I tried that once, but I found that the sheer amount of traffic that goes through GD.NET -- plus the volume of friendy/helpful developers that comment -- made me quickly shift back over here.

Either way, good luck with your move, although it's a shame to see you go. I'll tack on a bookmark over there so I'll know how things are doing. :)

Hey! I'm the one who spawns the drama around here!
how dare you encroach on my territory! =D

Getting the traffic is not a problem, if I only announce it in my game I can get a few hundred views/day.
One of the reasons I move it is because blogger just looks nicer (cleaner).

Another reason is that there is more freedom of speech there, and you won't get suspended for saying that you try music before you buy it.

The 3rd reason is that I've tried to move away from gamedev.net, and I came back because of my journal, then I got weak and started posting again :D

@EDI: I did it before you did, so I own the copyright, trademark and patent on being the drama queen :D

P.S. Something really funny is the sheep mentality going around here. For example, my rating dropped 31 points since I was suspended, even though I didn't post anything wrong or illegal, and Run_The_Shadows was 'nice' enough to edit my post and remove the part where I said I've downloaded some songs before I bought them from Amazon.
So basically the fucktards see that someone is suspended, they have no clue what the fuck is going on, but they use the rate user link anyway.

@Being a drama queen

Okay you win, I dub thee Raduprv the Drama Queen [grin]

@Sheep Mentality

Welcome to the world =D

(note: speaking for myself, not for gamedev)

Re you being upset about suspension for "try and buy music", whatever that means.

Gamedev must maintain a zero-tolerance attitute towards piracy, period. We represent and work closely with lots of developers and publishers. Therefore we need to be squeaky-clean about piracy of any kind. We'd be hypocrites if we prohibited posts of kiddies posting their favorite kewl warez sites but we ignored people advocating unauthorized music downloads.

There are loads of discussion forums on the internet for such things. Gamedev's not one of 'em. Call it "stifiling free speech" or "curtailing your first amendment rights" or "being undemocratic" or anything else you want, but the fact is that there wouldn't be a gamedev if the industry had the impression that we turn a blind eye to piracy.


Re your rating.

Get over it. It's a number. You putting your hand to your forehead because some 13 year-old kid from Burundi gave you an "unhelpful" rating doesn't make you look noble. It makes you look petty.

Sorry your rating dropped 31 points. If it'll help, I just gave you an "extremely helpful", thus giving you back 21 of those points. Hopefully a couple more people will do that same. If those numbers are that important to you, I'm more than happy to give 'em out.


Sorry to hear you're leaving. I'd like to say that your reasons for leaving were warranted and that gamedev should modify its policies so as to not lose valuable users like you in the future, but I don't see anything there. Hopefully you can thicken your skin a bit and stay with us for the ride (/me points at EDI as a fine example of such), but as it stands your "noble" exodus just leaves me puzzled.

G'bye.

I perfectly understand your "no piracy" policy, and I have no problem with it.
However, I do not think I've violated it.

First of all, I did not post any links to warez. Second of all, I didn't tell people to pirate anything.
And, most important, I do not think that buying the music you download is pirating. It is the exact opposite. if I wouldn't have downloaded songs from that particular band (Avantasia) I would have never bought their CDs. I mean, really, would you buy a CD that you've never heard before? Would you tell others to buy it?

Given the stores policy not to refund CDs/DVDs that you've opened, I think it is fair for the customers to download the songs before deciding wether or not they want to buy them.
Now, you might disagree, and I am fine with that. However, I think that suspending the users for doing that particular thing is wrong.

Now I really don't understand. You claim you're leaving, yet you still want to fight about your suspension (of which I admittedly have no knowledge, as I actively avoid the GDNet Lounge) and your rating.

Mind you, I'm not begging for you to stay. The choice to stay or go is yours. Given that you're still here, though, there's apparently something you still want. If you tell me what it is, I'll work on getting it for you.

Now then, we can't go back in time to un-suspend you, so let's go for the next best solution. Best I can tell, you require an apology for your suspension and the ratings points that were stolen from you during your suspension period returned to you.

Is that correct?

I would like to highlight this post again. This was an hour long TV documentary, you can buy it on DVD. Raduprv got suspended for admitting to downloading music in a very sensible and worthwhile discussion about music piracy, but there's no problem in using the lounge as a place for actively sharing pirated TV shows?

Is not that I want to leave, but there are some things I consider innaceptable. One of them being suspended for that particular post.

And I am not fighting over the suspension, since now it's over anyway. I just voiced my oppinion about it, and that was it.
Fighting would have meant sending PMs/e-mails to the staff members, which I didn't do because it is your site, and you have the right to set whatever policy you want.

Actually, the post I got suspended for was this:
http://www.gamedev.net/community/forums/topic.asp?topic_id=383429 (notice the edit, so it was not what I've originally posted).
The original post was something like: "[...] and I've bought their CDs from Amazon after I've downloaded some of their tracks off eMule)"

So you require a change of policy at gamedev to allow posts such as yours to be posted without worry of suspension?

I don't wanna come off as a dick about this, but I'm really having a hard time figuring out exactly what it is you want, even though I asked you point-blank what I could do to help.

I'd like to help, Raduprv, but you're not giving me much to work with.

If you just want me to commiserate with you about how gamedev's moderation is arbitrary and how your free speech rights were trampled, then I probably can't help you. I'm not one to dwell in the past. I like to solve problems for the future because, to quote Plan Nine From Outer Space, that is where you and I will spend the rest of our lives.

I do not think that a change of policy is needed, because I do not think I broke the existing policy.
I did not complain about my free speech rights either, because I know that I can not resonably expect free speech rights from a website, just as we do not offer similar rights to our users.

Anyway, my decision to leave was not based entirely on that suspension, that was the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back. Similarly, an apology would be nice, but wouldn't change much.

The real issue here is the other members, and no reform to the rating system that me and many others have suggested.
Namely, the option to see each rating and from what thread/post it has originated.

I totally understand that you guys don't have the time to do that, we don't have time to implement everyone's suggestions either.

GameDev has had its ups and downs when it comes to its moderation and user-base. What you have to do is weigh both of them and see which side you lay on. I've had to do this twice so far during my times at GameDev and both times I decided that the pros greatly outweigh the cons.

It's up to you what happens....

In any case, I've thoroughly enjoyed reading your journal and reading your insights on the game development industry. I'll be sad to see you go.