Darth Sun_Tzu Posted March 2, 2005 Posted March 2, 2005 Throwing a fanbase out is a great way to lose a fanbase though. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Agree with you the council does. Another great idea by the people who brought you beer milkshakes! "I don't see a problem...then again, SW isn't my life, so what do I know...." - some who makes 27.8 post per day on a SW forum!
213374U Posted March 2, 2005 Posted March 2, 2005 I don't see why they "need" a community manager. Because those are corporate forums after all. They might not be held responsible for what is posted here, but still, it affects their image. I don't like it, but I understand it. All good things... - When he is best, he is a little worse than a man, and when he is worst, he is little better than a beast.
Kaftan Barlast Posted March 2, 2005 Posted March 2, 2005 The only real reason for closing this forum is the supposed lack of a fulltime OE admin. Thing is, this forum does not need a fulltime OE admin to function. We may need more moderators to help weed out the spamflow from the newcomers but thats it, and it could be accomplished by the usual procedure of selecting moderator among us. I volunteered before there was any talk of closure. That being said, I must draw the conclusion that there are other reasons for the closure. DISCLAIMER: Do not take what I write seriously unless it is clearly and in no uncertain terms, declared by me to be meant in a serious and non-humoristic manner. If there is no clear indication, asume the post is written in jest. This notification is meant very seriously and its purpouse is to avoid misunderstandings and the consequences thereof. Furthermore; I can not be held accountable for anything I write on these forums since the idea of taking serious responsability for my unserious actions, is an oxymoron in itself. Important: as the following sentence contains many naughty words I warn you not to read it under any circumstances; botty, knickers, wee, erogenous zone, psychiatrist, clitoris, stockings, bosom, poetry reading, dentist, fellatio and the department of agriculture. "I suppose outright stupidity and complete lack of taste could also be considered points of view. "
B5C Posted March 2, 2005 Posted March 2, 2005 I don't see why they "need" a community manager. Because those are corporate forums after all. They might not be held responsible for what is posted here, but still, it affects their image. I don't like it, but I understand it. All good things... <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Thats the moderator's job.
Darque Posted March 2, 2005 Posted March 2, 2005 I don't see why they "need" a community manager. Because those are corporate forums after all. They might not be held responsible for what is posted here, but still, it affects their image. I don't like it, but I understand it. All good things... <{POST_SNAPBACK}> That's an excellent point. And what image DOES it project when they create a fanbase/community and then destroy it?
Bulgaroctonus Posted March 2, 2005 Posted March 2, 2005 Yeah, in all honesty I was waiting for somebody to say that Obsidian was getting sick of all the bashing done by many of the people on this board, and also by people who have signed the petition. Unfortunate, but doesn't come as a surprise to me.
Guest Damar Stiehl Posted March 2, 2005 Posted March 2, 2005 IMO the decision to close the forums until (and if) a paid community manager is wise. The easy alternative would be to pick a popular poster/posters and make them moderators. Now THAT's opening a whole new can of worms. At the very least, Obsidian acknowledges that they don't want to just pretend that the community is not there. They acknowledge that they aren't currently properly equipped to interact with the community, but may become in the future. I salute the decision. I'd rather see these forums shut down than see a few favourites elevated to an "elite status" as unpaid community liaisons.
Zilod Posted March 2, 2005 Posted March 2, 2005 bah i don't see many posts with this game is crap, obsidian is crap and so on... there are some, generally childish ones... there are posts that point to cut content or to the bugs (few for my experiance), but most of the time these post seem to be made by people who enjoyed the game and just wanted it to be better. Most of the post i see are the ones who try to discuss of the game, to understand the story, the characters or simply some mechanic. If the forum is going to be closed i think that it will impact mostly these people that like to confront with other players because they like the game and want to have a better understanding of it. Also i don't see nothing strange if devs don't post too much and i don't think they should give any reason for that. I'm more happy if a dev use his time to work on a patch or even to another game that to reply to all the whining childs that stalk them with PMs. I hope that Obsidian will reconsider this decision, looking more to the constructive discussions than to few whiners that are around.
213374U Posted March 2, 2005 Posted March 2, 2005 And what image DOES it project when they create a fanbase/community and then destroy it? Come now. Shutting down these boards isn't going to destroy the community, and you know that. They wouldn't be the first developer boards closed. People will just go elsewhere. Drama is the word here, people. - When he is best, he is a little worse than a man, and when he is worst, he is little better than a beast.
Darque Posted March 2, 2005 Posted March 2, 2005 And what image DOES it project when they create a fanbase/community and then destroy it? Come now. Shutting down these boards isn't going to destroy the community, and you know that. They wouldn't be the first developer boards closed. People will just go elsewhere. Drama is the word here, people. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Obviously you don't understand how this "community" thing works. If this place is closed down people will go elsewhere, and most likely stay there even if they reopened this one. The only ones who will return are the ones who just want to bitch. I've seen it before...
213374U Posted March 2, 2005 Posted March 2, 2005 If this place is closed down people will go elsewhere, and most likely stay there even if they reopened this one. And therefore the community would just flourish elsewhere. Thanks for proving my point. - When he is best, he is a little worse than a man, and when he is worst, he is little better than a beast.
Guest Damar Stiehl Posted March 2, 2005 Posted March 2, 2005 The only ones who will return are the ones who just want to bitch. But isn't that what message boards are for?
Darque Posted March 2, 2005 Posted March 2, 2005 If this place is closed down people will go elsewhere, and most likely stay there even if they reopened this one. And therefore the community would just flourish elsewhere. Thanks for proving my point. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I haven't proved your point in any way, shape or form. You're under the assumption that the "community" will stick together. That is most likely not the case.
B5C Posted March 2, 2005 Posted March 2, 2005 Let see if Social Darwinism is working here. There is a company called "Golem Labs" based somewhere in Quebec. They created "SuperPower" & "SuperPower 2." The games were great idea, but they had their problems. Mainly LOTS OF BUGS. They had bad reviews and such. Why are they still open? After 5 years of bad games? Thats because they keep their fan community. They love their fans. SInce they know that the fans are the source of their pay checks. If you keep the fans happy and you will live. What obisidian is doing is doing nothing. To me it looks like Obsidian is a puppet of Bioware. If Obsidian tried to keep the NWN2 forums here. Then Fargus would never had to make theis annoucement. Because from what it looks like. If they do get to make KOTOR III. The forums would be probaly be in Bioware or in LucasArts forum.
thepixiesrock Posted March 2, 2005 Posted March 2, 2005 I wish they wouldn't close it down. I have been here close to 10 months and have gotten to know the people here and all their silly antics... Lou Gutman, P.I.- It's like I'm not even trying anymore!http://theatomicdanger.iforumer.com/index....theatomicdangerOne billion b-balls dribbling simultaneously throughout the galaxy. One trillion b-balls being slam dunked through a hoop throughout the galaxy. I can feel every single b-ball that has ever existed at my fingertips. I can feel their collective knowledge channeling through my viens. Every jumpshot, every rebound and three-pointer, every layup, dunk, and free throw. I am there.
Master Dahvernas Posted March 2, 2005 Posted March 2, 2005 It clearly states that OE is considering hiring a CM (Community Manager) and I think it would be the best thing any game company does IF the right person(s) are chosen and it is a PAID position (that gives the chosen person a real incentive to do their job). A CM should not only have a lot of internet, e-mail and gaming experience (obivously), but they also have to demonstrate that they can straddle the line between corporate responsibility (keeping order; promoting company PR and policies; etc.) and fanboi/fangurl because often times those two things are in direct conflict. It would be a Public Relations position most likely. For example, I was offered a position at one of the UBISoft Forums... But declined because I just could not, in good conscience, promote the (then) current treatment of the long standing fanbase for a certain game that was being completely disrespected and left in the dark with no words on patches and what amounted to very condescending and insulting "interaction" and treatment between the fans and the developers when the devs did post (which was very rarely). Someone else got the job eventyually... But they made the situation worse and actually widened the gap between the developers and the fans and as a result, the community for the game has a bad taste left in their mouth, does not trust UBISoft anymore, and swears they will not buy the next game in the series that is going to be released shortly... And all of that could have been avoided if they had just picked the right person for the job is my main point. To use a KOTOR metaphor... They picked HK-47 when T3-M4 would have been a better choice in mediating between the fanbase and the company. And that doesn't mean "T3" just has to roll over and be a corporate "meatbag" either since we all know T3 can actually be pretty resourceful when the chips are down. What I am trying to get at is the CM would (should) be able to balance their love of games and wanting to get paid every two weeks to find a way to where those often conflicting elements can co-exist peacefully given the realities of the pc games industry.
Darque Posted March 2, 2005 Posted March 2, 2005 I wish they wouldn't close it down. I have been here close to 10 months and have gotten to know the people here and all their silly antics... <{POST_SNAPBACK}> ^ an excellent example of the fact there is a community "here". Closing the forums would be a horrible act.
deganawida Posted March 2, 2005 Posted March 2, 2005 For the record, I enjoyed the hell out of KotOR2, as I've stated elsewhere. Even though I had some problems with some decisions, I love the game. In fact, even though I couldn't afford to buy it, I rented it for a solid month, and beat it 5 times during that month. It was a blast, and I have very high hopes that, given a time, OE can surpass the greatness of its predecessor. Further, as I stated in my other thread, I have come to really feel comfortable at this board, so much so that I am reminded of the old BIS forums (back when people still had the "Revered Defender of the Isles" titles and whatnot, which, being a rather infrequent poster and frequent lurker, I never got). For those who don't understand why it is important to OE to interact with their fans on their forums, that was the way it was when BIS was around. The ex-BISers were often on the forums, explaining their desires, wishes, and design decisions, and conversing with forum-goers about things that might not have anything to do with their games, but which they were really interested in. In other words, they were the most accessible developers that I have ever encountered (with the possible exception of Bioware back in the day; Dave Gaider was often up for a good conversation/debate when the two were business partners), and it seems that all of the employees of Obsidian Entertainment have desired to uphold this fine tradition. I, for one, have always been grateful for that openness, that friendliness, and would sorely miss it if it were to disappear forever.
B5C Posted March 2, 2005 Posted March 2, 2005 They picked HK-47 when T3-M4 would have been a better choice in mediating between the fanbase and the company.<{POST_SNAPBACK}> Sorry but HK is more entertianing and more usefull than T3. :D
Bokishi Posted March 2, 2005 Posted March 2, 2005 Please don't close it down, I have too much fond memories of this place. Current 3DMark
213374U Posted March 2, 2005 Posted March 2, 2005 You're under the assumption that the "community" will stick together. That is most likely not the case. No, if by community you understand the same user database these boards have right now, then obviously the community will not stick together. However, if we follow your reasoning, any single user that left the community at a given moment would be disrupting the community, since the membership has changed. That, as you can see, is absurd. There's more to the fanbase than just a single forum. If Obsidian tried to keep the NWN2 forums here. Then Fargus would never had to make theis annoucement. Because from what it looks like. If they do get to make KOTOR III. The forums would be probaly be in Bioware or in LucasArts forum. Does social darwinism consist in a weird usage of punctuation marks? - When he is best, he is a little worse than a man, and when he is worst, he is little better than a beast.
B5C Posted March 2, 2005 Posted March 2, 2005 Does social darwinism consist in a weird usage of punctuation marks? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Maybe Darwinism is still a theory.
Master Dahvernas Posted March 2, 2005 Posted March 2, 2005 They picked HK-47 when T3-M4 would have been a better choice in mediating between the fanbase and the company.<{POST_SNAPBACK}> Sorry but HK is more entertianing and more usefull than T3. :D <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Not in this real life instance, however. Like I said... The CM has to be tough... But they also can't just completely ignore the fanbase to promote the corporations agenda(s) which is why I used HK-47 as an example because that is exactly how this situtaion turned out. Instead of getting to the real causes of the problems and trying to find common groud, "HK" just fired up his blaster and completely destroyed any real hope of bringing the two "sides" together just to get his paycheck and it didn't have to happen that way (Also, the real reason is the person they did hire was immature; this was their first full-time job right out of college and I knew then it wasn't going to work out; This position needs the Wisdom of Yoda and the hand of Mace Windu to be effective if you catch my drift?)
213374U Posted March 2, 2005 Posted March 2, 2005 213374U You just don't get it. Oh. So when I use your own logic against you, you resort to condescending remarks. Yes, that's indeed a great way of proving your point. Way to go! - When he is best, he is a little worse than a man, and when he is worst, he is little better than a beast.
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