Personally, I''m not complaining about the ads, they''re pretty easy to close. But I think ATI should offer us a promotion code or at least some way to turn the damn ad off if we buy one of their products. That''s all I''m saying. Give us incentive to click the ad.

There''s something I don''t get. Surely the people at ATI must understand that this sort of campaign can hurt the company image? Or is it the sad truth that the only bad ad is the one that isn''t noticed? Usually I try to ignore annoying/offensive ads, but this one is so ridiculous I''ll probably stay away from ATI cards just out of principle.

A poll maybe? Raise a hand if you plan to buy a Radeon card after seing the green slime. Raise another hand if you''ll go for a GF4 instead.

Personally I hate ads like this but as Khawk says you only have to click it away. It really takes no time at all. Or better yet, change/create your "hosts" (no suffix) file and put the offending ad url(domain name) into the file like so:
127.0.0.1 my.offending.domain
save it and restart internet explorer or whatever you are using and never see it again.
You really cannot blame GDNet for the ad, nor can you blame ATI because your/mine personal hatred for these ads will not change the fact that it is already here to stay. And there are plenty of these kinds of ads nowadays too. If you like I can give my hosts file containing most of offending ad servers there are in this world (if I get permission to post such a lengthy thing) then you could cut and paste and save it for your own leisure.
Please understand that this is the fact of life. Without the money they get for this there simply would not be a GDNet. I have been here since GDNet started and seen how popular this site has become, I don''t think you guys are in touch with the reality of the world we life in. The "free" days on the internet are ending. There relly aren''t that many places left that are free now unless it is some personal project. You should be thankful for what the GDNet staff is doing to keep the site free of subscription fees.

Oh, and about the who-is-going-to-buy-an-ATI-product-after-this-attitude. If you are stupid enough to stay away from the best card on the planet because of an ad that doesn''t meet your *taste* then quite frankly you are loosing out. Not ATI. Sorry, but this is true. I bought one myself and comparing GF4 with 9700 pro is like comparing a Porsche with a Volkswagen in terms of speed difference really.

quote:Original post by Khawk
We are not removing the ad. We have a contractual agreement with ATI to provide them with an advertising campaign. If you hate it enough to stop visiting the site, then so be it, because the advertisements are not going to stop. We are in a year contract. It takes approximately 5 seconds for the ad to remove itself, or you can simply click the X in two seconds - NO BIG DEAL.

Complaints are duly noted, but don''t expect us to drop the agreement with ATI. The ads I''m sure will change, but you can expect these types of things from now on. If you don''t like it, then go start your own game development site, and when it gets to be the size of GDNet then just maybe you''ll understand better.

I don''t know about Dave, but I''m rather sick and tired of the incessant whining and complaining that people have given us. It''s take, take, take, and give me, give me, give me. We''re doing what is necessary to GIVE YOU WHAT YOU WANT. Live with it.

Though I can fully understand why you''re tired of those people flaming the staff for no justifiable reason, I think you''re a bit unfair to the majority of GameDev members here.

First of all, this special ad is really annoying. That''s a fact. No whining, no flaming, it''s simply a fact.

Second, it''s actually simple to get rid of the banner - not by clicking the X, that doesn''t help much to prevent the ad from appearing again and again - but by adjusting the browser settings, as Michalson and others have pointed out.

Anyway, I don''t think that it''s the usual "give me, give me, take, take" mentality that made people post negative comments about the ad in this thread. In fact, most of them stated that if it was for the good of the GameDev community, then it''d be okay.

I''m personally really happy - and I mean happy - that you (the staff) could close that deal with ATI as it will hopefully help you finance the site we all appreciate so much in the future.

The only thing I would dare to criticize is not the ad itself, not the agreement with ATI at all, it''s the way that ad was introduced. A quick announcement in the forums about the ATI deal and how it''s meant to help GameDev and that people shouldn''t be scared of that big ad that''s going to come as part of the deal - and everything would''ve been fine right from the start. You wouldn''t have got a single negative comment.

Most people here really try to be part of the community and those who don''t have the time or skill to contribute by submitting articles at least try to answer questions in the forums where they can.

I admit that some people (who are unfortunately often in the foreground) simply exploit this site and - even worse - bother other serious developers with stupid comments, but those are clearly the minority. And as many threads have already pointed out, it''s impossible to get rid of those black sheeps.

quote:Original post by Anonymous Poster
you are loosing out. Not ATI.

Point. Still, it wasn''t an entirely non-rethorical question, as the little smiley was there to tell

No, I wasn''t critisizing GDNet either. I just think it''s an interesting question if annoying ads do more good than harm for the advertiser.

Since I can''t keep up with all the different threads on this topic, I''m closing this, and directing further discussion here