RIP General

[Sambari]

You have no idea how absolutely disappointed I am in this update.

For a very long while now, I have been waiting and hoping for an update from Feralheart. Since the last update was in December of 2011, I was expecting some huge spectacular update, like perhaps hunting prey, or more public maps! More markings, more manes, or maybe even a new body model!

Instead of a great update, I was greeted with... silence! I was so confused in general when absolutely no one was talking. I thought something was wrong with the game, like a mod had gotten mad at everyone and whatever had happened had gotten them so angered that no one spoke. Earlier today, I simply thought that general was incredibly oddly dead. It gave me an eerie feeling like we'd all done something wrong. I sat and waited around in general for a good ten minutes waiting for someone to speak. I don't see movie messages, so I had absolutely no clue this was going on... I didn't even know there was apparently movie spam happening until I decided to visit the forums to see if anyone was experiencing this "Dead general glitch", and I found this topic. Upon reading it, I absolutely and entirely disagree with this change. I don't like it at all. I use general for so many things! I look for roleplays on a daily basis there. I both ask for roleplays (I never advertised because I never make roleplays myself) and I join roleplays. I have met multiple people who became great friends with me in general! Because of this "update", roleplays are going to die quicker than ever. People are unhappy with the game.

I also like to use General for just, like the name states, general things! Not just for roleplay, but for entertainment as well. Making friends, talking to people, reading about their favorite whatevers and occasionally hearing a rant or two. I never minded any of that! That's the way general has always been. I find that people are always, for the most part, happy in general. Conversations are very silly and they bring a smile to my face when I'm in a bit of a foul mood. They do get  a little out of hand, yes, but there are warnings everywhere about these things. Isn't this game for 13+? If someone can't handle a little bit of adult humor, they either shouldn't be on this game or should just learn to deal with it. I have never once seen someone that had an actual problem with a conversation in general. I'm sure there's been a little bit of a tussle over a conversation, but I've never seen someone actually hate it. I've never even seen someone say that they actually, legitimately hated general and wanted it gone.

I say that the general be chat used as it would normally be intended for. General use! General doesn't mean anything specific, I believe. It can be for talking about food, complaining, just chatting, roleplaying, friend making... anything! You're taking away an important part of the game.

Sorry if I'm getting a bit repetitive, but I'm just typing what I think.

And, back on the topic of roleplaying... I know that there is a section for advertisements in the forums here. Some of you may say that we can simply use that, but it is most extremely easier said than done! For one, a lot of users don't even go to the forums. I, myself, don't usually go to the forums. I go to them to browse through maps and that is simply it. I also check out the website when I think something is up, like why no one was speaking in general. To use the forum ads, you would have to PM the leader of the group. PM them back and forth a couple times, perhaps having a little conversation for a moment or confirming a specific thing for their character, sending a roleplay sample to see if you're cut for the job... however then you have to set up a time to meet them. They may or may not come online for any sudden reason. They might have spelt their username wrong, so you couldn't whisper them easily in-game, they might not be where they said they would be, or anything ridiculous like that. With general, the person who says the ad is usually online after they say it. You can click on their name and can whisper them knowing without a doubt that it is them, and you can speak with them instantly without having to wait for one to log on like you would have to on the forums. In-game, you can join a roleplay within 10 minutes easily. Using the forums could take days. General makes for very fast and easy joining of groups.

Why was there not a poll for this kind of decision? Why was there not a better alternative?

Well this was a suggestion and a number of people backed the idea.

Is this really true or is this just the opinion of a select group of people you always ask questions to? I haven't seen a suggestion like this anywhere ingame or on the forums.
I suggest that there be a poll. Let the players choose. This can't be something hidden away on the forums that goes almost entirely unannounced. This should be a poll for all to see, right smack dab on the top of the forums. Heck, on every page! Let there be a vote to keep general or to get rid of it. Ingame, there could be an hourly, red-lettered ad in every chat ingame about voting for the poll, so absolutely everyone knows about it. The hourly poll ad would say info about where to vote about the player's opinion. If people vote to keep general, general stays. If the majority vote is that general be removed permanently, so be it.

There could be a different solution to this, however, also. Anyone wishing to just advertise their roleplay would use a new advertising chat. General could be used for, as stated before, any general thing. The advertising chat could be used for the obvious. If someone is screwing around in the ad chat and it aggravates people enough, perhaps they could be flagged in a way. I don't believe there is any way to report people ingame as of now.

I find that there are better solutions to the problem of trolls in the general chat. You're going too far by entirely getting rid of the chat. There were no warnings prior to this whatsoever. If someone is really, truly being annoying, they either need to get kicked or banned. It's as simple as that. A fraction of people shouldn't have to effect the entire group.



Again, sorry if it sounds like I'm being repetitive. I'm voicing my mind on this, and simply trying to state my ideas for making the problem a lesser one. End of post.
 

[Meadowstar01]

This really was a stupid move. One thing I liked about Feral Heart was the General chat itself. Usually there was at least something interesting going on there. But with that gone, then what's the point? It's much harder for people to advertise, and thus harder for anyone to find a RP. Yes, there's the movie feature, but that isn't a very good resort. The reason being is because for one thing, it would be harder to click the "Random Person has made a movie clip" thing, especially with the chat going as fast as it normally does.

If you're to argue over this, then are you blind? There are people who are threatening to QUIT because of this (if not, then I'm sure they already have).

Plus, guess what happens when someone decides to movie spam? Good luck finding those advertisements then. *Sarcasm*

[ringoluver]

I just want to throw in here guys because many of you seem to be unaware of something:

You all know that Kov has the original source code to the game and won't give it to us. So we can't add anything to the game. We cannot make real updates. However, Raz was able to do this through the server code, which he is in charge of. So for all yall saying I WANTED A REAL UPDATE!!!!, this is what we can do with what we have to work with.

As for my opinion on the subject at hand, I think some of you aren't being open minded. This forces people to socialize a little bit more with those around them. I agree, this is shocking to hear--even I didn't know about it until it happened. Many people do not like change. If they see one con, it appears bigger than all the pros. However, something you ALL will have to learn in life is dealing with change, even if you don't like it. And even if you THINK you don't like it, you have to look at both sides of a story. Don't you all write pro/con essays in school? I know you all are allowed to have your opinions but, as someone who is usual neutral to a T, I want some of you who are raging to just calm down and think about some of the possibilities this might open up. I know it's hard, but most of you are smart people and I think you can do it.

[Breezey]

You have no idea how absolutely disappointed I am in this update.

For a very long while now, I have been waiting and hoping for an update from Feralheart. Since the last update was in December of 2011, I was expecting some huge spectacular update, like perhaps hunting prey, or more public maps! More markings, more manes, or maybe even a new body model!

Instead of a great update, I was greeted with... silence! I was so confused in general when absolutely no one was talking. I thought something was wrong with the game, like a mod had gotten mad at everyone and whatever had happened had gotten them so angered that no one spoke. Earlier today, I simply thought that general was incredibly oddly dead. It gave me an eerie feeling like we'd all done something wrong. I sat and waited around in general for a good ten minutes waiting for someone to speak. I don't see movie messages, so I had absolutely no clue this was going on... I didn't even know there was apparently movie spam happening until I decided to visit the forums to see if anyone was experiencing this "Dead general glitch", and I found this topic. Upon reading it, I absolutely and entirely disagree with this change. I don't like it at all. I use general for so many things! I look for roleplays on a daily basis there. I both ask for roleplays (I never advertised because I never make roleplays myself) and I join roleplays. I have met multiple people who became great friends with me in general! Because of this "update", roleplays are going to die quicker than ever. People are unhappy with the game.

I also like to use General for just, like the name states, general things! Not just for roleplay, but for entertainment as well. Making friends, talking to people, reading about their favorite whatevers and occasionally hearing a rant or two. I never minded any of that! That's the way general has always been. I find that people are always, for the most part, happy in general. Conversations are very silly and they bring a smile to my face when I'm in a bit of a foul mood. They do get  a little out of hand, yes, but there are warnings everywhere about these things. Isn't this game for 13+? If someone can't handle a little bit of adult humor, they either shouldn't be on this game or should just learn to deal with it. I have never once seen someone that had an actual problem with a conversation in general. I'm sure there's been a little bit of a tussle over a conversation, but I've never seen someone actually hate it. I've never even seen someone say that they actually, legitimately hated general and wanted it gone.

I say that the general be chat used as it would normally be intended for. General use! General doesn't mean anything specific, I believe. It can be for talking about food, complaining, just chatting, roleplaying, friend making... anything! You're taking away an important part of the game.

Sorry if I'm getting a bit repetitive, but I'm just typing what I think.

And, back on the topic of roleplaying... I know that there is a section for advertisements in the forums here. Some of you may say that we can simply use that, but it is most extremely easier said than done! For one, a lot of users don't even go to the forums. I, myself, don't usually go to the forums. I go to them to browse through maps and that is simply it. I also check out the website when I think something is up, like why no one was speaking in general. To use the forum ads, you would have to PM the leader of the group. PM them back and forth a couple times, perhaps having a little conversation for a moment or confirming a specific thing for their character, sending a roleplay sample to see if you're cut for the job... however then you have to set up a time to meet them. They may or may not come online for any sudden reason. They might have spelt their username wrong, so you couldn't whisper them easily in-game, they might not be where they said they would be, or anything ridiculous like that. With general, the person who says the ad is usually online after they say it. You can click on their name and can whisper them knowing without a doubt that it is them, and you can speak with them instantly without having to wait for one to log on like you would have to on the forums. In-game, you can join a roleplay within 10 minutes easily. Using the forums could take days. General makes for very fast and easy joining of groups.

Why was there not a poll for this kind of decision? Why was there not a better alternative?

Well this was a suggestion and a number of people backed the idea.

Is this really true or is this just the opinion of a select group of people you always ask questions to? I haven't seen a suggestion like this anywhere ingame or on the forums.
I suggest that there be a poll. Let the players choose. This can't be something hidden away on the forums that goes almost entirely unannounced. This should be a poll for all to see, right smack dab on the top of the forums. Heck, on every page! Let there be a vote to keep general or to get rid of it. Ingame, there could be an hourly, red-lettered ad in every chat ingame about voting for the poll, so absolutely everyone knows about it. The hourly poll ad would say info about where to vote about the player's opinion. If people vote to keep general, general stays. If the majority vote is that general be removed permanently, so be it.

There could be a different solution to this, however, also. Anyone wishing to just advertise their roleplay would use a new advertising chat. General could be used for, as stated before, any general thing. The advertising chat could be used for the obvious. If someone is screwing around in the ad chat and it aggravates people enough, perhaps they could be flagged in a way. I don't believe there is any way to report people ingame as of now.

I find that there are better solutions to the problem of trolls in the general chat. You're going too far by entirely getting rid of the chat. There were no warnings prior to this whatsoever. If someone is really, truly being annoying, they either need to get kicked or banned. It's as simple as that. A fraction of people shouldn't have to effect the entire group.



Again, sorry if it sounds like I'm being repetitive. I'm voicing my mind on this, and simply trying to state my ideas for making the problem a lesser one. End of post.
 

Sambari took the words right out of my mouth.
No, I will not type up a giant piece of text voicing my opinion as it is just a very simple one and is the same as a few others on this thread.
I am highly disappointed at this modification and do not agree nor support it in any way. However, I will not rage and throw tantrums and become a nuisance. I am aware of the causes that led to ridding of general, but don't you think that's a little too far? It's like muting us all. I know you are also saying "it makes you socialize more!" Sure, it is, too some degree. You could just make a different chat for advertisement like someone previously said, and keep general. But oh well. This is just a bad move in my opinion.

[Vysena]

Sad to see Gen go, atleast some updates are being made. Thanks for telling us Raz and Delay.

[lol_lions]

I honestly think, Raz should get in touch with Kov and get the source code. Because with general gone now, how can we advertise our RPs? Theres one real thing we can do. A new map. You see, Maybe general was too much. But maybe now, we can make a map just for Advertising. General can probably be allowed in this select map. It doesnt have to be a fantastic map, either. But what i think is.. With a bit of work, we can make a map. The portal can be in flourite plains, on the N/Z tree. It will lead into a map called ADVERTISING. This could be where roleplays could advertise, in general or not. There could be signs saying where things are, like one area of the map with a sign saying WARRIOR CATS. Another with WOLVES, LIONS, DRAGONS, and OTHER. Maybe there is something else we can do if we arent able to get the code. Ive heard someone say that they unzipped the .fhm files... Just an idea..

[WolfQueen]

In terms of the RP thing, I just want to point something out as a FH member, not a staff member.

Today a RP group I am in - a literate, mapped, realistic group that people seem to keep saying will never work right again because of no general chat - went out to recruit today, and we got more members that met our standards than we ever did.

Why? Because it forces people to socialize and ask questions. Maybe our RP might not seem too appeasing when you type it in general chat, but if you walk past the group and as what it's about, people take interest in things they would've passed off before. It forces people to get out and notice things they might not have before.

I understand everyone has their opinions, and in regards to some of the advertising issues, this is what I've experienced on day one. I really do encourage people to try and keep an open mind about this.

You actually made a very good point, Crin. THANK YOU for not peeing on the members because their opinions are not agreeing with yours. (Your actions are the reason why you are my second favorite staff member. Every staff member are equal to me, don't worry.)

And Ringo, you are getting to a very nice point to. But, I don't see anyone raging. They are expressing their opinions very openly. I know you said you know about opinions, but expressing your opinion in a very honest way doesn't make you raging. Yes, it's strong, but we are not trying to rage or throw tantrums as what Breezy said. I hope I have the right to talk to you like this, because I don't want to become banned. c:

Just a reminder, as it seems in the topic's main post, this is still being thought about and discussed. So General's disappearance isn't permanent. (I swear to God of someone thinks I'm mini-modding again, ....) And also, I would suggest a poll to become made to see what the community would think. Just a suggestion, not a demand. XP

[Breezey]

Setting up a poll to vote for general's return sounds like a really good idea. I hope you guys (mods) may consider it?

[Xenonia]

All of my no are belong to this.  :T

But, I completely agree with Sambari. And, my pack is going to suffer from this. There is no question about it. It may be easier for the mods, but hey, this decision is going to destroy so many packs, mark my words. Not in the least bit pleased. Nopity nope nope.

[Owly]

Normally, I'd stay away from commenting on the forums. Out of the TWO YEARS [or more] of being with this game, see how many times I've posted. Even if this account isn't the two old, my original one is.

Anyway---
 For all who oppose this idea, like those stated above me, you really need to look at both sides to your complaints/dislikes.

Most of the people that dislike the idea have posted about two key features, at least in all of the one's I've skimmed. The facts they "can't advertise as well" and "can't socialize like they used to on the chat". You're missing the fact this leaves you with many new ups.

Like Crin posted, which she posted about MY role play, Abandoned Paradise, I would go out, for 4-5 hours ON END and just post advertisements. It annoyed me, because I would post some detailed stuff and get about 3 people. Today, we sat out for an hour, and people came up to us and asked about the role play. I was able to give a bigger description to them, because I didn't have to worry about my post being cut off by the constant chatter, and that they took interest in my role play first than just reading another ad. They got to see us, and hear about my group. We ended up with, what, 4-6 new members in that hour alone. Probably had about 8 or so interested in that short time.
What's more is, movies. Seriously, yeah it's a way to advertise, but it's not the ONLY way. I know a few have stated this above, I just want to touch base. People, in general when they advertised would be at one of three general locations: N/Z, Stone Bridge, and Cape [for mapped]. Rarely you would get one at the plus, but it's died down since then. However, those are the KEY areas. If you want a role play, chances are you would want to GO to that spot. Now it encourages members to as well! Now they get to see you instead of getting a random whisper where you had NO idea if they were the type of group you would vision, or met your standards. They get to ask more questions, which may be seen to other people further [but in range] back, and have them click and go: Huh, I like that. I'd like to join. Instead of hearing a same type of description in general.

Now, on the base of the socialization. Wouldn't you like to actually see the person you're talking to? I'd like to see some of the people I chat with on general. You know, see their characters and get to actually snuggle their pixelated body? While it was nice to have some random chatter, I would usually see nothing but pointless spam to cause the poor advertisers' ads to be swept away. Some times it would get so bad, advertisers were afraid to advertise! Some of the topics were pretty inappropriate too, at times. Some even made others upset and offended. Some of which, I remember, have even made me to the point of tears. Yeah, TEARS! I've seen some terrible things posted on there, and I know it's not common it happens, but it has happened quite a few times in the past year. "Turn general chat off then"- Well why should I have to turn off a chat when you're tampering with it; may it be from flooding it or talking about a bad subject? While you're entitled to opinions, some of these things should be kept for more private chats. It could very well upset others, as seen in mass arguments in general.

All and all, I don't mind the fact general is gone, as long as we have it in private maps, which I use it to torment my poor members and make announcements. The public map use of it can be very well adjusted to.
Yet, even I know people won't stop complaining, or even feel any different after reading this. I'd just like you to see some of the alternatives, rather than making a swift pass at going: OMG IT'S GONE! WE'RE GON' DIE NAO! K?! -Poofs-

That's just my two cents,
Owlus.