Guild Wars 2

The problem with the term “white knight” being tossed around is that most people who get labeled with it aren’t saying the game is perfect, just not as much of a mess as others believe it to be. And since that person doesn’t agree 100% with the negative portrayal they get labeled as a white knight.

Gaile, I wish to advocate some commonsense into the internationalisation you guys seem to have a problem overcoming. About 10+ years ago I was a 2IC and moderator for a respected automotive forum based in Seattle. The owner of the forums knew who I was, where I was from, how I planned to help others and had no hesitation in promoting me to the position I held for about 2 years before the forum eventually melted down (literally, the server had no backup or redundant power supply), so once the hard drives broke down, that was game over.

Anyway that’s just a tid bit on how someone who isn’t quite as short-sighted as Anet seems to be, running a legitimate business operation himself, came about putting myself and other sub-forum moderators on with no geographic boundaries. It really does make Anet look quite silly.

Its a bit strange this “specialist stuff”…
Also “only in US to start”… that’s… well.. kinda wierd… Why not just asking for a fluid english since that person would need to write a report every week ?
US person are supposed to be smarter than other english speaker from other country to do that “job” ?
Non sense..

Also its a bit like since 2 years Anet wasnt really reading the forum and have no clue to what happen in their OWN game. So they wake up and release that listening players would, finaly, not be a such bad idea.
And better… “Lets ask to the community to do our job for free.”

Amazing…. Have fun.

Gaile Gray.6029:

I agree, Behellagh. I think the term is overused and used poorly.

To try to address some of the comments about “white knights,” we’re looking for people who know the game, participate in the forums, and engage well with others. These qualities means they won’t have a “speckled history” of a large number of forum infractions, suspensions, or what-have-you’s. We look for decent writing skills and a genuine interest in helping other players and our dev team with this project.

As to “white knights,” they can be white, brown, purple, or fuchsia polka dot. They can be male or female, any age above 18, and from any part of the country. A qualifier is not “Do they post only good stuff about the game?” but more “Do they express themselves clearly and fairly?”

I know we have a lot of forum members like that, and I hope they’ll consider helping out.

Look, and there you started the trouble.
If you check through the post history of the so labeled “white knights”, you can see a shift in posting policy by them.

While the one I have checked this morning was ultra defensive up to the announcement, he/she (no name-calling I know) is trying to sound indifferent with the comments posted after the announcement.
I don’t buy this. And neither should you. This person is not true, and will do everything to please ANet, which will neither help the game, nor the community.

If “white knights” – and I will be honest, it doesn’t matter if you see it this way or not, it only matters how the community sees it – will become “specialists”, the only taste it will have is that you are creating a defensive police force to guard your forums.

People will get more defensive when one of these “spectres” enter a thread, which will be poisonous for any communication.

You can rest assured, the ‘white knight’ you are probably complaining about would not be eligible. Easily ascertained by reading the requirements for Specialist.

But, it should not be up to the community to judge, anyway. That should rest squarely on ArenaNet’s shoulders.

You already have plenty of feedbacks and a long list of bugs (some of them 2 years old) to work on. The communication players→dev is already here, what we lack and we want is devs→players.

As Gaile already explained (somewhere a few pages back) the restriction on players from other countries participating isn’t because Anet only cares about Americans opinions or doesn’t think people in the rest of the world can communicate in English effectively (otherwise they could at least include England, I mean, come on, we invented the language).

It’s because in some countries what they’re asking for would, by law, make these people Anet employees and then Anet would be legally required to provide certain benefits or entitlements which they aren’t in a position to do.

It’s the same reason most contests are restricted to specific countries. Trying to design one set of terms and conditions that fits all of the different laws and legal systems would be an absolute nightmare so it’s easier to just focus on one.

Behellagh.1468:

The problem with the term “white knight” being tossed around is that most people who get labeled with it aren’t saying the game is perfect, just not as much of a mess as others believe it to be. And since that person doesn’t agree 100% with the negative portrayal they get labeled as a white knight.

My biggest problem with it is that I think most of the time it’s not accurate. It’s based on one post, or posts in one topic, rather than actually on a person’s entire post history.

I’ve been called a ‘white knight’ before even though while someone was posting that I was in another topic complaining about changes to the game I don’t like. And at other times I’ve been told I obviously don’t like the game at all and should leave, again based on just one topic.

It just seems to have become an easy way for anyone who is complaining about the game to instantly dismiss any counter-arguments, but that use trivialises it and makes it meaningless.

Gaile Gray.6029:

As to “white knights,” they can be white, brown, purple, or fuchsia polka dot. They can be male or female, any age above 18, and from any part of the country. A qualifier is not “Do they post only good stuff about the game?” but more “Do they express themselves clearly and fairly?”

Speaking generally, is vanity a qualifier? I think that’s what most people are trying to ask (pic related)

On a serious note, someone mentioned a similar program in another game where the forumers voted on who would take the role. That might put a lot of minds at ease here — perhaps ArenaNet could filter the applications to a short list of candidates that meet your criteria, and then the final decision gets put up to a player vote?

That way, ArenaNet is happy because they’ve filtered out those of us who are “bad apples”, and the community is happy because we can make sure the poster we chose will fairly represent the majority.

Despite the fact that the players posting here have generally been against the idea, this post from Gaile shows us that this is a done deal. Anet doing stuff that players clearly don’t want, yet again. Business as usual.

Gaile Gray.6029:

finkle.9513:

Im in the UK, I thought we where brothers

Pixelpumpkin.4608:

Imagine how we Canadians feel.

Zaxares.5419:

Or us Australians. Not only do we always miss out on these promotions, but we also suffer from the “Australia tax” on video games.

I’m so sorry. Maybe we’ll be able to expand the program in the future!

Please do not allow the community to select these specialists. Be as objective as possible and select candidates that meet your criteria.

Ashen.2907:

Please do not allow the community to select these specialists. Be as objective as possible and select candidates that meet your criteria.

Are you referring to my post? Because from your reply, I think I may have not been clear:

ArenaNet would objectively create a short list of the candidates that met the criteria. If there was more than one valid candidate for an area, then we could elect the specialist (from ArenaNet’s list).

dlonie.6547:

Ashen.2907:

Please do not allow the community to select these specialists. Be as objective as possible and select candidates that meet your criteria.

Are you referring to my post? Because from your reply, I think I may have not been clear:

ArenaNet would objectively create a short list of the candidates that met the criteria. If there was more than one valid candidate for an area, then we could elect the specialist (from ArenaNet’s list).

I wasn’t referring to your post specifically but your sugestion would be a reasonable middle ground betweenplayer selection and Anet selection. I would still much rather not have direct player input into this process however.

Ashen.2907:

dlonie.6547:

Ashen.2907:

Please do not allow the community to select these specialists. Be as objective as possible and select candidates that meet your criteria.

Are you referring to my post? Because from your reply, I think I may have not been clear:

ArenaNet would objectively create a short list of the candidates that met the criteria. If there was more than one valid candidate for an area, then we could elect the specialist (from ArenaNet’s list).

I wasn’t referring to your post specifically but your sugestion would be a reasonable middle ground betweenplayer selection and Anet selection. I would still much rather not have direct player input into this process however.

I agree as well. I’d also like to see them be either code named or anonymous.

Herr der Friedhoefe.2490:

Despite the fact that the players posting here have generally been against the idea, this post from Gaile shows us that this is a done deal. Anet doing stuff that players clearly don’t want, yet again. Business as usual.

Anet is not going to (and should not) change their plans at a moment’s notice just because a few people complain about it. The program was “a done deal” before it was even announced, Anet does not need players’ permission to set policy or make changes to the forums.

Also, this is not a rude hand gesture towards non-US resident players, it’s a legal issue that Anet cannot simply ignore because someone finds it inconvenient. Different countries have different laws and Anet cannot hire a legal expert on every country that a forum user might be from just to make sure they won’t run into trouble. If the program is successful they may be able to expand the program to specific countries in the future, but doing so right now is a pointless expense because they might end up just dropping the whole thing.

At least it’s nice to know that childish behavior and entitlement is not limited to us ’muricans, though.

Ashen.2907:

dlonie.6547:

Ashen.2907:

Please do not allow the community to select these specialists. Be as objective as possible and select candidates that meet your criteria.

Are you referring to my post? Because from your reply, I think I may have not been clear:

ArenaNet would objectively create a short list of the candidates that met the criteria. If there was more than one valid candidate for an area, then we could elect the specialist (from ArenaNet’s list).

I wasn’t referring to your post specifically but your sugestion would be a reasonable middle ground betweenplayer selection and Anet selection. I would still much rather not have direct player input into this process however.

The announcement instructs applicants to send an email, so I don’t think the forum posters in general are going to have any role in choosing forum specialists. Most likely an announcement will be made after they have been chosen.

Appointing forum specialists is not going to mend the widening breach of trust between the players and the devs. What is there to be gained by creating a set of ‘chosen ones’, giving them some official mark of recognition, beyond ultimately setting them up to be targets, patsies, stool pigeons, living shields?

Will a forum specialist be able to offer insight into the future of the game? Or answer questions about the trait system? NPE, and all its side-effects? Or field the dozens of other non-fluffy questions asked here on a daily basis that are either ignored or given the verbal equivalent of a pat on the head?

A bigger question: why would anyone volunteer to do this for a company that persists in hiding itself behind a self-imposed, non-constructive, willfully toxic policy of hateful silence?

Ditch that policy, anet. Heck, surprise us and do it today. Anything less is just more stuff and nonsense. I think we’ve had enough of that.

tolunart.2095:

Herr der Friedhoefe.2490:

Despite the fact that the players posting here have generally been against the idea, this post from Gaile shows us that this is a done deal. Anet doing stuff that players clearly don’t want, yet again. Business as usual.

Anet is not going to (and should not) change their plans at a moment’s notice just because a few people complain about it. The program was “a done deal” before it was even announced, Anet does not need players’ permission to set policy or make changes to the forums.

From the tune in your post I would be willing bet that you have already applied.

Herr der Friedhoefe.2490:

tolunart.2095:

Herr der Friedhoefe.2490:

Despite the fact that the players posting here have generally been against the idea, this post from Gaile shows us that this is a done deal. Anet doing stuff that players clearly don’t want, yet again. Business as usual.

Anet is not going to (and should not) change their plans at a moment’s notice just because a few people complain about it. The program was “a done deal” before it was even announced, Anet does not need players’ permission to set policy or make changes to the forums.

From the tune in your post I would be willing bet that you have already applied.

I have no interest in the position.

So I’ve mentioned a few times that I think this program won’t be very successful unless the devs are allowed to share details about the future of the game, since the majority of common issues on this forum pertain to future releases. Eg:

• Will we see new dungeons?
• Will there be new professions?
• Is a new race coming?
• Will [feature X] be implemented?
  etc etc

These are questions that the devs are forbidden to answer. So I’d like to ask:

How does the Forum Communication Team see this program working out?

What sorts of player-developer interactions do you see happening as a result of this? What types of posts do you see benefiting from the addition of FS? In what ways will the program improve communication?

Maybe I’m missing something?

im gonna get banned so quick due to miss interpretation ^^

I find it odd that so many people are concerned about how much these volunteers will be able to tell us about Anet’s future plans, my understanding is that their main task will be to feedback to Anet on what we want – not tell us what Anet is doing.

When I read the description the impression I got was that they would be reading the forum regularly, especially their designated area, and collecting useful feedback into one post or email every week or month or whatever so there’s less risk of Anet staff missing good ideas.

It specifically says they cannot share anything they hear about upcoming changes and content, but only says they cannot make promises about what’s been passed on.

That volunteer job is too serious.
Serious jobs should not do volunteers.
You can contact me if you want I can do that job but for 1000$ per month 4h per day…

Danikat.8537:

I find it odd that so many people are concerned about how much these volunteers will be able to tell us about Anet’s future plans, my understanding is that their main task will be to feedback to Anet on what we want – not tell us what Anet is doing.

When I read the description the impression I got was that they would be reading the forum regularly, especially their designated area, and collecting useful feedback into one post or email every week or month or whatever so there’s less risk of Anet staff missing good ideas.

It specifically says they cannot share anything they hear about upcoming changes and content, but only says they cannot make promises about what’s been passed on.

The issue is also: What can the devs actually tell us once a FS forwards a thread? If the goal of this program is to improve communication, how can that happen if ArenaNet employees (not just FSs) are forbidden to mention any future plans?

Danikat.8537:

my understanding is that their main task will be to feedback to Anet on what we want – not tell us what Anet is doing.

What if what we want is to know is what anet is doing?

tolunart.2095:

Herr der Friedhoefe.2490:

Despite the fact that the players posting here have generally been against the idea, this post from Gaile shows us that this is a done deal. Anet doing stuff that players clearly don’t want, yet again. Business as usual.

Anet is not going to (and should not) change their plans at a moment’s notice just because a few people complain about it. The program was “a done deal” before it was even announced, Anet does not need players’ permission to set policy or make changes to the forums.

“If we’re wrong: kitten IT!….Caution to the wind!”

Sounds like a solid structure to work from.

I hear what you are saying Gaile, so White Knights need only apply.

I wonder if a specialist isn’t quite what is needed, but rather an ignorant but otherwise constructive poster.

What i mean is, as I argued before, a specialist in an area is more easily affected by changes, and if you are passionate about an area, for example dungeons, any change you will see as good or bad. neutrality becomes less something you can be on the subject. That’s still fantastic for constructive feedback, and makes you as close to an authority on the effect those changes will have as it may be possible to be, but in terms of giving as unbiased an overview as possible, may be problematic. As try as you might, and I’m sure someone in that position would try, it can be hard to separate your views from the feedback of others, however small you keep that bit.

Perhaps a solution, in terms of reporting feedback, would be to have, for instance, the PvP specialist overview the dungeon. if it is something they aren’t usually affected by, they won’t have preconceived ideas about it, won’t make judgements about the validity of one perspectives value compared to another. If they’ve proven to be a constructive and contributing member in the past, but aren’t as knowledgeable to the point of being attached to an area, it may make them a little more effective.

Of course there are always issues around that, and determining who is the best person for each role, just throwing out an alternative view for discussion.

Edit: I just want to take this opportunity to put on record that a Fuchsia Polka Dot Knight sounds incredible, and a mantle I would strive for.

Herr der Friedhoefe.2490:

Despite the fact that the players posting here have generally been against the idea, this post from Gaile shows us that this is a done deal. Anet doing stuff that players clearly don’t want, yet again. Business as usual.

I imagine in the EU or elsewhere, an unpaid volunteer with no benefits including the ban on near term potential employment is illegal. But it’s not in the US.

Gaile Gray.6029:

I agree, Behellagh. I think the term is overused and used poorly.

To try to address some of the comments about “white knights,” we’re looking for people who know the game, participate in the forums, and engage well with others. These qualities means they won’t have a “speckled history” of a large number of forum infractions, suspensions, or what-have-you’s. We look for decent writing skills and a genuine interest in helping other players and our dev team with this project.

As to “white knights,” they can be white, brown, purple, or fuchsia polka dot. They can be male or female, any age above 18, and from any part of the country. A qualifier is not “Do they post only good stuff about the game?” but more “Do they express themselves clearly and fairly?”

I know we have a lot of forum members like that, and I hope they’ll consider helping out.

Gaile – A lot of posters convey their thoughts clearly and fairly. I remember a large thread discussing the state of game featuring clear and fair posts; however, you stated that no feedback could be taken from that thread. In one fell swoop you discounted everyone’s opinion. Granted, there was a lot of emotion swirling through those pages, but you dismissed a great number of thoughtful perspectives. This is not an attack; rather an observation that holds meaning to what Anet is really looking for in a Forum Specialist.

Gaile Gray.6029:

These qualities means they won’t have a “speckled history” of a large number of forum infractions, suspensions, or what-have-you’s.

it doesnt necessarily. look at my infraction history. i know perfectly well how to engage with people fairly and how to help people out with detailed explanations and all that good stuff. but in the past i havent respected stupidity and willful ignorance, among other things, and thats led to me having a rich infraction history because i see a lot of it going on around here (especially on the part of the community) and choose to speak my mind.

Gaile, with all due respect, this “Specialist” program isn’t going to help the current situation. That situation being the topic that has dominated this forum for a year: the abysmal lack of communication on meaningful topics by ANET. Judging by the larger portion of commentary in this thread, many community participants see through the smoke screen as well.

Let me elaborate. In the “Communicating With You” thread, Mike and Chris went on and on about how they read, and listened. Throughout the thread, very specific topics were directly brought to Chris’ attention (since we finally had it after a half year of radio silence) which he acknowledged. Since that time, not much at all has improved, and the hot topics that were brought up are (drum roll) still being ignored.

So, if months of compiled community feedback (in various threads across various topics) still remain smouldering and ignored, and random flare-ups of threads where the community is pleading for communication get ignored..after Chris and Mike make a hullabaloo about mending the bridge they burnt..how is anyone to believe that a volunteer system is going to improve anything?

If thousands voices in threads that are over a half year old can’t get them to wake up, then how is a memo from a volunteer going to change anything? It’s become so comically absurd.

The problem comes from the top. Their self-imposed hiding behind a wall has to cease. <— That is where the problem lies.

What they are trying to do with this program is cure cancer with an aspirin.

insanemaniac.2456:

Gaile Gray.6029:

These qualities means they won’t have a “speckled history” of a large number of forum infractions, suspensions, or what-have-you’s.

it doesnt necessarily. look at my infraction history. i know perfectly well how to engage with people fairly and how to help people out with detailed explanations and all that good stuff. but in the past i havent respected stupidity and willful ignorance, among other things, and thats led to me having a rich infraction history because i see a lot of it going on around here (especially on the part of the community) and choose to speak my mind.

When given the authority to speak for Anet in an official or semi-official capacity, it’s important that the individual behaves in a professional and polite manner. They look at an applicant’s infraction history because someone who behaves as you or I is likely to eventually get fed up with being polite and say “stop being such an idiot!” or something. This makes Anet look bad, since someone who speaks for them is being rude to their customers. Such individuals are not going to be chosen for the position even if you promise it won’t happen again.

And with this line in your signature: “head here to discuss wvw without fear of infractions” and a link to another site, I have to doubt your sincerity in promising to represent Anet in a polite and professional manner.

tolunart.2095:

insanemaniac.2456:

Gaile Gray.6029:

These qualities means they won’t have a “speckled history” of a large number of forum infractions, suspensions, or what-have-you’s.

it doesnt necessarily. look at my infraction history. i know perfectly well how to engage with people fairly and how to help people out with detailed explanations and all that good stuff. but in the past i havent respected stupidity and willful ignorance, among other things, and thats led to me having a rich infraction history because i see a lot of it going on around here (especially on the part of the community) and choose to speak my mind.

When given the authority to speak for Anet in an official or semi-official capacity, it’s important that the individual behaves in a professional and polite manner. They look at an applicant’s infraction history because someone who behaves as you or I is likely to eventually get fed up with being polite and say “stop being such an idiot!” or something. This makes Anet look bad, since someone who speaks for them is being rude to their customers. Such individuals are not going to be chosen for the position even if you promise it won’t happen again.

And with this line in your signature: “head here to discuss wvw without fear of infractions” and a link to another site, I have to doubt your sincerity in promising to represent Anet in a polite and professional manner.

i tend to open with “stop being such an idiot” type posts for immediately noticeable idiots, because when i instead see discussion happening followed by hardheadedness, i just stop talking. and i refuse to promise to not criticize anyone, but i do attempt to do it in a way that isnt merely petty.

im not complaining about my own ineligibility. i dont in fact want to participate in this program because i feel like it would take away from my enjoyment of reading the forums due to being given responsibilities and having to meet expectations.

on the other hand, i read the forums a lot and i play the (entire) game even more and i think i could provide a lot of useful info if i had the devs’ ears. because i take a very analytical approach to everything i read. but no, i wouldnt want to have to become a pseudomod volunteer in order to have such a position. im sure someone else does.

as for my signature, its more of a warning than a dig. freely discussing wvw on these forums often results in an extremely toxic environment and anet wants nothing to do with that, and no longer even recommends the site (they did for a couple weeks, probably until someone realized its mostly a continuation of what they had just eliminated).

Gaile Gray.6029:

Information gathering is very valuable to us, and we’ll be looking for people who can do that in a helpful and as unbiased a manner as possible.

Gaile, I think perhaps we don’t understand ANet’s vision for this program. Where I am confused is that whenever it is implied (or, heck, outright stated) that ANet isn’t listening, we are nearly always assured that you folks read all of our posts, and are aware of our feedback even if it isn’t commented on by an official employee.

If that is the case, then one has to wonder…why do you need forum members to gather the information that we are frequently reminded that you folks are already gathering?

I honestly believe that is what has many of us scratching our heads here. Perhaps someone could speak to this?

Honestly, you folks are already perfectly aware of how to improve communication with your playerbase. It has been repeated over and over, yet continues to fall on the profoundly deaf ears at the top of your management chain. This post summed it up quite nicely:

Illysharia.7286:

Gaile, with all due respect, this “Specialist” program isn’t going to help the current situation. That situation being the topic that has dominated this forum for a year: the abysmal lack of communication on meaningful topics by ANET. Judging by the larger portion of commentary in this thread, many community participants see through the smoke screen as well.

Let me elaborate. In the “Communicating With You” thread, Mike and Chris went on and on about how they read, and listened. Throughout the thread, very specific topics were directly brought to Chris’ attention (since we finally had it after a half year of radio silence) which he acknowledged. Since that time, not much at all has improved, and the hot topics that were brought up are (drum roll) still being ignored.

So, if months of compiled community feedback (in various threads across various topics) still remain smouldering and ignored, and random flare-ups of threads where the community is pleading for communication get ignored..after Chris and Mike make a hullabaloo about mending the bridge they burnt..how is anyone to believe that a volunteer system is going to improve anything?

If thousands voices in threads that are over a half year old can’t get them to wake up, then how is a memo from a volunteer going to change anything? It’s become so comically absurd.

The problem comes from the top. Their self-imposed hiding behind a wall has to cease. <— That is where the problem lies.

Gaile Gray.6029:

Different countries have different definitions of volunteer work and we simply do not have the means to have the program reviewed and adjusted to conform to multiple legal requirements that may apply to any given volunteer opportunity.

mmmh…. The European Union tends to standardize laws, including for voluntary work. I’m sure you could find something suitable for UK, France, Germany, Spain, etc…

But, tbh, a job for a multinational company without any compensation might be seen as an undeclared work

dlonie.6547:

So I’ve mentioned a few times that I think this program won’t be very successful unless the devs are allowed to share details about the future of the game, since the majority of common issues on this forum pertain to future releases. Eg:

• Will we see new dungeons?
• Will there be new professions?
• Is a new race coming?
• Will [feature X] be implemented?
  etc etc

These are questions that the devs are forbidden to answer. So I’d like to ask:

How does the Forum Communication Team see this program working out?

What sorts of player-developer interactions do you see happening as a result of this? What types of posts do you see benefiting from the addition of FS? In what ways will the program improve communication?

Maybe I’m missing something?

something I’d like to know myself because as I posted before we’ve seen various programs over the past 2+ years to communicate the desires of the playerbase to the devs with no tangible changes to the game that were related to anything that the playerbase was asking for. And further whenever something that was unrelated unnecessary was worked on that had no barring on the concerns of the community which has happened multiple times now, the last of which was the gem conversion, it took a protest across the net to actually get these items changed back so that it didn’t negatively affect gameplay.

I agree with one of the posters on here who said that this just seems like another delay tactic to give people hope but then not deliver on what was communicated again.

How much hope can one have if players can’t get information from the developers because of a gag order?

It’s fairly obvious that this “program” is a PR smokescreen. Honestly, you all have the information you need to make the game better. You’ve had it for months (if not longer) and chosen to ignore it. Attempting some half-baked forum specialist program isn’t going to earn you back the goodwill you’ve thrown away, it just reinforces the idea that you think your playerbase is stupid and easily deceived.

Sometimes I post on the WoW forums and then inevitably bear witness to the failure that their whole MVP (Most Valuable Player) schtick is.

People who are just as clueless, biased and intellectually stunted as their fellow commenters parade around with green coloured text either attempting and not succeeding to be humorous or going on the defensive and telling others off for suggesting that Blizzard might have made a mistake. The latter is interpreted by the company as being neutral. Of course.

There are always those who do those without any prompting but at least a healthy community can disregard them. As soon as they are given official endorsement, they feel validated and unfortunately on some level that does mean their drivel is validated whether those in power intended such an outcome or not.

If there’s one thing no forum and generally speaking no self-respecting company or organisation needs are clueless schnitzels eager for a position of illusory power.

Basically this program allows Anet to shift blame to the volunteers.

Players: “Why didn’t Anet listen to our feedback on an upcoming change before going live?”
Anet: “Your representatives didn’t make your opinions known to us”

When is this program supposed to take off? I know that the forum restructuring is supposed to happen today. Is the forum specialists supposed to launch today as well?

pdavis.8031:

When is this program supposed to take off? I know that the forum restructuring is supposed to happen today. Is the forum specialists supposed to launch today as well?

I REALLY hope they kill 2 birds with one stone. New forums (not just structure, but software) and these new specialists. Otherwise we are looking at another chaotic nightmare.

nethykins.7986:

“I think and hope it will mean devs will be able to participate more, since they’ll be able to focus on the topics in a distilled form.”

This is, I would argue, an exact description of why CDI threads were created, and it’s not worked out that way for the most part. Other devs post a few times, with Yourself and Chris doing most of the legwork – even when you’re not in the position to answer any of it.

Basically, Gaile, I’m more concerned at this being yet another attempt at “Better communication”, that won’t see many/if any results. After all, your policy of ‘No Discussion’ remains, and no amount of Initiatives/Specialists will solve that.

That last paragraph speak volumes. Until the company moves to a more open form of communication, initiatives like these will continue to come and go.

Ah well, throw a few volunteers at us and see how it plays out.

munkiman.3068:

pdavis.8031:

When is this program supposed to take off? I know that the forum restructuring is supposed to happen today. Is the forum specialists supposed to launch today as well?

I REALLY hope they kill 2 birds with one stone. New forums (not just structure, but software) and these new specialists. Otherwise we are looking at another chaotic nightmare.

Nope, chaotic nightmare. Forum migration rather than consolidation isn’t a trivial matter.

Behellagh.1468:

munkiman.3068:

pdavis.8031:

When is this program supposed to take off? I know that the forum restructuring is supposed to happen today. Is the forum specialists supposed to launch today as well?

I REALLY hope they kill 2 birds with one stone. New forums (not just structure, but software) and these new specialists. Otherwise we are looking at another chaotic nightmare.

Nope, chaotic nightmare. Forum migration rather than consolidation isn’t a trivial matter.

Yeah i get it, but i’ve done several custom conversions. Regardless, wiping the forums in it’s current state might actually be a really good idea. Start fresh. I gave Gaile a name that could handle this conversion, regardless we will definitely lose some stuff. What kills me is that they chose to use this system, it’s literally a BBS of 1995 + generic emoticons.

Tachenon.5270:

Hi, I’d like to apply for the position of ‘Bad Idea Specialist’, and, if chosen, my first act as a Bad Idea Specialist will be to say that I think this ‘Forum Specialist’ idea is a very Bad Idea for reasons which should have been painfully obvious to whomsoever gave implementing it actual consideration (see also: Players’ Councils). Further, I’ll point to my own post which you are reading even now as evidence of why it’s a bad idea.

Alas, I know that whomsoever is in a position to naysay this bad idea will not naysay it based on this or any other evidence, regardless of how irrefragable such evidence may be, or it would never have been yaysaid, so to speak, in the first place; therefore, in protest, I hereby withdraw my application for the Bad Idea Specialist position.

Lol this is prolly the best idea that would be actually viable. Think of all the facepalming pain we would of been saved from had it been in place from the get go.

anet : hey we are thinking of releasing a rune where if interrupted gives you stacks of confusion with no cooldown.

bad idea specialist : no nope thats a bad idea

Anet: are you sure what if we..

bad idea specialist : no which letter do you not understand?

I foresee this being a flop like commanders who believe they are entitled to respect for having a tag. Also uh-oh mods better step up your game or your gonna get axed for xmas in exchange for people wholl do your job for free.