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Bloated, PR paste-bin |OT|s are a plague on these boards

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T

ThatObviousUser

ὁ αἴσχιστος παῖς εἶ
Chet Rippo said:
So, how did I do for my first |OT|?
Good? Bad?
Click to expand...

I like it a lot. :)

Headers could be better though, probably should have used or or even an image instead of (I hate underlines for the most part...) >.>

Also maybe replace the screens with re-sized shots from Dolphin. ;)

I do really like it as-is though, divulges all the crucial information in a good format.
 
C

Chavelo

Member
I don't like this new trend of using only images on the OP. I really appreciate the work behind it, but it just looks tacky with this forum layout. I find text more appropriate with some nice images/banners. I dunno, I'm more of a simple OT type of guy...:-/
 
S

SapientWolf

Trucker Sexologist
ShockingAlberto said:
I think the point is that some people think this is fucking weird and should stop.
Click to expand...
People are welcome to their opinions and all, and I'm glad we have this thread. But if the Saints Row 3 OT doesn't crash my web-browser with GIFs I'm gonna be seriously disappointed.
 
Stahsky

Stahsky

A passionate embrace, a beautiful memory lingers.
Meier said:
Agreed. I literally NEVER go to any other games site nor do I feel the need or desire to -- this has been the case for nearly the entire 10+ years I've been at GAF. Giant Bomb can go fuck itself for all I care. A lot of info in the OP of the OT can only be a good thing.
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Come on man, all of that text in the AC:R is put to little use being in image form, and all those posts dedicated to the earlier titles could have been avoided by simply linking to previous OTs.

Having a cleaner and less intrusive OT doesn't suddenly mean information must be lacking.

Take a look at the Skyrim thread. Plenty of history and all the needed information one would need to look into purchasing the game or not.
 
W

WillyFive

Member
Andrex said:
I humbly submit to you my Super Mario 3D Land OT. <3

No scrollbars! Even on netbooks! Impressions from actual Gaffers! One post only!

OK so I get like, one post to stroke my ego OK?

Amir0x is basing the Skyward Sword format on it, and I'm providing the netbook-friendly header images. So that should be a good thread too.
Click to expand...

I want to know what the Google Docs business with your thread is.
 
D

DaBuddaDa

Member
There clearly are differing opinions on what an OT should be used for, both are valid. I think a clear, concise explanation of the desired intent of OTs needs to be created and made public, with certain restrictions placed on number of words, images, and post counts. That way we can keep robust and interesting OTs that allow the creator some creative flexibility, while tampering the bad habits and competitive Photoshop dick waggling.
 
S

Seanspeed

Banned
Halycon said:
Just to show how useless a gigantic OP is for catalyzing discussion, this thread now has more replies than the AC:R thread, averaging at almost one post per view.
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Lets see which thread is still being posted in in 3 months time.
 
K

Kung Fu Grip

Banned
3rd world problems blah, blah, blah.

Can't believe you guys are complaining about this. And theres a thread crying about an OT.

New forums rules incoming i guess-

"OT's are now to be limited to 500 words, 1 image, 1 post."
 
1

1-D_FTW

Member
HamPster PamPster said:
I wish posters put 1/10th as much effort into |OT| after release as they do before release. I'm on GAF because I like GAF and the posters. If I want reviews I'll go to metacritic, if I want a timeline I'll go to the official site, if I want screenshots I'll go to any game site.

How great would it be if 6 months from now you opened the AssCreed thread and it was filled with quotes from the actual thread? 6 months of impressions, discussion, user reviews and everything else distilled down for people who didn't jump in day 1. Do I really want to trudge through the OT and read 5 pages of "great job OP" and then 8 pages of "PS3 or 360???" then a page of "stupid PC delay" and then 7 pages of "I can't believe this stupid IGN review" to finally find where the thread actually starts talking about the game.

I think that’s why I like LTTP threads more. So much more concise
Click to expand...

This was my thing with the BF3 thing. You could maybe argue it was cute, but I was looking for updated info a couple of times and then realized it was just this mass of absolute useless clutter. Even if the info I was looking for had been added, good luck finding it.
 
O

Orbis Tabula

Member
One the one hand, they are needlessly, over-the-top in size these days. One the other, if you don't wanna see it, don't go in the thread.

Honestly, my first reaction to the AssCreed OT was "Why the fuck would someone spend their time on this?" But now I have it saved because I really want to read the whole thing. -_-
 
S

SouthernDragon

Member
I like the idea of having GAFfer reviews in an OT. Have the OTs stimulate discussion and provide something that can't be found anywhere else; GAF reviews.
 
M

MrPliskin

Banned
Heavy said:
Ehh, that's exactly what he did with the ACR OT. Yeah, he went over the past games too but AC is kinda unique in that a lot of people can't finish the earlier games but still love the story and want to know what happens.
Click to expand...

The AC OT goes WAY over board. Editions, Reviews, Images, Avatars, Wallpapers, books, comics, films, PAST GAMES?! Then the absolutely absurd recaps of previous installments plus (for whatever reason) recapping DLC? DLC?! It just goes WAY too far. It literally looks like one massive marketing tool for the AC universe.
 
M

Meier

Member
Chavelo said:
I don't like this new trend of using only images on the OP. I really appreciate the work behind it, but it just looks tacky with this forum layout. I find text more appropriate with some nice images/banners. I dunno, I'm more of a simple OT type of guy...:-/
Click to expand...
I can agree with this. I can tell its a lot of effort and they often look great but it can be a bit annoying to have ctrl+f rendered useless for info in the OP.

Stahsky said:
Come on man, all of that text in the AC:R is put to little use being in image form, and all those posts dedicated to the earlier titles could have been avoided by simply linking to previous OTs.
Click to expand...
Honestly, it doesn't bother me. You (the reader) get the info you need -- that poster provided more than most people need but so what? Like I said before, the actual first page of any big thread is going to be ignored after a week by many posters as is.. but if you go back to it months later as someone who is interested in the game or just picked it up, it can't hurt to have a lot of info at your disposal.
 
B

Barack Lesnar

Banned
SapientWolf said:
People are welcome to their opinions and all, and I'm glad we have this thread. But if the Saints Row 3 OT doesn't crash my web-browser with GIFs I'm gonna be seriously disappointed.
Click to expand...
Hahahaha I'm with you on that. The Saints Row 3 OT better be just as insane and over-the-top as the game.
 
T

ThatObviousUser

ὁ αἴσχιστος παῖς εἶ
Lucky Number Seven Force said:
Yeah, this is probably my favorite OT as of late.

I thought the Sonic Generations OT was pretty great, too. The amount of images aren't excessive, tells you everything you need to know about the game, and doesn't span a multitude of cluttered posts. (Which is nice, as it's covering two separate versions of the game as well.)
Click to expand...

I like that thread too but the structure is a bit of a mess. Also maybe too many images, but that would just be a small nitpick.

Rolf NB said:
Rendering text out to graphics is really annoying. What if I ever wanted to search an otherwise incomprehensible thread for the string "release date", and I never find it because it's not actually on the page as text.
Click to expand...

If I had to pick the one thing I dislike the most about big OTs, this is it. Second would probably be long-width images that force scrollbars on all but the highest resolution computers.


&#8704 said:
Yeah, that OT is great, because it doesn't go beyond a single post, and it can be updated by other users. I'm totally using that if I make an OT.
Click to expand...

Yeah, Google Docs is pretty awesome. Of course, if you do go that route you're still the one that has to roll those changes into the actual thread. But that's a good thing, and doesn't lead to Wikipedia-style chaos. It's more like source code control in that aspect, with different commiters and reviewers. (Well, one review, the OP maker.)
 
M

Man God

Non-Canon Member
That Ass Rev thread probably took longer to make then any two people would going through the single player.
 
T

TheExodu5

Banned
ghostmind said:
Disagree.

If someone wants to dedicate that much of their time to creating a fancy OP, then what is the harm in letting them indulge? Is it a crime to be excited by anything these days?

Nobody is putting a gun to your head to read the OP of these topics.

Compared to some of the shit that is found on GAF these days, I would think that a fancy OP would be a minor offendor at most.
Click to expand...

The OP in OTs should give me information about the game that might be relevant in my decision to try or buy the game. When the OP becomes overly bloated, it's simply a case of (tl;dr) and I avoid the first page of posts because it's impossible to navigate. I'm at work at the OP for Assassin's Creed takes about 5 minutes to load up. It's even less browsable on my iPhone or iPad.

I respect the amount of work the OP put into creating the |OT|, I really do. I just don't think these massive |OT|s belong on NeoGAF.

If I had any say in the matter, I would impose a 1 post limit on OPs. Pictures should only contain headers, and no text.
 
notworksafe

notworksafe

Member
Kung Fu Grip said:
New forums rules incoming i guess-

"OT's are now to be limited to 500 words, 1 image, 1 post."
Click to expand...
Awesome! Glad to see that you read the thread and saw that was exactly what everyone was asking to have happen.

Idiot.
 
H

Hypertrooper

Member
I don't like the Assassins Creed: Revelation OT or the Battlefield 3 OT. I know that the author did a lot of work in these threads, but they are too big imo. 15posts for a OT? Too much. Especially that every information/text is a pic.

I definitely like Andrex's Super Mario 3D Land OT and BruceLeeRoy's Uncharted 3 OT. And would say, people should use them as a reference. Look at them. They are only a post long, contain a lot of information and are still looking awesome. I especially like the "feature" of the SM3DLand OT that people can add information and that the author adds the impression of people.
 
D

dwebo

Member
Halycon said:
Just to show how useless a gigantic OP is for catalyzing discussion, this thread now has more replies than the AC:R thread, averaging at almost one post per view.
Click to expand...
New threads are always one post per view, so that doesn't mean anything.

As for gigantic OPs not "catalyzing discussion", I'd say most small OPs don't either. There's usually not a whole lot to talk about a week before people even start playing a game.
 
N

NullPointer

Member
Agreed. The latest OTs aren't the type to handle updates/patch notes/additions very well which is where I see the problem. I'd look at the Halo Reach threads for inspiration.

That and I think the AC Revelations one broke my interwebs.
 
B

Barrett2

Member
ghst said:
what i don't want is some catch all media dump which reads like the OP found a folder some PR rep left on a train and decided to type it all up verbatim, leaving any useful information marooned in a sea of extended universe fluff.

moreover, this kind of yawning fanboy rubbing material only serves to set up a sycophantic worship tone for the rest of the thread, stifling rational debate. how dare anyone criticize a king in his own palace?

here's how it should be done, courtesy of stump. level headed, concise and actually useful:

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=351801
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=449987

i did also enjoy the couple of times that OTs have been granted "roast" privileges, neutralizing the usual worshipful narrative of most OTs. but with fanthing tensions as taut as they are, i foresee many faded usernames should that ever become the standard.
Click to expand...

100% agreed. It's downright gross to have to wade through hundreds of PR images and pointless blurbs.

I think you also cut right to the point with the above bolded. These kind of PR-created OPs mostly seem to only serve fanboy wankery.
 
J

Joe Shlabotnik

Banned
FTH said:
I must not, and cannot, agree with you, because you presented your argument in a overly critical manner, as if to expose a seedy underbelly of the defendant. Your use of drawn out linguistics and overall insulting tone leads me to believe that your motive is an overall falsehood.

Why do people use so many fancy words on a forum. like, what the heck is sycophantic ?! Just shutup and speak normal, jeez :p
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"Sycophantic" is not a particularly exotic word. .
 
W

WillyFive

Member
Andrex said:
Yeah, Google Docs is pretty awesome. Of course, if you do go that route you're still the one that has to roll those changes into the actual thread. But that's a good thing, and doesn't lead to Wikipedia-style chaos. It's more like source code control in that aspect, with different commiters and reviewers. (Well, one review, the OP maker.)
Click to expand...

It sounds like a great idea. I'll implement it in the future.
 
M

Mr.Green

Member
Kung Fu Grip said:
3rd world problems blah, blah, blah.

Can't believe you guys are complaining about this. And theres a thread crying about an OT.

New forums rules incoming i guess-

"OT's are now to be limited to 500 words, 1 image, 1 post."
Click to expand...

Not sure that means what you think it means.
 
T

TxdoHawk

Member
There should probably be a reasonable post limit on OPs, and I think these people are insane for devoting so much time to them...but I think this is pretty overblown as an issue.
 
K

Kung Fu Grip

Banned
notworksafe said:
Awesome! Glad to see that you read the thread and saw that was exactly what everyone was asking to have happen.

Idiot.
Click to expand...
Awesome! Glad to see you have zero clue about what my post ment.

Crybaby.

"Whaaaa! Too many words mommy! Too many pictures! Make it stop! Whaaaa!
 
T

ThatObviousUser

ὁ αἴσχιστος παῖς εἶ
HamPster PamPster said:
I wish posters put 1/10th as much effort into |OT| after release as they do before release. I'm on GAF because I like GAF and the posters. If I want reviews I'll go to metacritic, if I want a timeline I'll go to the official site, if I want screenshots I'll go to any game site.
Click to expand...

Completely agree. I strive to keep all my OTs up to date (still updating the Pokemon Black/White thread with new events even 8 months after release.) In fact that's partly why I do the whole Google Doc thing, so even if I lose interest then others can at least pick up the torch.

Willy105 said:
I want to know what the Google Docs business with your thread is.
Click to expand...

Basically I have a publically-accessible Google Doc linked which has the current source BBCode of the OT. Anybody can change or add anything to it. However, with Google Docs I can roll back to old versions if some troll or joker messes with it.

When the Google Doc is changed and I've decided that change is worth keeping, I simply edit the actual thread and copy/paste the doc in.
 
X

Xater

Member
Seanspeed said:
Yes, because spending time googling and in image editors is preferable to just clicking once on something already in front of me.
Click to expand...

But it is not actual information, just fucking marketing material. Not really something an OT needs. The media I think should stop with some screenshots and some videos of the game.
 
B

Brandon F

Well congratulations! You got yourself caught!
The real problem is not so much the PR info dump, but the amount of white noise that does detract in the actual thread. The first dozen pages can often be excised before retail launch entirely as nothing of consequence or import is said among the gushing praise for essentially a wiki extract.

New terms of etiquette for OT pages would be more helpful than muzzling the "primer" dump in an OT. If a poster wants to congratulate the OT author for his work, use a fucking PM. OT pages are so littered with pointless drivel after the OP, that they rarely serve their entire justification until the release hits LttP status and all the nonsense posters have moved on to the next big OT.

I'm also not one to condone muzzling or shackling someone's passion and research put into an upcoming release. But having entire sections dedicated to 'merchandise' beyond the scope of the game itself is fucking excessive.
 
A

androvsky

Member
Volcynika said:
Well first off, anyone that access it with a phone.
Click to expand...
Or any game console with a browser. Even consoles that can run the game would probably come to a screeching halt trying to load the OT.
 
R

RichardAM

Kwanzaagator
I usually always arrive in the OTs days after release so normally miss what nowadays is like the first fifty pages anyway.

Not a fan of the AssCreed OT. Put me down as one who prefer's the short one-post editions.
 
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