Something i want to share

[magggas]

Hello guys, i just wanted to share something that bothers me here on chronocrash.
It's about people asking for help via personal messages, and about make clear some facts about me.

Here is the thing. I will gladly give my help to people where i can but only in the forum! Please never ever ask me for help via pm(personal messages)! This is for couple of reasons:

1. When people asking for help via pm, it is mostly about ghost projects(without any W.I.P. topic) which are never see the light of the day! The last 5 years many people have asked me about different things for their "projects". There are so many people who pretend working on something and i gave them the help the did ask via pm. Turns out they never ever posted or released their "project" anyware. So they just wasted my time!

2. I can't always help because i don't know everything, or just i don't have the time to even asnwer and explain things. While in same time, someone else may know the answer and have the time to help, so better ask for help in the forum!

3. I'm not a programmer! Im just a normal guy like you are. When i first joined OpenBOR in 2009, i always wanted to make a Double dragon game. So i did some other more basic games first in order to learn the OpenBOR engine. Then when i started making my DD game at 2014, i had some more experience but i still did not know how to program a lot of things on this game! How i have then created the game? Well i have created an W.I.P. topic first and then i asked for help on different things in the forum and not via personal messages! This way i got a lot of help and i was able to create all the mechanics for this game on the road!
Bottom line, i'm not the "programmer" you may think. I just put a lot of time, research and ask for help in the forum instead bothering specific people via pm!

The short version of all the above:
I'm not a fan of providing help on ghost projects without any W.I.P. topic!
I'm not providing any modding help via personal messages!
I'm not the great "programmer" you may think anyways!

Sure you can still chat or share some information with me via pm but that's all!
This applys to everyone here!

 

[DCurrent]

For what it's worth, this has always been my policy. Any module or engine based questions I receive are at best redirected to the forum. If they've already been answered elsewhere, I just ignore the message outright.

In my case it's just a matter of fairness. I don't have time to answer everyone's questions in PMs, so I'm not going to play favorites by answering a few here and there. That's what the forum is for. Besides, in some (a lot) cases it might be quite a while before I can get back to a question - by then someone else in the community might have an answer. They might also have a better answer than mine anyway.

On top of all that, the whole point here is to build a knowledge base so the next people who come along looking for help has it right at the tip of a search. That doesn't happen if information exchange is being done behind closed doors. It's for that reason I'd much prefer questions be asked in the forum. Still if someone wants to use PM's that's their business. It's also the recipient's business if they choose to answer or not. As I understand, some community members here even do some module assistance for fees. That's between the those two.

For my part I simply make it an across the board "no", and I would personally suggest most others do the same.

DC

 

[magggas]

Hey DC, i'm totally agree with every word you said! All of your points are applying to me as well!

.. As I understand, some community members here even do some module assistance for fees. That's between the those two..

Ah this brings me another thing to say. Very recently someone did ask me via pm to programing a whole game for him. Yeah, just like that. And he did ask me, because as he said he asked first someone else but the other guy wanted to much  money for that. Then i had to explain a lot to this guy about my self and about why he should make a W.I.P topic and ask for help in the forum instead of asking people via pm to create a game for him.

Okay i mean everyone should do what he wants and i have no hard feelings for anyone or something. It is just that he was not the only one who asked me to programing a whole game for him.

And all this above contributes to the reasons why i say: Please do not send me pm to ask me such things!

 

[O Ilusionista]

Very recently someone did ask me via pm to programing a whole game for him. Yeah, just like that. And he did ask me, because as he said he asked first someone else but the other guy wanted to much  money for that.

This offer was made to me too. I rejected and pointed someone who could make it. But, for sure, a WHOLE game is expensive and the person in question asked me if I could make it for less than the other guy asked for, which I rejected again.

The most expensive thing I have in my life, like pretty much all of us adults, is free time. The little free time that I have I do my things and play with my kids. For sure, to use this to code a whole game costs money. And a lot of money.

Something which bothers me a lot is when people ask for help and I help Yen about 99% of the time. Then when that 1% happens, people gets mad at me, like I owe them anything.

 

[magggas]

...

Yeah, this is exactly what i'm talking about here. Time time time..  ;D
And you know what, my point with this topic is not to complain about this people! It is about to make them understand why it is better for everyone of us to just use the forum for technical questions about coding and such things. Only this way we benefit all.

Another advice i have for everyone: If you really want your dream game to be done, just start somehow making it! Even if you don't know how to code some advanced staff for it. I can assure you that you will learn all the staff you need on the road during the production of the game. As i said before, this is how i created my DD game for example! When i started making it i had no idea of how to programing the most of it's mechanics! But then i got a lot of help in the forum and so i was able to create the game!

Now If you have somehow started working on a game, don't be afraid to show us in the forum what are you working on! Just show it us!

 

[Don Drago]

Yeah, that issue rises for everyone that makes at least a small part of a project.

I didn't even make a full mod, and got PM after PM, until...

That's why my PM box is locked. Few people can PM me - and those who can, don't do it  ;D

 

[danno]

I have no problem people messaging me privately for help, I understand for newbies it can be difficult and also intimidating, some of us on here have known of each other going on a decade plus so we are used to each other and how we "act" with each other but for some this can appear elitist or confrontational when being responded to in a thread especially if they are new or lack social skills, I do know in the past it was frowned upon to reply to a thread or bump a topic that was years old and theres a lot to search through, some members are just lazy so I get the frustration.

I've only ever had members message me privately if I have responded to them in a topic or vice versa so I do see how that could be annoying if someone just randomly messages you out of the blue wanting help and as previously stated nobody benefits from private help, at least you're only being asked for help maggas, I've had members (you know who you are you sick bastard) ask me for sexual favours while we were all working on a collaboration project together which went sour pretty fast as I abandoned ship after that and I ended up leaving the community for years.

All that being said don't be too bothered by it maggas as theres more reasons then stated as to why people would pm you for help, at least you know your work is well respected and people wanna come to you for help albeit for nothing.

 

[magggas]

Yeah, that issue rises for everyone that makes at least a small part of a project.

I didn't even make a full mod, and got PM after PM, until...

Yeah, i can imagine that. I saw the rain of requests you got on the FFG topic and i don't even wanted to know what's going on in your inbox  ;D

...

Well as i said above, i have no problem when people messaging me either. It just should not be about things that belongs to forum like DC stated as well. Sure i understand all "new starters" as i was one myself as well and i'm taking their difficulties into consideration.
Anyways, i'm actually not too bothered from the whole thing as i might did sound on my first post, so i will not kill anyone who might will still ask technical staff via pm. ;D  I'm just better explaining this one time here for eveveryone instead of having to explain it on each person individually every time.