Should General Chat be removed?

[Fexe]

I voted no.

I just tried the game last week for the first time since the NGE update and could not remember anything about it. Fortunately there were a few people on general chat happy to answer some of my questions. Without that I may have not even bothered playing again after getting that bit of nostalgia back.

[Apollymi]

I voted no.

This has to be an impossible situation for TPTB. General chat is essential for new players and lots of fun when there are responsible people chatting. But too many times I've seen some of the worst behavior and have had it directed at me as well. I never participate any more for those reasons but I know lots of folk who do. To clean things up since the offenders aren't able to do so themselves, would require an enforcer type to be monitoring constantly. I'm fairly sure that's not what Admin had in mind when they started this server. So yeah, impossible situation.

My two credits worth.

[gmccabe01]

Voted No, but would be helpful for an ignore feature to be more easily accessible (like maybe right click and hold for an option to tell/reply/ignore)

[ZuraLuna]

I for one voted no, and I don't general speak in general chat for the same reason you probably want to remove general chat. I do know that it is an easier way for the entire community to communicate in 1 chat, so even though there are trolls in general chat, you wont be able to get rid of them completely by punishing those who use the general chat for it's intended purpose.

Zura

[BigQEd]

The issue with General Chat isnt about trolls and troublemakers (for me). They can be banned... and I want CSRs to step up on muting those individuals.

My issue with General Chat is that it makes the game/world/galaxy smaller. It makes things too easy.

Maybe we should also give everyone the ability to instant port to locations on any planet at anytime from anywhere... oh and give instant Jedi as a starter class.

People are thinking short term, imo

[P1ES]

Voted No

Can't say I really use General Chat, I think I've posted in it once myself. But then I sit on a Ventrilo server with my local mates who all play and we chat on there.
This game is about community, be it a small community like me and my mates or the larger community as a whole. Without that community a game like this will struggle, General chat from what I've seen when I've flicked to the tab is the lifeblood for a lot of players. Taking it away would be like the old adage of "cutting off one's nose to spite one's face".

I'd just add on to the message of the day when people log in, the command needed to ignore people, so new players know how to do it from the get go if people are being trolls.

My two cents, for what it's worth.
Pies

[jadiz]

Absolutely not. If someone doesn't like hanging out on general chat, then remove the tab.

[Falcore]

Without General chat I feel the game would get very lonely, this would inturn force players to use planet chat or guild chats. But if you're on Dathomir and there is only 2 or 3 people there, (as grinding my Jedi on Dathomir I saw maybe 10-12 people over the course most of my grind., and didn't like or want to talk to some of those) Or even worse a planet like Yavin/Endor/Lok

This also will hurt new players coming into the game looking for help as a lot of the helpful players wont be on Tatooine where we are FORCED to start at.

Just today someone was new and came to general chat asking for help because the things outside Espa were tough, I pointed them to Corellia Coronet and mentioned the buff terminals near starports and tipped them some credits to get their first set of buffs from it while they ground meatlumps. Without General chat they could have been there hours dying to things and just gave up for the day.

:'( Where were you when I started last week? Lol. I have been running round and round espa/entha killing worrts and rills and doing the odd delivery mission to save up for some armour.

From this perspective, I have not seen anyone using general chat when I have been online, but if I had needed help with a quest or mission, that is where I would have asked for it.

[Mlor]

I voted "no."

I play with my family, but I do not allow my son in general chat. If I catch him even looking at general, he's in trouble. The reason is that some people do get rather raunchy in there from time to time and you never know what people might say, people being people and all. If he has a problem, he asks me and I ask general.

This is not to say that it's a 24/7 rowdy bach party in general. 90% of the time, everything is just pleasant and G-rated. 9% of the time, things are just R-rated. That 1% is the X-rated time and then I just get disgusted and leave.

However, I think that removing general chat is not a valid way to keep the raunch factor down. And, I can't imagine that we have mods around 24/7 to play nanny. A standard procedure that is easy and known to all for reporting would be the best way to fix the problem. That may already be in place, but not widely known.

I use general daily to ask questions. I think that is the predominant use for it. It would be crippling to remove it -- to me and others.

And, the secret to jedi unlock is to always wear Mlor. The End.

[Maldred]

The issue with General Chat isnt about trolls and troublemakers (for me). They can be banned... and I want CSRs to step up on muting those individuals.

My issue with General Chat is that it makes the game/world/galaxy smaller. It makes things too easy.

Maybe we should also give everyone the ability to instant port to locations on any planet at anytime from anywhere... oh and give instant Jedi as a starter class.

People are thinking short term and personal convenience, if voting no for this.

You definitely have a point Ed and I can see where you would and should feel that way. I did not think about it in this regard. We never had general in live and we all survived. You are correct. This goes beyond the trolls as they can be banned/ignored. My only concern would be, as many have stated, how do we breathe life back into static cities for new people starting out so it doesn't seem so dead? A good number of us have become complacent in the fact that there is always an solo group with doc running out of Diarmid or Drei Monde. Perhaps it's time that changed.

Maybe we can have some dedicated Docs/Ents agree to run out of C-net or Theed like we did in the old days.

I'm all for taking away some of the "easy mode" aspects that have come up in the game but is it wise to do so while we are still growing the community?

You've given us something to ponder.

[LamaLeif]

The issue with General Chat isnt about trolls and troublemakers (for me). They can be banned... and I want CSRs to step up on muting those individuals.

My issue with General Chat is that it makes the game/world/galaxy smaller. It makes things too easy.

Maybe we should also give everyone the ability to instant port to locations on any planet at anytime from anywhere... oh and give instant Jedi as a starter class.

People are thinking short term, imo

The server isn't big enough to remove general chat at this point in time, maybe in the future if the server keeps growing it will be a far more viable option.

The thing that worries me more when it comes to thinking short term, is the amount of jedi unlocks per day since I joined. You will always have the option to turn general chat off at any point in time in the future, but there won't really be any second chances when it comes to the unlocking of Jedi. You call them an alpha class, which they are, but what is the con to all these pros about Jedi? the xp loss on death is a little too soft.

I think this is the more pressing concern when it comes to long term, than a chat channel that can be turned off at any point in time.

[Zhare]

I voted no, because GenChat can be a big help to anyone needing answers. I've also basically left SWGEmu because GenChat has become a cesspool of hate, verbal porn, lies to new players asking for help, etc. As for here, aren't you open PVP? Or rather, an accidental TEF that leaves you open to instant ganking. I left game Falling/Fallen Skies long ago because of kill zones that weren't clearly marked.

I went to Spatial Chat when it got too nasty in GenChat, I put a number of players on ignore also. Question: Why should you stay in a place that is so filled with hate that the place is saturated with it? If you don't want that same kind of action to filter here, stop it BEFORE it begins with strict rules about what is allowed in GenChat. It's like wild fire, if you stomp it out while burning with small flames, you can stop that huge all-consuming forest fire before it begins.

[Koven]

The issue with General Chat isnt about trolls and troublemakers (for me). They can be banned... and I want CSRs to step up on muting those individuals.

My issue with General Chat is that it makes the game/world/galaxy smaller. It makes things too easy.

Maybe we should also give everyone the ability to instant port to locations on any planet at anytime from anywhere... oh and give instant Jedi as a starter class.

People are thinking short term, imo

I agree with this concept, and think seeing players chatting at starports, med centers, and cantinas again would bring a sense of life into the galaxy. However, I feel that without general chat, population growth will suffer. New players that find themselves alone in Bestine the first time they log in could easily get the impression that the server is dead. They also get a great deal of help from the community when first starting out on Awakening which is part of the reason that so many have made this server their home.

When starting locations are consistently populated to help the newcomers along, I would consider voting in favor of removing gen chat.

[Maldred]

I agree with this concept, and think seeing players chatting at starports, med centers, and cantinas again would bring a sense of life into the galaxy.

Yes. This. It is up to us to ensure this happens with or without general chat. Remeber, people are coming back after 10 years of being away. This is what they remember. Not people hoarded away in player cities.

Ed is right. It's become a matter of convenience for us and we are losing sight of the big picture.

[Remel]

No for me.

[Maldred]

Ok look I may or may not have been the reason for this sudden vote. Yes I did ask the community if that would be interested in a wedding for two BDSM members. Was I intending for some of the community to go off the deep end and create perversion out of it? Absolutely not! Far too many times I've heard and seen the cries for RP and it's fallen on deaf ears and blind eyes. My intentions was to have an event that anyone interested in RP could attend. I sincerely apologize for that.


As for abolishing General chat because of a few bad apples, no it would not be a wise decision. Not just a hindrance on new players but even the current communities itself use general chat for more than just a place to talk. Loads of information is padded across the galaxy in an instant the moment someone asks a question and if you remove that then you wish death upon Awakening.

I vote no for the removal.

I think this goes beyond that Lyl. As for RP...you did nothing wrong by asking and I certainly do not think anyone blames your for this vote because a few people chose to take it to a place it never should have gone. That's over and done with now. The CSR's have made it clear troublemakers will be handled swiftly going forward.

Anyone who knows me from the early days knows how heavy into RP I was. As it's been since the dawn of online gaming certain people will troll for the sale of trolling. Don't let it stop you or make you feel guilty. RP by it's very nature brings drama; good and bad. If you want a wedding or any other event plan it and go for it. If 2 people have interest so be it. If you can brighten a few people's day who are looking for RP then it's a success.

It is up to us as the best community to think of other ways to get people engaged and learning the ropes of the game. What did we do when we first started? We tried. We failed. We sought others out to work together and figure things out. That, to me, is what made the game great and I still have some of those people in my life to this day and I am proud to call them friends. Point is, we bonded over a game we played together. Not a chat room we talked in while playing.

To me, it boils down to the old question of quality over quantity. I'd rather have 1000 truly great players that understand the concept of this server than a member base of 7000 peppered with people who are looking for an easy ride. Of course this is just an example but I think it illustrates my point. Our core base is strong and knowledgeable. Think about what it took for us to become that way.

Perhaps instead of just blurting out the answers to questions it might be better to point them to forums or the web for the answers.

Just a thought.

[Gutwrench]

I personally feel that removing gen chat is a step in the wrong direction. if you are concerned w/ what is being said in gen chat create a behavior code of conduct. People are people, some will always be sheeitheads. make it so people get warnings for unsavory conduct or chat. Then deal w/ repeat offenders accordingly. also anyone can leave chat, or put on profanity filters. Also if you are monitoring chat that offends you as a dev or csr , you should probably speak up or get involved at the time these things are going on. But ultimately this is your private server ,.... do as you wish,.. if it becomes a pain to play here then I won't , just that simple.

[Centurionforce]

It was there in the original Pre-CU right? I seldom use general chat in any game I play, but I think it needs to be there to help create a sense of community.

[Zannder23]

I voted no. Gen chat was a huge help for me when I first started to play. I played during the NGE so coming over here to play Pre-CU was a bit jarring but, Gen chat made that transition smoother. I think taking away this very important tool will make many new players that try awakening disheartened maybe even leave. If only because how abandoned some ofthe starting areas are, like Bestine.

My issue with General Chat is that it makes the game/world/galaxy smaller. It makes things too easy.

Maybe we should also give everyone the ability to instant port to locations on any planet at anytime from anywhere... oh and give instant Jedi as a starter class.

No, we should not do those things Gen chat or not. Having Gen chat wont facilitate that slippery slope. I think most if not all of the players here agree that getting jedi shouldn't be instant and the instant travel thing just sounds like a horrible idea.

[Socome]

Just add 2 chat channels. Galaxy and General.

Galaxy = Server chat. moderated.
General = GAT aka general any topic. semi-moderated..