unforum

[jamesi]

[Abraxas]

Frankly, I don't know what went wrong here...
If CWOT and its members don't care who cheats and who doesn't why do they even comment? Was it any less enjoyable for the puzzle creators because some people don't play all by themselves? Does it matter? What the hell?
I have no idea whether or not Coyote Ugly posted as either "Unimportant" or "no" or both of them - Phaedra, you say a mod checked or you just assume? I don't know (but I'm not saying, I don't care, because that would be a lie...I do, I'm quite curious ). I do know, however, that both of those caused this thread to burn up in flames and whoever they were, let's just say...I wouldn't give them the time of the day.
Again: who's cheating and who's not is completely irrelevant, because a trail is created by people who have fun doing it and what do they care if some "pathetic" people don't do it all by themselves?
If you really have to point that out I can only come to the conclusion that you have an inferiority-complex or something and just HAVE to be better than others to make it through the day...one could call that pathetic, too.
Whatever.

I'm just saying (personal assessment):
I mostly enjoyed the trail up to this point, but there are some things I just can't do like certain Photoshop tasks and especially the Magic Eye pictures...I just can't see a picture in those on a screen. Then there are certain things that I could solve with a lot of time, but why bother to get stuck on something for ages just to complete it yourself? I'm willing to work on a puzzle for so long and then I either skip it or I give up. Call it pathetic if you will, but I just don't enjoy being stuck for days on something.
I do those trails to the best of my abilities and I learn along the way so that next time I can do it myself. But I'd never force myself to solve something past the point of having fun. There's some other things to do once in a while, after all...
And for the main reason why some people cheat...to catch up with others so that you can actively be a part of a community working on a solution of a puzzle. Because that's the whole fun. It's not a race. Well, once at that point it IS more or less.

If nobody from CWOT reads this...it doesn't matter.
Actually, I post this because I can't have this fine forum bad-mouthed and just stand by when I was more or less the one who started it by calling CWOT evil just a joke...whatever. I'd like to make my position clear while we are at it. I'm here for only about one month, but I see that everyone is helping out each other. For trails usually the solution is posted for those not in chat so that they can catch up if they want.
It's obvious that CWOT rather favors that "every-man-for-himself" philosophy. That's ok, if you want that. Clues are fine, really. It's not quite my cup of tea, though. But that's my problem, of course.

Well, the trail was fun up to this point...now it's not so much fun any more because I will always think "CWOT hates me". How can I live with myself?

Here's a warning.
This part is interesting:
"But this was a warning, wasn't it? Well, while I continue to protect my servers, my web site, and my members, I will note those that cheat, whine, beg borrow or steal. And yes, while it is true I can't stop you, there are things I CAN do.

So, heed the warning. I will not be specific. You will see. Eventually. And everyone will have a good chuckle. Oh I love to laugh. I hope all of you do too. "
Now...they ARE evil!

Notice how this is put in OT, which means it probably won't even be read by most to which it applies. They are so funny!

[strife777]

Looking at your forums, I thought I'd put my opinion in terms you guys would understand. I assume this is your native language, but be kind if I misspell or something.

[Ehsan]

Here's a translation of the smilies for the people who can't read them:

[Phaedra]

LOL, 'bout time someone used the War Wombs.

[rose]

meta stuff you don't have to care about . :)

[Ehsan]

Re: meta stuff you don't have to care about . :)

[glenda]

[rose]

thanks

[Abraxas]

@rose
According to an edit tel made somewhere in this thread he has retired from the trail, apparently because of level 68 - and not because it got too hot in here. No idea why, as I'm still at level 67 (not trying at the moment, because it seems this trail is under lock at UF, anyway, so I can take my sweet time). Glenda could tell you, because she made it to 68 as far as I read.

[glenda]

in tel's reply to me, he was sharing a rather sketchy version of the thing u need to draw for the first part of 68. (which i never did see b/c i dont have a postscript viewer). im guessing that he took offense to those comments by un and no, so then his image url was edited out. i truly dont understand why the game has come to a halt b/c of two people who arent even regulars of this thread. anyway, if u need help with 67 abraxas pm me.

[Abraxas]

@Glenda
This thing imploded because people don't like the way they talk over there - and over here, especially.
I don't really need help right now, I need access to a decent graphic editor.
But not on this machine. I'll wait until my other PC is back in action.

[BiGBLiZZ]

Hello to all of the persons in this forum. I am the creator of CWoT. Apparently there has been some flamming and some rude behavior goin on in here. There also seems to be some communication errors and misunderstandings. All of which lead to things getting quite out of hand.

I am not here to make amends, put a stop to anything, or otherwise retaliate.
(also please forgive any typos, as it is about 29 degrees in my office and I am too cold to be typing )

First I would like to say that I am impressed by this forum as a whole. Tons of members, all with a sense of game play and fairness, well, mostly. As the creator of a (hopefully fun and long) ARG, I understand and appreciate this form of comeradery. But thats the main point I think...

As of right now, CWoT is NOT an ARG. It is a trail, it is a flash game site, it is a chatty forum, it is a game. It is a lot of things, but right now it is not an ARG. There inlies the problem, for the most part. ARG's are meant to require teamwork, from everyone that plays, all over the world. And when one clue is solved, it gets posted, so everyone can begin work on the next.

A trail, on the otherhand, does not. It only requires ONE person to solve. I always recommend teamwork. I ask for hard work, and as you all know, the actual rewards are slim. They come in the form of gratification, elation, celebration, a sense of accomplishment. NONE of which can be gained by simply reading teh answer and typing it in the URL, or password box.

Do you see the point? I have read this entire thread, and there were a few things I liked. I liked the teamwork involved, I liked seeing the quick responses, and the all time favorite "PLLLLEEEAASSSEE HELLP I AM SOOOOOO STUCK" (those always make a level creator smile). And then there were the things I saw that I didn't like. Namely the flamming, the attacks, and the abuse.

I saw the post that said something about CWoT's rules not being posted when you click "play the game". Well that is TOTALLY correct. Otherwise, that button wouldn't be called "play the game" it would be called "rules", which, there is one. The rules are clearly posted, both for the game AND for the forum. In more than one place too.

CWoT has big plans, and with a little help, a bright future. Nothing would be accomplished without rules. So, please forgive my organization as I tend to give each topic its own place.

I will say that I appreciate the use of spoiler tags. I had a round with another forum about the use of them, and finally got them mandated there. I was pleased to see that I didn't have to do that here. However, this thread has 15 pages right now... most of which contain about 20 spoiler tags each. Run a search on google... this thread shows up A LOT, but guess what doesn't... the spoiler tags. This is where it gets tricky, you see I am smart enough to know neither CWoT nor Unfiction can do a thing about google results, but google is a HUGE part of the trail. For my players that want to "just get the answer" for a particular level, they can go many places, this being one of them. But what about the players that don't want the answer handed to them, and they do the work, search google, and the number one result has the answer listed because google results can't convey roll over BB codes? Those players didn't ask for the answer, but they got it just the same, even without clicking the link.

But I didn't come here with mere points to make... I also came with solutions. This forum utilizes many features, one of which is the Private Message. Do you know how many players CWoT has on a daily basis that PM each other the answer? Neither do I, but I know it happens, but Google doesn't.

How about instead of posting the answer in the thread, and hints aren't getting the stuck person enough to pass the level, why not shoot them a PM? (spoiler tag codes work in PMs too) This would solve a couple of issues right there.

I do not control, or have any say in what goes on in this forum. Nor do I have such power over any other forum, except the one I built. I also know that there are threads such as this in over 20 languages, and over 300 forums, blogs, and personal websites worldwide. Do you realize how crappy CWoT would be if I had to make such requests to each one about spoilers? I would only have about 30 levels up right now. Not to mention the emense headache I would have from learning all those languages.

Therefore, I did my best and made a few posts in my own forum about this. CWoT hosts CWoT's rules. But just like everyhting else, they are expected to be carried over. You don't play touch football in your front yard with your next door neighbor, then go play in his front yard and change the rules just cause you are somewhere different. Maybe I was a bit naieve, in thinking I could keep some sense of order over my own creation. But I tried.

It seems that what CWoT considers cheating, and what Unfiction considers cheating varies slightly. So please allow me to tell you my views. To CWoT, cheating is much like cheating in school. If your math teacher hands out a test, and you don't know an answer, you aren't allowed to turn around and ask your friend for the answer. BUT, if you are fast you CAN pass a note that the teacher doesn't see.

CWoT is pretty much the same. During class work and homework, get together with the friends, try to figure things out together, help each other, but when its test time, don't rely on jimmy or sally to get your score, you earn it.

Now, CWoT's ARG of course will be different, at each stage, EVERYONE will be needed to be on the same page. Think of it as an open book test. But not the trail. There is no fun in that.

But what about the ones that don't have the materials? Say, you don't have photoshop on your computer? Okay, well I have made a page on my site called system requirements, there not only does it list the things you will need to complete the game, but I also provided links to the FREE downloads of those programs.

Okay, but I can only do this from work, and I am not allowed to download programs, so just give me the answer! Well, now there are ways around this too... I am positive you have made at least one friend around here... if you are on a level that requires photoshop (for example to view layers) Whats to stop you from sending the picture to a friend that has photoshop, have them view the layers and email you back with what they see? perhaps even a screenshot of the view?? That is teamwork, not blatant spoiling.

Now, while I feel bad about some of the things that were said in this thread, I will NOT apologize for anyone. They are all their own person, complete with their own feelings, beliefs, and emotions. I will leave it up to them to stand by what they say, or to retort, or to back away.

I have asked that my moderators try to be civil. I asked that if they post in other forums to not make up names, and to post as themselves. And they have ALL done this. You can check IP's I know, I do it too, but BB IP checks are not always accurate. For example, I have 7 different people living within 3 miles of my house that are active members of CWoT, some are just playing, others are forum members. Reguardless, we ALL use the same ISP, with a dynamic IP pool. I called on this one day as I found something strange. The ISP informed me that the IP pool is only 5 numbers. So, if all 7 of us are on at the same exact time, 3 of us are going to have the same IP address. I don not even try to fathom how this is possible, but it is. So take into count those in the 15 mile radius of this IP pool that may be online together...(Which may explain why it takes forever to load ftp files some days) Anyway, the point is, if a member of Team CWoT said it, they will post as them selves.

I have read my moderators post in here. I am a bit ashamed to see the gang attack on her from y'all. He post was an emotional one, but I didn't see any form of personal attacks. If you took it personally, maybe you should read it again and see why, if the shoe fits.. as they say.

Lastly, member tel is not gone. I am not sure if he wants me to be saying this, and I apologize. He and I had a long talk about how CWoT felt about spoilers and such. He saw things the same way when I spelled it out for him. He removed his posts, or edited them, and uneedingly apologized to me. I never asked him to do that, but he did. I hope he comes back here for all of you, he is a great riddler.

I think I have prattled on long enough. I will ask that you please try to limit the spoilers getting posted, use the PM feature for blantant things. And see the trail as a trail, not an ARG. Different creatures, different expectations.

Thank you for the time and attention,

BiGBLiZZ
-CWoT Creator

[Ehsan]

BiGBLiZZ, thank you for taking the time to respond here and explain all your views.

I can assure you that as one of several puzzle creators around here, I understand how you feel. It's good to see that you know how we collaborate not only on ARGs, but on everything. You have explained your situation in a very civil manner and I respect your views of how you want your puzzles to be run.

After everything you explained, I would say we're only left with misunderstandings which can be cleared. I think we can safely forget this incident.

I know there are people who wanted to play this game, so I hope they continue to do so and only post hints as you requested. Alternatively, this thread could be open to members only, so that unfiction oldtimers can continue to play like they are used too, and googlebot can't get in.. but that's the decision of the board admins.

Thanks again BiGBLiZZ, and welcome to Unfiction.

[PokeKiller]