Avatar Change

[BUD/S183-OrigMikeMongo]

In reading through the March 8th reply to an avatar change query, I saw this answer from a moderator:

"We temporarily removed the function because some wanted to use it to make political statements, which as we have explained is against the rules, especially with all that's currently going on. I apologize for the inconvenience." 

Instead of holding the entire community accountable, why not punish the actual offenders individually?

[Lusekofte]

There might not be a feature in the settings for that. 
 

[Guest deleted@83466]

Avatar Envy.

 

?

[BraveSirRobin]

18 minutes ago, BUD/S183-OrigMikeMongo said:

 

Instead of holding the entire community accountable, why not punish the actual offenders individually?

Because this is the option that will piss off the fewest number of people and requires the least amount of work by moderators.

Edited December 25, 2022 by BraveSirRobin

[Noisemaker]

1 hour ago, SeaSerpent said:

Avatar Envy.

 

?

Says the person who still needs a bigger boat.

 

[Chief_Mouser]

2 hours ago, BUD/S183-OrigMikeMongo said:

 

why not punish the actual offenders individually?

 

Ooooh... Cat-o'-nine-tails? That's the very fellow for me.

 

 

[Guest deleted@83466]

No Kitty should ever be required to wear a Union Jack necktie.

 

 

Edited December 26, 2022 by SeaSerpent
Ok, maybe British Shorthairs.

[Rjel]

4 hours ago, Noisemaker said:

Says the person who still needs a bigger boat.

 

Com’on! This is an aviation based forum. 
 

 

[Numl0k]

I'm sad about it, too. I joined too late, now I just get to live as NONDESCRIPT PILOT AVATAR #7,732. As I understand it there used to even be sigs. I miss sigs from my old timey forum days

I wonder if there's a way for them to manually set avatars. I'm sure that'd be a heck of a lot of work, but I know there are trusted members of the community that would be willing to volunteer to pick up the burden of individually checking each avatar to make sure it's not a picture of political figures or divisive flags. Or, you know, wangs.

 

Shoot, I'd settle for being able to list the editions I own in the sidebar like y'all have. My posts just look so plain and naked...

Edited December 26, 2022 by Numl0k

[BraveSirRobin]

3 minutes ago, Numl0k said:

I'm sad about it, too. I joined too late, now I just get to live as NONDESCRIPT PILOT AVATAR #7,732. As I understand it there used to even be sigs. I miss sigs from my old timey forum days

I wonder if there's a way for them to manually set avatars. I'm sure that'd be a heck of a lot of work, but I know there are trusted members of the community that would be willing to volunteer to pick up the burden of individually checking each avatar to make sure it's not a picture of political figures or divisive flags. Or, you know, wangs.

 

Shoot, I'd settle for being able to list the editions I own in the sidebar like y'all have. My posts just look so plain and naked...

They deleted avatars that were a certain flower.  Or were predominantly 2 specific colors.  Just let it go. 

[Numl0k]

Just now, BraveSirRobin said:

They deleted avatars that were a certain flower.  Or were predominantly 2 specific colors.  Just let it go. 

 

There's not much to let go, I'm not too hung up on it. It's not like I'm bawling my eyes out here. Just saying it would be nice to have the option, it brings a lot of personality and fun to a forum. They did say it was temporary, so I'm not sure what's wrong with hoping it will be back someday, or even thinking about potential temporary solutions.

[LeLv30_Redwing-]

Apparently devs are still in danger near open windows, if forum members have two wrong colors in their avatar. 








 

Edited December 26, 2022 by LeLv30_Redwing

[dburne]

11 hours ago, BUD/S183-OrigMikeMongo said:

In reading through the March 8th reply to an avatar change query, I saw this answer from a moderator:

"We temporarily removed the function because some wanted to use it to make political statements, which as we have explained is against the rules, especially with all that's currently going on. I apologize for the inconvenience." 

Instead of holding the entire community accountable, why not punish the actual offenders individually?

 

Same reason they gave for doing away with signatures.

Does not seem to be an issue on other forums... but it is their house...

[Koziolek]

8 minutes ago, dburne said:

 

Does not seem to be an issue on other forums..

You are right  - I do not see any political avatars on other forums. Maybe a few blue and yellow colours here and there. 

[senseispcc]

Avatar?! A movie! 

[Vishnu]

Nothing like “virtue signalling” on a flight sim forum to ruin it for everyone. 

[BlitzPig_EL]

My sig was hacked by someone that substituted what I assume is a very anti-Russian, photo.  I don't read Russian so I couldn't translate it, but from context it wasn't good.

 

I got banned for it for a week.

 

Later Jason confirmed to me that is was "shenanigans", and not my fault.

 

So as far as I am concerned they can keep sigs off forever.  Yes they are fun and I miss them, but in this super heated geopolitical climate, I can do without.

[Wardog5711]

I was initially open to the idea of doing something with the avatars and sigs.

But in the middle of the avatar discussion, some smart-ass posts a very politically charged and obviously unacceptable image when I asked for examples of what could possibly be used. Knowing full well it was not acceptable. My interest in doing anything with this went straight to zero at that moment. 

And individual approval of avatars and sigs is just not possible right now.  There are over 300K accounts registered and although many are probably long dormant, they could be used at any time. Opening the thing up with nothing but post-activity moderation could leave potentially offensive or even illegal images and slogans up for hours until somebody could get to it. 

I do have some ideas for future implementation, but it would be heavily dependent on IT support and is not far enough along to share.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[DBFlyguy]

New avatars = Roundels of nations in the game and/or overhead identification icons of planes currently in the game:

 

 

That should provide more than enough options until "customizable" avatars are available again someday to those that want them....

 

 

 

Edited December 26, 2022 by DBFlyguy

[Jaws2002]

13 hours ago, Numl0k said:

Shoot, I'd settle for being able to list the editions I own in the sidebar like y'all have. My posts just look so plain and naked...

 

Did you get the game from Steam, or this website? 

 Only games bought straight from this site get the "Bars". Buying here the whole price goes straight to the developers, not to a third party, like steam. 

[Numl0k]

1 minute ago, Jaws2002 said:

 

Did you get the game from Steam, or this website? 

 Only games bought straight from this site get the "Bars". Buying here the whole price goes straight to the developers, not to a third party, like steam. 

Ah, damn! Yeah, I messed up, then. I bought them before I knew about Steam taking a cut from the developers (Common sense, I know.). 

Well, I still have Normandy left to buy, at least I'll get that one then.

[Jaws2002]

3 hours ago, Wardog5711 said:

I was initially open to the idea of doing something with the avatars and sigs.

But in the middle of the avatar discussion, some smart-ass posts a very politically charged and obviously unacceptable image when I asked for examples of what could possibly be used. Knowing full well it was not acceptable. My interest in doing anything with this went straight to zero at that moment. 

And individual approval of avatars and sigs is just not possible right now.  There are over 300K accounts registered and although many are probably long dormant, they could be used at any time. Opening the thing up with nothing but post-activity moderation could leave potentially offensive or even illegal images and slogans up for hours until somebody could get to it. 

I do have some ideas for future implementation, but it would be heavily dependent on IT support and is not far enough along to share.

 

 

 

 

 

 

       I understand this from your point of view, of a forum moderator, but I don't understand it from a business/customer point of view. Avatars have been standard feature of online bulletin boards for a long time.  It's natural for people from all over the world to disagree from time to time, on certain issues, that doesn't mean you have to jump in and start banning people and images. 

      You are not protecting anyone, by banning certain images. If someone can't handle to see an image on some gaming forum, without being offended, he doesn't belong on the internet,....or outside his home, for that matter.

   It's such a pathetic excuse to remove standard customer features, with the pretext of trying to "protect" fragile egos. 

 Why is it that so many companies are trying to be the "law' and judge of what people can post or can't post online? 

 

 

 Maybe 1c should just admit they are too cheap to pay for moderators to do basic online customer service, or maybe stop trying to be the thought police. 

 

[Guest deleted@83466]

Jaws2002, has it ever occurred to you that certain content might be illegal in certain countries, and that website owners might actually be legally liable for certain verboten content that appears?  I don’t like it, who would?  But it’s the current reality.  I sure wouldn’t want to be Wardog or any other moderator on this site upholding those policies, and I have no idea why anyone would volunteer, but they chose to do it, and you can bet that’s how it’s going to be (or they’ll be shown the door).

 

p.s. I’ve seen some of the things you’ve tried to post on this site, and it’s a good thing that political discussion is a no no, because I was about 30 seconds away from tearing into you and telling you what I really think. Is that good for the game or the forum?  No.  Not good for any game forum, and I’ve lost a few online friends over the years because people couldn’t give it a rest.

Edited December 26, 2022 by SeaSerpent

[GasTeddy]

4 hours ago, DBFlyguy said:

New avatars = Roundels of nations in the game and/or overhead identification icons of planes currently in the game:

 

 

 

 

 

 

My basic instinct tells no Latvian or Finn can use their air force original insignia...   

[Jaws2002]

 

38 minutes ago, SeaSerpent said:

Jaws2002, has it ever occurred to you that certain content might be illegal in certain countries, and that website owners might actually be legally liable for certain verboten content that appears?  I don’t like it, who would?  But it’s the current reality.  I sure wouldn’t want to be Wardog or any other moderator on this site upholding those policies, and I have no idea why anyone would volunteer, but they chose to do it, and you can bet that’s how it’s going to be (or they’ll be shown the door).

 

p.s. I’ve seen some of the things you’ve tried to post on this site, and it’s a good thing that political discussion is a no no, because I was about 30 seconds away from tearing into you and telling you what I really think. Is that good for the game or the forum?  No.  Not good for any game forum, and I’ve lost a few online friends over the years because people couldn’t give it a rest.

 

 

I know that some images are illegal in certain countries, but this isn't about that. We are talking about basic images, like sun flower, certain color combinations and a few letters that were uses as markings. There's nothing illegal about those.  Sure some people get offended, but you can't ban everything some one gets offended by. These days you can throw a stick in he forest and someone will get offended.  It doesn't mean the company has to ban every image that someone may get offended by.

  

And what i posted was my opinion. It may differ from yours, but I don't feel offended by what you may think and don't go asking for you to be banned because you have a different opinion. If you want to talk about that PM me. 

   But this is about basic avatars. Something that was part of the internet for decades. 

 Just disabling the feature, for some pathetic excuse, ten years into the history of the forum is lame. They could  deal with that in many different ways, while giving the newer customers an option.

Edited December 26, 2022 by Jaws2002

[DBFlyguy]

24 minutes ago, GasTeddy said:

 

My basic instinct tells no Latvian or Finn can use their air force original insignia...   

Neither one of those countries air forces are represented in the game currently.

Edited December 26, 2022 by DBFlyguy

[Knarley-Bob]

What ISN'T political anymore?

[Numl0k]

1 hour ago, Jaws2002 said:

       I understand this from your point of view, of a forum moderator, but I don't understand it from a business/customer point of view. Avatars have been standard feature of online bulletin boards for a long time.  It's natural for people from all over the world to disagree from time to time, on certain issues, that doesn't mean you have to jump in and start banning people and images. 

      You are not protecting anyone, by banning certain images. If someone can't handle to see an image on some gaming forum, without being offended, he doesn't belong on the internet,....or outside his home, for that matter.

   It's such a pathetic excuse to remove standard customer features, with the pretext of trying to "protect" fragile egos. 

 Why is it that so many companies are trying to be the "law' and judge of what people can post or can't post online? 

 

 

 Maybe 1c should just admit they are too cheap to pay for moderators to do basic online customer service, or maybe stop trying to be the thought police. 

 

While I agree with you wholeheartedly, we both have to understand that our opinions come from an American perspective. At least mine does, I'd imagine yours is either the same, or a country that has a similar culture regarding free speech. Personally I'm a bit of a free speech absolutist, and miss the wild west days of the internet. But, as it were, this ain't my house. 

 

We have to acknowledge that 1C is a Russian company, and their culture and laws are different from ours. And while using this forum, we're in their house. Right now we're living in a very politically charged world, with a lot going on. Needless to go into detail, the situation for our Russian friends is shall we say, more complicated and more tense right now. 1C is a company headquartered in Russia, which deals with an international product, serving customers in countries who's leaders may have some disagreements. I won't pretend to be the most knowledgeable about how much interaction their government may or may not have with a company like 1C, but I do understand that they'd probably prefer to avoid unwanted attention. Or maybe the head honchos at 1C just don't want one side of an opinion pissing off the other side of an opinion and creating hostility in these interesting times, which could drive members away from the forum. This *is* a business operation, after all. 

 

And Wardog, I hope I kept this vanilla enough, I tried not to make this political. But, I think it's something that people need to understand. Nothing exists in a bubble right now. And buddy, I don't envy the work you have to do here wrangling all of us. Thanks for your work. I wish I could have a cool avatar, but I understand that a few bad apples can spoil the bunch. Hopefully this too shall pass and things can get back to normal.

[Wardog5711]

@Numl0k It's all good. 

You summed it up quite well. 

This forum is on a company owned and operated server and I did not make the rules. But I did inherit them. 

And as for a strict no politics rule, I am 100% all for it.

Whether it be an armed conflict (anywhere) or one of the myriad of social causes that people feel passionate about right now, it has no place here.

I keep my own politics to myself, and I expect everyone else to do the same. ?

 

 

 

[dburne]

6 hours ago, Wardog5711 said:

I was initially open to the idea of doing something with the avatars and sigs.

But in the middle of the avatar discussion, some smart-ass posts a very politically charged and obviously unacceptable image when I asked for examples of what could possibly be used. Knowing full well it was not acceptable. My interest in doing anything with this went straight to zero at that moment. 

And individual approval of avatars and sigs is just not possible right now.  There are over 300K accounts registered and although many are probably long dormant, they could be used at any time. Opening the thing up with nothing but post-activity moderation could leave potentially offensive or even illegal images and slogans up for hours until somebody could get to it. 

I do have some ideas for future implementation, but it would be heavily dependent on IT support and is not far enough along to share.

 

 

 

 

Too bad when one bad apple can spoil it for the rest. Avatar's and Sigs should not break the posting rules, if they do that should warrant a warning and if repeated a possible ban, just like breaking a rule in postings. At least Avatars and Sigs  typically don't change all that often, unlike new postings which change constantly.

Just imho.

 

 

 

 

Edited December 26, 2022 by dburne

[GasTeddy]

10 hours ago, DBFlyguy said:

Neither one of those countries air forces are represented in the game currently.

 

I know that but would still use the symbol of my country of origin, if it was possible.

[Zooropa_Fly]

We somehow have found ourselves in a World where the 'Russian Blue' cat breed is banned from showing.

Edited December 27, 2022 by Zooropa_Fly

[Guest deleted@83466]

18 hours ago, Zooropa_Fly said:

We somehow have found ourselves in a World where the 'Russian Blue' cat breed is banned from showing.

Well, blame the French this time.

 

 

Edited December 28, 2022 by SeaSerpent
Although, most cats I’ve discussed this with are ambivalent.

[DD_Arthur]

On 12/26/2022 at 9:57 PM, Knarley-Bob said:

What ISN'T political anymore?

Wangs?

[Noisemaker]

7 hours ago, DD_Arthur said:

Wangs?

I think you mean Johnsons, Wangs is interpretable as an offensive Asian stereotype...
 

 

[Chief_Mouser]

C'mon old cock, nobody around here would call it a Johnson.

[BUD/S183-OrigMikeMongo]

On 12/26/2022 at 1:56 PM, Wardog5711 said:

I was initially open to the idea of doing something with the avatars and sigs.

But in the middle of the avatar discussion, some smart-ass posts a very politically charged and obviously unacceptable image when I asked for examples of what could possibly be used. Knowing full well it was not acceptable. My interest in doing anything with this went straight to zero at that moment. 

And individual approval of avatars and sigs is just not possible right now.  There are over 300K accounts registered and although many are probably long dormant, they could be used at any time. Opening the thing up with nothing but post-activity moderation could leave potentially offensive or even illegal images and slogans up for hours until somebody could get to it. 

I do have some ideas for future implementation, but it would be heavily dependent on IT support and is not far enough along to share.

 

 

 

 

 

 

RGR, will FIDO. Much thanks for the reply, Cheers...