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JackieKo

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Hello everyone,

 

I can't believe we're in the middle of the week already. What is time?

 

Wanted to let you all know that I'm going to be working on cleaning up some of the threads here. Some examples of what I and the team will be doing are:

 

- Moving posts to the appropriate forum such as bug report threads to the Bug Report Forum

 

- Locking threads that have had no activity in over 6 months

 

- Locking duplicate threads

 

This will be a good start to organizing the forums as a whole. Don't worry, we aren't going to change everything overnight. This process will take some time and I have no intention of interrupting the flow of your conversations. I wanted to give you all a heads up of what will be happening so you aren't caught by surprise.

 

I also want to use this movement to keep threads organized in the future as well! If you have any other suggestions in this arena, feel free to comment or send me a PM.

Edited by JackieKo
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Definitely a step in the right direction, just a small suggestion. Some of the user threads (Love/hate) threads often go quiet, some for more than 6 months, but then spring back to life. So if possible, can you keep them open.

 

Indeed, suggestion forum should remain open. Its the one room where we actually want necro-threads.

 

Think of it this way, its like an asylum, where some ideas have to be kept for the well being of others.

If you lock their threads, this might encourage them to migrate elsewhere...

 

I will also note that due to undisclosed reasons on your side, many posts in the bugs forum are also valid for longer than 6 months. Unless you are definitively stating that the issue in the OP, or related 'murphy grenade' effect(s) reports, have been categorically fixed and should not happen ever again...

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Some examples of what I and the team will be doing are:

 

- Locking duplicate threads

 

Please don't delete my favourites...like "Is SWTOR dying (2012)?", "Is SWTOR dying (2013)?", "Is SWTOR dying (2014)?", etc. At first glance all this threads look a like, but i swear, there are fine nuances to be found. And honestly...it's always nice to re-discuss an old topic. Like life day is coming every year...so are these kind of threads. :)

 

Have fun. Cleaning up our mess from the last years isn't easy. :)

Edited by SoontirMorillo
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Please don't delete my favourites...like "Is SWTOR dying (2012)?", "Is SWTOR dying (2013)?", "Is SWTOR dying (2014)?", etc. At first glance all this threads look a like, but i swear, there are fine nuances to be found. And honestly...it's always nice to re-discuss an old topic. Like life day is coming every year...so are these kind of threads. :)

 

Have fun. Cleaning up our mess from the last years isn't easy. :)

 

I really enjoyed the "SWTOR will not last a year" threads from Dec 2011. Probably my personal highlights.

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- Locking threads that have had no activity in over 6 months

 

The rest is fine but this trend is the stupidest one that forum moderators ever came up with. This is NOT a chat room. You know how many times I go to reddit with a question that was never answered but there was some conversation on it but because of this ridiculous locking threads policy we lose that entire part of the discussion because I have to make a new thread?

 

It's dumb. Don't do it.

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- Locking threads that have had no activity in over 6 months

I ask for at least three exceptions: character love threads; Suggestion Box forum threads; and Bug Report threads.

 

As stated already, the (character) love threads can be inactive for some time, but reawaken to activity when a character has new content. Such as Vector's cutscenes for the IA with his alert and after completing Onslaught. Or when a new player wants to join in the conversation with like minded individuals.

 

I include exempting the Suggestion Box forum from the 6 month then lock policy because I think the only time limit on suggestions that rightfully belong in that forum is when the requested change happens. For example, the "Option (t)o disable guild control and stronghold entry message box" located here, http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=760945. The first post on that thread is from August, 2014, the most recent post from May, 2020. However, that suggested change still hasn't happened, and is still being requested. I think having an ongoing Suggestion Box thread is better than new threads requesting the same thing every six months.

 

Same reason for exempting the Bug Report forum threads. For example, "Alderaan Stronghold Bugs" thread at http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=976102 started February, 2020, but there are still ongoing Alderaan Stronghold bugs, such as the taxi droid sometimes being there; sometimes not.

 

Necroing threads on topics that are no longer relevant, I think that's often just an innocent error -- not checking the date of the last post. Been there, done that, lol. Still, locking such threads is a welcomed change.

- Locking duplicate threads

Thank you! There are times when the first page(s) of the General Discussion forum is peppered with multiple threads on the same topic. I get an existing thread being missed on search because the search function is only as good as a thread's title. But there are times when some sort of rugged individualism rears up, and a player decides not to post in a visible, existing thread on a topic, and instead starts a new thread on the same topic.

Edited by Nmyownworld
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The rest is fine but this trend is the stupidest one that forum moderators ever came up with. This is NOT a chat room. You know how many times I go to reddit with a question that was never answered but there was some conversation on it but because of this ridiculous locking threads policy we lose that entire part of the discussion because I have to make a new thread?

 

It's dumb. Don't do it.

You can make that link yourself. You find an interesting but long-quiet thread (now locked), and you post a new thread with a link to the other. For bonus points, write a brief summary so the lazy people (example: a certain SteveTheCynic you might have heard of) don't *have* to go and read it *just* to have an idea of the previous thread's content.

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I added this suggestion in your other thread before I saw this one.

 

Hi Jackie, something I just thought of that would help in the forums is a sticky on how and where to get tech support for issues that aren’t game bugs.

 

Many years ago we use to have a tech section in the forums. But it was removed and moved to the https://answers.ea.com/t5/STAR-WARS-The-Old-Republic/ct-p/star-wars-the-old-republic-en website. Which is a good resource.

 

Sadly, there is no sticky on the forums to direct players to that resource. Which means people still come here looking for help and rely on a few of us being able to help them or direct them to the answers.ea.com link.

 

Would it be possible to have a sticky in the forums that lists the different ways to get help for technical issues. You could even add common FAQ answers or links into the sticky thread to help people. Ie, how to switch to windows SP3 compatibility Mode. Or how to install without bit raider, etc.

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I added this suggestion in your other thread before I saw this one.

 

I agree .. good idea! That subject does come up from time to time...

 

Additionally the "old threads" locked at 6 months? Not a bad idea really. But in the suggestion and bug thread that period of time might be extended a bit longer.

 

*** Bugs: some times it takes a while longer to address those.

*** Some suggestions can come up from time to time.

 

In either case I will respect your final decision ... Just my $.02 on the matter.

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One thing in the Bug Reports forum that would help greatly (especially as they replicate on the top of each page) is to reduce the number of single post stickies, all of which should be collapsed into one thread with a 'contents' header post:

 

 

 

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There is this sticky in the bug report forum https://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=877258 that points to the tech support forum on AHQ

 

That's a very helpful post, but the thread title is Bug Report Forum Usage, which doesn't necessarily suggest that it contains instructions on how to get tech support. I agree with Trixxie that it would be very helpful to have a sticky with pointers to Answers HQ and Customer Support and a more transparent title. It might make sense to put it in General, but that's obviously up to Jackie and the Community Team.

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There is this sticky in the bug report forum https://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=877258 that points to the tech support forum on AHQ

 

Yeah, but it’s a little vague or misleading in the title because it’s about the bug forum, not straight tech support. I’m suggesting a nice clear title that says here is where to get tech support.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s good that it’s there, but how many threads do you or I answer on the forums about tech issues that aren’t about bugs.

Things like networking / lag issues or bit raider installers or over heating systems or graphic drivers etc.

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I ask for at least three exceptions: character love threads; Suggestion Box forum threads; and Bug Report threads.

 

As stated already, the (character) love threads can be inactive for some time, but reawaken to activity when a character has new content. Such as Vector's cutscenes for the IA with his alert and after completing Onslaught. Or when a new player wants to join in the conversation with like minded individuals.

 

.

 

Jackie requested that I send her an example of the character love threads in a PM. I sent Vector's (personal bias, lol). She asked how many I thought there were. I couldn't venture a guess as to precise numbers but I pointed out that it was probably safe to assume any romance option had one, and that it might be wise to assume that most, if not all, of the vanilla companions had one.

 

I hope that they listen and keep those threads unlocked. Sometimes responses are few and far between, but I think they should remain open.

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Sweeping all the unresolved bugs under the rug, are we, Bioware?

 

I suggest leaving bug threads open, in the rare instance someone actually searches for an existing thread on a bug they were going to post about before creating a new thread. Locking those threads only condones the creation of new threads on bugs that already have threads on them. I would also suggest leaving suggestion threads unlocked for similar reasons.

Edited by Tofu_Shark
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