A message from Betty Etiquette

Discussion of anything and everything that happens within the Iris Alternate Reality Game.

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Dalthanas
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A message from Betty Etiquette

Unread post by Dalthanas »

Ladies and gentlemen. I come before you as an arger, a gamer, and a man. I offer my thoughts because I feel the wisdom of my 25 years stirring inside me during this trying time of almost-server-opening. This thread is essentially a plea to remember forum etiquette - the things that separate ABO from other mindless forums that are spammed with so much drivel you couldn't separate a pearl from the dung with a pitchfork.

To those who are posting things like "Where do I get a key," or the like, please don't. We're not hiding anything. Everybody who has invested any significant time in this ARG knows that we all need the key, and when they're found we will all have minutes to scramble for them. We ALL need a key. Posting that only makes you stand out as somebody who doesn't want to do legwork, but wants swag. These posts clutter the threads and are annoying.

To those who have been around forever, have patience. I personally hang around ABO because its relatively flame free, and generally people are cordial. These "durrr what is key" posts are annoying, but posting angry replies only clutters the forums more.

Point is we're all looking for the same thing, and looking frantically, so if you don't have something USEFUL to post, simply don't. When you do you hurt everyone.

Thank you.
Bradxd
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Re: A message from Betty Etiquette

Unread post by Bradxd »

*Applause* Well done my man
the new one
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Re: A message from Betty Etiquette

Unread post by the new one »

Well said! Now to hope they read and get this.
ii otnemem ii
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Re: A message from Betty Etiquette

Unread post by ii otnemem ii »

Here's an idea -- I know it won't be followed, but it's an idea nonetheless:

When we find the BPC page, DO NOT post a direct link to it.

Why?

You wouldn't cut yourself in a leech-infested swamp, would you?
You wouldn't cut your friend in such a swamp, would you?
You wouldn't aid thieves in ransacking yours or your neighbor's house, would you?

Do you need more analogies? Better make a couple sports-oriented ones, for those sporty people...

You wouldn't steal the ball from your teammate and then duplicate it a bunch of times and pass them all out to the other team, would you?
You wouldn't open the gates at the running of the bulls, then just stand there and yell for all those who have already run before to stop running, especially if there were a basket of candy at the end of the race, would you?

Would you?!?!
ProfessorHojo05
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Re: A message from Betty Etiquette

Unread post by ProfessorHojo05 »

ii otnemem ii wrote:Here's an idea -- I know it won't be followed, but it's an idea nonetheless:

When we find the BPC page, DO NOT post a direct link to it.

Why?

You wouldn't cut yourself in a leech-infested swamp, would you?
You wouldn't cut your friend in such a swamp, would you?
You wouldn't aid thieves in ransacking yours or your neighbor's house, would you?

Do you need more analogies? Better make a couple sports-oriented ones, for those sporty people...

You wouldn't steal the ball from your teammate and then duplicate it a bunch of times and pass them all out to the other team, would you?
You wouldn't open the gates at the running of the bulls, then just stand there and yell for all those who have already run before to stop running, especially if there were a basket of candy at the end of the race, would you?

Would you?!?!

I AGREE ENTIRELY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am new to all of this and have spent the last 3 days learning what to do. I just want a fair chance for this last server.
W.E. 43!!!
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Re: A message from Betty Etiquette

Unread post by W.E. 43!!! »

Well said to both of you. I never got to open any servers, but it does'nt matter to me. I just want to see what is in episode 5 and hopefully there will be info on how the flood came to be. :D
rpepper
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Re: A message from Betty Etiquette

Unread post by rpepper »

One thing I'd like to add is that it is definitely un-ARGer-like to call someone a "leech" merely for viewing the forum but not registering. Many of us come from other places that have been playing right along the whole time, just not ABO. (I come from unfiction personally) I've loved reading the theories and discoveries made by the ABO folks and have been grateful for their participation in this ARG. It was disheartening to view your Server 5 discussion thread today and see a brief string of messages referring to those not logged in as "leeches." While there are some people out there who are merely cashing in on the hard work of the heavy participants, please keep in mind that not everyone is merely showing up for server openings and "leeching" off of you. For those of you new to ARGs, I can understand what you're feeling when you get frustrated by missing an opening. However, anyone who has been involved with these knows the value lies in the social aspects of these games, not in the material prizes. We should thank those who open the servers for their participation and congratulate them on their swag, not chastize them for the accomplishment.

I for one was thankful three years ago every time someone picked up that payphone and let me look a little further into the story of ILB. I think the rewards of opening servers has somewhat overshadowed the true meaning of an ARG by turning it into a contest. Long story short, try to be cordial of others' feelings and don't judge someone just because they show up as "Guest" on your forum. Thanks again to all of the ABO people who have helped us through "IRIS" and I look forward to finishing this story as a community of ARGers with a common goal.
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Menelven
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Re: A message from Betty Etiquette

Unread post by Menelven »

Plus it saves us time.
ii otnemem ii
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Re: A message from Betty Etiquette

Unread post by ii otnemem ii »

I my above post, I am not referring to people that are Guests. I am speaking of/to people who do nothing but sit in the forum and wait for the BPC page link to get posted; some are Guests, some registered users, some are even frequent posters (though mainly of drivel). I am also speaking of/to those that condone that kind of behavior by posting a link to the BPC page.

That said, those who are guests, really should register. We obviously have time, it takes a few seconds. It will save confusion, like with the mysterious member who joined 2 seconds before posting "the password is boomerang", and was never seen again. For 20 minutes, everyone posted back, "who are you", "where'd you get that?", etc... and he never came back to explain until after the fourth server was opened. Then it turned out that the page was accidentally stumbled upon, and not even part of server 4. Agreed, we are one community, so let's freaking act like one.

And I disagree about the social aspect of the ARG being the main focus. There are puzzles, you solve them, you get a prize. That isn't social, that is a contest. The Halo storyline, the speculation; that is social, and I agree is interesting, but for me personally, Iris wouldn't be as interesting if I didn't get something out of it. We've already seen that Bungie isn't giving us specifics, but broad strokes with plenty of room for speculation and which can be interpreted hundreds of ways still. But all of this can be re-capped at the end, no social aspect needed.

In short, I am here to play for me and get the real story, not aid Bungie in social storytelling. Those who would undercut that by posting a link to the BPC for all those who are just sitting around are ruining the game for those who are actually playing. But as there are thousands of people participating, and it only takes one douchebag to post a direct link to the BPC, the odds of allowing people to work through the puzzles themselves are slim-to-none.

@Menelven -- Yup, it does "save time". It's quick, easy, no thinking involved, click a link, win a prize. To me, that says "VALUELESS". You did nothing to earn it, while there are people out there doing things to earn it, but missing out because you wanted to "save time". (Again, not necessarily speaking about you personally, AFIK.) Think about all these dead spells we've had in the game... do we really need to "save time"? If anything, let's prolong the game, make it take longer, be more challenging, actually REQUIRE something from us, and the payoff will be way better in the end.

[/rant]
[/hope that this will be heeded]
rpepper
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Re: A message from Betty Etiquette

Unread post by rpepper »

ii otnemem ii wrote: And I disagree about the social aspect of the ARG being the main focus. There are puzzles, you solve them, you get a prize. That isn't social, that is a contest. The Halo storyline, the speculation; that is social, and I agree is interesting, but for me personally, Iris wouldn't be as interesting if I didn't get something out of it. We've already seen that Bungie isn't giving us specifics, but broad strokes with plenty of room for speculation and which can be interpreted hundreds of ways still. But all of this can be re-capped at the end, no social aspect needed.
Ok, let me rephrase it because I think you missed my point. The "prize" that you typically get is the next chapter in the story. People are flipping out because they want a t-shirt, book, etc. "That isn't social, that is a contest." You're right...THIS is a contest, not an ARG. No hard feelings, but I just thought that most of what I'd seen from ABO was friendly and helpful, but some members today have started to make me question that. I'm sure that it's a minority of members, and overall from what I've seen that's a correct assumption. The majority of people on here are friendly, helpful and interested in the story/experience more than the swag.
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