Kind of discouraging though, I post an idea on the S&I forums that I feel is good, and other friends that I play with believe might be good, and it is instantly struck down by 5 people that are like "OMG BAD IDEA" without giving any commentary as to why it is as such. The whole god damn forum is a flaming inferno.
Should be one post, submit, no one else comments, then the devs could breeze through them, at the rate of 100 or so an hour or more, denoucing and deleting some, while keeping others to be reviewed later. Give every idea a chance <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif'><!--endemo--> Then perhaps the devs could start threads that would be commented upon by the public, or just playtesters, for the public to see.
Generally, if an idea is struck down, I always see the reason it's struck down. Generally, that reason is: "Read the FAQ". More often than not, said reason is grouped with a quote from the FAQ with specifically addresses your issue.
In the cases where it's not in the FAQ, but has simply been discussed two dozen times or more in the past month, the responce "Use the Search" is utilized. More often than not, you don't actually have to use the search, but rather just look down the first two pages of threads on the forum... your idea is likely in one of those threads already. But the search is handy.
Those are the two reasons I know of why an idea is struck down by all without mercy. New ideas tend to have a little back and forth, and then a consensus arises. The consensus always is accompanied by reasons.
moultanoCreator of ns_shiva.Join Date: 2002-12-14Member: 10806Members, NS1 Playtester, Contributor, Constellation, NS2 Playtester, Squad Five Blue, Reinforced - Shadow, WC 2013 - Gold, NS2 Community Developer, Pistachionauts
<!--QuoteBegin--Heist+Mar 17 2003, 06:20 PM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Heist @ Mar 17 2003, 06:20 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> For those posting in the S&I forums, just do a little thinking before posting your idea.
Thought Process
1) Wow... I am creative... I just had a great Idea! 2) Will this benifit the game? 3) Do I play in a Public environment or a Clan environment 4) What might some chain reaction consequences be? (E.G will more poeple want to evolve to Lerk?) 5) What do a few others people on my server think about my ideas (Other people are great at belittling you and telling you why you are wrong) 6) Can I defend why a change should be made? 7) I might just post this in the S&I forum!
Then go and post your idea and give some reasons why it should be implemented and some consequences of your idea. (not all consequences are bad)
I think the problem is that people just post any old idea that pops into their head. The S&I forum (to the best of my knowledge) was put there so that the Devs could get another source for some potential gameplay enhancing ideas. If you are thinking of posting something for the devs to read, try getting it by some people in your server first.
<edit> Spelling <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo--> <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd--> I disagree with this to some extent. I think that threads that are best classified as brainstorms do have a place in the forums. Bad suggestions aren't really the problem, redundant suggestions are. I think if someone had a creative idea and posted it without working out the details of its affect on gameplay than they aren't doing anyone a disservice. If nothing else they might spark someone's imagination to come up with a really <i>good</i> idea. If you aren't claiming to have a deep understanding of the game's dynamics and your post reflects that, than it should be treated as a brainstorm.
This would be my suggested thought process. 0) Does my idea work reasonably with the existing atmosphere of NS? if so, proceed to step 1. 1) Does my idea have a balance change as its focus? If not, proceed to step 2. 2) Is my idea something fairly original? If so, proceed to step 3. 3) Has my idea ever been talked about in the forums before? (search!) If not, proceed to step 4. 4) Is my idea covered in the FAQ? If not, proceed to step 5. 5) Am I capable of wording my thoughts in a manner that is comprehensible? If so, post with caution . . .
I would argue that there is a difference between an idea and a suggestion in the S&I forums. An idea has less constraint on it. Its not something in a condition of development to be added to the game. Its a suggestion zygote. Its something for people with more experience to work with when they need inspiration. Suggestions are the posts that need to be picked apart and dissected because someone thinks they would be a good addition as is. They both have their place. It is the responsibility of the responders to recognize the difference and treat them accordingly.
I didn't think anyone actually read the S&I forum. I stopped after trying to wade through any number of ridiculous, balance-destroying suggestions. It doesn't take a playtester to spot most of them <!--emo&;)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/wink.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wink.gif'><!--endemo-->
Comments
Should be one post, submit, no one else comments, then the devs could breeze through them, at the rate of 100 or so an hour or more, denoucing and deleting some, while keeping others to be reviewed later. Give every idea a chance <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif'><!--endemo--> Then perhaps the devs could start threads that would be commented upon by the public, or just playtesters, for the public to see.
In the cases where it's not in the FAQ, but has simply been discussed two dozen times or more in the past month, the responce "Use the Search" is utilized. More often than not, you don't actually have to use the search, but rather just look down the first two pages of threads on the forum... your idea is likely in one of those threads already. But the search is handy.
Those are the two reasons I know of why an idea is struck down by all without mercy. New ideas tend to have a little back and forth, and then a consensus arises. The consensus always is accompanied by reasons.
Thought Process
1) Wow... I am creative... I just had a great Idea!
2) Will this benifit the game?
3) Do I play in a Public environment or a Clan environment
4) What might some chain reaction consequences be? (E.G will more poeple want to evolve to Lerk?)
5) What do a few others people on my server think about my ideas (Other people are great at belittling you and telling you why you are wrong)
6) Can I defend why a change should be made?
7) I might just post this in the S&I forum!
Then go and post your idea and give some reasons why it should be implemented and some consequences of your idea. (not all consequences are bad)
I think the problem is that people just post any old idea that pops into their head. The S&I forum (to the best of my knowledge) was put there so that the Devs could get another source for some potential gameplay enhancing ideas.
If you are thinking of posting something for the devs to read, try getting it by some people in your server first.
<edit> Spelling <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo--> <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
I disagree with this to some extent. I think that threads that are best classified as brainstorms do have a place in the forums. Bad suggestions aren't really the problem, redundant suggestions are. I think if someone had a creative idea and posted it without working out the details of its affect on gameplay than they aren't doing anyone a disservice. If nothing else they might spark someone's imagination to come up with a really <i>good</i> idea.
If you aren't claiming to have a deep understanding of the game's dynamics and your post reflects that, than it should be treated as a brainstorm.
This would be my suggested thought process.
0) Does my idea work reasonably with the existing atmosphere of NS? if so, proceed to step 1.
1) Does my idea have a balance change as its focus? If not, proceed to step 2.
2) Is my idea something fairly original? If so, proceed to step 3.
3) Has my idea ever been talked about in the forums before? (search!) If not, proceed to step 4.
4) Is my idea covered in the FAQ? If not, proceed to step 5.
5) Am I capable of wording my thoughts in a manner that is comprehensible? If so, post with caution . . .
I would argue that there is a difference between an idea and a suggestion in the S&I forums. An idea has less constraint on it. Its not something in a condition of development to be added to the game. Its a suggestion zygote. Its something for people with more experience to work with when they need inspiration.
Suggestions are the posts that need to be picked apart and dissected because someone thinks they would be a good addition as is.
They both have their place. It is the responsibility of the responders to recognize the difference and treat them accordingly.