In my opinion all of you guys reacted wrong, except of Orford perhaps, in the first half of his first post, that is.
There is NO use in flaming the guy, even if he started flaming first. ALWAYS stay friendly, otherwise the community can get a bad reputation. I wouldn't underestimate the effect of what we call in Germany "mouth to mouth propaganda" (I couldn't find an online translator with a similar expression. It's like viral marketing, except that it's not marketing.). One new member can tell five friends about the mod, either to try it out by all means or to stay away from it at any cost. It's partly in your hands.
Yes, Stikku made some points about the mod we all enjoy to play, and some/most/all of his points are invalid, but still I see no reason to already switch to the "ultima ratio" behaviour to get him out of here by flaming him.
Don't forget he made the effort to write a rather long post in the forum, he perhaps even created an account to do so. Of course, he wanted to blow off his steam. But ask yourself: why did he have so much steam? Because he was majorly disappointed! He had expectations while downloading the mod, but when playing it they were not fullfilled, and he got the feeling of being betrayed or fooled.
I guess he didn't expect some CoD:MW-like gameplay when downloading a mod called "Project Reality", so you can assume he is not totally disinclined to realistic gameplay. Perhaps he liked games like the new Operation Flashpoint, Rainbow Six or Ghost Recon, which already goes in the right direction, but is still rather arcadey. He expected something similar and got disappointed.
Of course there is a chance he is simply not the guy for games like PR, but there is also a chance he is, he just doesn't know yet. And this chance needs to be taken. If you fail, all you lost was time writing a post (which you also lose when writing a flame post!), but if you succeed, you have a new member in the community.
New games are sometimes like movies or other pieces of art. Sometimes it looks totally strange, weird and makes no sense. You don't get it, because it's not like all the other things you knew before, and your first impression is: "Wutisdisshit?" But if someone takes you aside and explains you: "Although there are cowboys this isn't meant to be a real western. It's about dealing with other people and fighting you way through life, that's why there is also a Viking and an Astronaut.", and you suddenly see it with different eyes, and who knows? Perhaps you like it!
I would really like to see how the next time such a topic appears, the community reacts friendly and explains things. This is not about winning a duscussion about whether PR is cool or not, and where there is a possibility to prove your point and force the other one to admit he was wrong. It's also not about revenge for some kind of insult towards you or your mod. It's about doing what is best for the mod you love. Flaming definitely is NOT.
Stay calm. Stay friendly. Show that you understand his disappointment. Tell how you would like to help out and get things right. Explain what needs to be explained, not only the mechanics, but also the idea behind everything. Act disarming. In the end, tell him it's no drama if you have different tastes, because that's what everything boils down to. If he claims it's still not his cup of tea, wish him all well and that he finds the right game for himself.
If you convince him: well done! You've done your mod a favour. If you fail: never mind. What have you lost? A few minutes writing a post? Even if the guy is asked later by someone else, if he had tried out PR, he can't say anything else than: "I didn't like it, it sucked, but the folks are quite friendly." (If you are interested in PR, which should be the reason you ask, such an answer doesn't really deter you. But "Crappy game, ******* community" definitely does.)
Seriously, the reputation of a community is really important for a mod.
sharpie wrote:Jesus christ, you guys jumped all over this thread like sharks in a feeding frenzy. It's admirable, and disgusting at the same time...it's like he was almost right in his point about the community. Almost. It's pitiful, really.
Admirable only if you accept that any kind of emotional reaction without any further reflection is okay, as long as you want to protect your mod.
sharpie wrote:Also, lock thread?
Please not, I would really like to have the matter discussed. I already know I will get a lot of "why waste time on a Call of Duty kiddie?" and "He didn't deserve better" comments.
