Sega of America closing its doors who do we blame this time?

[Obiwanshinobi]

Forget trying to convince the community of the shmups forum that framerates are as important as you perceive them to be, you can take a framereate bible onto the streets and preach to the global community.

The global community is everywhere, though. That's what makes it global.

[Skykid]

Forget trying to convince the community of the shmups forum that framerates are as important as you perceive them to be, you can take a framereate bible onto the streets and preach to the global community.

The global community is everywhere, though. That's what makes it global.

Not quite sure what your point is, but yes, that is correct.

No hard feelings mate, but the old 'SOTC is an appalling game' is getting old. It's fine to voice an opinion, but it's obvious by the frequency in which you voice it that you're aware of how many people think it's an incredibly brilliant piece of work. I doubt all this talk of framerate is really going to change the general consensus when most people don't really pay that much attention to it.

On topic:

Does this mean that Sega are going to stop releasing movie licenses then? It might be a good thing for SOA to die, perhaps then Sega will get back to their roots producing more games for the Japanese market.

I was never that impressed by Yakuza. It's Shenmue without a soul.

And to build on that, I didn't like Shenmue II much either. Shenmue I had personality, a community. People you could talk to and relate with.


Shenmue II, you just go around looking for sailors and beating people up.

I agree with the Yakuza comment, but Shenmue II was really great actually.

[Obiwanshinobi]

It's fine to voice an opinion, but it's obvious by the frequency in which you voice it that you're aware of how many people think it's an incredibly brilliant piece of work. I doubt all this talk of framerate is really going to change the general consensus when most people don't really pay that much attention to it.

It's alright as long as they are fun to tease. For whatever reason SotC attracts people with anger issues, and The Last Guardian is practically guaranteed to be the biggest internet shit trigger in the PS3 library.

[system11]

This has gone far enough. Next time I see something similar (mostly looking at you Ed), I'm just going to hand out temporary bans.

[bulletcurtain]

I've been a longtime sega fan, so it sucks to see this news.. But honestly, what were they thinking? Games like Resonance of Fate, Infinite Space, Yakuza 3, and Sands of Destruction were all sent out to die with little to no marketing. Why bother localizing games if you aren't going to promote them whatsoever?

[Ed Oscuro]

Next time I see something similar (mostly looking at you Ed), I'm just going to hand out temporary bans.

Oh noez, adult (text!) content on what is a de facto adult websight?! Bless me!

If that's what I think this was about...dunno why you're looking at me since I wasn't the cause of all that to begin with. There has been a lot of that for a long time and consistently from other members as well, and I imagine they haven't heard boo about it. But since I don't know 100% what's being referred to, I'll just say "fees good man" and call it a day.

[Skykid]

Next time I see something similar (mostly looking at you Ed), I'm just going to hand out temporary bans.

Oh noez, adult (text!) content on what is a de facto adult websight?! Bless me!

If that's what I think this was about...dunno why you're looking at me since I wasn't the cause of all that to begin with. There has been a lot of that for a long time and consistently from other members as well, and I imagine they haven't heard boo about it. But since I don't know 100% what's being referred to, I'll just say "fees good man" and call it a day.

Yeah, I didn't catch what went down in the last few posts but kind of assumed he was talking about the unsavoury images. I actually sent BF a PM saying that I was responsible for the homosexual kissing and that it was nothing to do with you Ed. I apologise to mods and all, I was influenced by Gaijinpunch. If anything he should face a nude public flogging for encouraging the masses to filthy up forum threads.

But seriously, I apologise.

[Ed Oscuro]

I would be really sad if bloodflowers was so blind he thought I posted the image...as I remember I made a point of keeping it out of quote replies too. I think some rather halting moderation is what we're looking at here. Maybe bloodflowers isn't aware but we've only had similar stuff getting by for what, five years now? Unsavory text...well, what I was referencing was from a closed thread, but I assumed that's not what got the thread (drunken whatsisname's) closed but rather that it was directed at another member (and mine wasn't meant to be a dig at anybody). If you're gonna get religion or fight the good fight against salacious (!!!) materials, might as well inform the whole crew at once, because for good or bad you'd be shutting down a big part of the Forum culture, such as it is.

Kind of a shock to me to be singled out though.

Speaking of untoward images, something Jockel posted a while back is still up. I guess furry images aren't equal opportunity for mod bashing? Or it just hasn't been spotted yet. Leaves a bad taste either way.

p.s. I've been a forum moderator before, as unbelievable as that might sound!

[system11]

It was the text - the images were also too much but the text really was ugly. I wouldn't have wanted my partner wandering past and seeing it to be quite honest - she's no prude which rings the warning bells straight away.

We /do/ have rules about offensive content, they have always existed, but standards do seem to be sliding, I'd rather see that stop.

Don't post or link to offensive or illegal content. Remember that some people may visit the forum from their place of work or school.

What was said went past simply using expletives at something - like, for example: "fucking sniper tanks". Only one person got an official warning, and it wasn't you.

[Ed Oscuro]

From what you're saying it sounds like you're enforcing standards just to suit yourself, which is not a reasonable standard for Forum moderation. Perhaps you don't want your partner to see The Human Centipede in your house either - does that mean that it automatically is banned content because it doesn't pass the stringent and totally not opaque "things Bloodflowers' partner shouldn't have to see" test? To be quite honest, I didn't like it either, and my little text was a half-serious complaint about why I found it upsetting. It was also half humorous (so I thought!) reference to something that drunken starsailor wrote - and I thought that thread was closed because it got personal, not because it was particularly graphic (again, by the standards of this Forum, it was pretty tame - and I even toned it down from from starsailor wrote).

If you're hellbent on going against what passes for routine here, you might as well make a big blinding sticky reading "RE: Everything we let you do for the last five years is wrong." Showing up seemingly randomly to offer dictates on things without really seeming to otherwise have a stake in the conversation doesn't really give the impression you're here other than to punish, either.

Of course, none of that passes at all for why I was the only person who got called out. You can blather all you like about "official warnings," but it says Ed right there, and only Ed. One thing I learned from the time I was a moderator - nobody respects a mod who makes idle threats, doubly so when that mod is culturally out of alignment with the Forum (I've been there too).

I also learned that if you call out somebody publicly, you ought to be prepared to hear back publicly as well. We could be discussing this, a lot less heatedly, if you had PMed me, instead of your rather ill-advised method of making everybody think I was the bandit here. If you have a headache now, you also know how it could have been avoided.

[system11]

No, I don't have a headache because what you posted was so far past the acceptability line that I should have just thrown an official warning. The fact that this has apparently been going on (although this was the single worst I've seen, ever) does not magically make it acceptable. I can't read every post (or in fact even a quarter of them), so if you want to link me to similar colourful destriptive horrors I'll be more than happy to delete them too. I feel I'm partially to blame for this for not having enough time to keep an eye on things and fix them before it got this bad, but that's how it goes.

I will be posting a topic though. I'm sick and tired of hearing people trash talking the forum because of some of the kinds of things said on here - and trust me, that DOES happen. You do not get to decide what the forum culture is, from where I'm sitting it seems to be a group of 20-ish (tops) people who can't regulate what they say, and a group of several hundred who can. If I thought that people generally (and I mean the actual wider userbase rather than the in-crowd) really /want/ this place to resemble 4-chan, I'd be more than happy to simply hand the keys over to Ghegs and leave you all to it.

[CMoon]

Maybe we need a off-off-topic forum, lawless forum, etc. I didn't read (or see) anything I thought that was offensive. The most offensive thing I see around here is when people take things seriously. IE, Skykid telling me to shut the fuck up couldn't be taken (around here anyway) as anything other than a friendly lashing (not that he's done this), but other people get carried away--and they need to lighten up.

Not to be an ass, but I'd love some clarification as to what went wrong with this particular thread.

Edit: I see bloodflowers posted about this. Can I still use foul language?

[Ed Oscuro]

(although this was the single worst I've seen, ever)

Welcome to the Internet, hope the rest of your stay is kinder to you. A couple thoughts: First, I like to think that I'm trying to make people happy (generally), not make them sad. PSAs are an exception...and the goal is to eventually make people happy through some ancient Chinese secrets they might not have wanted to hear. For once, I managed to actually write something sensible, which you can see here, that actually made a positive difference. Now we hopefully have another happy member of the Forum, instead of another naysayer. Granted my mumblings don't always have their intended effect, and I apologize for those times, and especially for the unintended scarring. The point is not to say that in some kind of utilitarian calculus that I do more good than harm to the Forum, but rather that the effect of things cannot always be predicted straightforward. RNGMaster had to be a good sport to take anything good out of what I wrote. Contrariwise...

I can't really help that your funny bone is broken in about six different places. The quote was mined for funny value in its original context: It didn't anatomically make any sense! Ven you find it so appalling, zen perhaps we conclude zere are some lingering-motherissues ve could be lookink into, ja? Sure, there were a couple words that in general I try to avoid, but as you say, they could probably have been employed elsewhere without making your Salacious Sense tingle. I am only guessing, because that is all you have allowed for. Mysterious disappearances in the night do not aid in figuring out "what's the mod's thoughts here?" Communication is a real problem. No, I'm not asking you to dissect every nuance of ze filths, but some kind of at least a gut reaction of what was bad would be very helpful.

I can't read every post (or in fact even a quarter of them), so if you want to link me to similar colourful destriptive horrors I'll be more than happy to delete them too.

Rats and stool pigeons needed! I don't read that many posts either, as I've said elsewhere (earlier in the thread I link above). Everybody knows I'm just using this place in lieu of a blog, but I actually get some readers...well, for better and worse, I suppose. Now, I'm not trying to make your job harder, but how the heck can we know what's acceptable when apparently it's based off your personal feelings? And are those your honest feelings, or rather a sort of amped-up prudeness because you have some feeling that the partner would take offense? Either you know this person extremely well, or we ought to have another standard because that strikes me as an unrealistic standard. I note that: you still haven't answered my query about if this is indeed simply based on "will this ruin my home life?" and / or personal biases for the 'brightline' you employ to say what's good or bad. Obviously, the "longstanding rule" can be interpreted many different ways. Selective or even just random-seeming rule enforcement (it'd be mean and a probably wrong accusation to say you're being selective) makes it impossible for some of us to say. Also not meaning to say that biases are a bad thing to have, except that it's not always clear-cut where those lie, so it's like tiptoeing around a minefield trying to figure out what flies and what sinks.

Another simple reason not to rat: Possibly you're horrified easily enough that I don't want to traumatize you further with sig quotes from GaijinPunch and the like. If there is to be a culture shift, so be it; but I'm against exposing you to things you apparently will regret, for no apparent great value. Rhetorical question: If the Forum got cleaned-up overnight, would this lead to a glorious second awakening of Shmups, overnight or otherwise? What is the demographic we're driving off by being...well, us? What's DOOM without John Romero trash-talking? This is about fairness, yes, but for me that doesn't mean bludgeoning every viewpoint or written awkward thought that isn't in line with The Forum Edicts just because I want "equal treatment." (Though that is sort of at issue here too - again I note that you haven't come close to giving a reasonable rationale for picking me out.)

I will be posting a topic though. I'm sick and tired of hearing people trash talking the forum because of some of the kinds of things said on here - and trust me, that DOES happen. You do not get to decide what the forum culture is

For what it's worth, I don't hear of anybody trash talking the Forum. I'm sure this gap in my awareness exists because I've been away from the super cool snob hideouts where people act superior to us poor Shmups Forum yokels who cause you so much grief when trying to legitimize Shmuppery as a sociopolitical artform of high merit. In any case, Who said I want to decide what Forum Culture is? It is what it is, and you always attack it at the peril of driving away your core. You can say "it'd be nice to not spend so much bandwidth on Ed's drivel," and that's one argument; you could also say "we ought to pull out OT and put the focus back on Shmups;" which is another valid point, but in both cases, some of the community is going to feel unwelcome. I honestly can't say what the correct angle is, but I will say I don't think you've thought this through, as I had occasion to years ago (back before I was even heard of on Shmups). I'll concede it's been more of a time waster on my part than it really ought to be, and I haven't given back much to the community compared to some.

Ancient Chinese Proverb: If you invite somebody to make themselves at home in your home, don't be surprised when there is beer on the drapes.

I'm not going to pull out some psuedo-Voltaire (often claimed to have remarked: "I may not agree with what you say but I will defend to the death your right to say it") but I will say that at this point we are back to square one, again. Maybe. I did not say that the site owner (praise be he who pays the bandwidth!) or his agents (praise be those who slog in the trenches of filth!) don't have a special say in what passes, but I will say that they ought to realize that the community, for good and ill, is always going to be a group of people with individual minds.

There is also the question of driving away new members. Well, somehow or other, despite (or perhaps because of it) the "reputation" of the board, it continues to grow, and pretty well considering it is a niche product after all. Good people, like Fudoh, FREE SHOE, sikraiken, GaijinPunch, yourself, and many others I can't list here - continue to make the place not just important reading for hobbyists, but also special. Yet I've had occasion to seriously ponder, from a perspective not unlike yours (for fun, add to your responsibilities: corporate employees sending messages to your email about dealing with twisted dramas and psuedoconspiracies; I'll also grant you have the right to cry on my shoulder - after somebody attempts to hijack your Forum account and read your email), the "correct" answer to this question. I'll give you the short of it: In my case, neither side won; the Forum clique made it impossible for me to continue, and the corporate Forum owners eventually denied them a home (in line with denying hosting to many famous old sites...but that's another story). As far as I know everybody's still alive, but a community that was going pretty strong was close to dead. That was an exceptional case, however, and I yield back the fact that many of the problems we had at ForumPlanet can't be found here.

I speak truthfully (as always, I hope - unless I'm being sarcastic, so perhaps that's only 50% of the time) when I write that I hope that there is a way to accommodate the "edgy" humor which makes a Forum dynamic and - hopefully - fun as well; at the same time while keeping it welcoming to all posters, new and old. But I also yield back the fact that every single person has an opportunity to change the Forum to their liking, simply by showing up and starting posting.

Between terrible fanfiction (!!!) and moderator-to-moderator fireside chats, I've used up all my words today. Beam me up!


-- The preceding rebuttal was written by James A. Traficant, Democrat of Ohio, and whom is seeking reelection to his seat in that state's 17th district.

[Ed Oscuro]

Y'know, if we can have discussions on the new feedback system (very nice), on the forum upgrade, and on most anything else, why is what is clearly supposed to be a forum-wide discussion just a locked thread, our thoughts not required or appreciated? Apologies to people with a burning desire to discuss the latest saga in the drawn-out death of SEEEEGA but this is where this is being discussed...waiting for the thread split.

Is it just "think before you post" or "think before you moderate?" Answer: Both. (Having been there myself, as I've said before.)

Also not really digging the vibe that if we don't fall in line then bloodflowers is going to split. Come on, that's just a lame threat. Everybody can get along here just fine.

Sticky isn't addressing any of the points I made or concerns I voiced. (Granted I don't think anybody could have read it in time.) Hoping for the best.

[system11]

Not to be an ass, but I'd love some clarification as to what went wrong with this particular thread.

Edit: I see bloodflowers posted about this. Can I still use foul language?

I'll PM it to you.

And - yes. I'm sure you'll be able to tell the difference between general swearing and something that breaks the rules when you see it.

[system11]

why is what is clearly supposed to be a forum-wide discussion just a locked thread, our thoughts not required or appreciated?

Because it's not meant to be a discussion - sorry. The rules have existed in their current form since 2006, if you're not familiar with them then that's a shame. If you're seriously upset about being singled out (for breaking the rules) then that's also a shame. If you really think this is unreasonable, then that's even more of a shame, given this:

To be quite honest, I didn't like it either, and my little text was a half-serious complaint about why I found it upsetting. It was also half humorous (so I thought!) reference to something that drunken starsailor wrote - and I thought that thread was closed because it got personal, not because it was particularly graphic (again, by the standards of this Forum, it was pretty tame - and I even toned it down from from starsailor wrote).

So you didn't like it either - but posted it anyway. Er. Why, exactly? What manner of points were to be scored by (apparently) quoting something you already thought unacceptable, from a user who has been warned for their conduct and pretty close to being flat out banned?

Is it just "think before you post" or "think before you moderate?" Answer: Both. (Having been there myself, as I've said before.)

As a former moderator (elsewhere), it just makes your post even less acceptable - it's not like you don't realise that forums have rules is it? You're right though, next time I will just issue one or many formal warnings instead of making a public post so that people can see I'm unhappy.

Also not really digging the vibe that if we don't fall in line then bloodflowers is going to split. Come on, that's just a lame threat. Everybody can get along here just fine.

No, it's not any kind of 'threat' - if I was unable to get the forum to follow the path the rules were supposed to take it, and posts like the one you made became commonplace - then it's not a forum I would want to be associated with, it's not a place I would visit, it's that simple.

Sticky isn't addressing any of the points I made or concerns I voiced. (Granted I don't think anybody could have read it in time.) Hoping for the best.

Sticky is meant to tell people how things are supposed to be, and that's what it does. I absolutely hate having to say this, but bottom line is: I do in fact own the forum, I did in fact (in conjunction with the moderators of the time) write the rules, I know exactly what they are supposed to stop and what they are supposed to allow. I did a bunch of random forum searching last night based around the names of people who stuck in my mind as pushing the envelope too far or too frequently - and you know what? There were far less than the 20 I'd estimated, closer to 10 in fact, and the real slide is within the last half year. I thought that with a light touch we had a userbase who could generally keep the standards up, but it appears I was wrong in some cases, I'm sorry for over estimating a few of you.

If you don't like being moderated against, either officially or by way of a warning shot, then don't break the rules. You DID break the rules. It's really, really simple. Turning this into a crusade because your pride took a dent looks pretty sad when the post was completely indefensible.

And yes, this topic is fully derailed now - but Sega are so dead it hardly matters at this point.

[Skykid]

And yes, this topic is fully derailed now - but Sega are so dead it hardly matters at this point.

Lol, that was a pretty good 360.

I'm still none the wiser, but if anything can be said in Ed's defence he's clearly no dummy. That doesn't mean his post didn't break the rules, but I'd be willing to wager he had no intention of posting anything he thought would cause offence.

Personally I don't see shmups as anywhere near 4chan, but there are a few indiscretions from time to time that arise in the name of humour, banter and general funny foulness - but never with intent to harm.

Not knowing what exactly the post was though, it's impossible to judge.

[Domino]

Maybe you need to get off the internet for awhile. Christ I don't even come here as much anymore because I guess I'm getting too old for forum culture.

[Obiwanshinobi]

[crithit5000]

-- The preceding rebuttal was written by James A. Traficant, Democrat of Ohio, and whom is seeking reelection to his seat in that state's 17th district.

[Ed Oscuro]

ion[/b] just a locked thread, our thoughts not required or appreciated?[/quote]
Because it's not meant to be a discussion - sorry. The rules have existed in their current form since 2006, if you're not familiar with them then that's a shame.[/quote]
I am familiar with them. But you haven't laid down any brightline for us to even try to comprehend. I think you just wrote that "fuck" is good and dandy (occasionally? I avoid even that), but add another word to it and suddenly it's the worst thing ever. You can claim "it is the way it is" all you like but this is not transparent.

If you're seriously upset about being singled out (for breaking the rules) then that's also a shame.

I'm displeased because the rest of the Forum can't see that what I wrote really was not as objectionable as you make it out, and also when what was actually (literally a) graphic is still circulating around the Forum in some places you haven't bothered to moderate yet. Granted, I'm not displeased that you got rid of it and I don't mean to make it out like I'm proud of it.

If you really think this is unreasonable, then that's even more of a shame, given this:

To be quite honest, I didn't like it either, and my little text was a half-serious complaint about why I found it upsetting. It was also half humorous (so I thought!) reference to something that drunken starsailor wrote - and I thought that thread was closed because it got personal, not because it was particularly graphic (again, by the standards of this Forum, it was pretty tame - and I even toned it down from from starsailor wrote).

So you didn't like it either - but posted it anyway. Er. Why, exactly? What manner of points were to be scored by (apparently) quoting something you already thought unacceptable, from a user who has been warned for their conduct and pretty close to being flat out banned?

a.) The first sentence more or less clearly states that I was complaining about the picture, which I didn't include in my post.
b.) As I have written many times, how are we supposed to know what to avoid when you give no rationale for the action? drunken starsailor's post included a number of elements, chief amongst them being a personal attack on another member. I reasonably assumed this was the issue. But to hear you tell it, it was actually the wacked-out phrase he attacked Jockel with that was at issue, not a nasty series of provocations (which Jockel handled well not to rise to). I'll be happy to avoid such phrases in the future but you should understand this caught me completely off-guard. It's because there hasn't been any moderator action against any of it. From the reasoning you've given here, I should also avoid words such as "the" and "a" when they come from banned posters. You see the problem? All I'm asking for is a short note about what was bad, something like: "No: Infighting, foul language." At the place I moderated I had to go into a mods-only Forum and note the reasoning behind my actions, and write up in another place what the reason was, and (if I remember correct) send a note along to the poster as well. I don't expect most of this to happen, but just a smidgen more communication would be a good thing.

What's the cause of all this? One guess: When somebody has had a sig quote for years to the effect of "somebody PM me when we play with the stick up our..." then you ought not to wonder why things have been slipping. If you are correct and the standards have been consistent for years, that means you must simply be asleep at the switch, and possibly also that the other mods don't see eye-to-eye with that interpretation.

Yes, I would much rather appreciate a personal warning in my inbox rather than a context-free public bashing, though it wouldn't have been bad if you noted I wrote something against the rules. Going on about how it was the "worst" thing you've seen is indefensible from the standpoint that it is adding an arguable personal judgment and inflames the situation further, for no benefit, and it gives the other party a reason to attack your judgment, as we've seen here (I just can't wrap my mind around it being the worst thing ever; this would not have been an issue if you had not brought that opinion). You already make a judgment when you drop that warning in the inbox and leave a note on the Forum. Seems like a step in the right direction for restoring good forum etiquette.

Also not really digging the vibe that if we don't fall in line then bloodflowers is going to split. Come on, that's just a lame threat. Everybody can get along here just fine.

No, it's not any kind of 'threat' - if I was unable to get the forum to follow the path the rules were supposed to take it, and posts like the one you made became commonplace - then it's not a forum I would want to be associated with, it's not a place I would visit, it's that simple.

I think you're getting ahead of yourself with this, in any case. Clearly the situation is not unsalvageable. I don't have much sympathy for this - the fact that it's being discussed indicates that you're aware the moderation has been a factor in any decline. But even then it's not so bad: Other people post here too and they depend on the mods; you aren't really in danger of letting them down, and more to the point there is no conspiracy or runaway Forum culture that you can't tackle. I've had the experience of being in an actually unwinnable moderator situation; my point is that this situation is not so far gone to the point you can't manage it (easily; I am taking account of the fact that not everybody can afford to make moderation a "job"). Actually: that situation did lead to a severe decline in a Forum, but not its actual death - some of the core membership stuck around and it is about back to where it was in 2001, i.e. a friendly atmosphere. You have a right to associate with who you want, but your bringing this up so quickly just opens up a bunch of awkward and irrelevant threads that will only confuse things more.

I did a bunch of random forum searching last night based around the names of people who stuck in my mind as pushing the envelope too far or too frequently - and you know what? There were far less than the 20 I'd estimated, closer to 10 in fact, and the real slide is within the last half year. I thought that with a light touch we had a userbase who could generally keep the standards up, but it appears I was wrong in some cases, I'm sorry for over estimating a few of you.

That number sounds about right to me, and at times I do feel I probably belong on that list simply for being boring and dumb (yesterday - not my finest day; even got accused of trolling O_O).

I think it's important to note that whenever something "offensive" comes up, people generally ignore it. This is a skill most Internet users have, and ought to have. It's just a matter of civics in my opinion - there are people out there who do things we may not like, but if they don't run afoul of the law (or rules), why can't we have a little tolerance? One of the strongest reactions I've seen to "offensive" content (still up of course, and in a semi-official thread as well) recently was a user responding "I'm going to punch you very hard in the face now." That was it. Maybe I'm wrong and there are hordes of shmuppers who would like to join the Forum but avoid it and cross themselves in fear of their souls whenever it is mentioned. I am really not a foul-mouthed person, but let me be judgmental for a moment: Prudes suck the fun out of life. Yes, we don't have to be "worse" than all the other countless game forums I could mention that have a worse reputation on a good day than Shmups on a bad day; I'm all for aspiring to be better. But I can't shake the feeling that there is something terribly out of kilter with your "worst thing ever" label on that post. As I've said - there are plenty of new people coming on the Forum.

You DID break the rules.

Not rules, rule - just one word ("offensive") out of the whole post covers what is apparently the biggest ongoing issue here. But no, I'm not arguing that I didn't run afoul of the rules. I'm not condoning what other people have done or what I posted, but I can't accept total responsibility for thinking it may have been just edgy. You want eunuchs for posters, look elsewhere.

Maybe you need to get off the internet for awhile. Christ I don't even come here as much anymore because I guess I'm getting too old for forum culture.

This is wise advice indeed! (By "Internet" you just mean "Shmups Forum" of course.)

But I ought to point out that many (not you) of the folks passing judgment on my having wasted so many hours here (not to name any names, like Elixir / Megalixir) just spend 24/7 on IRC instead. What's the more effective use of bandwidth? Bottom line is that any Forum or other 'net community ends up with its own ways and "culture."

OK, that was faster than last time. Lots.

Unless there is any way I can further clarify where I'm coming from, I will be happy to take up another Forum rule (discuss things with a mod in PMs) and leave this topic be for now. I am wishing the mod crew well in doing what needs to be done and I intend to do my part as well - in addition to taking up other bits of advice cobbled together from here and there.

(Small edits to tone down the post & get rid of some unfair comments.)

[CMoon]

I don't think the picture was the problem (from what I've heard.) I hope to hell it wasn't. I hope we aren't all that closed minded.

Anyway, the picture did nicely sum up my thoughts on our argument over the similarity/differences between God Hand and Yakuza.


(mod edit as the thread is locked and I'm too lazy to unlock to reply - the picture still had no place here really, and that's why I deleted it, purely on a spamming basis - image spam is lame - but that's not what I mentioned Ed's name for, it was something he wrote)

[E. Randy Dupre]

Er, was this the photo of the two guys kissing, or did something else get posted up after I'd laid my pretty head to bed? Because, if it's the former, I very much have to question its deletion on the grounds that it was "offensive" - I doubt there'd have been a Mary Whitehouseathon over a male/female pic.

[system11]

i

You DID break the rules.

Not rules, rule - just one word ("offensive") out of the whole post covers what is apparently the biggest ongoing issue here. But no, I'm not arguing that I didn't run afoul of the rules. I'm not condoning what other people have done or what I posted, but I can't accept total responsibility for thinking it may have been just edgy. You want eunuchs for posters, look elsewhere.

Sorry, but I'm not indulging you any longer on this one. The rules make it pretty obvious that what you'd posted basically isn't reasonable -whether someone else got away with it or not-. The fact that you're throwing your hands in the air like a victim after posting something which was -obviously a bad idea- and -obviously against the rules- by any stretch of the word 'offensive' smacks of someone whose pride isn't letting them say 'ok, sorry'.

As for taking a break - I hadn't been on the forum much for many weeks, and I come back to check a few threads, and lo and behold what do I find? It looks like I've been on holiday and the babysitter has let the kids shit all over the rug. It's not just you, yours was just the biggest mess.

Locked.