Xtreme Tactics 101- Look Who's Back!

[kensai111]

I wonder if a lot of this is because when I started my new job, I haven't been able to be around the forums. The staff is going to have to brainstorm to bring the reigns back in on this stuff.

I agree, personally, I think the moderation staff has been too nice. If you go to ANY other costuming forum the kind of behavior that has become rampant here would not/is not tolerated. I think the system in place is good and while it may require some additional effort from the mods/staff I believe the warnings/bans should be handed out far more often then they are. We have a lot of disrespectful people running around here. We are all here to learn, not to babysit and not to be in a constant state of drama. This negative environment has kept most of the elite/veterans from even stopping in anymore. Time to take off the kid gloves.



Cheers,

Kensai

 

[GMer56]

Also, I think that it would be a good idea to code in a page on the sign up page which has say a timer as long as the noob orientation video, so that they cant skip it and have to watch or listen to it. Ive also seen sites that do this, and also the timer is coded to pause if you change window or go to another tab.

That is a good idea, I second the motion



Please don't go, Xtreme TACTICS 101!

Unfortunately N00bs are N00bs, and no amount will change that.

It all seems to have gotten extremely frustrating with noobs in the last few weeks really which to me is strange when everyone is supposed to be back at school.

That's probably because all the N00bs are in school, searching on the internet and find the 405th, hoping they can just get their armor for cheap (or worse, free) with little to no work on their part, and they are blunt about asking.

Noobs must develop tact (this may include you, Arcanine). When I create a thread about something that has been mentioned before and someone points it out (however rude they may be about it), I apologize.

With this site, you must have good manners if you want answers, and no one realizes this.

I have to say, I have noticed things go downhill when you aren't around posting in peoples threads and stuff. I suppose that presence is important, and ive found that on the forums I own.

People bow before authority. The rude N00bs would be especially worried if someone with the "staff" button posted in their thread.



DON'T GO! Your epic cardboard props are a ray of hope to those who have little money to spend on armor! (like me)

 

[P40 Warhawk]

Me too, I spend so much time just reading the forums if you need help let me know. That timer idea is quite funny, and a good idea Mints

I agree with you wholeheartedly Kensai!



The fact that kids searching in school does make sense to me. I actually found the 405th while goofing off in school. Luckily I have been around internet forums for a long long time so I knew how to act.

 

[LeytonInTheNet]

I'd be really sad to see you go



But the 405th is kinda addicting; people try to quit, but they always find themselves slowly being drawn back to it until you realise you're back



I hope this is just a break and you do come back :S

Take care,

Leyton

 

[Overlord Ian]

Welcome to being a forum veteran.



My advice? Put up or shut up. Seriously.



You can't stop newbs from being n00bs, and recasting is always a potential problem. You just can't moderate or prevent either occurrence.

Dude, thats harsh. This is just what he is talking about with noobs bashing older members. Cool it. Seriously. Or you will all be seeing me go aswell.



Sorry to hear about this I really don't want to see you go Xtreme You have contributed so much to our community.. Hang in there!

 

[smilie120]

Topics like this contrubite nothing to the foum, and often lead in to a massive troll-fest.

There's members arguing already..

Requesting a lock before things get out of hand..

 

[P40 Warhawk]

I do not think it is necessary yet, one guy was rude so everyone else told him it was not nice. So far there is still a discussion that even Adam and Kensai are contributing too. Lets see if we can help the issue out first, if it then turns into a flame fest then by all means close it.

That's really what the fine line of forum moderation is, when does a disagreement turn into arguing? When does arguing turn into flaming? I do not think a forum should be forced to be happy and peaceful, if there is a disagreement you should be able to say so, and even be able to argue about it in a civil manner. Now when it gets to the point where somebody has said something nasty more than once then it warrants closing in my opinion. The first time requires a warning and editing by the mod. The second time is a thread lock, UNLESS the poster/s who are writing nasty posts are obviously just trying to derail an otherwise perfectly fine thread. Look at Bungie.net for example..... there are a lot of posts where somebody is having a nice discussion and somebody just says -blam- you noob you are a bk and should quit at life. Should the thread be locked? Only if the entire thread turns into bashing. At least that is my opinion. One bad post, and even the ensuing reprimands (as long as they are polite reprimands) should not necessitate a lock.

There my opinion on forum moderation do with it as you wish. I have been a mod at several different forums and have strong opinions on the stuff.



I also do not mind political discussions unless they do get into bashing, which believe it or not does not always happen!

 

[Yuki Kedamono]

is there a way to have an auto note or email sent with every new member that joins giving them a little checklist of things they should look at with the links to them just so it answers all of their questions?



i know that the site auto emails with things like "welcome to the site, here's your password" an stuff. from when i was a mod for this other site, wasn't exactly set up like this, but I think I remember there being something like that available to do ^^ it's just a thought on a way to make things easier for noobs an less frustrating for the vets an mods/admins.

you just have to write up this detailed an to the point message once, then put it on auto to anyone that joins.



on another note i hope you don't leave, you've been really helpful an I wouldn't have gotten things done as quickly (when i had the money, lol) as when you had your tuts. I hope you don't go cause this site is always in need of strong people with a good tut making skill XD



also guys, a troll is someone who posts controversial, inflammatory, irrelevant or off-topic messages with the primary intent of provoking other users into an emotional response or of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion.



His comments may not be irrelevant, but they are invoking, an there for a form of trolling. Whether you mean it or not I think one should simply think before posting something. Just because we're on the net an nobody really knows who we are in real life doesn't give us the right to be mean. So the better way to say what you said instead of, "Get over it" you could JUST as easily say, "though it's hard, it's really never gunna go away, so though it sucks, ya sorta have to put up with it since noobism will never truly go away. though i suggest--" you don't have to make it so lengthy of course, but whether or not you truly care how a person feels about a subject doesn't mean you can tell him off, having proper net etiquette is what's appreciate on this site an most other sites as well.



anyway, that's all. but please don't leave extreme!

 

[Das Brutus]

Don't leave, brother... it's not what needs to be done. I feel the same way you do sometimes, when checking the new posts... reading the sparks of flame... seeing the witch hunts... I was actually thinking the same thing this morning. Even in the midst of thinking a few days away would serve me well, I come across this thread. It reminds me that this is more than a costuming forum, there are those of us that view the 405th like an extended family.



Do I know you? No. But do I have concerns of you leaving? Yes. You're like that that red-headed stepchild. So am I. We all are. We're all just looking for a place to call home. This is your home, like it or not all the time. So walk the dog, take out the trash, clean your room, and give it some time to bounce back.



I've been a member for less than a year. Discovered the site a few days after halloween '08. Grew fanatical, disenchanted, reinterested, excited, and back to thinking WTF. The gambit of emotions is run, yet we still return. It is still a good place, a good forum, and a learning place for not only costumes... but how to deal with those we normally wouldn't.



Xtreme Tactics 101, don't leave. Take some time away if you need... but stick around, things will improve.

 

[Trooper Cooper]

Do yourself a favor and just drop this topic. Your a troll, and I don't think anybody here wants to read your ideas on the subject. I am literally 2 steps away from quitting right now. So (pardon me, but it has to be said) piss off.

No offence, but he makes a somewhat fair point. New members will invariably ask questions which could be answered with a search function, but the only difference now is that the threads aren't being immediately closed. Recasting was always going to be a problem, always will be, and I am surprised the community has lasted so long without this happening. You only need to look at the RPF to see the mass flood of recasting threads, and realise we've gotten (and are still getting) off pretty lightly - especially when a lot of the really good props inevitably cross over to the RPF and other communities. Neither of these form a basis for leaving outside of general annoyance that the rest of the forum are either putting up with, ignoring or otherwise coping with.



What's worse is you're citing the codes of the 405th, in particular Unity, and also complaining at someone putting you down in your own thread when your thread's opening post puts down the vast majority of 405th members - the new members and the beginners may not be the big, well respected Elite, but they are still a huge group who are learning the craft - many of them also very young. I can understand your aggravation, but I find that as uncalled for as your foil's posts telling you to nut up or shut up over all this. Venting is good, but venting and then threatening to leave is not so good.



I am not going to tell you to stay - that is your decision and your decision alone, and while the community would lose a good member, it is every member's free choice to stay or go. What I will say is this - if you truly believe in the 405th's credo, and you want Unity to return to the 405th, then I would recommend being part of the solution and actually working even harder toward the betterment of the community rather than leaving and being a continuing part of the problems you have cited. People staying gives us a chance, but people leaving cuts them dramatically.

 

[Enrisan]

I was blown away by the friendly and nice environment of the 405th when I first joined 2 years ago.. but ever since we've gotten more and more exposure from Bungie.net and HBO, it's brought all the rude little people that won't contribute or bother reading stickies.

Mods need to be harsher, I remember back when posts used to be deleted daily whenever there was a bad post, which wasn't really that often, but harsher punishments need to be made.



Please don't let this great forum turn into Bungie.net...that forum has completely gone downhill and will never go back to how it was when I joined 5 years ago.

 

[P40 Warhawk]

I think it was more the wording of Arcanine's post than his actual point that ticked some people off. His point is valid, but his wording was rude. It is possible to make the forums a better place, but it needs either more mods or more work from the existing mods, and I for one am not going to tell them they are not doing a good job, that would be untrue. We have some excellent mods!

 

[Underdogg13]

I was blown away by the friendly and nice environment of the 405th when I first joined 2 years ago.. but ever since we've gotten more and more exposure from Bungie.net and HBO, it's brought all the rude little people that won't contribute or bother reading stickies.

Mods need to be harsher, I remember back when posts used to be deleted daily whenever there was a bad post, which wasn't really that often, but harsher punishments need to be made.



Please don't let this great forum turn into Bungie.net...that forum has completely gone downhill and will never go back to how it was when I joined 5 years ago.

Yeah, for some reason, the mods aren't really active anymore. (promotion time?)

 

[LdoSpartN]

It's sort of discouraging but I just hope I didn't contribute to those feelings. Everything he said about noobs is sort of true. I still remember being on this site last year and I had to wait for registration to open up and when it did I just wanted contribute to the forums. I would log on as a guest and see everyones progress and wip's. Back then everyone knew each other and talked about how this and that thing could be fixed or make armor pieces more accurate. Unfortunately Now it's more about everyone for themselves, I am Considered a Noob because Im New and don't have that many posts. and about my posts, I don't have 400-500 posts like others just post Bad comments just to get a post #. But I've been an avid reader of the 405th since last OCT. the old site. And bad comments are everywhere on every thread, It was called out by moderators that day back then. nothing was missed. But now there are so many noobs and posts I dont blame Adam, the moderators, or anyone, but its just a common thing to do. hate on someone's work, no encouragement no more there is only a few good souls out there that honor the code by which this site was brought on. Everyone New should read this thread learn to respect each other like it used to be. I want to encourage old members, new members to just keep it respectful and encouraging like it used to be. Xtreme Tactics 101 I apologize for the rant, and I just wanna say we don't want to see you leave.

 

[HaloFreakX]

They may be Hardcore Halo fans like some of us here but, it doesn't excuse em' from anything. We are known now just getting the attention of others who are huge nuisance or cause more trouble. It sure was "peaceful." There are always those who have great potential who are noob. I originally thought this would be one of those forums where I come sign up, get a excited for a week or day, and then just forget about. I was wrong also one reason for my name, lol. Things will hopefully start lookin' up.

 

[CommanderFluffy]

hey xtreme. fluffster here. i dont post here often but when i do i make the most of it. ive learned to read the stickies and tell the noobs to read them too.



heres my tactic to browseing the 405th forums. dont enter the noob section unless your bored and need something to do. i tend to stay away from the pepakura forum cause their is way too many repeated wip theads all doing the same stuff. so i stay with stickies anything updated in any forum other than noob and pep. i seem not to have alot of issues as of lately about the noobs. maybe cause i stay away from them.



i know the 405th 3 moto's if thats what they are called. but when do the noobs ever read anything official? all they want to know is . how can i make armorz. where can i haz recon? all that mumbo jumbo. ive read lots of stickies, threads, videos, and so on and so forth. i know reading alot of the stuff here can be dissapointing at times. but some other stuff makes you go wow. so pick what you want to read! dont just read everything. too much of one thing can make you go crazy. like the noob section.



and hey ive noticed. i dunno if anyone else has or if its just me but alot of veterans that are usually here over the past year have started to drop off the radar... is it because the registration is always open and unmoderated severely? or is it because they got bored and did something different. we will never know. so you make your choice on what you want to do xtreme we will always be here and whether you need us or not. maybe take on a new non halo project? or something that will make yourself proud?



i dunno just do what makes you happy! and if your choice is to leave its ok we understand. but i know sometime in your future you will stop in and see how things are going.

 

[iliketacos95]

Don't leave brother! I learned so much from you! But this happens with everything: something is created->fun and peace ->people like it so they join-> gets popular -> then /b/ tards or n00bs join because they "WanTz To leaNZ hOW tO MakE ThAT PWNzR aRMorZ!" and then we have bungie.net or 4chan goin here...

 

[eggfooyoung]

Now, not to hijack your thread Xtreme, but for some reason, when a newbie creates a thread that violates the rules of the forum for the first time, why do people seem to be at their throats? I've been in this forum for over a year now, and for some reason, some memebers post onto these newbie's threads as if all newbies aren't to be trusted as wholesome members. Yes, they may have violated some rules, but they are what they are: Newbies. If they didn't break the rules, we wouldn't necessarily call them newbies (unless they just joined, which is still considered newbie status). I believe if you point them to the right path, and GIVE them a chance, they could be the future master-crafters of armor prop. Besides, if they don't choose to learn, there is a report button.



Xtreme, sorry to hear you are leaving, but you do what you gotta do. Taking some time off isn't a bad idea, just don't forget about us. n_n

 

[ACDCrockr209]

Don't leave Xtreme!!!



Like you, I also get a bit upset of all of the kiddies here asking for advice that can be easily found in the search bar. I remember this kid sent me a PM about how to scale his helmet. I told him to read the stickies, but he said there wasn't anything there. I sure as hell know that this is a bloody scale thread that's stickied.



I would much rather see all of the rude people leave than you Xtreme. You have contributed to this site and it would be sad to see you go.



I hope there is more mods around here that will be able to watch over the rude members that can't use their bloody brains to use a bloody search button. I mean c'mon ITS THE BIG YELLOW BUTTON THAT SAYS "SEARCH" on it.



Please don't leave brother. You have family here.



-Pony

 

[BenStreeper]

I Don't know man, I hear you on everything you said. And unfortunately Xtreme I also agree with everything you have said thus far. I've been around this forum for along time now and the only advice I can offer is that leaving won't improve things here. The only way to improve the problem is to embrace it, define it, and then to fix it as a group. On of the main problems is the the majority of the "Noobs" are Internet babies, and internet babies don't read.......ANYTHING. One of the solutions I have lately tried to help with this is a series of Video Tutorials. However this also has in the past and will probably in the future boost recasting. In educating those who actually will use the information to better their own props, we will continue to inadvertently educate those who wish to rip-off the rest of us. This fact is unfortunately only controllable through either Uber-guarding your props, not selling your props, or through the forum supporting the original creators by not buying from a known re-caster. Under lying problem there is that re-casters sell stuff cheaper than we do because the have no original work to "recoup". And most of the people on the internet are "internet babies" and will buy whatever is cheap (weather it is a crappy copy or not). Remember this is a hobby and should be fun. When it stops being fun, then take a break. If you you miss doing it then come back. If you didn't then move on to the next hobby.



To sum up:



Yes things are getting crazy

No I don't think you should leave

Yes I think it should be fixed

No I don't think recasting will stop

Yes I think we can help prevent it

No I don't think Noobs will read

Yes I think the will watch a video



And finally

No I don't think most of the noobs will actually read this thread all the way through.