Forum Annoyances

[sahara]

I don't like how the "General Discussion" category has SOO many locked threads pinned to the top of the list.  It's kind of irritating having to scroll passed it all every time we visit that forum category.  It's particularly bothersome when viewing the forum using a mobile phone device.  So much of that ought to be condensed into fewer postings.  

Also, why is the "FAQ" info only posted on this message board forum and not on the download page?  Do you really expect everyone who downloads the game to take the time to dig through all these forum posts to find this important information?  No wonder there has been so much confusion about what to expect (length-wise, etc.) from Episode 1.  It seems like you could have included the FAQ info somewhere on the main game webpage, as well as included a link to the FAQ info at the top of each page here on the forum.  That way, people downloading the game would definitely see a link to this info, as would visitors to this forum.

[KatieHal]

The stickied topics is a bit difficult to balance--we want things there that are important announcements (ie, the FAQ, the Fan Club annoucement, etc) so they're easy to find for newcomers. Others we want to sticky so they can be seen easily as well, like the Four Winds announcements, etc. Admittedly, they do take up a large-ish chunk of space.

As for the FAQ, it probably would be a good to at least link to that from the Episodes page, actually. Good idea.

Though re: confusion, on things like release dates and length and so forth, I doubt it would cut down too much on that. IMO, a lot of new visitors tend to post without looking around (not just here, this happens everywhere on the internet).

[wilco64256]

I'll second Katie - people often won't read even super-obvious things when they come to a forum with a question.  Even in the tech support forum which has very little information on the main thread list, people frequently don't read the very clearly marked, "READ THIS BEFORE POSTING" thread before asking for help.  Some people do, but it's definitely a minority.

[Fierce Deity]

Some stickies aren't important, like 'The Dark Stranger' or 'Speculations on Episode 2'. They are fun discussions, but they aren't crucial topics for those who are new to the boards or need to be read to keep up with the project. I see that The Dark Stranger was removed from the stickies, but it was there for awhile.

Also, the topic, 'Episode One Is available NOW!' is semi-important, however the main page already states the release of Episode 1. That one could be kept up, but as soon as Episode 2 is released, it'd be best to remove it. Another topic I would remove would be the 'To everyone who thinks the episode is too short . . .' one. I understand how you guys were trying to establish an explanation for those who seemed disappointed, but Episode 1 shouldn't need an explanation. It is what it is. The thread was made by Cesar, and I'm sure it must have been hard for him to try and face all of the criticism for his hard work, but never should you apologize for that hard work. Well, my bantering is over. Cheers everyone.  

[sahara]

Though re: confusion, on things like release dates and length and so forth, I doubt it would cut down too much on that. IMO, a lot of new visitors tend to post without looking around (not just here, this happens everywhere on the internet).

I hear what you're saying.  I was just thinking that people shouldn't even have to visit these forums at all to find the most basic FAQ or info that helps new players form more accurate expectations with regard to the episode's length and gameplay.  I'm a little surprised that, on the download page, there is still no hint at all of the prologue/intro-esque quality of Episode 1.  Given that Ep. 1's lack of gameplay seems to be a very common and damaging criticism, I would have thought some kind of download page description might have been altered somewhat to better prepare players for what they're about to download and play.  Failing to do so needlessly prolongs what seems like a self-inflicted wound.  It would be sad to think that many people might go into Episode 1 thinking it will be a huge adventure, only to be disappointed with the lack of puzzle gameplay... and then never come back to download Episode 2.  The whole thing seems like an unnecessary creation of false expectations.  Imagine if you had billed the first episode more as an intro: people would have come out thinking, "wow, that was the best intro ever... it even had a little gameplay!" instead of, "boy, that was a crazy short game... the credits popped up just as I was getting ready to start playing."  Personally, I don't think it's enough to post a few "sticky" locked threads on a message board that many of the people downloading TSL probably never visit or whose lengthy threads fewer still take the time to read through.  Obviously, you can't go back and redo the launch (no second chance at first impressions), but at least you can take what you might have learned from that and think about the people who have yet to discover and play the game; that is, moving forward it seems like there's little excuse for not letting players have a better idea of what to expect from Episode 1.