What's with all the complaining/locking?

[evilcheadar]

O yes and I’m for removing general section because it takes people away from off topic

[momuuu]

It's really befuddling that we have to have this discussion every single week. This is the OFF-TOPIC forum of an AoE forum. By definition, the topics here won't be related to AoE. Why people deliberately enter an expressly off-topic forum, and then complain about the topics there being off-topic, is truly beyond me. This is a community - as in, actual people; not everyone wants to discuss nothing but games all day long with their buddies. If you don't like off-topic, you can just avoid it or the specific threads you dislike.

Iv been saying this for years, its people like jerom who want to ban anyone who makes topics he doesnt find interesting.

It's a sad state of affairs: If I try to make a nuanced point and put effort into explaining some sort of logic, this is how you interpret it. I'm not yet sure if you're just stupid or a troll though.

Also, I'm pretty sure most people here actually missed the point of the OP.

[momuuu]

For the record, this is my opinion on shitposting/going off topic a lot (I really don't know how that makes gibson say "I want to ban anyone who makes topics I don't find interesting", he's probably just trolling I guess):

viewtopic.php?f=314&t=13811#p292446

In my opinion what ESOC has failed to do is aim for some sort of posting culture. You can opt to be a place aimed at organized discussion, or you can try to be a place thats nice for banter, drama, shitposting and stuff like that. You can prefer the jokes over the content, or prefer content over jokes. I feel like ESOC started out as a place for organized discussion, age of empires based content with some nice and popular off topic threads. That's how it started out, right now I would say ESOC is focussed on a community that likes trolly stuff and strolls along using meme-like posts. I would feel like the average active user does not care much for a very structured discussion or for content actually about age of empires.

I'd personally argue this direction is not a good direction to take for the only serious age of empires forum. It doesn't seem to fit well with the original goal of being a site for tournaments. After all, you'd probably want to attract the people interested in age of empires, how the game works and what strategies to use, more so than that you want to attract the off topic people that prefer a troll-ish style of posting as those people would generally be less interested in tournaments.

I miss the beginning stage of ESOC, where the forum was very content oriented. If there is any site that pops up that is more content oriented I would actually not hesitate long to switch. This is mostly relevant for when aoe4 comes, and maybe even aoe3DE, as we're mostly a community site that focusses on off topic things. I think this shift happened when the team failed to draw a line with regards to shitposting. It has gradually become harder and harder to find age of empires related content and I feel like therefor the people that were interested in it stopped bothering to actually read. Meanwhile, people that liked shitposting a lot, and the threads like the basement tends to make stayed. If you take a look at the strategy board and strategy related threads, I think it becomes pretty evident that the people that actually like discussing this game have mostly given up on actually actively reading the boards.

Again, it's just an opinion on what is better. But an argument along the lines of "if you don't like it just don't read it" doesn't really apply here. If it takes time to find interesting threads to read, and if threads that you find interesting always get derailed quickly, then you'll just give up on reading the forums much. Or, vice versa, if you find the trolling stuff funny and like shitposting, but are limited in doing so then you are also more likely to give up on the forum. The only argument I've given is that, as the only age of empires related place that originally is interested in content, with age of empires 3 DE and age of empires 4 in mind, and also considering that there are plenty of other places to shitpost, I think it is much better to actively put emphasis on content.

I've been thinking more lately about this, when someone claimed forums are outdated anyways. I started thinking about how and when I actually find and visit forum pages. This mostly happens when I want to know how to play a certain game, what the good heroes or civs are, what the best opening is, stuff like that. I was playing civilization and started visiting some reddit pages to see how people opened up in that game because I got interested in the game, I'd always be super interested in strategy related starcraft content because I wanted to know how to play the game, I look up what sort of weapons people like in dark souls and like reading about that, I'd enjoy balance and strategy discussion with regards to dota2. I feel like I'm not alone, forums are still relatively active and youtube channels providing similair content are often extremely popular. People like discussing the game they play, they like thinking about how the game works and what things are good, balanced or weak. Age of empires 3 is so build order focussed that it is actually a great game to talk about. ESOC is just not a good place for that, and that's unfortunate. I found agecommunity and ageheaven back in the day because I googled for strategies to use as Dutch, I doubt one would find or at least stay here just for the game related content. Shitposting can be done anywhere, there's tons of general off topic forums where you can post the sort of off topic content that one enjoys. If the pleasure from shitposting doesn't come from the aspect that you're trolling someone then surely a shitposting oriented forum will be far more enjoyable for those that like shitposts - I sincerely doubt many of the shitposters don't get the pleasure from the sheer trolling aspect though. Meanwhile, there's no other active age of empires related forum. If there was, and it was active and serious, I'd have left this place long ago.

Surely off topic conversation can be productive. Serious and structured discussion between forum members can bring people closer together, some threads bring people closer together too (remember the sexiest girl thread on agesanc), but all the shitposting and off topic posting just seems disruptive and useless to me, and then the fact that moderators always lock instead of moderate doesn't make things any better. I'd be totally on board with removing off topic, personally - I like the game and talking about it, I don't care about balloons that stick to a leg or pool cleaners. Most importantly though, I think that's better for the community.

[Goodspeed]

Age of empires 3 is so build order focussed that it is actually a great game to talk about. ESOC is just not a good place for that, and that's unfortunate.

Why not? Strategy and general AoE3 discussion is perfectly fine as far as I know. People tend to respond constructively and there are almost always high level players sharing their thoughts.
Can you name some examples of threads that bother you in this forum: viewforum.php?f=29

[Kaiserklein]

Yeah the aoe parts of the forums are still active. Idk why people complain about it.

[PeachTree]

The problem is that people get off-topic in an off-topic section. It happens in other forum sections as well ('EZ' spam for example). Also, the whole thread about giving personal info out turned into a personal feud between 'politician' equivalents on the forum. It's pretty sad to be honest. @bigsmoke gets it.

[momuuu]

Well for starters, there are three times as many off topic threads as strategy threads and there have only been 15 active strategy threads over the past 2 weeks.

[Gendarme]

25% AoE3 seems like quite a lot to me.

[gibson]

It's really befuddling that we have to have this discussion every single week. This is the OFF-TOPIC forum of an AoE forum. By definition, the topics here won't be related to AoE. Why people deliberately enter an expressly off-topic forum, and then complain about the topics there being off-topic, is truly beyond me. This is a community - as in, actual people; not everyone wants to discuss nothing but games all day long with their buddies. If you don't like off-topic, you can just avoid it or the specific threads you dislike.

Iv been saying this for years, its people like jerom who want to ban anyone who makes topics he doesnt find interesting.

It's a sad state of affairs: If I try to make a nuanced point and put effort into explaining some sort of logic, this is how you interpret it. I'm not yet sure if you're just stupid or a troll though.

Also, I'm pretty sure most people here actually missed the point of the OP.

im just stupid tbh

[Goodspeed]

Well for starters, there are three times as many off topic threads as strategy threads and there have only been 15 active strategy threads over the past 2 weeks.

And removing off topic would magically fix that?
If there is a problem with lack of content in the AoE3 forum, off topic has nothing to do with it. After removing this forum, off topic posters would not suddenly start posting about AoE3. Rather they would leave ESOC and find a place where they áre able to discuss the topics they are interested in.

[momuuu]

Well for starters, there are three times as many off topic threads as strategy threads and there have only been 15 active strategy threads over the past 2 weeks.

And removing off topic would magically fix that?
If there is a problem with lack of content in the AoE3 forum, off topic has nothing to do with it. After removing this forum, off topic posters would not suddenly start posting about AoE3. Rather they would leave ESOC and find a place where they are allowed to discuss whatever they want.

I think you misinterpreted or don't understand my post.

[Goodspeed]

Ok. Please elaborate, then, on how the existence of off topic has a negative effect on the activity of AoE3 forums, or on whatever else you were saying in your post.

The problem is that people get off-topic in an off-topic section.

[PeachTree]

I don't see alternate ways to interpret it. Please elaborate, then, on how the existence of off topic has a negative effect on the activity of AoE3 forums, or on whatever else you were saying in your post.

The problem is that people get off-topic in an off-topic section.

This goes back to @momuuu 's explanation about the lack of post culture. If people go off topic on a thread on the off-topic section (cringeworthy), the you can't expect them to be on topic in other sections as well. Additionally, I have seen many people attack each others' personal views in a very mean way.

[Goodspeed]

I don't see alternate ways to interpret it. Please elaborate, then, on how the existence of off topic has a negative effect on the activity of AoE3 forums, or on whatever else you were saying in your post.

The problem is that people get off-topic in an off-topic section.

This goes back to @momuuu 's explanation about the lack of post culture. If people go off topic on a thread on the off-topic section (cringeworthy), the you can't expect them to be on topic in other sections as well. Additionally, I have seen many people attack each others' personal views in a very mean way.

As far as I can see this is not an actual issue in the AoE3 forums. Sure, there is the occasional thread that gets derailed, but overall posts are constructive and on topic in those forums. Prove me wrong.

[Goodspeed]

25% AoE3 seems like quite a lot to me.

Historically it's been much more. OT has 71k posts atm, when AoE3 general and strategy combined have 100k. 125k if you include the EP and rec forums.

[PeachTree]

Show hidden quotes

I don't see alternate ways to interpret it. Please elaborate, then, on how the existence of off topic has a negative effect on the activity of AoE3 forums, or on whatever else you were saying in your post.

The problem is that people get off-topic in an off-topic section.

This goes back to @momuuu 's explanation about the lack of post culture. If people go off topic on a thread on the off-topic section (cringeworthy), the you can't expect them to be on topic in other sections as well. Additionally, I have seen many people attack each others' personal views in a very mean way.

As far as I can see this is not an actual issue in the AoE3 forums. Sure, there is the occasional thread that gets derailed, but overall posts are constructive and on topic in those forums. Prove me wrong.

For starters, one-liner posts "EZ" or shit like that. There is also one on one post matches resulting in threads getting locked. Seems like there's a problem here with that.

[Goodspeed]

Show hidden quotes

I don't see alternate ways to interpret it. Please elaborate, then, on how the existence of off topic has a negative effect on the activity of AoE3 forums, or on whatever else you were saying in your post.

The problem is that people get off-topic in an off-topic section.

This goes back to @momuuu 's explanation about the lack of post culture. If people go off topic on a thread on the off-topic section (cringeworthy), the you can't expect them to be on topic in other sections as well. Additionally, I have seen many people attack each others' personal views in a very mean way.

As far as I can see this is not an actual issue in the AoE3 forums. Sure, there is the occasional thread that gets derailed, but overall posts are constructive and on topic in those forums. Prove me wrong.

For starters, one-liner posts "EZ" or shit like that. There is also one on one post matches resulting in threads getting locked. Seems like there's a problem here with that.

OT doesn't have people spamming ez, so you'll have a hard time arguing that this "culture" originated here. I don't know what you mean by one on one post matches, but that too sounds like something that's entirely unrelated to the OT forum.
Whether these things are actually problems is also debatable. Right now when I look at the strategy forum and open some random threads, I don't see a single "ez" post.

[PeachTree]

Germany japanesegeneral
Dragoon 3
09 Mar 2018, 12:12

Ez

User avatar Austria KINGofOsmane
Jaeger 1
09 Mar 2018, 12:59

yes ez


More could've occurred, and might've been censored.
Since it's totally fine to do so,
EZ.

[kami_ryu]

-- deleted post --

[Goodspeed]

@PeachTree You had to go back 3 days to find them?
I remain of the opinion that this is far from a problem. A meme, at most.

[deleted_user]

Ez

[PeachTree]

Ok thank you I will get on spamming likes and ez. Thanks for permission.

[PeachTree]

Ez

[Goodspeed]

ez4u

[PeachTree]

Ez