The Future Direction of Aussie Pinball

[Wotto]

Well I will now enter the ( original ) or some of the original debated topics  I guess.....

On the restore threads / lack thereof etc……
I see it completely differently and we need to go back around 15 years in time for me to explain my thoughts.

A long time ago when the Internet was not as popular and no forums really existed other than RGP there were VERY few places to get info on machines, restorations , repairs and where to buy parts.
Then we all start to re-discover pinball / arcade stuff, we start to search the net , we all find each other and we start to communicate……….forums start and info starts to flow freely for years,  parts availability becomes more and more common and restorations begin…..all of a sudden we are all seeing games that were trash , reborn to BETTER than new states and we see this on many sites for years and years…….and we are all in AWE of all the methods and results.

Nowadays – it is commonplace to see games in perfect condition , restored and repaired with all new parts and there are parts available and mods available EVERYWHERE we turn, we ALL are now better educated and ALL know where to buy all the parts we require.
We are no longer ‘surprised or in awe’ of most restores as we all know how to achieve quite good results thanks to OUR community and OUR input in the past. We respect the GREAT restorations but just aren’t WOWED by the processes as much anymore.
Hence a general lack of interest in restoration ‘threads’ or pages anywhere much these days.


On the topic of the other rubbish that goes on .....


 I believe the hobby in Australia has degraded itself into a ‘lets nitpick the living f*ck out of everything on X new game and bag the hell out of it ( yes , guilty as charged with my thoughts on WOZ ) and on top of that it has become VERY much slanted with Stern lovers/ Haters and then the garbage follows.

Take a look at The Avengers thread just now – it is nearly as though people are laughing at the price it cant reach, personally I take that as a spit in the face and cant be bothered getting involved in the thread ( part of the issues here at AP ) , I have an Avengers as does a good mate of mine …..its a F*CKING hard players game to get through with bloody tough shots that you have to nail precisecly to progress – it is a tough CHALLENGE, at the same time I acknowledge it is made very cheaply ( physically ) but that’s all fixable and the game will be fine once that’s sorted. I like it , I own it and it will be around for a while. I couldnt give a rats toss if he likes it and she doesnt etc etc - the fatc is I like the game ( as some WOZ ownere will say to me as well ) and that SHOULD be all that counts.......but we seem to want to be able to find ANY fault , no matter how small in any of the new games and rubbish the f*ck out of any of the owners for it.........hell, people are ALREADY looking for bad things in the Metallica videos FFS.
Our hobby has become a JOKE in this regard and hence some of us 'cant be bothered' inputting anything any longer.




So .......due to our massive inputs of assistance to our fellow pinheads in the past decade, we are all now responsible for a lesser interest or lesser need to use threads for restoration advice and at the same time we are all somewhat guilty of rubbishing new games for the hell of it and causing angst in some threads.


A good mate of mine who was a collector LONG before the Internet existed , told me when I bought my 2nd game that there is a lot of jealousy , personal attacks and small minded people in the hobby who will stab you ……..that was over 15 years ago and nothing has really changed. There is NO answer and it will continue as long as pinball exists – anyone who expects anything different is kidding themselves unfortunately as the ‘rubbish’ is , for some unexplainable reason, a part of our hobby that we cant seem to get rid of.

Just my thoughts

[Strangeways]

As one of the mods I've kept my distance so all can have a say within the guidelines of the OP ;

"There is just one rule - members are asked as an Administrator direction not to argue against the suggestions of others."

Nick and I are taking this topic VERY seriously. We want to KNOW the direction the site should be going and nothing else. For those that don't want to participate, that is fine - no problems. Go straight to another thread / topic. We are looking for constructive criticisms or suggestions / recommendations on the DIRECTION of Aussie Pinball. PLEASE remember that when posting !

Please follow the OP. We are here to listen GOING FORWARD. 

[Caveoftreasures]

Nino, why have constructive posts by multiple members just been deleted and targeted specifically. ?

That un-neccesary and un-needed selective censorship has turned the thread into a lie.

People were working their differences out which is what will make the forum move forward.

You should put it all back, otherwise its just rigged n worthless.

[Strangeways]

Nino, why have constructive posts by multiple members just been deleted and targeted specifically. ?

That un-neccesary and un-needed selective censorship has turned the thread into a lie.

People were working their differences out which is what will make the forum move forward.

You should put it all back, otherwise its just rigged n worthless.

Brett, please refer to the OP. This is not a thread for members to air their dirty laundry. It is a CONSTRUCTIVE thread to discuss the future of AP (if there is one)..

Moved posts with NEW topics ;

1 - Set the correct AP time - http://aussiepinball.com/index.php?topic=10625.0
2 - Embedding Youtube Video within posts - http://aussiepinball.com/index.php?topic=10627.0

ALL off topic banter from SEVERAL MEMBERS was archived. It was off topic. ALL members have been invited to comment within the guidelines on the OP. They can be returned at a click of a button, but they are OFF TOPIC.

"We are not wanting anyone "shot down" by members posting negatives or wanting to argue points, or reply against the thoughts of others. If you do not like or agree with a comment, then ignore it. If you are in support of a comment, post your support."

I don't see how the thread can be "rigged" when it was NOT adhering to the thread topic.

[Slash]

 I believe the hobby in Australia has degraded itself into a ‘lets nitpick the living f*ck out of everything on X new game and bag the hell out of it ( yes , guilty as charged with my thoughts on WOZ ) and on top of that it has become VERY much slanted with Stern lovers/ Haters and then the garbage follows.

Sadly this mindset isn't unique to this forum or even pinball in general.  I post on a number of other forums (non pinball related) and this type of attitude is prevalent with a percentage of posters. I catch myself engaging in it sometims. People just love to bitch and moan and the Internet nowadays makes it really easy. People seem to be more inclined to be quite forthright about what they don't like and seek a platform to express that opinion compared to seeking a medium to express a good experience or intention about something.

I think a good analogy is having a bad experience with something, say a meal at a restaurant, and apparently we on average will tell say 5-10 people.  But if we have a good experience we will only tell a couple of people. It appears to be human nature to say what we don't like more freely and seek out a platform to do so. But if we have a positve experience or like something we are less likely to express it. This situation appears to hold true for pinball too.

I guess the challenge is to work out how to make sure that this differing of opinion on one aspect doesn't cross contaminate other productive sections of the forum.

[Caveoftreasures]

Nino, I say its a sham. Its a lie. Its discrimination as usual. (and I don't understand what a OP is and half of your original post on the first page by the way, its confusing).
You kept all your personal member friends posts but removed the majority of mine. Ofcourse.
People were working out their differences.

Selective censorship and selective post deletion = blatant favouritism and blatant discrimination.

You don't want a democracy on here, you want a dictatorship. The above proves it.
Leave this post untouched for a week to show your democracy forum !

[Crashramp]

Nino, I say its a sham. Its a lie. Its discrimination as usual. (and I don't understand what a OP is and half of your original post on the first page by the way, its confusing).
You kept all your personal member friends posts but removed the majority of mine. Ofcourse.
People were working out their differences.

Selective censorship and selective post deletion = blatant favouritism and blatant discrimination.

You don't want a democracy on here, you want a dictatorship. The above proves it.
Leave this post untouched for a week to show your democracy forum !

I don't want to get involved but I don't want to read this.

[Pop Bumper Pete]

This is not the first forum that the question posed in the OP has come up

You have the original group, the pioneers, the ones that had to learn through trial and error, who are justifiably pleased with what they accomplished

Then the hobby becomes more mainstream, things that took a home hobbyist time to make/build are available to buy off a shelf
And when the hobby becomes mainstream, more people get involved, they take the pioneers achievements for granted and ask 'What is next?'


Everyone here loves pinball, and we can continue to enjoy this marvelous hobby in any way that suits each person, but the site needs to move with the times

[elkor-alish]

I think the sites content is fine, it's all pinball and I love it, even with the few serial posters. They generate discussion and keep the site ticking along when others don't have much to say.
The thing is, that it's hard to come up with new original topics for discussion, there is only so much you can say about pinball before you start repeating yourself.
If you don't think a thread will interest you then don't read it, very simple.
There are many, many posts that I don't read as I'm just not that interested in the topic.

I think the layout of the site could be a little better though.
Sometimes it's hard to find where to post much less find a thread you might be looking for.

I agree with some other comments, it would be good to see more tech related threads and more restos but I'm just happy there are any at all.
 
More smileys :)

[Caveoftreasures]

The future of Aussie pinball should be a place where everyone gets along and focuses on making the site fun like its always been.
I have taken peoples criticism onboard, there is not much more to do except to keep the site flowing along with positive stuff.

People like myself and Swinksy, who post a lot and open a lot of threads, do so to make the place a bit interesting and entertaining when not much is happening.
I thought I was doing a good thing by making a big effort and doing threads to keep some content up to the site when little was being posted.
I am sure Swinksy feels the same about all of the content he has also added.
The tech threads I do read, they inform me, but they dont entertain me. Stuff about Metallica, or Sterns latest pinball, or a discussion thread about Wizard of OZ or the new Colour DMD displays etc, entertain me. I always thought, all this activity, posting these threads would help the site, not hinder it, cause I thought people would just skip over it if it didn't interest them. It had nothing to do with big noting, it had to do with trying to add value when the site was very quiet.

Anyway, my hope for the site is we all get along, move on from the past, read what we want, don't read what we don't, and for censorship to stay to a minimum, because I reckon as adults, we can all politely sort our differences out from now on.
The site is great already. I am hoping that by leaving the layout the same way it is now, will keep it great. Either way, as long as people are having fun on here, that's all that matters. Long live Pinball.

[Pop Bumper Pete]

Nobody has a problem with Swinks  (except for my autocorrect)

[studley67]

So this thread has died.So what is the future direction of the administrators as to the sites future.

[Freiherr]

So this thread has died.So what is the future direction of the administrators as to the sites future.

Whatever future direction or outcome, we all have choices nd there is a lot on www.  This site is good for now.

[studley67]

please correct spelling.

[studley67]

With nino now involved in his "australian pinball restorations" and nick with medical problems.I think this is all about the comitment to keep this forum going,ie mods time and input.Plus the expense of server storage and ongoing costs ascosiated with running a hugely succesfull forum.I think the administration need to come clean with their intentions,and desires for moving forward,and hope it does not offend too many members.
My 2 bobs worth.