[Avimimus]

Originally Posted by philip.ed

I agree as well.
If this is a debate, what about the concept of complete truth? By this I mean the ability for one to say what one thinks truthfully and honestly? Although a comment may seem harsh, perhaps (though) it is just honest? (of course, the post would have to be supported by evidence as you said)

Originally Posted by Blackdog_kt

In my opinion it's the forced publisher deadlines, often tacked-on and poorly implemented copy protection methods and resulting drops in overall quality and usability that kills games. You can't force people to buy rotten tomatoes just because you're scared the local grocer will go out of business. In fact, it is usually in everyone's benefit but him if he does go out of business and someone more competent takes over the spot.
....
Highlighting what the customer base wants changed is a very important part of propelling this hobby forward. As long as it's not done rudely, it should persist because it's the main driving pressure for developers to improve and publishers to listen...it's our money that funds this industry and we have a say on things as a result.

I like the point about honesty.

It is also really important to encourage a toleration for polite criticism and feedback.

I know that I'll never completely overcome a tendency to periodically criticise the fact that Rise of Flight accounts are tied to the e-mail address used to register them and not the owner of the DVD case / manual / printed access code. I worry that this publishing decision will create some issues (especially around second hand copies etc.)

However, I've noticed a somewhat derogatory attitude by some users on the SimHQ forums and Jason (the publisher) seems a bit touchy sometimes - which ultimately discourages honest dialogue and participation.

So - thanks for emphasizing this aspect.

At the same time, giving an impression that it is still a wonderful project (777/Neoqb have created a really lovely feeling of flight - for example), can keep casual visitors from deciding against buying the product.

I suppose that criticism and praise really are not incompatible (even in the same post).

Originally Posted by Blackdog_kt

I think the majority of people are not disruptive by choice and design. In my opinion, what happens most of the time is that a lot of people can't cope with having their viewpoint challenged in any way and coupled with the overall enthusiasm and impatience it leads to trouble.
I often see posters who know their stuff and have valuable insight, ruining their own posts by always being too eager to pick up the glove and reducing themselves to troll-bait.

Finally, there's the issue of the language barrier. There are many cases where a non-native speaker will come off sounding overly negative or agressive, when in fact the main culprit is the lack of proper syntax that makes his posts sound "somehow" that doesn't agree with the rest.

Nice points.