A reminder to the flying turtles

[grimper12341]

Don't forget you guys have your own subforum, and it's reason for existence is to bring important things to FC's attention so he doesn't have to read the crappy posts elsewhere. Noticed the flying turtle subforum has been kinda dead lately which wouldn't be helping FC's situation.

Of course that could just be because there hasn't been anything of note to mention in there, so don't stress too much about it.

(one thing which might needa go in there now though, is the wiki situation. There's a bunch of spam pages which need to be deleted by either sargunster or FC himself)

[screally]

it just means all the stuff we post is shit not worth bringing attention to FC in there (and to be honset, thats probably not too far off)

[Kwilt]

it just means all the stuff we post is shit not worth bringing attention to FC in there (and to be honset, thats probably not too far off)

Well, aren't you optimistic.

[RHCPepperfan]

I'm sorry but I hate the fact that there is a flying turtule subforum. It judges people immediatly even before their first post. It kinda makes me feel unwanted. Ofcourse one can have a few insiders, but can't that be limited to a less obvious sign then "look at our subforum, you cannot post here because you are not as elite as we are!"?

[Tekei]

I'm sorry but I hate the fact that there is a flying turtule subforum. It judges people immediatly even before their first post. It kinda makes me feel unwanted. Ofcourse one can have a few insiders, but can't that be limited to a less obvious sign then "look at our subforum, you cannot post here because you are not as elite as we are!"?

I actually like the fact that it is open for anyone to view.

[grimper12341]

Well considering that the majority of users that register for this forum register, make a stupid suggestion, then just continue to make stupid suggestions and never post anything constructive; I think they are justified in having a pollution free sub forum.
They should probably ease up on the requisites to join and let in more people (it's not that hard to tell the difference between an idiot and someone half smart), but at least the forum is there so that FC doesn't have to look at all the others.

Only problem I see at the moment is that sub forum isn't getting enough use, which makes FC look at the others.

[Kwilt]

They should probably ease up on the requisites to join and let in more people

Good luck with that one. I'd love to see you convince FC of that.

[grimper12341]

<.< don't take my words out of context. I know FC wouldn't go for it.

[Triskelli]

I do think the requirements for being upgraded to a Flying Turtle are utterly random... Which does make sense; Flowerchild upgrades people's accounts based on something they might have said or an idea they might have had, oftentimes regardless of prior history. Brothulu is a perfect example of what I'm talking about. A regular poster, came up with an idea in the Open Design Discussion: Turntable thread that defines how it works to this very day. Got upgraded to Turtle for giving Flower a boost of inspiration. Made a few more posts, but he hasn't been on the forums since July 18th.

He's not an isolated case either. Evolution and teknics only have 10 posts and 3 days of activity between them. Out of the 21 members of the Flying Turtles Brigade, 7 of them haven't visited the forum since August. That's an entire third of the population effectively dead, with 4 of those classifiable as "super-dead".

I'll be honest, the Turtles could use a little more fresh meat. Their dedicated sub-forum has been gathering cobwebs for some time now, with little productive conversation occurring until recently. Yeah, I know this is Flower's personal cabal, his think-tank of his wisest and most trusted followers. But the reason for this rank to exist was to streamline the info coming to Flowerchild; to help him direct his attention more effectively to those ideas and topics worth examining, as well to create a group of committed and productive individuals. Though this is no one's fault, this hasn't happened.

Don't get me wrong, I know we NEED the Turtles. Despite the emptiness of the Lounge, that flash of green indicates an intelligent and reasoned post worthy of reading wherever it can be found. I just think that we're seeing that comforting shade less and less as time goes on. But for the turtles than do read this...




Shine on, you crazy diamonds. :salute:

[Adjudicator79]

As someone who was elevated to turtle status completely out of the blue, I can attest to the random factor. At the same time, I try to get on as much as I can and contribute where I can. But between work and teaching with the start of the semester, reading the amount of information that is necessary to have informed opinions about MC and BTW, and actually playing the game, it doesn't leave much time.

It's one of the reasons that I've been sadly absent from the Design Philosophy thread, I feel like I just don't have enough time to make worthwhile contributions to the discussion right now. And I'd rather remain silent than contribute crap (which should be one of the defining characteristics of a Turtle, in my opinion).

Just my $0.02.

[RHCPepperfan]

I do think the requirements for being upgraded to a Flying Turtle are utterly random... Which does make sense; Flowerchild upgrades people's accounts based on something they might have said or an idea they might have had, oftentimes regardless of prior history. Brothulu is a perfect example of what I'm talking about. A regular poster, came up with an idea in the Open Design Discussion: Turntable thread that defines how it works to this very day. Got upgraded to Turtle for giving Flower a boost of inspiration. Made a few more posts, but he hasn't been on the forums since July 18th.

He's not an isolated case either. Evolution and teknics only have 10 posts and 3 days of activity between them. Out of the 21 members of the Flying Turtles Brigade, 7 of them haven't visited the forum since August. That's an entire third of the population effectively dead, with 4 of those classifiable as "super-dead".

I'll be honest, the Turtles could use a little more fresh meat. Their dedicated sub-forum has been gathering cobwebs for some time now, with little productive conversation occurring until recently. Yeah, I know this is Flower's personal cabal, his think-tank of his wisest and most trusted followers. But the reason for this rank to exist was to streamline the info coming to Flowerchild; to help him direct his attention more effectively to those ideas and topics worth examining, as well to create a group of committed and productive individuals. Though this is no one's fault, this hasn't happened.

Don't get me wrong, I know we NEED the Turtles. Despite the emptiness of the Lounge, that flash of green indicates an intelligent and reasoned post worthy of reading wherever it can be found. I just think that we're seeing that comforting shade less and less as time goes on. But for the turtles than do read this...




Shine on, you crazy diamonds. :salute:

Well, I like the Pink Floyd reference.

The way this forum labels people "usefull, intelligent and reasonable" in such an obvious way is just an insult to those who do not (yet) meet the "requirements" (several words are in quotation because they are arguable, no reference to any member by the way). People who make more usefull replies and comments can also be found without a big green sign that says "Hey, I know what I'm talking about!" and that is because of their comments and not because of their title.

[Stormweaver]

I'm perfectly happy with the current system. Seeing a forum that you can't post in is as good a reason as ever to make sure your posts are constructive and insightful, if you think that maybe, one day, if you're smart enough, you might be able to post there. Even if access to it is kinda random. As for how it automatically labels us black-titled baby turtles as being relatively slow and idiotic...that's just a sad reflection of real life for you.

Would be nice to see the turtles a little more active, but since that forum is more for bringing things to FC's attention than anything else, it's a moot point atm.

[Triskelli]

Adjudicator, let me say I have nothing but respect for you and the Turtles as a whole. Things happen, or people stop posting for the most mundane and boring reasons (I can personally attest to that). I just think that more people need to be recognized for their creativity and dedication as some of the Turtles drift away.

*EDIT* To clarify, I never said that the un-upgraded members weren't worth listening to at all. We just need to get the Lounge more active to help streamline mod development, and adding more Turtles is the fastest way to accomplish that. Sometimes I just get swept up in the metaphor =]

[RHCPepperfan]

I'm perfectly happy with the current system. Seeing a forum that you can't post in is as good a reason as ever to make sure your posts are constructive and insightful, if you think that maybe, one day, if you're smart enough, you might be able to post there. Even if access to it is kinda random. As for how it automatically labels us black-titled baby turtles as being relatively slow and idiotic...that's just a sad reflection of real life for you.

Would be nice to see the turtles a little more active, but since that forum is more for bringing things to FC's attention than anything else, it's a moot point atm.

Shouldn't posts by default be constructive and insightful? A main reason to be sure your posts are constructive and insightful should be that you want to be taken seriously, and the fact there is an elite subforum is just blocking that, at least in my opinion.

Anyway, I'm afraid that I turned the topic into a discusion about a sub-forum's existance rather then a topic about encouranging those-who-have-been-chosen to be more active.

[Stormweaver]

I'm perfectly happy with the current system. Seeing a forum that you can't post in is as good a reason as ever to make sure your posts are constructive and insightful, if you think that maybe, one day, if you're smart enough, you might be able to post there. Even if access to it is kinda random. As for how it automatically labels us black-titled baby turtles as being relatively slow and idiotic...that's just a sad reflection of real life for you.

Would be nice to see the turtles a little more active, but since that forum is more for bringing things to FC's attention than anything else, it's a moot point atm.

Shouldn't posts by default be constructive and insightful? A main reason to be sure your posts are constructive and insightful should be that you want to be taken seriously, and the fact there is an elite subforum is just blocking that, at least in my opinion.

Anyway, I'm afraid that I turned the topic into a discusion about a sub-forum's existance rather then a topic about encouranging those-who-have-been-chosen to be more active.

I was keeping in mind that most of the posters here come from the MC forums. Posts by default should be constructive, but you can't make a cake from wolf dung.

[BinoAl]

While I do feel like we need more turtles (especially with some of the people on this forum, who are incredibly active, always make intelligent posts, yet aren't turtles), the group is meant to be small. Its so FC can ask a question and not get a million responses. Even if they are all good, it's overwhelming. Having 10-15 intelligent responses to a question is much easier on him. Plus, the more turtles there are, the more things will be brought to his attention. Not too many things are brought by the turtles to FC, and that's just how it probably should be

[RHCPepperfan]

I'm perfectly happy with the current system. Seeing a forum that you can't post in is as good a reason as ever to make sure your posts are constructive and insightful, if you think that maybe, one day, if you're smart enough, you might be able to post there. Even if access to it is kinda random. As for how it automatically labels us black-titled baby turtles as being relatively slow and idiotic...that's just a sad reflection of real life for you.

Would be nice to see the turtles a little more active, but since that forum is more for bringing things to FC's attention than anything else, it's a moot point atm.

Shouldn't posts by default be constructive and insightful? A main reason to be sure your posts are constructive and insightful should be that you want to be taken seriously, and the fact there is an elite subforum is just blocking that, at least in my opinion.

Anyway, I'm afraid that I turned the topic into a discusion about a sub-forum's existance rather then a topic about encouranging those-who-have-been-chosen to be more active.

I was keeping in mind that most of the posters here come from the MC forums. Posts by default should be constructive, but you can't make a cake from wolf dung.

I'm sure alot of them come from the MC forums, but they will lose interest on this forum fast enough to not be bothered with. And even if some stay, they might change their attutide of writing because they know they will not be lsitened to otherwise.

[Urian]

Adding some new turtles is something I planned to ask Flower about after his vacation since it has indeed been quite quiet (type that quickly ten times in a row).

One of the main reasons I don't post that so often is that it feels kinda weird to have discussions that only some people can participate in. As it is now, I see it mostly as a way to contact Flower and as a section of the forum where you can be pretty certain that people know what they're talking about (not saying that regular users don't know what they're talking about but the signal-to-noise ratio is better in the lounge).

[Adjudicator79]

Adjudicator, let me say I have nothing but respect for you and the Turtles as a whole. Things happen, or people stop posting for the most mundane and boring reasons (I can personally attest to that). I just think that more people need to be recognized for their creativity and dedication as some of the Turtles drift away.

I didn't take it that way at all, Triskelli! I just wanted to point out that, as someone who was raised to Turtle status because of one element done right (and I am proud of how even new members still gravitate towards the Design Philosophy thread), I realize the responsibility of employing my Turtle status on behalf of those who are great contributors and just haven't caught Flower's eye yet.

Of course, I also feel limited in a sense that I am, by every definition, a casual gamer. Battosay's creations amaze me, not the least because I don't have time to build even one of them, let alone all of them. I maybe game 2 hours a night, three days a week. And that includes all of my games, not just Minecraft. So my willingness to say "this is a good addition/suggestion/etc," is very limited, since I know I don't know the game and/or mod as inside out as others do.

[FlowerChild]

Yup, I agree with you guys that I need to add more Turtles, and I've been noticing the drought of Turtle-posts myself.

The only thing I can say is that it's rather difficult at times for me to gauge who should be included given that I do not actively follow all the other forums here (pretty much the only one I read all of is the Bug Report section). When these forums were first setup, I had read pretty much every single post that was ever made about the mod, so I felt I had a good grasp of who was a constructive member of the community and who was not. However, since then I have largely lost touch with that.

What it largely comes down to is that the Turtles are a group of people that I trust to only draw my attention to matters that really require it. Trust is not formed overnight, and unless I am reading your messages, it will never be formed whether you would be a worthwhile member of that group or not.

I'll certainly make an effort to become more proactive when I return from my vacation in looking for people to include in that group, and I would appreciate suggestions for those to include from the other Turtles, but seriously, for those of you complaining about the very existence of the group, please try to understand that at a certain point I either cut off all contact with the community entirely because I can't handle the volume of traffic involved, or I reduce the avenues of communication down to a limited number of individuals that have guaranteed access to me so that I can at least maintain *some* contact with the overall group.

I am more than aware of the elitist nature of the Turtles (I even initially called the group "Elitist Swine" instead of "Flying Turtles" as a humorous acknowledgment of that), but I consider that a necessary evil to make possible the good of me having ongoing contact with the community. The brutal reality is that most of the messages I receive with regards to the mod are absolute rubbish, and unless I take steps to prevent being overwhelmed by that, maintaining contact with all of you is simply not a reasonable possibility.

I'm not even aware of how many people are actively using this mod anymore as I long ago gave up on trying to keep track. There are definitely several tens of thousands involved and that number may even be in the hundreds of thousands. Regardless, that's just WAY too many people to expect a single individual to try and listen to.

Oh yeah, and as a hint to aspiring Turtles: get yourself an avatar. I mentioned this before on the vMC forums a long time ago, but my memory is largely visual, and I hardly ever recall names. If you want me to notice the ongoing quality of your posts, giving me a visual queue I can associate with them is extremely helpful.

[BinoAl]

Oh yeah, and as a hint to aspiring Turtles: get yourself an avatar. I mentioned this before on the vMC forums a long time ago, but my memory is largely visual, and I hardly ever recall names. If you want me to notice the ongoing quality of your posts, giving me a visual queue I can associate with them is extremely helpful.

Psh. Avatars are for losers. I'm already memorable. :3

[FlowerChild]

Psh. Avatars are for losers. I'm already memorable. :3

You're also already a turtle :)

[BinoAl]

[
You're also already a turtle :)

Exactly my point :D

[Deepsniper]

Oh yeah, and as a hint to aspiring Turtles: get yourself an avatar. I mentioned this before on the vMC forums a long time ago, but my memory is largely visual, and I hardly ever recall names. If you want me to notice the ongoing quality of your posts, giving me a visual queue I can associate with them is extremely helpful.

Yeah and not to mention its not really as much fun to talk to an empty face...

Anyways I Enjoy actually reading through the turtle discussions and their comments on what they have to say. I think it makes me better not only on the forum but in the aspects in which i am developing my mod. Every time someone comments or makes a suggestion to me i end up thinking to myself what would FC and the turtles think of this comment.. Sure it sounds childish but really the Flying Turtles along with the mods are pretty much the ones keeping order around here without the need to have FlowerChild sitting here over our shoulders all day long...

To sum it up whoever ends up becoming a Flying Turtle Make sure your fair and competent at what you do...

[Fracture]

To anyone who feels bad they're not a Turtle-- don't sweat it. It's not like everybody ignores you by default if you're not a Turtle. Post productively and make your own reputation here-- don't rely on the colour of your name.