You need to PAY for FREE things!!!

Gandalf Parker · #1 October 16th, 2006, 11:32 AM

We have alot of new lurkers.
Sorry if this will seem like a rant but its something I see on alot of forums. People want free things but they wait quietly to get them. Remember your "please" and "thankyou" people!

When someone is providing something for free (or even not for free) their motivation can often be more from public appreciation than from anything else. There are wonderful things being done which we are all enjoying. AARs, 3rd party programs, helpful spreedsheets, game addons, tutorials, fan sites, etc.

PAY for the free stuff please. Let the people know that you are interested in their projects, that you would like to see more of it. If you just wait for such things then it might be a long LONG wait.

This is true anyplace on the net. Pay for the free things that you enjoy. A please and thankyou is not expensive for such things.

(end of rant)
Gandalf Parker

Talleyrand · #2 October 16th, 2006, 12:52 PM

I agree wholeheartedly. THANK YOU, Gandalf Parker, for posting this.

Unwise · #3 October 16th, 2006, 01:06 PM

Good rant bud. Thanks.

Gandalf Parker · #4 October 16th, 2006, 02:10 PM

Quote:

Talleyrand said:
I agree wholeheartedly. THANK YOU, Gandalf Parker, for posting this.

ROTFL

Tortanick · #5 October 16th, 2006, 02:24 PM

As someone who on occasion provides free tech support, and slowly taking my first steps into modding with Dom3, I know full well just how much a thank you means, a lot more than a please actually. I fully endorse this post and hopefully I havn't forgoten my thanks here and there.

However I would disagree with AARs. IMO an ARR thread shouldn't have any posts except for the AAR itself.

Gandalf Parker · #6 October 16th, 2006, 03:15 PM

No I guess adding a post to an AAR thread would be wrong. Maybe a thank you when its all done. Or a seperate thread to praise its style.

Mostly Im looking at the mods/maps directory. I see many people reading but few people saying anything encouraging. We dont have to flood them but it helps if we dont let the thread get stale.

Personally I started many projects for Dom2 (see www.dom2minions.com ) which I let drop from lack of interest. I kept starting new projects instead. Only now am I hearing that people were interested but didnt say anything.

Gandalf Parker · #7 May 1st, 2007, 12:33 PM

Twice again Ive recently seen threads asking someone why they dropped their projects. "You did xxxx and xxxxx and mentioned xxxxxx but didnt do it. How come?" and the answer is something along the line of "I didn't think anyone was interested in them".

And we see again the old "why arent more free things done" question. And I want to say "because people dont remember how to pay for free things".

[soapbox]
Im not getting into anyones case, but we all should take note. When its not done for money (and many times even if it is) if you want more of it then be sure to thank the people who have done some. Ive seen it since the very birth of internet.

Right now, look at your machine. Every game, mod, service whatever that you are enjoying and want more of.. go thank them for it. Its a cheap way to "pay" for free things. You would be amazed at how many things you enjoy are being fueled by please and thank yous.

Its like a virtual form of saying grace.
"I want to thank Illwinter for a wonderful game. I want to thank Shrapnel for these forums. I want to thank Edi for the great unit files. I want to thank (theme, mod, mod, map, map, host, host, tool, tool)."
[/soapbox]

Not so much for me. I get many great thankyous for my hosting services. I greatly appreciate it from all who have done that. It DOES keep the service going. But I see some great work in other areas (themes, maps, mods, tools) that I KNOW is getting use but it seems to be falling off abit. My "please" to you is that you remember to "thankyou" the people who have made the things you have found to be good. Especially those that are getting the least amount of recognition if you want them to do more of it.

Gandalf Parker
--
If I sound like your grandpa its probably because I am one.

Gandalf Parker · #8 August 26th, 2008, 01:48 PM

Now that we have the new forums this subject has many new ways to be satisfied.

A) find the posts where people have told you something, provided something, helped in your appreciation of the game and hit the "Thanks" button on the post.

B) click on the scales icon at the top of a post and add to that persons reputation

C) and of course, the good old thank you note is always appreciated also.

You can help keep things rolling with your please and thankyous.

Gandalf Parker

Aezeal · #9 August 26th, 2008, 03:21 PM

I agree with this.. I'm modding a bit and while I can do without thanks I'd really like feedback.. I don't like doing the usual mod stuff so most of my mods don't get a lot of downloads so I need pplz using them to give feedback or there can't be improvement.

Also I think it's strange my things get DL so few times.. don't pplz like things different?

HoneyBadger · #10 August 26th, 2008, 04:10 PM

I'm not able to download anything, Aezeal, or I definitely would do so. Without being able to look at everything in the scope of a game, it's difficult for me to give you constructive feedback. People will download things, though, but in your case-since you're creating a whole new era/way of playing, and each Nation has to be overhauled to be compatible, you've got to expect that people are going to take more time to get behind it. When you have 8 nations-and I am trying to help with that, on a limited basis (because even I have a rational limit to the amount of projects I can work on at a given time-ability to complete them or not)-but until you have around 8 nations minimum, people are probably going to delay getting too involved.