Open Up the Forums to ALL Players

[doudmg]

I cannot post in the forum: WWII Online Player Discussions.  I am a WWII Online player!  I am using this account to write because I cannot connect/use my subscribed Steam account for forum purposes.  Before someone responds to this with, "Just get Discord", just like how I've been hassled about in game repeatedly, let me say that I simply have no interest in using that social media.  It's too fast of a medium, whose messages get drowned out without much consideration, so I've picked this slower, deliberate, and frankly more impactful option--the forum.  Simply put, this is frustrating and turns me off from the game because I cannot interact with its community here.

[Voodoo1]

9 hours ago, doudmg said:

I cannot post in the forum: WWII Online Player Discussions.  I am a WWII Online player!  I am using this account to write because I cannot connect/use my subscribed Steam account for forum purposes.  Before someone responds to this with, "Just get Discord", just like how I've been hassled about in game repeatedly, let me say that I simply have no interest in using that social media.  It's too fast of a medium, whose messages get drowned out without much consideration, so I've picked this slower, deliberate, and frankly more impactful option--the forum.  Simply put, this is frustrating and turns me off from the game because I cannot interact with its community here.

Understand your concern regarding discord - but its standardised now in most games to have it; or servers promoting it.

Forums are seen as outdated by the newer generation but i do see your point.

 

CRS do on the other hand need to save something for subscribers; or it becomes a kind of "whats the point" scenario in relation to subbing.

 

You'll always be welcome on discord to join us buddy :thumbsup:

[doudmg]

Once again.  Open up the forums to ALL players.  The Forum is exceptional as a community support tool.  The Forum is also a persistent historical reference for the game.  The Forum is a slowed down place to have pertinent discussions that you can trust CRS to maintain.  Discord never existed in 2007.  These forums existed in 2007, though.  
Every good game has a forum.  Great games don’t stifle community interaction by restricting their forums’ access.  
 

There are hundreds of players on Discord who have only ever dabbled in WWII Online.  Yet, they have full access to game discussion there.  Why should it be any different for forum access?  ANY player should have forum access, whether that’s subscribed through Steam (CRS has faltered on that front, because you cannot log in from your associated Steam WWIIOL name), through CRS/Playnet themselves, or just looking to get their feet wet.  For all players!

[dpetraeus]

Looking at player numbers, closing the forum, gained them absolutely nothing, you might even say it was one of the worst decisions by CRS 2.0. I think they don't want o be boithered by players begging for more free to play or lower subscriptions, which was a thing. While they're valid points, i do agree with CRS that WW2OL is unique in many ways, and the sub worked for this game. Now you could get the best of both worlds with Steam and just add a bunch of DLCs, that don't devalue the sub. I would buy a Commando DLC in a heartbeat and still sub, when i decide to play.  It's like the sports rights markets. There are main players like sky, which many have as their base, but there are tons of other things you can or have to spend money on. But i get their point, but closing the forums, locking out all the veterans and steam players, shouldn't be the way, i posted this on steam three weeks ago as well.

[lovewing]

forums used to be a place where you could post guides and other useful stuff. Now discord is used and guides disappear into the sands of time on that app. The forum is just for circle jerking over the ukraine war on the off topic board now.

[bogol]

Yes please! Open forums to everyone. IN fact that might get players to resub if anything. Because we all know the main motivator for vets to resub in this game is nostalgia for the good old days. And a taste of that nostalgia is and always will be in the forums. If they feel they are still in touch, odds are they will resub. 

Conversely, I am 100% that there are very very very few players that would sub just for the forums. 

So, keeping forums reserved to only payed subscribers, imo, makes little practical sense. 

And I am willing to put my money where my mouth is. The moment CRS opens all forums to everyone I will resub.

[akceo]

Don't listen to any of this sound advice. Everyone should and must use discord because it organizes everything in one nice easy to use program. Many veterans love adopting new technology. 

 

[aef]

Make OT free!

[Sudden]

5 hours ago, aef said:

Make OT free!

Go away and take this bad idea with you.

 

[TEX64]

5 hours ago, aef said:

Make OT free!

The paid subscribers in OT can hardly manage themselves and that forum is already under "double-secret" probation with the next step being "lights out".  Sorry, it's true and entirely self-inflicted.

[Sudden]

9 minutes ago, TEX64 said:

The paid subscribers in OT can hardly manage themselves and that forum is already under "double-secret" probation with the next step being "lights out".  Sorry, it's true and entirely self-inflicted.

If Silky was a better mod......

[sorella]

29 minutes ago, TEX64 said:

The paid subscribers in OT can hardly manage themselves and that forum is already under "double-secret" probation with the next step being "lights out".  Sorry, it's true and entirely self-inflicted.

One would think the operative word here is "paid".  Really, OT is a perfect mirror of the divisive vitriol current both in America between so-called left and right and the Axis and Allies on these other forums.

Besides, we mostly just talk about trains.

[jwilly]

When I was lead mod, I proposed to Rafter that OT was counter productive for their business model. He disagreed.

[sorella]

2 hours ago, jwilly said:

When I was lead mod, I proposed to Rafter that OT was counter productive for their business model. He disagreed.

I don't wish to be indelicate, but really how could OT be counter to a business model?  Every OTian is a paying customer and all we complain about are politics and each other, not the game as on ALL the other forums. Why shouldn't CRS just collect the money each month (or year) and simply ignore OT?

 

[Sudden]

7 hours ago, jwilly said:

When I was lead mod, I proposed to Rafter that OT was counter productive for their business model. He disagreed.

Doing that would be like removing the trash can from your kitchen and just flinging the garbage all over the floor. OT is a container. Remove the container and the garbage will soon fill the rest of the forum.

[lovewing]

bump.

forum should be open, general discussion/barracks/motorpool/hangar etc.

Keep OT premium.

The ww2ol steam community board has all those boards as open to use.

Forums are not seen as out dated by zoomers, they are used and useful in ways that discord is not.

Does it cost crs money to have the forums more open?

[Capco]

Signed.

It's rather silly to put forum discussions behind a paywall when there is no such paywall for using discord to communicate.

[sorella]

27 minutes ago, Capco said:

Signed.

It's rather silly to put forum discussions behind a paywall when there is no such paywall for using discord to communicate.

Yes. Make all the forums free and raise the price for OT - just make it double-secret-premium-probation. Or maybe add a game-and-sports betting function to OT like: who will cap Binche? (Allies +165 / Axis -140 / OU 2). CRS could make millions. Those OT idiots will bet on anything from soccer to NFL, to the length of a train, to who is going to win the wars going on around the world to what colour berets will coup leaders wear this week.

 

[gretnine]

+1. Vets might one day visit the forums and see whats up. Don't limit what they can see just because they aren't subscribed. Best outcome for everyone. 

[vongters]

+1

[madrebel]

6 hours ago, Capco said:

Signed.

It's rather silly to put forum discussions behind a paywall when there is no such paywall for using discord to communicate.

this.

and stop moderating OT save for actual illegal activity. put on your big boy pants, words shouldn't hurt you. any OT that is moderated turns to garbage.

[TEX64]

34 minutes ago, madrebel said:

and stop moderating OT save for actual illegal activity. put on your big boy pants, words shouldn't hurt you. any OT that is moderated turns to garbage.

There is the issue. We have a duty to have a reasonable forum environment for ALL in our community. If you guys can't control yourselves, it's over and done.

Disagreements are one thing but some of the posters in OT are just ugh. It used to be an unusual, sometimes amusing trip to go to OT. Now, it's a sad nuthouse that is well-past it's expiration date.

[sorella]

2 hours ago, TEX64 said:

Disagreements are one thing but some of the posters in OT are just ugh.

some people in the world are just ugh. Open up the forums for all/any players. Keep OT hidden behind premium if you want and just ignore it and take the $$$. 

[madrebel]

9 hours ago, TEX64 said:

We have a duty

no you don't, this is self imposed duty.

 

put a sign on the door, enter at your own risk, done.

[Capco]

4 hours ago, madrebel said:

no you don't, this is self imposed duty.

 

put a sign on the door, enter at your own risk, done.

I'm not so sure.


Here's some key excerpts from a discussion about this exact topic:

• The long answer is that if you have a comprehensive terms of use for your site, comprehensive forum rules, and active moderation, then your liability is reduced greatly.
• The main risk for forums is from the possibility of libel claims.

In other words, provider liability is greatly minimized if a forum is:

• being properly moderated;
• members are clear on what is acceptable and not acceptable;
• member know that they're not truly anonymous online; and
• members know that they are responsible for anything they post.

https://www.sitepoint.com/community/t/legal-implications-of-running-a-forum/45659/5



Here's a case from Hong Kong that discusses the legal rationale behind their holding.  Granted, CRS's forum server is hosted in the US and this is not a US court case, but we have a similar approach since the internet is global.

Quote

Oriental Press Group Ltd. v. Fevaworks Solutions Ltd, HKCFA 47 (2013) (bolded for emphasis)

Holding online intermediaries of discussion forums as secondary publishers with liabilities imposed from outset, who also have the duties to monitor and take active actions when noticed of defamatory activities on their platform. Defendants were administrators, providers and managers of a website that hosted one of most popular Internet discussion forums in Hong Kong, known as the Golden Forum. Plaintiffs were publishers of the Oriental Press Groups, one of the most popular local newspapers. Three entries were posted in the defendants’ forum accusing plaintiffs dealing with money laundering, drug trafficking and bribery, etc. Defendants removed two entries with due notice but the last one was removed eight months after being informed. Lower court held the forum for not having duly removed this entry without reasonable delay. Defamation Ordinance of Hong Kong does not cover ISPs liabilities issues, so the Court relied on common law secondary liabilities and found the forum liable for the alleged delay. The Court limited the OSPs’ liability as secondary or subordinate publisher in the way of its limited manpower to monitor and control the discussion, but it also argued that the defendants should promptly take all reasonable steps to remove the offending content from their platform as soon as it becomes reasonably practicable after notice.

https://wilmap.stanford.edu/entries/oriental-press-group-ltd-v-fevaworks-solutions-ltd-hkcfa-47

Edited July 13 by Capco