aelvana wrote:Zen has a valid point, and that is that the actual usefulness of the forums is being severely crimped by the incessant whining.
Then again, this is a forum, on the internet no less... should I simply resign myself to this fact, or am I right in wishing the useful/community posts weren't completely swamped?
Referring to complaints as "incessant whining" is derogatory and seems to dismiss all disagreement with Nevrax policy as both useless and unimportant. Would it be better if everyone who had a problem with the state of the game just cancelled their subscription immediately and left without looking back? Somehow I doubt Nevrax would think so. Most people complain not just to hear themselves speak about subjects that mean nothing to them. People complain because they're invested in the subject and want it to meet their vision for "fulfilled potential" (or even "good enough"). That's the crux of it, and the fact is that not everyone derives joy from the same thing. That's not exactly news, but there seems to be a great deal of "us versus them" bile being thrown around the boards between those who are satisfied and those who
were satisfied (this board was 99% positive prior to Patch 1, if you'll remember).
I've agreed with quite a few of your posts, Aelvana, and usually your tone as well. If you're now prepared to refer to every dissenting voice as an
incessant whiner, however, then be equally prepared to be referred to as a fanboi/fangurl yourself, though not by me. Will it be true? Very few generalizations are, and that's why it's best to avoid them whenever possible; the moment you resort to generalizations is the moment you become one. There are few internet terms I've come to hate more than "fanboi/fangurl," but "whiner" is getting pretty darned close (I also hate "uber" now, but that doesn't really apply here).
I think it's just best to take the disagreements with a grain of salt right now. Odds are it will end soon, because we're only two weeks away from the anniversary of Patch1+a month, and most of those invested people who've hung on by their fingernails this long will be letting go when their subscriptions run out. I'm sure the boards will quiet down dramatically then. I feel I have to say this, though: if there were one thing this game had that no other MMO I've played did, it was a mature playerbase. Now that it has turned upon itself, however, even that is gone. I never expected everyone to agree with me, but this awful "us against them" mentality reminds me of all the nasty "EQ is perfect, AC is trash," "WoW is wonderful, EQ2 is garbage," "XBox Rulz, Gamecube sucks" close-minded spite that I've seen on every other board. Disregarding someone's opinion, let alone slapping it with a backhanded insult, is dehumanizing; that's true regardless of which "side" anyone happens to be on.
the actual usefulness of the forums is being severely crimped by the incessant whining
I hope that comment was made out of frustration with people who have purposely provoked it with trolling, name calling, and other bad behavior. If it was, then none of this post applies to you and you can feel free to disregard it. If it wasn't, if you really do think that all positions other than yours are simply whining and, therefore, wrong...well, it's going to get pretty lonely up there on that pedestal. I've seen a few of the people who are already up there, and they don't appear to be great company.