Smoker Posted July 31, 2000 Share Posted July 31, 2000 I would like people to reread the first 7 lines of Deanco's first post to this thread. Here we have a general strategy gamer who enjoys CM. This is a great thing! He said: "Hi everyone, As a newcomer to this forum, and as a person who is not a WWII buff, and as a person who in the past hated wargames because of the poor graphics, I'd like to say that the reason I hang out here is because I think CM is a great strategy game, perhaps one of the greatest ever. For me it's a game, full of strategic possibilities, a fun game. The fact that it takes place in WWII is cool in and of itself, but it's not the coolest part of it by a long shot." These are the type of newbies that can really make the sales figures for CM take off, something BTS and all the old timers would love to see. Gamers like Deanco should be VIPs on this forum. I think the main CM forum should cater to the Deanco's of the world. There are four sections to the CM forum. Why not add a fifth for scholarly discussion of wargame development and general grognard issues. The "old" forum could coexist with the "new" that way. I would call the new section something like "Grognards only, please". I've been following this forum since April of last year. I miss the "old" forum too, but the new forum is inevitable since the game is out and it is beneficial to BTS and newbies and therefore all of us. Let's have our cake and eat it too! Who wants to see a "Grognard" section added to the forum? ------------------ Smoker out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dragoon44 Posted July 31, 2000 Share Posted July 31, 2000 Guys, I have to say that this is one of the more fun forums. Its not some geekfest like the trekkie rooms or the star wars forums, no offense intended to those who enjoy those genre as well as CM. I am a retired armored cavalry captain, who rose from the ranks, and have learned a ton of history from those who contribute here on line. Im sorry to hear that some folks are going to bail out, those people have a depth of knowledge that ought to be passed on, I would support the addition of a "Hardcore" category to this website, but probably wouldnt participate in it. I like the "let it rip" flavor found here, it reminds me of the cav. For what its worth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scorpion Posted July 31, 2000 Share Posted July 31, 2000 It's always sad to see something like this happen. I haven't been posting in this forum very long - I just recently discovered the game, after taking a hiatus from computer gaming in general for about a year. However, I have seen exactly what is happening here happen elsewhere, and I think I have some insight into why it happens. The issue does not seem to be newbies vs. veterans. While it is relatively difficult to weed out the bad seeds when newcomers come in a rush, and while forums that start out as tight-knit groups are inherently cliquish, in reality the problem is a simple one. The more people that you gather together, the more problems you have. Whether that be with personality conflicts, with people not knowing the rules, or with people simply out to ruin others' fun (and there are a lot of them out there), the chances that you run into a problem increase with the number of people. In a forum like this, two things seem to work, with varying degrees of success. The first is to begin to heavily moderate the group. While with a small group, this would not be necessary, with a larger (and growing) one, it becomes so. Not everyone will play by their own rules, and often self-policing is not the answer once the size of the group grows to a sufficient size. The second is to create a forum for the clique (and please believe me when I say that I do not mean that in a derogatory manner) to gather in, on their own terms. Perhaps invite only, or at least giving the group (or a moderator from that group) the ability to remove or block unwanted people. The sad (or ironic?) thing is, the reason why so many people are here is because of the fruits of the original group's labor, the discussions that went on. The game which people put so much time into developing has generated such interest that a deluge of people have joined the forum. Is this a bad thing? That depends on why you come to this forum to post, and why you read it. Many of the newcomers do not have the experience or knowledge of the veterans of this forum. Some do. Many will not know (or perhaps ever follow) the rules, both spoken and unspoken. Most, hopefully, will have something valuable to contribute. So, one of three things (or a combination thereof) can help the veterans deal with the fact that this forum is no longer what they originally came here for: Find someone to kick out the undesirables and enforce strict rules; create a forum for the type of discussion they want (what is it, BTW?); or accept that all things change. Isn't this what everyone wanted in the first place? -Scorp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts