The SPF Forum

L

Lothric

New member
The SPF Forum

I've been a little distressed by the recent spate of people leaving the forum. Most of them site the general "way the forums" are going as the reason for leaving and this is typically followed by a large number of people agreeing with that view, whatever it might be.

I know there was a thread not too long ago about people's attitudes of late, especially with regard to their fellow forum-goers but I'd like to know whether that is the only reason that people are leaving. All things change in time. That's an inescapable fact of life. The result is that people inevitably look back on the "good old days" and wish that things could be "as good as they were back then". In reality, you'll typically find that things are no better or worse - different, yes, but that's usually all.

Is that the case here? Are people simply so set in the way things were that now that things are changing a little they have decided to move on? Or perhaps they have simply tired of D2 after the 3 or 4 years of constant playing they've put in and "the forums are going downhill" is just a convenient excuse for leaving?

I'm not trying to insult anyone. I'm just curious as to the actual reasons behind people leaving. I must say, things have been fairly relaxed here over the last week or so since the issue of people's attitudes was first raised.

You can't improve things by leaving. At the same time, a little change is not necessarily a bad thing and complaining out of habit is no way to make for a nice environment.

Thoughts?
 
FIrst of all, everyone has the right to leave leave this forum. That's a given.

That said, I believe members, especially ones who have been around longer than I, have watched the forum change in a way they do not approve of, and when they realize that change, they no longer want to be a part of our community. That is a justified explanation, and we have no right to question it.

I realize that a lot of older posters have left, but that just leaves openings waiting to be filled. Since I have been here, I feel like posters such as myself, Tekka and Wildjinn (and others, sorry if I missed someone) have been helpful in "replacing" the older members as they leave.

With the new influx of people, it is important to continue to cultivate a community, regardless of who is here. That is why people stay here. The community means a lot, and when that is lost, so is this wonderful collection of pixels on the web.

So everyone who has helped create, cultivate and continue the community of the SPF, here's one for you, from me. :drink:

crg
 
Seeing that I am new here I can't speak for what has happend, or why people would be leaving other than things change, and not everyone is going to be happy or comfortable with this no matter if the change is good or bad. and as Crazy stated it's their right to move on.

On another note I joined yesterday, and I have nothing but good things to say. Everyone has been very helpful, and hospitable to me atleast.

And to Join crg I don't believe anyone should drink alone. So this one goes out to everyone! :drink:
 
Whoa there, cowboy :)

I wasn't questioning anyone's right to leave or whether their reason was valid or not. It's a personal thing after all. What I am asking is: why are they leaving. Most people who leave simply say "things have changed for the worst". That's fine. It would be nice to know exactly where the problems lie though so they might be addressed. Or, if there aren't really any problems that can be worked on, that would be nice to know too.

Things won't change until the problems are identified and fixed. And that won't happen until people speak up.
 
Yeah. It's unfortunate to see people leave, especially when they leave with some gripe against the forum. It's additionally sad to see people pining for the good old days when this game is slowly grinding to a halt, anyway. If I say more, I'll get in trouble, so I just want to echo both of your thoughts.

And thanks for the vote of confidence, CRG. I think that we're all doing pretty well, to be honest, and things seem to be improving. There are obviously issues that will (and do) affect a community as large as this, but let's just keep working politely against them, and we'll all be better for it.

A :drink: to the SPF.
 
Screw it. I don't care if I get people mad at me. This forum is not continuing to slide "downhill." We've been downhill, with accusations flying everywhere and people being cheesed off at everyone else. We've had some really great discussions about what's going on and have moved forward from there, IMO. If you can't see that, then perhaps it's time to move on. If you've been here in the glory days and can't think of this place as anything else, that's fine. Pleasant memories shouldn't be lost, and if visiting this forum makes people unhappy, then they shouldn't do it. And that's very understandable.

Sure. Some people dupe runes and items for trade. When this happens, we often find out and put the smack down. There are a few people here whom I don't trust. Will I trade with them? No. Simple as that. If they try to fleece someone, though, I'll be there to intervene. There's no proof of anything, though, and until there is some, I'll sit, watch, and enjoy this forum.

I don't want to be in a place where every find is questioned and fingered. If there's something obviously out of whack, yeah, we should get to the bottom of it, but when everything is treated with suspicion, visiting here is no fun.

If people dont want to be in a place where information is traded and people can come to discuss a game in civil terms, fine. Let them go. This is not a dig at ~DarkChaos~, by the way. He's been a nice guy, and seeing him leave is unfortunate. But I'm not going to sit by and watch people be jackasses to new meat that asks questions and doesn't know what's gone one here in the past.

We've moved forward from that point. Sure, we still have some problems. But those can get worked out. And, you know, all we can do is work towards building our community for the better. This game is reaching the end of its lifespan. I'll ride it out to the very end of my enjoyment of it, but when the end comes for me, that'll be fine.
 
while i realize things change, when people talk about things sliding downhill, it is starting to get my dander up. I haven't been here as long as some, just around 2 years (plus some lurking), and in that time, aside from one or two major blowups about policy, things have been pretty constant. there are occasional lulls in the posting or the quality thereof, but mostly, it's been tourneys, game-play/char questions, and all the good stuff that one will still see here. Some attitudes have changed, and the hacking/duping issues sometimes got heavy handed, but to me, when someone leaves and says 'things have changed' it really just seems to me it's more like 'a lot of people I used to read are gone/somewhere else, and I'm just not connected to the community without them'. A lot of us are as tolerant as ever, and many are just as friendly as some of the 'old guard', so i'm not seeing a major shift in forum attitude, just a major shift in the names that post most often.

That'sjust my 2ccs. For myself, aside from the occasional overzealous statement that gets put out there, I've been enjoying the last few months, seeing the new people come in, and the different ideas and discussions that we have going. so i say Booyah! for the SPF, we've got a bunch of great people, and even with minor changes, it's still a great place to post and to learn about the game.

cheers all!
WJ
 
That the game is reaching the end of its lifespan is very much your opinion wildjinn. They just released a patch; indeed, it is the release of the new patch that is mostly responsible for the change in the forum. D2 continues to be one of the best games ever released (in my opinion); I play nothing else because nothing else is as much fun for me. As long as there are other people for whom this is true, the game is very much still alive.

Now, what do I mean about the patch being responsible? A year ago, 1.09 had been out for a couple of years and the people who were still playing and participating heavily in forums were the ones for whom 1.09 Diablo was their game. Because it had been so stable for so long, the forum was stable too. In a stable environment, there are few new people coming in and it is reasonable for them to be expected to play by the rules. Also, a long-term stable environment is more likely to appeal to "legit" players because the game is enjoyable for much longer if you play legit. People who give themselves item packs will get bored more quickly.

When the new patch came out it reignited interest for a lot of people who had previously put D2 behind them. There was a sudden large influx of new people. When there is a large influx, it is harder (and possibly not even valid) to try to corral all of the new people into the original line of thinking. I have no doubt that a year from now, assuming no 1.11, some of us will still be here and the forum will be stable again and new people will play along by the rules in place then (or leave). But until then we have to find our feet.

I have a personal preference for entirely legit play. I don't think for a moment that that makes me better or cooler or more righteous than anyone else. But it did attract me to the 2003 SPF because that was what they were into. If it seems that that is changing, i have two choices - I can try to push things the way I want, or I can say B'Bye. As there are many other forums out there, some of which satisfy my preference for legit play, then it is much easier for me to take the second choice. I have no wish to get worked up myself, nor work anyone else up, when I have a perfectly good alternative available.

I still post here sometimes, because I have a considerable knowledge of the game which is wasted if I only hang out where everyone else already knows the answers to all the questions :) But I don't answer questions from those who I deem to be playing in a manner I dislike (why should I?), and if I am reduced to having no questions to answer, then it really will be goodbye from me too.

Anyway, I don't usually post in these threads because there is a lot of anger and not much resolution. But do bear these things in mind, because I know what I'm talking about.
 
I was in the middle of writing a longer resonse to this when I realized I couldn't say what I want without insulting people so I'll try to give a short version.

In the "good ole days" no one used leetspeak here, no one was pking in MP games, any threads about rushing were ignored, there werent daily requests for editors and hacked items and you could trust at least half the members to have legitimate items for trade without even thinking of asking who dropped it, to see a screenshot, etc. All of these are things that many of us (especially the older members) left bnet to get away from. As you can see is very hard to go into detail about all of that without flaming, so hopefully the way I put it hasn't offended people. Also a lot of it isnt exaclty anyones fault. A lot of it is by people who are looking at the forum for the first day or week.

That said, there have been a lot of posotive things as well. A lot more people are writing guides, and giving advice for all styles of play. (when I first came here I was annoyed that I always had to point out I was playing untwinked when I asked for advice :P) more tournaments, ladders, etc. All in all the things I most like this forum for are still here and strong and I aint goin nowhere.

So all in all there are definite changes over the years, which as many of you have pointed out is unavoidable. It is more than just looking back at a golden age though and wishing things were frozen there. Its also nothing that cant be changed if we want to change it and theres no reason this place wont continue to be fun.
 
I have to say that I've been really impressed by how open and friendly the forum is, and that even the dumbest of my questions are answered politely, courteously, and quickly!
 
Thrugg said:
That the game is reaching the end of its lifespan is very much your opinion wildjinn. They just released a patch; indeed, it is the release of the new patch that is mostly responsible for the change in the forum. D2 continues to be one of the best games ever released (in my opinion); I play nothing else because nothing else is as much fun for me. As long as there are other people for whom this is true, the game is very much still alive.
Click to expand...
Very true. I stand corrected. I suppose I'm already amazed at the staying power of this game, and haven't considered that it might last much longer. There is certainly a dedicated community, which is testament to the greatness of this game.
Thrugg said:
I still post here sometimes, because I have a considerable knowledge of the game which is wasted if I only hang out where everyone else already knows the answers to all the questions :) But I don't answer questions from those who I deem to be playing in a manner I dislike (why should I?), and if I am reduced to having no questions to answer, then it really will be goodbye from me too.

Anyway, I don't usually post in these threads because there is a lot of anger and not much resolution. But do bear these things in mind, because I know what I'm talking about.
Click to expand...
You do. No one could argue that against you. You and the doc and a couple others clearly have the intricate knowledge of this game (and this place's history) that so many of us lack. With your experience both here and with this game, though, what kind of resolution do you propose we bring forth? We definitely need to bring something out of this, but what, exactly? I'm struggling with that, as I'm sure is most everyone who reads this.
 
There's many wise words in this thread.
True, I'm a newbie compared to most of you old farts (not meant as an insult :) ). Since I have no idea what the golden days were like, I can't make any comments on the recent changes either.
But one thing I will say. As long as this forum stands, and people have questions to be answered and Diablo works on my computer (not a necessity), I will be here.

Hope things stabilize quickly.
*Equips the SPF with more Faster Hit Recovery items
 
This forum is changing, because the old ideals leave with the "old guard" who have lost interest in the game. Their ideals and hopes have been replaced by the new generation. That can be good and that can be bad. The cheating aspect is really annoying and that is why I have been trading less and less at the trade thread. I don't fear the obvious cheaters as much as I do the real hackers and cheaters. They won't be caught, because they know what they are doing. That scares me and I think that is what scared most of the "old guard" away. The editors that are being made for Diablo II are now very sophisticated and allow for heinous acts of cheating.

That is the first reason I would say. However, there is another reason for this as well.

The SPF and its members have forgotten why we are all here. What we all have in common. It is because we wanted a haven away from the rampant cheating of Battle.net and a place to fellowship with others.

The sole problem is that the ideal is gone. The forum has shifted away from this ideal to that of the battle.net mentality. That is being "item rich" or having the best builds. As soon as people are honored for who they are and that items hold no bar then I think things will most definitely get better. The forum here should be enjoying others peoples company who share your same common interest... playing and enjoying Diablo. Every story is important, not just the findings of a rare rune or Tyrael's Might. In fact, I think the finding of those items is the least interesting. :)

People need to get over their egos that they are honored for having the 1337 items. It is ridiculous and I have a word why those people are here, but I would be banned for saying it. I have been guilty of this in the past.

I can tell you I don’t honor anyone with the uber items and I certainly don’t think I am a more important person for the many items that I have.
 
The most importat thing here is that even if members are leaving, the ones that are still here have to work to keep the community alive, if there are guys that think D2 lifespam is ending thats fine, I have been playing D2 since early 1.09 I have grow with it since then and I still amaze of some of the stuff writed in here. Somo of the best members and the most experienced ones are still here, we must continue with our mission: Keep not only the comunity but the game itsel alive, because keeping the game alive is not responsability of the Blizzard, its the responsability of we the ones who play it.

I know I'm still a newbie here but we must do all we can to keep the game and the community alive.


LONG LIFE TO THE SPF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :drink: :drink: :drink:
 
Now these are the reasons that I chose to start hangin around SPF. Yeah there are some people that can make things less enjoyable, but you get that every where. The thing that get's me though is there are so many of the long and short term guy's and or ladies that care about what happens. This isn't usually the case, because by now most moderators / users would have given up, and either shut down or let it be taken over. I personally am lookin for forward to the furture of Diablo, and SPF.

Bravo SPF!
 
I agree with Tekka that it's stories are that much more important than a nice find. Sometimes I think I enjoy MFing for the anticipation of something drop instead of the actual drop. And like Tekka, I have much more respect for people who managed to play a character like Maldar than someone with dual BotD or something. With that said, however, I think one thing I do enjoy seeing in the community is the friendliness of the mutual congradulations when someone does get something good.
 
Lots of excellent posts here :thumbsup:

note: This is a rant - not directed at Lothric or anyone in particular.

I just scanned three pages of threads and counted 6 intro posts & 1 goodbye post. I believe if you go back another 10-20 pages you'll see a similar ratio. Not only that, during peak forum times you 'll see that the SPF has far and away more viewing members than any other - including "the other place". Further we seem to have more than our share of visitors - guess they just like to read our threads. ;)

I disagree that the majority leave the SPF because of the way the forum is going. I recall that most leave because they no longer play D2. Maybe I'll do some research to back this up :scratch: Actually I think more have "left us" because of banning than have even left voluntarily. The majority of those escorted out were older, previously established members - maybe considered part of the old guard.

I've never felt the forum was going "downhill". But it is certainly changing. And there is no disputing that is primarily due to 2 things: 1) the big SPF blow-up from about a year ago (with a number of echos), and 2) the 1.10 patch.

The SPF has been here for years, and will be here for years more. It will change along with the active members. It's personality will take the character of the leaders (members) who present the best case for followers. You want things to change "for the better"? Be a leader. I can use the help. :)
 
Change is good. Don't worry about it.

I see many more people saying hi for the first time than I see leaving. I think the forum is growing along with its members. I have been here for a while, and have seen some of the "old guard" leave. So be it. Perhaps they decided that D2 is no longer their thing. Or perhaps they got bored, and wanted a change. Whatever the reason, it makes no difference to me. I will miss some of them. We all will. But we welcome new members nearly every day.

This place is growing/changing. Let it change with us. We can lead it to where we want it to be.

Edit: Ah! AE beat me to it!
 
I am new to this forum, but I have lurked (and occaaionally posted) on the Necro forum for many years now... I remember when it was referred to as the college. It used to be forum about experimenting and trying new things. It was on that forum that I learned so much about this great game...I still really enjoy going there but it is different than it used to be...it changed and I guess I didn't. There was a time when you could go to the necro forum and find posts about how all manner of skill worked, people wanted to understand everything not just know what is the best _________. This spirit of inquisitiveness is what I miss most about the old days, the spirit to try something new and share your experiences. What I like about this forum is that people can still tell a good story...I guess my point is that I don't know about changes in this forum but I understand the whistful feeling for the good old days.

-Starcrunch
 
Log in to Reply / Create Site Account
Remove Ads - Go PurePremium

Latest posts

Back
Top