Well, I know one thing;not everyone at Bioware's gonna be happy about this.
Got to be employees out there that care enough to be disappointed by this.
Reddit's format seems to reward groupthink. Since the placement of threads is based on upvotes, unpopular comments get buried.Yeah. For me, the issue isn't that conventions are BAD or shouldn't be a thing for Bioware and/or fans.
It's that they seem to be treating social media and conventions as interchangeable with forums, which is just straight up not true. Maybe Reddit, but I've always avoided it and it seems difficult to follow.
Reddit's format seems to reward groupthink. Since the placement of threads is based on upvotes, unpopular comments get buried.
That's exactly why they're doing away with this place. They just want people who don't rock the boat giving them feedback.
When I became a father, this first place I announced it was here.
The thread was entitled "Sylvius the Dad".
If my eyes weren't dry already, there would be a slight downpour.
These forums are where I have always come for help for my games. These forums are where I always go to read great snippets of other people's runs through the same game I'm playing/have played. These forums are where I come to for help, whether it be with a technical issue, gameplay issue, or any other question I might have. These forums are where I read up on and get excited about upcoming games.
I have purchased and played every BioWare PC game aside from Shattered Steel & MDK2. I cannot understate the positive effect these forums had with regards to my enjoyment of those games. I have never been much of a poster. I'm not a social media maven. I don't tweet, or reddit, or facebook, because none of those ever appealed to me. Believe me, I've tried. Those sites frustrate me and irritate me until I draw back into my shell. If sites such as those, with unreliable curators, are instead the watchguardians of BioWare games, then... well, my enthusiasm for future games just took a severe nosedive. Sure, I can buy a game, play the game, and never look to the internet for anything regarding the game, but being able to do so, being able to come to these forums increased my enjoyment of the games, and my likelihood to buy DLC and replay those games.
Very, very disheartening. A good business decision for BioWare, overall, I suppose. Not like potentially losing my future purchases will make any difference to their bottom line. Heartbreaking for me. Not even worthy of a blip on company radar.
I'm really upset with these news, I truly am.
This is pretty much going to be death of core Bioware fanbase and in long run death of Bioware Edmonton.
Shutting down community forums is just the most absurd thing you can ever do. This is the end really and Bioware Edmonton staff will be last to realize it.
Reddit's format seems to reward groupthink. Since the placement of threads is based on upvotes, unpopular comments get buried.
Aye. And oftentimes, too often in fact, good posts get down voted into obscurity for no good reason.
But here at least they're in charge of the boat.That's exactly why they're doing away with this place. They just want people who don't rock the boat giving them feedback.
So... does this prove IT?
First ITers were banished from the forums. Now everyone is banished from the forums. I'm like 98% sure this logically means everyone is an ITer and IT is therefore confirmed.
This is a serious question. Where are people supposed to go for technical support for BioWare games and things like Dragon Age Keep? Twitter is not even close to realistic for that.
The tech support forums were shut down years ago in favor of Answer HQ. Initially I didn't like that, but soon after I was convinced it was for the best.
I'm a volunteer moderator there (AKA 'hero'). I'll see if there are some tech guides here that I can nab before this forum shuts down for good.
Edit: As Sylvius pointed out, I forgot all about the older pre-EA games. That's indeed an issue. Hopefully we can find a spot for the existing guides.
I drive past BioWare Edmonton all the time. I wonder what would happen if I just showed up at the door.I'm really upset with these news, I truly am.
This is pretty much going to be death of core Bioware fanbase and in long run death of Bioware Edmonton.
Shutting down community forums is just the most absurd thing you can ever do. This is the end really and Bioware Edmonton staff will be last to realize it.
I still remember the Reaper511 KOTOR character build guide, DA2 gameplay tips, behind-the-scenes development stories, discussing how playing the game is like a cooperative performance between player, and many more worthy discussions from the old AND new BioWare forums.
I remember some of the terrible ones too...how many times does a company need to read "they don't listen" and "they don't care" over and over? (This is going on in the "Save the forums" topic right now)
They don't need to be hosting any future message-delivery plans either - a tweet of red-green-blue cupcakes in a tin would have been way more effective and efficient anyways.
And I won't mention the ones that are truly beyond the pale, an appropriate expression since quite a few participants will never see the forest for the trees. These are videogames...their creators never deserved such poxes wished upon them.
And soon it will be "comments have been disabled for this developer." I wish you all the very best. Perhaps one day in the future we will forum-go positively again.
I'm hoping it's just disappointment. If cost-cutting is the real motivation, jobs might get cut too.
For what its worth, today's not a good day at Bioware. The forums have a loooong history with the company, and most of it was great. I'm sure there's some disappointment.
Though I'd appreciate if the developers who stopped coming here would return to at least give it a goodbye.
I drive past BioWare Edmonton all the time. I wonder what would happen if I just showed up at the door.
You should.
BioWare's older games weren't all published by EA.The tech support forums were shut down years ago in favor of Answer HQ. Initially I didn't like that, but soon after I was convinced it was for the best.
I'm a volunteer moderator there (AKA 'hero'). I'll see if there are some tech guides here that I can nab before this forum shuts down for good.
Rest assured, this is about money and money only. The OP and staff replies are pure doubletalk, the oldest damage control move there is.
Frankly, if the company is this pressured for money, it really calls for questions about their future. Forums don't cost very much to maintain at all, even when big and fairly famous. And like one poster said, these forums are the heart of their community.
Pretty disheartening to see this happening.
PS: I'm a poster since the old Bioware forum days, and haven't logged in for years. But this called for a comment.
I'm hoping it's just disappointment. If cost-cutting is the real motivation, jobs might get cut too.
I legitimately dont see ME:A getting finished if they're so strapped for cash they have to close the forums to scrape by.
But here at least they're in charge of the boat.
On Reddit, if the collective turns on them they'll be powerless. And then positive comments will be the ones that get buried.
Thats why the abandonment of the forum for other avenues of discussion never made sense to me.
At least here you can shut down topics and voices you don't like that are causing trouble.
In those other locations, you're boned.
Guys I'd appreciate your feedback in this thread: https://forum.biowar...ommunityforums/
Concerning starting an alternative third party forum for Bioware games.
Here at BioWare we've listen to all of the feedback you've given --In contrast to our earlier foreclosure of the Off-topic forums, we've decided to give you a full month headstart in advance to flee from your house like a man in expensive suit running out of his check from a seafood restaurant before we inevitably nuke it from orbit, entirely.
Thank you for your continued understanding.
I legitimately dont see ME:A getting finished if they're so strapped for cash they have to close the forums to scrape by.
We lost a lot of the regulars too during ME;A creation and DA fans lost their creator too. Here's hoping we sitll get the games and we aren't left wondering.
I'm going to keep reiterating that this forum was for fans to come together with fans.
We kept saying that about the Off Topic section but Bioware/EA was having none of it.
I drive past BioWare Edmonton all the time. I wonder what would happen if I just showed up at the door.
Ye, check if they still fly the logo.
Given that this place is renowned for having an incredibly toxic board atmosphere (and general responses to threads back that preconception up), I'm not surprised that it's come to this. The majority of posts/ threads I've seen while trying to have an actual discussion here usually boil down to "everything Bioware have done since DA:O is completely terrible", "Bioware are evil sellouts" and just trolls everywhere. The BSN hasn't been a real measure of Bioware's fandom for many years. So I can absolutely see why they'd want to close the forum. There have been times I've felt sorry for the staff and devs for the sheer level of abuse they're subjected to for the tiniest of things.
Not archiving it though - that is, having it completely disappear from the internet - is weird and unnecessary. There are so many useful threads about the games, mods and discussions etc. that absolutely need to be kept available for anyone new to the franchise or revisiting it.
All that said, I've had some good discussions here and met some nice people along the way. I hope the sane among the members manage to find a calmer, more friendly home on the web 
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