A thread for me to blow off some steam at the forums

[The Veteran Eagle]

So, backpack.tf forums is turning into SCUD? Yeah, no thanks, I prefer a place where people can (and know when to) be funny and serious without needing the use of "dank memes".

 

Unfortunately, I'm kinda a newfag, so I don't have much input on this issue. All I want is a place where people can have nice, friendly and serious discussions with cool jokes that doesn't involve steel beams. If I want to legitimately shitpost (which I rarely do), I go to the Steam forums (where most of the time, I actually try to be serious, anyway).

[Scott Bakula]

I'd say it has to do with the average age of the forumers dropping. Back in the earlier days, it was primarily around 16-19. Nowadays, the boards have attracted a much younger crowd (13-16), who tend to be less mature and more vocal, primarily thanks to that wonderful cocktail of hormones and body hair known as puberty.

 

As a person who has been using various internet forums longer than some of the people here have been alive, I can say that there will always be shitposting and drama no matter where you go. The only way to truly avoid it is by keeping your mental filters up and just ignore it. Ignore topics you aren't interested in, and don't get into arguments with idiots (As as Mark Twain put it, they'll just drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.). And the biggest thing is to try not to get riled up. Get passionate, but not mad. If a shitposter fails to get a rise out of you, it just puts them in an awkward position that encourages them to not continue. Have you ever told a joke that fell completely flat? That's the feeling you want to induce in those folks.

[Senpai Absol~]

I just come here to make sure i'm not missing anything happening in the steam area, but then I get side tracked and post on threads

I love this place, but it can cause drama at times.

I've dicussed with venom and angel before how I kinda wanted to request a perma ban but I decided not to. I think it was a good choice.

[Darklunerninja]

I have been on the forums for over a year now and I still rarely post anything.  I can usually never find anything worth posting on other peoples threads since its usually goes to hell in a short amount of time or I just can't relate to it.  I do however check here everyday to see whats going on and occasionally help anyone that needs it.

[polar]

(1) I see a lot of comments here about spam. If you don't report them, nothing is going to change. You can't complain about spam if you don't report it. Well, you can, but the mods are not going to take you seriously. To my knowledge, spam reports are getting taken care of very quickly, much quicker than they used to because we have dedicated forum mods. 

 

(2) If you have a problem with how any mod is handling any situation, you can PM another mod after your ban expires. I have entertained MANY ban appeals / warning appeals through PMs and have frequently removed warning points and reduced bans. I ignore all adds, and I know several other mods do as well. If you have a forum ban, you can make an appeal here - backpack.tf/issue - and request the thread be moved to the ban appeals section. I can't promise we'll get to it immediately, but we rarely take longer than a few days. 

 

(3) Lastly, if you have specific suggestions for us on the staff to do a better job, feel free to make a post in the suggestions tab, particularly under the pinned thread for forums-specific suggestions. I have frequently reached out to you all to get feedback on things like moderation of status updates and moderation in the GB and have been shot down repeatedly - I get told to leave things as is. I can't change anything if you don't tell me what you want changed. 

[comfortable]

The forums were a lot more alive when TF2 was being constantly updated. Everything on this site was based around TF2, and that's what kept us from going apeshit. With nothing major related to a TF2 update to talk about, we're bored with ourselves and people are leaving as well.

 

It's a fucking shame that it has come to this.

[Baloo]

Well, if I may provide a personal view point on the history of the backpack.tf forums, I believe it may shed some light on its current state.

 

The backpack.tf forums on Steam were rather inactive, as are most Steam group forums. When Brad Pitt first released these backpack.tf forums they were mainly used by the active suggesters and voters. It had the vibe of being Facebook for backpack.tf members. The active forum users shared the bond of all being active on the main site, and would help users who would come to these forums to ask for help, which is still done today by new active main site users. However, since it was such a vibrant community, unlike many others in Team Fortress 2, it began to attract users who saw an attention base here. There were users before HeavyLord, but I believe HeavyLord is the first memorable non-contributing member to the forums. He got his start ranting about the unfair closing of his multiple incorrect Robo Keys, and then stayed due to the immediate responses he was able to get from other users. Overtime, more and more of these users have found a place on these forums. These non-contributing users now have a base of other people who are also fairly non-contributing which find comfort among each other. Its a shame, personally, I feel as though I'm watching the forums slowly turn into a cesspool. I realize there's still good in it, and its purpose, but I have had private conversations with some moderators, and they agree, but also see their main duty on the main site, first. Its been made clear these forums are meant to have a relaxed feel by popular opinion, but its certainly annoying and frustrating to some of the users here.

 

Now, even after all this has been said...I don't think just mindlessly banning people on a witch hunt accomplishes much. The permanent bans which have been issued are fine, but continuing forward aimlessly is a bit extreme. I do not speak for the moderators, but I know its an opinion of some to have the forums alive the way they are rather than have them sit inactively. I do not think its about maturity level, though its certainly an issue. I believe the bigger problem is some of the active users on these forums do not actually contribute to backpack.tf, or are in fact banned from the main site. I think a big reason these forums are seen as better in the past, beyond nostalgia, is because there is a certain level of maturity required and acquired by contributing to the actual site in a meaningful way over a period of time.

[polar]

I believe the bigger problem is some of the active users do not actually contribute to backpack.tf, or are in fact banned from the main site. 

 

I think this will change when we get away from IPB and make our own, homemade forums which will be linked more directly into the main site. But we'll see...

[MC22]

I think this will change when we get away from IPB and make our own, homemade forums which will be linked more directly into the main site. But we'll see...

Well, won't I just disappear then? I can't say if that's a bad thing.

[Chimera]

There can be some humor in the immaturity on the forums, but for the most part it's downright ridiculous. What needs to be taught lately just seems to be when to do what at what times. In other words, playful posts call for playful comments, serious posts call for serious comments.

 

I've simply dropped a major amount of the sense of humor because there seems to be too much of it lately, including more than it's share at inappropriate times. I'd rather contribute to serious discussions and even extremely touchy ones, since it seems most people would rather shitpost and not put in any valuable insight or even serious opinions on a case.

 

I've indeed had my share of immaturity, and have actually said some absolutely dipshit things, I'd just rather stay away and try to treat something the way it needs to be treated, and I'm hoping a lot of the forum users soon decide to take that action.

[The Recluse]

Anyone who has ever posted the same "joke" that someone else posted is automatically my least favorite person alive and nothing they ever do will change that.  

 

That said, anyone who writes stuff like

 

To state why I want to leave: The community... *sigh*  

 

is also bad and should feel bad.

 

Reason for going inactive: too busy watching Pitch Perfect 2 and eating hot wings. These are really good <3

[ENDED]

Anyone who has ever posted the same "joke" that someone else posted is automatically my least favorite person alive and nothing they ever do will change that.  

 

That said, anyone who writes stuff like

 

To state why I want to leave: The community... *sigh* 

 

is also bad and should feel bad.

 

Reason for going inactive: too busy watching Pitch Perfect 2 and eating hot wings. These are really good <3

what

[BlueSpider]

I agree 100% with most of your statements. A main reason I'm less active and like never post is due to immaturity and trolling and such. I mainly just use it ow for input on some offers I get and that kind of thing.

[Angelcake]

I just joined recently, and the Venom, Sugarcube, BOX drama is already annoying me.

 

And the fact that i can't ever make a serious post without some 10 year old calling me a 40 year old man. 

 

Still debating if i want to keep trying out the forums, or if i want to save myself the headache.

this

[Explosion-chan]

If I'm being too toxic, tell me and I'll cool off a bit.

[Gent♥]

Nothing lasts forever.

 

The forums aren't toxic, they're just more toxic than they used to be. Anyone who thinks the forum is toxic has no sense of perspective and no appreciation for both how nice some of the users here are and how good some of the moderating here is. If you wanna see toxic, go look it, like, any sonic fansite forums or something, then come back.

[ENDED]

Nothing lasts forever.

 

The forums aren't toxic, they're just more toxic than they used to be. Anyone who thinks the forum is toxic has no sense of perspective and no appreciation for both how nice some of the users here are and how good some of the moderating here is. If you wanna see toxic, go look it, like, any sonic fansite forums or something, then come back.

>aren't toxic

>more toxic

wot

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

on the other part, sonic fansite forums are more toxic than a broken nuclear reactor

[Rambro]

I would leave, but this is literally the only place I frequent on the internet besides FB where I can talk to regulars.

 

General discussion is old.

PRS is cancer.

Technology even more so.

GB is dead, and not to mention unfunny.

 

95% of my opinions are bashed on by sensitive little kids.

 

 

 

Yet somehow I keep coming back for more.

[knavesmith]

Nothing lasts forever.

 

The forums aren't toxic, they're just more toxic than they used to be. Anyone who thinks the forum is toxic has no sense of perspective and no appreciation for both how nice some of the users here are and how good some of the moderating here is. If you wanna see toxic, go look it, like, any sonic fansite forums or something, then come back.

I'm pretty sure we all appreciate the good that comes from these forums, but considering the massive amount of "non-contribution" as Baloo states it, it practically overshadows anything positive that occurs on these forums. There are still good people on these forums, and we still acknowledge them. We're not saying "everyone on here is toxic" but rather, as you say, "the forums has gotten much more toxic than before," and that toxicity has surpassed the level of comfort.

[Gent♥]

>aren't toxic

>more toxic

wot

 

Like, say for a forum to be considered 'toxic', as a term, straight-up, it needs to be a 10 on the toxic-ometer.

We're a 6, but we used to be a 3. Not toxic, but more toxic

[Gent♥]

I'm pretty sure we all appreciate the good that comes from these forums, but considering the massive amount of "non-contribution" as Baloo states it, it practically overshadows anything positive that occurs on these forums. There are still good people on these forums, and we still acknowledge them. We're not saying "everyone on here is toxic" but rather, as you say, "the forums has gotten much more toxic than before," and that toxicity has surpassed the level of comfort.

 

There's no such thing as non-contribution, that's just a judgement of content, an opinion.

[knavesmith]

There's no such thing as non-contribution, that's just a judgement of content, an opinion.

Yet you're saying that in a thread that started out as an opinion, followed with everyone's opinion, and more than likely will end in a popular opinion.

[Gent♥]

Yet you're saying that in a thread that started out as an opinion, followed with everyone's opinion, and more than likely will end in a popular opinion.

 

I know. Just putting it out there :3

[Teeny Tiny Cat]

This forum definitely has a maturity level way below any other I use, but the others are places I've been for 10+ years in some cases so we're all old farts who've grown up together. I'm sure we were just like you guys when we were 15, and it's kinda fun for me to see a bit of that again when a lot of my e-friends are boring old sods who just talk about kids all the time. I'm too old for y'all but too young for the people poppin out babies.

 

It's also kinda weird coming here as a noob when I was already a relatively active main site contributer, because some people know me but a large chunk of the forum userbase do not.

[Karam]

Thank you for summing it up really

 

I understand it is the internet .. i haven't been around for much lately not on the main site nor forums .. when i wanted to be more regular like before i realised it will might never happen.

Trolls are everywhere, i dont know when they will understand that they are not funny, unoriginal and total arseholes for ruining such a beautifully built community. And hey, the people who were frequent werent dead serious .. we just wanted to have fun with good people who use the site and have a lot in common .. sure we used lame jokes, made fun and trolled each other, but now it is out of control and is becoming disgusting.

Main site is a total different story and a story for later, but the forums thingy is really going out of hand, i hope some realize how unfunny and unoriginal they are, hopefully things can be back the way they were (pretty sure it wont, but one can hope)