Questions about the Forums

edited July 2009 in Site Support
Hi, I'm Hugh Bliss relatively new here and I very much enjoy the Telltale forums. I like talking to fellow adventurer game players. I also enjoy spending too much time on Internet forums, whether it be posting them, running them or running them into the ground.

I had a couple of observations about this forum and I don't mean to offend by asking about them. I care more about the games - which are totally awesome - and are a priority. The forums are a great and awesome free service and I do not mean to imply they are bad or anything. Far from it.

Anyway. This is a long post. Feel free to skip to the end, skim it or ignore it if you're busy. I have no urgent problem with my account.

* If logged out, the "Private Pirates" section reads simply "Private." But if logged in as a pre-orderer you see "The pre-orderer's paradise. Secret goings-on are afoot in here! Get the game and get access!" If you can't see the little message saying to pre-order the game unless you pre-ordered it, doesn't that defeat the point? This also may be another little joke I failed to get like LeChuck being a woman.

* Why are there multiple forums for Bone, CSI and Telltale Texas Hold 'Em? They all have very little actual posting in them. Wouldn't it be more effective to combine the "Early Telltale Series" into one bigger collection with fitting forum description and hint section? It would probably encourage discussion of the older games too.

* I'm having trouble finding an official code of conduct or set of rules. I'm basically following my own idea of "don't be an idiot" but do these exist anywhere? If so, why aren't they easier to find? I haven't seen much issue with moderation but as Telltale gets more and more popular with each stellar title inevitably more less than pleasant people will show up and a clear Code of Conduct makes it easy to point to clear standards of moderation in customer disputes.

* Why is the "metaboard trio" of support at the very bottom instead of near the top? Wouldn't moving it up prevent threads from being created incorrectly in the general section and help people find solutions to their problems faster than having to scroll past GD, Monkey Island, Sam and Max, Strong Bad, Wallace and Gromit, CSI, Telltale Poker and Bone? I as a user never tend go to down here unless something breaks so I'm less likely - simply due to "out of sight, out of mind" - to respond to questions other users have. While it's not their job or expected responsibility, it's always nice when someone solves a problem or finds a link for you to save you time. (I have noticed though after another quick check that other users do post in here other than mods in response to user questions so this may be moot.)

* Why 50/50 avatar limit? If it's a bandwidth and server issue, I understand. Obviously a limit is needed but 50/50 is on the smaller side. Often it's harder to find nicer images that standout as unique or even recognizable at 50/50. Something like 80/80 would be less restrictive but not ridiculous - if possible in terms of money reasons.

* I may be incorrect but I cannot find a change skin feature. While it would be amazingly cool to have custom skins with Sam and Max or Monkey Island themes, those probably take time and resources as well - something very important for an episodic gaming company. Is it possible though to add basic variations like a green skin - I think it's vB greenish - or a white skin just to take a break from the kinda bland and commonplance default blue skin?

...

Anyway thanks for reading or skimming through this pretty long post. Again I'd like to stress this is not a angry complaint or a demand but mostly curiosity, suggestion and partially a desire for something cool. The forums are great and awesome as is and I'll keep posting on them for a long time. And obviously other things like the new Monkey Island game as well as the new Wallace and Gromit in production are way more important. If I was at any point rude or condescending I apologize.

Comments

  • JakeJake Telltale Alumni
    edited July 2009
    Welcome to the forums!!

    Forum guidelines, as posted at the top of the General Discussion board.

    Support's at the bottom so the first thing new users see when landing at /forums/ is discussion of the games, not people talking about everything that's broken :) People seem to find it fine down there (also it's linked from the Support page in the footer of every page on the site).

    Avatars are small and signatures are text only because we'd rather people expressed themselves with the contents of their post instead of a zillion badges and buttons affixed to everything they do. It means that if you don't have much to say but really really want to look like you do, you can't stand out artificially because of your sig and avatar plumage.

    There isn't a reason for having the forums for the older franchises split out other than they were once the current franchises and therefore had their own forums :) I don't know if burying them is the right idea, though, because with those names out on the main forum page, visitors can know at a glance the different series we've made. I wouldn't be surprised if someone discovered that we made some Bone games, or CSI games, from the forum list.

    Anyway thanks for your thoughts! Hope you enjoy it around here.



    ... wait you're "relatively new" but already have almost 300 posts? You're confusing me.
  • edited July 2009
    Thanks Jake! I appreciate that and all of your points/reasoning make sense.

    (I have 300 posts and I'm still relatively new because I've only been here a month. As gaps in my knowledge you were able to fill showed, I'm not quite aware of all of the going ons and customs, rules and junk. I'm just really excited about Monkey Island, I suppose.)

    Your one point about CSI is actually especially and ironically legit because I bought the CSI games about an hour or two ago on Half.com simply because they were the only Telltale games I didn't own.
  • edited July 2009
    Jake wrote: »
    I wouldn't be surprised if someone discovered that we made some Bone games, or CSI games, from the forum list.

    Yep! I only discovered TTG had made CSI from these forums.
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