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MW2 - 402 gets called out by IW forum mods
Boomsling | 3:47 AM on 12.15.2009 26 comments




There's a lot to read here, but fear not the WALL OF TEXT!!!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Fourzerotwo

Nothing goes unnoticed. Even if we can't reply to everything, I and many of the team at Infinity Ward, do read everything. Including these forums.

However, Twitter has proven itself to be one of the most effective ways to get information quickly from users, find out a problems instantly, and spread information the fastest to not only our community as a whole (even if I post on Twitter, it spreads here quickly) but to news outlets so they can let even more players know (who don't check official forums).

This thread is a great example of why Twitter is an effective medium. 90% of the posts in this thread have absolutely nothing to do with the topic. Meaning someone who wanted to converse or talk about this issue, would have to filter through all the off topic posts. On Twitter, you get just the information you want, straight from the source, without the need to filter anything.

So, while you may not be a fan of Twitter. It has proved essential in helping us stay on top of important issues and communicate out to our audience. Information posted on Twitter spreads faster and to more users than forum posts ever have. It's a great communication medium. In addition, it's the fastest way to get updates out even when traveling or out of the studio thanks to it's mobile applications.

----------

Quote:
Originally Posted by community mod

Twitter being an effective means to communicate is not in question here though as we all know and understand that it is. But how does that justify essentially completely ignoring Infinity Ward's very own forums completely, both in any type of support for it or in just acknowledging issues, problems, concerns on the official website for IW and MW2?

It seems people are told to come this website and by virtue these forums as well as assuming that this is the site to come to for very obvious reasons (and more than reasonable for them to do so), and thus come here for support instead of following the instructions on the back of the instruction booklet. And when they do come here and find no area for information, updates, etc such as a simple intel feed, page, or other and then decide to come to these forums to try to find an answer, or to simply ask their question they are immediately exposed to disgusting images, users, replies, posts, threads, etc, not to mention a forum that is lacking the most basic of things like working BBC code or even just being able to log in. I mean, how could a company let their OWN forums become so horrible? Especially with the resources available to them, not to mention the people willing and able to do the work for FREE sitting in place asking for that support...for the lest several months?! I honestly don't know how you or IW are not embarrassed in regards to these forums.

We aren't asking for much at all, only for you, or whatever web team, to do what we reasonably assume is a part of their jobs in regards to the support for these forums. In terms of information and such, it's still not much at all. Simply that you acknowledge problems, issues, concerns like you did here on a regular basis. Members responded very positively to see some activity from yourself because that's all we asked for and continue to do so in terms of acknowledgment. We don't want time commitments for extended conversations and such. We want a simple acknowledgment as you did here as well as in another thread. It does not require much more time than it takes you to post on twitter, especially considering that you say you DO read the forums and what is being discussed on here. As stated in another thread concerning this idea, you can make a thread about a particular issue and just lock it, or do any other method of your choosing just so that members on these forums do not feel completely ignored as they have felt for months now.

The moderator team would also very much appreciate some sort of response to the multitude of concerns and issues we've brought up beyond the usual "the web team is on it" since that obviously has not gotten us anywhere or remotely addressed the issues we brought up.

This forum could be a GREAT place for people to come to to discuss MW2 and Infinity Ward as well as provide a much better line of communication between them and yourself/IW than twitter due to there being no 140 character limit here. This would very much allow people to better express themselves, explain themselves, etc leading to better communication of their ideas, opinions, & concerns as well as being able to get feedback to them from IW and other users in the same manner without having to sift through countless tweets as well as organizing the conversations in one thread easily accessed by all. But, it is about as far away from that as it can be right now much to the dismay of users.

Having said all of this, it is great to see some activity out of yourself on here and hopefully we can look forward to much more, as well as the site and forums hopefully receiving some much needed support. Thank you for posting your acknowledgment of this situation and taking part in the forums once again.

----------



Quote:
Originally Posted by another mod

Rob why do you choose to comment on this when Cokra has come out and laid out essentially what we and the forums feel?

----------

Quote:
Originally Posted by Cokra

Are you freaking kidding me Rob?! You completely ignore almost EVERYTHING I talked about, discussed, or mentioned and instead decided to quote someone else to avoid all of those question/concerns. And when you did address myself in your reply you only replied to one singular thing and ignored everything else. Not to mention that is not, by a long shot, the only issue or concern we have brought to you, Infinity Ward, and now Activision. Why were half of our abilities and powers taken away with no explanation? Then ignored us consistently when we inquired about them.

Also, we are tired of these complete rehash statements about the web team and most of all these sympathy statements you are trying to use to exempt yourself from actually doing anything or responding in a decent fashion. When will you ACTUALLY respond to us? When will you ACTUALLY give us the explanation we deserve? I mean hell, we've worked for you for absolutley nothing, dedicated many many hours of our time to keeping these forums in some semblance of order. We have given much more than asked of us, and not for you or IW by a long shot, but for the community, and you don't even have the decency to acknowledge us for MONTHS and then when you weakly do you ignore almost every issue, pawn off the same mediocre response, try to play funny, and then try to play the sympathy card again.

This isn't the beginning and it's far from the end. It's the middle. It started with Sparky, with J.RHy@n, and this had been going on for months before we ever came along. Those two held the forums down for a very long time while the game was actually being developed. They had the powers to do what was necessary and they, too, had their powers taken away with no explanation. They also had zero communication such as we have had. This is far removed from the time for trial and error, waaay beyond that. The forums are a complete disaster, and for what reason? What reason at all?! Because you don't trust us? Haven't we earned that trust by our actions as moderators, by sticking around ALL of this time despite the complete lack of support, and by dedicating a substantial amount of time here to "hold down the fort" while you are away? All while having absolutley no expectations of being rewarded or reimbursed?

Please, give us the answers, explanations, and the damn common courtesy we deserve and have more than earned.

----------




Quote:
Originally Posted by Cokra

It would, but we've tried way more than numerous times to do so privately through every line of private and public communication we could think of. This is actually what it has boiled down to seems to be the only way we might possibly get the response we need and deserve out of him.

----------

And... fourzerotwo's response:

Quote:
Originally Posted by fourzerotwo

We completely appreciate all the time you've put into helping clean up the forums for the community, but you sound like you need a MUCH needed vacation from the duty. You sound like you're about to have a heart attack, and I can promise you that NOTHING online is worth getting that worked up over.

The Community Moderator position was designed to be volunteer work to help address spam as they could. It is not meant to consume your life. It's a hard, thankless, and daunting thing to take on, but you really shouldn't let it get to you like this.

As far as site issues, there is nothing further to comment other than the web team is aware of the issues and are looking into it. I'm sorry if that response doesn't meet your standards but there is nothing additional to add at this time.

To Foxhound as well, there are no additional moderation powers to give. As I stated above, the Community Moderator role is a limited one and we won't be giving any more access to user profiles than is currently available. The role of a community moderator is purely to delete spam as they see fit, lock threads, and help point people in the right direction with questions / looking for answers. All of which can be done with current powers.

That said, none of this is really relevant to the topic at hand and has no place in the public forum.

----------

WALL OF TEXT ENDS

Naturally this has now been deleted from IW forums, the mods have been removed and 402 has walked away from it.

We should all un-subscribe from his twitter account and drop this idiot, he doesn't deserve his roll in the industry. There are many that would do it better, for less and appreciate the privileged position a lot more than this guy. His response just reeks of patronisation, self importance and arrogance.

He is a much use to the community as tits on a fish.



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24 comments | showing # 1 to 24
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Chris Carter's Avatar - Comment posted on 12/15/2009 04:55
Chris Carter
So wait; I'm too lazy to read this at 6 in the morning, but I am interested.

So basically this guy who looks like a frat-asshole, and sounds like a frat-asshole, turned out to be an asshole?
FalconReaper's Avatar - Comment posted on 12/15/2009 04:58
FalconReaper
@ Magnalon

Isn't that how the asshole theory works ?
vApathyv's Avatar - Comment posted on 12/15/2009 05:23
vApathyv
Looks like an ass, talks like an ass, bullshits like an ass...yeah, must be an ass.
Chris Carter's Avatar - Comment posted on 12/15/2009 05:24
Chris Carter
@Falcon

Sometimes: in theory.
Jon B's Avatar - Comment posted on 12/15/2009 05:50
Jon B
I'm pretty sure when they killed off the dedi server and mod support, they showed that they didn't give a shit about building a community around the game apart from the sheep who will channel all their money into buying whatever POS DLC Infinity Ward chews out.

I have zero respect for a company I used to love, and this just makes me feel bad for the people who are trying to get something decent in the way of a community around the game and being shunned by the game's very own devs.
Pixelated Lilac's Avatar - Comment posted on 12/15/2009 06:13
Pixelated Lilac
Wait, maybe I'm reading this the wrong way but didn't Infinity Ward take pride in having positions like Community Moderator. I remember reading magazine articles on these people. Now it just seems like they want to take a dump on them and their loyal fanbase.

IW is getting to ballsy here >=O
Guncannon's Avatar - Comment posted on 12/15/2009 06:17
Guncannon
Bowling is not a complete ass, though he seems to be having trouble dealing with the fact that IW has built up such a large fanbase, that a single spokesman posting occasional updates won't cut it.

Bungie still has one of the best-managed communities for a developer. They post weekly updates that answer questions, show insight on the design process, and throw in a bit of humour. Compare that to Bowling's twitter approach, which is better for instant reactions, but terrible for providing detailed information. Heck, even Treyarch did a better job with their community for WaW.
Jesus H Christ's Avatar - Comment posted on 12/15/2009 07:02
Jesus H Christ
i liek mw2
Xzyliac's Avatar - Comment posted on 12/15/2009 07:58
Xzyliac
Hot damn.
CRKFIEND's Avatar - Comment posted on 12/15/2009 08:39
CRKFIEND
Obviously the forums aren't being THAT neglected... Fourzerotwo responded to the guy...
SnakeDude4Life's Avatar - Comment posted on 12/15/2009 09:56
SnakeDude4Life
IW Got big and now "they" believe their shit don't stink[/summary]
Char Aznable's Avatar - Comment posted on 12/15/2009 10:19
Char Aznable
So, to recap:

-Guy posts on Twitter instead of forum. Rage ensues.
-Guy doesn't care about unpaid volunteers that rant and rave endlessly about ultimately meaningless bullshit on the internet.
-Guy is worse than Hitler and should be murdered, and nobody should ever play IW games again.

Do I have that right? Come on, what the fuck are we talking about here?
Samson's Avatar - Comment posted on 12/15/2009 10:26
Samson
I agree with guncannon, bungie.net hasn't ever really given me issues, and it offers a lot more
Samson's Avatar - Comment posted on 12/15/2009 10:27
Samson
I agree with guncannon, bungie.net hasn't ever really given me issues, and it offers a lot more
Elsa's Avatar - Comment posted on 12/15/2009 11:25
Elsa
I don't get it. Correct me if I'm interpreting this wrong... but it seems that
1. IW has volunteer moderators who look after the forums
2. These moderators had concerns that the responses were "team is working on it" and seemed to ignore a lot of the moderator's issues brought to IW
2. Moderators wanted more powers than what they currently had.

Then there was a public spat between moderators and IW and IW terminated the current moderators.

I don't get what the problem is. Moderating is thankless work especially when done as a volunteer. No, you likely won't get "extra" powers because user profiles often contain confidential information and "just anybody" doesn't have the right to access. Getting no response or "we're looking into it" is standard... in fact being a moderator means passing this on and dumping some cold water on the hot heads impatient for a response. It really is a thankless role.

When moderators step beyond their boundaries (volunteers or not) the company has every right to relieve them of their position. They do represent the company and the company has a right to expectations (again, even if this is a volunteer position).

Frankly, as I've said... being a good moderator is hard work. I'm not surprised to see more and more companies seeking qualified people for the "community moderator" position and paying them. This tends to encourage a little more loyalty to the company and binds them to things such as non-disclosures that are common in the workforce.

To be honest... I side with IW on this. If the volunteer moderators weren't happy... leave. Others would gladly take their place. Ethics would dictate that they shouldn't take their disputes public.
burglarize's Avatar - Comment posted on 12/15/2009 12:13
burglarize
It's true that being a Mod is thankless work, and they shouldn't have felt entitled to more powers and things like that.

But 402 and IW's lack of thanks and just general dick-ness is pretty lame.
Xzyliac's Avatar - Comment posted on 12/15/2009 12:19
Xzyliac
@Elsa
Which all well and good until you bring this up...

Why were half of our abilities and powers taken away with no explanation? Then ignored us consistently when we inquired about them.

That kinda complicates things I think.

I think one of the issues seems to be there was decency and law in the land and then, for whatever reason to the benefit of IW and to the buttfucking of the community loyalist, they took from those who were assuring decency ushering in chaos in a place that was made for the community to provide feedback.

Boomsling a prelude leading into this drama would've been appreciated.
Elsa's Avatar - Comment posted on 12/15/2009 12:34
Elsa
@Xzyliac... one of the problems with taking this type of issue public is that the public often doesn't see what goes on behind the scenes and the entire story. You're right that having their abilities/powers taken away with no explanation does complicate things... but it should have been handled privately.

This is just one of those things where we'll never know the whole story or be able to see both sides of the issue.

I guess the important thing is how IW handles the forums from here on out and if they maintain appropriate moderation and communication in their forums... who does it shouldn't be an issue... that it's done should be I guess. (from a consumer perspective).
Elsa's Avatar - Comment posted on 12/15/2009 12:34
Elsa
@Xzyliac... one of the problems with taking this type of issue public is that the public often doesn't see what goes on behind the scenes and the entire story. You're right that having their abilities/powers taken away with no explanation does complicate things... but it should have been handled privately.

This is just one of those things where we'll never know the whole story or be able to see both sides of the issue.

I guess the important thing is how IW handles the forums from here on out and if they maintain appropriate moderation and communication in their forums... who does it shouldn't be an issue... that it's done should be I guess. (from a consumer perspective).
Elsa's Avatar - Comment posted on 12/15/2009 12:35
Elsa
ooops... excuse the double (now triple) post... Dtoid is still being fussy for me and I got an internal error the first time I hit post. :(
BS3 Owner's Avatar - Comment posted on 12/15/2009 13:12
BS3 Owner
@ Elsa

1. 100% agree... If they feel like they have been mistreated.
Leave or handle such issues privately.
The "Volunteers" are hoping for frothy rabid fans to make a public backlash.
(( Using the internet as a tool for their own wants,needs & concearns. ))

2. DTOID has mostly half loaded avatars for me. So it's not your internet's end.
(( Ever since DTOID's Shut Down. ))

@ Brainderailment

o.O Deep.
Stevil's Avatar - Comment posted on 12/15/2009 14:39
Stevil
Seems to me like the moderators thought they were closer to Infinity Ward than the regular fans and felt like they deserved more than the hangers-on they were. Which is basically the truth, but I think Infinity Ward could have handled it better. They probably didn't because they can do just about anything they want at the moment, with plenty of willing posters ready to fill in.

Interactive forums (like MTV2 UK back in the day) are all about the illusion of power for the users. Stuff like this incident just breaks the spell and everyone learns a lesson...and that's actually a positive thing at the end of the day. Gamers need to just wise up a little about where they actually stand.

@Elsa: Don't worry I'm getting a lot of problems too. It's the site. Avatars are missing and I lost a few comments on my monthly musing too.
Boomsling's Avatar - Comment posted on 12/15/2009 14:42
Boomsling
@ Xyzliac:

Prelude: 30 secs after the announcement of there being no dedi's in MW2 the IW forums went nuts. The volunter mods were left to clean up the mess and rage posts. the IW forums were a joke, they still are but would be much worse if it wasnt for the mods that try to retain a certain amount of order there. 402 has almost completely ignored the forums since that day.
Locke's Avatar - Comment posted on 12/21/2009 15:19
Locke
thanks for the update! keep up the good work.
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