Proposal for Community Forum

Here you can make and discuss suggestions to improve the game. / Hier kannst du Vorschläge einreichen und diskutieren um das Spiel zu verbessern.

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Achae Eanstray
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Proposal for Community Forum

Post by Achae Eanstray »

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Rules are important to create a good roleplay atmosphere, but no rules can describe how players should behave towards one another. This code of conduct forms a set of guidelines to show the kind of game climate and culture we would like to create in Illarion, where players are respectful, considerate and lenient with one another.
http://illarion.org/illarion/us_rules.php
In order to facilitate these guidelines and to encourage new players to be a part of this group the game requires something more then the irc that is only helpful as long as you are there and that is not conducive to "getting to know you" posts.

The Community Forum can add this niche to the game that is now missing by celebrating birthdays showing a picture of a new pet, art work, possibly a funny picture, other posts that people use in order to better understand the community. The forum will be nothing game related, no critical post of any political/religious/racist following game rules strictly.
:

The Plan

As far as a proposal itself, it is possible these rules and guidelines can be posted and stickied.. the same as on the homepage to remind some of game rules.

Suggested Rules and Guidelines
Welcome to the Community Forum. Here you are welcomed to discuss all things Non-Illarion. This section of the forums is meant to be fairly casual and not as serious as the rest of the forums. Feel free to share and discuss outside interests here and get to know the other members of the community. Civilized conversation and friendly debate are welcomed here. However, that does not mean anything goes, and you should read the rules before posting.

Forum Rules:
1) Treat ALL forum members with respect
2) Do not post about controversial, mature, and/or illegal content.
3) Do not post inappropriate or offensive material, or use profane language
4) Do not spam or intentional double post.
5) Do not flame, troll, or bait another player into confrontation.
6) Harassment, threats, and insults towards other players will not be tolerated. These include, but are not limited to, racist and sexist comments.
7) Do not use the forum as your personal rant against something happening in game, the forum, or irc. You are welcome to send a PM to the appropriate staff.


Breaking rules

What if I break the rules?

Moderators reserve the right to edit and delete posts that are deemed against the rules. If a post has been moderated, users are not permitted to edit the moderators message within the post.

If you break the rules you will receive a warning from forum moderators.

Should you proceed to break any of the rules again, you will be temporarily banned from posting on the forum. Depending on the infraction, this may be 48 hours or less, 1 week, or 2 weeks.

If you continue to break rules after multiple warnings and temporary bans, you will then receive a permanent ban from the forums.


All decisions made by moderators in regards to moderation (editing and deleting), thread locking, user warnings, temporary and permanent bans are final. However, should you disagree with a decision, or have criticism or suggestions, you are welcomed to voice them, so long as they are directed to the moderators via PM only.

Summary


There is a need for this forum, this Community Forum.. It is a form of non-game communication that is desired to create this good roleplay atmosphere that is needed even more due to the mix of languages we have. Let's work together to develop this closeness of players that Illarion deserves.. leave an option for non-game related posts.


(This was shared by some players in irc.. if have anything else you wish to add it is welcome. A German translation or summary would also be very welcome!)
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Charlotte-ate-wilbur
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Re: Proposal for Community Forum

Post by Charlotte-ate-wilbur »

Just out of curiosity, why?

I mean if people want to associate with each other the forum and irc is great the way it is. Adding something like this adds an out of character element to interaction which seems to be contradictory of the rules by nature. It just feels weird to post your non-illa related things in the illa related forum page instead of Facebook or whatever.

Just my two cents, I find I just like to play the game instead of seeing posts about players rl opinions or worries. Not bashing anyone who does mind, I can just as easily avoid the forum.
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Katharina Brightrim
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Re: Proposal for Community Forum

Post by Katharina Brightrim »

Charlotte-ate-wilbur wrote:Just out of curiosity, why?
Socialising? I mean, we all spend time in a game/hobby we share, why not socialising at the same time? And where's the difference whether you write in an "Off-Topic" aka Community Forum or on Facebook? Do you mix up IC and OOC- stuff faster when they are written in an extra forum? Plus if you write on (your example) Facebook you would have to share your whole infos like first- and familyname, location, place you work in, friends, whatever.
So I think Facebook would be much more personal than a community-forum.
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Lia
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Re: Proposal for Community Forum

Post by Lia »

I am not sure if I understand correctly.

But I think an ooc or synmmunity board is unimportant.

We have pns, we have the irc and we have Teamspeak. That's enough to communicate with each other. ( and steam , skype and lot of other messenger things.)

We saw how the last off topic ended. Whether new rules change something, I dare to doubt.
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Re: Proposal for Community Forum

Post by Brightrim »

I'd love to have a community forum again. Allowing us to communicate with the rest of the community that isn't in our timezones and what not.
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S'rrt
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Re: Proposal for Community Forum

Post by S'rrt »

I'd like the community forum back with:
- a lower tolerance for improper behavior
- sensible ways of dealing with the improper behavior

I thought getting rid of an ENTIRE sub-forum because of one topic was not sensible.

I disagree with any notions that the IRC and TeamSpeak are enough; these are tools mainly used for metagaming, rather than socializing within the community. Just my opinion though.
Last edited by S'rrt on Sat Nov 18, 2017 3:46 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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Dantagon Marescot
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Re: Proposal for Community Forum

Post by Dantagon Marescot »

Lia wrote:We saw how the last off topic ended. Whether new rules change something, I dare to doubt.
They actually aren't new rules. They are essentially the same rules that we have on the website. They are just spelled out a little bit more clearly for people. Also, punishments for rule infractions are clearly written.

I don't think the IRC is enough. Half the time no one speaks on there. And from my understanding everyone on TS speaks German, so why would I, as an English speaker, want to go on there? Quite frankly I felt more connected to the community when we all used MSN and had OT. We were closer as a player base. This may be less so of an issue in the German playing community because you have biyearly get togethers, which do not get me wrong, is fantastic. But the next closest American player to me is 3 hours away by car. I believe the next closest to me is 6 hours by car, and the furthest American from me is probably a 6 hour plane ride. We are an international community. Communication with others is important.
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Lia
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Re: Proposal for Community Forum

Post by Lia »

the next german player is 3 hours or more from me Dantagon. ;)

And if a englisch player come on teamspeak the most start to speak englisch. So it was all the time when a englisch player was on. And there is enough channel so a lot player can come.
So you are maybe not the only englisch speaker. ^^

Sure for german speaker like me who speak really bad and unsure englisch it would hard if all speak englisch but we can help each other with this.

I play sometimes a other game with german and englisch speaker. We help each other to unterstand each other and it work. :)

I would like to see more Player in teamspeak.
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S'rrt
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Re: Proposal for Community Forum

Post by S'rrt »

I don't know why other English-speakers don't go on the TeamSpeak but I stopped going there after realizing that the Germans would continue to speak in German even if I was there, speaking English. To me, the TeamSpeak is not a viable place to interact with the community. The IRC is ok but the topics discussed there are very fleeting/temporary and there is no chance to have deeper discussions on specific themes.

EDIT: Additionally, forum posts enable us to make replies over a long period of time rather than responding to things in real-time, which is necessary on IRC and TS.
Last edited by S'rrt on Sat Nov 18, 2017 3:45 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Lia
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Re: Proposal for Community Forum

Post by Lia »

S'rrt wrote:I don't know why other English-speakers don't go on the TeamSpeak but I stopped going there after realizing that the Germans would continue to speak in German even if I was there, speaking English.
hm maybe it was because the some of the people dont speak englisch or good englisch. Dont know.

I would like to speak with people from other places then germany ^^ but my englisch is so terrible when i speak xD
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Achae Eanstray
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Re: Proposal for Community Forum

Post by Achae Eanstray »

Please use this proposal to point out negative and positive aspects adding to advantages or adding to the con of a Community Forum, but not as a discussion. Here are the proposal suggestions: http://illarion.org/community/forums/vi ... 94&t=38019

Thanks,
Achae
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CJK
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Re: Proposal for Community Forum

Post by CJK »

I have always supported bringing back such a forum with a sense of urgency, and am very glad to see it being done.
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Jupiter
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Re: Proposal for Community Forum

Post by Jupiter »

I would like to have it back. The rules never were the problem. The moderations was a bit too easygoing.
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Re: Proposal for Community Forum

Post by S'rrt »

Jupiter wrote:The moderations was a bit too easygoing.
100% agree.
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Achae Eanstray
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Re: Proposal for Community Forum

Post by Achae Eanstray »

I believe the moderations weren't agreed upon was the biggest problem Jupiter/S'rrt. As long as these rules are followed and agreed upon it should work well. Does anyone have anything to add to the proposed rules?
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Re: Proposal for Community Forum

Post by Charlotte-ate-wilbur »

The thing is, who judges if something is offensive or not? Let me say I know plenty of people who can get under someone's skin while just as easily appearing like they aren't offensive, not to mention softcore cyber bullying that can drive people nuts on forums like these. Just because a rule says not to be targeting or offensive, it's just crap human nature to do it over the internet where apparently the best of human behaviour shows itself. From what I can already see there are very clear 'cliques' of different players here of which I still know very little about, it's my opinion that adding an out of character element of socialization is a bit redundant and a potential recipe for disaster. I did come to join an online game, not 4chan or facebook afterall.

Again I'm not bashing this idea, just placing my opinions. However I do want to point out most other mmo games do not have an off topic forum, probably because they don't want to waste time modding it when the game is hard enough to moderate. From Runescape to Archeage and like every other mmo I tried had nothing like this and people socialised just fine, we are on the internet afterall.
Last edited by Charlotte-ate-wilbur on Sat Nov 18, 2017 10:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Proposal for Community Forum

Post by Brightrim »

Charlotte-ate-wilbur wrote:The thing is, who judges if something is offensive or not? Let me say I know plenty of people who can get under someone's skin while just as easily appearing like they aren't offensive, not to mention softcore cyber bullying that can drive people nuts on forums like these. Just because a rule says not to be targeting or offensive, it's just crap human nature to do it over the internet where apparently the best of human behaviour shows itself. From what I can already see there are very clear 'cliques' of different players here of which I still know very little about, it's my opinion that adding an out of character element of socialization is a bit redundant and a potential recipe for disaster. I did come to join an online game, not 4chan or facebook afterall.
Then don't partake/read the community forum and stick to the forums that are RP or about the game.
If something gets under someones skin, they report it to a CM and the CM will deal with it, one way or the other.
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Charlotte-ate-wilbur
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Re: Proposal for Community Forum

Post by Charlotte-ate-wilbur »

Brightrim wrote:
Charlotte-ate-wilbur wrote:The thing is, who judges if something is offensive or not? Let me say I know plenty of people who can get under someone's skin while just as easily appearing like they aren't offensive, not to mention softcore cyber bullying that can drive people nuts on forums like these. Just because a rule says not to be targeting or offensive, it's just crap human nature to do it over the internet where apparently the best of human behaviour shows itself. From what I can already see there are very clear 'cliques' of different players here of which I still know very little about, it's my opinion that adding an out of character element of socialization is a bit redundant and a potential recipe for disaster. I did come to join an online game, not 4chan or facebook afterall.
Then don't partake/read the community forum and stick to the forums that are RP or about the game.
If something gets under someones skin, they report it to a CM and the CM will deal with it, one way or the other.
Charlotte-ate-wilbur wrote:Just my two cents, I find I just like to play the game instead of seeing posts about players rl opinions or worries. Not bashing anyone who does mind, I can just as easily avoid the forum.

I know, I'm merely contributing to the counter-argument as to why.
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Dantagon Marescot
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Re: Proposal for Community Forum

Post by Dantagon Marescot »

Charlotte-ate-wilbur wrote:Again I'm not bashing this idea, just placing my opinions. However I do want to point out most other mmo games do not have an off topic forum, probably because they don't want to waste time modding it when the game is hard enough to moderate. From Runescape to Archeage and like every other mmo I tried had nothing like this and people socialised just fine, we are on the internet afterall.
Runescape doesn't, no. Minecraft does.

WOW has an entertainment forum to discuss video games, tv, movies, books, WOW is also large enough to sustain guilds and guilds tend to have their own forums off-site. Eve online doesn't, but this game is also large enough to sustain groups who probably have their own place off-site. ESO doesn't either. However, what all three of these sites DO have in common is they all have an RP forum. Why? Because the games are not strict rp games. I could hop onto WOW right now and talk about what I thought of Thor Ragnarok, and no one would care. Doing the same ig on Illarion is not possible. We are a strict rp game. WOW, Eve Online, and ESO are not, and instead require a forum so rper can rp.

I personally really would like to see some kind of community forum return. I think its removal has really hurt the community as a whole. Due to its small nature, Illarion is really all about the community that supports it. Plus a visually active community that seems fun to be a part of, may help encourage newcomers to stay. It can be hard for people to find others ig sometimes, especially later at night on this side of the pond.

That and I selfishly want to curate a topic on "What are you reading" for us bookish people to pass around new books to read and recommends. It just doesn't feel right going in General.
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Dantagon Marescot
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Re: Proposal for Community Forum

Post by Dantagon Marescot »

What is the status of this proposal? Are there any plans to move forward any time soon?
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Re: Proposal for Community Forum

Post by Caswir »

I would like to see the Community Forum brought back, so I hope this happens. I think this could raise morale and also provide a much needed outlet for OOC interest. Who knows more players might even log in.
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Re: Proposal for Community Forum

Post by Estralis Seborian »

Dantagon Marescot wrote:What is the status of this proposal?
http://illarion.org/community/forums/vi ... .php?f=102 :-)
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Achae Eanstray
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Re: Proposal for Community Forum

Post by Achae Eanstray »

I'm closing this proposal since it has happened. Thanks :)
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