I was going to post a rather long winded thread debunking (and most likely degrading) the popular opinions on this forum. I realized, however, that not only would it do no good, but it would also just increase the cycle of vitriol, hatred, and venom displayed here en mass on a daily basis.
Instead, I chose to do something substantially harder - I'm making a thread to try to break this cycle and change the community from the inner city crack house it's become back into a place that is actually worth visiting. If I, a cynical and short tempered ***, can take a few seconds to think of a less hateful response, then there is no reason the rest of the community can't. After all, the developers aren't making a game for them to play alone - they're making a game for the community.
It's a small step, but hopefully one of many towards making a much more supportive instead of hateful and entitled community. Thus, I present the first community building exercise!
Rules:
1) Do something to make the community a better place. This could be helping new players, bringing in new players, diffusing hate threads, creating lots of art or other MWO/Battletech related content, making training or tactics videos or anything else that helps the community.
2) Promote your work and share it, build positive energy around the game and get players enthusiastic about fixes and new content instead of making 10,000 posts about the same issue that the dev's have already addressed.
3)Post what you've done in this thread so everyone can see it (it's your first bit of promotion!).
4) At the end of the month I'll create a poll and let the community vote on who they think the best contributors are.
5) The top 5 contributors chosen by the community will be announced over Hyperpulse Radio PLUS get a set of these:
A set of laser cut acrylic dog tags with your Unit/Corps name, callsign, rank, and one other piece of information (non-offensive) of your choosing.
The categories are:
1) Community Built Content - Fan art, fan fiction, rules, models, etc. Note: This doesn't mean make a picture. It's not an art contest! An example of a proper submission would be guides, tutorials, a website that sorts and ranks house rules for the board game, etc)
2) Community Support - Be on the forefront of helping new and used players. Link them to existing information, answer new questions.
3) Community Contribution - Make something for the community as a whole - banners, badges, mech art, funny videos - things that the whole community is able to enjoy.
4) Community Expansion - Recruit! Bring new players into the game and bring back the old ones. Help make the experience enjoyable, even if the members are waiting for patch XX or feature YY to play again.
5) Community Experience - Be the person everyone loves to talk to! Diffuse hate threads and flame wars before they result in banning/locking/purging. Make friends instead of enemies.
Content EXAMPLE
Post example:
In closing:
Yes, there are problems with the game. It's not perfect, and I have my own concerns. But how we represent these concerns will change how PGI addresses the concerns. It costs you nothing to maintain a civil attitude and rely the information in a positive and constructive manner. It's frustrating, I know it is. But I promise you that the frustration from losing a match worth of cbills is nothing compared to the frustration of trying to
find and fix the bug that causes it.
I understand that non-programmers can't appreciate the dozens of hours it can take to find and fix a seemingly simple bug, but I assure you, it can be extremely aggravating. Looking at the same lines that look perfectly fine and knowing the answer is right in front of you... yeah, it's agonizing. It does not help when people bulldoze hundreds of posts announcing the same problem and demanding an immediate fix.
Anyway, good luck and lets try to make this place better for a change
.
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Here is a list of current contenders. If I miss you, please let me know and give me a link or two that you're proud of. Sorry if I've missed anyone, I'm trying to get everything organized so everyone is able to track it - just let me know who/what I've missed!
Community Built Content
Community Support
Taryys - Guides and New User Support (link)
Reshift2k5 - Patch guides, new player guides, and hints/tips (link) (link)
Community Contribution
AV 4 T 4 R - MWO Soundtrack Project
Thomas Covenant - First Community Awards
Community Expansion
Community Experience
Nominated Contenders (they need to opt in):
Community Built Content
Paul BlackJack Cady - GIMP Tutorials
Community Support
Cybermech - Beta Guides
Krivvan - Player Support and Guides
Relic1701 - Training New Players
TriggerHippy
Deablos
MagicM0E
Panthura
PHeydra Sagan
OhmWrecker - Quick Reference Guides
Helmer
Community Contribution
Stalkerr -
Violent Combat Robot Show
WEEBZ - Forum Signatures
Seth -
MWO Wiki
Community Expansion
Community Experience
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Disclaimer: I am not an employee of PGI or IGP and I do not represent them, their beliefs, and/or work ethic or vice versa. This is a community run event that I started on a lark and is no way endorsed or sponsored by PGI or IGP and by participating, you agree to hold them harmless for physical, mental, or emotional distress.
Prizes will be sent via USPS to your address of choice and I cannot guarantee their arrival or that US Customs will approve their export outside of the US. If you live in a country ruled by a ruthless dictator who thinks contests and prizes are the work of the devil, you probably shouldn't participate.
Odds of winning depend on how many people get off their lazy duffs and help.
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