05-Nov-2010 - Free Player Forum Access Expanded

[Kimberly]

I didn't even have Tutorial Island, and I prefer it that way. It was fun not knowing exactly what to do and finding new hidden things to do like the Cook's Assistant quest and getting lost in Draynor manner with no home teleport and getting owned by a dark mage. The game is leaning heavily towards completely eliminating that feeling of adventure, and that bothers me.

 

This is all off topic, though. The point is, your first 350 total levels are basically handed to you in the form of a context sensitive in-game guide, so why the hell would you need to post on the forums before you've even BEGUN to try the game? It flat out tells you how to do everything, and 350 total levels is no work at all. If you don't have the patience to figure out how to do stuff with that kind of guidance, then I really don't want you on the forums.

 

Making the game easier for people to understand in the beginning is what I'm arguing about, not the overall declining difficulty. When you argue two different things it's hard to keep track and present a cohesive argument. (And, for what it's worth, I happen to agree with you. EDIT: In regards to declining difficulty, anyway. The 'beginners area wall' around Varrock/Draynor/Etc was asinine, to say the least.)

 

If you are saying that your first 350 levels are handed to you, then you're only proving the point that it's beneficial for these newcomers to have access to the forums for help. After all, if you get those levels with virtually no effort/knowledge, you won't know how to proceed. So you'll naturally seek help. Unfortunately, once you get past that point, then Danqazmlp's argument comes into play: the community has no quality control. So the whole concept fails since they're not enforcing things on all levels.

 

I think, at the end of the day, you, me, and Danqazmlp are upset about the same things, really.

[Sir_Kurity]

If you don't have the patience to figure out how to do stuff with that kind of guidance, then I really don't want you on the forums.

 

But jagex does.

[green9090]

Danqazmlp says he thinks everyone should be able to post, and I disagree with that. There's some merit to the idea of making sure everyone on the forums has at least a basic understanding of the game, even if you have the best spam filters in the world. It's a tiny maturity test.

 

Kurity, I don't agree with Jagex on most things lately, unfortunately.

[Kimberly]

Danqazmlp says he thinks everyone should be able to post, and I disagree with that. There's some merit to the idea of making sure everyone on the forums has at least a basic understanding of the game, even if you have the best spam filters in the world. It's a tiny maturity test.

 

So if using the forums helps them gain that understanding, why are you opposed to it?

[Ts_Stormrage]

Hmm, some interesting points of views here today...

 

I am now not so sure if having new people on those forums would neccisarily be a bad thing (TIF has no level requirement!)... If the mods there can keep it in check, and yes they need a new toolbox for that, it might enchance the game as a whole, cuz face it; we learn things about the game on these forums that we would otherwise not have learned about... How else would you find out about unexplained phenomenon that you dont see in the Knowledge base...

 

But millions of potential forum users is scary... Structure is needed, especially to prevent the good ideas from being drowned out in all the noise... Solve this and you're good to go open the gates...

[Kimberly]

But millions of potential forum users is scary... Structure is needed, especially to prevent the good ideas from being drowned out in all the noise... Solve this and you're good to go open the gates...

 

That's something they've failed to control back when the forums were members only. They're putting the cart before the horse simply because it's easier to do and gives them a better public image for the time being. Everyone is looking at them now for winning UK developer of the year again, so of course they're looking to sling some spit onto those shoes for a good ol' shine.

[Danqazmlp]

I do think it would be ideal for everybody to have access to the RSOF. There are no levels requirements here yet we have good discussions. Why are we not inundated with spammers? The reason is that here we can deal with any that come along swiftly and without incident, and with correct punishments meaning they quickly get bored and stop. On the RSOF, the moderators have what I personally think is the worst possible system for a forum of that size. Their report system is a shambles, it is incredibly inefficiently and ineffective. Because of this shambles of a system, anything which breaks the rules takes a very long time to be dealt with, and correct punishments such as IP forum bans cannot be issued. This in turn invites more people to spam and flame for the 'lulz' which makes the forums spiral downward.

 

With a total overhaul of their reporting system and a much larger moderating force, the RSOF could actually form some very good communities and be a good working forum that Jagex themselves could actively browse without flinching.

[Jehosaphat]

I do think it would be ideal for everybody to have access to the RSOF. There are no levels requirements here yet we have good discussions. Why are we not inundated with spammers?

2 reasons.

1) The authority here actually gives a flying crap when people spam.

2) This forum isn't advertised every other week on the Runescape homepage.

[Bangin_Blonde]

Hmm, some interesting points of views here today...

 

I am now not so sure if having new people on those forums would neccisarily be a bad thing (TIF has no level requirement!)... If the mods there can keep it in check, and yes they need a new toolbox for that, it might enchance the game as a whole, cuz face it; we learn things about the game on these forums that we would otherwise not have learned about... How else would you find out about unexplained phenomenon that you dont see in the Knowledge base...

 

But millions of potential forum users is scary... Structure is needed, especially to prevent the good ideas from being drowned out in all the noise... Solve this and you're good to go open the gates...

 

That is because Tip doesn't have the flood of users the way the RS forums do. It is also much better maintained. I think long ago Jagex threw their hands up in the air trying to deal with the posters.

 

And oh yeah, their forums are awful. The whole layout is terrible. Their is very little user support. It's just crap.

[green9090]

I do think it would be ideal for everybody to have access to the RSOF. There are no levels requirements here yet we have good discussions. Why are we not inundated with spammers?

2 reasons.

1) The authority here actually gives a flying crap when people spam.

2) This forum isn't advertised every other week on the Runescape homepage.

I agree with both points, but I think the second really hits the nail on the head. If you're a thoughtful RS user interested in the game with some experience, you'll have heard about Tip.it somehow, whereas new players just off the boat who want to rage about the unfavorable outcome of their boxing match with a cow likely won't look further than the RSOF. Not to say we don't have low level idiots coming here, but it's a minority by virtue of RS not explicitly telling them to come here.

 

How many users on these forums do you think we have under 500 total? I'm going to wager very few.

[Youmu]

Yeah, I'm going to follow the bandwagon and say that it's not an issue of community, it's an issue of forum moderation.

 

Why are there so many troll posts on the RSOF? It's because the moderators aren't doing their jobs, and/or the rules there aren't enforced.

 

Making the RSOF available to everyone won't make a difference. If RSOF modding doesn't make an improvement, they won't go anywhere period.

[Frede173]

Just make the forum bans for excessive spamming longer. 3 days are clearly not enough.

[Big_Stingman]

I can't even remember the last time I went onto the RSOF. And I think the last time was because I was linked there by a J-mod. So I could really care less. I don't post on RSOF, I post here because the community is so much more welcoming and friendly relative to RSOF...

[i_trollz_u]

yeah, lower levels are only going troll the forums, because that's what defines trolls.

 

omfgbbqsauce flamfex ban them all!@!@!!@!@!