Forest

Depends on whether or not you know the whereabouts of the #purpgang

>recognizes thread title >searches said title >first result: Green Text Stories -2012 >second result: Green Text Stories -2013 >wonders how long this one will last this time >0 faith

Just to re-iterate; the intention of this thread is to suggest Forum changes or updates. Please keep all Bugs/Errors and the like in the following thread for organization sake: Forum Updates - REPORT GLITCHES HERE! That being said, also linking this thread to be considered as it is relevant: User-friendliness

Communication is key here; it's actually alarming to hear that those who hold a high rank may not have even been made aware of this substantial alteration to Member Submissions, whether it be poor planning or a lack of visibility from whomever suggested the change to begin with. It isn't my intention to grill those who were involved, but it's fairly maddening to see something like this [to potentially] go unnoticed, especially when the announcement mentioned that it was discussed among the Higher-Ups :coffee:

Maybe if you people stopped +1'ing for them being cool, we wouldn't have this situation ###Trigger Jokes aside, was something like this really discussed by the Higher-Ups; and if so.. Why? There seems to be a stupid amount of speculation here, but given that it's such a monumental change, it should not have just slipped under the radar. At the very least, a public announcement should have been made in say, the xG News section (assuming it wasn't). That being said, I'm in the same boat with the other oldies. As far as I'm concerned, as an ex-Division Manager, -1s always influenced a Member Application and the collective unspoken rule was that it took away from the total +1s of any given Member Submission. Though I agree whole-heartedly with the thread; if it's causing a rift between the Higher-Ups then something regarding -1s should definitely be written in stone in the Member Submission Guidelines. Semi-related note: Higher-Ups, for the love of God, update and fix that shit . It's full of inconsistencies and contradictions. There's literally an xG News thread that effectively re-orders how vouching works for Divisions ("Global vouches") and yet the 'MSG' still reflects the outdated protocol. Mind you, this is assuming that announcement wasn't scrapped, although even then another xG News thread should have been made to clarify that. Also, just as a suggestion, y'all should make/sticky a thread in Admin Discussion (or even in General, stickied/closed) that includes time stamps for all major changes (as well as by whomever made the change) for reference as opposed to editing something into the applicable thread. Paper trails are great to have, but it sort of clutters up the thread if you continue adding these changelogs (IE. "change for X has been put into effect as of Y by Z") one by one and this would make it 1000x easier for anyone to determine when a change was made and by who (one thread to refer to for all major changes as opposed to having to dig through varying threads) As always, this is just personal opinion.

Wowe

It's completely in your guys' hands, I just wanted to raise my concerns regarding a user-friendlier experience. As long as there is clarity in some shape or form that will make a new user's experience here at the forums a more pleasant one, I'm all for it :D

So, this is just a thought on the matter (and it never really occurred to me before), though I feel that it would be an improvement of sorts. This thread really only pertains to Players who have a grievance or are otherwise looking to report or are experiencing issues with anything xG related. With that in mind, consider the following: Imagine you are a disgruntled player. You're experiencing issues with the Server, or you've noticed that a function on the Server isn't entirely working properly. For the intents and purposes of this thread, lets just say that the typical gamer will either do one of three things: 1) Approach a Staff Member on the Server 2) Start a discussion or comment on Xeno Gamers' official Steam Group 3) Head to www.xenogamers.com for assistance in troubleshooting Now, both 1 and 2 are incredibly straight forward, ask the Staff Member for help or comment (post a discussion) on the Steam Group, the latter being laid-out in a relatively easy to understand way. However, I've noticed that our site isn't exactly user-friendly. Let's say that I'm unfamiliar with the site; I've never used it before and this is the first time I've accessed it. First and foremost, there is a lot of information to take in upon first loading up the site that I guarantee the average new player would not be interested in. Generally speaking, a new player will [typically] come to the site for one of two things: to become a Member, or to report a problem or issue they are having. For users who are looking for Membership, it's a given that their first click (assuming they're registered) will most likely be in accessing the 'Applications' section, so this isn't a major problem. However, for a user experiencing problems, there isn't much else. The first thing that I (both personally and as a "new Member" with a problem) would be comfortable seeing is a simple means of communication, a way to quickly inquire about something. Namely, the Shout box. Unfortunately, this is no where to be seen until the user accesses the 'Forums' section of the site, so that's no longer an option; and with no way of knowing it exists, the experience becomes a rather negative one. The second thing I would look for, would be some sort of Troubleshooting heading, link, or what-have-you. Again, this is no where to be seen. At this point, the user is left with a very diverse (and somewhat intimidating) home-landing page. That being said, some players will post the problems they are having in the General section, though I honestly feel that there should be a section strictly for General Troubleshooting or Problem Areas as it would make things considerably easier for new users to navigate. On top of that, Higher-Ups could Sticky 'common issues' for particular Divisions/Servers for players to refer to. As someone who regularly deals with user-friendly environments (literally part of what I do at work), I feel that something could be improved here. With that said, I do have a few suggestions that I believe may improve the user-friendly aspect of the forums. [spoiler=1. Tutorial] Yes, I quite literally mean a tutorial in the form of a video. A short but detailed video can greatly improve a new user's experience on the site. This could be in any shape or form, something that prompts immediately when someone who is unregistered (or otherwise not logged in) accesses the site. The video could potentially consist of a simple image of the landing that progresses through a brief description for each heading/section (IE. pop-out 'Applications', include caption: Includes forms for Member/Staff Submission as well as reports for Abusive Staff or Members). It doesn't even have to be a video, this is completely up to the discretion of the Higher-Ups. [spoiler=2. Reorganization] A reorganization of the forums that includes the Shoutbox to appear on the landing page. Alternatively, reorganizing the 'Applications' section into two separate headers; one labelled 'Applications' the other labelled 'Problem Reports'. Needless to say, Applications would consist of Member Submission, Staff Submission, etc. Problem Reports would consist of forms for Member Protest, Report Abuse, etc. Naming conventions would be up to the Higher-Ups. This is merely a concern from my perspective and as such should only be treated as an opinion. Though I would like to see if anyone else feels that the forums (or at the least, the landing page) could be laid out in a more user-friendly way (not implying it isn't, just that it could be improved on). Thoughts? Concerns? Suggestions? Leave em' below. :coffee: This stupidly long post is brought to you by Forest, the nagging collective of nature.

Not so sure it's worth going through the trouble of implementing anything over something that seems so minor and trivial. Though it is worth noting that this is a Gaming Community, so it makes sense that sections related to 'Music' or 'Drawing' are dead, and honestly I don't really see that as a problem. The only reason they're there is to provide an outlet should anyone feel like posting specifics. If anything, I would just consider removing them altogether or just merging them (remove specifics like MS Paint, Sprays, and keep Drawings). Reason being that the 'General' section is a section for practically anything in general, which can include [but is not limited to] drawing, music and the like. Sort of makes the existence of any other specific section moot in a way. I mean, I would go so far as to say that the General section makes up the majority of activity and threads to begin with. But even then, I see no reason to remove those sections as they aren't really doing any harm; at the most, they encourage people to share their opinions/thoughts on topics outside of the whole gaming spectrum. Aside from that, I don't really see the need/benefit to promote sections that don't exactly pertain to Xeno Gamers as a whole, especially if they don't receive any attention to begin with. As previously mentioned, the existence of those sections is purely for convenience. The attention/resources could be better spent on higher priorities like Servers, Social Media, YouTube, etc. If grave digging is the problem here, then just implement a small rule stating that it doesn't apply to 'Creative' sections of the Forums. EDIT: apologies in advance for this long-ass post, I swear it wasn't supposed to be this long :coffee:

There's a special place in hell for people like you

You took a step into the online world, aka the Internet. Not to sound rude as that is not my intention, but when you're surfing the web or posting your opinion, thoughts, or what-have-you online, you're opening the door to random people around the world and you need to prepare yourself. People won't always agree, people won't always react with good intentions, and people will purposely respond in a way just to get a rise out of you. Long story short, the Internet isn't a very friendly place. The best way to cope with it is to accept that fact and to not let anyone get under your skin. The thing with being online is that it's nearly impossible to tell when someone is being genuine, sincere, sarcastic, etc; so take everything with a grain of salt and especially don't take anything personally. The worst thing you can do is accept what other people say as fact when it is merely their opinion. If you feel that you're being harassed or are otherwise uncomfortable on the forums (or even in Servers), I implore you to seek the aid of a CM or CL to talk about it. Our CMs/CLs are very receptive and can help in any way that they can. But do keep in mind that more often than not, this is just something you need to learn from first-hand experience. Don't let people get to you, and don't let what people say or do define who you are as a person :coffee:

Just going to take the time here to tell everyone to calm down. Jesus, I haven't taken the time to look at the responses until now, and I see absolutely no reason for anyone to berate or otherwise respond in such a negative way to anyone. The intention of this thread was to discuss a possible alternative that would be mutually beneficial to both the Staff as well as the Player; that's all. Additionally, and I can't speak for Stickz, but is it a crime to want to improve our numbers by lowering the ban rate for trivial things? I see nothing but good intentions from Stickz, and yet it's all being treated in a ridiculously hostile way by the majority of those posting here. This has all but been lost in translation, but the reasoning behind this was to support Players who would like a Staff Member on the Server then and there (from my perspective of posting this thread). Players who are otherwise disgruntled or frustrated are far more likely to abuse the system, but for good intentions; should they really be punished by being banned for a day for it? I get that it can be a nuisance to have to deal with spam in Steam due to the nature of the plugin, I really do, but when it comes down to it, is a day ban for alerting Staff really a good means to an end? A day ban doesn't seem like much to any of us, and I can guarantee that it certainly appears to be nothing to Staff, but do keep in mind that the Playerbase for TF2 does consist of a large number of younger Players; and I can almost guarantee that a good chunk of them will do whatever they can to play the game (on our Servers) or to otherwise enjoy it. I'm not ruling out the possibility of those who abuse the command for shits and giggles, but I just don't see how a minor inconvenience for Staff (messages in Steam) warrants a day ban; especially when it doesn't influence the Server environment to begin with. At this point, it's clear that it's just wishful thinking on my part; but again, this was merely a suggestion that I thought should [at the very least] be considered. That being said, I'd like to #RequestClose this thread before it devolves any further as it has been poorly received and I see no reason to keep something up that is resulting in such turmoil.

Hey guys. So as you can probably imagine, I'm posting this thread to address what [to some] appears to be an issue with the 'calladmin' plugin. There have been a few concerns and several problems surrounding the plugin; namely, the abuse thereof. Numerous times players have been banned for abusing the command, and while it makes sense that players who are purposely (and maliciously) utilizing the plugin are punished, there are those who are simply trying to alert Staff because they're either fed up with rule breakers or are otherwise disgruntled. With that in mind, it's important to remember that players may be unstable when issuing the calls (IE. frustrated or upset, thereby resulting in an increased possibility of spamming the command). But I digress. The purpose of this thread is to discuss an alternative that @Vertex initially proposed (in a Steam Group Discussion which you may find by clicking here) that I think is certainly worth considering. Long story short, Stickz proposed that instead of punishing the user for spamming the command by banning them, they would instead either be barred or silenced. In my opinion, this alternative is a far more productive and far less harmful way of dealing with the spam of the command. For convenience, here is/are the code/txt that Stickz provided: [spoiler=sourcecomms.inc] >/* Punishments types */ enum bType{ bNot = 0, // Player chat or voice is not blocked bSess, // ... blocked for player session (until reconnect) bTime, // ... blocked for some time bPerm // ... permanently blocked } /** * Returns the client's mute type * * @param client The client index of the player to check mute status * @return The client's current mute type index (see enum bType in the begin). */ native bType:SourceComms_GetClientMuteType(client); /** * Returns the client's gag type * * @param client The client index of the player to check gag status * @return The client's current gag type index (see enum bType in the begin). */ native bType:SourceComms_GetClientGagType(client); [spoiler=Plugin Code] >#include <sourcecomms> if (SourceComms_GetClientMuteType(client) != bNot && SourceComms_GetClientGagType(client) != bNot) { // The client is silenced. Block client from using call admin. } Obviously this is completely up to the discretion of the TF2 Higher-Ups, but it does seem like a more passive and less aggressive approach to dealing with players who abuse a command that is there to improve Server relations. Opinions? Comments? Hate-speech? Provide it below :coffee:

Not bad, though I personally found that the second loop that kicks in at 32 seconds to be really out of place; causes this huge disconnect with the melody and sounds out-of-place and somewhat jarring throughout the song. Not sure if it's the sample used or if it's just the structure of the loop itself, but just thought I'd throw that out there.

Welcome back. Go get Razec while you're at it bby

^^^^ Fucking this. Also, here's a [sample] list of 3rd parties as listed by Nintendo. Note: I haven't investigated the authenticity of this list at all, so take it with a grain of salt. [spoiler= Nintendo Switch "Partners"] I'm also incredibly optimistic that the Souls series may make an appearance on the Switch given its popularity in Japan, though that's just opinion. The biggest factors that appeal to me is the open-invitation to 3rd party developers and the portability of it. Unfortunately, I have heard that there were FPS drops as low as 30 when playing in tablet mode, but given that it isn't necessarily the production model, there may still be hope for improvement. I'm pretty hyped for the conference this month, hopefully they'll share more than just BotW (I've honestly seen more than enough, any more and there will just be potential spoilers). Whatever the case may be, I'm really hoping that the Switch will bring Nintendo back up from its [pseudo] flop (subjective) with the Wii-U.

Played community Servers often on CS:S but I had never tried Jailbreak. Funny story, I actually played on HG for a while (where I learned the "basics") but found it lack-luster. As with Vector's case, I just sorted by players and ended up hopping on xG's Jailbreak server. Needless to say, it was chaotic and I had a hell of a good time. The Server and its Players grew on me, and I found myself playing Jailbreak more and more each day. Wasn't until a couple of months of playing that I finally submitted a Member Submission. Eventually I became so familiar with the rules that I began correcting new players, suggesting links to the site; it got to the point that I was mistaken for a Staff Member several times before I finally submitted a Moderator Submission. Sort of just tried to do the best I could for the community/server(s) at that point, and the rest is history. This is literally the only community I've sunk this amount of time in throughout my life and it has been one hell of a roller-coaster. There were definitely people who influenced me into becoming a bigger part of something great, but for the sake of my shit memory (wouldn't want to leave anyone out) I won't/can't really say who. Needless to say, I've had a great time here and continue to do-so, even if I don't play all that often (if at all) :coffee:

Rule of thumb for Moderating: If you already had a dedicated group of haters or players who otherwise disliked you prior to being promoted, take that number and expect it to grow exponentially over the next little while. Staff Members are subjected to a lot of shit on a daily basis, and part of being a Staff Member is learning to cope with it and to act accordingly. That being said, it's completely understandable as I do recall a rather turbulent time for yourself during the Member/Moderation Submission(s) phase and I can certainly see why you would feel the way you do. With that in mind, that was in the past and it's a new year; if anything, take some time off to think about it before taking the plunge [stepping down]. There's nothing worse than getting a position you've wanted for a while and then stepping down when the going gets tough, only to realize that you were just getting used to the flow of things.

To regain my interest and activity in the Xeno Gamers' community/servers. Nah, jk. Too busy for that. Still thinking on one that is actually achievable; one that I won't end up bailing on :coffee:

como estas baybee

yo