11 replies to this topic

[specter333]

This is just a thought that might cut a lot of clutter in the help forums. Since a large portion of the questions are game related why not add a sticky for all the people who come here looking for someone to make a gaming script for them.

The first thing it could have is a link to the FAQ page and a link to Nimda's Auto fire thread which would likely answer many of their questions. Then people who have made scripts for games could post them for sharing.

Searching the forums isn't always easy since most of the time the number of search results and then the number of pages in the search results can prevent a person from finding answers, especially if someone doesn't know the right terms to search for. Giving gamers links to everything at the top of the forum should simplify things for everyone.

[VxE]

I think you're giving too much credit to the average gamer who comes here looking for h4x. How many users who post game-related threads do you think looked at the PLEASE READ IF YOU'RE NEW: How to Get Answers Effectively thread? or even knew it existed before they made their post? Can you honestly expect even 1 in 10 such users to notice a sticky, let alone read and understand it?

I'm not saying that a thread like "Games and AHK: the Über Nūb's Guide" is a bad idea, I just think that there will be exactly the same number of threads in which to post links to it.

[tidbit]

Yeah, what he said.

It's worth a try, but I doubt it'll have any effect.
It is what is keeping me from making any more tutorials. Those who need it won't find it, those who don't need it will find it.

A whole new forum section might help though if we got phpBB v3 or newer, we could have "sub forums" inside of each forum.

[specter333]

Games and AHK: the Über Nūb's Guide[/u]" is a bad idea, I just think that there will be exactly the same number of threads in which to post links to it.

Could be, but also couldn't hurt. If I was a gamer browsing through here the first time I think I would notice any post that had "Game" in the title. At least it would make it easier for those trying to help to know where to send the gamers.

[specter333]

It seems to me that encapsulating the common game-related questions, along with game-specific solutions as they become known, in a single thread would be a useful resource to anyone involved.

Someone would have to take the time to write the first pages of it, and then maintain those pages with links to solutions/discussions as it goes along. 1-2-3 not it!

Since I can't play those types of games I couldn't be it either.

I would think the people who are always trying to help in the forum would probably prefer maintaning a thread over repeating the same answer every few days.

[jaco0646]

That's what the Wiki is for.

[specter333]

That's what the Wiki is for.

Umm, did you read first post?

The wiki doesn't have links to the already posted autofire or game scripts. The wiki doesn't point anyone to where they can get scripts they can use and keep people from asking someone to do it for them. The wiki is up now and the help forum is still flooded so I don't see how saying the wiki has it covered can rationalized.

[Elesar]

The wiki is up now and the help forum is still flooded so I don't see how saying the wiki has it covered can rationalized.

The bigger issue is that no matter what we as forum members do, the average guest/new user will do as little looking as humanly possible before posting their all too commonly answered question. There is no solution to how lazy people can be on the internet.

Resources for helpers are great and all, but we already have several of them that all answer the same things, so why do we need more? (Talking specifically about rapidfire and game scripts in general here)

If the specific topic you wish to see is somehow not answered in the wiki or a common answers thread, make the changes to the wiki, or a new thread and start replying to questions with a link to that. More helpers will see your new resource and add it to their list of common answers.

It may seem inefficient, and it is, but its the best we can do to combat people that don't wish to help themselves. Sticky posts do nothing for people that don't want to read them, as is proofed by the 100s of threads that don't comply to the "HOW TO GET ANSWERS EFFECTIVELY" thread in the AFH section.

[wtg]

There is no solution to how lazy people can be on the internet.

Sticky posts do nothing for people that don't want to read them

Agreed. The sticky posts are generally not as helpful to the lazy but are definitely beneficial for the people that *will* try to help themselves. I refer to the stickies in the Scripts & Functions section regularly.

However even the lazy will follow a link that appears to be the shortest route to an answer and a well-labelled sticky might attract the attention of some people.

Resources for helpers are great and all, but we already have several of them that all answer the same things, so why do we need more? (Talking specifically about rapidfire and game scripts in general here)

Mine and Specter333's opinion is yes. For people that are willing to help themselves a well-labelled sticky thread does have benefit for common questions, and certainly gaming questions are common. As Specter333 mentioned there are so many posts about gaming that a quick search produces hits on so many posts that finding the nuggets with good and helpful info is harder. A sticky might cut down on some of the posts asking for help, and it's not like the Help forums has many stickies.

Re: the "just add it to the wiki" comments, the fact that the forums don't have a direct link to it probably cuts down on it's use. I know I often forget all about it because I always come straight to the forums via my bookmark and there's no direct link to it (and thus, visual reminder) from here like there is on the AutoHotkey main page. It's a shame we don't have a link right up there beside FAQ and Search.

Also re: the wiki the main page is quite sparse and my first impression was "there's nothing here". Ever visit a wiki elsewhere that turns out to simply be someone's good intention that never ended up with much on it? Our seems like that even though it's not the case. I personally think the Autohotkey Tutorials ought to be right there on the first page, though I'm reluctant to figure out how to change it and offend whomever laid it out the way it is and have them undo my edits. It's just my two cents for anyone that cares...

[Mickers]

Can I just point out that I've been a long time user and I didn't know we had a wiki.

Well I think I did at one point but I could never find anything that I needed (mostly COM related questions).