On topic petition

[spawnloser]

Please either contribute to the conversation or take it to the Out of Character forums.  It's hard to keep up with these as it is, if you would like staff to contribute, please consider that when posting trivial posts.

This is the biggest reason all of you annoy me.  You all couldn't keep on topic if your genitals were in a vice that tightened each time you went off-topic.

Let's make this a petition.  Let's make the signal-to-noise ratio improve so that the this turns into less of a monkey-cage and more of a productive forum for a game that we all love.  Sign below.

[Gimfalisette]

http://www.zalanthas.org/gdb/index.php/topic,36984.0.html

[MarshallDFX]

Gimf beat me to it.  That's one that you really need to look into, spawnloser.

[Cutthroat]

http://www.zalanthas.org/gdb/index.php/topic,36984.0.html

That thread condemns this thread but supports spawnloser's general idea. You should take a look at it spawnloser.

[brytta.leofa]

In the United States, it's generally spelled "vise."  The other thing is something that I'm fairly certain we can gradually eliminate through the criminalization of activities that don't hurt nobody else.



Oh, oh, on topic...
If you want to spout random silliness related to a thread's topic:
(1) Hit "reply" to the post you're going to reply to.
(2) Copy the contents of the reply text box.
(3) Go to the Random Thoughts or Random Armageddon Thoughts thread.
(4) Hit reply there and paste the start of your reply from the other thread.
(5) Do not reply in the original thread.

Your silliness is thereby indulged without derailing the discussion.  And serious GDBers play the GDB as a whole, anyway.

[Synthesis]

approach code

intraroom grid

[FantasyWriter]

approach code

intraroom grid

No.

[MarshallDFX]

approach code

intraroom grid

Well Synthesis you never answered my question.  How significantly would an approach code/intra room grid impact the current syntax we play with?  Will it yield longer delays on average?

[jcarter]

edit: nm

[RogueGunslinger]

I didn't take the last one of these seriously.

[Synthesis]

approach code

intraroom grid

Well Synthesis you never answered my question.  How significantly would an approach code/intra room grid impact the current syntax we play with?  Will it yield longer delays on average?

Yes, it will yield longer delays...that's the entire point:  it takes time to move from point A to point B.  Which allows the person at point B to say, run away or equip his shield when a person at point A starts sprinting toward him with a giant axe.  Unlike now, where the person at point A simply command stacks an emote with the kill command, and magickally teleports across the room with it to hack you in the face.

[spawnloser]

Actually, that thread is different than that one.  That is mostly a request for people to stop being d.bags.  This thread is a request for people to be constructive and stay on topic.  Two different things...

Oh, and it is so heartening to see people nearly instantly derail a thread asking people to stop derailing threads and stay on topic.  Good job.

[musashi]

Oh, oh, on topic...
If you want to spout random silliness related to a thread's topic:
(1) Hit "reply" to the post you're going to reply to.
(2) Copy the contents of the reply text box.
(3) Go to the Random Thoughts or Random Armageddon Thoughts thread.
(4) Hit reply there and paste the start of your reply from the other thread.
(5) Do not reply in the original thread.

Your silliness is thereby indulged without derailing the discussion.  And serious GDBers play the GDB as a whole, anyway.

This is what I took out of this thread. It's good sound advice. Plus it makes my precious random thoughts thread GROW! GROW!

[Cutthroat]

That [thread] is mostly a request for people to stop being d.bags. This thread is a request for people to be constructive and stay on topic.

Mainly, yes. This phrasing like "collaborative" and "constructive" in Olgaris' thread explanation tends to imply an effort to stay on-topic.

Within the pledge itself, I'd argue "positive comments, ideas, and suggestions" and "express in a helpful and collaborative way" tends to imply an effort to stay on-topic.

The phrase "If I think someone, or some idea is stupid, I will keep it to myself and suggest improvements rather than make snide remarks in an attempt to make myself somehow look better" tends to imply to do more of what Morgenes did and you quoted, and less of what you did.

Oh, and it is so heartening to see people nearly instantly derail a thread asking people to stop derailing threads and stay on topic.

It helps to be able to tune out the noise, as well.

[Lizzie]

I think we should just keep on how we've been doing, giggle at Spawnloser's annoyance, and let the staff decide if and when the forum has had enough derailments.

[spawnloser]

Yeah, and what I'm trying to do is get you all to understand that your derailing threads gets them closed.  I'm sure staff doesn't like to have to do that.  Debate and discussion should be allowed to continue... but then people that can't put a stopper in their gob fuck it up for the rest of us.

[Cutthroat]

Yeah, and what I'm trying to do is get you all to understand that your derailing threads gets them closed.  I'm sure staff doesn't like to have to do that.  Debate and discussion should be allowed to continue

Of course. So we've seen when your off-topic arguments have gotten threads locked, among other people. Phrasing matters a great deal, though, don't you agree? You can tell a child who is throwing a tantrum to "stop being a fucking retard" or tell him "be quiet". Which do you think he'll actually listen to and benefit from?

...but then people that can't put a stopper in their gob fuck it up for the rest of us.

Pot, meet kettle. Do you really think a lot of people here will actually take your request seriously, given your tendency on the forums to be argumentative and nitpicky? I think they would listen to a staff member far more easily.

Keep in mind that I agree with your general premise. The GDB, as a whole, is better when people keep their random thoughts in the random thoughts threads. But there is the request tool, there is e-mailing mud@armageddon.org, there is the Report to moderator function. Leave the moderation to staff, it's a lot better and more certain.

[Krath]

Spawnloser practice what you preach.

[brytta.leofa]

This thread is now about staying on topic.

[Lizzie]

This thread is now about staying on topic.

I disagree with the basic premise and as such, I must cast my vote as "nay."

Furthermore, I favor purple notepads over plain yellow ones. The green ink of my pen shows up more clearly with the purple background.

[Rairen]

If I post a request for three brothers and a sister who are either primary guild rangers or Elkrosians so that we can be called the Power Rangers (zing!), is it still inappropriate to dictate another character's guild? 

[brytta.leofa]

This thread is now about getting spawnloser's on-topic petition thread locked for straying off-topic.

Seriously, OP couldn't maintain a calm, respectful tone if his genitals were placed in a vise and that infernal device ratcheted tighter each time he drove a normally sane GDBer into maddened countertroll violence.  But he is, in all essentials, correct.  Moreover, it's something the staff have complained about several times recently...that's unusual and perhaps we should take note.

[mansa]

I think one of the major causes of going off topic...

Is that a lot of people on the GDB have social issues that prevent them from actually following a conversation.   We're all geeks and nerds, right?  We all have trouble following conversations in real life.  We pick up cues in conversations that aren't supposed to be there, and then talk at length about it.

It's a problem that we naturally have, in real life and in an online forum.

[LauraMars]

But I think in this case we're all just trying to provoke spawnloser.

[Gimfalisette]

Is that a lot of people on the GDB have social issues that prevent them from actually following a conversation.   We're all geeks and nerds, right?  We all have trouble following conversations in real life.  We pick up cues in conversations that aren't supposed to be there, and then talk at length about it.

It's a problem that we naturally have, in real life and in an online forum.

This does not describe me in any way, shape, or form. Nor, actually, does it describe any of the very intelligent and very geeky people I know IRL.

But I think in this case we're all just trying to provoke spawnloser.

This. Though, my first post in this thread was not off-topic. I just wasn't interested in signing his extremely rude, thinly-veiled-insult "petition," especially when we just went through doing a GDB pledge thing a couple months ago.