BC & Battle Server Discussion & Feedback

[wolf]

BC & Battle Server Discussion & Feedback

Bringing it back! Post any feedback you have for BC and the battle server, as well as its staff and moderation. However, please leave out any personal issues you have with staff members. Do not use this thread for ranting; use it for discussion.

— Some questions you could answer...
If you do not use the battle server often, why not? Do you think battling and Pokemon discussion should take place more often there? If you are dissatisfied with the battle server's chat, what do you think we could do to improve it? Lastly, please provide solutions if you have any.

We greatly appreciate any feedback you have to offer!

 

[Cordelia]

I use it now because I find it a good place to connect with both good and old friends and overall it's quite friendly now compared to what it used to be. I really am enjoying it, Wolf.

 

[Sector]

I use it now because I find it a good place to connect with both good and old friends and overall it's quite friendly now compared to what it used to be. I really am enjoying it, Wolf.

^What CC said^

That's basically why I love going there everyday. I probably wouldn't had came back to Pokecommunity in general, if [supporter]Axeliira[/supporter] hadn't directed me to Showdown when she said a few months back. I've been going there daily. To me, I've noticed sometime during (several times) the day that the server is mod-less, or has just one mod who is actually afk. Such as putting up autoconfirmed when you notice the staff is running low on numbers when you leave. I remember one time when a troll/spammer came on & literally spammed for a good while because of it.

If people want to talk about battling or Pokemon, we usually do a great job at carrying the conversation. When no one is chatting Pokemon, we usually talk about whatever it is, or the place just turns out dead anyway. I've noticed there are some new/random users who will join, just asking for a battle, sometimes will either get rejected or ignored. I really have no opinion on the matter, but thinking if I were in that person's shoe, they'd probably give us a negative feedback. I don't know.

Overall I think the showdown server is doing a great job despite the small things I've mentioned. If someone is feeling uncomfortable(I've noticed this occurred quite a bit) or doesn't want to talk this or that because it's too personal, speak up! We can't tell through a computer screen.

 

[Kanzler]

I use it now because I find it a good place to connect with both good and old friends and overall it's quite friendly now compared to what it used to be. I really am enjoying it, Wolf.

I have to agree that it's friendly, but compared to what? I'm a newcomer, so I can only talk about what I know. The old "regulars" don't battle as much as they used to, that's one thing I've noticed. But things evolve and we should be ready to accept change. I mean, we still have debates once in a while, the discussion moves from here and there - while it doesn't serve a core of people as well as it used to, it's still serving the rest of us decently.

 

[champagnepapi]

They are called "RMTs", not team help :|

 

[wolf]

To me, I've noticed sometime during (several times) the day that the server is mod-less, or has just one mod who is actually afk.

I've noticed it too. I'll keep an eye on that in case it gets worse, but it could just be activity fluctuations.

I have to agree that it's friendly, but compared to what? I'm a newcomer, so I can only talk about what I know.

PC's battling community used to be notorious for being intimidating and unwelcoming, but that was a long time ago.

They are called "RMTs", not team help :|

https://www.pokecommunity.com/announcement.php?f=260&a=581

Basically, all team help (sans simple questions) were now allowed in threads, so I had to change the prefix to be more appropriate. RMT is only an accurate term for complete teams that need refining, not help building. Besides, "team help" is easier to understand for newcomers.

 

[Nolafus]

I only go to the battle server once in a blue moon. Almost every time I've been there, it's been practically dead. I remember one time it was really bad. I logged on, greeted everyone, and nothing. I tried the typical conversation starters like "how's it going?" and stuff like that. No one responded. Then, a conversation struck up between a few people and they just ignored me as if I wasn't there. So, I logged off. I never really go there because it's not that active, and even when I'm there, it doesn't seem like people are willing to talk.

If you want to get more people in the server, try hosting small tournaments throughout the day. People will log on because they realized just how fun tournaments are when they aren't spread across over a couple months. I'm not talking to Wolf here. I'm talking to everyone. If you have a challonge account, it's really easy to host a small tournament. You can't just let the server sit there and expect it to grow, you have to put some effort into it if it's going to become active.

 

[wolf]

I only go to the battle server once in a blue moon. Almost every time I've been there, it's been practically dead. I remember one time it was really bad. I logged on, greeted everyone, and nothing. I tried the typical conversation starters like "how's it going?" and stuff like that. No one responded. Then, a conversation struck up between a few people and they just ignored me as if I wasn't there. So, I logged off. I never really go there because it's not that active, and even when I'm there, it doesn't seem like people are willing to talk.

There are going to be moments of inactivity, and those are unavoidable for a community of our size. Still, it's active pretty often throughout most days, so maybe you just came on at some bad times. I recommend leaving the battle server open in a tab and checking back when it's more active. In fact, I suggest that everyone do this when they can because it boosts our user count, puts us higher on PS' server list, and we get better activity all around. The battle server will remain dead if people simply come on then leave, though I don't hold anything against those who do. Also, sorry about the unwelcoming atmosphere; usually we're pretty good with that.

If you want to get more people in the server, try hosting small tournaments throughout the day. People will log on because they realized just how fun tournaments are when they aren't spread across over a couple months. I'm not talking to Wolf here. I'm talking to everyone. If you have a challonge account, it's really easy to host a small tournament. You can't just let the server sit there and expect it to grow, you have to put some effort into it if it's going to become active.

I agree that we could use more server tournaments. I used to host Battle Nights for a few months, but everyone lost interest over time and I became busy. I've been thinking about hosting more if I can think of some ways to make each BN more interesting. For now though, an official tournament is coming up alongside CommDay, so the battle server will be busy enough with those.

 

[Legobricks]

It could be made clearer what sort of discussion thread fits better here versus Pokemon Gaming Central.

 

[wolf]

It could be made clearer what sort of discussion thread fits better here versus Pokemon Gaming Central.

Whatever that involves battling and team building, especially competitive play, should always be considered being posted here instead of another forum. Unfortunately, there will be some threads related to in-game battling that are allowed in multiple other Pokemon gaming sections, similar to how breeding discussions can take place in XY, TC, BC, etc. Of course, this may be worth discussing with the rest of the staff about being stricter on thread placement, but I'm not sure if this is a problem worth fixing in the end.

Also, I'm thinking about bringing back the In-Game Team Help sub-forum since the sticky thread gets a little messy at times. If anyone has any thoughts on this, feel free to share them.

 

[Starry Windy]

I find that sometimes the chat in PC server goes to the point that I'm having difficulty to talk, like talking about something that I have no knowledge about (over the top), that I have to use PMs due to fear of not getting answered or ignored if I talk to anyone when on this case, this makes me not comfortable when coming there...

 

[champagnepapi]

I find that sometimes the chat in PC server goes to the point that I'm having difficulty to talk, like talking about something that I have no knowledge about (over the top), that I have to use PMs due to fear of not getting answered or ignored if I talk to anyone when on this case, this makes me not comfortable when coming there...

What topics are being discussed that you have no knowledge about? Honestly, it's sometimes best to just do something else or just watch the chat and maybe join in when you have something to offer to the discussion. It's common on internet chats and it's fine to not be part of the conversation 100% of the time. If it's a battling question that you're referring to wanting answers about then it's best to just ask in the chat, the server is still made for a competitive battling forum so it's likely someone might answer you, and it's not a big deal if they don't [you can always post in the forum for an answer too].

 

[wolf]

Clans: Antebellum suggested clans, so I've been considering bringing them back. However, I'm making an official league soon that will be made up of teams (check the first spoiler tag), which is nearly identical to clans aside from them having a little more freedom and hosting their own threads. Of course, I could also have a master thread for the PC League, then individual threads for each team like clans. But is there even a point in doing that? Hmm.

Tutoring: Pokedra brought up the thought of doing tutoring again. However, I find tutoring rather pointless if we were to have a universal guide on competitive Pokemon with stuff for team building, prediction, etc. And if people need help from others, they can simply post in BC. It's just a matter of making the guide.

Battle Nights: BN's tend to get stale after a while, so I'm open to suggestions for making it more interesting long-term. I was thinking of having a sort of POTD twist to it by providing three Pokemon where everyone must use at least one in their teams to ladder with during BN. However, we would end up battling against each other with similar teams and may have trouble with counterteaming. Alternatively could do this on Smogon's ladder to avoid these problems, but then it would lose the community aspect and I wouldn't have concrete proof that they actually used the required Pokemon for their entire laddering session.

Promoting battling on our server: Not too sure about this. In the past, I was thinking about handing out voice for it, but there are too many problems with that. I could make an emblem, but does anyone really care about those? I guess it wouldn't hurt. Speaking of that, I need to give out emblems more. Oops.