It would be interesting if you could mark more than one option though.
I agree, it would be interesting. Unfortunately this is not currently an option - it's just not part of Vanilla's implementation. Maybe down the line, but, adding this would require programmer time when they have to be focusing on other things at the moment.
I agree on the redundancy of LOL! and Awesome. If it's possible to tweak the existing ones, a Helpful reaction might encourage posters to spend more time assisting newbies. People rarely Like those answers or mark them Insightful (they don't really fit either category), but they're very useful. And a goal of BGEE is to attract new players, so there will be a need for them very soon.
I agree, it would be interesting. Unfortunately this is not currently an option - it's just not part of Vanilla's implementation. Maybe down the line, but, adding this would require programmer time when they have to be focusing on other things at the moment.
I just knew you were going to say that.
I downloaded the vanilla forums package, but unfortunately I can't do anything since reactions and badges are not on the localhost. I'd have to sign up for a basic package and then host it (?) in order to dig into the code. Not something I'm going to bother doing, either.
@Troodon80 your dedication is appreciated, but don't worry about it! At some point in time down the line when we have time (unintentional rhyme!) we'll be inclined to... check it out.
@Shandyr it's one of the ones that's included with Vanilla forums' badge system, and as such the criteria for who gets it and who doesn't is hardcoded deep within the forum's underdark.
If people would rather no one get it at all, I can disable it?
I say disable it, but not because I'd rather no one get it. There are many badges I'll never get, and I'm fine with that. The problem is, the Combo Breaker badge requires you to "metagame" unless you are extremely lucky. Instead of earning points at your own pace, you're encouraged to spam your first 10 or even 100 comments (very doable if you create an Off Topic thread for "socializing"), vote-swap, beg for points, and generally act weird. Even with the addition of more easily attainable badges, the problem is you still have to obtain five on the same day. Accidentally use one up? Better rush to grab the other four!
@Jalily, I agree with that. There's little that it adds, and considering that even the top posters like Tanthalas and Tr_ond haven't been able to get it, I would say it is highly unlikely that anyone will be able to get it here. Probably best to disable it. At least until the community gets larger and there is more gainful interaction (maybe some new badges to be earned, etc.).
@Nathan, I didn't lose anything but 10 minutes by trying, right?
I am happy to help, through. I've been meaning to dig through it anyway. Turns out there's nothing much I can do beyond the basics. Now that I've seen how easy it is, I can still roll this out later for my employers as an internal communication board for projects, should they want it, so there's nothing wasted. The joys of learning something new.
Speaking of which, I noticed that the basic version of vanilla has a delete button for all notification messages. Any chance of something like that on all notifications here? I browsed through my own notices and found that I was able to delete notifications about certain badges. Photogenic, First Comment, Name Dropper, and 10 Comments. Nothing else can be deleted for some reason. All the notifications about bookmarks, messages, and badges that are not any of the above are just building up. Right now, I've gotten 11 pages.
Also, there's a WYSIWYG editor that could be enabled. Might be a handy addition instead of adding a Facebook button...
... Or you could, you know...
... add a Facebook button...
...and make us type in the code and styles ourselves.
It's not very difficult to do.
It has much more functionality if you do it on your own, too.
Have I mentioned how much I love this forums' ability to not completely ruin formatting? I'm speshul .
(I wonder how many people will try clicking on those when they see the pointer appear )
I would love the option to delete notifications. I turned them off for bookmarked topics precisely because they were flooding my page. (Another solution is to control whether that type of notification gets posted in the first place as opposed to just showing up briefly while you browse. Bookmarks already have their own page, so it's not like you'd miss anything. But I don't know if that's feasible.)
And while I'm at it, the yellow on white post count that shows up when new messages are posted in bookmarked topics is almost unreadable.
I was curious, so I tried something out. I got the delete button to display on the first notification in my list, which happens to be Jalily's last post.
I really think that to older posters in the forum getting this badge is impossible. If I was going to get it today, I'd have to get 9 likes, 83 agrees, 48 insightfuls, post 1432 comments and turn into a betatester or moderator to get the last badge necessary.
Well I think a new member when arriving to the forum will take time to discover it, but has more important things to do than strategically planning their first 10 messages to get a badge... And encouraging them to post just in order to obtain it instead of investing interesting issues doesn't contribute to the forum, the game or the community.
And what will older members tell them? "oh, no! don't post your message! Maybe it's interesting, but wait till you have 15 or 20 super-interesting messages in order to maybe have a badge!"
It's a little silly...
If the badge is not disabled, then it should be possible to obtain without encouraging spamming or beging for like/agree/insightful.
So maybe the Combo Breaker badge serves as motivation for some people to spam posts or manipulate reactions. But even if not to the same extent, the other badges, too, can be a motivation to do that.
Moreover, I don't think this badge is meant to be acquired by everybody. Just as those preorder or beta testing badges can only be achieved by a few people, although those are even more restricted.
I have to agree with @Jalily on this point. The combo breaker would make the badge maniacs flood the forum with "Ok" and "Agree" posts. It's no different from people who buy games because they have easy achievements and can add easy points to their gamerscore.
I've actually seem videogames magazines publish guides on which games to buy if you wanted a higher gamerscore and easy achievements.
Also I don't see older posters who want to disable the badge because they can't get it. Most people will never get the Moderator or Betatester Badge, but I hope nobody is pestering Trent Oster or Nathan just to get a badge. The combo breaker has a high potential for people pleading for agrees etc...
So I'm one who votes for disabling the combo breaker badge.
One person posting 10 coments is not a flood, 10 people means 100 useless comments... Yes, I'd call that a flood potential badge.
Now if someone is hitting the board and posting 100s of useless comments with no content just to get a comments/agree/insightful/like badge, I can only say I"m sorry for that person.
The only reason I, for instance, ever got above 1000 comments is my participation in all roleplaying challenges. They probably count as 75% of my postings. The first challenge was ove 70 pages long.
BTW anyone intersted in participating in the next one, contact LadyRhian, as the current challege just finished.
I like Shandyr's proposition to create an introductory thread for the badge system clearly informing newcomers about this elusive badge.
The older users can still get it, although it might be a little more challenging for them. But that's more a question of sportsmanship than anything else, right?
Seriously, if this badge is disabled only because it might motivate people to engage in non-constructive activities, then all the other badges which reward higher numbers of posts and reactions should be disabled as well.
If people are really that crazy for badges they can abuse the current system anyway even without the combo breaker badge.
You want the next comment badge? Just spam around the forum!
You want the next insightful/agree/like badge? Just find somebody who wants the same and the two of you can push each other with likes/agrees/insightfuls.
A system without combo breaker badge is not immun to abuse either.
Those badges will always be just as obtainable if you earn them at your own pace. Didn't get one today? You can get it later without risking your opportunity to get it at all. Unlike Combo Breaker, these badges encourage constructive behavior like using the @ tag, changing your avatar to something more recognizable, participating in useful but low view/low upvote topics (roleplaying challenges, newbie questions, bug reports), and posting good content that gets favorable reactions. (There's a reason why the Dislike badge was shot down back when the forum had Dislikes.)
Right now, asking someone to vote you up even through PM looks pathetic, and the social stigma combined with the pointlessness is enough to prevent virtually everyone from bothering. But if more people knew about Combo Breaker, the practice would become understandable and even expected, especially if you announce it like a newbie rite of passage. Duplicate accounts and "restarted" accounts would also proliferate due to how front-loaded the process is.
And why do they have to beg for agrees and likes? You only need 5 agrees and 5 likes for two new badges!
This is the very reason why the first comments won't be spam.
They have to think about what to post in order to get the like/agree (or insightful) badges, for which in turn they can get the combo breaker badge.
(Actually you only need one of the like/agree/insightful badges: first comment badge + photogenic + names dropper + 10 comment badge + either agree/insightful/like badge is enough)
Because you need to get them on the same day. I did think a lot before I posted my first comments. The first two earned more than enough for two badges, but I got those points over a period of weeks. Not everyone reads a comment the same day it is posted, and the only way to draw attention to it is...yep, spam.
And why do they have to beg for agrees and likes? I get the feeling the only ones who argue against the combo breaker badge are the ones who cannot get it anymore...
On the other hand those members who could still get it would argue in favor of the badge...
I don't see any non-PC users calling for the removal of the Pre-order badge just because they can't get it. Badges are there to denote functional status or encourage desirable actions (like pre-ordering) - Combo Breaker does neither and primarily rewards bizarre behavior.
If we're going to disable it, it would be best to do it now, before anyone has a chance to lose it.
@Jalily I think this is a matter of perspective. You could regard the Combo Breaker badge as a sort of "fun badge", it isn't even worth that many points. This badge looks like something which was designed either for newbies to get (accidentally or intentionally) or as a badge which just shouldn't be taken too seriously.
Comments
I downloaded the vanilla forums package, but unfortunately I can't do anything since reactions and badges are not on the localhost. I'd have to sign up for a basic package and then host it (?) in order to dig into the code. Not something I'm going to bother doing, either.
It adds nothing to the forum.
@Nathan, I didn't lose anything but 10 minutes by trying, right?
I am happy to help, through. I've been meaning to dig through it anyway. Turns out there's nothing much I can do beyond the basics. Now that I've seen how easy it is, I can still roll this out later for my employers as an internal communication board for projects, should they want it, so there's nothing wasted. The joys of learning something new.
Speaking of which, I noticed that the basic version of vanilla has a delete button for all notification messages. Any chance of something like that on all notifications here? I browsed through my own notices and found that I was able to delete notifications about certain badges. Photogenic, First Comment, Name Dropper, and 10 Comments. Nothing else can be deleted for some reason. All the notifications about bookmarks, messages, and badges that are not any of the above are just building up. Right now, I've gotten 11 pages.
Also, there's a WYSIWYG editor that could be enabled. Might be a handy addition instead of adding a Facebook button...
Have I mentioned how much I love this forums' ability to not completely ruin formatting? I'm speshul
(I wonder how many people will try clicking on those when they see the pointer appear
And while I'm at it, the yellow on white post count that shows up when new messages are posted in bookmarked topics is almost unreadable.
When clicked, I get a confirmation box appear.
When 'Okay' is clicked, I get a permission notice in the bottom left corner.
So, perhaps there's a problem with the permissions. Maybe that's why the delete button has been removed?
And what will older members tell them? "oh, no! don't post your message! Maybe it's interesting, but wait till you have 15 or 20 super-interesting messages in order to maybe have a badge!"
It's a little silly...
If the badge is not disabled, then it should be possible to obtain without encouraging spamming or beging for like/agree/insightful.
Moreover, I don't think this badge is meant to be acquired by everybody. Just as those preorder or beta testing badges can only be achieved by a few people, although those are even more restricted.
I've actually seem videogames magazines publish guides on which games to buy if you wanted a higher gamerscore and easy achievements.
Also I don't see older posters who want to disable the badge because they can't get it. Most people will never get the Moderator or Betatester Badge, but I hope nobody is pestering Trent Oster or Nathan just to get a badge. The combo breaker has a high potential for people pleading for agrees etc...
So I'm one who votes for disabling the combo breaker badge.
Now if someone is hitting the board and posting 100s of useless comments with no content just to get a comments/agree/insightful/like badge, I can only say I"m sorry for that person.
The only reason I, for instance, ever got above 1000 comments is my participation in all roleplaying challenges. They probably count as 75% of my postings. The first challenge was ove 70 pages long.
BTW anyone intersted in participating in the next one, contact LadyRhian, as the current challege just finished.
The older users can still get it, although it might be a little more challenging for them. But that's more a question of sportsmanship than anything else, right?
Seriously, if this badge is disabled only because it might motivate people to engage in non-constructive activities, then all the other badges which reward higher numbers of posts and reactions should be disabled as well.
Right now, asking someone to vote you up even through PM looks pathetic, and the social stigma combined with the pointlessness is enough to prevent virtually everyone from bothering. But if more people knew about Combo Breaker, the practice would become understandable and even expected, especially if you announce it like a newbie rite of passage. Duplicate accounts and "restarted" accounts would also proliferate due to how front-loaded the process is. Because you need to get them on the same day. I did think a lot before I posted my first comments. The first two earned more than enough for two badges, but I got those points over a period of weeks. Not everyone reads a comment the same day it is posted, and the only way to draw attention to it is...yep, spam. I don't see any non-PC users calling for the removal of the Pre-order badge just because they can't get it. Badges are there to denote functional status or encourage desirable actions (like pre-ordering) - Combo Breaker does neither and primarily rewards bizarre behavior.
If we're going to disable it, it would be best to do it now, before anyone has a chance to lose it.