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cormack12
Gold Member
Yeah, I'm trying to find out what the barrier is. If we can make it easier for everyone or at least more efficient then we should have more. Like I'm aware some games this month don't have any takers yet.
The Hamburglar
Banned
I personally dislike the cringe inducing ot name that try hard to be funny/clever
Saber
Member
I'm not good at making threads, rarely has any interest in buying games day one and usually prefer just to talk about games. Also I got no interest in making threads since I find it a boring task and neither had the patient to fight for similar looking threads about the same matter.
In resume, got no interest at all.
In resume, got no interest at all.
The Bloody-Nine
Member
Can't be arsed. It's way too much effort to start a thread that entails posting all that info, photos, gifs, paragraphs of text, etc. It's like homework.
Mista
Banned
Nobody said you have to do it..
Moogle11
Banned
This. And I just hit member status.
To me the solution is to just get rid of the tradition Gaf (and Era) have had about having to have a fancy first post. People probably rarely use that and are just coming to post their thoughts as playing.
A template could work if very simple. Maybe just require embedding at least one trailer, pasting a description of the game, and some
links to digital store pages.
Anything to get more threads with people actually playing and discussing games to balance out the console warring threads and bitch about what ever game industry “SJW” threads.
Threeshotgamer
Banned
Cause I mostly play simulation games and survival games and I've never really got the impression that OT's were really needed for them.
Kuranghi
Member
Most of the games I want to play/discuss already get OTs before I could make one, and tbh I find back and forth discussion on forums to be disconnected and laborious, it feels like I'm writing a huge piece to get all my points across so I don't need to make a million posts, but thats not really a great way to have discussions but I feel like it takes up too much of my time generally to discuss things on forums. I'd rather spend that time watching videoes or reading or playing or watching, etc. I'm just a talking kinda guy, I like talking til my lips are dry, which doesn't fit very well with short form text communications.
It takes me literally an hour to read and then make good replies to several threads whereas on something like Discord I feel like I can drop in and out to a live conversation and do other things at the same time. I tried to engage with people here about specific technologies but people didn't really want to have an honest discussion, the thread was a man asking an honest question, but everyone involved in the thread with a stake in said product just wanted their purchase to be validated and weren't into honest discussion. It was pretty disheartening and put me off writing about things I am interested in even though that feels cowardly.
I'm still here though and I do realise that its not a techy place so I should expect people to react like they did.
So I guess its a combo of time that it takes and how I view the discussions as slow and frustrating back and forths. There are few subjects where I can sit down and think about them for a long time to come to a conclusion, I tend to think in real time while discussing/speaking so my posts feel like rambling.
It takes me literally an hour to read and then make good replies to several threads whereas on something like Discord I feel like I can drop in and out to a live conversation and do other things at the same time. I tried to engage with people here about specific technologies but people didn't really want to have an honest discussion, the thread was a man asking an honest question, but everyone involved in the thread with a stake in said product just wanted their purchase to be validated and weren't into honest discussion. It was pretty disheartening and put me off writing about things I am interested in even though that feels cowardly.
I'm still here though and I do realise that its not a techy place so I should expect people to react like they did.
So I guess its a combo of time that it takes and how I view the discussions as slow and frustrating back and forths. There are few subjects where I can sit down and think about them for a long time to come to a conclusion, I tend to think in real time while discussing/speaking so my posts feel like rambling.
JareBear: Remastered
Banned
I wouldn’t do them justice. I would fuck up the formatting or miss a bunch of typos. People much more talented than myself do fantastic jobs with them
Humdinger
Member
I can't really find a poll option that fits me. I have two main reasons.
The first is that I feel the standards are too high for an OP at GAF. It's not that I lack the time or that I'm lazy. It's just that I wouldn't want to invest my time and energy into creating an OP that would be GAF-worthy.
I was a member of a different forum for a while, and I created plenty of OPs, but the standards there were much lower. You'd just slap together a description of the game, a image and a video or two, and you were done. Here at GAF, it's a whole production.
My second reason is that there aren't any videogames I'm that interested in, where I'd want to claim and cultivate the OP project.
The first is that I feel the standards are too high for an OP at GAF. It's not that I lack the time or that I'm lazy. It's just that I wouldn't want to invest my time and energy into creating an OP that would be GAF-worthy.
I was a member of a different forum for a while, and I created plenty of OPs, but the standards there were much lower. You'd just slap together a description of the game, a image and a video or two, and you were done. Here at GAF, it's a whole production.
My second reason is that there aren't any videogames I'm that interested in, where I'd want to claim and cultivate the OP project.
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Rock And Roll
Member
I have no skills whatsoever to do them. See my MLB OTs for reference, it's all text. If I could gain the skills to make them look pretty I wouldn't mind doing them, as I don't mind spending time on something I enjoy and it's good for the community
-Arcadia-
Banned
This this this. Fucking stop.
Game name and OT, with a professional look, is just fine.
-Arcadia-
Banned
Also completely agree with this. There’s nothing saying you have to, even Evilore delivered just a simple, clean, good looking OT for Fortnite, but it’s a bit daunting in a personal sense.
I guess it would be good to keep in mind that an OT is ultimately a place to chill and discuss things, and you probably don’t need to be an amateur graphic designer to deliver that, and a first post that’s a helpful repository of information.
Relativ9
Member
I chose the lazy option, but I think we should have another one: I don't find OT's interesting.
I have a hard time getting engaged in discussing specific games in depth, I prefer to talk about them as a collective as trends, gaming news, technology, and the controversy. When I get really into a game is when I spend all my free time playing it, generally not talking about it, and if a game hasn't come out yet, I usually leave it alone till I can play it, I feel like hyping myself up too much just ruins the eventual experience.
I have a hard time getting engaged in discussing specific games in depth, I prefer to talk about them as a collective as trends, gaming news, technology, and the controversy. When I get really into a game is when I spend all my free time playing it, generally not talking about it, and if a game hasn't come out yet, I usually leave it alone till I can play it, I feel like hyping myself up too much just ruins the eventual experience.
TheMan
Member
It's a lot of work. I've contemplated on certain occasions, but back then we had loads of talented people with more experience than I who were willing to do the job. Nowadays? Can't really be arsed.
Now that I think about it, I rarely actually click through or read all the shit that goes into those elaborate OTs, even the ones for games I'm really interested in. I guess I just like the idea of how elaborate and eye-catching they can look.
Now that I think about it, I rarely actually click through or read all the shit that goes into those elaborate OTs, even the ones for games I'm really interested in. I guess I just like the idea of how elaborate and eye-catching they can look.
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Bonfires Down
Member
I rarely play games at launch to begin with.
If it's a popular game someone else has already made an OT.
If it's not a popular game there will probably be no more than a handful of replies so it's not worth bothering.
If it's a popular game someone else has already made an OT.
If it's not a popular game there will probably be no more than a handful of replies so it's not worth bothering.
Night.Ninja
Banned
A tempate would make this easier
Bitmap Frogs
Mr. Community
Communities forum ain't doing so hot. Oldest post on the first page is from March.
Making an OT to see it die after page and a half ain't fun.
We need more posters.
Making an OT to see it die after page and a half ain't fun.
We need more posters.
TGO
Hype Train conductor. Works harder than it steams.
I don't actually own a PC, every OT I've done along with artwork has been done on my Xperia XZ2 with a photo editor app off the play store
So it's very time consuming to do a full blown OT.
artwork is not that bad, I can throw that together in minutes but the text and layout and making sure it looks correct on none mobile devices takes its time
But if there is an OT I really wanna do I'll do it.
So it's very time consuming to do a full blown OT.
artwork is not that bad, I can throw that together in minutes but the text and layout and making sure it looks correct on none mobile devices takes its time
But if there is an OT I really wanna do I'll do it.
Allnamestakenlol
Member
1. Too lazy.
2. For the games I'd make an OT, someone else is already working on it or done it.
2. For the games I'd make an OT, someone else is already working on it or done it.
Danjin44
The nicest person on this forum
I simply suck at it, I only ever made one.
www.neogaf.com
GRIS |OT| Her Journey
Platform: Switch, PC, Mac Release: December 13, 2018 Developer: Nomada Studio Publisher: Devolver Digital SYNOPSIS: Gris is a hopeful young girl lost in her own world, dealing with a painful experience in her life. Her journey through sorrow is manifested in her dress, which grants new...
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Humdinger
Member
I think a lot of it is wasted effort. I doubt many people read all the intricacies of these highly detailed OPs. I sure don't, even on games I'm interested in. Who has the time to read all that? You get a bunch of people saying "great job on the OT," but I doubt more than a small fraction actually read it all.
I really think the solution is to actively discourage that kind of perfectionism and lower the bar. Stop trying to impress other people by loading the OP with everything you can think of -- breakdowns of every character, all the weapons, tons of images, etc. That's what the thread is for. If people want to research and post stuff, you're killing the incentive by putting everything in the OP. Besides, it's just TMI.
Here's what an OP should have, imo:
1. A simple, straightforward title. Include release date/window and platforms if possible. Ex: "Ghost of Tsushima (PS4, July 2020)." That's it. Don't worry about a funny subtitle. Be funny if you're funny, but a simple title is better than an obligatory "funny" one. Also, a funny subtitle sometimes focuses people's attention on one aspect of the game (imagine the TLoU 2 subtitles, for instance) and so pre-shapes the discussion. Better to start neutral and open-ended, give the conversation a chance to evolve naturally.
2. Include a basic description of the game. This doesn't have to be elaborate. It can be a few sentences. What kind of game is it? Who's the developer? Anything significant to say about graphics, release date, that sort of thing? Maybe include a few bullet points from your reading. No big deal. People do NOT need all the details.
3. An image or two from the game. You don't need any skills for this, just an ability to use the "insert image" function on the menu.
4. A video or two, a trailer and gameplay if possible. Again, you don't need skills for this, beyond cutting and pasting Youtube links.
That's it! The end.
Remember that the purpose of an OT is just to open the discussion. The purpose is not to thoroughly document every aspect of the game and flood the reader with imagery, so that people will be impressed by what a great job you did on the OT. That is complete and utter overkill.
I really think the solution is to actively discourage that kind of perfectionism and lower the bar. Stop trying to impress other people by loading the OP with everything you can think of -- breakdowns of every character, all the weapons, tons of images, etc. That's what the thread is for. If people want to research and post stuff, you're killing the incentive by putting everything in the OP. Besides, it's just TMI.
Here's what an OP should have, imo:
1. A simple, straightforward title. Include release date/window and platforms if possible. Ex: "Ghost of Tsushima (PS4, July 2020)." That's it. Don't worry about a funny subtitle. Be funny if you're funny, but a simple title is better than an obligatory "funny" one. Also, a funny subtitle sometimes focuses people's attention on one aspect of the game (imagine the TLoU 2 subtitles, for instance) and so pre-shapes the discussion. Better to start neutral and open-ended, give the conversation a chance to evolve naturally.
2. Include a basic description of the game. This doesn't have to be elaborate. It can be a few sentences. What kind of game is it? Who's the developer? Anything significant to say about graphics, release date, that sort of thing? Maybe include a few bullet points from your reading. No big deal. People do NOT need all the details.
3. An image or two from the game. You don't need any skills for this, just an ability to use the "insert image" function on the menu.
4. A video or two, a trailer and gameplay if possible. Again, you don't need skills for this, beyond cutting and pasting Youtube links.
That's it! The end.
Remember that the purpose of an OT is just to open the discussion. The purpose is not to thoroughly document every aspect of the game and flood the reader with imagery, so that people will be impressed by what a great job you did on the OT. That is complete and utter overkill.
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xpresstuning
Member
I have almost no free time 6 days out of 7.
West Texas CEO
GAF's Nicest Lunch Thief and Nosiest Dildo Archeologist
My fee is $75 an hour
Stilton Disco
Member
I'm a lazy cunt.