum members now versus way back when. The average age group is probably higher. The amount of games is increased. The one thing that hasn't seemed to change, which I think does need to be updated, is our moderators. I think our moderators have done a fine job, but I'd like to see some newer blood. And I also still can't understand why c leks is still a moderator. I haven't heard from him in over three years, it seems.

But regardless of change or perception, I still come back here and browse around. I don't always post, I don't always read everything in a thread before I post (like now). However, almost everyday I make my way here, and in a couple years I'll be looking back fondly at these years. I don't think I'll ever leave the forums completely. I've spent a nice chunk of my life here, and while I don't tend to throw the word love around often, I love this community.

-MillsJROSS 

[deadsuperhero]

Maybe the forums would gain traffic if a little something got GPL'ed...
hmmm....



One can only hope.

[Nikolas]

Well we got plenty of new threads since yesterday, which worked fine! The forums seem much more alive now...

Excellent job SSH!

[SSH]

Able to leap tall buildings
Faster than a speeding haggis
Able to revitalise a forum with a single thread.... it's Super Scottish Hero!

[Timosity]

DGMacphee: Didn't you used to have an eyepatch, or am I thinking of someone else who used to haunt these blue walls?

That's Squinky


Anyone heard from Naranjas, he hasn't even logged in for over a year, hope he's still alive

[passer-by]

Anyway, let me repeat this question:
Would anyone have any objections with merging the Adventure-related Chat forum into the General forum due to its low post count, or should they remain separate?

I think it's better to keep it separate or it's going to get lost in the general threads and dry completely.

[Helm]

Reading this has reminded me of this thread which makes me miss Helm all the ever more.

Helm should come back, even if it's only for Christmas!

Hahaha... That guy sounds like a real stellar dude.

Hello, this thread was shown to me in a post-AGS irc channel where good people hang out. This in itself should probably tell you most of what you need to know on why the forums are degrading in quality, but here's some more words.

That thread was I think in response to something or another, not just out of the blue, and AGA is my friend, I don't want to keel him. I think I was making a point, ironically about the quality of threads on this forum and such. If I am to remembered for anyone contribution of mine to the forums I'd rather it not be the one (or any other 'whacky, lol!' thing I might have contributed to), as I've talked with many here about things that matter much more, and I hope I was not a negative influence for anyone. We've talked politics, philosophy, game design theory, and to this day I know of no other international forum that had so many bright, polite and willing users from all parts of the opinion spectrum participating in relatively civil manner. The adventure game nerds are good people generally.

Here's a breakdown of the situation that might be useful for you guys wondering what's happening to your forums: The reason I don't post here anymore is combinatorial. I was treated very unfairly by a number of users on the last thread I participated on and many of them were old guys (which I don't say as to denote awesomity to their tenure but to say that they have known who I was and how I ment what I said as they have had lived with me under the same e-roof for many years). This made it clear that there was an underlying resentment against me harboured by some people, probably because of my posting style and attitude, which is understandable I guess, I don't expect everyone to like me. But what happens when almost nobody interesting likes you anymore or considers you an asset to the forum? Don't forget, I, like many oldbies have been here many years and I talk to most interesting people I met and befriended from here on other places, IRC channels, msn and the like. Most of the people that post here now, I don't know. So when I talk to them and they're uninteresting, indifferent or hostile because they don't like how I write, then I begin thinking 'what am I taking from this place anymore?'. The answer was 'not much and nearing nothing' so I departed. I left here because of lack of appreciation. Community allegience will only take you so far, I have made other places of my internet my home in the last 7 years.

Most other people whose disappearance you're now lamenting because they were 'such characters' and 'sure made you laugh' were also people with simple social aspirations that wanted to be treated fairly and with respect, and they get that respect and friendship by the good people they've networked in private from here and elsewhere while they've been around. The general forum is a meet-and-greet point of people and once they move on to their blogs and msns and ircs it just doesn't get a lot of quality material pumped straight to it, it becomes more and more dependent on drivel nobody really cares about. Forums that have no purpose are dying. Pixelation (which I run) will constantly thrive because it's about a thing: pixel art and the betterment of it. The AGS parts of this forum will also thrive, and newbie tech questions will never dry up. But the gen gen is an outmodded concept, if your idea of it rests on that it will have interesting discussions about whichever thing with all these 'colorful characters' that will constantly entertain you with their 'antics'. If you look at gen gen and find it uninteresting, it is because you look at it like a tv channel that provides ever-new material for you to entertain yourselves. But it's not. It's a community of complex people that seek to fulfill their social needs and communicate on a pleasant level. These people, if they find it increasingly difficult to do this here (and the reasons are: grumpy old curmudgeons, oversaturation of the same discussions, influx of uninteresting people, downright ungratefulness and disrespect for people as people, not internet nicknames) they will go away, they will take what is good from here and put it on their msn and that's just fine.

I suggest you go to a different forum, meet new people, put them on your msn and fulfill your desires for meaningful communication that way. This will give you a fresh point of view of your good old trusty internet home here.

[Nacho]

Oh, Helm, that makes me sad... But well, I don' t want you to be in a place that is unpleasant for you, I love you too much (Yup, I love this guy).

Hope to go on chatting in msn or Irc if we coincide there, and seeing you in mittens.

***Hugs, my friend***

[ambientcoffeecup]

Just to clarify, I wasn't being sarcastic. I actually did find that post hilarious.

[Nacho]

EDIT: Haha! This post was suppossed to be in "Teacher insulting Islam or something" by Meowster. Never keep two windows with different threads opened, and go to eat before posting!

[Tuomas]

You amuse me. It's good. Me likey.

[SSH]

Hello, this thread was shown to me in a post-AGS irc channel where good people hang out. This in itself should probably tell you most of what you need to know on why the forums are degrading in quality

You mean it's degraded because a bunch of oldbies are snooty enough to have an elitist playground where n00bs and other undesirables (like inveterate acro players) are not invited?

[TheJBurger]

That thread was I think in response to something or another, not just out of the blue, and AGA is my friend, I don't want to keel him. I think I was making a point, ironically about the quality of threads on this forum and such. If I am to remembered for anyone contribution of mine to the forums I'd rather it not be the one (or any other 'whacky, lol!' thing I might have contributed to), as I've talked with many here about things that matter much more, and I hope I was not a negative influence for anyone.

Forgive me, I had no intention of doing any such thing. It was just one of many silly examples of threads created by "oldies" who seemed to no longer post here. I am aware of all your other posting attributes, and I respect every one. I was just sad to see you have departed from these forums since I have always enjoyed and respected your posts to a great degree, even when I don't agree with you (although I would never join in the conversation).

[LimpingFish]

Now I'm just sad. 

Everything that Helm has pointed out is more or less true.

Which is why I'm sad.

[MrColossal]

The main points of interest to me on this site are AGS Technical to see how AGS is developing, see how people are dealing with problems that I might have [or teaching me ways to think about problems that can help avoid them] Critic's lounge because I enjoy seeing people's art and sometimes feel that I can help, GiP and Completed Games for obvious reasons. This should be the main focus of the forum in my opinion.

I personally feel that, if anything, the sprite jams and animation challenges should go, anything that doesn't contribute towards making a game. MAGs, OROWs, code challenges, stuff like this goes towards the ultimate purpose of the forum. Yes, sprite jams are fun and all but it's a distraction. If you still want to make sprites but don't think you want to make a game... Really, that's what Pixelation is for. You'll get a ton more advice and exposure for your art on pixelation than anyone here can give you.

A long time ago when I first joined I made 2 flash movies called Digi-Helm and Digi-CJ. I started making a Digi-Rodekill and Helm said something along the lines of "Man, I'd rather see a game than in-jokes for the community..." and he was right. So I made my alien test game and then 6 Day Assassin after CommaToes started the hour game event. I made games and contributed to the community and made friends that way, not from having debates in gen gen about how man is like any other animal and the concept of self is not sacred [granted, it's tough to make friends with that world view!].

Gen gen can stick around and you can hang out and do whatever, but the rest of the forum may be served well by being refocused to the point of AGS the program. To use it and produce a game.

Get more people making games or at least spending more time critiquing/praising finished games than talking about general general stuff. In my slightly hypocritical opinion!