An Open Dialogue Regarding Forum Moderation

Just to be clear, he didn't start the movement, nor did he endorse it. He's actually been quite quiet on it, except for answering "I have no idea why". If he'd really wanted to make a display, I'm sure there'd have been an EQ2Wire article.

Honestly, if anyone is going to get the credit for the "Free Feldon" movement, it's me, with the help of an image created by another who shall stay nameless (mainly cause I don't know his forums name).

Do you laugh maniacally when closing threads? Or is it a sad Disney ending feel?

Also SoE_Mod2 should make a triumphant return on Reddit!

This. Once I figured out that Feldon was banned from reading between the lines of the threads/posts that didn't get obliterated immediately I went over the EQ2Wire. I expected a post from him (or someone there) indicating that he had been banned from the official forums and to look for his insights exclusively on their site. Nada. So it seems to me the Feldon took the high-road here (or didn't want to burn bridges) and kept mostly mum on it other than a few posts on Reddit indicating that he didn't know why.

I fail to see anything in his actions that come up to a 'public display'.

This is my concern. It seems like every time I turn around I have to sign up for some new site to discuss some issue. My major pet peeve though is Facebook, Reddit I can probably live with occasionally.

The problem always with 3rd party sites is that you can lose control of the discussions, and many are open to trolling and spamming. If Reddit is an "extra" avenue, fine - if it becomes the main or only one.. not so much.

When Warhammer Online released Mark Jacobs opted to use a third party forum (fansite) and it was terrible. Eventually they came around and created the official forums but the damage had been done.

I understand if the dev's wish to use reddit as an alt. form of communication on some things. Same could be said for using twitter/facebook as additional pathways of communication.
And if EQ2 had the the problem of forum bloat from 30k posts an hour I might even agree of the "need". But that's not an issue.

Simply put reddit is a conversation site, more akin to twitter without the character limits than a viable source of information/data to be shared/viewed between players.
It cannot support the requirements of a mmo's playerbase.

And lastly decentralizing and fragmenting the method of distributing information is just a bad idea for any entity.
It's a good idea as a tool to draw them HERE, but a terrible concept to force them AWAY from here in order to interact with the company.

And the last few bricks for my wall of words:
Up/down voting is a false promise that does not tell you the truth.
It is something that is gamed every single day on reddit by folks that their only goal is to mess with people.
And by people with a goal in mind. Sort of like the people using 'friend/like/etc.' mechanics of twitter/facebook/etc... as a gauge of anything other than a program's ability to created multiple accounts and run scripts to 'friend/like/etc...
Plainly: it's a false positive.

Jorm

Twitter is not communications - it is sound bites.

3 or 4 times in 8 years.

I mentioned it in a chatroom, tweeted a funny picture, and responded to a few questions on the Subreddit. I did change my forum signature here after seeing several questions (in a now deleted thread) about whether I'd been banned. The font size may have been a bit large, but overall I reject the premise of your statement that I made an "extremely public display".

It also increases the number of avenues that there can be a security breach.
Not a direct route but most breaches do not occur from a head-on approach.

Jorm

I guess when the only tool in your box is a hammer, everything looks like a nail. Banning as a way to "open up a dialogue" seems to be about as backwards as it gets.

I find these smug potshots of yours to be particularly unprofessional, and this isn't an isolated observation.

kono

IT'S A TRAP!!!

Holy crap. Almost 2 whole pages, and almost zero toxicity. GJ, community! But more importantly, this should go to show you that with some transparency, we spew less hate.

"I silenced you to encourage a dialogue" is one of the funnier things posted on this forum lately, thanks.

Because you - the EQ2 developers - did not come out and say "hey guys, from now on,this community is on reddit".

Instead, you started posting more and more pertinent information on NO LESS THAN FIVE different communication channels, thereby confusing and fracturing the cmmunity.

And then feedback - constructive or otherwise - from longterm community members about this strategy (or lack of strategy?) started to get deleted in your moderation rampage.

Why not reddit?

Ok, IS IT GOING TO BE REDDIT?
Then why are we having this discussion here and not on reddit?
Why are these forums even still up?
Why is information about expansions being cancelled being posted through third party website such as massively and NOT through reddit?

You feed us this junk about "open development and communication policy", yet potentially the BIGGEST EVER change to the game received no more than ONE mindnumbingly vague and misleading post from a developer and no further clarification. (Oh and irony of the fact that you guys left it up to Feldon to tell us that it's not an April fools joke... someone you then banned from your own forums. Do you not see just how ridiculous this all is?!)


But hey, some of us are still here, still - despite our better judgement - hoping that eventually something that isn't lawyeresque crap will be said to us.

Ok, "open communication policy"? One simple question - a question that every developer of every game on the market should be able to answer in a heartbeat:

GOING FORWARD, WHAT IS THE INTENDED PLACE FOR THE EQ2 COMMUNITY TO CONGREGATE AND DISCUSS THE GAME WITH EACH OTHER AND WITH DEVELOPERS ?

If Daybreak won't answer this, it's a huge problem. If Daybreak doesn't have an answer for this, it's even bigger.

The very fact that we even have to ask you to tell us this should already be setting off alarm bellls too.

You never replied to my post on reddit.

Sorry I told you that you had a tiny peepee.

It is worth mentioning that it is ridiculous and unneccessary to have multiple avenues of communication that ALL need to be followed in order to provide feedback and get information.

There's no reason these forums have to be carebeared into oblivion. That is your choice. You could just as easily police a more open forum (a la reddit) without actually needing to outsource. By outsourcing to reddit, you've basically admitted that the official forums are poop, but refuse to own it, and instead put a bandaid on things.

Radar i have a question for you, are you more lenient about comment removal/banning towards members of the community than others?
I only ask this because during the last couple of weeks there's been a number of comments which can only be construed as off topic and it feels like it's overlooked because they praised every decision without question, whereas if someone who vocally disagreed would be banned quicker than pressing a like button.

i.e during the announcement of the DLC members of the community posted their opinion about their refusal to purchase the DLC only to receive comments such as, if you can afford an internet connection you can afford this etc.

I had the reddit issue when SOE started putting outages on twitter or fb. I despise both of those sites and come here, the OFFICIAL forums for information such as updates and outages.

As for Feldon, I am shocked at the poor treatment. He has always, in my opinion, been the one cheering for the company and the devs. I know a number of my negative posts were responded to with things like "they are doing their best" or "give it a chance". The whole feel of this "new" company is just one that makes me feel like I (the customer) am the last thing being thought of when decisions are made.

So its been said that Reddit is a third party website.... but we cant use third party programs in game.....

I am definitely not an advocate for third party programs but its obvious its ok the goose but not the gander

As much as I love to rag on Sony, this is such a false equivalence that I can't even begin to quantify my disappointment in you.

RadarX, there is never anything but unverified facts and outright lies from SOE\DBG. SWG\NGE! From pre-release there has been a steady stream of lies from Smed on down regarding EQ2. To list a few off the top of my head:

1) Yes, frogloks are in the game.

2) Buying characters will be on separate servers only.

2) SC will be on separate servers only.

3) SC items will be cosmetic only.

4) The starting Isle (s) will be back. You see we put these two guys in Qeynos Harbor talking about them and they will eventually be a quest starter to go back ...

4) Selling off all the Euro customers is a great idea for the game!

5) Forum consolidation is necessary, but adding in Reddit, a completely separate area to compile feedback from requiring more work, will make communication better???

If anyone that works for your company ever told the truth, there would be no dissension and you wouldn't have to moderate anything.

P.S. Duck mounts and Rumpocalypse? Who decided that 13 year old kids are the target audience for EQ2?