Hey @SimonThesis. Thanks for the feedback. We have been considering the pros and cons of potentially implementing something like this. Having feedback like this is helpful as we consider if a feature like this helpful to the community and our moderators. Appreciate you bringing this up and thoughts from others on whether players support this or not. We'll keep an eye on this thread for more feedback on this potential feature.
spartaxoxo wrote: »I don't support this, and I say this as someone who used to be a moderator on a different international game.
While it is quite annoying when a thread needs to be locked because a necro would be inappropriate, there are threads where being open is very much appropriate.
Threads that are guides should be able to be necro'ed as needed, threads with developer responses on pertinent issues as well (so that they can also be quoted), and lastly threads where there has been enough popularity over the years and are good for the forums that mods simply use their own discretion to keep around (a current example is the favorite npc one liners thread).
Having them autoclose would remove clutter but it also removed a lot of moderation discretion that was good for the playerbase. And humans being able to use good judgment is a definite thing lost with automation.
That being said the mod team knows best what they want to see, so they definitely should get a big voice in this. The one I did volunteer stuff for didn't have a lot of necro so it wasn't a big deal. But each mod team knows it's own issues which are individual to each forum
In addition to guides, there are threads that serve as showcases for people's creative works, that they may post in sporadically but still want to keep open so that everything can stay in one place.
I'm not necessarily in favor of an auto-close feature, but if something like that is ever implemented, then thread authors should have the ability (with minimal fuss) to get their threads unlocked if they want to add new posts. I guess you'd probably have to make that a job for moderators, so that people don't just circumvent locks willy-nilly.
Thanks for the feedback here, all. Very insightful and additional food for thought for us at ZOS. And if others have feedback regarding this, feel free to add.
Elephant in the room: The forum's search feature is far too eager to present old content high up on the results list, unless the user goes out of their way to filter them by date.
Many necros are because a player has an issue, and in an effort not to spam the forums they search for other people who have that issue. People see the 'matching' threads and go with it.
.............
The other key point I'm concerned with is how the current moderation guidelines work with BUGS.
ESO is a great game, but it's got bugs. They're around for years sometimes. They get fixed ... and then come back again months or years later.
Legitimate Question: Is it better for the game's health to make new threads about the same old bug, or to consolidate threads and also highlight just how long some issues have been going on?
A lot of necro bug threads are only raised from the dead because ... the bugs also got necroed in a recent patch.
Hey @SimonThesis. Thanks for the feedback. We have been considering the pros and cons of potentially implementing something like this. Having feedback like this is helpful as we consider if a feature like this helpful to the community and our moderators. Appreciate you bringing this up and thoughts from others on whether players support this or not. We'll keep an eye on this thread for more feedback on this potential feature.
VaranisArano wrote: »In addition to guides, there are threads that serve as showcases for people's creative works, that they may post in sporadically but still want to keep open so that everything can stay in one place.
I'm not necessarily in favor of an auto-close feature, but if something like that is ever implemented, then thread authors should have the ability (with minimal fuss) to get their threads unlocked if they want to add new posts. I guess you'd probably have to make that a job for moderators, so that people don't just circumvent locks willy-nilly.
Another good point! I've enjoyed reading your character's journey through ESO. I don't know if you've taken long breaks, though its still nice to be able to take long breaks and come back to work on a project later.
My own 4 month case of writers block cleared up for NaNaWriMo, but add editing in there and it might be close to 6 months before I get to posting on Merry Misadventures of Mirri. Once I do, I should have Blackwood finished (fingers crossed).
Other creative threads I can think of with long gaps: there's one player who does fantastic screenshots who updated their thread in batches rarely.
VaranisArano wrote: »In addition to guides, there are threads that serve as showcases for people's creative works, that they may post in sporadically but still want to keep open so that everything can stay in one place.
I'm not necessarily in favor of an auto-close feature, but if something like that is ever implemented, then thread authors should have the ability (with minimal fuss) to get their threads unlocked if they want to add new posts. I guess you'd probably have to make that a job for moderators, so that people don't just circumvent locks willy-nilly.
Another good point! I've enjoyed reading your character's journey through ESO. I don't know if you've taken long breaks, though its still nice to be able to take long breaks and come back to work on a project later.
My own 4 month case of writers block cleared up for NaNaWriMo, but add editing in there and it might be close to 6 months before I get to posting on Merry Misadventures of Mirri. Once I do, I should have Blackwood finished (fingers crossed).
Other creative threads I can think of with long gaps: there's one player who does fantastic screenshots who updated their thread in batches rarely.
In my specific case, I try to keep to a fairly regular posting cadence of 2-3 weeks, and fortunately I've had enough material to work with that I can pace myself so I don't run out of stuff to post. The longest gap I've had was 2 months where I was trying to get a drawing done before I went on with the story. But in the event that I ever take a longer break from the game or something, I would absolutely need my thread to be available for me to continue when I got back to it.
And there are lots of other writers and artists who don't post as often but it would be good to see their threads get new additions whenever they get so inspired.
Someone mentioned excluding certain subforums from the auto-lock hammer, which could be a good compromise as long as people know to post their (appropriately themed) ongoing threads there.
(I also hit up your Mirri thread once I finished Blackwood, and it was quite enjoyable. So if you do have more to post I'll be looking forward to it. I also may have once spent part of an afternoon stalking your tracker for your scattered Bastian and Mirri scenes, so if you ever feel like compiling those into one thread it would be a valuable resource. )
Hey @SimonThesis. Thanks for the feedback. We have been considering the pros and cons of potentially implementing something like this. Having feedback like this is helpful as we consider if a feature like this helpful to the community and our moderators. Appreciate you bringing this up and thoughts from others on whether players support this or not. We'll keep an eye on this thread for more feedback on this potential feature.
Are you also considering the feedback of the majority of people in this thread who think it's a terrible idea? Many of us see the value of old threads.
BlossomDead wrote: »Uhm, no. Especially if the topic is relevant, they should be open for posting for as long as these forums will last IMHO.
I could see some mods closing 'old' threads but then again they try to group similarly opened thread into a single one?!? Makes no sense.
By keeping them open & allowing replies keeps things tidier and acts as a knowledge base. Useful for that search function too.
From my experience as a moderator I can say that you will unlikely get a straight answer. Experience shows that any strict border lines are counterproductive, as 90% of people would stop exactly 1e-200 mm before the border. Our life is based of fuzzy concepts and principles, so the rules have to be fuzzy too. There will always be some some ambiguity, there will always be human factor.
VaranisArano wrote: »A few draugr threads roaming the front pages is a small price to pay for that QOL feature.
Moreover, there's been a few of those threads where it's players adding solutions or adding information to a long-standing bug that ZOS hasn't fixed. While it's tempting to say "Just start a new thread" the truth is that most players find those old threads through Google's search algorithm as they hunt for a solution to their problem. The best place for them to put their solutiom/problem is that thread because that's where Google will direct future players looking for answers. And if ZOS doesn't like that type of draugr thread, then maybe they should fix the glitched quests before they accrue years of players asking for solutions.
Agreed, and also, old threads are part of the forum's, and the game's history, and checking up on a date of something only takes a second, so I don't see why they should be removed.
Hey @Destai. I think that is a fair question.
Currently, we are not specifically going through and closing threads by a certain date. Hence the thought behind an auto-close function. Rather, closing a thread currently depends on the thread topic's benefit to the community and the time between activity, when determining if it should be closed. (There are exceptions to this and are addressed individually.) But for a rough estimate number, about a year of inactivity would warrant a thread to be closed. Again, we want to stress that this is not a strict rule, as many of these situations could change depending on context of the conversation.
@amapola76 Yes, we are considering everyone's feedback here. To be clear, no decisions have been made. It's just something that has been on the idea board, hence why your feedback is important here. Plus, there are a few other items that need to be addressed first. Just wanted to chime in with thoughts since someone brought up the topic.