Newbie Forum

I get the feeling I am doing a brave thing my starting a topic as a newbie, but I have some opinions. The elders can erase it if they feel it should not be shared on this site. And if I should be banned for such opinions... so be it.

It seems like so many internet communites are very exclusive. But I understand someone is paying for the site, and with that has the right to take full control of it. So this is a humble and respectful expression as a new member.

This is a relatively small hobby. All of the references about "leeches and weeds" concerns me. There will always be new people getting into it. That should be good for all of us. We may not know all the lingo, but that is not necessarily a threat to the group or a sign of malevolence.

My post have been pretty vaired. I consider that other topics range from what one had for lunch to what one's socks smell like. I take it all with good humor, and this is what makes a group fun and close. So what's wrong with adding new friends to the mix? It's not like I am using profanity or juvenille crassness. Is just an unfamiliar voice annoying?

I, myself, feel embarrassed to have "burdened" the group with newbie questions, but that's natural. I don't want to feel like I am being berated by the "comic book guy" from the Simpsons for not knowing the proper procedures. I read up on the docs. I asked a few questions about the hobby. And I made many posts without knowing an ftp existed.

I challenge anyone to look at my posts and find one that is worthless or "crap" traffic. Sometimes a frustrated newbie question can sound rude ("tell me how to..."), but a tactful reminder can solve that. We are all civil.

The FTP may get the attention (and with it the questions) of newer members. Newer people may want some of the older programs, but it doesn't mean we will not add to the community in the future.

I have many things to offer to the community. I sought out this site after returning from overseas with a bunch of boot leg games. After I learn more about the technical side, I would like to share these games with others. You can't assume we are a bunch of snakes ambushing the hard working hobbyist for an easy rom (smile). I honestly want to contribute. If it means paying more respect to the old school by posting less, then point noted.

I am not allowed to vote or post an opinion about the ftp. I have not been a memeber of the community long enough, but I want to give a voice to the new guys. I am sure some may want us to go to our corners and start our own sega group, but I think you should also consider balancing your concerns with some patience. A "newbie leech" may evolve to a productive member. What starts as a "Where can I find this rom?" may develop into a shared nostalgic review of said rom in a few weeks. You were all new once.

If this is a private club of friends only, say so and I am sure it will be respected. But I am willing to bet most people who find this place are here to talk about their favorite games and enjoy the hobby. Why else would someone seek out 20 year old games from their youth on their thousand dollar computers of today via the internet?

I know I registered before the FTP went up, but I am still part of the newbies being discussed. I dont want a prejudgement to be made. I may not have been "down from the beginning" but I was active with more of the Atari scene. I am not arguing the legality. A hobbyist will want to own a game as well as play it. It may take a while before I can track down a copy of Radiant Silvergun. I will eventually want the original in my collection. I personally don't see the harm in a try-before-you -buy FTP unless one thinks I am depreciating ebay sales somehow.

Do you really feel like your knowledge of older Sega games or how to solder a system is being exploited? It is a hobby. I am not sure, even after reading the posts, what your greatest issue is? These are NOT sarcastic questions. I have never made a copy of a game. But what evils will this bring to your town?

With heart disease, bear attacks, crack addiction and electrocution on the rise, the gaming community will only get smaller everyday unless you let new people into the clique. I want newbies to understand better why our traffic is making some say "There goes the neighborhood". Again, this is with respect and honest concern.
 
Well, an honest, intelligent post.

Part of, (ok, mostly) the reason why many people are angered with 'newbies' and the ftp section is because for every 1 of you there are at least 10 who have no such commitment to positively contribute to SX in any way, shape, or form. For instance, if you look at the Classic Sega Direct Connect Hub, you'll find at least 75 people in there at a given time - you're certainly not seeing 75 people posting here. Same with the FTP section - once it was announced that there are FTPs available, close to 50 new members signed up for the boards, but again, you aren't seeing any impact by them anywhere.

Another issue is that there are documents available to answer the questions that have been asked so frequently; further, there is a search function to find out how to burn cds or unzip files, etc. These aren't novel questions. Ignoring them doesn't help, either, since these newbies take it upon themselves to spam the boards with these same questions, hoping for a response. Usually it ends with a banning, and post deletions but it doesn't stop that cycle.

You might argue that in the future that this might change - yet, it might, but I highly doubt as dramatically as one might hope or expect. The FTP forum was open at one time, and while it may have brought a couple of new members into the fold, it didn't bring that many, compared to how many were using the FTP section at a time (if you look at the bottom of the board listings, you'll see at one time there were 70+ people using the boards at once. Guess where they all were?). Further, the DC hub has been around for a while, as well - yet, there hasn't been a direct impact on SX as of yet.

If the allure of the FTP section hasn't decreased after it closed the first time, more than lilkely it's going to be around for a lot longer, if not permanently. One could argue that it brings a greater appreciation for the Saturn - I argue that it doesn't do anything of the sort - does the proliferation of Dreamcast and PSX isos contribute to a greater appreciation of those respective systems? No. This proliferation in fact partly contributed to the early demise of the DC. And worse, when Satourne is a feasible emulator, you can expect an even larger number of people searching for such games, asking such questions, and annoying the community.

In sum, it'd be good for all of us if they were to give back in some way, shape or form. Realistically that isn't going to happen. And, in defense of the members here, if a newbie has a serious concern or problem, most people here will be more than willing to help out.
 
o_O i read the first line but then i ran out of asprin.

EDIT: Ok i just read both posts and wow this newb... i mean member
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sounds like he knows his shit. You're making very good points here. Yes MTX has stated the major concerns but there is also the fact that the newbies all seem (seem key word here) to not care. They don't give a crap what happens to sx if they just keep spamming they don't even care about what will happen to themselves! It just gets annoying. It wouldn't even be so bad if they said something like "I'm sorry for posting this, i'm sure it's answered blah blah" even but it just doesn't stop. Thank you for giving new members a good starting name though.
 
::sighs:: Why must everyone hate extensive reading?

Yeah....I was gonna start an FTP server....Then, I learned it violates my contract with Comcast....So....damn. I've been told I could just set the port to some really high number (over 1500), but I don't really think that's sufficient for avoiding the Comshaft cops. So....Yeah....Instead, I just make stupid ass posts (like this one) that usually end up getting ignored or moved into a different forum (I never was any good at the matching game....Dreamcast posts go in....what forum? I don't get it) :Þ
 
Back when the FTP section was here there actualy were more people participating

sure there was a ton of post being made in the FTP forum but there was a bunch in the other parts as well -- but like bringing the FTP section back has caused people to leave (or at least threaten to) so did the closing of the section

i dont belive all the people that left because of the closeing were as worthless as most seem to think

also this is for Michaias (i hope i got the spelling right)

Comcast has somethign about FTPs in thier contract ? do you remmebr what it generaly said?
 
Originally posted by googlefest1@Nov. 18 2002, 12:52 pm

sure there was a ton of post being made in the FTP forum but there was a bunch in the other parts as well -- but like bringing the FTP section back has caused people to leave (or at least threaten to) so did the closing of the section

i dont belive all the people that left because of the closeing were as worthless as most seem to think

There were other posts, but not the volume one would hope to expect with all these people online at once... as a fair estimate, I'd say no more than 30 additional people came around.

That's kinda sad, considering there's over 3,000 people registered on this board. That number is mind numbing. I don't think there's more than 35 people regularly posting. Assuming only 1/10th of the 3,000+ stuck around, that's still 300+ people. Where are they?

In regards to the people that left because of the FTP closing (the first time) - their value might of been great, but it depreciated greatly when they took off. What did they value more? SX, or what it could do for them? I think the answer is obvious, in which case, they may not worthless, but certainly not worthwhile.

As far as threatening goes, at least for me, now that Rata(...?) is no longer heading up the FTP section, I'm (very) happy. There are many (strong) thoughts regarding that gentleman that made it feasible, at least for me, to leave SX without looking back. Thankfully, the people above have come to their senses (or, had the sense forced into them).
 
I did take time to read the post and I thank you for it.

It's good to know there are "newbies" out there that have some intelligence and manners
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The more people contributing to this place, the better -- whether with their knowledge or by another little thing known as Paypal
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If there was a good way to run the FTPs in an organized manner and keep annoying leeches to an extreme minimum, life would be good
 
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