Planning for the future (Properly!)

[Ryaku]

I meant as in people in higher castes could look down to normal users. It should be reputation and meritocracy based, not pay2win status.

On most other tech community, Yakumo would be an asshole with an ego problem and Borman would be full of himself, only lurking in the extra dank underground subforums.

I'd be glad to see recurring donations, with at most a custom user title as a "reward", no need to fragment the community between premium users and regular freeloaders. A lot of interesting stuff as come from outsiders/new users in the past, such premium sections found detrimental. I was a ten when I started helping with beta dumping on AG, I could not have afforded the DC Tier-1 subforum.

Just my 2¢, in the end it's the staff that decides.

"I meant as in people in higher castes could look down to normal users" we are adult and responsible if we can't be civilized it's problem

meritocracy ? by what ? share beta build to share it's need money to buy them

it's no pay2win but pay 2 preserve

it's not good if you have to pay 2$ or other Each month but only 1 payment each year it's easier for all

 

[Arcadia]

I think it's a bad idea. It would foster an elitist mentality in some people.

That's is exactly the kind of toxicity that AG managed to generally avoid and that made it feel different on the internet.

* * *

Also, the whole paying for access to beta downloads stuff is legally very shady (making money out of what books down to piracy in a company's view) and could put the site in trouble.

Agreed, some people also claim to be doing this for preservation purposes and having only a small clique having access would defeat that purpose.

 

[FamilyGuy]

"I meant as in people in higher castes could look down to normal users" we are adult and responsible if we can't be civilized it's problem

Have you been on there internet lately?

meritocracy ? by what ? share beta build to share it's need money to buy them

Your status should be from contributions alone IMO, be it betas or sharing knowledge and abilities.

In the end the staff will decide and the users will vote with their presence/contributions. I personally don't think your suggestion would be positive for the community overall. Just opinions though.

 

[Ryaku]

Have you been on there internet lately?

Of course and sorry but i don't go on teenagers forum, if someone has problem with all community he can leave or we can help him to leave. it's simple. As i said we're adult and responsible.

Your status should be from contributions alone IMO, be it betas or sharing knowledge and abilities.

In the end the staff will decide and the users will vote with their presence/contributions. I personally don't think your suggestion would be positive for the community overall. Just opinions though.

And if we don't have beta or Knowledge and abilities ? (it's elitist too)

Even if the rank is without access restriction (normal or premium have same access), it can be "elitist mentality", even now with refugee rank and normal rank and there is community problem right now ? i don't think.

I took Collector's edition forum with rank in example, there is no elitism

what do you suggest ? we have to be open.

 

[FamilyGuy]

And if we don't have beta or Knowledge and abilities ? (it's elitist too)

A lot of users are just nice to chat with and are appreciative of stuff and contribute to discussions, that's a proper contribution to me.

 

[Ryaku]

A lot of users are just nice to chat with and are appreciative of stuff and contribute to discussions, that's a proper contribution to me.

You don't really answer.

Well, we will see others ideas, maybe one of them will satisfy all people (idealism)

 

[FamilyGuy]

You don't really answer.

Well, we will see other idea, maybe one of them will satisfy all people (idealism)

I did state what I suggest in my first post in this thread. Basically I believe recurrent donations and ads for unregistered users is the way to go, at least to begin with. I just don't like perks or castes.

 

[Ryaku]

Patreon will never work there is too many examples like this....

Maybe ads for no-registred user.... but it's very very limited, and all people will be register to don't have ads, it's very easy.

I don't care Castes, and as i don't care i never think about it , and when we don't think about it, then no problem

 

[Arcadia]

Of course and sorry but i don't go on teenagers forum, if someone has problem with all community he can leave or we can help him to leave. it's simple. As i said we're adult and responsible.

I think you have a lot of valid points, but even this community isn't immune to irresponsible jerks. Just look at the unmoderated Assembler forums now, it's a mess.

 

[FamilyGuy]

Maybe ads for no-registred user.... but it's very very limited, and all people will be register to don't have ads, it's very easy.

OG is new, so there might not be too many lurkers yet, but AG had a ton of them in its prime, more than active users. Right now there are 8 users and 112 *guests* on AG; 28/139 on OG.

I think recurrent donations are a good tool because it's a one time effort. I really don't care who's the actual middlemen.

 

[Pinta77]

I don't really like donations, because over time people don''t do donations.

On the other hand it could be quite a lot to have user grades.
- Standard
- Silver
- Gold
- Premium

Depending on an amount paid each year, this entitles you to a Beta access directory.

Ex :
- Standard (no right) 0$/year
- Silver (3 directories corresponding to 3 different systems (Ex PS1, Xbox, Gamecube) : ==> 10$/year
- Gold (6 directories (PS1, PS2, Xbox, Wii, Xbox360, Gamecube) ==> 20$/year
- Premium (full access to all directories) : ==> 35$/year

This rank's system would be trought Paypal and renewable automatically each year.

This will preserve beta games (the longer the time goes on it will require more and more storage)
To maintain the servers
to buy beta

( Collector's edition use grade system and it's very good idea)

(sorry for my english)

I support this idea as well

 

[Pinta77]

I mean I guess I see the concern. I would like to believe we're all adults here and an elitist system isnt going to develop here, but maybe I'm being too optimistic. If you can just buy your way into the tier system, I assume it wouldn't be a huge deal right? Just a way for the site to cover some costs

 

[Borman]

I don't like the idea. I think contributions to the community take all different forms, and see money as only being one. If people want to donate to support the site and get a badge, great, but donations shouldn't buy you anything special beyond that (and I think even a badge should be optional, I think past a certain point I really don't want people to know what I have or haven't contributed to).

 

[Ryaku]

your boss pay you to do nothing do ? did you give money for nothing ? maybe if you saw someone in street, maybe once or twice not more, kickstarer, tepee, etc... all are with system "give money for something", i'm not chocking about this, it's could take different form (stuff, abilities, others,....) you pay for service...


it'll not be mandatory, if you want informations it's free, but some people work to preserve, to buy beta, to dump, to do many things.

Maybe it's could be :

- old beta (released more than 2 years) , it's free for all registered user (unregistered user have ads, it's good idea)

- New beta it's only for donators

maybe one day we will be happy when OG can buy rare beta disc or can have more storage for our beta

Thanks to our regular donations each year and this will allow the admin to manage his annual budget more easily

I don't speak about 50 or 100$ / years, i mean 10/20/35$ Year, how much we spent each year for video game ?

It's bad idea if donation is each month. we have many thing to manage each month, but once by year it's better.

it's not be elitist, it's normal; maybe if you see elitism in this thing... maybe you have to ask you question about this...

And as i said if someone has problem with community (like on A.G) we can help him to leave, it's simple....

 

[Borman]

Not everyone is in the position the pay monetarily, but that doesn't mean that their contribution is any less important.

 

[FamilyGuy]

Don't take this the wrong way @Ryaku, but I feel like you don't understand that not everyone is in the same situation as you. Some people are teens, some are poor, some are lazy, and some are creative. Some have bosses, like you it seems, some don't. Some spend thousands of dollars on videogames per year, some rely on yard sales or games they already own.

Putting a pay wall won't help the community in any way. I couldn't have joined AG in 2007 if a donation was required to reach the people the inner circles, and I believe that my contribution has been positive overall.

Keep in mind when arguing with Borman that he's probably one of the top contributor in the scene. I don't mean that he's automatically right because of his status, but rather that even if he'd be advantaged personally by such a measure, he doesn't think it's a good idea.

To clarify, by recurring donations, I mean something like a convenient way to set up periodic donations once, like "Donate X$ every Y amount of time" that you can forget afterwards.

PS: He's to humble point it out himself probably but, ironically, @Borman's boss actually pays him to preserve old videogames.

 

[Ryaku]

Don't take this the wrong way @Ryaku, but I feel like you don't understand that not everyone is in the same situation as you. Some people are teens, some are poor, some are lazy, and some are creative. Some have bosses, like you it seems, some don't. Some spend thousands of dollars on videogames per year, some rely on yard sales or games they already own.

Putting a pay wall won't help the community in any way. I couldn't have joined AG in 2007 if a donation was required to reach the people the inner circles, and I believe that my contribution has been positive overall.

Keep in mind when arguing with Borman that he's probably one of the top contributor in the scene. I don't mean that he's automatically right because of his status, but rather that even if he'd be advantaged personally by such a measure, he doesn't think it's a good idea.

To clarify, by recurring donations, I mean something like a convenient way to set up periodic donations once, like "Donate X$ every Y amount of time" that you can forget afterwards.

You're wrong, i'm not boss, i have not lot of money, i was teens like many of us.

10$ on year you can't put 10$ on year ? even i was teen i could put 10$ by year (it's less than 1$ by month!), just work one summer to have this, you can be against the principle I accept it, but don't tell that paying 10$ it is too much that even a teen could not give

I don't know Borman and what he did / do , but he will not be more advantaged personally than other or we we don't understand.

I beleive it's was community, the word of Borman should not count more than another otherwise we are in what you do not like from the beginning of your argument is to say of the etlitisme...


It's my point of view, you can to don't agree with that and as i said, maybe others will have better idea

 

[FamilyGuy]

I really can't follow your train of thoughts.

Someone's contribution – be it of any kind or shape – is part of their reputation, there's nothing elitist about that.

You still fail to realise that some people aren't in your shoes.

 

[Borman]

Hiding content behind paywalls segregates people into haves and have nots. Most that can donate will do so regardless. I cam spend a year tracking down a prototype for someone and have them release it, but because I didnt contribute financially I wouldn't even be able to see the response. Locking material also just doesn't work, people inevitably leak it out. The negatives far outweigh the positives.

 

[Windjammer]

As a fairly casual user of AG and probably this site I'd support a reasonable recurring payment. This said to determine what is reasonable I would like to see transparency in how the 'community' money is spent. I'd be quite reluctant to see that money used to directly fund releases/preservation efforts. They should, in my view be separately fund-raised.