New Rule: Should we cull all EQ-Neckbeard discussion from game threads?

My first day walking into Toxx forest and getting pasted within 30 seconds will be a day I'll never forget.

The issue I have with some of the EQ derail is that the noise level quickly goes out of the roof, impacting both specific threads, but the MMORPG forum altogether. Some of those threads should just settle because there is nothing new to say about the original topic/game (esp. when it's in alpha/closed beta), but instead they are continuously flooded by the EQ derail while being bumped to the top.
Although I'm checking the board daily, I'm spending a large amount of time trying to figure out what is related to the original topic/game or if there is any news. Due to that I've recently started ignoring some threads, and instead just go on different sites/forums to check if there anything new about the game. That outcome worries me because I feel less and less connected to this forum.
I can understand why part of the members would prefer leaving the things as they are, but I believe something should be done, at least to find a middle ground where people would still be able to mention EQ without being smacked by some hammer, while keeping threads on-topic enough so everyone can still follow the trail without having to read the forum 24/24.
And for the record, this is coming from someone who played EQ on day one, for several years, still believe that it is (one of) the best MMO, and who tried most of the recent shitty MMOs. So nostalgia is not unknown to me.

I voted against heavy moderation, mostly because its never going to be objective.

That said, I'm not happy with the derails going on, and it would be nice if both sides could dial it down. I'm in the camp that wants a different game then the current 'standard' so maybe that's neckbeard territory, but I dont need to hear about the dangers of instant travel in the wildstar thread because immersing you in a believable game world is not what that game is about. at the same time I dont need someone weaving wildstar into other threads just because it appears to be the next "big thing" they are looking forward to. Ironically I was particularly put off by the EQ nostalgia in the EQN thread, and that while taking part that discussion at the same time because hey, nothing of substance to talk about. All thats known about EQN says it wont be the EQ sequel people are looking for, so most of that thread actually elongs in either a EQ nostalgia thread or a general MMORPG design discussion thread.

If you want to go the moderation, or maybe even if you dont, it might be a good idea to have sticky threads for some topics like baseless armchair dev'ing thats unrelated to a current or upcoming game? If we can keep it civil people could just put their longwinded posts there and link them in the specific thread with a "hey heres a thought about this but it might be off-topic here, check it out in the armchair dev thread if you like". And finally on the topic of keeping it civil, I feel the pro- McDungeon crowd (if I may be that offensive!) is the side thats poisoning the forum atmosphere more then the nostalgia nerds.

Technical question: Can you block the posts of a specific member in one thread while still having them visible in other threads? Not to name+shame here but some who make interesting posts in the other sub-forums seems to have zero value besides insults to add to the MMO threads, and I dont want block lots of people for sperging on their hate topic if their posts are otherwise good reads.

Going to neg everyone who voted no

Alkorin_sl said:

It's really very simple. We can either talk about games without looking like a bunch of whining bitches, or we can let what's going on now continue. Moderation probably isn't the answer, so what is? Turning every single MMO thread into "EQ is better than this game because x, y, z" clearly isn't the answer either, and needs to go away.

I mean, look, let's be honest with ourselves. If the white noise of EQ fanboyism is all that we're talking about 95% of the time, what kind of "discussion" is this anyway, and why is it okay that some people like to shit up everyone else's threads with "lolololol FD pulling or gtfo"?

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the only people who are going to that extreme are you and a few others on the other side of the fence. seriously, you're as hypocritical as a christian pointing a finger at a muslim for how evil their religion is.

A lot of people are confusing moderation with censorship. If people could dial it down, or check themselves they would have already, they aren't, they won't. If you want to talk about (your favourite MMO) mechanics, then talk about it in the appropriate thread... and that doesn't mean every fucking thread that gets started just because you think it's appropriate to shit up every thread about (your favourite MMO).

Sabbat_sl said:

A lot of people are confusing moderation with censorship. If people could dial it down, or check themselves they would have already, they aren't, they won't. If you want to talk about (your favourite MMO) mechanics, then talk about it in the appropriate thread... and that doesn't mean every fucking thread that gets started just because you think it's appropriate to shit up every thread about (your favourite MMO).

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agree. except that the people who respond to every pro EQ post with "WoW is god and every game should be just like it" are just as culpable as the former. also, without the back and forth between these two sides, these forums wouldn't even exist because there would be nothing to discuss. i mean, TESO was first reported what, seven years ago? what the fuck else are you going to talk about for seven years if not game mechanics and what you'd like to see put into the game?

There's more than those two sides. I didn't even mention WoW and you came at me from that angle. There are plenty of distinct angles to discuss outside of your fantasy that EQ and WoW are separated by some wide ideological chasm. EQ was just designed badly, and WoW was designed well. They're very similar.

WoW discussion is generally more relevant since most of the games are clones of modern WoW. So the discussion is in the appropriate ballpark. How do you discuss a WoW clone without discussing WoW?

Agraza_sl said:

How do you discuss a WoW clone without discussing WoW?

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By discussing the mechanics from the most popular non-WoW clone.

You mean EVE, Runescape, Aion, or something? That doesn't seem relevant.

That's only because you lack imagination.

There are mostly EQ and WoW derails because they are the only two that dominated the genre during their time, that's all that is to it.

Just because EQ was more to your liking doesnt mean everything WoW ever did it is crap. Some of it is brilliant (or at least good and worth iterating upon), some of the concepts are bad (their bi-yearly attempt at reviving world pvp that usually falls flat on its face or turns into point grind). Same applies to EQ and most of other games though (example WAR: public quests, leveling entirely through pvp, interesting class mechanics like warrior priest, entering and queuing for BGs from anywhere, etc ... game still failed hard).

Sean_sl said:

Yes, it derails the fuck out of MMO threads and makes them unreadable. EQ circle jerks and the miscreants who start them should be kept corralled in EQ threads.

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It's because new MMOs and the mmo genre itselffucking sucksnow. To remove that fucking suck, you have to talk about something that doesn't suck: EQ.

Dumar_sl said:

It's because new MMOs and the mmo genre itselffucking sucksnow. To remove that fucking suck, you have to talk about something that doesn't suck: EQ.

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...and that my friends, is why I voted, yes. Having to not listen to shit stains like this because it's been moved to an appropriate thread thrills me than finally getting my illusion spells from HHK.

I think the case for yes has been handily made by the stupid fucking EQ derail in this very thread. If the ritalin-deprived assholes could keep the EQ-is-great-everything-else-sucks to themanythreads devoted to that shit (EQN, EQ nostalgia, any EQ emu thread) then there would be no need for moderation.