Forums are used to "win" the Internet.

PVP at its highest form.

Any other use is strictly optional.

But that said, I find that company sponsored forums are less enjoyable (for the reasons you stated)  than a more free form one like this, which is why I devote most of my time here.

Originally posted by apocoluster
Hint:  Dont read the forums then.

Good hint.

Oh wait, the delivery of said hint is contra-indicated by the hint itself.  Paradox!  Div/0 Error!

Hint: If you value 'free speech', forums may not be a good idea for you.  Particularly if you're highly opinionated and lack self-control.

Forums of specific games are best avoided. MMORPG is different, because people think in more hypothetical terms here, as there isn't one solid game base here, which means concepts are more valuable than specifics.

People act differently when dealing with hypothetical situations, then equally true real-world situations.

Originally posted by Kyleran

Forums are used to "win" the Internet.

...

I can't see why anybody would want to win the internet.

What're you gonna do with it? It's not like you can eat it! :)

Have you been a forum mod? I have on another one and let me tell you, it is a thankless job and very hard.

All games have faults and it seems that on general forums, like this one, more of the negative aspects come out. It is just the way it is and you have to understand that when you read forums like this one. If you want to read more discussion about a game, then you really need to go to game's forum or to a fan forum dedicated to the game.

I would wish people would be more objective in discussing subjects, on this forum, but I even get caught up in the negativity that ensues here. It is easier to be negative that admit your bias and discuss openly and logically - we all do it - I do too - to the detriment of the discussions.

I wouldn't blame the mods - I would blame how people go about discussing things - it is easy to blame mods but in reality it is a bloody impossible job to do.

Originally posted by Icewhite

Originally posted by apocoluster
Hint:  Dont read the forums then.

Good hint.

Oh wait, the delivery of said hint is contra-indicated by the hint itself.  Paradox!  Div/0 Error!

K, I lol'd.  That was good.

If you took the witty from the forums, where would we be?  Oh, in a better place?  Sorry..

Forums have several big disadvantages.

1) The participants in a forum do not represent the whole playerbase. Nor are the participants representative for the whole  playerbase.

2) There is a similar effect like with the news industry. There are hot topics. There are less hot topics. There are a lot of different topics. But the hot topics don't always represent important topics. Most topics get buried on the following pages too fast.

3) You can't that easily follow discussions when you're not online all the time. Even with e-mail or other kinds of notifications to inform you about new posts.

4) "Thread necromancy" is often frowned upon, but doing that would be better to understand how the discussion has evolved. At least linking/merging/summarizing similar threads should be considered. Which is often not.

Thus topics discussed on forums should be taken with a grain of salt.

Originally posted by smh_alot
I've found that I liked my forum experiences better 10-15 years ago. The average internet and forums user seemed smarter and less emotionally hyperbolic back then.

Sometimes they could even spell and punctuate, too.

But I think you're just pointing out that stubborn forumites only get more stubborn, once you add some "I'm a veteran" reactionary cane-waving. 

And you'd be right.

Originally posted by botrytis

Have you been a forum mod? I have on another one and let me tell you, it is a thankless job and very hard.

 

All games have faults and it seems that on general forums, like this one, more of the negative aspects come out. It is just the way it is and you have to understand that when you read forums like this one. If you want to read more discussion about a game, then you really need to go to game's forum or to a fan forum dedicated to the game.

 

I would wish people would be more objective in discussing subjects, on this forum, but I even get caught up in the negativity that ensues here. It is easier to be negative that admit your bias and discuss openly and logically - we all do it - I do too - to the detriment of the discussions.

 

I wouldn't blame the mods - I would blame how people go about discussing things - it is easy to blame mods but in reality it is a bloody impossible job to do.

You know what though? I think the OP's complaints were against official company forums, doesn't sound like he has a real issue with what goes on over here.

Originally posted by Jemcrystal
Each game has it's own forum.  When signed on to a game I would like to hang out there but it doesn't take long to see unforgivable faults.  Clicks have formed, moderators are spiteful and rude, certain trolls are lotted privileges, free speach is unheard of, and newbs are shot on site.  It really makes me ill.  A good portion of my gaming experience is the game's forums.  Why don't the client owners check in and see how badly their forums are doing?

Sounds like you been on the lotro forums,  I read what you said and I imediatly though wow they are talking about a certain blue name and a few super users with counless green bars who are continually allowed to attack users who have anything negative to say. I don't think I would be allowed to call that blue name out, but you all know who I am talking about.

A forum community will always be much more negative of a game than the game community itself. The main reason is that if someone is actually enjoying a game and has some free time, it's more likely to spend it in the game than in the forums (of course with exceptions like people that are at work like me). Official forums tend to agravate this because it's the place where the devs supposedly will actually see the complains and suggestions.

I always put AoC as a prime example of this. I remember at release, at least on the server I played in, it had one of the best communities I've seen in an MMO. Once I saw a mob that was needed for a quest and that because of a bug if you killed him as a group only one got credit... and since there was so many people playing in that area he was dead most of the time... and people were forming lines and respecting other people's turn to tag the mob anytime he respawned. Saw the same thing on another quest that was some arena like fights against increasingly difficult mobs, but that only one could enter at a time (whoever hit the lever first, it was later changed to a solo instance to prevent griefing there), people were also forming lines, do one tier of the content, go back to the end of the line and so on. Yet I had friends decide against trying the game because they read the forums first (they were running away from WoW mostly because of the community). The forums were an almost opposite to the in-game community, IMO.

Originally posted by pkpkpk
The Perfect MMORPG does not have forums. Either Shadowbane or Vanguard tried this if I remember right. Classic EQ might as well not have had them, if it even did.

Huh, good point.

I distinctly remember visiting the unofficial Solusek Ro forums in the early days.  That's how I discovered that DAoC existed and was in beta.  And kept up with the "goings ons" from the usual suspects on my server.

Blast from the past, that.

I think when a company hires forum workers they should check up on them to see if the forum employees are harassing the gamers.

Here is a post I made today and note the moderator's treatment.  Also note that this subject is not disallowed so that was not the reason for bad treatment.  The moderators need moderated.

Link if that is to hard to read here.

Originally posted by Jemcrystal
Each game has it's own forum.  When signed on to a game I would like to hang out there but it doesn't take long to see unforgivable faults.  Clicks have formed, moderators are spiteful and rude, certain trolls are lotted privileges, free speach is unheard of, and newbs are shot on site.  It really makes me ill.  A good portion of my gaming experience is the game's forums.  Why don't the client owners check in and see how badly their forums are doing?

Play more. Visit less.  Forums aren't compulsory.

If it makes you ill you're too thin-skinned for Tha Intarweb anyway.