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This was brought up recently and I want to know what you think. Should we host exclusive content to help boost the community here and the continue survival of all we have built together or not?
Hello and welcome to MSFC. We are a small and close knitted community who specialises in modding the game Star Trek Armada 2 and the Fleet Operations modification, however we have an open field for discussing a number of topics including movies, real life events and everything in-between.
Being such a close community, we do have some restrictions, including all users required to be registered before being able to post as well as all members requiring to have participated in the community for sometime before being able to download our modding files to name the main ones. This is done for both the protection of our members and to encourage new members to get involved with the community. We also require all new registrations to first be authorised by an Administrator and to also have an active and confirmed email account.
We have a policy of fairness and a non harassment environment, with the staff quick to act on the rare occasion of when this policy is breached. Feel free to register and join our community.
It would be nice if you were to explain what you mean by this commentIn fact I think that would go so far as to seal this place's appearance as elitist - which, if I may be frank, you've done a pretty good job of already.
It would be nice if you were to explain what you mean by this comment
I understand why you restrict access to mods, but if it's too restricted, what's the point of putting a mod out there. Publishing a mod (for lack of a better word) is just like publishing anything else, you're putting it out for all to see and use. If you publish a book, will you be terrified someone will try to claim the work as their own? (Granted the a book is a little different than a mod, but the point is still valid.) If you're so afraid that someone will rip off a mod, don't make it; that sounds crass, but it's true.
Site Rules said:To be eligible to download files, the user must be a participating member of the community and is required to post an introduction thread in the introduction section of the forums and post at least 15 posts of decent size (mass amounts of single or 3 worded posts within a very small time frame will be deleted as this is noted to rapidly increase your post count just to gain access to downloads and is also considered to be spam), be active for 7 days and have made some contribution to the MSFC community (ie Forum posts) and have a reputation count of 30 which can only be gained by other members giving you positive reputation for great posts. No excuses will be accepted for not knowing, because if you are unaware, then you have breached the site rules by not reading and abiding by them and will be subject to the warning procedure outlined at the bottom of this page.
Just to add my opinion, the only thing that neads re-addressing is the rep count of 30. I think it's too high, and and would put most people off from bothering. ....
I've been here around 5 years and bearly have 30.
Other than that, seems fine the way it is for me
Just to add my opinion, the only thing that neads re-addressing is the rep count of 30. I think it's too high, and and would put most people off from bothering. ....
I've been here around 5 years and bearly have 30.
Other than that, seems fine the way it is for me
Agreed. I'd recommend 10-15, no higher than 20.
To be honest, I think the authors should have the choice for the level of protection they wanted in their files. Either public, private or Exclusive. Public, only requiring people to post an intro, private requiring the 15 posts and week or two of active membership, and exclusive being how you have your files. I think that would work the best but I don't know how complicated that would be to work out on the site.
I'll see what the others who have their files hosted here say. If several of them want it lowered and the others don't mind I'll lower it.
Unfortunately the download system doesn't work as advertised hence why I have the passworded protected files. Otherwise what you suggested would already be in effect.
What is meat by exclusive content is should MSFC bother to host files anymore or shouldn't it continue?
I would never make the downloads free, as I feel that's like stealing from the community. I have always felt that if you want to use what the community offers you should get off your butt and participate in the community, become part of it. It's not like we bite.
However getting back on coarse and looking at the poll it seems the majority, well more than the majority of the community likes the way we are doing things so far. Now if the results were reversed I would of course ask for suggestions about changes.
Note: This poll was made in response to a PM I got from a member here on the FO Forums, quite a disrespectful and insulting one that sated we are xenophobic. Even though he spoke to me like a was a piece of garbage under his boot. I decided to give his views some serious though as here we are with this poll.
Just to add my opinion, the only thing that neads re-addressing is the rep count of 30. I think it's too high, and and would put most people off from bothering. ....
I've been here around 5 years and bearly have 30.
Other than that, seems fine the way it is for me
Nothing unearned truly has value.. it is by the acts done earning it that true value is gain and worth can be measured. Even a gift has it's cost and earned in full by the ebb and flow of friendship,community, brotherhood, good will and above all respect of the giver " in this case the author/authors of the works" .
In a perfect world none of this would be needed... Alas we live in a world were the old staples of honor ,forthrightness ,integrity and accountability ; are vanishing becoming commodity once freely shared are far and between....
For give me this rant for it is how I feel and is just the feeling of a old man
In that case I would also like to have the limit lowered. Many people who want to download do not contribute back to the community, they just want to have fun with what's there, therefore it is hard for them to get legitimate rep.
Many people who want to download do not contribute back to the community
I'll be the first to admit to being a lurker on forums, this rule has forced me to be an active participant here, and I think thats for the better.
I think the fact that you have bothered to consider it, and even open it up to public debate, goes some ways to disputing the views of elitism etc. Either that or everyone here is all part of the grand dictatorship.
I can't say I disagree, and I'm surprised in your case Avon. But I do think the rep system is under-utilised sometimes and thus it could make it harder for newcomers to get at the content which actually drew them here in the first place. That isn't necessarily there fault, it's ours not not pushing the button enough! In fact, I'm not sure I've ever pushed the button (maybe I should).
I understand giving back to the community in the from of posting, but not everyone does something rep worthy. Not everyone can. Not everyone is a creator, in fact, most people are only consumers. When I go to ff and see 300+ downloads on something that has only been out a week, I don't see it as 300 people who could potentially rip me off, or 300 people who did nothing to deserve the content I posted freely, but rather 300 people who can have fun with it without having to pay anything or contribute anything. 300 people who got it for free and who are free to do with it what they like and appreciate it, or not. Sure there may be the minority case that someone takes that work and puts it somewhere else and maybe even clams that it is theirs, but to me, that makes no difference. 300 people know I did it and got to enjoy it, and that is enough for me. I made it it freely, posted it freely and they are free to use it. Actually, if someone took my work which I released freely, posted it somewhere else and claimed it was theirs, etc, not only would I not know about it, but i couldn't stop it, and I really wouldn't care. Unless money was involved, its all free and its all for fun.That's the problem Adm_Z, if they can't be bothered to get involved in the forums, why should the community bother with making it easier for them to rip off the community. I know that it is the minority case. But really it's very selfish if you ask me if they want to take but not give back. We aren't asking for much, get involvement in the forums.
A community that doesn't grow can eventually die. Having put almost 7 years into this place and with many of you putting years of work into this community as well I think I can safety say that none of you would like to see this site and community dwindle to a point that it would no longer be worth keeping the site up?
I just look back on the founding members, how many do we have left? Off the top off my head I can recall CrazyFrog, Syf, myself, Hellkite, EAS_Intrepid, Borg_Queen and Darklight. People like Blindeye, Harrie and many others just faded off the planet and many of those former member were very active, Blindeye was in fact our first admin before Syf, he had over 1,000 posts, I think it was closer to 2,000. My point is i'd hate to see the site die. Even if we did lower it all to make it easier for newcomers, they'd just come register, make a post or two and then download. download and download. Then because they haven't posted, they would be pruned and then complain their account was deleted re-registered and we'd have to take the time to check out their account, go through the checks and then it would start all over again.
And I certainly hope you keep up your diligent work, however it is also possible that many of us can help with the tasks such as screening spammers(I am not volunteering, but there are those who might) As you say, "One does not build a community..." Also, one person does not have to maintain it either. This is after all a community, and if you need help you should just ask and I"m sure someone will jump to the occasion.It takes a bit of time to check a account out and would just give Katala more work when our lives are starting to speed up as we are both going to TAFE this year and will be trying again for a baby and if we are successful the following year I'll be Mr Mum while Kat continues on so she can go to University and get a Nursing degree. So life is really going to speed up for us.
Quoted via pointer for truth and space.Pointer to Adm_Z's post 21 here
Super tru dat.If that happened I would stop giving it away for free and go get a job making and selling it.
This comes right back to who does one mod for? Oneself or the community, and what's the point of modding for the community if no one gets to see it. The internet is a different paradigm, those who choose to put material into it should be ready to deal with the fact that that which goes into the ethier may not be as well respected as in the real world.I understand giving back to the community in the from of posting, but not everyone does something rep worthy. Not everyone can. Not everyone is a creator, in fact, most people are only consumers. When I go to ff and see 300+ downloads on something that has only been out a week, I don't see it as 300 people who could potentially rip me off, or 300 people who did nothing to deserve the content I posted freely, but rather 300 people who can have fun with it without having to pay anything or contribute anything. 300 people who got it for free and who are free to do with it what they like and appreciate it, or not. Sure there may be the minority case that someone takes that work and puts it somewhere else and maybe even clams that it is theirs, but to me, that makes no difference. 300 people know I did it and got to enjoy it, and that is enough for me. I made it it freely, posted it freely and they are free to use it. Actually, if someone took my work which I released freely, posted it somewhere else and claimed it was theirs, etc, not only would I not know about it, but i couldn't stop it, and I really wouldn't care. Unless money was involved, its all free and its all for fun.
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I can always release my stuff elsewhere, but I would rather have it here(and free) because I like it here better than anywhere else. I want my work to be represented by this community. I don't require protection for my work, but I would rather have it also represent what MSFC can do. If someone wants to steal my stuff, I can not stop them. This is the internet after all. If someone wanted to steal a bike, a chain would not deter them, but it would deter someone who might just walk off with it. Infact, someone can not "Steal" what is given freely. If someone wanted to steal my mods, sure having them only on msfc would stop them, but that might also mean that nobody else ever gets them either. Why let the thief ruin it for the rest of them?
Locking something up only makes it more of a target. Which is more likely to be stolen? A regular backpack or one with a Lock on it? Music that is given freely or that which is considered illegal to reproduce? Putting something in a vault will surely protect items from casual temptation, but nothing can stop someone determined to steal something valuable enough to lock up. The fact that it is locked away only puts more value on it for a theif.
Again I ask, why let the thief ruin it for the rest of them. One can not steal what is given freely.
No worries man.Sorry to rant, this is just something that I feel strongly about.
Yup sounds a bit more reasonable. Even going lower to 5-10 should be enough to get to know someoneI do think Atlantisbase's suggestion of 10-15 is more that doable.
I have been looking for a while now for an alternative to our download package, something that can be more flexible to allow different levels of protection depending upon the artist's own wishes. However the only ones I've found cost money and many of us these days don't have much of that valuable resource. The best one I have found that seems to have the permissions I have been looking for is: vBadvanced Links Directory
Regarding the death of a community, as an outsider viewer, I would call this community static, if not near death. I see only about 2 dozen active users, posting in about five subforums, on the same topics; I see less than five new topics a week. Frankly, there's not a lot keeping one here. The lack of activity also makes it difficult to post or gain rep as there's nowhere to post. I for one would rather not see MFSC die, but I don't know how you can bring in new blood if there's no draw.
Yup sounds a bit more reasonable. Even going lower to 5-10 should be enough to get to know someone
When that says $39.99 does that mean its a one time cost or per month charge to use it? It certainly appears that it would work with our needs.