The dwindling STS forums

[RedRyder]

When I first joined, there were eager players on this forums. Players that wanted to break the game down to further understand it and help others for the sake of helping. Conversations in off topic were always fun, flames barely broke out and everyone was just overall nice to eachother. I found myself frequenting the forums constantly, with a tab open for off topic and the general discussions, but now the off topic tab is the only one I ever bother to refresh.

I think the downfall started with the GoA, AoA and the forum reputation feature. I think nothing negative of the actual point of programs/features, but it killed being nice and helpful on the forums/game just because. Now it's just for self gain. I admit that I too became a bit greedy when the rep system came about, only as for as asking for thanks if you liked my post in my signature. It was fun and something new to work for, but I quickly caught myself and stopped worrying about it. I can't stress it enough; forum reputation isn't important. All I am seeing now are people yearning for notoriety, so they jump on questions just for the chance of receiving thanks. They make pointless guides that are just common sense just to receive thanks. They create numerous threads, make countless posts and frequent every section of the forums regardless of how passionate they are for the section (I myself am never on the SL side, unless I have a question) for a rep opportunity. I've even gotten private messages asking for thanks just for the thanks or asking how to get a lot, which infuriates me. Want to know my method? I post whatever the hell is on my mind pertaining the the thread or post I'm referencing to and sometimes I receive thanks, sometimes I don't. Big whoop. I don't try for it, just happens.

The AoA. I love this program. It brings me back to the days I missed back in the younger days of pl. People helping people is always a beautiful thing, especially in a game you enjoy playing. I wouldn't be as good a pve mage as I am if not for the kindness of others in game. Sure there are hands on and fun tutorials included in the game, but friends will always help more. That is essentially what the AoA do. The first friend a newbie could make that just so happens to be very knowledgable of the game and willing to share their wisdom. There's no need to impress, just show interest in learning. I'm a part of this group too, but my inactivity in the game in general keeps me from participating. I've helped a load of players throughout my play history, before the AoA was even a thought in anyone's mind, as well as the majority of my early friends. Now that there's a label to the act, along with perks, everyone wanted to be an AoA upon the programs announcement. I was upset at the first roster, but the genuine ones reassured me that the program wouldn't be a lost cause. I hope that it stays as balanced with those players as it is now in the future.

Now onto the GoA. The highest honor any player could receive in the game. A reward for being an outstanding player in the community, hense the gift of the vanity Community Shield. The first batch of I think it was 12, we're the best of the best. The following that we're chosen have also proven their worth. There was the misconception that obtaining the shield had its duties that came along with it. This was false. It was a gift, not a police badge. It didn't mean that you were entitled to remain active, it was just a thank you and a kind gesture from the STS team for helping make the game enjoyable for all. Owning such an exclusive, not to mention cool looking, piece of equipment brought along fame. To this day I can't stand idly in a towne without getting asked about the shield, if I have it equipped. It also brought along people trying to help out, getting noticed, JUST for the title and the shield. They just completely missed the idea of it all, and this soiled the program for quite a while.

Nowadays, it's all about the forum rep. In general, it's just about the aspect of fame. I'm not pointing any fingers, but if the shoe fits, wear it. What are they to do when they obtain the fame? Fame dies away; it won't always do you good. It's pointless to put time and effort for it. I'm asking to please join in the fight to bring the forums back to what they once were. Just to clarify, the forum members/players ruined it, not the devs/mods. Thank you for the rewards and making the games more fun and attempting to keep the community happy.

My final words: be nice and helpful just to be nice and helpful. Don't be hypocritical saying thanks don't matter yet visibly showing otherwise and don't ask for it. Stop aiming for fame, it doesn't last and isn't worth the trouble. Stop posting over a hundred times an hour (doubt it's possible anyway lol) just to get yourself out there; it does nothing but annoy us all. If you make a thread or post, don't beat the subject half to death by going extremely in depth. It's extremely obvious you just want +rep. If you leave something to be explored, it'll raise more interest in the subject by making us want to do our own research. Cite your sources before releasing info (I'm looking at you DL forum lurkers and frequenters) as it only pisses everyone off when you were wrong, which is the case 85% of the time.


Let's bring back the forums to its golden age

[Hankomachos]

Great thread red. :)

[RedRyder]

I'm going in on this fight.. 300 style. This.. Is.. ARTERRA!

[Elyseon]

When I first joined, there were eager players on this forums. Players that wanted to break the game down to further understand it and help others for the sake of helping. Conversations in off topic were always fun, flames barely broke out and everyone was just overall nice to eachother. I found myself frequenting the forums constantly, with a tab open for off topic and the general discussions, but now the off topic tab is the only one I ever bother to refresh.

I think the downfall started with the GoA, AoA and the forum reputation feature. I think nothing negative of the actual point of programs/features, but it killed being nice and helpful on the forums/game just because. They make pointless guides that are just common sense just to receive thanks. I've even gotten private messages asking for thanks just for the thanks or asking how to get a lot, which infuriates me.

Now onto the GoA. The first batch of I think it was 12, we're the best of the best. It brought along people trying to help out, getting noticed, JUST for the title and the shield.

Nowadays, it's all about the forum rep. In general, it's just about the aspect of fame. I'm not pointing any fingers, but if the shoe fits, wear it. Stop aiming for fame, it doesn't last and isn't worth the trouble. It's extremely obvious you just want +rep.

Let's bring back the forums to its golden age

I agree -.-
Although i think ive been registered to forums for over a year, I never was super active until 2011 october or so. I look back and see all these old forum works of awesomeness that i missed due to my late involvement. So as soon as I started last fall the rep feature already existed, I thought it was dumb so I ignored it, increasingly i have been mainly using forum app which is nice cuz u dont see rep.

I got the honor of being chosen for the AoA in the first batch despite my lack of involvement in forums at the time, but saw it become the popularity contest, i still enjoy helping ppl although i have not used my lvl10 primarily as I realized it was more answering questions then in dungeon help.

And the guide is one thing that bothers me most. I look back from before I was involved and see these epic guides with detailed explanation of in-game mechanics. Since the beggining of this year i cant even count all the guides that have sprung up, either such basic information its absolutely worthless(and occassionally wrong too -.-) or its not their information.'Oh im making a guide on this! Tell me what should go in it!' Let someone else make it. Ultimately we all know that the sole purpose of this is rep although it occassionally gives a good laugh.

[Swampy]

Very well said. :D I hope this gets a lot of views.

[Ardon]

A couple of names game to mind that do this lolz

But yeah, people who want titles and rep just have ruined it for me.

I say take away thanks, and rep bars away. Replace them with something else to get people interested in the forums. Mini games, contests, tournaments. Have something to do all the time. Have actual links to the forums in game. Links that stand out. Unlike the ones now that you have to find.

Sent from my CM9 powered Droid X

[Elyseon]

I'm going in on this fight.. 300 style. This.. Is.. ARTERRA!
Alterra?

[Lowlyspy]

I'm going in on this fight.. 300 style. This.. Is.. ARTERRA!
Alterra?
No we're clearly trying to get Arterra back from China so he can play more.

Amen Red.

[Carth]

The forum rep is like getting a few Facebook likes on a status update. It's worthless and has no meaning.

This was the first forum I've ever joined so I was scared to start posting. When I finally did, the members here welcomed me into their conversations. It felt nice. The threads and discussions were fun, informative, and/or just silly (in a good way). It was the internet hang out for me everyday after school. Now I get on here just because the WoM forums are inactive at the moment.

Well written thread, Red. I might have not been here since the beginning, but I'm able to say that the threads in my beginning era were awesome.

[octavos]

I agree and disagree....to a point.

yea, threads are taken seriously because many of the hardcore players (the older paying crowd) type there ideas, hopes and great suggestions. Many posts are more then insightful they can help keep the player enjoying the game or drop off the map all together. A new trend that I see is when people get frustrated with fellow players (AKA scammers, beggars ect...), items or mechanics it seems that the threads are a perfect spot to post. Many are justified and many have proof, still, these post are made by children many 14 or 15. In STS PL advertisements they are geared to students from mid-school/high-school so there posts are a bit illegible (this does not exclude some of the older folks also lol). so as the many of the older hardcore players leave to bigger, better, things. We are left with those posts that are hard to read and immature.

So to the people who create awesome guides and posts hats off to you. please create more informative posts and help build this great community to what it once was.
im still a youngin to these games....so yea rock on.

\/\/ agree with drew. so instead of adding another post. ill "EDIT' it lol

[drewcapu]

Respectfully disagree.

I think much of the general knowledge base, especially for PL, has already been documented (mostly by the likes of Yanis/Physiologic, and additional class guides by Pharcyde, Elly, etc). For those who really wanted to gain that knowledge, most such useful threads are stickied for easy perusal.

It's very telling, however, that each of the players I mentioned basically do not play STS games any longer.

With that said, I'm not saying that there aren't anymore helpful forumers remaining. Far from it. There've been useful guides. Probably my most favorite one in recent memory is Calculate-the-Distance-!! (http://www.spacetimestudios.com/showthread.php?52159-Guide-Calculate-the-Distance-!!). It scores points for being simple, accurate, brief, and informative.

Bottom line is, the game hasn't really changed much since "those days", so there isn't as much "useful" stuff that hasn't already been said.

To be frank (no, I'm not Frank!), I just hardly ever see a topic I feel like reading after seeing the topic title and mousing over the preview. Even fewer that I feel like replying to. Rep has no bearing on whether I read or reply to something. In general, if I'm reading a thread, I'll read everybody's post. If I start to notice a certain person's posts start to waste my time, I very easily skip passed his/her posts in the future.

[morfic]

I guess I missed the "golden age" of the forums, as I started playing STS games and coming to the forums when SL was released. But I can tell you this, I've always hated the environment these forums produce. Like you said, this entire forum seems like a suck up contest. It's constantly flooded with people...tons of people... trying to gain brownie points with the devs and certain members of the community. They are desperate for some type of recognition, whether that be GoA, SG, AoA and AoB now. The worst part about this, is that it is blatantly apparent. When someone is being nice or helpful, for the sake of being nice and helpful only... you can tell. You can also tell when someone is being fake as hell, and forcing themselves to do it, to try and benefit in some way or raise their status.

From day one on this forum, I was disturbed. It seemed like a constant barrage of players spouting ToS regulations at people, saying "blah blah, don't do this!", and other forms of forum policing, which is my number one most hated thing on the interwebs. I cannot stand other -players- attempting to control my actions and enforce ToS on me... talking down to me etc, and I cannot stand to even see it being done to other people. A gentle reminder every now and then on a thread someone made about them being banned is understandable. But 10 people in a row belittling them for doing so, and all reiterating the same exact thing is pointless. The incessant spamming of useless guides is just icing on the cake.

My persona on these forums is entirely different than any other forums I have every been a part of. While I have always been a slightly pessimistic and argumentative person (I love debating issues into the ground, and jumping in to argue a point that was unanimously agreed upon beforehand, regardless of how I really feel about it), these forums... no, these people on the forums, frustrate me to no end. I think it is pretty apparent that I have waged a silent (and usually humorous) war on certain ideologies and actions on the forums. No, not on any person in particular, but anyone participating in the actions that I despise. It is actually my greatest joy around here, to give people participating in these actions a hard time.

I sincerely think that the SG/GoA/AoA/AoB programs need to be restructured. Do NOT base any decisions on any actions from the forums. When considering people for these positions, totally forget anything you remembered that someone did on the forums. Do not allow that to be any part of the decision process. Go under cover in game, observe people, ask questions a bit, and choose candidates that genuinely help in game WITHOUT trying to get acknowledgement of their helpfulness on the forums. The people that genuinely care and help just to help, are the ones that do not spam threads trying to show how awesome they are to the devs. I really wouldn't be surprised if one of these key people didn't make a thread, "Screenshot of me helping a new player", and including a screenshot and explaining how they helped. Eliminate this entire place from the selection process.

The current state of the forums brown-nosers and suckups striving to get one of these positions, is ruining the forum. While on the outside, the intentions seem positive. "Oh sweet, our forums are flooded with players trying to help and making guides and help enforcing ToS!" etc, it is actually NOT helping. In turn, it is actually poisoning this forums and making it a sickeningly repulsive place.

TLDR version: Red...you have my sword. My axe too.

[Snakespeare]

From my point of view, the most unfortunate thing is how nobody has stepped into Yanis' shoes. Myself included. Just look for info on Mt. Fang pinks. People make guides for "thanks" now that are just lists of places to grind. But Yanis made his complete pinks lists never expecting reputation points, and they are the most clicked threads on the board. So I agree that a rewards system merely establishes minor expectations, and people only live up to the expectations.

[csb]

I haven't noticed the reputation system at all. I guess I don't participate in that part of the forums, and I don't pay any attention to rep bars or thanks counts. So, if there is any drama about it, then i don't get that.

I think the main reason you don't seen any new epic posts is because everything that can be said has already been said. Also, the game keeps changing, so when someone carefully lists all mage equipment with stats (for example), the equipment get "readjusted", and all that information needs to get updated. Most people don't want to keep maintaining the information as it changes.

When the sewers were the highest level maps, i was compiling information about all the yellow/green/purple/pink drops. I was going to do a writeup on "cost effective high end equipment" because the possible combinations were interesting. But, when nuri's came out, all the green drops were so much better than sewer yellow/green and even sometime better than sewer pinks. So, any discussion about sewer gear became useless.

So, I would be careful about what to spend time documenting, since it can be obsolete quickly. For example, discussions about farming all became obsolete with one update that change scale drop levels.

I am working on something that will be a beginners guide, and I will try to make it so that it does not become dated.

A lot of the early documents were written by hard core players that like to try new games and really get into them. They have probably moved on the the next new game, whatever that is.

You talk about rewards and levels of honor, but for some people (like myself) that is insignificant, so there is no drama here.

[StompArtist]

TLDR version: Red...you have my sword. My axe too.

Advocating violence is against the TOS!

[wvhills]

From my point of view, the most unfortunate thing is how nobody has stepped into Yanis' shoes. Myself included. Just look for info on Mt. Fang pinks. People make guides for "thanks" now that are just lists of places to grind. But Yanis made his complete pinks lists never expecting reputation points, and they are the most clicked threads on the board. So I agree that a rewards system merely establishes minor expectations, and people only live up to the expectations.

Drew took over for Yanis and made a guide to the mt fang pinks. I agree with Red though. Most of the guides posted nowadays are common sense or stupid. But Idk if it's people looking for rep or just kids trying to be helpful so I cut them some slack. I think the downfall came with elixirs though. No one needs to know the finer points of the game anymore when they just pop a thrasher and go. Drew is also right, all the good guides have been written. Nothing has really changed as far as what a good tank, bird, bowbear, mage, etc. should do.

Edit: BTW, please thank me if you found this comment helpful. :O
Lol. Just being smart alecky.

[Elyseon]

I didnt say good was totally non existant on the forum and i dont think thats what red meant either. IDK maybe the 'older days' just look epic to me cuz i missed them, but IMO the forums today have been overshadowed by excessive threads and guides with little value especially ppl bring their personal in game drama. I understand middleschoolers have joined the forums more now, i guess they find the forum as a place just to tell the world everything, and as always there will be people how want glory and fame, but the point of the thread is for people to realize the forum is just a place to relax mainly, and help each other.
Sorry to use an analogy that might take the thread off topic, but i guess its somewhat like the idea of utopia, a great concept but impossible to reach, I would like to see the forumers rise to new levels

[csb]

I think the downfall came with elixirs though.

Good point. Discussion of equipment, stats, and techniques used to be *necessary*. But, now with elixirs, such discussions are only *interesting*. In fact, I can level from 1 to 66 with just green and purple gear plus elixir and no skill. That would be easier than having all the best pinks and a lot of skill.

The old discussions about 1h + shield vs 2h, or pure int vs int/str all become irrelevant when using elixirs. This is even true if just one or two group members have Thrasher. That is enough advantage so that everyone else in the group can be wearing green gear and have no skills. The only possible failure would be having a mage that never heals (or doesn't know about the heal skill).

So, the only PVE guide that is needed is the "beginners guide on how to buy plat and elixirs".

[Jugernugett]

First the clam
Then the Bronx bomb
Now arterra?!?!

[RedRyder]

I'll post my replies after work :) thank for all of your inputs!

[Lowlyspy]

First the clam
Then the Bronx bomb
Now arterra?!?!
Pardon me sir, but I do believe you mean oyster.

[Walkhardd]

Good post red. I haven't been here long enough to "remember the good ole days", but I have also noticed a decline in the quality of posts in the last couple of months.

I couldn't agree with you any more about the rep system. I think the concept is good, but asking people to thank them is just weird. I always use the mobile app, and tbh, have no idea what my rep is. Hopefully its not bad. : O

[Carth]

I couldn't agree with you any more about the rep system. I think the concept is good, but asking people to thank them is just weird. I always use the mobile app, and tbh, have no idea what my rep is. Hopefully its not bad. : O

I'll tell you your rep if you thank this post. ;)

[Cahaun]

I couldn't agree with you any more about the rep system. I think the concept is good, but asking people to thank them is just weird. I always use the mobile app, and tbh, have no idea what my rep is. Hopefully its not bad. : O

I'll tell you your rep if you thank this post. ;)
I can't thank on this app ;)

[Phoenixking]

I'm glad there's people who have noticed that the forums have gone to far from what they used to be, I usually see random things, I don't see the epic threads from the phys day and yanis days, the forums used to be a great place and most guides are and where helpful, I myself used to want attention and rep and all that but like 4 months ago I notice it's a piece of trash, it doesn't matter to me anymore, and I actually miss the old forums

[Cahaun]

It's time we all make a bigger effort to bring forth the game spirit! The early SL forum was soooo good at it. All the post were lively and contained excitement in improving the game and helping others understand some new things. Now it feels different. Like how PL feels when I got to the 50 cap for the first time and look back at all of the once exciting levels with boredom. Maybe instead of focusing just on the cap and trying to be the best, we should strive at having fun along the way and making relationships. Maybe because it was soooo fast to lvl up in SL during beta, we all were too busy having fun instead of grinding grinding grinding.

[MightyMicah]

Hmmm. Very interesting, well thought out, and overall good post Red. I can't describe how much I agree about the whole "rep" thing. Honestly I didn't even know it existed for the longest amount of time because I use a mobile device (iTouch). When someone mentioned it, I decided never to figure out just what it is for fear that I might get sucked in. I still don't know what it is. (all I know is someone got mad at me cause apparently I never thank anyone?)

Honestly though, I'm going to have to disagree a little bit. Personally I've never noticed a "rise" or "fall" of good posts. People are people no matter what. Some people have good posts, some have bad. (thats not to say a good poster may occasionally lay an egg, or a bad poster might make like a squirrel and find hit nut...if you get my meaning). I've always just tried my best to avoid posts I know are headed in the wrong direction.

Anyways, all that to say, I am with you on trying to bring back good posts, though I don't really know how we could do that...any ideas? I mean other than trying to posts some good threads ourselves...

[MrKrone]

While I have not been playing long enough to witness the downfall of us all, I can say that just by looking a discussions and guides from over a year ago, I can see that Sts forums was a MUCH more active and helpful place. I humbly agree with everything said in here. I can level with crap items as long as I'm elix'd, past guides about deep intake mechanics such as drop functionality and how to calculate your Dps are no longer important, but interesting.

I am aware I basicly copied what a few of you guys said, and I did so on purpose. Repetition is the minds greatest tool for memory.

[Elyseon]

I always use the mobile app, and tbh, have no idea what my rep is. Hopefully its not bad. : O
lol same, one day hank told me i had two bars or somethin and I was laughing as basically all my input is very minimal and barely beneficial

[NotYoCookiez]

Being famous is everyone's dream....

Not saying its right that they should spam post or thanks but were all human!!

Who doesn't want to be in a famous/honorable guild?

I'm sure you was excited when you got your title. Everyone's curious on what it like to be in your shoes. Can't stop that ever. It's natural.

[Elyseon]

Being famous is everyone's dream....

Not saying its right that they should spam post or thanks but were all human!!

Who doesn't want to be in a famous/honorable guild?

I'm sure you was excited when you got your title. Everyone's curious on what it like to be in your shoes. Can't stop that ever. It's natural.
I prefer having friends tbh
If only they realized they need to earn ppls respect individually than mass 'oh i will post stuff that looks impressive' type mentalities

[Lowlyspy]

I prefer having friends tbh If only they realized they need to earn ppls respect individually than mass 'oh i will post stuff that looks impressive' type mentalities
Ain't it the truth.

[Sryyoulose]

I take EXTRA time to write pvp builds and stuff, anyone who's seen my help knows it's thoughtful. I'll spend an half-hour working on it. I know I'll get no or 1 thank but who cares I've made somebody's day!

My favorite thank ever was when: I got a Private message on forum. It was: Thank you so much, youve inspired me to start pvp and help others.

That made my whole week. I was like a floating butterfly sure, I didn't get a thank reputation. However, I got much more I got pride in what I did! Known it helps people, that is truly priceless.

[Paar]

I see your logic Red. I agree with you the forum rep system is completley wack... I myself have found my self making threads just for thanks but then again, I have no idea how it all works to this day because I only use forum app. I have no computer/laptop or even an Ipad to tell me my reputation. I also like what @Snakespeare said about how no one has stepped into Yanis' shoes and how mainly all threads are based on getting "Rep" and getting GoA status, Yanis is a very good person to refer to in this discussion because they did do all that work and they did NOT expect anything in return, but STS saw what they did and a GoA was rewarded. I want to try to me more helpful as a player and a ambassador but also dont want to find myself spamming the forums about guides on things that are as dumb as making a character and Yada Yada.. But I hope to one day be a helpful person such as many are here on the forums. That is my statement and I am done...

Also somewhat off discussion who were the first batch of GoA's? Just wondered?

[Artentreri]

Not gonna lie, I read like four posts in this thread. Red, you've always seemed very straightforward with your posts, never holding back what you thought on anything. Now, I think that's what we need, people to stop being scared to speak their minds. You should not fear your devs, your devs should fear you! (pun). I would say that it might be a good idea to get right of the thanks system, but that's a double edged sword. Some people, myself included, like to thank people for, well, whatever it is that they did to help them, and in the end are you really gonna post 20 times telling people thanks? I'm not, so in that sense, it's a good thing. On the other hand some people, no names, post mad threads just to get their rep bar up. Not sure how three little green dots are gonna help you in life, but that's how they view it. Then that just litters up the forums with crap that's already been posted 50 times, which makes some people just stop reading their threads. Either way, I think people need to step up and quit worrying about what a bunch of people who you will most likely never meet think about you.

[Arterra]

Ah the good old days... they will never come again. trust me.

Evolution of the community (on game forums)

1) new game: everything is new, everyone is excited and equally noobish, any new peice of info on forum, true or not, is subject to proper debate and inquiry.
2) growing: names and proper guides start popping up, this is the golden age as OCD like players start seriously breaking down the game. still open debate, but if you see a particular name say something, you LISTEN. (2010-2011 ish IMO, Royce being name example*)
3) settled: smaller, but still worthy guides start being made. not game breaking, but still useful. the game has been explored, simply have to look ever so much closer to write original stuff now. (Like a terraria forums I frequent, being for a game that has just declared itself more or less done. not too bad, not comparable to STS gold age)
4) stagnating: not much left to document, the frequent names on the forums have been replaced a dozen times over, starting to get winy... (now?)
5) ugh...: Minecraft forums... they have 20+ posts of insulting useless/nooby thread posters before anything constructive comes up. dozens of threads on the exact same thing can be found in a 2 page search. post count apparently equals game experience. bad spelling rampant. etc.

as I have seen, the level of decency players have to each other is proportional to the amount of thing left to discover together, like a common goal between passive aggressive frenemies... pray we never reach the MC stage.

*= note on prominent name respecting: not even being the #1 player in PL history can mean you are above the law. I remember asking something about the shock lance proc, if it was a break armor and/or stun or something, and royce spent a whole first page insisting there was no proc or at least not break armor.

BUT I will say something against the general argument trend here: even in september '10 signs of wanting to be recognized could be seen: moi. I spent the majority of my first few threads/posts experimenting to see what was considered to be a good and well liked thread, prone to being active, in general trying to emulate certain users in insight and helpfulness. why? so my numerous game suggestions would not be skipped, to dispel the mynas gen look, etc. wanting to be recognized is not a new trend, just a less successful one these days, although there are more un-altruistic temptations out there now...


thoughts on GoA, AoA, LmAO, etc:
since we have passed any proper discovery stages of the game, the standards for it decreases too.


OT:

No we're clearly trying to get Arterra back from China so he can play more.

Amen Red.


good to be remembered! I guess this is what players strive for when they have rep/status in mind...

[Lowlyspy]

good to be remembered! I guess this is what players strive for when they have rep/status in mind...

Since the early stages of mankind, people have strived for glory, whether in battle, writing, or fields of science. It is a natural human instinct to want to feel looked up to, to feel special, and of course that is a driving factor behind many of the people posting their "guides" these days as well as back then. I don't think anyone on this forum can say they never wanted to be a "famous" member of the community, looked up to for their wisdom, skills, or what have you. Even during my earlier days i wanted this. I jumped at the chance to meet a GoA after i found out what they were. I wanted to get to know them to find out what it was that gained them their LEETness, but after meeting a few i realized the best way to be considered LEET, just be a good person. After i got over being starstruck by the flashy shield and title and actually saw it for what it was i looked around the forums and saw how even those people who didn't have it were just as awesome. One person in particular was the person who convinced me to just be as good a person i could be (you shall remain nameless but you know who you are.)

Be helpful, learn the game, be generous (though not to a fault), and over all, be NICE. That is the way to be "famous" in the right way on here. And by "learn the game" i don't mean give an answer to every question whether you know it or not, that will lead you to giving out false info, which imo is worse than no info at all. I don't care what anyone says, there is NO ONE who knows everything about everything in this game, it is perfectly ok to not know the answer to something. Wanna know what to do in that case? Go find out what the answer is that way when someone else asks the same question, you can answer it correctly to the best of your knowledge.

Arterra, these are the things that make me remember you, not the shield, not the title, not any guides you have made. The fact that you are simply a good person is what makes me remember you. In being a good person you have earned my respect and a permanent spot in my memory.

And in regards to the forum rep feature, it's terrible. I am willing to bet every ounce of gold and gear i have that if it was taken away tomorrow along with the GoA and AoA/AoB programs, all the fame grubbers would disappear over night. I would be happy as a clam to see it go, the forums were better off without it in the first place. I prefer my mental rep system anyway, where rep points are appropriately given or taken away as i see fit. The forum rep system just isn't needed, be a good person and the fame will come without you even knowing it.

[MightyMicah]

So after thinking about it a little more I will say this. Good guides are still presented by many people. Problem is no one bothers to read them. I don't know how many AMAZING guides and suggestions and all kinds of awesome crap I've read that had like 2 comments on it. (and Im guessing not very many views.) Maybe it's time we ignore the rep bars, and start anew. Meaning read stuff regardless of who wrote it. And look for it also.

[Hankomachos]

lol same, one day hank told me i had two bars or somethin and I was laughing as basically all my input is very minimal and barely beneficial

You have three now. ;P

[Mitchturbo]

I didn't realise any of this was going on. Do you all honestly think this way?

I love the forums and have made good friends from here. :-)
Can we not try to improve the spirit and community of the forums?
All and all I hope you get whatever is off your chest and just have fun again *big care bear hug*

Oh and *free cookie too*

[MrKrone]

Free cookie? Hey guys! The forums is a great place now!

[Artentreri]

Ok, problem solved, never thank anyone ever again. :p

[Elyseon]

I think it would be good if it showed thanks on an individual post, but not total on a character, cuz as intended there are times when u want to recognize someone for something good

[morfic]

I just realized that I have 5 rep bars. When and how did that happen.

[StompArtist]

I just realized that I have 5 rep bars. When and how did that happen.

That is because you have a brilliant future.

[morfic]

That is because you have a brilliant future.

Well that was a kind thing for you to say to me. In retort, I shall say unto you, that you have a reputation beyond repute.

[dudetus]

Glad to see again some thoughtful posts :)!

Rep system is ridiculos Imho. It makes some pursue for thanks and therefore gaining rep and the conclusion usually is a "guide" which includes lots of bad info alongside with bad presentation. Not saying that there wouldn't be good guides alongside with the bad ones, but the number of ridiculous guides have been constantly increasing.

I have been accused to do my "How To Look" - guides just to get easy rep various times. Tbh I couldn't care less about the rep, because it doesn't determine urself as a person like how many thanks u have recieved. They r just numbers and green marks. I just like creating and making them. But I like personally to give thanks to posts which Imo deserve it. And these posts r either thoughtful and well written and/or humorous (at least from my pov). But again, I don't care about my own thanks count. Only thing I care about the "thanks" is how many thanks I have given. At this moment I have seen 140 thoughtful, well written and humorous posts, and THAT is what I truly care about in the rep system.

AoA then... The program itself is just plainly awesome. The game requires volounteer work from the oldies to help newbies to get to the "next level" in general PL gameplay way easier. But unfortunately some consider it just to be a fancy dancy forum title which grants them an ego boost. It isn't necessary to be in AoA to be able to help. Even though I am not in AoA, it has never stopped me from helping those in need. If u r truly willing to help, u can help if u want to.

Well I guess that's it then... My two cents.

[Jewelsofjane]

I agree with most on this but my pov on the decline began when the game was opened to the android market and the game exploded. Ofc this wasn't a problem, but suddenly sts needed the forums to be Professional. In their efforts to make it such, many people feared the ban hammer. Again, not a bad thing.... But that's when some people feared so much that they turned into brown nosing and suddenly reminded others of the TOS even if they didn't follow them themselves.

Then came elixirs and yes, I admitt that I don't need to read up on the finer points of the game because I can pop an elixir and I'm good to go. So unless it's a guide about crafting, I don't even read them.

Mix in the programs that became a popularity contest and rep bars (which I personally hate) and it becomes a breeding ground for misery. It's not only the people who beg for thanks or who aren't genuine, it's the nit pickers that pick at every little thing posted. It's one thing to disagree, but just to put someone down or a negative comment just isn't necessary, and there are many.

What once used to be an enjoyable forum with many laughs became nothing but begs for thanks and needless arguments directed at someone's character.

Questions is: How do we repair this? Frankly I have no idea.

[Jugernugett]

First the clam
Then the Bronx bomb
Now arterra?!?!
Pardon me sir, but I do believe you mean oyster. -.- yep that

[Arterra]

lowly, stop making me blush so. I can't even quote that post without feeling ridiculous xD

But that truly is the gist of it. I dont actually have a list of guides to my name, my most successful forum contribution being either suggesting the pumpkin haelm (might have already been planned) and a dead king of the hill game. The people that have stood out the most here are those who talk with the voice of reason, logic, and quirky kindness.


So after thinking about it a little more I will say this. Good guides are still presented by many people. Problem is no one bothers to read them. I don't know how many AMAZING guides and suggestions and all kinds of awesome crap I've read that had like 2 comments on it. (and Im guessing not very many views.) Maybe it's time we ignore the rep bars, and start anew. Meaning read stuff regardless of who wrote it. And look for it also.

Mighty, you might be quite right... something I have seen on many forums are a sort of "daily/weekly spotlight"... might be a suddenly popular thread in offtopic, a screenshot compilation of particular creativity, a guide that is genius, or a simple question nobody has asked yet in general discussion being researched.
Community highlighting like this promotes many more and healthier moments of fame for people to vie for, since you dont get to coast with your old achievements and must be always coming up with good quality stuff to get back. Also gets threads that should get feedback their due!

[Artentreri]

Why elysony, why?! :p

[WoundedEagle]

This forum is miserably crashing.

[Sryyoulose]

I haven't realized this to a great extent, mainly because I joined after it's "Hayday" so yeah... What we really need is just more people.

[NECROREAPER]

I haven't realized this to a great extent, mainly because I joined after it's "Hayday" so yeah... What we really need is just more people.


Quality > Quantity

[Zeus]

Like many said, in such a low content MMO, the knowledge well is run dry. There is simply not much more to discuss, one of the main reasons why I no longer use the forums as often as I used to.

This will likely subside when new campaigns are released, hopefully soon, because my love for the forums is gone.

Anyways, this was kinda also a answer to the PM's I've been getting about why I haven't been around on the forums as much.

[RedRyder]

I'm so not looking forward to the 100 guides that Humania will bring lol

[NECROREAPER]

Perhaps we should make a list of things that need guides and then we won't have people making threads about "how to login to PL."

[Ardon]

I'm so not looking forward to the 100 guides that Humania will bring lol

"how to enter the new campaign"
"guide to new cap vanities"
"where to get the best xp"
"my guide to Humania"

And 90% of those guides will be common knowledge.


Sent from my Droid X

[Artentreri]

I have never read a guide that wasn't 100% original and helpful, especially hank's.
Heh.

[Elyseon]

'How to get the elite 71 cap elite vanity pet'


It wouldnt possobly be by getting to 71 would it? o_O

[Anecat]

I too was part of the golden age of STS. I was one of the first 100! But due to lack of knowledge of good games i left PL and played other apps. After about two years i have finally recognized the true greatness STS has made. I was in forums though no one knew me. I read the forums and saw the first 1000 become friends much easier than we do now. Guilds fight over no useful information. I use the example of Project Twink and Elite Droids. They were arguing over what to call lvl 15 pvpers! Lot of hurt, anger, and scars were passed between these guilds. Red, you have brought back memories of a time where people were like a group of friends, now i see my friends tear eavh other apart because of some dumb thing. In the past this would be argued for 10 min then, poof, argument dissmissed, no more worries. Now this argument could start guilds, a war, and no improvement in the end. Red i thank you for such sweet memories back then.

(You may notice it says i joined recently, that is because SL forums account is this so new account. I have a old account where nobody knows but me. No one has even heard of him...)

[Arterra]

know what, imma just post this here since I hate the sunsets subforum, and only those who care will be drawn to this thread...

I grow tired of checking the what's new page to not see things that interest me, and I cant see myself even getting back into the game for too long a time to care about this for any longer.
I wont complain much about the player base or anything, it's just that it no longer fits me. Look for me in this steam group (http://steamcommunity.com/groups/Spacetime_studios) if you enjoy PC games, namely MC, terraria, dota or tf2. otherwise, adios.



'twas a good run, sts.


http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac221/yuyuhakushi/adios.png

I always thought I would go out with a yoshi bomb supa-nuke... meh

[Urqui]

Ugh, if you find something interesting to read, read it... Seems lame, move to a diffrent post...
Like the thread and thought it was useful, thank it... Post wasn't helpful, move on
Problem solved TADA!

[RedRyder]

know what, imma just post this here since I hate the sunsets subforum, and only those who care will be drawn to this thread...

I grow tired of checking the what's new page to not see things that interest me, and I cant see myself even getting back into the game for too long a time to care about this for any longer.
I wont complain much about the player base or anything, it's just that it no longer fits me. Look for me in this steam group (http://steamcommunity.com/groups/Spacetime_studios) if you enjoy PC games, namely MC, terraria, dota or tf2. otherwise, adios.



'twas a good run, sts.


http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac221/yuyuhakushi/adios.png

I always thought I would go out with a yoshi bomb supa-nuke... meh


You can still do it!