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Vapourware Has the Codex been getting better? (eeeeww)

Cadmus

Arcane
Joined
Dec 28, 2013
Messages
4,264
I've spent some time looking for the outsider's perspective on the good folk of this webzone and I could only find some topics from around 2011. Everybody said the Codex had declined from its former analytical glory, the devs jumped the ship, etc. Honestly, I haven't seen much real discussion with the devs, just some random shit posts so I don't really believe the devs were any significant part of the culture here.

I started reading somewhere around 2012 and I've been getting the impression that lately, things here started happening more, more topics and discussions about games mainly.

Secondly, it seems to me there's been an influx of new members as well.
I think the Codex might be getting milder and more analytical (perhaps as it once was, according to what I've read around the net)

Is this true? Or am I being assimilated?
Have we been getting more people than usual?
Is it because games actually started to come out and not be total shit?

Are we now gonna get new rules and ban on racism and niggers and rape?
 

Snorkack

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Jan 8, 2015
Messages
2,975
Location
Lower Bavaria
Shadorwun: Hong Kong
I too noticed a certain incline of the codex since early jan '15, with an additional average 2.57 quality posts per day.
 

hello friend

Arcane
Joined
Feb 26, 2012
Messages
7,847
Location
I'm on an actual spaceship. No joke.
Codex ca 2006 was a lot more analytical. There was excellent discussion about games - I remember St Proverbius and Vault Dweller and Dark Underlord's talks about Geneforge are a big part of what made me start visiting this site regularly. There's little point now though, as it's mostly all been said before, multiple times (What is an RPG!!?). It was not mild, however. Then came a period where Codex became more vicious, and less analytical, with lots of toilet humour and shock porn. This was about the time a lot of people left, as far as I can recall. Eventually came 2013, with the first rays of hope in a dystopian games industry. Fast forward to today, lots of new members, bringing their SJW politeness and niceness and brofist fixations. Tame reviews for jewritos. Codex used to be mean, but honest. I miss those times.

This is what is meant by the decline of the Codex.
 

Phage

Arcane
Manlet
Joined
Jan 10, 2010
Messages
4,696
You're just seeing more discussion about games since crowd funding has allowed a large resurgence of more traditional RPGs. Every time a D:OS, Wasteland 2, PoE, etc is released there's a huge influx of new people and discussion about said games.

I think the site was a lot more interesting circa 2010 when fellows like Andhaira and Prosper were allowed to roam free (Prosper wasn't confined to Prosperland) and there were no brofists. After Brofists came into play, things became more circlejerky. There's a lot of people who won't admit it but they actively try to harvest fists to maintain a certain threshold/ratio. The site has always had its fair share of memes, but they became more prevalent as soon as you were guaranteed a couple of fists for spouting them.

I have no knowledge of the supposed golden era of 2002-2008, but I'd wager it's mostly viewed with nostalgia.

No clue why you think there would be a ban on racism.
 

Spectacle

Arcane
Patron
Joined
May 25, 2006
Messages
8,363
The quality of game related discussion here has gone up since 2011 because there has been a lot more decent games released in the last couple of years. It's hard to have a good discussion when there is nothing but shit to talk about.
 
Weasel
Joined
Dec 14, 2012
Messages
1,865,661
I've spent some time looking for the outsider's perspective on the good folk of this webzone and I could only find some topics from around 2011. Everybody said the Codex had declined from its former analytical glory, the devs jumped the ship, etc.

Here's an old summary written by a (bitter) ex-staff member:

Once upon a time, RPGCodex was a place for hardcore RPG fanatics. The sort of guys that felt like self-harm whenever the words "RPG Elements" were uttered. There were design discussions, huge arguments about games, features, etc. It was incredibly nerdy, but awesome.

The genesis of the site I'm not too sure about, but I do know the founders were the kind of guys that preferred heated topics to be discussed heatedly.

Then Oblivion came out. The staff of the forum hated it. They'd loved Morrowind, and Oblivion was just a generic piece of shit compared to it. Being prone to heat and anger, that led to a bunch of making fun of / lambasting the development team at Bethesda. Particular targets were Todd Howard (a complete bumbling retard, according to the RPGCodex) and Pete Hines (a snakeoil salesman bathed in pure evil). People at the Bethesda Forums started seeing all these links to extremely critical and vitriolic articles, and they did something foolish: they banned all discussion of the RPGCodex, and they autoreplaced any mention of the site to something else. This had the inevitable effect that any moron that got banned from the beth forums, or that hated the games, or that heard of this mythic place where people could curse at developers and be so effective that the devs had to lock any mention of you, did the obvious thing: joined the RPGCodex.

This had an impact on the site. The vitriol remained and intensified, the quality of the discussion went down, and the site went from being its own place, where indie RPG Devs could come and chat about their games, where nostalgia for a certain kind of old-school RPG ruled, etc to an attack site, where disgruntled asshole could come and talk about how new dev studios were all retards catering to stupid console kiddies.

At the same time, there were a couple changes of staff. Originally the site's content was driven by 3 people: Saint Proverbius, Exitium (later Sol Invictus of QT3 Infamy, now Sol Invictus the nice feminist ally that runs gameranx) and Vault Dweller (now the dude working on the maybe-one-day-game Age of Decadence). Saint vanished, Exit got kicked out, and VD kinda took over the site. The previously more tech-focussed admins DarkUnderlord and Calis also started on the content side, in a lesser capacity.

At this time, things were schizophrenic. The site's content was critical and abrasive, but smart and measured. The forums were a cesspool already. Tacticular Cancer was created to be the strategy side of the codex, new people came in to work on it (including me).

Then.

One day a drunk asshole with admin powers gave an even bigger asshole the keys to the kingdom (for the lulz, obviously, because by this point the forums were indistinguishable from 4chan), which then proceeded to shit up the whole place. Vault Dweller came in, banned everyone involved, and tried to put it back to where it was, and (FINALLY) add some fucking rules to the chaos. He felt that since he was defacto The Codex, content-wise, it should be run according to his ideas. DarkUnderlord and Calis disagreed, they felt that the side of the Codex worth preserving was the chaotic, lulzy, mess rather than VD's attempt to become a legit site. They undid everything he did.

At this point, VD left to start the Iron Tower Studio forums, everybody rejoiced about the license to spew fecal matter out of every pore onto the Internet, and I decided to check out this quartertothree forum that the codex would occasionally mention in a disparaging way. They seemed more adult there, they actually seemed to enjoy games, and SURELY they would be MUCH less drama-prone than the mental midgets remaining at the RPGCodex.

So I created my account on qt3, "Abilio Carvalho".

It didn't go as I expected.

Now: Do not ever EVER ask me to remember the Codex days again.
 

Zeriel

Arcane
Joined
Jun 17, 2012
Messages
13,379
I've spent some time looking for the outsider's perspective on the good folk of this webzone and I could only find some topics from around 2011. Everybody said the Codex had declined from its former analytical glory, the devs jumped the ship, etc.

Here's an old summary written by a (bitter) ex-staff member:

Once upon a time, RPGCodex was a place for hardcore RPG fanatics. The sort of guys that felt like self-harm whenever the words "RPG Elements" were uttered. There were design discussions, huge arguments about games, features, etc. It was incredibly nerdy, but awesome.

The genesis of the site I'm not too sure about, but I do know the founders were the kind of guys that preferred heated topics to be discussed heatedly.

Then Oblivion came out. The staff of the forum hated it. They'd loved Morrowind, and Oblivion was just a generic piece of shit compared to it. Being prone to heat and anger, that led to a bunch of making fun of / lambasting the development team at Bethesda. Particular targets were Todd Howard (a complete bumbling retard, according to the RPGCodex) and Pete Hines (a snakeoil salesman bathed in pure evil). People at the Bethesda Forums started seeing all these links to extremely critical and vitriolic articles, and they did something foolish: they banned all discussion of the RPGCodex, and they autoreplaced any mention of the site to something else. This had the inevitable effect that any moron that got banned from the beth forums, or that hated the games, or that heard of this mythic place where people could curse at developers and be so effective that the devs had to lock any mention of you, did the obvious thing: joined the RPGCodex.

This had an impact on the site. The vitriol remained and intensified, the quality of the discussion went down, and the site went from being its own place, where indie RPG Devs could come and chat about their games, where nostalgia for a certain kind of old-school RPG ruled, etc to an attack site, where disgruntled asshole could come and talk about how new dev studios were all retards catering to stupid console kiddies.

At the same time, there were a couple changes of staff. Originally the site's content was driven by 3 people: Saint Proverbius, Exitium (later Sol Invictus of QT3 Infamy, now Sol Invictus the nice feminist ally that runs gameranx) and Vault Dweller (now the dude working on the maybe-one-day-game Age of Decadence). Saint vanished, Exit got kicked out, and VD kinda took over the site. The previously more tech-focussed admins DarkUnderlord and Calis also started on the content side, in a lesser capacity.

At this time, things were schizophrenic. The site's content was critical and abrasive, but smart and measured. The forums were a cesspool already. Tacticular Cancer was created to be the strategy side of the codex, new people came in to work on it (including me).

Then.

One day a drunk asshole with admin powers gave an even bigger asshole the keys to the kingdom (for the lulz, obviously, because by this point the forums were indistinguishable from 4chan), which then proceeded to shit up the whole place. Vault Dweller came in, banned everyone involved, and tried to put it back to where it was, and (FINALLY) add some fucking rules to the chaos. He felt that since he was defacto The Codex, content-wise, it should be run according to his ideas. DarkUnderlord and Calis disagreed, they felt that the side of the Codex worth preserving was the chaotic, lulzy, mess rather than VD's attempt to become a legit site. They undid everything he did.

At this point, VD left to start the Iron Tower Studio forums, everybody rejoiced about the license to spew fecal matter out of every pore onto the Internet, and I decided to check out this quartertothree forum that the codex would occasionally mention in a disparaging way. They seemed more adult there, they actually seemed to enjoy games, and SURELY they would be MUCH less drama-prone than the mental midgets remaining at the RPGCodex.

So I created my account on qt3, "Abilio Carvalho".

It didn't go as I expected.

Now: Do not ever EVER ask me to remember the Codex days again.

Sounds like he didn't scale to the Codex's level.

Also, as someone who's been here since 2002, I can confirm that guy's a thermonuclear fag. There was no golden age of enlightened Codexia, it was a forum made to complain about Bioware and lionize Troika, that then metastasized into complaining about the game industry in general. Considering those humble beginnings, I'd say it's done pretty well.
 

DosBuster

Arcane
Patron
The Real Fanboy
Joined
Aug 28, 2013
Messages
1,861
Location
God's Dumpster
Codex USB, 2014
In my opinion, here is what I believe is wrong with the codex:

1. DarkUnderlord doesn't even play or discuss with us anymore. Seriously, our glorious leader never gets involved anywhere but Site Feedback.

2. The ads are just shit. Every single fucking virus laden ad from the 90s seems to have come here as its resting place.

3. Our reputation is really starting to create a shitty future userbase. Every newfag seems to be acting like they're the edge razor that'll send the CIA/FBI/United Nations down on us.

So, in my perfect utopian vision, I see the Codex being at its peak if it were to become a site well known through the "Gaming journalism" world for not only writing/creating good content about cRPG but also a place for devs to go to whenever they need to promote with a site that understands their craft.
"But what about the forums?! Won't it just become like reddit???"
Which is why I think that the forums should require a one-time payment or even very small monthly fee for membership, immediate access to shoutbox and all forums along with posting privileges. Meaning that you can actually make the main site not be a broken 404'ing piece of shit that is known for good rpg content (which it already has it just needs more viewers), and the same shitty cesspool of a forum except with less clones and more chance for good discussion.
 

Zeriel

Arcane
Joined
Jun 17, 2012
Messages
13,379
In my opinion, here is what I believe is wrong with the codex:

1. DarkUnderlord doesn't even play or discuss with us anymore. Seriously, our glorious leader never gets involved anywhere but Site Feedback.

2. The ads are just shit. Every single fucking virus laden ad from the 90s seems to have come here as its resting place.

3. Our reputation is really starting to create a shitty future userbase. Every newfag seems to be acting like they're the edge razor that'll send the CIA/FBI/United Nations down on us.

So, in my perfect utopian vision, I see the Codex being at its peak if it were to become a site well known through the "Gaming journalism" world for not only writing/creating good content about cRPG but also a place for devs to go to whenever they need to promote with a site that understands their craft.
"But what about the forums?! Won't it just become like reddit???"
Which is why I think that the forums should require a one-time payment or even very small monthly fee for membership, immediate access to shoutbox and all forums along with posting privileges. Meaning that you can actually make the main site not be a broken 404'ing piece of shit that is known for good rpg content (which it already has it just needs more viewers), and the same shitty cesspool of a forum except with less clones and more chance for good discussion.

Please go, and never come back.
 

pippin

Guest
Last night I was taking a peek at early Codex threads about how FO3 was going to be a piece of shit, the current Bioware game was a piece of shit but for some reason everyone played it, and a thread about how Black Isle was considered to be terminated the moment Sawyer left; some people wished he would join Obsidian.

Nowadays, there are codex threads about how FO4 is going to be a piece of shit, the current Bioware game is a piece of shit but for some reason a large number of codexers have played it, and a thread about how Obsidian is considered to be terminated the moment MCA left; some people (including me, to be fair) wish he would join inxile.

This should tell you anything you must know.

Also, why am I receiveing Tapatalk spam at my email?
 
Weasel
Joined
Dec 14, 2012
Messages
1,865,661
In my opinion, here is what I believe is wrong with the codex:

1. DarkUnderlord doesn't even play or discuss with us anymore. Seriously, our glorious leader never gets involved anywhere but Site Feedback.

WTF

There are hundreds of regular posters, DU has been here since 2002 and it's frankly quite amazing that he even has an interest in running this place, let alone getting involved in spergy discussions or "playing" with us. Every now and again he provokes some lulz or deals with some legal threats, perfect for a site administrator imo.

Won't even bother with the rest of that list.
 

Zetor

Arcane
Joined
Jan 9, 2003
Messages
1,706
Location
Budapest, Hungary
I've spent some time looking for the outsider's perspective on the good folk of this webzone and I could only find some topics from around 2011. Everybody said the Codex had declined from its former analytical glory, the devs jumped the ship, etc.

Here's an old summary written by a (bitter) ex-staff member:
(snip)

Sounds like he didn't scale to the Codex's level.

Also, as someone who's been here since 2002, I can confirm that guy's a thermonuclear fag. There was no golden age of enlightened Codexia, it was a forum made to complain about Bioware and lionize Troika, that then metastasized into complaining about the game industry in general. Considering those humble beginnings, I'd say it's done pretty well.
While the enlightened codexia thing is indeed a myth (the site started as DAC++ and TA++, with all the fanboyism that entails... also, shock porn has been the shitposting status quo since day 1, thx DAC), he is a lot more right than he is wrong. 2002-2003 codex had a certain sense of earnest idealism that kinda went to shit around 2006. Not that the recent 4chan-ization is any better, mind.

Yes, there was always good content and shit content on the dex, and it's been about "teh h8" since its inception. There have been shitposters in 2002 and quality posters that registered in 2012+. I still think the signal-noise level has significantly dropped since the olden years, but whatevs, it's still the only place on the net for in-depth cRPG talk. I just have to roll my eyes and scrollwheel a whole lot more...
 

Zed

Codex Staff
Patron
Staff Member
Joined
Oct 21, 2002
Messages
17,068
Codex USB, 2014
What the codex lacks the most are editorials and articles on specific tropes (uuhh... why fantasy sucks! why sci fi sucks!), mechanics (types of turn-based combat systems), subgenres (xxx's guide to dungeon crawlers), general components (music, art) and super-specific components (bitmap fonts, splash screens). Stuff that aren't reviews, previews, interviews – on topics that you wouldn't really find elsewhere.

As for the forum, it's always been shit lololl.
 

Zeriel

Arcane
Joined
Jun 17, 2012
Messages
13,379
I've spent some time looking for the outsider's perspective on the good folk of this webzone and I could only find some topics from around 2011. Everybody said the Codex had declined from its former analytical glory, the devs jumped the ship, etc.

Here's an old summary written by a (bitter) ex-staff member:
(snip)

Sounds like he didn't scale to the Codex's level.

Also, as someone who's been here since 2002, I can confirm that guy's a thermonuclear fag. There was no golden age of enlightened Codexia, it was a forum made to complain about Bioware and lionize Troika, that then metastasized into complaining about the game industry in general. Considering those humble beginnings, I'd say it's done pretty well.
While the enlightened codexia thing is indeed a myth (the site started as DAC++ and TA++, with all the fanboyism that entails... also, shock porn has been the shitposting status quo since day 1, thx DAC), he is a lot more right than he is wrong. 2002-2003 codex had a certain sense of earnest idealism that kinda went to shit around 2006. Not that the recent 4chan-ization is any better, mind.

Yes, there was always good content and shit content on the dex, and it's been about "teh h8" since its inception. There have been shitposters in 2002 and quality posters that registered in 2012+. I still think the signal-noise level has significantly dropped since the olden years, but whatevs, it's still the only place on the net for in-depth cRPG talk. I just have to roll my eyes and scrollwheel a whole lot more...

What has changed is not the Codex, but the Codexers. A lot of the oldfags who were idealistic idiots who thought games could be good have become bitter assholes who don't want to rehash the same argument or debate for the 20th time. They're still here for the most part, they simply don't have much to say. And those 10-year-old threads about Daggerfall vs. Morrowind are still there in the archives for those who missed the debate the first time.
 

Zetor

Arcane
Joined
Jan 9, 2003
Messages
1,706
Location
Budapest, Hungary
What has changed is not the Codex, but the Codexers. A lot of the oldfags who were idealistic idiots who thought games could be good have become bitter assholes who don't want to rehash the same argument or debate for the 20th time. They're still here for the most part, they simply don't have much to say. And those 10-year-old threads about Daggerfall vs. Morrowind are still there in the archives for those who missed the debate the first time.

Oh I def agree that the Codexers changed instead of the dex itself. Most of those guys you mentioned grew up stopped posting entirely, but that's true for any internet forum. The main difference is where your new members fit on a scale of 'wide-eyed innocent newbies who want to omg talk about rpg games, I hear dragon age is kind of cool guyz' to 'bitter veterans of TES forums, bioboards and lately 4chan who just want to hate on beth/bioware/sjws'.

Codex memes and in-jokes are a sort of microcosm. FATE unlock code and "you must equip the ring" to "tasteful rape" and (insert 4chan flavor of the day here), which is better and why?? DISCUSS
 

janjetina

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Mar 28, 2008
Messages
14,231
Location
Zagreb, Croatia
Torment: Tides of Numenera
So, in my perfect utopian vision, I see the Codex being at its peak if it were to become a site well known through the "Gaming journalism" world for not only writing/creating good content about cRPG but also a place for devs to go to whenever they need to promote with a site that understands their craft.
"But what about the forums?! Won't it just become like reddit???"
Which is why I think that the forums should require a one-time payment or even very small monthly fee for membership, immediate access to shoutbox and all forums along with posting privileges. Meaning that you can actually make the main site not be a broken 404'ing piece of shit that is known for good rpg content (which it already has it just needs more viewers), and the same shitty cesspool of a forum except with less clones and more chance for good discussion.

Great, another SA faggot is crawling out of the sewer. Time to flush.
 

Metro

Arcane
Beg Auditor
Joined
Aug 27, 2009
Messages
27,792
Cadmus, you're proof the Codex has been getting worse. 90% of 2013 and beyond newfags are dolts.
 
Unwanted

CyberP

Unwanted
Joined
Aug 2, 2013
Messages
1,711
If the Codex has got any better or improved in any way, I'd hate to know what you retarded delinquents used to be like. That said, kudos...keep improving!
 
Unwanted
Douchebag! Shitposter
Joined
Jan 19, 2014
Messages
3,059
Fast forward to today, lots of new members, bringing their SJW politeness and niceness and brofist fixations. Tame reviews for jewritos. Codex used to be mean, but honest. I miss those times.

I noticed that as well. I came back in 2012 because I liked the attitude and reception Baldur's gate enhanced received. But one year later things started to shift.
 

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