Heyho folks, Given the Mission threads regarding the alpha client missions have been up for a while now, I thought I'd ask you folks for some feedback on them - mainly so we can get a "standardized" way to set them up in the future. For example: Were the spoiler-tags unnecessary, or even a hindrance? Should OP have been updated with each solved step? Did seperate threads discourage discussion? Would a single thread for all current missions have been preferable, or some other setup? Should we be less discouraging of potential spoilers? (i.e. contrary to encouraging spoiler-tags, and even then hints mainly, leading to "beating around the bush" type discussions) Anything else you can think of - negative or positive - what worked, and what didn't. I'll add my own thoughts later on.
I preferred the missions threads set up the way they were. I could easily click between one forum thread and the other depending on what I was working on. I think if they were all in one thread, it would get massively confusing. As it was, in the threads, I often got confused as to whether a poster was talking about part one or part two of a mission. So at the very least, I think the mission threads should remain separated. It would have been nice if OP were updated with each solved step: it's like they went only so far and then dropped into radio silence a couple of times. I'm on the fence about the spoilers...I did like how few answers were posted, and hints only. I do have to say that some of the hints, however, were more confusing to me than the original mission. I do think spoiler hints should be allowed for those who wish to use them: myself, with my negative infinity computer skills, rely on them for help when it comes to codebreaking or the use of online tools. Someday we will get a symbolism/literary based mission, and then I will shine! I can decode paintings...but strings of letters or numbers, not so much...
Most of the threads took the form of a player oriented discussion where people mainly commented on the mission or provided assistance. Use of spoiler tags in these cases seemed entirely appropriate. But I don't know if that was the kind of discussion envisioned for these forums. Mission 18 stood out, since it first went through the interesting phase of people making collaborative type posts as they tried to figure it out and shared what they knew or thought they knew. I enjoyed that part of it. At that time some people marked their posts as spoilers, and some didn't. I am OK either way in this kind of situation. I like to see people discuss the approach they are trying or even one they tried and gave up on. It facilitates an atmosphere of group effort and exposes people to other approaches or techniques that may not have occurred to them. I think it also enhances the idea that we are working on a mission and not just solving some interesting puzzle. I am in favor of anything that would increase this. If spoiler tags prove to be a hindrance for this I would not have a problem discouraging their use in this kind of situation. The question is can a single thread accommodate these seemingly conflicting types of discussions where one seeks to carefully guard information that might spoil the game for people as players but the other asks people to act as agents who should be sharing information to solve a mission? If not, what is the solution? I don't know the answer, but I am still pondering it.
Were the spoiler-tags unnecessary, or even a hindrance? There's really no easy answer for this one, since there are varying opinions and playstyles regarding spoilers. Some, like my roommate, would probably gut their best friend if even the tiniest thing was spoiled, while others, like me, hardly give a crap. However, I don't know why a person who is avoiding all possible spoilers would go to browse a forum thread dedicated to the topic. I don't think there was a problem with spoiler tags in these mission threads. I think the best way to do it is continue whats been done for the most part, and designate (spoiler=hint, spoiler=answer, spoiler=idea/theory/hypothesis/brainmush) Should OP have been updated with each solved step? I think it should be. Hints, answer and credit to first solver(s), too if we feel like it haha. It makes reference a whole lot easier than searching through the whole thread. It might be a bit much to ask for the mission materials in the OP (pictures/text) but that could be a nice addition too depending how feasible. Did seperate threads discourage discussion? Would a single thread for all current missions have been preferable, or some other setup? Separate threads all the way. It would have been a hot mess if all the missions had been together on one thread, since there's no particular order beyond mission number and people are jumping in as they hear about the alpha. I'll think more and write more.
Seperate Threads are important to me - at least if the missions are clearly distinct. I guess in the kickstarter mission era there were different paths of the same mission and therefore threads became entwined around different aspects. It might be partly solvable by clever mission design and different sub-steps but this community will be good at finding unforeseen paths, I guess In those cases we might simply add sub-threads? I am totally ok with spoilers and one click more to reveal the texts does not discourage discussions. It is a bit difficult to decide right now, as the community missions have been mostly straight-forward with few discussion in the threads. This will also become different when missions get longer and more complex. An example could be the "alpha mission" thread where less spoilers and more discussion are present. I would appreciate, though, to keep as many spoilers as possible. But this is in the end up to the sensititvity of the poster or a good aand fast editing skill of a moderator. I would like to use forum threads to learn where the investigation is at the moment - as I am still only clearance red and not 24/7 active, although this might change - without stumbling over the complete solution.
So, if I've got the general gist of it all: Per mission thread: Provides easy overview of seperate missions, but can get cluttered regardless, if mission is multi-staged (OP updates should alleviate this, I suspect) Use of spoiler tags: Does not detract from discussion (does it detract from verisimilitude?). Adding descriptions is a huge boon to help sort types of spoilers (hints, solutions, brainfarts) OP updates: Should be kept up to date with latest news regardinng the mission. (my bad this round) In other words, the structure we just used was nearly "perfect". While people may differ om how much they want to avoid spoilers, considerate use of spoiler tags with descriptions make it easy to sort the information one needs/wants, regardless of preference. Per mission threads gave a clear overview of the various missions available, but multi-staged missions could get a bit confusing (most likely moreso when more staged are added to a single mission). I imagine that, if the OP is updated with the latest cleared steps - and with sufficient additional thread-relevant information - this should be somewhat avoidable. For example: That way, people can easily "skip" to the point in a thread where the mission transitions from one step to the next. Not sure whether or not credit should be given. On one hand, friendly competition is always good, but on the other, being overlooked can be very demoralising, not to mention hard to prevent from occuring in some shape or form at some point, but I reckon that's a point for another day. Anywho, cheers for the feedback, and don't hesitate to add any thought you might have on the matter. This was just a summary - not a conclusion.
I've seen on other forums, that the OP can be pinned and can be seen at the top of every page of the thread. Is this possible to do with our forums PHP code either as an option or the PHP code can be modified to include such a feature?
Somewhat divergent from the thread structure: I think it was mentioned in an update that there are an expected 40 missions in season one. Assuming they are retired at the end of the season to the "Archived Missions" thread and that a majority of these missions will be available and active simultaneously, there will be a lot more threads in the "Ongoing Missions" subforum. In that case, are separate threads still desirable? Maybe have to wait until missions are detailed haha
Regardless of everything else you said, I love you for your use of the word verisimilitude. That is one of my favorite words ever.
I like where this is going. The main problem I have with spoiler tags is I really like using them lest I disclose something others may want to not see. But, there is no handy tool to make a spoiler like there is for links and such, every time I must make the spoiler from scratch. OK, maybe I'd just have to make a canned text to cut/paste from notepad.
If you click the 4th icon from the right at the top of the input box (torn article type thing to the left of the floppy-disc), you should get a drop-down menu with a shortcut to add a Spoiler. Clicking it will prompt you for a title to the spoiler, and after doing so, move the cursor to within the spoiler tag created.
