Decline of 'Decline of the Codex'

[DarkSign]

But none of this rambling amounts to a proof of the occurrence of the change which is what the OP really wants "solid arguments" for. [...]
I'm not saying I hate the place. Just remember a time when it was much, much different.

I don't believe anyone who was around before the cool kids got their 15 minutes would argue about that, solid arguments or not.

Right now the codex needs more nazi and less modspam.

QFA - Quoted for awesomeness

 

[Murk]

Despite the fact that I've identified the Decline of the Codex, I will agree with the original poster. Why? Because we're past the point of no return.

Simply put, the forum has made a marked change and the people remaining find it painful to hear. The admins dont want to hear it because it's their creation and first love. The perpetrators don't want to hear it because for the first time in their lives they're the cool kids. The citizens won't listen because they're attracted to what the perpetrators are doing. To say that it would fall on deaf ears is an understatement 2 teh EXTREEEM.

But none of this rambling amounts to a proof of the occurrence of the change which is what the OP really wants "solid arguments" for. I could do it, but it'd never be accepted even if the logic was frawress, because it goes to the heart of unspeakable things.

I'm not saying I hate the place. Just remember a time when it was much, much different.

I'll bite, what is the backstory behind this 'decline'? I'm a fairly new poster and only lurked for about 3 months before I started posting, so i'm not up to snuff on Codex lore.

at first encounter i imagined this "decline" to be a recurring joke, an over-dramatic defeatist announcement the moment anything minor would go slightly awry, and i guess it has been turned into that but its origins...

So spiel away Darksign, I'd like some history on the Codex.

 

[kingcomrade]

Bu$h did Decline of the Codex

 

[Lumpy]

Decline of the Codex is not wrong because you have already lost the multiheaded dicks hitting butthurt detected.

 

[ushdugery]

Great, now even the Germans demand more nazi.

Decline of Western Civilisation.

 

[JarlFrank]

Yeah, the Codex Nazis were better than the shitty spammers of today.

Also, where did the "give the trolls enough rope to hang themselves" rule go? Either we do that, or we ignore them, but lately they've been almost treated like persons [for Codex standards].

 

[Edward_R_Murrow]

Also, where did the "give the trolls enough rope to hang themselves" rule go?

That rule worked when there were people like Rosh running around the internet. And now the idiots enjoy the attention. We need our "ubersturmfuhrer" back to put a swift and decisive end to problems....

 

[Lumpy]

Trolls are still given rope - see the Team Gizka incident.
On spammers that doesn't work. And nowadays most enemies are spammers.

 

[Edward_R_Murrow]

Yeah, I'm all for laissez faire libertarianism, but I think we need someone who can crack down a bit. Clean the Codex up a bit, ya know?

 

[DarkSign]

It's too late. The spamming has changed things to the point to where the critical mass is lulz. Without it now, there'd be a huge vacuum.

 

[cardtrick]

I laughed at Declension of the Codex. I'm glad no one was around to hear me so I don't have to explain why.

 

[Satan personally]

Need help?

 

[Trash]

God's busy?

 

[abstract]

decline the codex

 

[SlavemasterT]

Simply put, the forum has made a marked change and the people remaining find it painful to hear. The admins dont want to hear it because it's their creation and first love. The perpetrators don't want to hear it because for the first time in their lives they're the cool kids. The citizens won't listen because they're attracted to what the perpetrators are doing.

So, basically everyone's happy except for you and Chefe? I can see why this is such an existential crisis now.

 

[SpaceKungFuMan]

It's too late. The spamming has changed things to the point to where the critical mass is lulz. Without it now, there'd be a huge vacuum.

It's just a matter of allowing "new" discussion to fill the void. Before the decline became so swift, the biggest problem was any attempt to discuss game design resulted in a link to a topic a few years old that had "settled" the issue. For all their faults, at least the Lulzerz and spammers actually generate responses to their topics. Either we're willing to discuss topics that have come up in the past, or we ran out of good material around 2004, and there's nothing left to talk about. (and before someone says I'm too young to know, I used to post under a different name back in the "old" days).

That's what the decline of the codex really is. The good people left or refused to retread old issues, and then we hit a drought where no good RPGs came out, so noone wanted to really talk about anything worthwhile. VD kept us on life support with his articles, but that's all at Iron Tower now, along with the theory discussion, and most of the discussion about games too. . .

 

[Helton]

I'm actually Saint and this is just a new account and the current Saint is an imposter and I say you're wrong.

 

[Texas Red]

After all the hype surrounding Saint, I'm a little disappointed. He is always sirius biznes, doesn't lulz around at all. VD at least joked and such.

 

[DarkSign]

It's too late. The spamming has changed things to the point to where the critical mass is lulz. Without it now, there'd be a huge vacuum.

It's just a matter of allowing "new" discussion to fill the void. Before the decline became so swift, the biggest problem was any attempt to discuss game design resulted in a link to a topic a few years old that had "settled" the issue. For all their faults, at least the Lulzerz and spammers actually generate responses to their topics. Either we're willing to discuss topics that have come up in the past, or we ran out of good material around 2004, and there's nothing left to talk about. (and before someone says I'm too young to know, I used to post under a different name back in the "old" days).

That's what the decline of the codex really is. The good people left or refused to retread old issues, and then we hit a drought where no good RPGs came out, so noone wanted to really talk about anything worthwhile. VD kept us on life support with his articles, but that's all at Iron Tower now, along with the theory discussion, and most of the discussion about games too. . .

QFA...again. That's spot-on minus the credit to the lulzers. Keeping the show going as well as the comradery is still a decline. But perhaps decline is better than DEATH.

In before death of the codex.

 

[Helton]

I dunno Darksign. You know in the past month and a half you've made 1 post which was related to RPGs? In fact all but 2 of your posts in that time are in GD, Site Feedback, and Retardo Land. Go back further and I get reminded you're an MMO tard. So who the fuck are you to be whining about this shit? Who the fuck is Rad? Who the fuck is Jasede? Nedrah?

Chefe, I'll give it to him, tried for a minute there.

God damnit you realize the person who's probably made the most actually worthwhile RPG posts/threads in the past -- fuck knows how long -- has been t-dub?

T-dub the best poster on the Codex? Motherfucker, I went there.

The rest of you need to shit or get your ass out the fucking urinal. You want to talk about RPGs, fucking do it! You're sick of this place? Leave! Worthless whiney little faggots, I swear to god, and Azrael if you say anything I'll be bi just long enough to blow a hole through your fucking intestines.

 

[DarkSign]

Ahh the old, if you dont like it leave argument. A classic. Got me dead to rights though. Good job. Perhaps one person CAN make a change!

 

[SpaceKungFuMan]

I dunno Darksign. You know in the past month and a half you've made 1 post which was related to RPGs? In fact all but 2 of your posts in that time are in GD, Site Feedback, and Retardo Land. Go back further and I get reminded you're an MMO tard. So who the fuck are you to be whining about this shit? Who the fuck is Rad? Who the fuck is Jasede? Nedrah?

Chefe, I'll give it to him, tried for a minute there.

God damnit you realize the person who's probably made the most actually worthwhile RPG posts/threads in the past -- fuck knows how long -- has been t-dub?

T-dub the best poster on the Codex? Motherfucker, I went there.

The rest of you need to shit or get your ass out the fucking urinal. You want to talk about RPGs, fucking do it! You're sick of this place? Leave! Worthless whiney little faggots, I swear to god, and Azrael if you say anything I'll be bi just long enough to blow a hole through your fucking intestines.

Helton - what game design topic would even be viable here anymore? I posted a suggestion for procedurally generated content a little while back that got all of 12ish responses I think, and half those posts were reposts from IT (where the idea was discussed in multiple threads actually). There's a topic on how to do turn based ranged combat well which has a link to an article by Section 8, followed by some existential bullshit about whether or not turn based can model the real world accurately. It was a topic with potential, but the only people that really joined in were trolls. God forbid someone should post a topic about the definition of an RPG (sure its tired, but not everyone here has done it to death). American Hare is one of the few design topics that's really taken off, but that's one topic in over a month that I can think of off the top of my head, and that took off in part because it had the potential to be something concrete. The big topics lately have been DRAMAH like KOTOR leak, or very tangible things like the excellent Arcanum fix (which generated a huge secondary drama thread too).

I'd love to see more discussions on games and game design go on for a long time with lots of interesting back and forth like what the site is known for. But lately that seems to come less and less. If Saint, Section8, VD, and other heavy hitters aren't going to post as much, then either other people need to jump in and hold the breach, or we'll just lose that kind of discussion.

 

[DarkUnderlord]

The feminist perspective of the Codex article really needed a bit on how, like a woman, the Codex PMS's regularly every month and hates itself. Also like a woman, it whinges a lot about everything.

 

[Helton]

I'd love to see more discussions on games and game design go on for a long time with lots of interesting back and forth like what the site is known for. But lately that seems to come less and less. If Saint, Section8, VD, and other heavy hitters aren't going to post as much, then either other people need to jump in and hold the breach, or we'll just lose that kind of discussion.

Yeah, don't get it twisted, you're right. I mean I don't even know what you're asking me for because you elaborated on it all perfectly. We've been in an RPG drought for a long time. People have left, tired of re-covering old territory. Shit happens.

But as MotB showed, we still can be lively when we get a little bit of rain. I think there are plenty more topics to be discussed and new people with new perspectives. Mikayel and Badgermaster stand out, for instance. But see, that's an honest discussion which quickly goes to "I guess we'll just have to wait and see." There's no drama in it, no blame assigned, no indignant righteous posturing to be had. And that's why you'll never see DS, Jasede, Nedrah, or PMSing Chefe make a post like your's, though they'll use it as ammunition.

Decline of the Codex? Decline of the genre, changing of the guard, natural waning. Yeah, I'm there.
Decline of the Codex? Your fault! Dictate what others post! Whine, bitch, spam! No, fuck you.

 

[ushdugery]

The trouble is people who appreciate and contribute to the threads with some lengthy or interesting exposition to further debate in any reasonable manner are few and far between. Where as the appreciaters of the lulz are plenty and in many cases completely overlap even those who want and can discuss some and expand on topics with some depth.