About the Dragon Age Subforums here

[Alexspeed]

Well, its about this, we have there this great Subforums, thank you for providing them,

but if we dont get more Support there pepole will go somewhere else to talk about the Game.

 

I visit this Forums daily, and i do my best to help and provide answers to everything that i can help with there, but it becomes kind of an uphill struggle.

 

There are ALOT of questions regarding technical aspects of the game and especially how to mod it or how to use the Toolset to do specific things.

And most of it i cant answer becouse i lack the knowledge of the toolset and/or i dont have the time to look it up, or its just too complicated for me.

I am not modding myself jet and so i cant answer all those modding related questions.

It breaks my heart to leave questions unanswered, i would like to help everyone, but i cant.

 

If pepole dont get answers to such questions in this forums they will search and find them elsewhere and most likely they wont come back (besides to download mods).

If you want a healthy modder community in the DA Subforums you need to do something before its too late.

 

I dont have THE ANSWER to this problem, but i have a suggestion.

 

Please make a Newsposting on the Main DANexus Page that encourages modders with knowledge to visit the Forums,

like the Builder Troubleshooting and User Troubleshooting and the General Modder Forums.

 

If more pepole share their knowledge there it will benfit all users and modders, and it will lead to a better Forum Community.

 

Please consider my request.

[Vagrant0]

As more people get the game and more work is done to figure things out, more people will be able to answer questions. It's no different from any other sub-forum. All it takes is one or two really knowledgeable people around who are willing to answer questions. Think of it as a team effort, sometimes you can't wait for someone to figure out everything for you. A knowledge base has to start somewhere.

 

That said, if you happen to figure out anything useful, you can always make an article.

[Alexspeed]

As more people get the game and more work is done to figure things out, more people will be able to answer questions. It's no different from any other sub-forum. All it takes is one or two really knowledgeable people around who are willing to answer questions. Think of it as a team effort, sometimes you can't wait for someone to figure out everything for you. A knowledge base has to start somewhere.

 

That said, if you happen to figure out anything useful, you can always make an article.

 

I am sorry, i dont want to sound offensive, but your post isnt helpfull at all i think. Thank you for the answer tough.

 

I am aware of the things you said, and i made a suggestion how to improve the situation.

You choose to ignore the suggestion and instead just say "lets wait, things will improve" when i think that they wont.

When there are no pepole posting solutions then there will be no knowledge base.

 

If i knew of anything helpfull i would have made an article allready out of it, like i did with the installation guide.

[LHammonds]

Is there an equivalent DA Wiki like there are for the TES Construction Sets? If not, there really needs to be.

 

Forums are NOT a good technical choice for a knowledge base. An occasional tip or link direction yes, but not a source of information.

 

The Article database can host some standalone tutorials but again, it is not geared to be a knowledgebase repository of related information like a wiki.

 

Until there is a centralized wiki that is well-maintained, I doubt you are going to see modding "open up" to the casual modder unless a lot of informational how-to articles are created and made to be easily found.

 

In the TES Construction Sets, people could easily find the wiki sites because it was built into the tool under the help menu. Somebody could easily find the documentation without ever having visited a single forum or fan site.

 

LHammonds

[myrmaad]

Is there an equivalent DA Wiki like there are for the TES Construction Sets? If not, there really needs to be.

 

Forums are NOT a good technical choice for a knowledge base. An occasional tip or link direction yes, but not a source of information.

 

The Article database can host some standalone tutorials but again, it is not geared to be a knowledgebase repository of related information like a wiki.

 

Until there is a centralized wiki that is well-maintained, I doubt you are going to see modding "open up" to the casual modder unless a lot of informational how-to articles are created and made to be easily found.

 

In the TES Construction Sets, people could easily find the wiki sites because it was built into the tool under the help menu. Somebody could easily find the documentation without ever having visited a single forum or fan site.

 

LHammonds

 

 

Requires an account to view:

 

http://social.bioware.com/wiki/datoolset/index.php/Main_Page

 

PS, I've attempted to answer a few questions even though I don't have and have never played this game. The answers are out there. You just have to search for them, but as Lon and Vagrant said, as the game becomes more popular and more mods are made and uploaded, there will be more support, because, as with all modding, the users are the support.

Edited December 6, 2009 by myrmaad

[Alexspeed]

Is there an equivalent DA Wiki like there are for the TES Construction Sets? If not, there really needs to be.

 

Forums are NOT a good technical choice for a knowledge base. An occasional tip or link direction yes, but not a source of information.

 

The Article database can host some standalone tutorials but again, it is not geared to be a knowledgebase repository of related information like a wiki.

 

Until there is a centralized wiki that is well-maintained, I doubt you are going to see modding "open up" to the casual modder unless a lot of informational how-to articles are created and made to be easily found.

 

In the TES Construction Sets, people could easily find the wiki sites because it was built into the tool under the help menu. Somebody could easily find the documentation without ever having visited a single forum or fan site.

 

LHammonds

 

There are several Wikis, the most helpfull one for Modders is surly the Dragon Age Toolset documentation wiki, or DA Builder Wiki, for short.

 

Sorry i have the feeling you are misunderstanding me, maybe i wasnt clear enough, i dont want to turn the forums or the article database into a wiki or anything.

 

My problem is that i feel that there are not enough knowledable pepole here to answer the questions that i cant answer in regards to the DA Toolset and other technical DA stuff. So there are alot of questions in the troubleshooting forums for Dragon Age that go unanswered. That leads to pepole going elsewhere and that dosent help to build a modder comunity that is able to answer questions to each other. I thought i explained it in my first post in this thread understandable.

 

And i even made a Suggestion how to help getting more pepole to the forums to get a stronger community there that is able to help each other.

 

 

EDIT:

PS, I've attempted to answer a few questions even though I don't have and have never played this game. The answers are out there. You just have to search for them, but as Lon and Vagrant said, as the game becomes more popular and more mods are made and uploaded, there will be more support, because, as with all modding, the users are the support.

 

Ive seen that and thank you, but i disagree, time wont work in favour with this problem i think, the pepole will avoid this forums becouse they couldnt get answers here and will go to where they found help.

They will just come here to host their mods, but not to discuss modding in this forum. You are right, the users ARE the support, but they wont be here then but where they found their answers before.

[Vagrant0]

My problem is that i feel that there are not enough knowledable pepole here to answer the questions that i cant answer in regards to the DA Toolset and other technical DA stuff. So there are alot of questions in the troubleshooting forums for Dragon Age that go unanswered. That leads to pepole going elsewhere and that dosent help to build a modder comunity that is able to answer questions to each other. I thought i explained it in my first post in this thread understandable.

It's not like we can just snap our fingers and suddenly a knowledgeable person will appear who is willing to spend hours a day answering questions. Nor is it possible to go surfing around the web to find such a person and bribe them to visit these forums. If they want to stay and help out, they will. If not, then not. We really don't have much say in the matter.

 

I say to wait because that is what eventually worked for every other section of the forums. When I first started posting, Oblivion was much the same way DA is now, there's lots of people asking for help and not many who would try to answer. Rather than ignore those posts, I tried to answer as many as I could, even if my answers were not useful or what the poster wanted to hear. One of my more common responses was just pointing out that at the time there weren't many people who could work on new meshes and probably wouldn't be able to help with this request. It didn't help, but it did get the message across that the game was still being figured out and that if people really wanted something, they should attempt to make it themselves.

 

Fallout 3 forums were much the same way, but to a larger degree initially since the CS wasn't available yet. People wanted things, or wanted to make things that weren't possible with the available tools or knowledge. Even still there were some people who eventually came around and tried helping others (I assume). I wasn't ever really able to get FO3 to work well on my computer, didn't spend much time working with the CS, and likewise didn't bother to check those forums. However, nature abhors a vacuum. Although I wasn't around to help answer questions in the FO3 section, eventually others who could did show up.

 

I realize how pompous this might sound, but that's not my intention. My point is that with every moddable game there are always people who will eventually show up and fill the void. The reason why this might not seem obvious is because we've been extremely lucky with the sorts of knowledgeable people who visit these forums. Rather than say that we need more experts to magically appear, how about being more encouraging of those who are atleast trying. You don't need one knowledgeable person to answer every question, all you really need is a few semi-knowledgeable people who answer those questions that they feel like answering.

[bben46]

Have a little patience. Dark0ne has built a better mouse trap. The DA people will beat a path to the Nexus. But it will not happen overnight. It takes time for interested and competent people to find us here. Many sites do not allow 'advertising' a competing site on their turf. But the people who do make mods, utilities and give advice will eventually gravitate here because we do have the largest user base. Give it a few months and the DANexus will be every bit as useful a resource as TesNexus and FO3Nexus.

 

Right now, because it is new the DA mod community is extremely fragmented, with people in dozens or maybe even hundreds of sites. Many of these will close or fade away as the owners lose interest or move on to other games. This will leave those hard line DA people who frequent those sites in need of a new place to go for their daily DA fix. Many will end up here.

 

As Vagrant said, we saw the same kind of thing on TesNexus, and again on FO3Nexus. A gradual growth eventually leading to a very helpful site. Hang in there It will happen. And you are in on the ground floor.

[Alexspeed]

It's not like we can just snap our fingers and suddenly a knowledgeable person will appear who is willing to spend hours a day answering questions. Nor is it possible to go surfing around the web to find such a person and bribe them to visit these forums. If they want to stay and help out, they will. If not, then not. We really don't have much say in the matter.

 

Thats right, i agree, but you can at least try to attract pepole? Why would that be wrong?

 

I say to wait because that is what eventually worked for every other section of the forums. When I first started posting, Oblivion was much the same way DA is now, there's lots of people asking for help and not many who would try to answer. Rather than ignore those posts, I tried to answer as many as I could, even if my answers were not useful or what the poster wanted to hear. One of my more common responses was just pointing out that at the time there weren't many people who could work on new meshes and probably wouldn't be able to help with this request. It didn't help, but it did get the message across that the game was still being figured out and that if people really wanted something, they should attempt to make it themselves.

Fallout 3 forums were much the same way, but to a larger degree initially since the CS wasn't available yet. People wanted things, or wanted to make things that weren't possible with the available tools or knowledge. Even still there were some people who eventually came around and tried helping others (I assume). I wasn't ever really able to get FO3 to work well on my computer, didn't spend much time working with the CS, and likewise didn't bother to check those forums. However, nature abhors a vacuum. Although I wasn't around to help answer questions in the FO3 section, eventually others who could did show up.

 

Thats all fine and fair. I do also my best to help pepole and to answer questions and whatnot. I really do whenever i can. Actually, in what you described i can see some resemblance to my situation now.

But who gurantees you those pepole will come here and not go somewhere else? Because it worked 2 times it must work a third time too? Well, i wish i would be so sure about that like you seem to be.

 

I realize how pompous this might sound, but that's not my intention. My point is that with every moddable game there are always people who will eventually show up and fill the void. The reason why this might not seem obvious is because we've been extremely lucky with the sorts of knowledgeable people who visit these forums. Rather than say that we need more experts to magically appear, how about being more encouraging of those who are atleast trying. You don't need one knowledgeable person to answer every question, all you really need is a few semi-knowledgeable people who answer those questions that they feel like answering.

 

I never said that "we need more experts to magically appear", please dont turn my words around, i said the forum would benfit if there are more knowledgable pepole to answer questions.

You are dramatizing and overemphasize what i said to make my request seem ungrounded and shallow. I dont want to start an Argument, but let me say i think thats unneded.

"how about being more encouraging of those who are atleast trying" Do you want to suggest i wouldnt be gratefull for everyone helping to answer questions with that? I can assure you i am.

In the last sentence you are right again, and its meaning is exactly the same as what i wrote what i wanted to achieve, why are we argumenting here?

 

Have a little patience. Dark0ne has built a better mouse trap. The DA people will beat a path to the Nexus. But it will not happen overnight. It takes time for interested and competent people to find us here. Many sites do not allow 'advertising' a competing site on their turf. But the people who do make mods, utilities and give advice will eventually gravitate here because we do have the largest user base. Give it a few months and the DANexus will be every bit as useful a resource as TesNexus and FO3Nexus.

 

Right now, because it is new the DA mod community is extremely fragmented, with people in dozens or maybe even hundreds of sites. Many of these will close or fade away as the owners lose interest or move on to other games. This will leave those hard line DA people who frequent those sites in need of a new place to go for their daily DA fix. Many will end up here.

 

As Vagrant said, we saw the same kind of thing on TesNexus, and again on FO3Nexus. A gradual growth eventually leading to a very helpful site. Hang in there It will happen. And you are in on the ground floor.

 

Thank you bben46 for your comment, its encouraging. But also very optimistic in my opinion, but thats fine. Its great if all that works out like at the other Sites.

Sure all good things take time, i understand that, but again, whats wrong with showing those pepole the path and leading them here to where they are needed NOW?

 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

I dont have THE ANSWER to this problem, but i have a suggestion.

 

Please make a Newsposting on the Main DANexus Page that encourages modders with knowledge to visit the Forums,

like the Builder Troubleshooting and User Troubleshooting and the General Modder Forums.

 

If more pepole share their knowledge there it will benfit all users and modders, and it will lead to a better Forum Community.

 

Please consider my request.

 

I hate to quote myself normally, but this time it seems i have to, because all of you are busy ensuring me that i am wrong and you are right.

Thats not the point, i didnt came here to argue or fight, i came here to ask for support, and jet not one of you had even spent one little word about the suggestion that i made.

I am not sure what to think about that.

 

I havent attacked anyone, have i?

If you feel attacked then please excuse me, that was not my intention. I just stated what i think and what i think could be done to improve the situation.

I expected that suggestions for improvments are welcome, maybe i am wrong.

 

It seems you are all very confident that all will work out over time, thats okay, maybe it will.

But in the meantime there are still alot of pepole that want to get help here, and not enough pepole that are helping (in my opinion).

 

Whats bad on wanting to advance the growth and speeding up the process of getting more pepole here?

 

I really feel now like i am fighting windmills here when i had initially just thought i make a simple suggestion.

[Vagrant0]

After looking at the builders help section, I can kinda see where you're coming from, but still can't do much about it. The biggest problem, as I see it is that what little information there is is being spread around between a few dozen posts which all ask similar questions. I've brought up the suggestion of a pinned thread to answer common questions, direct to articles, wiki links, or just say that there isn't enough known about that aspect, in one of those areas moderators have to talk with eachother, but the problem is still the same. To have knowledge available, you need to have people who can dispense that knowledge.

 

If people go elsewhere, that's entirely their choice. None of the other sections were a sure thing either since there has always been Bethsoft forums, PES, and many other sites, several of them in other languages. But, as I said, nature abhors a vacuum, so there will always be people looking to make a name for themselves here simply because they decided to stick around and it gives them that warm fuzzy feeling of being able to help others. It's part of the same reason why helpful people here don't go to other sites, the questions there are already answered. But it really has more to do with the networking and connectivity that this forum already has.

 

I can assure you, there are enough people around who hate EA, who appreciate sites like this offering a place to discuss and host their creations.