The Cities XL Forums

[beebs 129]

With the recent release of the CitiesXL 2011, we have seen a rise of criticism within the forums. With this in mind, I'd like to remind everyone that we expect a certain level of conduct in the forums and while I would like to stress that Simtropolis is welcoming of constructive criticism, we do not want to see bashing of Monte Cristo and/or Cities XL itself. Any such posts will be removed and dealt with accordingly.

For clarity, use the following Simtropolis rules for reference

        9. Common Sense Rules. Common sense rules, like politeness, are not explicitly stated but are still enforced.

       11. Discuss the issues, not each other.

To summarize:

Constructive and Polite Criticism: Okay

Bashing of Monte Cristo and/or CitiesXL: Not okay and will be edited and/or deleted.

--Cities XL Forum Mods

[JakeMD 107]

CXL Moderators:

masochist

GlobexCo

Damastius

Jesse Swiss

soltangris

Administrator:   Livin in Sim

[beebs 129]

Originally posted by: SimFox

I agree that establishing some rules is important.

If beta forums are any indication community can quickly turn into a mod of enraged rhinos crushing anything and everything on their way. Such anger is also self perpetuation. So people should remain calm in their remarks. And avoid personal attacks. Particularly unsubstantiated. General rule of thumb - provide references!

But I can't agree with the whole CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM mambo-jambo.

I say mambo -jambo because that what I believe it is here. Simply habitual use of the cliche. Use that betrays lack of understanding of the term itself. And without such understanding this term is nothing but a whip to slash any opinion that is not liked.

As far as I see there isn't really any possibility of a constructive criticisms here. For one, community (barring few game developers who may be among us) doesn't have required expertise to ensure CONSTRUCTIVE bit.

Also the very intend of constructive criticism for a commercial product is absurd. I mean would you ask or even expect constructive criticism of a movie by a critique?

So, although constructive criticism here is neither technically attainable no really required, it should remain CRITISIZM rather than angry slander. Be to the point. Give examples and build explanations of your opinion. Don't expect everyone to share them., Respect opinions of others. Judge them on a merit of same - examples and explanations.

So:

Constructive Criticism: not possible

Bashing: have to be defined, so not to be used arbitrary.

PS

IMHO lack of such understanding had actually brought up the situation as it is at the moment. MC created false illusions in large part of community. Unrealizable illusions...

But one must remember the limits. Limits of the blame that could possibly be assigned to MC.

If you don't like a taste of Diet Coke what do you do? Getting enraged at Producer? Or simply not buying said product?

quote>

There is a level of tact needed. We have no problems with discussions on the games deficiencies and what could be added, but we do not want to see insults thrown and Monte Cristo & CitiesXL verbally abused.

[Dirktator 2,328]

Thanks, Beebs, and everyone.

Everything that needs to be said has been said above. It is easy to get carried away, and off-the-cuff comments can come across in the wrong tone. I'm all for honesty and criticism, as long as we remain civil. Mean spirited comments against anyone is strongly discouraged. That is not the kind of atmosphere we endorse here. You can find a way to say what you want to say, in a better tone.

Let's keep it thoughtful and respectful.

Cheers all

Edit: PS, the thread above has been reopened, after some reflection, we have discussed that the original topic has enough merit to stand on its own and not be grouped with the general screenshots topic.  Thanks all.

[Craig-Abcvs 1,595]

Please remember that this forum along with every other forum on Simtropolis is actively moderated, by staff who check the forums and their content everyday.    This means that posts that are judged by a moderator to be inappropriate will be edited or deleted.

Before posting on any forum please take a few minutes to read  the rules.

In particular this is an important rule to consider:

4. Simtropolis Staff. Administrators, moderators, and chat-operators are responsible for the smooth and efficient running of the site. The staff reserves the right to take whatever action is deemed appropriate in any given situation, regardless of whether there is a specific rule covering that situation or not.   If there is a misunderstanding or dispute, then please bring the issue up politely with that staff member in private.   In all matters, the decision of the administration is final.quote>

We do welcome new members to this site, especially those members who have something positive to contribute to our community.

If the sole purpose or registering is simply to criticise, complain or otherwise fan the flames of dissent then those members may find that their welcome is short lived.

Please remember that any form of offensive language,  (swearing, masked or otherwise) is not welcome anywhere on the Simtropolis forums.    This includes using symbols such as  $%^&*! 

Please also remember that there is a difference between "healthy criticism vs. outright flaming".  

For example... saying that you are disappointed with a certain aspect of the game is fine, however outright bashing, flaming or making blanket statements such as "this game sucks" or making direct derogatory statements against the developers will not be tolerated and is not acceptable.

[Craig-Abcvs 1,595]

Originally posted by: dirk

Originally posted by: soldyne

I am just a little concerned that it sounds as if MC is making Simtropolis do all the work as far as maintaining an official forum. it sounds like MC is saying we can make this third party free site do all the work for us and we don't have to spend the time or money to maintain our own forum. from an economic perspective it sounds like a good deal, but, really, it just seems like MC is taking advantage of Simtropolis.

however, for all we know, MC and Dirk made a deal of some kind. perhaps MC is donating some amount of money to simtrop in order to main a Cities XL forum. I would be OK with that I guess. MC can concentrate on other things and save a little money and Simtrop can do what it does best; maintain one of the best communities on the net. as long as MC has a presence here (as we have seen in this thread already) then I guess it is just as good as an official forum.quote>

Well, Simtropolis would be providing a Cities XL forum in any event, just like we did for previous city building games, after all, we are a community for city building gamers (a rather modest niche in the grand scheme of gaming, to be sure).

So, let's be clear, there is no binding business agreement between Monte Cristo and Simtropolis.

Yes, we are presently involved with an affiliate program for selling pre-orders of Cities XL through Metaboli on gamesplanet.com, whereby we receive a small referral commission for any sales that we might generate.  The affiliate program is not exclusive to us.

We have always accommodated the developers here on our forum, and we'll continue to do so.  I'm pleased to see a trend with game developers reaching out more to their fan communities these days, I think it benefits everyone in the end.

We'll continue to do what we've always done; cover city building games!

[Craig-Abcvs 1,595]

Please remember not to start talking about other people.  

We do not need tit for tat 'he said' - 'you said' type discussions.

Also please do not use CAPS in your posts as this is considered to be shouting.

[Craig-Abcvs 1,595]

Discussion Regarding:

Pirating, Torrenting, Copying, Hacking, Cracking, Reverse Engineering... Please Read - this is your one and only warning.

5.  Prohibited Actions.    It is strictly and expressly prohibited to post or upload: 

a.  Anything relating to the pirating, or copying, of any software game title;

b.  Anything referring to CD keys or no CD cracks;

 

At Simtropolis we take this rule very seriously.   This rule is not open to discussion.

There is to be absolutely no talk or discussion regarding pirating, torrenting, copying, hacking, cracking, reverse engineering, or anything similar of any software game title in the forums here at Simtropolis.

This is your warning.    Do not do it or risk losing your membership privledges. 

If you have any questions regarding this please PM a staff member privately.

[Craig-Abcvs 1,595]

A word from one of our Admins...

Originally posted by: Meg

It's fairly simple really:  it's a Canadian site so be polite, eh?

This is also a PG-13 site.   Aside from the obvious "no X-rated material" issue, this also means no throwing temper tantrums like a 2 year old.  and my favorite rule:  discuss the issues, not each other.

We understand that people have real frustrations and issues with what is going on.  But ranting and raving isn't going to help.  

Threads that degenerate into rant-fests are going to be closed.  Threads that discuss issues in a civil manner will stay open.quote>

[Craig-Abcvs 1,595]

Everything in Moderation Including Moderation

4. Simtropolis Staff. Administrators, moderators, and chat-operators are responsible for the smooth and efficient running of the site. The staff reserves the right to take whatever action is deemed appropriate in any given situation, regardless of whether there is a specific rule covering that situation or not.   If there is a misunderstanding or dispute, then please bring the issue up politely with that staff member in private.   In all matters, the decision of the administration is final.

8.  Smiting by the Bunnies.     Staff at Simtropolis use a range of options to deal with breaches of the site rules.  The staff will always endeavor to use the fairest and lightest method available.

9.  Common Sense Rules.  Common sense rules, like politeness, are not explicitly stated but are still enforced.  quote>

 

We are continuing to see posts within the public threads, complaining, critizing or giving directives to the staff on how this forum should or should not be moderated.

It is actually very simple...   provided that that the discussion remains  thoughtful and respectful  threads will remain open.   Threads or posts whose only purpose is to snipe, make the same comments and complaints over and over and desolve into flame fests will be closed, edited or deleted.

Threads on similar topics will also be closed or merged on the discretion of the moderators as appropriate.

If any member has an issue with anything regarding the moderatation of ST then they should in the first instance PM the moderator and discuss the issue with them privately.    If the outcome of that discussion is not considered to be satisfactory then they are welcome to contact one of the site administrators.

Publicly discussing the moderation of Simtropolis, openly in the forums, engaging in public tit for tat quote fests, and telling us how we should or should not be doing things will not usually meet with a favourable response.

If anyone has any queries about this or there is anything that you don't understand then please send us a PM, and we will be happy to discuss it...   privately. 

[Craig-Abcvs 1,595]

The Moderators secrets revealed!

Different moderators tend to use their own text colour.

     A note addressing a moderating issue will be left in colour, and sometimes bolded depending on how serious the note is.

You will also notice that threads may have posts made by moderators with just a single emoticon or something similar...

 

  Thread read.

This is simply a marker complete with the date and time, left for the next moderator that comes along...  (and yes we have all the time zones covered...)  that the thread has been read and checked.

The next moderator can then simply read all the posts that follow and does not then need to re-read what has already been checked.

As alway please send us a PM if there is anything that you would like to ask or have explained!

[Craig-Abcvs 1,595]

Previously Pinned Topics

The Mass Transit Discussion Thread