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Zeusthecat

The 'Does this thread exist?' thread

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I, like many others here, have struggled at times with creating new threads that don't already exist somewhere on these forums. If you're anything like me it goes something like this:

  1. There is some type of discussion I am interested in taking part in so I use the forum search to see if I can find a relevant topic.
  2. 13 pages of threads come up and I browse the first 2 pages before I assume that the topic I'm interested in doesn't exist.
  3. I create the topic and someone immediately posts with a link to a super obscurely named topic that has been buried by the sands of time.
  4. I feel stupid.

I think the forum veterans around here would prove much more useful in locating forum topics than the limited forum search capability so hopefully this thread comes in handy.

 

To start this off, is there an existing thread on these forums where people can ask about the existence of other topics before creating a new thread? Because if there is I'm going to feel pretty fucking stupid.

 

Thread inquiries:

Intoxication in Video Games - https://www.idlethumbs.net/forums/topic/9086-intoxication-in-video-games/ 

News about the business of video games - https://www.idlethumbs.net/forums/topic/8117-the-business-side-of-video-space-games/

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I, like many others here, have struggled at times with creating new threads that don't already exist somewhere on these forums. If you're anything like me it goes something like this:

  1. There is some type of discussion I am interested in taking part in so I use the forum search to see if I can find a relevant topic.
  2. 13 pages of threads come up and I browse the first 2 pages before I assume that the topic I'm interested in doesn't exist.
  3. I create the topic and someone immediately posts with a link to a super obscurely named topic that has been buried by the sands of time.
  4. I feel stupid.

I think the forum veterans around here would prove much more useful in locating forum topics than the limited forum search capability so hopefully this thread comes in handy.

 

To start this off, is there an existing thread on these forums where people can ask about the existence of other topics before creating a new thread? Because if there is I'm going to feel pretty fucking stupid.

 

Not that I'm aware of.  B)

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It would be easier if tags were actually utilized, but at this point they mostly serve the same function as twitter hashtags and only comment on the thread itself instead of actually being a useful search tool.  I'm somewhat guilty of doing it too though.

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I actually don't see the problem of just posting a new thread.  It makes sense to keep bringing things like the game threads back to life, so there aren't 30 Spelunky threads.  But if there's an obscure thread from a year and a half ago that had 2 pages of comments, doesn't it almost make more sense to start fresh than to resurrect it?

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Thanks for the input. At the very least I hope this thread helps when it comes to finding general topics that might be hard to search for otherwise. If this ends up going anywhere then I'll keep the original post updated with a list of topics as they are posted here.

 

And now for a real request. Is anyone aware of any existing threads that cover the way intoxication is represented in games?

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To the best of my knowledge, no.  There may be some discussion of it in threads about any Thumbs Ep that touched on it, but not as a major component of the thread.

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Not trying to be rude, I figure the best thing to do is for mods would be to merge with other topics when they remember an older thread. Threads like "post your favorite video game music" tend to keep cropping up, maybe in the double digits now, but when one is started, everyone jumps on it.

 

I can remember a long ass thread I made for Prince of Persia games that shouldn't be too hard to find. There is also an awesome Metal Gear Solid thread around that encompasses all games in the series too. I remember searching for that one long after it was created and after I finished multiple games and found it fascinating to read from page 1. That's why I like topics all in one place and love when it's kind of an information overload in one place. I don't mind if they are multiple pages long.

 

However, I really hate the "recently completed games" thread even though I sometimes post in it. When people type thoughts or little mini reviews, I would personally prefer a new thread in case I want to search the forums later and add a post to it. Don't really care if there's one post and it dies. Isn't this forum like a decade old now? There's a good wealth of old posts I feel like are worth reading or discussing still.

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Except everything I posted before 2014, that's all dross.

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However, I really hate the "recently completed games" thread even though I sometimes post in it. When people type thoughts or little mini reviews, I would personally prefer a new thread in case I want to search the forums later and add a post to it. Don't really care if there's one post and it dies. Isn't this forum like a decade old now? There's a good wealth of old posts I feel like are worth reading or discussing still.

 

Especially interesting, and I've been guilty of this, is when someone posts in "Recently Completed Games" to say that they finished a game and posted their thoughts in the game's own thread (or vice versa).

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Not trying to be rude, I figure the best thing to do is for mods would be to merge with other topics when they remember an older thread. Threads like "post your favorite video game music" tend to keep cropping up, maybe in the double digits now, but when one is started, everyone jumps on it.

I can remember a long ass thread I made for Prince of Persia games that shouldn't be too hard to find. There is also an awesome Metal Gear Solid thread around that encompasses all games in the series too. I remember searching for that one long after it was created and after I finished multiple games and found it fascinating to read from page 1. That's why I like topics all in one place and love when it's kind of an information overload in one place. I don't mind if they are multiple pages long.

However, I really hate the "recently completed games" thread even though I sometimes post in it. When people type thoughts or little mini reviews, I would personally prefer a new thread in case I want to search the forums later and add a post to it. Don't really care if there's one post and it dies. Isn't this forum like a decade old now? There's a good wealth of old posts I feel like are worth reading or discussing still.

I agree. I'd much prefer if similar threads could stay consolidated. Otherwise I'm likely to miss out on interesting discussions that get fragmented into separate threads over time. Also, I'm super guilty of the 'completed games' thread abuse that you speak of.

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Doubling up on recently played and the separate thread is nice too I suppose. The last three pages of recently played all had blurbs about Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, which I plan to play this year. I probably won't go back and read everyone's thoughts in recently played since it's a very difficult thread to search, but there is a Brothers thread I will glance at.

 

But yeah I think everyone here has abused the recently completed thread, it's really easy to post in there. I think I've seen Toblix in there a few times even though he has hated it for years now. Did he get over it? YOU HEAR THAT TOBLIX? DID YOU GET OVER IT?!

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I just have an aversion to creating threads. So I use whatever I deem most appropriate.

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Nobody mention this to Toblix. In the same vein as Frodo, 'Blix's fate is tied to the forum; too many wayward threads and his head will asplode.

 

He'll be along shortly to tidy everything up in semi Germanic fashion.

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Especially interesting, and I've been guilty of this, is when someone posts in "Recently Completed Games" to say that they finished a game and posted their thoughts in the game's own thread (or vice versa).

 

I kind of see threads like Recently Completed Games as read-only threads: you post in them to be on the record, not because you're expecting a conversation to start. Why would there be a discussion in there? It's about games other people have completed.

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I see the Recently Completed thread as a way to capture short impressions of a game.  Just a couple lines highlighting some of the good and bad points.  Any kind of lengthy discussion should go in the game's own thread.  Also as a record like Merus said.

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Is there a thread about how awesome the video game year of 2014 is going to be? Looking at the RPS preview of 2014 posts, it's really amazing how much variety there is!

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Is there a thread talking about game pricing, and various philosophies behind it?  Was curious about people's reaction to Jason Rohrer's argument against Steam Sales.

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