About the situation on the EB forums as of late

[A Terribly Harmful Name]

*Sound Applause to Sata and Krusader*

That's how liberty withers... Long live our spam free forum !

[Skullheadhq]

The last thing the EB team wants is the forums to devolve into a personal playground for a select few, as this makes newcomers hesitant to post on a forum that will not feel open.

Please explain this part.
Do you mean we're xenophobe or something?

the spamming 'power-vacuum' that the Tavern has left behind.

There is a new tavern, y'know

[dragoon47]

Sorry, I also kind of fed the flame, hope to be more amiable in the future. Your mod has brought my attention back to RTW by the way, I haven't played it in quite some time as well.

[Krusader]

Please explain this part.
Do you mean we're xenophobe or something?

Let me quote Macilrille and notice the bold part:

And I fear this thread is going to deteriorate and get locked unless we control ourselves, so let us please.

For that is in fact what this question is about. The number of locked threads the past month and a half, do they always rise in summer? Is this like the press that has nothing worthwhile to report in summer and thus goes into trivialities?

I am thinking we should discuss history and EB. Tactics, development, etc. Instead two out of three Roman threads gets locked in a week (and one even from a nice noob that asked for advice and has now disappeared- discouraged?). A thread on some troll in some other forum? Personal attacks and flaming in Hellene Warfare threads?

WTF? Does this happen every summer or?

I would like to know why, but I would also like it if we all took a deep breath and calmed down a bit. Perhaps some introspection and restraint is in order?

That's the main reason. Forums like the ORG are supposed to be open for all to partake in discussion. If people feel they have to be part of a certain group (in this case the anti-Roman League) on a forum it will most often than not discourage them from posting, as they don't know if it will be answered or ridiculed. Others again just plainly won't like the tone of some posts and wonder if Europa Barbarorum loathes the Romans, because a few members run around yelling "Roman barbarians murdering cultures" and whatnot.

Another thing is that we EB members have other hobbies or games we like too and that means we do visit other forums.
As a personal example, that should illustrate it nicely, I'm a Battletech nut, which people who know Battletech would have recognized by now. Ever since I was a kid, seeing a 100-ton mech brimmed with weapons would bring a smile to my face.
Anywho, I've frequented the official Battletech forums...I don't do so anymore. Its filled with utterly strange people who take over most threads and have their own feuds, factions, internal rules, ranks etc. and if you post there it is most often ignored or you won't get a good discussion going before its derailed. And said members have access to fanservice/catgirl avatars that no one has, and which "cheapens" the Battletech forums...imagine EB making sig banners with scanty-clad anime/Lara Croft comic girls next to faction symbols.
The point? I didn't feel like I fit in at the Battletech forums and from talking to other fans I'm not the only one it seems.

Editted slightly.

[Skullheadhq]

Oh, didn't know that. We at the Romaioktonoi are not an exclusive, elite club. Everybody can join, and write his poems (nothing more hellenistic then poems ;), nevermind) and I'm sorry if some people feel like they are not part of it. As it isn't the purpose of the Romaioktonioi. Everyone that feels like they are not part of the Rhomaioktonoi, join us, it's great!

...imagine EB making sig banners with scanty-clad women next to faction symbols.

O, would you do that for us? Oh that would be SO great! I would love to see that in the next preview

[oudysseos]

....Whatever.

[Moros]

Oh, didn't know that. We at the Romaioktonoi are not an exclusive, elite club. Everybody can join, and write his poems (nothing more hellenistic then poems ;), nevermind) and I'm sorry if some people feel like they are not part of it. As it isn't the purpose of the Romaioktonioi. Everyone that feels like they are not part of the Rhomaioktonoi, join us, it's great!

While I could imagine something like this could be fun in one AAR. Remember the wastelands? That was one funny AAR. But if we'd take the jokes from that AAR and keep reusing them at every possible occasion. Well that would be the end of it. Currently it used as an excuse or an inspiration for derailing threads, or just spam. It's not just that it isn't funny anymore, it's rather annoying. Especially for those who could spend more time working on EB, instead of deleting spam.
Note of course it's not just the Romaioktonoi. But it is part of it. And we don't mind the occasional off topic thread, or the occasional thread that goes off topic. But the conversation has to make sense, and not be a random collection of one sentence posts. I remember we had a beer thread long, long ago. While it wasn't about EB, the conversation was interesting. Noone had a problem with it. Then again it was also one of the very few off topic threads.
We can also understand that you guys can't talk about EB 24/7. But you have the tavern social group and of course the other sub forums as well here. And not to forget that there's a pm system and profile pages. All accessable by you and the freinds you made here. Personally I've posted off topic posts as well, my contributions usually don't have several paragraphs either,... But we ain't expecting you guys to post academic papers only. No, just keep it friendly, let's try to keep on topic most of the time, and let us have a decent standard level of conversation. Let's stop the in before the lock, useless spam (that gets deleted anyway) and were all happy.

I just can't see why anyone wants to risk a temporary or indefinate ban from the forum, just for some plain sillyness?

[Phalanx300]

That's how liberty withers... Long live our spam free forum !

Very tempting to post the Soviet Anthem right now, I gues I shouldn't.


And am I lucky I'm not part of those Spamanoktoi anymore. I don't remember quiting it once though.

[DaciaJC]

I appreciate the EB team finally giving this situation the attention it deserves. I was a little more than severely annoyed at the spam in general.

[Centurio Nixalsverdrus]

We, the Romaioktonoi leading class, have all accepted a Code of Honour to prevent these kind of things. Sorry if this affected the EB-fora to such an extent. We will now aim our energy on constructive only matters, and ignore anything that is pointed against us.

[-Praetor-]

In January this year I posted the following:

A final word: It just wrong that some of our most valuable members spend most of their times on the public forum moderating spam, trolling, flaming and off topic comments, instead of doing what they like: making EB stride forward. This incluides making new previews, coding new ideas and thinking of new ways to make EB unique and different from other mods. This current state of affairs has seriously slowed down the advance of our mod, and has demotivated me and others to participate in the public area.

Please, refrain to post messages that you know are considered expressions of flaming, trolling and spam.

It was in the Org forum rules thread that, as far as I see, close to no one has taken the time to review.

Frankly, after seeing these posts in this very thread:

Can we have Lorica Segmentata in EBII?

*Sound Applause to Sata and Krusader*
That's how liberty withers... Long live our spam free forum !

...imagine EB making sig banners with scanty-clad women next to faction symbols.

O, would you do that for us? Oh that would be SO great! I would love to see that in the next preview

Very tempting to post the Soviet Anthem right now, I gues I shouldn't.

I question myself if the community takes Krusader's post seriously, or if it had any true effect. Nobody is saying that this is serious business or something like that, all we are saying is that this is not the behaviour we expect from our community, and definitively not the level of debate we were hoping to incentivate by making EB.

Grow up.

[Tellos Athenaios]

I don't understand nor shall I probably ever do. Why does this thread have to be derailed as well?

C'mon if you want to contribute to these forums but can't find anything to do on other than by derailing threads in particular or furthering the spew of random garbage in general: there is no problem with not positing. You can still read, can you not?

There were pure spam threads in EB forums, there are, and there will always be; and nobody has a problem with that per se. However from there to actively hijacking other threads to the point of turning it into a SPAM cesspit is another matter entirely and lately we simply have seen too much of the latter to stomach. These forums are not Youtube music videos, you are expected to show more restraint here.

Again: if you've got nothing worthwhile to contribute (and antagonizing other people doesn't qualify as worthwhile here) just don't post. Why not take the time to read some AARS, especially those that make up EB lore (Wasteland sadly lost in the midst of time during a forum crash; but The World According to the Koinon is still there, and so are various other gems made by Orb); surely that is much more enjoyable than posting for the heck of it?

[Centurio Nixalsverdrus]

@-Praetor-:
That remark of mine was neither spam nor derailing the thread, nor were the other quoted remarks. It was just meant to bring the matter to a more humorous and thus enjoyable level. I thought that clear, but obviously it's currently not understood, so I removed it.

[satalexton]

Regent, heteiros, Prudence.

Remember what I said, we leave this thread be.

[Foot]

@-Praetor-:
That remark of mine was neither spam nor derailing the thread, nor were the other quoted remarks. It was just meant to bring the matter to a more humorous and thus enjoyable level. I thought that clear, but obviously it's currently not understood, so I removed it.

There is no humorous or enjoyable level to this. We are pissed off. We won't allow you to get off by simply making out that it is all some kind of joke. It is not and that will not work. The quotes above were spam, and your flat out denial of this changes nothing. You are part of the problem and your word has about as much weight with us as any troll on any other forum. If you cannot exist here under these conditions then I suggest you find yourself a new home. These forums are for the discussion of Europa Barbarorum, not for the creation of your own clubs and groups.

Foot