the mod SUPPORT thread

[Master Chief K]

There are too many threads right now bashing Sencho and Xentax. While i know that many of you are supporting the mods within these threads, i thought that we should have a place to post our supportive remarks. So here it is!

My post:

I think what they did was nessesary. all that the OT forum was anymore was a giant spam club. almost all the threads here had almost NO purpose. I mean, JEEZ, 34k post about practically nothing??? CMON!!! now im not saying that pointless threads are bad, im just saying that 34 thousand posts in a single thread may be a bit excessive not excluding the additonal 16 thousand put out by the ESP, Morphing, NES, and Association threads.
Personally, i find pointless threads entertaining (hence my Smilie War thread), but when they go on for that long, they get dull. I think that threads eventually do need to be put to rest so that new and more entertaining/enlightning things can come to the forefront.

Now i did have a part in spamming the forums, i know, and while i dont regret my previous posts, I was getting rather bored with the same threads DAY after DAY. So personally, id like to THANK, yes THANK the mods for clearing the endless droning of the spam threads.

[blackjack_222]

1. Most mods are pretty much capable of defending themselves. I don't think they need the support
2. Closing something everybody likes to make place for something new is a nonsense argument. "let's throw your pc out the window, so you can start enjoying to play darts"
3. sucking up to the mods does not help you if you feel "guilty" about yesterdays spamming spree
4. I love spam

[neliz]

looks like you get bored easily :)

but.. it seems like.. you try to clean your hands really quickly (I quoted this before, Ich habe es nicht gewust.)
Take responsibility.. saying your sorry for something is really FAKE!
You KNEW what you were doing, with full concious mind.. unless you prove otherwise.

Be a man, take responsibility for your actions.
Oh .. so you think you were "new and entertaining" with your smiley wars?

sjeez. be a man man.. jack .. K

[Master Chief K]

1. Maybe not, but they dont need to be rediculed for something that they had every right to do and probably needed to do. They knew quite well that it would anger you, and they dont need you telling them over and over and over.

2. So... you would have the cove live on forever eh? Forever is boring, and it always seemed that it was the same people posting in the spam threads. I dont know about you, but I wouldnt mind attracting some new people to our community with some new, more interesting threads. Maybe theese new poeple could add some new viewpoints, make life interesting, and mix it up a bit...

3. Like i said, I dont feel guilty for the spamming. I actually put that last statement there to try to explain to you that im not trying to suck up to the mods.

4. Thats great, but 9 months (yes months, it seems its been about that long since a new thread that ISN'T spam related has been posted...) is a bit of a long time if you ask me...

[blackjack_222]

If mods knew what was gonna happen, why do they need support then?

be proud and lick some more heels, dude.
I'm sure it'll get you somewhere in life.

[Master Chief K]

Thank you BJ, i just LOVE being ignored...

[neliz]

forever boring?

some people need comfort, support.. a place to fall back on. that' what the cove was...

and.. there's no need posting a thread when you know 2 out of 5 people online are the "roots of all spam"

but really.. it looks like you're trying to fall in taste with the new "regime"

and did you actually flip back the pages nine months?

[Master Chief K]

Originally posted by neliz forever boring?

some people need comfort, support.. a place to fall back on. that' what the cove was...
the cove lost that point LOOOONG ago. its been a spam thread devoted to nothing for quite a while


and.. there's no need posting a thread when you know 2 out of 5 people online are the "roots of all spam"

I'm hoping that people that arent logged on will see this

but really.. it looks like you're trying to fall in taste with the new "regime"

no, thats how ive always felt... thats more or less why i would be absent for 5-6 months and then come back for a few weeks...

and did you actually flip back the pages nine months?

I didnt have to, a good portion of the threads on the front page had been there for about that long...

[dilcos]

Whether or not the mods need to be thanked is up to the individual posters. But I will say that the locking of those threads was way overdue.

some people need comfort, support.. a place to fall back on. that' what the cove was...

I'm really not trying to offend anyone, but that was a freaking thread on an internet gaming forum!!! It's not a place for support and comfort.

I wrote a lot of papers for my society and technology class about internet chatting. Pretty much each one dealt with the negative impacts on society when people need to rely on the internet to feel "comfort and support." Good Lord, go outside and meet a real person.

(That's probably way too harsh. But I think it needed to be said. This cove or dwarf thread is not some haven for people to feel loved and wanted. If you think it is, then maybe you are losing touch with reality.)

(flame suit on)

[Phobas]

Frankly I think the cull of these excessivly long spam fests was long over due.
It started of with some good ones. but lead to some that had no value other than to increase the number of posts. I mean the one where you post nothing, whats going on. :mad:

I'm all for the posts like ESP and the whose line is it anyways thread, but for these two work they must be stoped at an apropriate time.
Nes was good to start with altough some people instead of making interesting additions just added spam. However after 100 odd posts it becomes stupid. Close it at good point then start over again.
Perhaps some of these threads can be restarted under these condition, but as things were their was a huge amount of dead wood.

Dispite the arguments and inflamatory topics I turned to comunity chat because it wasn't filled with spam. Never has the entire page of topics been mass spam by one induvidual.

be interesting to see where the forums goes from here.

[Kralizec!]

Phobas wrote:
Frankly I think the cull of these excessivly long spam fests was long over due.
It started of with some good ones. but lead to some that had no value other than to increase the number of posts. I mean the one where you post nothing, whats going on.

Generally speaking I completely agree with you here. Posting for no reason other than the fact that you can is a total waste. Same with people who try to "capture every thread" in a forum.

[nukapai]

:haha:

Ok, some points here:

1. Sucking up to the mods is probably going to have just the same effect as f-ing off to the mods. My thoughts on the origins of *this thread*. If you want to support the mods, follow the rules, post in a constructive way, report bad posts and just generally be a good little forum member. ;)

2. The Cove was 'just a thread on a gaming forum'. That is absolutely correct. About everything else that has been said about the cove and the people who post there is (at least to some degree) incorrect.

A Cove history lesson, in a nutshell:

The Cove thread...it wasn't just any old thread at a computer games forum. It turned into something of a community within a community and amassed a mind-boggling number of posts.

A thread called 'General discussion has turned into Dwarf Wrestling' was started in the General Discussion forum of the MOO3 forums. Its originator (Solai) wanted to lighten the mood and post his own spoof summary of events at a time when a lot of disgruntled people were registering at the MOO3 forums and 'trolling' the General Discussion area - despite attempts from the long-standing members to answer questions and promote solutions to problems. (Well, some long-standing members anyway ;) ).

Since the moderators were nice enough, they did not frown upon the concept of the aforementioned thread, but moved it from the general discussion area to the off topic area.

The name was changed to a less inflammatory 'Pirates of the Dwarf Cove' by Solai. The thread grew to a huge size over only a couple of days (hundreds of posts), but it kept going because of a couple of important factors. Main factors were the quick-fire innuendo and joke-type posts, the inside jokes that quickly developed, as a bunch of people with a strong shared interest, but varied backgrounds and opinions, relished the freedom to 'breathe freely' for once (like text-based stress-relief after months of only 'is MOO3 going to ever get released?!' or 'the game sux0rs').

Eventually, the thread itself became the point - and people lurking would pop in and post something, much like at a forum in its own right. The thread became a community within a community, not just 'a large OT thread'. Many 'regulars' formed and various personal details and plain old silly stuff was shared.

Many compared the thread to something like a virtual 'Cheers'.

'The Cove' became a concept that encompassed the community that had been created and the people within it. The posters were 'Pirates' or 'Covers' and the community that had spawned (and by now spread to phone, email and IRC) was called 'The Cove.' The THREAD was there, for sure, but the whole thing was just growing out of it.

So when Cover-people here mourned the closure of the Cove thread this week, they mourned it like the loss of your original home town to fire or the loss of a parent. Yes, 'The Cove' has matured, re-located to its own dedicated forum and keeps growing still (we have our own merchandise, our own registered IRC channel; some of us are going to meet IRL soon and we are trying to organise a Cove Con for 2004) .... but the Cove thread here at ATMOO was our humble beginning.

Now this post is not to say 'oh noooo, closing the cove thread was wroooong!' - Actually, as strange as it sounds, I'm quite happy for it to have been closed now. It had outgrown itself, the regulars had moved to our NeoCove - but we're still allowed to be a bit shocked by the loss, aren't we? :p

ALL of the 'regular' Cove posters also have full social lives and or/responsible jobs, plus girlfriends/boyfriends/partners/cars with huge speakers/flippers/kick-ass stories to tell ... well, you get the point (I hope!). I can only comment on a personal level, but drawing from the extensive experience in web communications and online communities I have, I can hand-on-heart say I have never experienced anything like the spontaneous evolving of 'The Cove' and the way our community came together and strengthened and is almost totally self-regulated and un-prejudiced, friendly, loving and wonderful.

Unlike the silly side to us would lead you to believe, we have a group of strong people together - all of whom are happy to do whatever it takes to help our community to develop. It's amazing. The Coveness has made some who might otherwise be viewed as simple 'ATMOO SPAMMERS' into folks who WORK for NOTHING to make the community a better place, who HELP OTHERS without asking and DONATE LARGE AMOUNTS OF MONEY if that's the way in which they are able to help best. I am astonished, truly, it's almost too good to be true (and let's not start waiting for some awful disaster to strike us .... :confused: )

Yes, it is useful to have a varied mix of social interaction and having purely online interaction would be unhealthy. That's not what we're about though. We encourage participation on all levels, but also encourage 'real life' activities and usually discuss our 'meatspace' pursuits when we return ... it really does feel like you have this permanent network of close friends, always there.

The Cove Rules! :haha:

[Emrys]

Originally posted by dilcos
I wrote a lot of papers for my society and technology class about internet chatting. Pretty much each one dealt with the negative impacts on society when people need to rely on the internet to feel "comfort and support." Good Lord, go outside and meet a real person.

(That's probably way too harsh. But I think it needed to be said. This cove or dwarf thread is not some haven for people to feel loved and wanted. If you think it is, then maybe you are losing touch with reality.)

(flame suit on)

[testing Flame Suit]
And whilst we're at it, let's ban telephones, e-mail, faxes, letters, telegraph, radio, text mesaages and any other medium used to communicate, since any such medium will end up being used for all the normal range of functions of human communication.

Social group building is one of those functions. It would infact be a pretty weird group of people who used any medium to communicate with each other regularly and didn't end up building some kind of relationships. [/test of flame suit]

The cove was probably a perfect example of a macrocosm of a perfect Off Topic forum, it covered many subjects, rambling around and about the subject of the game, it was generally self-moderating, and it drew in and integrated new participants. It was certainly NOT pure pointless spam unlike such threads as the blank post thread, NES and ESP.

I assume the reasoning behind closing it was the simple logic that it seems pretty pointless to close nine huge spam threads, and leave the largest thread untouched. Especially since whilst the cove wasn't [i]pure[i] spam, it did have large (in absolute terms') swathes that could be described as 90% proof.;)

That or a single 35k post thread was killing the server. :D

Anyway, back to my pebble-like existence.

[Artagel]

When I look to the top of the page, just to the right of the big Atari logo there is a word. Community.

Thats what this forum is meant to be. However, there are times in this forum's history when the community has broken down, dissolved, and reformed. Now is one of those times.
Strict application of the rules would infer anything not loosely related to Moo3 should be banned from the forum. However, over the past few months that was not the case. The local administrators/mods saw fit to let the sense of community between the members develop. The Mods forum developed its own style, the bugs forum its own style, and lastly OT developed its own style and the people in it their own sense of community.

It was a place to come and chat with other people who would have at least some of the same attributes, as we all are here for MOO3. Not so in community chat where one runs into so many l337 h4xx0rz that it is not worth visiting. The average age, intelligence level, and set of common interests prevailed and helped the off topic forum develop into something more than just a forum about a game. Those who wanted only to discuss things moo3 were free to do so, and most of us Covers did as well. However, the mods were well within their rights to close the cove, and some of the other threads that existed.
In doing so, however, they have closed off part of a community that was part of the life and breath of these forums. I'm happy for those of you who enjoy MOO3 so much that you want to strictly regulate discussions to it; but don't you think it a bit selfish/ childish to wish to deny those who wanted to expand their scope of communication that priviledge, and then once done, crow about your triumph?

I find it odd that the moderators have not chosen to say more on the topic of the recent closures than they have, and I take this to mean that it was not their personal decision, but one that came from above. Which fits well into the trend of things MOO3 and Atari these days (see Chantz' response). MOO3 is no longer a priority, and room needed to be made for bigger and better things. The life cycle of this forum is now progressing into the decline stage, and the recent closures have sealed its fate.
The sense of community has been broken, and with the disincentive to re-establish it as it once was or greater, things can only go downhill.

I will be around here still, but I think we have lost something special in the forums with the death of the cove, the de-prioritization of the game, and the lack of future for the franchise.

For those of you who wish to continue the old community in the new cove, I will see you there. For those that don't, I won't. and for those rejoicing in the destruction of a good thing.. I hope you learn to take things a little less seriously one day.

-Artagel

[Kralizec!]

Emrys wrote:
Social group building is one of those functions. It would infact be a pretty weird group of people who used any medium to communicate with each other regularly and didn't end up building some kind of relationships.

The cove was probably a perfect example of a macrocosm of a perfect Off Topic forum, it covered many subjects, rambling around and about the subject of the game, it was generally self-moderating, and it drew in and integrated new participants. It was certainly NOT pure pointless spam unlike such threads as the blank post thread, NES and ESP.

You make a good point here, so I will revise my earlier statement. I take no issue with community building threads regardless of their location. However I do take issue with people spamming and hijacking perfectly good threads. The spamming in the Sencho's(and other Mods) Sense of Humor thread and the Pre Release Forums are good examples of this.

[dilcos]

Artagel:

I would've somewhat agreed with your post if you didn't shoot yourself in the foot with the phrase:

The average age, intelligence level, and set of common interests prevailed ....

I have to argue that with this perceived intelligence level of this community (which is probably higher than that of other games, IMO), we could come up with something better than the Numbers thread, Most Post Count thread, Don't Post anything thread, et al. These are supposed to be the "life and breath" of these forums??

Where's the [somewhat] higher intelligence levels that I thought existed? (Please don't misinterpret this as another "If you don't like MOO3's graphics then you are stupid" rant). This forum has resorted to Beavis and Butthead/Terrance and Phillip type jokes.

"Hehehe, I said pie."
"Hehehe, I said Halle."
"Huhuhuh, I said pie AND Halle."


About internet communities in general: You must always keep in mind that you are judging your "friends" on 3000 posts (mostly containing less than 5 words :rolleyes: ). Your mind is filling in all of the rest of the attributes with your mind's ideal companion. What are the things that annoy you or make you mad with other people? Are they smelly? Do they talk too much, rude, too tall, too short, too uncoordinated, don't take authority well, are inconsiderate, are unfunny, look bad, look funny, don't play sports, *****whipped, don't get going when the going gets tough? You are assuming that all of these attributes that you look for in a friend (and cannot possibly find out on the internet) exist in the members of this community.

I found it humorous at first and enjoyable to form a "community" on these boards. Now I find it borderline pathetic (for a lack of a better word) that some people find something missing now that those threads are locked. Please, it would be much healthier if you would go out and meet actual people before you venture into this Neocove or whatever the heck you want to call it.

Lastly, I hope this doesn't sound like I'm crowing about my triumph. I doubt that comment was referring to me, but I just wanted to cover all of the bases.

[Patton1942]

Originally posted by dilcos
Whether or not the mods need to be thanked is up to the individual posters. But I will say that the locking of those threads was way overdue.



I'm really not trying to offend anyone, but that was a freaking thread on an internet gaming forum!!! It's not a place for support and comfort.

I wrote a lot of papers for my society and technology class about internet chatting. Pretty much each one dealt with the negative impacts on society when people need to rely on the internet to feel "comfort and support." Good Lord, go outside and meet a real person.

(That's probably way too harsh. But I think it needed to be said. This cove or dwarf thread is not some haven for people to feel loved and wanted. If you think it is, then maybe you are losing touch with reality.)

(flame suit on)

:p Well, I for one won't flame you for your opinion (even tho, your wrong :haha: )

Anyway, I participated in the cove for a long, long time. While the internet is no substitute for human contact, I enjoyed talking with those members who participated. We had, and still do have, a sence of friendship even though I've never met any of them. Some of them are over that great big duck pond we call the Atlantic Ocean, others are hundreds even thousands of miles away from where I currently reside. There are plans in the works for a gathering of a few of us in the New England area, but the point is this.

Even though we've never actually met, you can get a general gist of what someone is like by their posting. We have a more open and frank community in the NeoCove where we can post more personal things about ourselves. I'm not using it to feel loved or wanted, I honestly enjoy talking with these people. I want to met these people so we can possibly garner real friendships and establish real relationships.

Thats all. :D

Now, about axing the spam, I agree that this is not the place for that sort of thing. This is a game forum, and most of the discussion should be about the game in question, not about dwarf wrestling. I will miss the cove, but not the spam.

[Xevious_2001]

Well said Nukapai, Emrys and Artagel.

I couldnt agree more.

I support Sencho and the other moderators normally, but I do not support this decision to close down so many threads in the OT forum. I really dont know what they were thinking.

But no matter, I dont need to understand, nor does it appear that anyone cares to enlighten myself or others as to why they did this.

They did it, and now the community that had developed has been broken up. Some parts are (and have been for the past month) reforming at the new cove. Others will just move on to other things.

The only people to lose out in this (IMO) is QSI and Atari. As much as I like MOO3, the primary reason for coming out here was the community that had developed and my interest in seeing what was going on. Now I wont bother. Shortly, MOO3 will probably be replaced by another game (Rise of Nations is rapidly becoming that game) and I wont come out here at all. So I wont know if an expansion is announced, or a new patch comes out. Or any other news that I might have found out about.

Oh well.

[dilcos]

Originally posted by Emrys
[testing Flame Suit]
And whilst we're at it, let's ban telephones, e-mail, faxes, letters, telegraph, radio, text mesaages and any other medium used to communicate, since any such medium will end up being used for all the normal range of functions of human communication.



Now, now. The most convincing argument is NOT drawing hyperboles and other gross exaggerations. Telephones and e-mail? Look at your phone bill. I'd imagine 95-100% of all calls are to people you know in real life. Letters too? Penpals are admirable because they show some sort of care, dedication, desire, and actually take an effort to write them. That's a huge difference than signing on to the internet while you are at work and start posting away.

I'm curious as to why you throw faxes on the list. Faxes have seemingly been relegated to business only transactions. I'm sure you were just trying to find other means of communication to try to discourage my argument.

Radio too? I doubt you are referring to the good ol' AM/FM radio. Because those serve entirely different purposes than forming this community that you speak of.

But HAM (sp?) radio, text messaging, IMing and the like all exhibit a pseudo reality/friendship situation. One where it is impossible to gather all of the info to make a good judgment on whether or not two or more people would actually become friends had they met on the street. You can only gather what you see on the posts and IM's. Your mind fills in the rest with the ideal and utopian details about that person.

The moments that truly define friendships (such as how two friends act when confronted, or how two people cope with difficult situations like death or betrayal) are irrelevant with internet friendships.


edit:

Patton said:

I for one won't flame you for your opinion (even tho, your wrong )

Everybody's opinion is wrong to somebody. That's why they are opinions and not facts. :) I can only say what I think. It's up to others to make their own judgments on whether it's right or wrong. I expect nothing more, nothing less. :up:

[dilcos]

Originally posted by Xevious_2001

The only people to lose out in this (IMO) is QSI and Atari.

That is the truth. Whether or not you guys agree with my assessment of the cove and spam, if it brought you to the forums then it was good for QSI and Atari. I have no doubt this is beginning of the end. It's up to the members of the community that were here for reasons not related to OT whether or not these boards survive.

Regardless, this may be an irreparable blow.

[Xevious_2001]

Originally posted by dilcos
I found it humorous at first and enjoyable to form a "community" on these boards. Now I find it borderline pathetic (for a lack of a better word) that some people find something missing now that those threads are locked. Please, it would be much healthier if you would go out and meet actual people before you venture into this Neocove or whatever the heck you want to call it.


No Dilcos. What's pathetic is someone who feels the need to disparage a group of people who happened to enjoy the sense of community they found online. What's it to you? Why do you care if people enjoyed the company of others online?

You know nothing about myself or any others who enjoyed this community and the insinuation that we all need to get out and meet real people is pretty insulting.

Before you pass judgement on others you better damn well make sure you are squeaky clean yourself. And the fact that you feel this need to insult and belittle members of this community speaks to issues you may need to address about yourself before you start telling us how we should act and behave.

[Patton1942]

Originally posted by dilcos
Now, now. The most convincing argument is NOT drawing hyperboles and other gross exaggerations. Telephones and e-mail? Look at your phone bill. I'd imagine 95-100% of all calls are to people you know in real life. Letters too? Penpals are admirable because they show some sort of care, dedication, desire, and actually take an effort to write them. That's a huge difference than signing on to the internet while you are at work and start posting away.

I'm curious as to why you throw faxes on the list. Faxes have seemingly been relegated to business only transactions. I'm sure you were just trying to find other means of communication to try to discourage my argument.

Radio too? I doubt you are referring to the good ol' AM/FM radio. Because those serve entirely different purposes than forming this community that you speak of.

But HAM (sp?) radio, text messaging, IMing and the like all exhibit a pseudo reality/friendship situation. One where it is impossible to gather all of the info to make a good judgment on whether or not two or more people would actually become friends had they met on the street. You can only gather what you see on the posts and IM's. Your mind fills in the rest with the ideal and utopian details about that person.

The moments that truly define friendships (such as how two friends act when confronted, or how two people cope with difficult situations like death or betrayal) are irrelevant with internet friendships.


edit:


Everybody's opinion is wrong to somebody. That's why they are opinions and not facts. :) I can only say what I think. It's up to others to make their own judgments on whether it's right or wrong. I expect nothing more, nothing less. :up:

Dilcos,
I agree with most of what you posted. I think most, if not all of the covers make this distinction between internet friends and R/L friends. I do, at least.

Personally, I do think a wonderful sence of community has built up among the covers and I would miss them if they stopped posting. However, I also realise that while I like them so far, I've not met any of them. I hold back certain types of information and parts of "myself" that I tell my R/L friends. I'm betting most of them do as well.

This is why I want to met these people. I want to take the relationships we've formed to the next level (real life friendships) and see what happens. I think my fellows covers do as well.

<edit@Dilcos' edit: That was supposed to be a little joke :haha: I guess I'm just not as witty as I think I am>

[Artagel]

Dilcos, your disillusionment with internet communication is quite impressive.

a few questions.
1) what is different about your 'real life' friends and those friends you meet on the internet.-- You really don't KNOW any of them. Do you go home with them and live 24/7? Can you read their minds? Do you really believe everything they tell you? Do you really know how they feel about you or your friendship other than what they communicate and their actions? No. What is different in making the set of assumptions that one must make about any friend than the set of assumptions one must make about internet friends?
Yes. there is a need to be cautious, but if you really think about it, your real life friends are people who just by happenstance have met you in person at some point.
Now, you also seem to feel that there is a level of frienship that can only be achieved in person. this is true. But the majority of the covers would love to meet and get together over a few beers, would geography permit.

2) your concern about the personas that one might take on is a legitimate one, but don't we all take on some form of persona in real life? So who is to say which is more real?

And yes, before you add more insinuations that we should just "get lives", you must make the assumption that we don't already. Which would be wrong on your part.

You come across as a person merely seeking to put down others to make yourself feel and look bigger, better, and more important. I could be wrong, I don't know you. But from your posts, that is the impression one gets.

But neither of us should be so quick to judge the other.

The mods have made their decision, that decision stands, and most have said their piece.
Its time to move on.

[dilcos]

Originally posted by Xevious_2001
No Dilcos. What's pathetic is someone who feels the need to disparage a group of people who happened to enjoy the sense of community they found online. What's it to you? Why do you care if people enjoyed the company of others online?

You know nothing about myself or any others who enjoyed this community and the insinuation that we all need to get out and meet real people is pretty insulting.

Before you pass judgement on others you better damn well make sure you are squeaky clean yourself. And the fact that you feel this need to insult and belittle members of this community speaks to issues you may need to address about yourself before you start telling us how we should act and behave.

Actually, I did make that assessment before I posted. I am definitely not a hypocrite. And I've proven over me tenure here that I do not wish to get involved in these cliques like the Cove, WL = 69 club etc.

I, like many others, am just passing time at work. This gave me an opportunity to post a thought provoking argument on internet friendships and communities. I am sorry that you took offense to it. As I said in my original post, I am probably being way too harsh and am using "mean" words to emphasize points.

The most interesting statement you make:

You know nothing about myself or any others who enjoyed this community

is exactly the point I was trying to make in all of my posts. Perhaps I could've picked my terminology better, but hey, I'm an engineer, not an english major. :D

edit: Patton, your smilies were plenty indication that it was a joke. I've always found your posts logical, well thought out, and seldom rude. I doubt I would ever take offense to something you post and would always give you the benefit of the doubt. As for your wit level, don't ask me...I don't assign the wit points.

To the others: I can't emphasize enough to try to not be offended. Listen to what I mean, not what I say. I'm not running and hiding, but I have to fill out a timesheet detailing the hours I work. And putting down "talked to my internet friends" doesn't fly. So I have to do some Excel number crunching for a few minutes. :)

[FurionStormrage]

The mods did not close the threads. We, by our actions of not following the rules, closed the threads. Whether it was Atari pushed or not, the mods would not have had to close the threads if the community obeyed the rules.

Support the mods or not; it doesn't matter. You agreed to follow the rules of this forum when you signed up. Crying about it now doesn't change that fact one darned bit.

[dilcos]

Originally posted by Artagel
1) what is different about your 'real life' friends and those friends you meet on the internet.-- You really don't KNOW any of them. Do you go home with them and live 24/7? Can you read their minds? Do you really believe everything they tell you? Do you really know how they feel about you or your friendship other than what they communicate and their actions? No. What is different in making the set of assumptions that one must make about any friend than the set of assumptions one must make about internet friends?
Yes. there is a need to be cautious, but if you really think about it, your real life friends are people who just by happenstance have met you in person at some point.
Now, you also seem to feel that there is a level of frienship that can only be achieved in person. this is true. But the majority of the covers would love to meet and get together over a few beers, would geography permit.

2) your concern about the personas that one might take on is a legitimate one, but don't we all take on some form of persona in real life? So who is to say which is more real?

And yes, before you add more insinuations that we should just "get lives", you must make the assumption that we don't already. Which would be wrong on your part.

You come across as a person merely seeking to put down others to make yourself feel and look bigger, better, and more important. I could be wrong, I don't know you. But from your posts, that is the impression one gets.

But neither of us should be so quick to judge the other.

The mods have made their decision, that decision stands, and most have said their piece.
Its time to move on.

A wise post. I am a firm believer that actions speak louder than words. In my experience, you can tell more about a person on how he treats a certain situation than you can in countless numbers of statements (whether they be from word of mouth, IM, email). You are correct that people can put up a front in real life. But it's a lot harder. People see what you do. With the internet, they only see what you type.

That's probably the main reason you describe me as a person "merely seeking to put down others to make yourself feel and look bigger, better, and more important." That's something I've never been close to being called. But you don't know that. Heck, I could be lying. Maybe my coworker said the same thing about me a few minutes ago.

Perhaps I shouldn't have posted that last sentence about it being healthier to go outside and not join the Neocove. But the damage has already been done. It's unfortunate. You guys can only interpret what I write, not what I mean. Another inherent flaw of "teh intarweb"

[Patton1942]

Originally posted by dilcos
To the others: I can't emphasize enough to try to not be offended. Listen to what I mean, not what I say. I'm not running and hiding, but I have to fill out a timesheet detailing the hours I work. And putting down "talked to my internet friends" doesn't fly. So I have to do some Excel number crunching for a few minutes. :)

Just a quick last comment for me, and then I too have to get to work.

I consider the cove to be made up of my friends. I like them and I enjoy talking to them. However, I don't think any of us consider each other what I would call "best friends" or "closest friends"

I for one, have always been cautious around new people. I don't open up quickly or easily. However, with these people I have an honest desire to do so, but in real life, not the internet. There are things that just shouldn't be put out there over the net, IMO. Its too easy for someone to use that info.

I honestly want to meet (I just typed meat, :haha: I'm retarded) these people and form real friendships with them. I am looking forward to a possible get together with several. I've never been part of any internet community where this has happened before. Thats what made the cove special. We just sort of clicked. I just happened spontaniously. I'm at a loss to explain it.

I feel that there are some real, deep relationships just waiting to be formed, in many ways they already have and are just waiting to be confirmed in R/L.

I suppose friendships are formed based on common ground. We all shared common interests and we discovered this while posting in the cove. I am glad that I got the opportunity to participate in it, and I would miss it dearly if it were taken away.

[Kralizec!]

Xevious_2001 wrote:
The only people to lose out in this (IMO) is QSI and Atari. As much as I like MOO3, the primary reason for coming out here was the community that had developed and my interest in seeing what was going on. Now I wont bother. Shortly, MOO3 will probably be replaced by another game (Rise of Nations is rapidly becoming that game) and I wont come out here at all. So I wont know if an expansion is announced, or a new patch comes out. Or any other news that I might have found out about.

This is a very interesting point ... and, I suspect, the sole reason A/IG even tolerated us (and other games) having an Off Topic forum.

[dilcos]

Originally posted by Patton1942
While the internet is no substitute for human contact, I enjoyed talking with those members who participated. We had, and still do have, a sence of friendship even though I've never met any of them.
Even though we've never actually met, you can get a general gist of what someone is like by their posting. We have a more open and frank community in the NeoCove where we can post more personal things about ourselves. I'm not using it to feel loved or wanted, I honestly enjoy talking with these people. I want to met these people so we can possibly garner real friendships and establish real relationships.

<some snipping has occurred>



Patton, I'm glad that what I said doesn't apply to you or some of the other members of the cove. I'm also glad you have the sense to say "this doesn't apply to me, so there's no need to for me to get upset." I hope your endeavors turn out well.

[Patton1942]

Originally posted by dilcos
Patton, I'm glad that what I said doesn't apply to you or some of the other members of the cove. I'm also glad you have the sense to say "this doesn't apply to me, so there's no need to for me to get upset." I hope your endeavors turn out well.

Personally, I don't think that it applies to anybody in the cove. Thats what made people upset, IMO. Its like you were attacking our friendship and saying its not really a friendship but some sort of twisted co-dependancy. Thats not true at all. I consider those people my friends and I think they do the same. I'm not co-dependent upon them, and thier not dependent upon me for a feeling of self-worth. We already have the feelings of self worth, thats why we get along (IMO).

It just so happens that we came into contact with one another via the internet and choose to stay in contact with one another via the same. That in no way negates or minimizes the feelings of friendship I have for those people.

Trust me, none of us are going to become some sort of twisted hermit, sitting in front of a computer all day, not experiencing life. Its our life experiences that we talk about.

[nukapai]

Originally posted by Patton1942
Just a quick last comment for me, and then I too have to get to work.

I consider the cove to be made up of my friends. I like them and I enjoy talking to them. However, I don't think any of us consider each other what I would call "best friends" or "closest friends"

I for one, have always been cautious around new people. I don't open up quickly or easily. However, with these people I have an honest desire to do so, but in real life, not the internet. There are things that just shouldn't be put out there over the net, IMO. Its too easy for someone to use that info.

I honestly want to meet (I just typed meat, :haha: I'm retarded) these people and form real friendships with them. I am looking forward to a possible get together with several. I've never been part of any internet community where this has happened before. Thats what made the cove special. We just sort of clicked. I just happened spontaniously. I'm at a loss to explain it.

I feel that there are some real, deep relationships just waiting to be formed, in many ways they already have and are just waiting to be confirmed in R/L.

I suppose friendships are formed based on common ground. We all shared common interests and we discovered this while posting in the cove. I am glad that I got the opportunity to participate in it, and I would miss it dearly if it were taken away.

I'm sorry if this seems pointless, but I just have to say: I agree totally with the above post. Very, very well articulated. :up:

----------

@ dilcos: having read all your posts in this thread so far, I think you make sense, but suffer from one major bad effect .... assumption. And since many of (what would otherwise be common sense statements) your posts use these very assumptions as a starting point, your whole post goes belly up.

1. Many posters on online forums are just interested in quick-fix posting.

2. Many posters on online forums are just killing time off when at work.

However:

3. You clearly have no idea of the level of personal attention, care and honest hard work that has gone into various posts and other actions that make up 'The Cove' (and I am speaking in terms of the community/concept now, not the old thread here).

Some examples?

- People spending their own time making detailed graphic designs and illustrations just for the amusement and entertainment of other Covers.

- People writing their entire life stories in a lengthy and serious thread, intended to bring us closer together (could not be further from the one-line posts, trust me. Some of the posts in that thread took a long time to write and edit).

- People spending a considerable amount of their personal time ensuring we get the IRC channel registered

- Sharing a lot of the good and the bad in life with the others

- Keeping each other company at work if things get tough or boring (through group-chat windows being open on MSN through some parts of the day)

- Talking to each other on the phone if required

- Donating hard-earned cash to ensure that the NeoCove can stay fully operational

..... aaaand so on and so on.

Sure, there is spam, there is silly pointless stuff and there are times when you can't find a serious discussion for 'miles' ... but the overall effect is quite different from what you assume it to be.

I totally understand if you can't understand what 'The Cove' is ... we are struggling to understand it ourselves. But please, please accept that you are dealing with a new and different animal. And even if it's just the same old cow, except with added pink fur (work with me here, I'm running out of metaphors), you have not been put in a position of 'The Great Judge Of What We Are About And What We Should Really Be Doing' ... because you don't know us and you don't know what we're about. Or what we should be doing. ;)

[nukapai]

Originally posted by Patton1942
Personally, I don't think that it applies to anybody in the cove. Thats what made people upset, IMO. Its like you were attacking our friendship and saying its not really a friendship but some sort of twisted co-dependancy. Thats not true at all. I consider those people my friends and I think they do the same. I'm not co-dependent upon them, and thier not dependent upon me for a feeling of self-worth. We already have the feelings of self worth, thats why we get along (IMO).

It just so happens that we came into contact with one another via the internet and choose to stay in contact with one another via the same. That in no way negates or minimizes the feelings of friendship I have for those people.

Trust me, none of us are going to become some sort of twisted hermit, sitting in front of a computer all day, not experiencing life. Its our life experiences that we talk about.

AND this one too! Patton, you are my new hero! Can I have your babies? :D

[Patton1942]

Originally posted by nukapai
...Can I have your babies? :D

*reads posts*
WHO-HOOO!

erm...

Yes. Yes you may.
Now, lets get started :herk (doesn't have link to the smilie)

[SanDragon]

My opinion on the matter at hand, so to speak...

I must support the mods on this last round of closings. I started to read my e-mail notices, and saw lots of... well... SPAM!!!

I also felt that things were coming to a head, and wasn't too surprised to suddenly find a lot of the pure spam threads closed. It was a blow to find the Cove™ closed, but again, not surprising.

Finally, a challenge: READ THE COVE™ if you dare!:D

That is all...

http://smilies.jeeptalk.org/ups/pezhed/blinky.gif

[ken the great]

Originally posted by nukapai
AND this one too! Patton, you are my new hero! Can I have your babies? :D
:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

[dilcos]

Originally posted by nukapai
<snip>

Thanks for the well thought out post.

Of course I am making assumptions. That was one of the most inherent points of my rambling. You assume nearly everything about a person when you talk to them on the internet. Until they actually type it, then you have to assume it. If you don't, then the people you are talking to become very one dimensional.

I never claimed to be the judge of anything. I am merely stating my opinion. (If saying "you aren't the judge" is an acceptable argument, then that could be said about everyone on these boards that stated how much they loved or hated MOO3. Then there'd be nothing left to say. ) That's the beauty of it, everyone is the judge of their own little world. :p And they can share their wisdom <or lack thereof> with others whether they want to hear it or not. :D

you have not been put in a position of 'The Great Judge Of What We Are About And What We Should Really Be Doing' ... because you don't know us and you don't know what we're about. Or what we should be doing.
I already stated that I went over the top by saying to go out and meet real people. I take it back but the damage has been done. I thought the rest of what I said was very general and made observations and not suggestions.



On a side note, it appears that the worst assumption I made was that if what I said didn't apply to the reader, then the reader would automatically dismiss it. I thought it was pretty apparent that I was trying to talk to the sheltered few who cling to their internet identity as the holy grail. I never guessed that some readers would feel the need to defend themselves and those that the argument didn't apply to. I was trying not to single anyone out, but in my efforts it appears I was too vague which led to mass chaos. I will try better next time.

[Patton1942]

Originally posted by dilcos
...led to mass chaos...

"Fire and brimestone, falling from the sky! Cats and Dogs, Living together!!" [/Ghostbusters refrence]

:haha: I wouldn't worry about it. I don't think anybody is that cranked up about it. We're just a tad sensitive now that we've been snipped. Many people (yourself included: I'll edit in a link if you would like, otherwise we'll let dead dogs lie) have accused us of being nothing more than worthless spammers and said the whole of the cove should just be deleted.

We just don't happen to agree, is all. We've bonded, and as such we're rather protective of each other, and the cove's good name. ;)

<edit: typo>

[Kralizec!]

Patton1942 wrote:
I consider the cove to be made up of my friends. I like them and I enjoy talking to them. However, I don't think any of us consider each other what I would call "best friends" or "closest friends"

I for one, have always been cautious around new people. I don't open up quickly or easily. However, with these people I have an honest desire to do so, but in real life, not the internet. There are things that just shouldn't be put out there over the net, IMO. Its too easy for someone to use that info.

I honestly want to meet (I just typed meat, :haha: I'm retarded) these people and form real friendships with them.

Be careful what you wish for. After eight years of regularly exchanging email, I finally got to meet my Australian buddy last year. Over the years we had exchanged thousands of email messages, done scores of chats, and shared several (very expensive) telephone calls. Since we had many very similar interests and had over the course of the years shared with each other a great deal of the ups (graduating from college, landing our first real jobs, getting married, etc.) and downs (getting downsized, breaking off an engagement, losing a baby, etc.) of our lives, we were really, really excited to meet each other.

Once we finally met and spent a few days together, we were both terribly disappointed to discover that even though we had not intentionally misrepresented ourselves, we were both very different people than we had each expected. The limited ‘spectrum’ of non face-to-face communication meant that we only knew a fraction of the real person. While we still keep in touch, it is nothing like we used to. This is largely because we recognized that if we were geographically closer to each other, we would probably be little more than acquaintances. :(

[herknav]

Originally posted by dilcos
I found it humorous at first and enjoyable to form a "community" on these boards. Now I find it borderline pathetic (for a lack of a better word) that some people find something missing now that those threads are locked. Please, it would be much healthier if you would go out and meet actual people before you venture into this Neocove or whatever the heck you want to call it.

I was content to read this thread and digest these differeing opinions. But this sort of stuck in my craw. If you care so little, why PM me and demand I stop "spamming"? You thought I had forgotten maybe? Have you demanded other people do the same? Alex? Zan? others?

I am also curious, how do you define "actual people"? I consider myself an actual person, (looks down, Yup, I DO have a physical form). What do you mean? You act differently here than in real life? Isn't that intellectually dishonest? I'm just really confused by the idea that posters are NOT real people, or that my neighbor downstairs is more real than anyone here. You do everyone here a disservice, and I find it vaguley insulting.

I'm not gonna try and convince you of the worth of a community such as the Cove™ as you don't really care. I do question where you get off belittling those who found enjoyment there. Pretty small I think.

[dilcos]

I'm sorry herknav.

[weejad]

Nukapai, Artagel and Patton - Very well said. :up:

Your descriptions of the Cove are exactly what prompted me to abandon my lurker status and start participating in these forums. To me, it never felt like 'just a thread'. And it is that same sentiment that is now propelling me to the Neocove.

As far as supporting the mods here, another :up: . Sure I wish the Cove were still open, but it isn't my call. I can't begrudge anyone for doing a job that I wouldn't wish to do myself, and it is a necessary job.

[nukapai]

Weejad = :)

De-lurking lurkers are always fun! :D

[neatstuff]

I don't think there was any doubt that the threads that had turned into off-topic chat institutions were going to be closed.

MOO3's off-topic forum is on shaky ground as is, there isn't much of a permissible analog to it on the other game forums. Though I think there were few grumblings about this priviledged status in other forums, there is still some resentment that this forum has it. While it may not have happened, I wouldn't be surprised if one or all of the mods had their chops busted by the admins over the inflation of posts.

I've read a while back that there is a generally unadvertised policy of closing threads that have exceeded 1000 posts, and there were threads here that exceeded that number many times over. There are no threads of such huge lengths to be found at the top of the other forums, not even the slightly misnamed community chat. MOO3 off-topic had several that were always on top, even a cove with 34000 posts that dwarfed a few stand-alone forums. I'm not saying the threads were all spam, but I seriously doubt all 34000 posts of the cove were all on the same or a related topic. It had gotten to the point that a number of members were not even bothering to call what they were doing anything but spam.

Their size is due to a fundamental-if easily overlooked-misuse of the bulletin boards system. The long strings of back and forth posts between people having conversations make up a huge amount of the literally tens of thousands of posts, something more appropriate for an actual chat room and not for a message board. I'm sure the higher ups had eventually decided they would no longer tolerate the disproportionate amount of resources being allocated to conversations that had little interest to those outside of the small group having a conversation at any given time.

[Xentropy]

I'm not sure that I like "the new cove." Having an "entry portal", seeing some people from the original Cove (myself included) not included or invited, etc., just smacks of elitism and cliquishness.

rzawrekta said it best with:
And best of all, very few.. ahem... people we dislike...

Oh Brave New World, that has such people in it.

Guess Alex and I don't make the grade. :down:

[nukapai]

Xevious: Alexfrog and you were sent the password aaaages ago. Alexfrog has posted at the NeoCove already, although we would love to see more of him. I was wondering why you hadn't showed up yet, so this explains it.

Xevious the low-self-esteem pessimist always assumes the worst! I understand how it is (I'm a bit of a pessimist too), but this is a case of crossed wires (again). Chin up, matey! If you are not sure about something, ask, don't assume! We love you and want you in just like before! PM me and I'll fill you in.

I understand what you are saying about having the 'Beach' and then the 'Cove'. Believe me - we've had a lot of debate over at the new forum and at IRC about whether this is the best approach. There are a couple of solid reasons for why we've done things that way and the conclusion stands as is. It's not so much elitism, but protecting US from the outside (as we share so much personal info) and protecting the outside from US (as some of the material posted in the Pirates forum is not considered ok out in the public, at a forum that is supposed to be PG).

[Bhruic]

My take on things...

For every game a community of people who are interested in that game forms. That community continues to be interested in each other even when interest in the game itself wanes. Hence the Off-Topic forum. It's a place where people can continue to talk to the people they've enjoyed talking to previously, without the restriction of having to limit it to game material.

The problem comes in two forms. The most obvious are the people who have no respect for the community as a whole, but are only interested in their little slice of it. These are the people you see now posting things like "Well, I'm going to post whatever I want now, because it doesn't matter if I get banned". This type of post shows that the individual had no interest in the community, simply in their participation in it. When they can no longer participate in the manner they desire, they make their lack of respect for the rules of the forum quite evident. But that problem was always there, they never had respect for the rules, they simply want to avoid the annoyance of getting banned (these are, btw, the same people who made a "cult" out of getting various levels of WL (and yes, I agree that I'm overly generalizing with that statement)). People such as this are a detriment to the community, and indeed, in this case, actively caused the very situation they didn't want - although the situation shouldn't have been tolerated in the first place.

The second "problem" is more relevant to the Cove situation. These people are still interested in the welfare of the community, but have gone beyond the strictures of the community. They no longer come to the forum to talk about things with people, they come to talk to people about things. There's a very subtle difference there that I hope you can appreciate. Why did I label this a "problem"? Because it draws too far away from the purpose of Off-Topic. The purpose is not to provide a virtual "summer camp", it's to provide a virtual "water cooler" (somewhat shaky analogies, but fairly close). When you get to the point where you are exchanging life stories, you have moved well beyond the type of enviroment of a game forum.

Bh

[nukapai]

Referring to the 'second problem': I couldn't agree more. Which is why we (in our infinite wisdom! :haha: ) moved away from the gaming forum, to our own summer camp. ;)

Having said that: I think it just goes to show something (and to detail what exactly would be a half-a-day typing, so I won't attempt) about this community and its managers, plus the game that brought us together in the first place that such a strong 'summer camp' group can form.

I've seen similar things with Diablo and battle-net, but NOTHING to the extent of 'The Cove'.

[Bhruic]

Yes, and I agree, moving to your own forums was a very good call. I was more aiming my post towards the "why did the close the cove" questioners.

I think one of the things that helped the formation, oddly enough, was the disappointment with the game after such a long build up. People were "hanging around" the forums for quite some time in anticipation, forming "cyber-friendships". When the game came out, and a lot of people found it not to their liking, they wanted to continue to interact with people.

It's interesting, I was tempted to play the "maturity" card as well, on the assumption that people interested in TBS might be generally older, but some of the Cove regulars have struck me as being some of the more immature members of the forum (I don't say that in any judgemental way).

Still, although I have no personal interest in joining (I've exceeded my quota of "cyber relationships" for the month ;)), I wish the Cove members the best of luck in the future.

Bh

[OnyxBlade]

I just want to also state my support of the mods' decision to close down the pure spam threads. The only reason I ever posted in those were to either kill time or to alleviate boredom, and they were starting to become rather boring in the end.

That been said, they did form a large part of why some people visited the Off Topic forum, and the closing had the unfortunate side effect that many of the people with whom I had become acquainted and with whom I enjoyed talking to over the past months, have decided to leave. One only has to look at the amount of posts made in Off Topic today. I don't think it's reached double figures for the day yet. If one looks at only a couple of weeks ago, when the cove was in full swing still (To my sorrow, I never posted in there - I was too busy trying to catch up the thread. I think I reached around page 700 when it was shut down, alas), we enjoyed a much closer community, and it's one I'll sorely miss.

Indeed, it seems to me that Off Topic was the heart and soul of this community, and with the departure of all of my friends, I see very little reason to continue my involvement here as well, especially as one can only talk that much about a game, when that game's no longer the reason one's involved in the forums. I might just take a gander over to the NeoCove, if they'd have me, of course.

[FurionStormrage]

Hey, OnyxBlade! Check out the stickied thread at the top of this OT forum. You'll find instructions for how to get to the Neo Cove. Kick your heels up at The Beach for a while!

[Bhruic]

Originally posted by OnyxBlade
Indeed, it seems to me that Off Topic was the heart and soul of this community, and with the departure of all of my friends, I see very little reason to continue my involvement here as well, especially as one can only talk that much about a game, when that game's no longer the reason one's involved in the forums. I might just take a gander over to the NeoCove, if they'd have me, of course.

Ok, statements like that really steam me up. Heart and soul? I'd give you bowels, at best. In the mods forum, people are continuing to explore the game and try and find new ways to tinker with it. In the strategy forum, people continue to discuss how the game works, and make suggestions about how to play more effectively. And in the bugs/suggestion forums, people continue to track down bugs and think of ways to (hopefully) improve the game. These people are the "heart and soul" of this community. These are the people who are actually taking their time to try and do what they can to help other people out, or to help make the game better. Frankly, this particular board does absolute nothing in that regard. At best, it allows people a chance to blow off some steam.

The whole focus of this community is MoO3 - like it or not. It is the reason we all came here, at one point in time. It is the reason that some of us are still here. The community is about MoO3. Those people who no longer are interested in the game but choose to remain can still be a part of the community, but they are not, and shall not be the "heart and soul".

As for the "only talk about the game" comment, that is patently ludicrous. Take a look at the OT threads on page 1. How many of those are MoO3 related? Not a single one at the time of this posting. At best, you could stretch the FanFic, as some of those are MoO3 based. But all the others have nothing to do with MoO3. Are they locked? A few, yes. All? Not hardly. The mods made a point of closing threads that were filled with spam. The people who had no interest in the board beyond spamming overreacted in typical fashion and declared there to be no reason to remain. They were wrong. Assuming you aren't one of the "only here for spam" crowd, there's no reason to leave. You simply need to make sure that you are posting something of substance and of relevance to the thread topic. Considering the variety of topics I see, that should not be hard at all.

/end rant ;)

Bh

[nukapai]

Bhruic, ages, at the last count, we had:

One 17 (almost 18), at least one 18, at least 2 19, at least one 20, several mid-20s, a couple of 30-somethings (that'd be my category), and one 50-something. :)

[Bhruic]

nukapai - I think we both know that "age" and "maturity" are not synonomous. ;)

Bh

[Patton1942]

Originally posted by Bhruic
nukapai - I think we both know that "age" and "maturity" are not synonomous. ;)

Bh

Holy CRAP! They're not :haha:

:p

[The Wagster]

Act your shoe size, not your age. It's more fun ;)

[OnyxBlade]

Whoops. Seems like I've managed to convey a completely different message than I intended. I'll admit "heart and soul" was probably the wrong term to use. I meant something more in the line of the bridge between people here - without the discussions here in Off Topic, the forums would only be game related, not that that's a bad thing in the least, it just wouldn't have allowed for all the wonderful interactions we've been having here.

And yes, I managed to bungle the meaning in that second bit Bhruic quoted as well, and for that I do apologize to all who are still very actively involved here. What I meant to say was that I had lost interest in the game (only for a while hopefully :D), and was up until very recently only spending time here in Off Topic. To me the sudden departure of all my friends from here seems like a little death, and it is that loss that I am lamenting.

But who knows, maybe traffic here will pick up a bit over/after the weekend... maybe new worthwile topics will surface... I might not stay away for very long :)

[herknav]

Originally posted by Bhruic
nukapai - I think we both know that "age" and "maturity" are not synonomous. ;)

Bh

"I don't want to grow up, I'm a Toys-R-Us™ kid" eh? :)

[Xentropy]

Originally posted by nukapai
Xevious: Alexfrog and you were sent the password aaaages ago. Alexfrog has posted at the NeoCove already, although we would love to see more of him. I was wondering why you hadn't showed up yet, so this explains it.

>blink< Well, while Xevious may indeed have received the password, I did not. My last private message was received in mid-April, and I've never received an email from the forums (don't think that's even activated in my profile), so anyway...

[LazyViking]

Originally posted by Bhruic
Ok, statements like that really steam me up. Heart and soul? I'd give you bowels, at best. In the mods forum, people are continuing to explore the game and try and find new ways to tinker with it. In the strategy forum, people continue to discuss how the game works, and make suggestions about how to play more effectively. And in the bugs/suggestion forums, people continue to track down bugs and think of ways to (hopefully) improve the game. These people are the "heart and soul" of this community. These are the people who are actually taking their time to try and do what they can to help other people out, or to help make the game better. Frankly, this particular board does absolute nothing in that regard. At best, it allows people a chance to blow off some steam.

Did you ever stop to think that the very people who post(ed) in Off Topic was the same people that posted in the other sections of ATMOO? I myself have quite a successful strategy in the Strategy/Gameplay forums, i'm the 'president' of the WL:3 club and was one of the top posters in the Cove. JeBuS27 is the creator of the Megamod and is also an active poster in Off Topic. Ken the great is one of the main figures in GD, and he and several others from GD post in OT on a regular basis. These and more, are the people that get together in OT to have a nice non-moo related conversation after they've done what they do in the other sections. 'Heart and soul' might be going a bit far, but a central part of the Moo3 community yes. :up:

Anyways, that was just my 2 cents...:cool:

[Xevious_2001]

Originally posted by nukapai
Xevious: Alexfrog and you were sent the password aaaages ago. Alexfrog has posted at the NeoCove already, although we would love to see more of him. I was wondering why you hadn't showed up yet, so this explains it.

Xevious the low-self-esteem pessimist always assumes the worst! I understand how it is (I'm a bit of a pessimist too), but this is a case of crossed wires (again). Chin up, matey! If you are not sure about something, ask, don't assume! We love you and want you in just like before! PM me and I'll fill you in.


Er..hello? what? Xevious? Getting a bit confused there Nukapai?

[nukapai]

Ok, aaaaargh, sorry XENTROPY. My bad (very very bad) about typing out the wrong name beginning with X. I guess my brain shorted after X .....

Ok, I *did* send a PM to everyone 'regular' including you, and I know I didn't type out the wrong name THEN because it was direct from a link.

Alas, you did not receive it at the time, so I will happily PM you again now.

Wouldn't be the first time PMs go awol in here.

And sorry Xevious ..... argh. I feel a bit dumb now.

'They all look the same, how can you tell them apart?' :bulb: :weird:

[SanDragon]

Originally posted by Wag2003
Act your shoe size, not your age. It's more fun ;)

Seven-and-a-half vs. 39? Hmm... If only...:cry:

[Xentropy]

Originally posted by nukapai
Alas, you did not receive it at the time, so I will happily PM you again now.

Still nada. I'm not at my max mailbox size, either (I'm aware outgoing saved msgs count against it), and I never got an email saying a PM was attempted to be sent or anything... Hrm.

[nukapai]

Please check your PM when you get a chance, Xentropy.

[The Lazarus Man]

The Cove was born out of a frustration with flamers. I wasn't around for this part (though I'm a moo3'er from day nummer 1) but if anyone disputs the legitimacy of the original covers, I'll be happy to lock blades with you. Their interests were friendly discussion and support of the game. As Lazy Viking said earlier, many of the more infamous Covers have also been amoung the most active in the GD threads.. (Others in other spots.. like Mod.. also mentioned) I came to the cove as a refuge from idiocy when I first got here. My first GD post was why, basically, people were so hostile to each other? (Oh.. the innocence! :) ) I arrived at the cove.. and have never been as much a poster as a reader.. (And as a member of the NeoCove.. remain the same.) But damn if I wasn't taken by a group of people that could turn their common gaming interest into the closest thing to real friendship without actually ever physically meeting than can possibly exsist. For those that think that the Cove was mere spam.. Oh.. there are still threads setting up the next MP Moo3 game.. :p There.. neenner neener. :D

All said.. my forum experience goes back for a number of years and I have been a poster, a mod, and the "president" on forums, and, like Nukapai and others have said.. I've never seen anything quite of it's ilk.

Cheers, to you, my fellow pirates, who have come to explain something fairly wonderful to those that don't quite understand.

Sencho, etc.. no ill will for closing the Cove.. it was pretty obvious that it had to happen sometime.. Thanks for letting me meet so many interesting people.

Anyone that would disparage us.. Sorry for you.. you have no idea what you're missing..

Any one that wonders what this is all about... Come to the Beach.. and visit a truly amazing group of people

Cheers!

Edit: Numerous alcohol related typos. :D

[SanDragon]

*hic* *bump*

Sorry, m' fault.

*SanDragon staggers off.

[The Wagster]

Originally posted by SanDragon
*hic* *bump*

Sorry, m' fault.

*SanDragon staggers off.

Drunk posters... what are we to do with them?!?:p

[JosEPh]

Across the Echoes of Time the call goes out," Lazarus! Come Forth!"


:D


JosEPh

[SanDragon]

:D

[mpotto]

I guess SanDragon was so drunk he "bumped" into the thread. :haha:

[SanDragon]

Ironic that I don't drink, isn't it? :p

[mpotto]

Well that would explain why your tolerance is so low; and we all should be more tolerant right? When I came back from basic training two beers made me so drunk I almost passed out. :o