Forum Changelog and Forum Suggestions

[Alex79]

Thirdman mentioned Gamerswithjobs, I've started posting there just recently.

Had a look, but the forum layout really puts me off. No links at the tops of the page, and no easy way of quickly checking which threads have been replied to since your last visit. Just seems a couple of glaring QoL omissions. Seems like a nice enough place though, but shallow as it sounds, the forum itself irritated me enough after five minutes that I couldn't use it for very long.

There are definitely some of what I would also consider 'omissions'

...etc...

Thanks ThirdMan, that was all very useful

[FemalePheromones]

Animal Crossing.

You mean Doom Eternal?

[Suits]

Animal Crossing.

You mean Doom Eternal?

You mean, Doom 64.

[FemalePheromones]

You mean, Doom 64.

Actually yes. I made sure to pre-order (which I never do) for Doom 64. I never owned an N64 and never played it so am really looking forward to both.

[Suits]

Actually yes. I made sure to pre-order (which I never do) for Doom 64. I never owned an N64 and never played it so am really looking forward to both.

I think it’s good, very good.

Has a great sense of atmosphere and mood.

It’s essentially a proper Doom 3 in my eyes.

[FemalePheromones]

I think it’s good, very good.

Has a great sense of atmosphere and mood.

It’s essentially a proper Doom 3 in my eyes.

That's what I had heard that it's essentially Doom 3 and the actual Doom 3 should have been Doom 4.

I actually just cancelled my pre-order through Xbox as it was £55 and saw it for £40 on Shopto. Yes I'll have to put the disc in and out of the console but I can't see past that £15.

[Stanshall]

Moved post to avoid further derailing.

In fact we had a greater number of regular contributors before a few larger characters and personality clashes started polluting or even dominating the discourse in an increasingly large number of topic threads.

If the prevailing feeling is that this place is no longer of use or pleasure then Jay and I will quite happily shut it down. It wouldn’t make any significant difference to our podcast listenership (or Patreon subscribers), but it would be one less thing for us to manage.

... Bit sensitive as I’m fed up at this once-treasured place being bad-mouthed recently, notably in the main by those who have contributed to a shift in atmosphere.

I personally don't feel I've bad mouthed this place in the slightest but I imagine I'm someone who has contributed to a change in atmosphere by virtue of being a regular poster in a couple of large and relatively active threads, and sometimes feeling/talking like I'm in a chat room rather than on a public forum. If my over-enthusiastic walls of text about shmups or conversations with three or four other people have put anyone else off posting on the forum...well, I would be really disappointed, but who exactly is setting the tone?

As you said in another post, Leon, the reality is that as a forum for the Cane and Rinse podcast, there's relatively little discussion about the podcast itself and virtually no feedback or follow up once an episode has gone out. Equally, and I know this has been discussed before, the lack of participation from the C&R team as a whole speaks to how the forum is perceived and valued. If it's not something that anyone is particularly invested in developing or engaging with, and it has no impact on listener numbers, I don't really understand why it exists now besides a repository for C&R feedback.

In any case, I wish you and the team all the best and hope things continue onwards and upwards.

[JaySevenZero]

Okay, just so you're all aware, Clippa's account has been deleted along with all his posts as per his own request.

[Suits]

That seems like such an over reaction .

[ThirdMan]

If my over-enthusiastic walls of text about shmups or conversations with three or four other people have put anyone else off posting on the forum...well, I would be really disappointed

I'd be shocked if anyone had an issue with your contributions. I'm not interested in shmups and consequently I don't read many of those posts, but walls and walls of text about hardcore videogames seems entirely appropriate for a forum like this.

I'm quite satisfied that I've contributed to the change of tone. I literally get paid to argue over tiny details and I don't fully decompress before coming online. In recent weeks and months I've been getting into the weeds a bit too often. I think that disagreement can be genuinely invigorating however I don't concede ground very easily, which again is written into my 9-5 psychology. It's not an attractive personality trait. My deepest and sincerest apologies for any offence I may have caused.

I also have a tendency to spill my guts out and reveal personal information about myself. I've always worn my heart on my sleeve. My social and professional environment is quite macho and I don't have an outlet for my feelings so this, and other forums, have filled that void over the years. For some of you that won't be a problem, but for others, who come on here to relax and talk about games, then it's probably all just a little bit too much. Again, I'm sorry if that's been a problem.

I'll be rolling back on the amount of threads I comment on. I've been too active lately relative to the total amount of contributions being posted each day. I'd still like to maintain a presence though, jotting down a few thoughts on games and films. This site has always felt like an easily accessible journal where I can also keep up to date with other opinions. I value what I learn on here. The opinions of the so-called 'ordinary people'. Professional reviews come with too many caveats. If I'd to choose between a carefully written and edited Edge review and the half-asleep ramblings of a working dad with two kids and very little spare time, then I'll opt for the latter every single time.

Peace.

[FemalePheromones]

FAO Leon & Jay.

Have you thought about starting a sub on Reddit?

It would be way more random but wpuld require less management and it's a bit easier for people to have their own conversations within a post rather than derailing a whole thread.

Just a thought.

[ratsoalbion]

We haven't discussed that tbh, I don't think either of us uses Reddit much and so haven't considered what it would entail or what the benefits might be.

Further opinions welcome - I wouldn't rule it in or out at this point!

[FemalePheromones]

That was a surprisingly quick response!

One thing I like about Reddit is that once you join a sub any posts that are made in there will appear on your main feed similarly to how you see tweets appear in your Twitter feed so you never necessarily have to go back into that sub because you will see the posts anyway along with posts from any other subs you are a member of. There are multiple filters too so for instance you could filter by latest posts or by posts with the most activity so even if a post was made a week ago but is still busy it will appear near the top.

I didn't actually use Reddit until a year or so ago but now I love it. The trick is which subs you actually join but personally, I would join a C&R sub but probably wouldn't visit and would just interact with posts I see in my main feed but I imagine that might also be the case for other people that don't want to commit to a forum but will happily join in as and when they see a post in their feed.

[Stanshall]

Honestly, I think it's a shame that you didn't speak plainly, rather than make vague statements about larger characters and imply that the forum was a burden. That's rather soured things for me, on reflection. I've personally enjoyed my time here and I feel like I've made a lot of positive contributions and enjoyed the chats with plenty of folk. I'm just puzzled and really disappointed by the response here.

[KSubzero1000]

In my opinion, we shouldn't be giving up on this place. "Contemporary" social media is a complete mess, and the broader gaming community at large is a grotesque blob of illiterate trolling. This forum may have seen better days, but at its best it is a sanctuary of good graces and nuanced, well-articulated opinions. And I think that is a wonderful thing which should be preserved as much as possible. Not to mention the complete administrative control you would have to relinquish when moving to virtually any other established platform.

It's difficult to point out why exactly things appear to have gone downhill in the past few months. Pointing fingers is always easy, so I'll simply accept my part of responsibility for allowing myself to become involved in all sorts of controversies. It's obvious that several folks appear to have taken issue with some of the opinions I've laid out in the past and the way I've expressed them. I intend to focus more on substantial contributions and less on chat-style drama from now on.


One last thing: If you want to see more quality posts again, lead by example.

[ratsoalbion]

Honestly, I think it's a shame that you didn't speak plainly, rather than make vague statements about larger characters and imply that the forum was a burden. That's rather soured things for me, on reflection. I've personally enjoyed my time here and I feel like I've made a lot of positive contributions and enjoyed the chats with plenty of folk. I'm just puzzled and really disappointed by the response here.

I’ve been really happy with and proud of this place - it’s only a burden when it becomes a burden (which until recently, it never has), if you see what I mean.

Stanshall, you weren’t in my mind at all when I was posting about recent exchanges.

[Suits]

Have you thought about starting a sub on Reddit?

Funny, I’ve thought about a r/caneandrinse a few times now .

As recently as last month in fact.

It would be a great place to stickie podcast schedules, TWR’s, notices etc....

I always thought that it would be at a detriment to the forum though.

[ratsoalbion]

Indeed, and this is one of the reasons we haven’t embraced Discord or other avenues - we already have a community spread/split across Twitter, Facebook, Patreon and this forum. Ideally everyone would be gathered in one (private) place - here!

[Stanshall]

I’ve been really happy with and proud of this place - it’s only a burden when it becomes a burden (which until recently, it never has), if you see what I mean.

Stanshall, you weren’t in my mind at all when I was posting about recent exchanges.

Fair enough, I apologise for being touchy and I understand what you mean about enjoying it until you don't.

Generally, I favour a slightly more direct tone when I want to make a point but then again, my only experience of running a forum directly led to someone turning up at my workplace brandishing a samurai sword, so I may not have all the answers.

I still think the forum is a bit neglected, though!

[dezm0nd]

I tend to agree with the "lead by example" motto Ksub but it ain't that simple, really.

If it were a banter cast in which you more time then it makes more sense but theres only so much time to post with a level of quality.