"This is Advanced?": Back to the Future

[Spider-Dan]

After the Advanced/Standard merger, my understanding was that "Advanced" was basically under the rules of Standard, because Standard's rules were encouraging actual discussion of new ideas, instead of simple "This is Advanced?" copypasta; in short, Standard's rules worked better.

However, I've noticed that recently, the useless "This is Advanced?" reply has been replaced with an equally useless link to a 15+ page thread (either "What is better?" or "Random Question Thread V: Assignment Miami Beach"). This is no better than saying "use search feature prz," as no sane person is going to read 20+ pages of literally random questions in the hopes that someone has asked which blue magic spells are affected by Quick Draw.

So my question is: is the intended purpose of the "What is better?" and "Random Question" threads to funnel all (most?) useful discussion there? If so, then can we look forward to The New Standard becoming The New Random?

[Not Kuno]

This is how I see it:

Random question is for quick questions that might have an easy answer. Like.. was sch belt ever found in a 2nd dynamis zone? For threads, stuff that would have a difficult or controversal answer would probably be better. Simply because having the thread spammed with 3+ different lengthy discussions is bad for all parties involved.

[Neosutra]

This is how I see it:

Random question is for quick questions that might have an easy answer. Like.. was sch belt ever found in a 2nd dynamis zone? For threads, stuff that would have a difficult or controversal answer would probably be better. Simply because having the thread spammed with 3+ different lengthy discussions is bad for all parties involved.

Yep. Pretty obvious too. Not sure what the OP is bitching about.

[Taint]

I really like the random and whats better threads, just shoot a quick question and get a quick answer.

[Baelorn]

I really like the random and whats better threads, just shoot a quick question and get a quick answer.

They're useful no doubt but I've seen 3-4 questions on a page go completely unanswered because one person's question got so many responses.

Making a topic thread fosters discuss on a discussion forum. I don't see why so many people have a problem with it. This forum is so dead(usually) that a locked topic will sit on the main page for a week or more.

[Killkenny]

This is how I see it:

Random question is for quick questions that might have an easy answer. Like.. was sch belt ever found in a 2nd dynamis zone? For threads, stuff that would have a difficult or controversal answer would probably be better. Simply because having the thread spammed with 3+ different lengthy discussions is bad for all parties involved.

Often questions get skipped past due to the (relatively) fast pace of the threads in comparison to the rest of advanced. Knowing when a question is going to develop into a full blown discussion isn't always possible either.

We've been lucky the last few days because the AV thread and Obi thread are both very interesting to a lot of people but most of the time there is an endless wash of shitty threads that pop up and get shot down quickly or fizzle out. At the same time there are some really good bits of information that could be worthwhile threads in their own right, that get pushed back by new posts quite fast in the Random and Whats better.

We are missing out on some good questions being really expanded on because the players that post them are generally ones who are aware they might get shot down unless they post it in the 2 stickies.

[ringthree]

They're useful no doubt but I've seen 3-4 questions on a page go completely unanswered because one person's question got so many responses.

Making a topic thread fosters discuss on a discussion forum. I don't see why so many people have a problem with it. This forum is so dead(usually) that a locked topic will sit on the main page for a week or more.

Sometimes you don't get an answer because no one that knows the answer will read the thread before the question gets bumped. As long as you don't spam, you can ask the question again if you didn't get an immediate response.

[isladar]

As long as you don't spam, you can ask the question again if you didn't get an immediate response.

This. Making a new thread for questions with one-word or one-sentence answers every single time is obnoxious. What's Better and RQT allow for repeats of questions.. When someone is directed there it's less a READ EVERY POST and much more a GO ASK THERE, BITCHES LOVE ANSWERING SHIT.

Sometimes, a question comes up in those threads that turns into a neat discussion, at which point we can split them off into a really-real magical New Advanced thread, complete with jackassery.

[Mistress Stowastiq]

I really like the random and whats better threads, just shoot a quick question and get a quick answer.

Yep and a search can be done of some tactfully devised key words to avoid having to scan pages of the random question thread.

[Sarial]

To be honest, there's so little interesting stuff to be read on BG nowadays I don't see why it matters if someone asks a question in a thread. At least it's a new thread to click on and possibly answer--a hiatus from throwing shit at people in the Relic/Mythic thread.

[Deimos]

I've been thinking of setting up a separate site to use as a better format for Random Question / What's Better. I don't know if anyone here is familiar with stackoverflow.com/serverfault.com/superuser.com, but they're community question/answer sites focused around programming/server/computer questions respectively. The format and functionality is quite nice, have a quick look (even if you don't understand any of the questions): Stack Overflow.

StackOverflow has been a huge success, so multiple people have coded up clones of the site's engine, and it probably wouldn't be too hard to set up one of these clones that people could use for FFXI purposes. It might help resolve some of the issues with cramming everything into those two threads on BG, and would definitely keep things more organized.

Thoughts?

[mai ikari]

Thoughts?

A separate forum or site seems to me to be the best way to make Random Question / What's Better threads manageable for the average lurker like me who just wants to scan the thread for relevant info to whatever I'm doing.

[Max™]

No inflating post counts for trying to help?

T.T