My opinion

[Juniper Onyx]

Wow.....

I have been goe a few days and the OT boards are looking the worst I have ever seen them. The animosity has even spread to other boards.

Wow.....

Personally, I have always enjoyed the forums better than IG. IG is usually about skills and items, with only short breaks to RP with whoever's around.......but the forums....

Those have been RP for longer, and in my opinion, better lengths of time. You could RP anything there 'without' skills such as a Pirate with a ship, or a 'princess of thieves' starting a guild, etc. I really enjoy this aspect.

However......

If half of the discontent of the players toward the Mods is true, it bodes ill for the forums. I see it getting progressively worse. I, myself, recieved a yellow dot for a point of 'enlightened' toilet humor (which was on-topic BTW), and I emailed the Mod about it. I was simply told that "It will not be discussed". I promptly replied with my age, experience and disatisfaction to no avail. I thought it extreme, but wore the dot as a "badge of honor".

His unwillingness to discuss the issue made me feel like it was players vs. the staff. That wasn't right. It shouldn't be.

It's a Game, but we are all in this together. I try what I can to help the game along, but must confess I have had very little contact with staff out of choice. However, my little world of the forums is coming to an end. I feel like the staff are enforcing their will, unreasonably sometimes' upon the forums.

At this point, the forums are no longer fun. I have to watch what I say...what I think....who I insult....How violent my characters are......where's the fun of that? It's not even 'virtual' reality anymore.

In my opinion, it's time for me to take my leave of these forums. I shall be closing the "Ronagan's Renegades Guild", dropping the "Pirate Story"in RPG, and lessening 'Dusty's' presence here. I may even delete a few characters.

It's just my opinion, but how else can I express my disatisfaction, and fear, that the 'staff' seem to instill among some very good players, now gone. It's just sad.

I'm too old for this kind of *Woops*.

PO Dusty Bottoms, "Princess of Thieves, Henry Morgenstern...etc.

[Gro'bul]

players

Last time I checked Japheth, Hermie, Fooser, Pocal, Asesino, Aristeaus, Arameh, Retlak, Cain Freemont, returner, and bei don't even play this game any longer but I could be wrong.

I think people just need to settle down, then take an objective point of view, and know that something is certainly going on to "solve" this.

[AlexRose]

players

Last time I checked Japheth, Hermie, Fooser, Pocal, Asesino, Aristeaus, Arameh, Retlak, Cain Freemont, returner, and bei don't even play this game any longer but I could be wrong.

I think people just need to settle down, then take an objective point of view, and know that something is certainly going on to "solve" this.

Nope, Asesino plays.

[Aegohl]

Returner played as well. Or, at the very least, he got angry whenever anyone implied that he didn't, and usually had some idea of what was going on ingame.

As for the rest of them, most of them were player-helpers, former GM's, old school players who have an honest interest in watching the game grow. Careful who's opinion you discount so quickly. =)

Frankly, Bei and Hermie are a source of humor that this board actually needs. We lost intelligent debate years ago with the leaving of players like Caranthir and Mishrack. At the very least, a joke thread from Bei is a cheerful reminder that at least some good things remain the same in off-topic. =)

And what about Fooser? Most communities would reward players who have been as dedicated as him. He's been around forevor, never takes breaks, even logged in daily when he was put in prison for three months. He rarely complains. Most of the people from his generation of players have gotten fed up and left long ago and yet he remains playing just as he always has. The only person I could see having as much time logged ingame as him is maybe Patric. Are these the sorts of players we want to see banished over one day's flames?

[Damien]

The dot handling was a too strict reaction to a problem on the OT-Board. As you can see, the Dots have been deactivated. Read the "Hello World" topic please

[Aegohl]

Not only did I read it but I was talking to Martin last night and figured it was happening ahead of time. That doesn't mean we don't need to discuss the future of moderation here at Illarion as it relates to the past.

That is to say, we know where we are, but where do we go from here?

[Damien]

A good point !

There are always several ways to go.
But to know where to go, we must first know where we have been :
1. We have seen that the tone on the OT dropped deep, concerning insults, flaming and bad atmosphere as well as unfair/provocative comments.
2. We have seen that the OT rules / moderation have been overdone as a reaction to this, which happened also unfair or at least in a much too strict way, and as impolite as the cause of this development.
3. We have seen even more flaming and unfairness, resulting in even more dots.

There we see where we have been, and where we obviously don't want to go. If we arrive at 1. again, it's kinda likely that the OT board gets deleted in the long run, which would also be a loss for the community related topics and fun topics there.

[Aegohl]

I don't catch your logic there.

If everyone hated off-topic and no one, as a result, used it, then it would make sense to get rid of off-topic; it would simply be a waste of server space.

However, even big time pay games realize the importance of building a community around a game, and not just providing the game and the tools to make it function (such as the on-topic boards).

I think the solution would rather be as Lianis and I've said elsewhere: if you don't like it, don't use it.

Of course, I'm of the belief that the harder you moderate the board the harder the board will be on moderators. Prove me wrong. When Martin was the sole moderator of that board it was heavenly. =)

[Damien]

True ! But we also had fewer rules then.

My point up there was mainly : We have to avoid what was done wrong, also the situation that did lead to the overmoderation actually. We're a community - that's dammn right ! *g* And as such we must take a little bit regard and all treat each another with a little bit respect.
Else we would have to seperate the off-topic into the actual "friendly" off-topic and another, new "bitch here !" board

[Gro'bul]

Are these the sorts of players we want to see banished over one day's flames?

Not at all. They got a few days "time out" over it, not permabanned. My point was, this is a forum for a game, why hang around a forum for a game you don't play? Its not like you cannot communicate with players outside of the game. e.g.Quinasa, does not visit the forums since she quit.

[The Returner]

The last time I played was Tuesday night, with Jorokar, Tann and several others. And before that, the night before

I have been taking some personal time since then

I have been active for the past six years, minus a five month ban which I tried every month to come back from.

I am personally very sick of the accusation I don't play, just because you don't know my characters gives you no right to assume who plays and who doesen't. So stop. This is something I would regard as a flame and a personal attack. It makes no sense for someone to be on a forum of a game they have no interest in, and alot of those people you mentioned are very busy outside of illarion or are waiting for specific goals to be met for they can come back into the game.

[Karl]

Turny DOES play.

Anyhow, Dusty, if you consider IG as 'a place to get skills and <streaks of roleplays from time to time>', then there's something wrong, really...

[Alytys Lamar]

Turny DOES play.

Anyhow, Dusty, if you consider IG as 'a place to get skills and <streaks of roleplays from time to time>', then there's something wrong, really...

Aristeaus play's too... and I signed Karl's Post

[Fooser]

Not fully true anymore Aeghol, I mostly play for a few weeks, then don't for a weeks, then back and forth. But if there's anything important to be said I guess I should wait for the active week to come up, since if you don't log in that much, you turn into a cave man who has no idea about anything, whether it's related to actual IG happenings or something unrealted.

[Japheth]

Japheth, Hermie, Fooser, Pocal, Asesino, Aristeaus, Arameh, Retlak, Cain Freemont, returner, and bei

I've probably only played once or twice this year, but intend to return, for the summer at least, after my exams.

Seriously though, Gro'bul, I think there's a better way of making an attempt at discrediting our arguments by intimating that we no longer play. Chin up though, eh?

[Gro'bul]

I wasn't trying to discredit your arguments, but refocusing the fact that this forum is about the game. I don't see any reason why people who are not a part of a game would hang around its forums instead of a place like myspace, which is designed for such things. I just seems to me that these people are making the "off topic" their own personal playground, and the persons being disciplined and have argued the most, don't play much if at all.

[Juniper Onyx]

I don't see any reason why people who are not a part of a game would hang around its forums instead of a place like myspace, which is designed for such things. I just seems to me that these people are making the "off topic" their own personal playground, and the persons being disciplined and have argued the most, don't play much if at all.

Gro'bul,

I propose the exact opposite with my post here. "Boycott"

I am 'boycotting' the forums, pullin' out, Sianara, Adios, wiedersehen and etc. until such time as both the 'Mods' and the 'players' start to act like adults and focus on RP again.

I'll still be IG, but I'll only respond to doves.

Currently, I just see the Forums as too dangerous a place to stay right now. I don't want to be banned for something stupid like 'posting' publically available pictures.

I don't give a rip about the dots. Honestly it was working, it's just that "Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely", and I don't believe the current Mods (with a few exceptions) have either the maturity or "People Skills" to be able to handle that kind of power.

The resentment that is brewing among the players is distasteful and not fun at all. I'm getting out of the forums before it gets really bad.

For now on, just PM me. Maybe we'll meet IG. Maybe not.

We'll see.

[The Returner]

I wasn't trying to discredit your arguments, but refocusing the fact that this forum is about the game. I don't see any reason why people who are not a part of a game would hang around its forums instead of a place like myspace, which is designed for such things. I just seems to me that these people are making the "off topic" their own personal playground, and the persons being disciplined and have argued the most, don't play much if at all.

Again, alot of people will come back to this game if things are met or their lives allow it. Some of them come to voice this, and its things like these that make them second guess their descision to come checking in.

Veteran players are valuable in any community, What would we do without some of the active veterans we have around here helping and contributing to this game? It would suck woulden't it?

[Gro'bul]

Sure, but if they get off their nut I don't think a 3 day time out from an internet forum is over the top.

[Llama]

I wasn't trying to discredit your arguments, but refocusing the fact that this forum is about the game. I don't see any reason why people who are not a part of a game would hang around its forums instead of a place like myspace, which is designed for such things. I just seems to me that these people are making the "off topic" their own personal playground, and the persons being disciplined and have argued the most, don't play much if at all.

They were, or are a valuable part of the community.

I don't play much as it is, I used to play a lot before, logging in for hours.

Some day I'll start doing that again, its just.. a cycle.

[Keikan Hiru]

I don't believe the current Mods (with a few exceptions) have either the maturity or "People Skills" to be able to handle that kind of power.

Fortunately Mods can learn a grow with thier duties, "The Players" (as whole) can not.