Ok, I'm going to wade in here, wielding a big lump of wood...
J, M & J... a guys pops up on our forums talking about creating a mod (NOT asking us to do it), to help draw his more arcade-minded friends into the fold. And you lot start flaming on him?
Personally, I think it is a fine idea. Yes, they'd be missing a bunch of the core game mechanics - but they'd also be exposed to them. If they don't like it after that, that is just fine. But if they do like it, they'll most probably step into relaxed realism servers and learn some more of the mechanics. Another "gateway drug".
There is a limit to how far we can (time/budget) go towards attracting arcade-minded players. There is also a limit to what we want to do - and relaxed realism is really outside our scope. But it is NOT outside the scope of people wanting to mod the core game.
So here is the full-on rant to the RO "hard-core" fans from me:
What the flying feck is the matter with some of you people? There are bazillions of new warm bodies out there that would actually like to find their way into the RO fold. When people are willing to find ways to help them - even if you wouldn't enjoy that "mode" yourself - why the sh1t would you immediately leap on them and slap them? If they are whiny little bastards, they won't stay and they won't "bother" you. But, in an ideal world, they will become converts, stay and contribute fully to the beast that is RO.
I think I am going give up my personal membership of the Elitist Prick Club and ban the next camel-humper who punches people who want to help us all. If people want to help, by all means say "I wouldn't play that version if you paid me" - but do NOT (repeat do NOT) poke them in the eye and treat them like scum for suggesting it.
So - try the concept of WELCOMING newcomers and their ideas.
Ok, i feel i need to adress this, because.. Alan, that was a tad uncalled for, nobody called the guy scum or even hinted at it, sure, they could have been more laid back about presenting their opinion, and it would have been prudent to step in and say "guys, take it down a notch, it's just a mod idea, chill", but they didn't deserve the public flogging you just gave them for it, nor does this entire community.
I know you guys are in crunch mode, you are probably spending way to much time working, and not nearly enough time sleeping and seeing your family, i get that, i also realize that TWI must be taking a big risk with this title, and the budget that's going into it, so i do understand where the reaction comes from.
But lead by positive example instead of chewing people out, this isen't the first time one of you guys have flipped your lid like this out of frustration, and sadly, it usually hits the wrong people, often good contributers to this community who where just having a bad day and just needed a nudge in the right direction, and not the real bad apples we do have around here who actually make a habit of attacking newbies.
But what do you expect? There's little moderation here, even our Community manager spends more time promoting the game on other forums than he does posting here. I know you guys are developers first and forum mods second, and we really do appreaciate it every time you guys come and give us news and fill us in on topics, and as Dev's you are posting more than any other company i've delt with and i love that. But as forum moderators.. well things are a bit anarchic and lawless around here, and things can snowball before anything is done about it, often creating tensions that spill into other threads before anything is done.
Maybe it's time to draw on the community, get some of the long time posters here a badge and a gun and put them to use, there's lots of oldtimers here who probably could do some real good around the place if given the chance and incentive.
You could make a thread and take nominations, see who the community would put their trust in.
Considdering this community is run somewhat by mob rule at times, the tone here is actually supricingly sober, if rather set in it's ways and dismissive of new influences, and i'm not saying we need a cabal of jackbooted thugs to run around handing out infractions for every little thing, i do enjoy that this is a place where ideas can be echanged, even when thouse ideas are "i don't like this, because..".
But what we really could use is an effort to steer things away from the mob rule mentality, to come in and say "nothing wrong with the opinion, but you don't have to state it that harshly, keep it civil", to catch things
before they snowball, and actually be able to put some weight behind it aswell if people won't listen, because they don't if it's just coming from a faceless redshirt like me.