Rants, Forums, Lighthouse
By
0zymandous,
Posted on: 2006-12-13 19:34 in CoH and CoV General Discussions
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This place is not an open soapbox for anyone who wants to stand up and rant and bash the game or to talk about topics not on the game.
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Huzzah! Let this position be praised!
There is so much off-topic dreck to sort through, it makes it difficult to find useful information. I don't want to read rants on how your character was "nerfed". I don't want to read about your latest adventures with your buddies in the mall. I don't want to read about how awesome some anime/movie/CD/whatever was. I don't care about what you had for lunch, or who your favorite band is, or what you did last summer. And I sure as hell don't want to sort through some illegible aol-chat mess that gets defended as a "valid post", instead of being deleted like the junk it is.
I come to the CoX forums for CoX information. Anything to cut out the BS which tends to plague all official game forums is a very good thing, in my book! 
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Umm.. what? Without punctuation, I have no idea what the heck you're trying to say, xoxman. 
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thats why its just better to have him on ignore Misletoe. Your brain doesnt hurt so much. 
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Then we'll get the torches and pitchforks and head to Austin.
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The hiring post makes me think that he's in California, though.
I am confused.
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Dammit!
I always get Cryptic's HQ and NC's HQ confoozled...
So we'll appoint a navigator then head to... NC HQ!
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No, you're right. Cryptic's HQ is in California, and NCSoft's is in Austin.
Which leads me to the conclusion that Cryptic is taking over running the community portion of the business from NCSoft, if Lighthouse is a Cryptic employee, as that hiring post implies based on location. Or maybe just an NCSoft employee working at Cryptic's offices.
On Topic:
I like the way Lighthouse has been doing things on the moderation side. The rules have been here for ages, and I welcome a little tighter enforcement of them.
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No, you're right. Cryptic's HQ is in California, and NCSoft's is in Austin.
Which leads me to the conclusion that Cryptic is taking over running the community portion of the business from NCSoft, if Lighthouse is a Cryptic employee, as that hiring post implies based on location. Or maybe just an NCSoft employee working at Cryptic's offices.
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I could be wrong, but after poking around NC's website, I think it's pretty much that NC HQ is in Austin, and Cryptic is in California, and NC also has various branches, one of which is in California near Cryptic, and where Lighthouse (and any potential hirelings) resides.
As for the moderation style, I personally enjoy the tighter moderation, but I'm also aware that it's likely (as here) to cause friction and sparks. I'm just hoping that we'll all get through this without too much trauma.
Then again, I've also been surprised at how many forum posters, even the regulars, have never read the rules and guidelines. It's scary at times.
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Umm.. what? Without punctuation, I have no idea what the heck you're trying to say, xoxman.
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thats why its just better to have him on ignore Misletoe. Your brain doesnt hurt so much.
[/ QUOTE ] u son of a . . .
now i dont mind if lighthouse nerfs muads post
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Hi LadyExxotica,
Thanks for taking the time to post your feelings and concerns. I have also received feedback on this same topic since I started. This is home for a good number of people and they've let me know (and some of the Dev's too!) how they feel it is being handled. Some people have expressed they like the change of pace and felt that the forums had grown a bit unruly. Some others let me know they felt I was being overly prohibitive and stifling. I respect the fact that I'm the newcomer here and do my best to keep the feelings of our posters in mind.
I do lament that I don't have as much time as I'd like to just involve myself in discussions on the forums. Unfortunately, that means that a lot of times when I post into a thread, it is as you said, to address some concern with how the topic is progressing or to shut something down. So, that is to say, I can understand your feelings about my presence on the forums. It is something I'm aware of and working to address.
We do have good reason for the Message Forum Rules and Guidelines that govern conduct on these forums. This place is not an open soapbox for anyone who wants to stand up and rant and bash the game or to talk about topics not on the game. We have these forums to help players get the most out of the game and those rules are a good part of keeping that experience a positive one.
I welcome any input and feelings about how we run things around here. If you don't want to voice that here, please feel free to write me a private message.
Respectfully yours,
Lighthouse
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Lighthouse, I want to say thank you! I know you could have dealt very differently with my original post and I thank you for letting it run its course for a while.
I also sincerely appreciate you taking the time to acknowledge a few points I tried to raise. I really look forward to having you on the boards and as active as possible. You response, believe it or not, helped me see your point of view.
Glad we could talk this out! Let's go play!!
Personaly, I cant stand political correctness, dont bring that kind of crap into the game please, other community reps have done great without it, just go by the old motto, if you cant beat em, join em
My Lego Models http://www.flickr.com/photos/30369639@N07/ lemur lad: God you can't be that stupid... I'm on at the same time as you for once, and not 20 minutes into it you give me something worth petitioning?Lady-Dee: Hey my fat keeps me warm in the winter and shady in the summer.
It seems the mods have lightened up a little bit recently... or I have been posting a lot less.
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Unfortunately rules are rules. They have to be enforced.
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All of them? Even questionable ones, or questionable interpretations of them?
My scrapper doesn't need an AoE. She IS an AoE.
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Then we'll get the torches and pitchforks and head to Austin.
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I'm already here. I'll show you some great bars that we can all get liquored up in before the riots.
Be well, people of CoH.
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Then we'll get the torches and pitchforks and head to Austin.
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I'm already here. I'll show you some great bars that we can all get liquored up in before the riots.
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Alright! You just can't have a good riot without getting liquored up first.
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Alright! You just can't have a good riot without getting liquored up first.
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OK Now I'm in.
I think that, the mods are now stricter than they were a few months ago, during the 'Cupa Era' when post locking was a rather rare event (that's the way it seem to me).
Maybe they went back from that a little, I am not sure.
It's difficult and unfair to compare him to Cupa, she had been here for so long that her authority had become natural.
Anyway, in my book, Lighthouse do a good job. Under his reign, the forums are still a nice and pleasant place to be. And I am expecting him to get even better progressivelly, as he adjust to his own marks. This kinda things take time.
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Unfortunately rules are rules. They have to be enforced.
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All of them? Even questionable ones, or questionable interpretations of them?
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Since NCSoft owns the space, yeah.
Heroes
Dysmal
Lumynous
Sam Steele
Pluck
Wile
Slagheap
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Villains
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Saer Maen
Jen Corbae
Illuminance
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Taiga Dryad
Tarranos
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I do lament that I don't have as much time as I'd like to just involve myself in discussions on the forums.
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This seems odd to me. Isn't Lighthouse's primary task the supervision of the forums? I understand that the forums are quite large and fast-paced, but it seemed to me that he should have time to post something unofficial every now and then (ala Bridger). To be clear, I am not suggesting that Lighthouse is slacking, I'm just wondering what other responsibilities he has as "Community Relations Manager."
Then there are those of us who post incessantly no matter how much work we have. 
If I haven't been banned, then the mods aren't strict enough.
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It seems the mods have lightened up a little bit recently... or I have been posting a lot less.
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Who are you again? I kinda remember you, but its been a while...
<.<
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I have nuts! BIG ONES. Anyone want a walnut? <. .> Almond perhaps? Pistachios are nice too!)
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>_>
<_<
*whispers softly* I like hazelnuts. Have any of those handy?
Though it wasn't even a "rant", here's an example of what I consider completely over-the-top censorship from about 2 weeks ago.
A poster read an official announcment saying not to modify .pigg files, and was curious what that means. He was quite clear that he had no desire to do so, simply wanted to know what they were. I gave an answer about what the files are and how they're used - that's it. Not only did I not say anything about how to mess around with them, I listed several reasons why it's a bad idea. We were both quite conservative on the topic, the intent being to end the curiosity.
Nevertheless, within an hour, thread deleted.
That's not just wrong on principle, it's flat out foolish. Someone who was curious enough to ask, and didn't get an answer, would logically next go to a little-known service called "Google." Search for that term and by the time you've found out what they are, you already know how to dive into them, what can be gained by doing so, and where to find tools to assist you. That's better?
And that's just a specific request for information, not nearly as inflammatory as the gripes that have been getting locked and deleted lately.
Momentary rash or rude statements - these are good things to remove. They're the kinds of posts a reasonable person would feel regret about later anyway. Anything deeper than that however, and deleting it from this forum isn't quashing the discussion, it's just chasing it to an outlet where you have no control.
If I want to complain about the game, and I do so here, even if I'm not initially constructive it can lead to something when written in a place Devs can see it. And worst case, it's only being read by people who already play and care about the game. However, if you were to chase me off, I could just as easily go to another forum you don't control. One with potential players who haven't experienced the game. In fact, the first place that comes to mind is one where Cryptic has actively tried to partner up for recruiting customers.
Who is better served by chasing the complainant there? Not you, not them, and not the other players of this game whether we agreed with the rant or not. Websites and dedicated fan bases have changed the nature of things somewhat, but a basic business truism remains: people who are unhappy with a product usually tell their friends. They don't often tell the producer.
Don't chase the feedback away, even if it's not that well stated. Moderate it. Parse it. But embrace it.
I don't think there are any shortage of threads that tell the devs what is wrong with CoH/V.
It was gone because it was about pigg files, period. Second post. That thread is stickied, it's there for anyone to read.
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I know some people might not understand >< but for me - Knowing *why* a thread was shutdown is invaluable. It feels... well more respectful. I know technically we as posters aren't entitled to a whole lot of that if we break the rules - but it feels better to not just have your post vanish into the void. A locked thread is still dead - and it lets you see what you need to avoid.
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I had a couple of posts "vanish into the void" on me. It really surprised me as I didn't consider the opinions expressed offensive, passionate, but not offensive. Not knowing for sure whether my posts were moderated into oblivion or if some quirk of the Intarweb had made them disappear was irksome. This gives nothing to learn from as you've said.
That being said, the Forums are still here and going strong, the game is still fun, and Lighthouse (and the other moderators) are doing a tough job with sufficient force to keep us retrobates in order.
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Lighthouse seems an okay sort...always very kind when responding to my PMs about this very thing. Personally, I enjoy a bit of chaos in a forum. Flames can be fairly entertaining...and the information is still always there, you just have to look for it. I always figure trolls need a little food now and then...and sometimes it's funny to watch them eat.
That said, it's CoX's forum and Lighthouse is in charge of it. They can pretty much arbitrarily ban any person or post that they like. Do I think it gets a little silly and PC at times? Sure...but if it bothered me enough to create a thread like this, I'd probably be seriously thinking about stepping back from the forums anyway. I don't see it changing.
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I'd disagree a bit to go the other extreme. Personally, I don't see enough going on. Or, rather too much of one side getting the 'thread trim' while other things just get ignored. Using your example, calling someone a 'butthead' gets a thread locked or trimmed. That really doesn't bother me too much, as it is NCSoft's message forum, and thus their rules. However, on the other side of the coin, there are some users who just spam threads with the same stupid, mindless, drivel, and they're pretty much left alone. They treat decent threads as 'Forum Games' and are allowed to degenerate threads into nothingness.
Personally, I'd like to see the patented Lighthouse Thread Weedwacker get taken to more of the latter.
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Hey <;_;> I RESEMBLE THAT!
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