AshleyR Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 You guys should think about coming to http://www.swtorowned.com/forum.php and using what's available for now. Every day more and more servers are having threads started by players. The only way to get things started in your forum is to kick things off by making a post. Even if its just to say hello/introduce yourself, it will encourage more players to starting posting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oredith Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 And then we get SW:TOR. I hate to come back and continue to harp on BW for this, but it really is true. they made an awesome game, too bad it's a single player game, with a Battlefield/modern warfare type multi-player component. this is resonated throughout their decision making process, top among them, their choice to not have server forums. it's pretty sad, really, because I really enjoy the game, but without the ability to form tight knit community on the server, the game will just be another great game that I set aside after i've "beat it". there's so much potential for fun stuff in the game too. with the armor customization options, it is 100% possible to create server events like "slave girl costume only pvp night", but without server forums, that type of organization is all but impossible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dodd Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 (edited) I was giving this some more thought... The Devs' response that more server forums = more moderation and thread micromanagement to me doesn't hold any water. I don't know if anything's been said on this already, and it likely has, but I have no search button for these forums, anyway. Here's my 2 credits on the matter: -The General Discussion section of the TOR forums is, quite bluntly, a farce under current state. Mostly consisting of threads such as "ZOMG - I just ragequit, and here are my 50 reasons why", and other multitudinous bits of trollfood. Anytime someone posts content that adds value to the server community as a whole, by the time you hit refresh, the posts are usually buried anyway, and there's no way to search after the thread's been buried. No solidified community voice, just a bunch of white negative noise. Segregating these posts a bit would give the SWTOR community slightly more positive voice. And my hypothesis is, it might actually calm the community down somewhat, as it gives the trolls less of an audience to parade their posts, anyway. -To me, while more server subforums would split out the discussion more, and perhaps divide attention of the moderators, the overall quantity of the posts would likely remain the same. I can't see people spending more time and posting more content on these forums than they already do through the addition of more forums. The responsibility will fall on the community to /report any abusive posts to the management, and for management to intercede when there are issues. Anyhoo - I wish I knew the BW community management a bit more, as I'd wish they'd see the logic in this open discussion. It just doesn't make sense to me anymore. I'm sure there are a lot of really cool people on my server, but quite honestly I can't get to know them since we don't have server forums (either on this site or elsewhere). EDIT: Every minute Bioware hesitates in providing with proper server forums, a forum troll from this community kicks a kitten. Edited January 5, 2012 by Dodd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oredith Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 You guys should think about coming to http://www.swtorowned.com/forum.php and using what's available for now. Every day more and more servers are having threads started by players. The only way to get things started in your forum is to kick things off by making a post. Even if its just to say hello/introduce yourself, it will encourage more players to starting posting. i applaud your effort, as I'm sure it takes considerable amount of it to create a forum (that should have been provided by BW). it would actually be really awesome, if bioware just responded and said "we like this page, it meets all our criterias, we would like to urge players to go to this site for their server forum needs". i mean, it would be incredibly lazy of them, and make me question their dedication to the community even more, but at least then there would be an "official" page to go to. the problem is that they stickied a thread that simply listed off all the options. that's not a help. that's like asking someone a direct question, and them answering you with "well, the answer could be A, B, C, D, E, F, G".... etc ad infinitum.. by giving you all possible answers, they have not provided an answer at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oredith Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 Segregating these posts a bit would give the SWTOR community slightly more positive voice. And my hypothesis is, it might actually calm the community down somewhat, as it gives the trolls less of an audience to parade their posts, anyway. -To me, while more server subforums would split out the discussion more, and perhaps divide attention of the moderators, the overall quantity of the posts would likely remain the same. I can't see people spending more time and posting more content on these forums than they already do through the addition of more forums. The responsibility will fall on the community to /report any abusive posts to the management, and for management to intercede when there are issues. this is exactly it. in the forums for other games, the general forum is where the trolls live. the threads are usually inconsequential, and the trolls have no problem with fast moving threads that get buried, because they don't care about the substance anyways. in other games, most people go to their server forum to read about things that are relevant to them, and/or they go to class forums that are relevant to their class questions. by not having server forums and funneling everything into general, Bioware has made the defacto decision to throw the portion of the population that cares about the forum, into the trolls' den. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AwesumPossum Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 So I'm looking for a guild and I go to their "excellent" guild section and finding a guild relative to the server I play on is like finding a needle in a haystack. You know what makes it worse, there isn't a forum search button! If there was at least that some sort of tool to help the user it wouldn't be as bad but still pretty bad. I loving the game but come on! with everything BW learned from previous MMOs, BW should know community is key to success. I guess it's back to sifting through Imperial Fleet's mundane trolls, stupid arrow to the knee jokes and general "barrens chat". Ugh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valeena Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 So I'm looking for a guild and I go to their "excellent" guild section and finding a guild relative to the server I play on is like finding a needle in a haystack. You know what makes it worse, there isn't a forum search button! If there was at least that some sort of tool to help the user it wouldn't be as bad but still pretty bad. I loving the game but come on! with everything BW learned from previous MMOs, BW should know community is key to success. I guess it's back to sifting through Imperial Fleet's mundane trolls, stupid arrow to the knee jokes and general "barrens chat". Ugh. Hahaha. Story of my guild search! "Oh, I want to find a guild. Let's go to the forums...OHWAIT-" >.< That's probably the most frustrating part about this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oredith Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 And then we get SW:TOR. I'd describe this game as downright anti-social. The constant cutscenes make that there's hardly any guildchat or even region chat and that Ventrilo is quiet. Guild tools are pretty much non-existent. And there are no server forums. i have actually stopped doing space quests because it meant 5 minutes of uninterrupted opportunity for guild mates to make fun of you in guild chat, with no opportunity to get back at them. "what? oh, i was in space combat" just seems like a lame comeback.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corkal Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 This is a must, you need these for communities to thrive. There is just no question that you must implement these. Also we need mods, so badly. The current UI is garbage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qqemokitty Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 Since the search button was added yesterday I used it a bit and it sucked. I was going to come here and post about it's failure (with photos!) but alas it has been removed again. I've been trying to find a "The Harbinger Congregation Thread" like some other servers have to at least reach out to the rest of the server in that way but I haven't found one yet. Maybe I could make one but I have a sneaking suspicion that many already exist. Somewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GurgleGoop Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 I just jumped on the forums with the assumption that there was a forum subsection for my server. Clearly I was wrong. Back to guild hunting with the LFG function... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oredith Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 I just jumped on the forums with the assumption that there was a forum subsection for my server. Clearly I was wrong. Back to guild hunting with the LFG function... it doesn't help that there's no way to see guild names in the /who function. you can't pull up the list of people playing on tat, and see "oh, there's 20 people from the same guild on tat! they must have a strong core group to organize like that!".. we're back to this game being a great single player game, but totally lacking in the MASSIVE multiplayer aspect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shokurai Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 why does no one use these ...........? http://www.fragworld.org/The-Old-Republic-Unofficial-Server-Forums/ http://www.reddit.com/help/faqs/swtor/ServerSubreddits http://oldrepublicboard.com/ http://www.eotp-gaming.net/swtorforum/ http://www.the-old-republic.co.uk/ http://www.swtorowned.com/forum.php http://swtorsf.swtorhosting.com/forum http://swtorchat.com/ http://totalmadownage.com/swtor/ most of these sites have every sever listed and 85% of the severs have 0 posts ya it sucks i hate biowares decision but here are a bunch of alternatives that are stickied and the whole community is ignoring them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oredith Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 why does no one use these ...........? http://www.fragworld.org/The-Old-Republic-Unofficial-Server-Forums/ http://www.reddit.com/help/faqs/swtor/ServerSubreddits http://oldrepublicboard.com/ http://www.eotp-gaming.net/swtorforum/ http://www.the-old-republic.co.uk/ http://www.swtorowned.com/forum.php http://swtorsf.swtorhosting.com/forum http://swtorchat.com/ http://totalmadownage.com/swtor/ most of these sites have every sever listed and 85% of the severs have 0 posts ya it sucks i hate biowares decision but here are a bunch of alternatives that are stickied and the whole community is ignoring them because there's a list. if there was only 1, then everyone would use it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sevenex Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 I follow this thread on and off. Any official update on if/when we may be getting these? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oredith Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 I follow this thread on and off. Any official update on if/when we may be getting these? the only official responses have been to lock other threads directing them to this one and the sticky of the thread that listed all the privately generated server forums. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imhotep Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 Server forums are not that important, but they are a welcome addition. By no means necessary though. ...Some MMORPGs dont even have any official forums whatsoever. Name a AAA MMO that doesnt have forums or for that matter server forums. We arent talking F2P BS here. In every MMO I have played Ive used the server and class forums extensively. The general forums are where the babies go to cry when they get spanked in PvP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shokurai Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 I follow this thread on and off. Any official update on if/when we may be getting these? ya the official response is never Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hogfatt Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 Bioware, you are ruining my gaming experience by not having server specific forums. My friends and I are trying to LFGuild and our efforts are hampered by your archaic forums. This forum is not a community but The Tower of Babel. It is highly time consuming to weed through the screwy guild sub-sections to find any guilds on my server. It is highly disappointing that what should be a top quality MMO is reduced in quality due to a simple forum blunder. If you can not afford the mods, I would suggest firing the person that suggested the current forum layout and get volunteer mods for each server. It is very ironic that a game that is revolutionizing the MMO genre is so far behind and lacking in their community building. I hope you guys learn that the game does not make the community, the community makes the game. This issue alone is frustrating and telling enough that it is making me consider whether I want to play long-term or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shokurai Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 Bioware, you are ruining my gaming experience by not having server specific forums. My friends and I are trying to LFGuild and our efforts are hampered by your archaic forums. This forum is not a community but The Tower of Babel. It is highly time consuming to weed through the screwy guild sub-sections to find any guilds on my server. It is highly disappointing that what should be a top quality MMO is reduced in quality due to a simple forum blunder. If you can not afford the mods, I would suggest firing the person that suggested the current forum layout and get volunteer mods for each server. It is very ironic that a game that is revolutionizing the MMO genre is so far behind and lacking in their community building. I hope you guys learn that the game does not make the community, the community makes the game. This issue alone is frustrating and telling enough that it is making me consider whether I want to play long-term or not. well said......i have defended bioware on a huge amount of issues and this one they really really dropped the ball Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oredith Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 This issue alone is frustrating and telling enough that it is making me consider whether I want to play long-term or not. WoW has survived so many years, not because the game is super polished (rift is more polished), nor because it has new and exciting content (kung fu panda? pokemon? come on), but because it has a very robust community. i would have left wow after a year max, if it weren't for the friends i made in game. those friends i made, weren't from inside the game, but on the forum, while everyone was at work, checking the server forums. the people in my guild are now real life friends (most of whom i met through SWG server forums). I don't need a game to stay in touch with them, i see them on a regular basis outside of game via parties we have. in short, if i can't meet new people in more ways than random run-in in game, i'm not playing a MMO, i'm playing a single player game like borderlands or something. diablo 3 will be out soon, it'd make stopping SWTOR that much easier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hogfatt Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 Don't get me wrong, I know back when I played EQ1, we had private server forums that were very successful and hooked me hard to that game for many years. The value a community and server forums bring to keeping people playing is just too large for bioware to ignore, the cost of lost subscriptions will extremely outweigh the cost of a couple moderators. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oredith Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 (edited) The value a community and server forums bring to keeping people playing is just too large for bioware to ignore, the cost of lost subscriptions will extremely outweigh the cost of a couple moderators. the moderator excuse is just that, an excuse, and a pretty terrible one at that. the number of people visiting the forum is already here, except instead of everything being dumped into the general forum, it'll be on server forums instead. the raw volume won't be great, just at different places. no, this is a philosophical stance bioware has taken. One that says "FOOLED YOU! you thought you were buying a MMO didn't you?! it's actually KOTOR3!". Edited January 5, 2012 by oredith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vandrel-Blitz Posted January 6, 2012 Author Share Posted January 6, 2012 1st post updated again Thanks for keeping this thread alive folks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AriasImmortal Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 I find your lack of server forums... disturbing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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