BLOG Discussion - Follow Up2: Port Charging Access To Forums

After argyle let it known, (in that thread of Envy claiming he wasn't going to post in the forums anymore, that thread that was locked,) that the login works without the paywall, I thought it was only a short matter of time before it was back in place.

perhaps it was something else turned on 'by accident', which is entirely different from 'a mistake'.

Still, its been mostly known it went live back in October since Captain Jack's return. He made a post celebrating his return and the lifting of the restriction, if memory serves.

I could also seeing people who paid for access getting pissed folks like me, who did not, were suddenly allowed to for free. After all, the first three days of the restriction they saw about 300 new Pledges so I'm sure there are a fair number of people over there who have paid for access.

I wouldn't mind contributing there. Maybe I don't say much that's interesting, but I rarely get responses. The fact that I post frequently here and generally do not hold a good opinion of the game probably stifles the little interaction I might normally see.

I also have stopped trying to be too argumentative there as it often just gets drowned out with dismissive posts.

I think these forums are similar to those in a sense. After all, if someone comes here and tries to post a rigorous defense of PoTs, they'll likely feel piled on and drowned out by responses. That's OK, its the nature of the relationship between the two forums. Here, supporters of the game are pretty much non existent. The games detractors, different than those critical of specific aspects, are at a minimum there as well.

In many ways, the arguments about the game have already been made. PoTs, combat, etc. The problem, as I see it, with there is that the persistence of these arguments isn't beating a dead horse, its showing ongoing passion about a particular issue. If one is going to design a game by feedback, that feedback shouldn't be shunned because some of the audience is turned off by it.

That's another issue. The active participants on that forum are low compared to the backer numbers and there's a high concentration of high dollar backers, so arguments against player owned towns and the like are unduly favor high dollar backer interests.

But you all know this stuff already. It should be obvious to most. Asking people who buy add-on store items if they are happy with more add-on store items and then proposing that the audience is supportive of add-on store items about as circular as one can get.

There are usually at most 50 or so people online on the forums and very often the list consists of many of the same names.

I feel somewhat like we're stomping on their graves. The people at Port cannot feel good, no matter how much money they've brought in. I don't see how they could play this game and believe it to be of good quality. I cannot fathom it.

Think on this though. They have promised Ep 2-5. I simply cannot see that happening. They've struggled to get this out the door, does anyone think they have another 5+ years in them? Failing to do that would be failing to meet the promises of the Kickstarter and would open them up to civil litigation. Now, its not worth it to sue someone for $45. $15k, $20k, $90k? Those are numbers people may wish to recoup should Port fail to meet the Kickstarter promises.

Honestly, I don't feel good about any of this. I look on it and find it depressing. Its definitely beating a dead horse, but the horse's owners are insisting he's just resting.

Not only that, but pappa Ports pumps Envy's videos in the updates. So he is getting on average less than 1% clicks based on Port's opinion of how many backers they have.

Portalarium in update 128 pumped Envy's new channel and has a few times since dumped his videos in the updates, example the most recent Update 159.

The Mad Hermit 's last publicised video from Portalarium was in Update 131 on June 27th, which was just after June 6th when envy's channel was promoted for the first time by Portalarium. So, have to wonder how Envy got in on that action and chased TMH out!

Lawl, oh wait no we don't have to wonder. Envy is a high level multiple POT owner backer Whale. Poor TMH only had a 4.8K pledge. That is how.