festering at modDB Thread

Many of you know me as one to be negative, intrusive, and persistent to disrupt. but then again who doesnt show signs of this ? i have been noticing moddb has been slowing. no, not the hosting switch or continuous downtime problems but the actually community. i cant say i have contributed much to the forum positively. i cant even say ive made a few friends or people id like to talk to out of it. but that doesnt mean everyone should follow this lead. the more and more i see it this place is slipping. the admins colder, the people bolder to lash out and disrupt. everyone, including myself have done this so many times we cannot count it anymore.

the material is lacking and the community is broken. broken up to about 3 mixes. there is the regulars, the new disruptive people. and then the people who havent been seen in a dog's age. these groups clash over and over. everywhere i might add on this forum. originally i felt moddb was a humble nice community with little flame and little belittling so i enjoyed it. ever since a month ago or so it has been going down hill.

and i know you might say well, your one to talk you are one of the main ones. and i agree i am not nice to everyone who passes me by and i dont add a little smiley emoticon after every sentence to show my pleasure of using this wonderful site. but now everyone is doing this.

no one is obeying the rules of the forum, the material is always so bland and unoriginal. no exciting mods or news. nothing worth talking about unless you make your own discussion. i suppose you could contradict this with a "lots of people post, and i feel its a great site cuz the posts keep on rollin" and i agree. it is a rather large community in just one forum. but this continous bad attitude is just something that keeps growing. its past me and a couple others

. even those that have been here a long time show it. they dont care anymore for respect or even self respect for that matter. people have next to given up on the community. its full of basic concept art and nothing ever gets finished. take a look at the past month of threads and see the little that has been exciting. seriously. and now look at he flame counts. the amount of hate just spewn across the thread for no reason other to jam a opinion down someone's throat.

we need to stop this. and i posted this in cosmos because i feel many people would take sides on this. i think i brought this up in irc about this growing issue here and duckedtapedemon agreed with this. (not to put you on the spot;)) while others may feel its fine. i dont know how to make a soluton to this other than to pull the community together. so what are your opinions on this and if you agree with me (yea right ) what needs to be done to fix this.

because i would really like to see the moddb i joined a few months ago when people were alot nicer and there was alot more to do and see.

done !

- Edited By carni On Wed 23rd, Jun 2004 @ 6:24:20pm

I know a way to fix this:

Ban you, AttorneyAtPaw, and GUNrunNER's many retributed accounts

Problem with all the trouble around moddb = solved.

- Edited By CheapAlert On Wed 23rd, Jun 2004 @ 5:54:37pm

i am not the only one in this. and ill ask you politely to stop now. k thx.

Cheapy lay off - this is an official warning for numerous instances of trolling,

You are not immune.

Im sorry but half way through my vision started to blur, can we get some paragraphcs? (seriously, not trying to cause an argument)

k i broke it up

Yes, I agree I have been a cause of some of the problems. But I dont think a banning will solve the problem. I think one of the reasons Is because we're not all treated as though we're on the same playing field. We have some people in high positions that when they have an opinion, others seem to folloe their lead and are frowned upon if they don't. An example of this, was on IRC the other day. Cheapalert (not blaming you, just an example) was commenting on UT2004, saying he disliked it and stated why, and argued it. Me and some others had differing opinins, so we argued back. It really wasn't a flame war, but when Cheapalert left he ended on the note "You All Suck". It was highly uncalled for, and unfair to say. I think that people here don't accept negativity very well either. Negativity can be a good thing. How will you know how your mod really is, if all people say is "awesome" or 'leet" when it clearly is not.

I also agree, that there are too many "trash" mods here that really shouldn't be here. I mean, half the hl2 mods are just storylines and concept art. Yea, those are the building blocks of a mod, but it really doesn't need to be shown off. wait till you have something to show until you showcase your mod.

The moderators here keep it pretty clean( I would know, because my 500 flames were deleted faster that I wrote them.) But they sometimes overlook things, or other times take it too seriously. Azzor, remember your arguement with carni over counterstrike and why you thought it was really good? Well that arguement was deleted for no reason. It wasn't a flame, just an arguement. I think that would be abusing admin rights. There's much to be improved, even in myself here. So lets lighten up a bit and get back to real modding.

Cheapalert, I would like to point out that since I have signed on as Freezrburn, I haven't really flamed you. Maybe offered some "Extreme" criticism with my mod rundown, but no personal attacks. I would appreciat e it if you would stop the attacks on me carni and attorney.

- Edited By FREEZrBURN On Wed 23rd, Jun 2004 @ 7:30:40pm

i think the best way is to show how its done. for example find someone you feel with a talent and well being.

lets take forkman for example. today he showed me on irc a great warrior model he made. hell, i couldnt do better than what he did with what i had. he didnt just throw it out there. he wants to work on it. and then show it off. unlike many others who feel preseting halfassed creations and mods is appropriate. im not saying its bad. but id more prefer a stable community that produces quality work. not some jumbled up blob someone made in 10 minutes

also i know ive seen this but the "how to make a mod" thread is not blatant enough. there should be a post type bar for starting a topic that makes it so if you select "mod help/creation/pimp" it shows you a brief template of what you feel is appropriate to be seen. ample data, pics, etc etc. to keep the mods with 2 sentences of "CAN YOU MAKE THIS MOD FOR ME CUZ ITS 1337. I DONT KNOW HOW TO MOD BUT I BET YOU CAN HELP ME!"out of it. i also will feel itll help people like me double check our work to make sure we specified the criteria well enough to post. maybe its just lack of enthusiasm. maybe its because this community, although tightly knotted together. in truth is very different. i really havent made a mod with anyone except people close to me so i wouldnt know how you guys mod. i never learn new techniques because no one posts them. earlier today i saw the ak47 model thread in videp format on how to make a ak. although this was a bit crude it WAS a tutorial for upcoming modellers. i would prefer to see more of these "useful" threads on more complex things like mapping and such. that is truly what we need is less on pimping it and more on the creation. because all of our work seems to be Weapons/Maps/Code/Pictures in progress. id much more see photoshop techniques, mapping help and links to useful sights, even maybe a spotlight like thing making people striv to make the best tutorial or the best product of the week. its so easy to implement into just a topic id love to see it ! who would not want to see some really nice material done by peoplewho strive for what they like ?

if you give someone a goal they most likely wil lachieve it. if you make a "make a map in 10 days" thread people will posr something !

i just hope someone can revitalize moddb so we can have alot of fun like before.
when i go on this site i go here to relax. not become aggravated with flame and smacktards. if we can change those smacktards to good peeps and those flames to argues over whos tutorial/mod/final product is better i definetly will be coming more often..

wont you ?

Highly the opposite, Freez, since you decided to butt in on the flamewar that was dying down on this one thread a couple days ago by insulting UberSoldat. But anyway....

I agree with carni when he says that there is a problem with keeping arguments and debates at a minimum. One of the problems is because of the lack of deleting one's posts, no? If you mess up on what you say and accidently post, even after editing it with nothing in it, people expect you just had a smart thing to say and mock you for it.

There's always been a problem with the clash of personalities in any forum, not just this one. Of course, including mods that show storylines and comments about it is a far cry away from "festering" as the title states. It's more to get people hyped up on an original idea. I did this, but I know have seen the consequences, since I have gotten about 50 views but no posts. I think what a lot of people are doing are putting their mod idea down on this forum and seeing how people react to it. It's not required to have models or pictures or whatever, but I suppose if you want to get people excited, that's the way to go. The Moddb forum has a problem of allowing too many things to get out of hand; some of the threads I have been a part of, actually, go through this. I think it'd be better if we cleaned up the trash and left only the threads that have have more than so many threads posted to them, and close the ones that are dead and just keep being brought up for a sentence or two, which is definitely not necessary.

That's just what I think, anyway.

or maybe if you have a mod thread your required to have pics or something. no media is in no palce for a mod idea. you need some type of material to show dedication. anyone cn think and type. butto create and implement is a different story

i still want someone to make some nice worldcraft/photoshop/qradiant/qc/.dll/flash creation/modelling

tutorials !!

www.masteringunreal.com

www.wavelength.net

Yea I have noticed a lot of flaming and stuff (luckily it has not been directed at me) I think that we need a noobie section in the forms or a place to explain to the newer people that are joining what to do and not to do since it seems that most of the fights are between newer members and older members.
here is a small example of what I mean

Dear new members while these forms are for the use of posting your ideas and thoughts there are some general things that you should try to avoid

1. If you do not like an idea that some body has posted then don't just say this idea sucks and it will never work. Instead say something like I do not like the idea and give your reasons and try to explain them. then try to give ideas how to fix them.

2. Never make negative comments about other members Ex. Your are a <insert curse or foul language here>!!!!!

3. If some one does not like your idea and makes comments do not "freak out" and start calling the other person a <insert curse or foul language here>!!!!!
Also if some one else starts calling you <insert curse or foul language here>!!!!! ignore them.

4. For the most part people do not like "clones". try to avoid these ideas as they often bring ridicule. remember that just because it is a different environment if the game play is virtually the same then it will normally be considered a "clone". this does not mean that it has to be completely new it just should have some original content in it.

5. Always avid inappropriate subjects since nobody likes them

6. Don't attempt to start a mod if you can not do any thing as nobody will do the work for you. even if you have some skill most people wont help you. it is better to instead try to join an existing mod and gain some more skills. plus every one likes a person who offers help so it would allow you to create some friends that would be willing to help you out later.

These items have just been put into a random order.

By having something like this I think moddb could cut back on some of the problems. also I think that older members should cut new members some slack and not jump all over their cases because they do not know better.
(Sorry about any grammer mistakes.)

EDIT*** boy there so many people have posted sice i started typing this i need to learn to type faster

- Edited By STRATCOM On Wed 23rd, Jun 2004 @ 7:56:15pm

FREEZrBURN wrote: Azzor, remember your arguement with carni over counterstrike and why you thought it was really good? Well that arguement was deleted for no reason. It wasn't a flame, just an arguement. I think that would be abusing admin rights.

That wasnt me, but whoever did delete it was right todo so.

You guys just assume we delete posts all day and pick on you it seems, fact is we keep this place tamed. Its been in much worse condition (when we didnt have jackson as so forth as mods) - you guys dont understand it yet and you probably never will but these forums have always had generations of guys who come here, create a group, argue, fix there problems, disapear in a flame war. Its not a problem really, it keeps things fresh and the community has always been fresh, so I see no problems tbh - you might - I know I dont.

yes but i dont think anyone who is new will head over to it unlss theres something ther elike a instant fix. lets call it a "n00b Section"

in this thread is not people necessarily only new to moddb but new to mod creation as well. since most of the new members are new to modding

itll feature the work and everyday problems of n00bs and of older members with n00b questions
i think we need that for everyone. because on many occasion ive been stuck on something and it was such a easy thing to fix it made me look like a n00b. so why not have a section dedicated for those trying times of simple questions ?

defintly need one of those. itll also be chalk full of stratcom-esque like stuff

lets see then we could call it a help forum were every one could go to ask questions and get help on stuff they cant figure out.

sounds good. we definetly need something here that the community can participate in rather than reviewing other's work

we have all the various forums.

I think the mythical v2 will solve a lot of problems. By allowing people to staff over specific areas, the site will have very specific administration. One member, for example, may make it their sole task to verify mods and the permissions system allows them to do this without being hassled by other facets of the site. Since it will then be harder for sheit mods to get through the net, the overall quality should shoot up.

There is also gonna be (hopefully) the BATS (Big Admin Ticket System) which is an uber-optimised queue for everything. All reports, mod requests, news auths etc. will be put into a single location from whence they will be dealt with in order of importance and chronology. The interface will simply present staff with a 'this many things need sorting, and you can deal with them' line which will ensure everything is dealt with promptly by an appropriate staffer. To simplify the meaning: if you report a thread as being abusive or otherwise, the next staffer online who can deal with it will probably sort it.

Kewl, no?

More advice if you see People in a heated argument Do Not Join In. this will only cause more problems.

I am sure that V.2 will solve the problem of so maney bad problems but we still would have the problem of new members not fully understanding how things work around here if you know what I mean.

STRATCOM wrote: More advice if you see People in a heated argument Do Not Join In. this will only cause more problems.

I am sure that V.2 will solve the problem of so maney bad problems but we still would have the problem of new members not fully understanding how things work around here if you know what I mean.

Not only are you encouraged to not join in, but it v2 i have added a new term and condition stating that

conflicts between two members must be kept in private and will not be brought into the public community

if this is breeched... which seems to happen continuously, I PERSONALLY WILL delete all posts between these two members.. without a seconds thought and consider a ban for both of them, this goes for everyone - i'm beyond consideration now

I'm fed up with all this crap and unfortunatly it means someone is gonna get cut soon

What if the PM system malfunctions, like today? My moddb email malfunctioned as well.

GREG!!!!!!!!!!!1 Fix it

- Edited By CheapAlert On Wed 23rd, Jun 2004 @ 10:40:18pm

i'm looking into it

I wonder is it posable to make a questionare type of thing in order to ask for help in the forums. this way instead of just makeing a help request the questionare gose through every thing that people would want to know and make sure they havent forgoten any important information

EX.
Mod name:
What game is the mod for:
What type of game play does it have:
Is it single player multiplayer coop....ect:
how many current team memberes do you have:
what type of skills do you have to help the mod out:
what type of help do you you need in the creation of the mod:
How can you be contacted:
(and any other imformation i for got to ask)

this would cut back on mistaking people for Noobies since they wont have to wory about forgeting somthing. it should also help with keeping people from bashing help requests from new members.

I don't know about you guys, but this whole tread seems hippocritical (Carni mentioned and demonstrated this a number of times.) You've made the complaint and the message is delivered. All that will happen now is quibbiling and flames. (I'd better go soon. this tread is making me depressed )

and yes, a forum like that would be nice. Try it! it might help some people.

also, very good points stated here I'm going to put these in my quote book.

- Edited By makkon On Thu 24th, Jun 2004 @ 10:52:42am

A flame forum is out of the question. Now would we even think about putting one on here.

Like Scotty said, things are really gonna change around here when v2 comes out because its going to be awsome, and the staff are going to be awsome (Coz im there) and basically, its just going to be awsome and crap like this (flaming and abuse) will not be so 'less harshly' delt with. There will be full T&C for using moddb v2, and you are all expected to read those and abide by them, and not coming crying when you get banned for breaking them. Basically, like STRATCOM said, if you see an argument going on, why join in it? Just let it be, and an admin will soon deal with it. All hassles avoided!

Now about noobs. I see that all you moddb "veterens" (as you like to call yourself), just love to flame the new guy. This is normal for any community BUT there is one thing you need to remember. "You were a NOOB once too!" We should be welcoming them with wide open arms, no matter how stupid they might be and yes, most of them are really stupid and nooblike, but thats what they are! They are newly registered for a reason. So give em a go.

All over, its going to be a happy place where I can go and have a good chat to heaps of people on the forums, and talk about interesting things without worrying about "Whoose posts am I going to delete today", or "What member do I have to ban now".

Personaly, I'm looking forward to it

As for what I said, who knows if it makes sence!

A big problem is that everyone is constantly feeling the need to correct each other. Not correct in the kind and productive way of showing them their wrongdoings, but in the insulting and flammatory method fo arguing and name-calling. It's summer, everyone is bored. This happens every summer, which is why azz0r doesn't see a major problem and neither do I. When the holidays come around and we are given a lot of new games to tinker with, the community booms. In the summer it drags along and everyone speaks of doom. But it never happens, it's just the ebb and flow of the tides here.

Relax people, go outside now and then. Sitting on your computers all day will only make you more grumpy and intolerable.

Also no one is immune from these behaviors, such as our unkind vet who first replied with his unnecessary comments.