Bay 12 Games Forum

Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Advanced search  
Pages: [1] 2 3 ... 6

Author Topic: Dwarf Fortress Stack Exchange?  (Read 6518 times)

RCIX

  • Bay Watcher
    • View Profile
Dwarf Fortress Stack Exchange?
« on: July 03, 2010, 05:44:45 pm »
I was considering proposing a Stack Exchange site for Dwarf Fortress, but i wanted to hear whether the community would be interested in one. Essentially, a Stack Exchange site is to forums what Wikipedia is to Encyclopedia Britannica(Source). It offers a place for people to ask questions about dwarf fortress, where the questions can easily be closed if they're duplicates or not appropriate for the site, and it is very much geared to providing answers. What do you think? If there's enough support for it here, i'll go ahead and propose it, and we can get the ball rolling. We'll likely need 2-3 hundred people.

 (Please note that a Stack Exchange site is not a forum)
Logged
Quote from: Naz
Quote from: dwarfhoplite
I suggest you don't think too much what you build and where. When ever you need something, build it as close as possible to where you need it. that way your fortress will eventually become epic
Because god knows your duke will demand a kitten silo in his office.
Quote from: Necro910
Dwarf Fortress: Where you aren't hallucinating.

NoahTheDuke

  • Bay Watcher
    • View Profile
Re: Dwarf Fortress Stack Exchange?
« Reply #1 on: July 03, 2010, 07:36:23 pm »
No. We have the forums. Why do we need a separate area to ask/answer questions that belong on the forums?

Noah
Logged

Hyndis

  • Bay Watcher
    • View Profile
Re: Dwarf Fortress Stack Exchange?
« Reply #2 on: July 03, 2010, 07:37:54 pm »
I don't see the point.

The wiki should be your first go to point. It answers almost any question you can possibly have. If the wiki doesn't already have an article on it ask on the forums.
Logged

RCIX

  • Bay Watcher
    • View Profile
Re: Dwarf Fortress Stack Exchange?
« Reply #3 on: July 03, 2010, 10:44:39 pm »
Forums really aren't as suited for dealing with questions and answers. If a discussion crops up around a question, then you end up with a threadhunt for the answer when you need it (and likely re-asking of the question later). Stack Exchange sites sort the answers to a question by votes (by default anyway), and it puts the accepted one at the top. It also offers community moderation (users with enough reputation get to open and close questions, and if you get a lot of rep then you become an "honorary moderator"), to help take the burden off of one or a few people from moderating a site.

And the wiki does NOT have even close to all of the info. for instance, the page on Pipes was very confusing, stating thazt you both couldn't and could build them.

To be clear, i'm suggesting this as a replacement for the "questions" subforums.
Logged
Quote from: Naz
Quote from: dwarfhoplite
I suggest you don't think too much what you build and where. When ever you need something, build it as close as possible to where you need it. that way your fortress will eventually become epic
Because god knows your duke will demand a kitten silo in his office.
Quote from: Necro910
Dwarf Fortress: Where you aren't hallucinating.

Hyndis

  • Bay Watcher
    • View Profile
Re: Dwarf Fortress Stack Exchange?
« Reply #4 on: July 04, 2010, 12:50:21 am »
You've been here all of 5 days, and already think we should abandon both the forums and wiki in favor of your new stack thing, whatever it is?  :o

I'm not even sure I understand what that stack thing is, or how its supposed to work or improve things. The wiki is awesome. It is a treasure trove of information. The forums will answer any other questions you have if the wiki doesn't already explain it.
Logged

RCIX

  • Bay Watcher
    • View Profile
Re: Dwarf Fortress Stack Exchange?
« Reply #5 on: July 04, 2010, 12:55:18 am »
Well, no, the wiki is good for some info (it leaves a bit to be desired now and then), and the forums will still be here mostly for discussion stuff, but the point of a stack exchange site is you can ask any question about the topic, no matter how trivial, and (as long as it's a unique and objective question), get a nice answer. Something some of these forums could use now and then ;) (and i'm not suggesting it mainly for that reason)
« Last Edit: July 04, 2010, 12:58:04 am by RCIX »
Logged
Quote from: Naz
Quote from: dwarfhoplite
I suggest you don't think too much what you build and where. When ever you need something, build it as close as possible to where you need it. that way your fortress will eventually become epic
Because god knows your duke will demand a kitten silo in his office.
Quote from: Necro910
Dwarf Fortress: Where you aren't hallucinating.

Retro

  • Bay Watcher
  • o7
    • View Profile
Re: Dwarf Fortress Stack Exchange?
« Reply #6 on: July 04, 2010, 12:59:10 am »
RCIX: Sorry, this is just a bad idea. Even supposing that you don't get a wiki page (which incidentally can be edited by anyone to be improved should people find the page confusing, as you described), the B12 forums are very active and generally speaking even if you post your question in the wrong place it will still be answered promptly.

Quote from: RCIX on July 04, 2010, 12:55:18 am
you can ask any question about the topic, no matter how trivial, and (as long as it's a unique and objective question), get a nice answer.

In what way do the forums not fulfill this need? Hell, even non-unique and non-objective questions get answered in a timely manner.

On top of this, of course, is the fact that if you have vote-based answers, the top answers will always be a variant of 'kill the elves,' 'flood the world with magma,' or propagated but inaccurate rumours, generally all unrelated to the topic at hand.
Logged

RCIX

  • Bay Watcher
    • View Profile
Re: Dwarf Fortress Stack Exchange?
« Reply #7 on: July 04, 2010, 01:10:13 am »
I don't care about having a wiki page. ???

That's why you downvote and/or flag the wrong answers. That's also what mods are for: to fix things when the commmunity gets it wrong. It worked pretty well on Stack Overflow.

People yell at you to hit the wiki whenever you ask something resembling a trivial question, which is fine, except if you can't find the info in the wiki.

In any case, i've PMmed Toady, and if he says no i'll leave it at that. 'kay? :)
Logged
Quote from: Naz
Quote from: dwarfhoplite
I suggest you don't think too much what you build and where. When ever you need something, build it as close as possible to where you need it. that way your fortress will eventually become epic
Because god knows your duke will demand a kitten silo in his office.
Quote from: Necro910
Dwarf Fortress: Where you aren't hallucinating.

G-Flex

  • Bay Watcher
    • View Profile
Re: Dwarf Fortress Stack Exchange?
« Reply #8 on: July 04, 2010, 01:13:27 am »
In some cases, I can see this being a good idea, but we already have forums, IRC, and a wiki. A forum (or the IRC channel) is a good place to ask questions, and the wiki is a great place for user-editable, persistent information. I don't really think anything else is particularly necessary, and having too much redundancy here could hurt anyway.


Quote from: Retro on July 04, 2010, 12:59:10 am
On top of this, of course, is the fact that if you have vote-based answers, the top answers will always be a variant of 'kill the elves,' 'flood the world with magma,' or propagated but inaccurate rumours, generally all unrelated to the topic at hand.

Yes. Democracy is one of the worst ways to answer questions.


Quote from: RCIX on July 04, 2010, 01:10:13 am
I don't care about having a wiki page. ???

Er, why? The wiki is the go-to place for persistent information.

Quote
That's why you downvote and/or flag the wrong answers. That's also what mods are for: to fix things when the commmunity gets it wrong. It worked pretty well on Stack Overflow.

"Downvote the wrong answers" is obviously not a valid solution to the problem of the majority being wrong about something, and they'd be wrong often enough that moderating it would just be a hassle and you'd be better off not bothering with the democratic process to begin with.

Quote
People yell at you to hit the wiki whenever you ask something resembling a trivial question, which is fine, except if you can't find the info in the wiki.

And this would solve the problem how?
Logged
There are 2 types of people in the world: Those who understand hexadecimal, and those who don't.
Visit the #Bay12Games IRC channel on NewNet
== Human Renovation: My Deus Ex mod/fan patch (v1.30, updated 5/31/2012) ==

Hyndis

  • Bay Watcher
    • View Profile
Re: Dwarf Fortress Stack Exchange?
« Reply #9 on: July 04, 2010, 01:53:41 am »
Using democracy to find truth is a horrible, horrible idea.  :(


It sounds like a solution looking for a problem. I don't really see any issues with the current setup. The wiki is essentially the FAQ. Read the FAQ first. Then if you still have questions post on the forums an you should get a very prompt response, regardless of what question you have.
Logged

RCIX

  • Bay Watcher
    • View Profile
Re: Dwarf Fortress Stack Exchange?
« Reply #10 on: July 04, 2010, 02:02:47 am »
You guys missed the part about moderators fixing things where democracy gets it wrong. And someone should tell the people asking 600k+ questions on Stack Overflow that the method they're using doesn't work; i'm sure they'd be eternally grateful ;)
Logged
Quote from: Naz
Quote from: dwarfhoplite
I suggest you don't think too much what you build and where. When ever you need something, build it as close as possible to where you need it. that way your fortress will eventually become epic
Because god knows your duke will demand a kitten silo in his office.
Quote from: Necro910
Dwarf Fortress: Where you aren't hallucinating.

Hyndis

  • Bay Watcher
    • View Profile
Re: Dwarf Fortress Stack Exchange?
« Reply #11 on: July 04, 2010, 02:10:59 am »
The forums are self correcting.

You make a wild claim for something that is very strange or goes against the conventional wisdom? Okay...prove it. Dwarven science at its finest.

If you can prove your wild claims, like the invention of the magma piston only a few weeks ago, then awesome. If it doesn't pan out then nothing comes of it.

Same thing goes with the wiki. If the wiki is wrong, fix it.
Logged

RCIX

  • Bay Watcher
    • View Profile
Re: Dwarf Fortress Stack Exchange?
« Reply #12 on: July 04, 2010, 02:12:16 am »
And the difference with a Stack exchange site in that regard is..... ?
Logged
Quote from: Naz
Quote from: dwarfhoplite
I suggest you don't think too much what you build and where. When ever you need something, build it as close as possible to where you need it. that way your fortress will eventually become epic
Because god knows your duke will demand a kitten silo in his office.
Quote from: Necro910
Dwarf Fortress: Where you aren't hallucinating.

Retro

  • Bay Watcher
  • o7
    • View Profile
Re: Dwarf Fortress Stack Exchange?
« Reply #13 on: July 04, 2010, 02:20:18 am »
Quote from: RCIX on July 04, 2010, 02:12:16 am
And the difference with a Stack exchange site in that regard is..... ?

That we already have a working wiki and forums. Just because one person doesn't get it doesn't necessitate a radical revision of the system.
Logged

RCIX

  • Bay Watcher
    • View Profile
Re: Dwarf Fortress Stack Exchange?
« Reply #14 on: July 04, 2010, 02:30:28 am »
As i've said, i PMmed Toady, so if he says no then i'll accept that.
Logged
Quote from: Naz
Quote from: dwarfhoplite
I suggest you don't think too much what you build and where. When ever you need something, build it as close as possible to where you need it. that way your fortress will eventually become epic
Because god knows your duke will demand a kitten silo in his office.
Quote from: Necro910
Dwarf Fortress: Where you aren't hallucinating.
Pages: [1] 2 3 ... 6
« previous next »