Meanwhile...

...as we wait for that magic moment tomorrow when we find out just how stable Cryptic's servers really are, I've been doing a little reading on the forums.

Now before I go any further, I should point out that I have a lot of experience with blogs and discussion forums. I have extensive experience an active forum participant as well as a forum moderator and administrator. So that's the perspective I bring to this.

For me, and I expect for many, MMO gaming is about a lot more than just the game itself. I left EverQuest, my first MMO, mainly because all the smacktalk in chat made it unpleasant after a while. The social aspects of an MMO are important to me. After all, without a good social experience you might as well just go out and buy yourself a one-player game.

I'm not going to name names or link threads, but there have been several posts I've seen On the STO forums that make valid or at least semi-valid points or criticisms but do so in a way that's unpleasant, impolite, and and often just rude. Frankly, I've always believed Star Trek fans were better than that just in general.

I mean sure, we'll fight each other tooth and nail over who was the best Captain or Chief Engineer, but we all come together in our love of the ST universe and it's stories. That's not to say that there's not a good amount of criticism and discussion about that universe, but it's generally presented and discussed in a civil (if often spirited and enthusiastic) manner.

Personally, I think the STO forum has huge potential, some of which is already showing itself. Two things need to happen in order to ensure it's the best it can be. The first one is an easy one for Cryptic: They need to listen to their players and evolve the forums as the game and conversations around it grow and change. Second, there needs to be swift, effective, but most importantly fair, moderation. Those who moderate the STO forums must understand that the diversity reflected in Star Trek is also reflected in its audience, and they must keep that in mind when determining what rises to the level of something requiring their intervention and what does not.

First and foremost, even before the game, it's all about Star Trek, about that universe we all love. If STO is to be a reflection of that universe, let's at least make it as positive as the one we've come to know and love over the years.

Personally, I don't know about you, but I'm having more fun with this game than I have in an MMO in a while, maybe even ever. I mean, it's a pain in the ass trying to follow some topics on the forums when they get into the multi-hundred page range, but it's something I'm willing to deal with (when I have time) because it's a symptom of a large and active player base, which is a great thing all the way around.

The bigger this game gets though, the more likely it is that we'll get more trolls at the STO forums. Here's the thing, though: Not just anyone can post on the STO forums, only registered users with active accounts. That limits the potential problem substantially. No idiots making multiple accounts to post from, no flame-and-runs, no one except paying customers. Now, of course that's a pretty big group and getting bigger, but at least it's one account, one person, for the most part anyway.

The point is that even though the player base of STO is big and getting bigger, the user base of the STO forums is at a manageable level if those who want civil and quality discussion about ST and STO insist on exactly that. In my experience, one thing remains true of discussion forums no matter what the topic or the user base: Moderators can enforce the rules, but ultimately it's the site's users who will determine a forum's tone and its level of civil discussion and hospitality.

Right now, even though it's been around for a while, the STO forum is really still in it's infancy. In fact, I'd bet that most of the participants have started paying attention only recently. Even though I joined the forum back in mid-'08, I've only just begun reading and posting there on a regular basis, mainly because once I was in the beta it suddenly mattered.

The point is that the STO forum isn't a public accommodation, it's a members-only club. If you want to hang out there, you're expected to behave yourself. Being a member gives you access to the exclusive space, but it doesn't give you the right to spoil everyone else's experience.

STO is cool. The STO forums should be just as cool, as cool as the fanbase. And if we truly want it that way, we will make it so.