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Then let's figure it out. Right now, from the outside, I see the situation on our website as follows. There is an active core of players, including those who recently joined our forum. Even the old-timers haven't left the forum; I'm convinced that Loy and Invisible haven't forgotten us and will fully return. I saw Decontaminator's post recently; he's still around, buddy.
I can name 30-40 active forum players, although there are more because I don't know all the new players. We are all annoyed by two things: some confusion with the tournaments and cheating.
We could ignore these problems, but we shouldn't, and here's why. I can name several forums (read: player communities) that ignored their problems, deciding that everything would resolve itself. Everyone had different problems, and these different problems equally destroyed the forums: the result was apathy and indifference, then a wasteland. I especially feel sorry for one of these forums; I used to spend a lot of time on it.
Therefore, certain reforms are needed. Here is my opinion, of course, it is debatable, but I will express it.
1. We need a player body (AC), while there are still players. Don't confuse it with the forum moderators and section moderators; they have fundamentally different tasks: the administration monitors order on the forums, and the AC monitors order in the gaming environment, heals problems that moderators cannot heal by definition.
2. This AC must be carefully selected. You can't take someone who is too authoritarian, who might push others on a particular issue, or who will use power not for good, but for ambition. You can't include someone who is too cunning, who will seek benefits for themselves and their friends, their clan, etc. You can't include inert people who are ready to let things drift, to go with the flow. Even if these are the most wonderful people, they may be needed in all other activities of the Heroes community, but not in the AC.
3. Hence, the powers of the AC.
- systematization of tournaments. We need a main tournament that would be the forum's signature, winning which would be a great honor, which players and fans would look forward to, and visiting the topic about this tournament would break forum attendance records. Initially, there was such a tournament - a seasonal one, organized by Adelaide. But it was based on fixed maps, while random maps have long since defeated fixed maps in the Heroes community; fixed maps could not withstand the competition, even on our forum. De jure, this tournament is #1 in our hierarchy, but in reality? There were several tournaments by Evgeny that come closest to being called the main ones: a strong lineup, a large number of players, etc.
Such tournaments could be made official. Approved in our gaming environment and agreed upon with the administration. Yes, so that on the first page of the HeroesWorld website there would be announcements of this tournament, results of preliminary stages and finals. This is not just one organizer, but an entire gaming community asking for it. And the site will also benefit if such a tournament, with many players, becomes one of the site's hallmarks.
- fighting cheating. We somehow shyly avoid this issue, but I think that's a mistake. If cheating simply led to victory in a ranked game or even in a tournament, it might not be worth writing about, but the problem is not even that. It's that it ultimately creates an atmosphere of suspicion and fear. A player plays a game, and for several hours, they are tormented by the question of whether their opponent is cheating (???). And they will blame the loss not on the opponent's more successful plan, but on unfair tactics. And they won't write about it on the forum, but the resentment will remain, and the suspicion. Sooner or later, all this will spill out on the forum at the most unexpected moment.
To be honest, cheaters have never lived so comfortably. Previously, in addition to playing online, there were mass tournaments in clubs: Moscow, Minsk, St. Petersburg, Michurinsk with Tambov, Yekaterinburg, Krasnodar, etc. That is, a person had to confirm their gaming skills in front of dozens of attentive spectators, who immediately recognized the real level of the player.
Now there is no such thing; yes, it is more convenient to play, sitting in your favorite chair with a cup of coffee, but there is less order. That's why I wrote that the AC should include sincere people who are trusted by the forum, because they need, simply must, be delegated the right to mark cheaters. Obvious and clumsy ones, those who have been caught - ban them. Cunning ones - expose them. It will not be possible to ban them immediately, precisely because they are cunning. But, for example, leaving a note under the cheater's nickname "there are doubts about fair play - AC" is necessary. Of course, after analyzing not one, but several suspicious games. A person who receives such a note will be able to rehabilitate himself, for example, many players, when analyzing their games, do not have questions about their game, will play fairly - it will immediately be visible when analyzing the saves, the percentage of "insights" will sharply decrease to a standard level.
If the AC solves these two primary problems, then our community will continue to thrive. The main thing is to choose the right people, and not only should they meet the requirements, but they should also have the desire to make the forum better.
Players will have to give the AC more powers, systematization of tournaments, fighting cheating; this may not suit everyone. Therefore, I repeat, you need to choose carefully.
How to hold elections. In my opinion, first, you need to determine who can and who wants to be part of the AC. Then - voting, if there are more than 5 of these people. And the voting should not be general, but only for players of HoMM3 online. Otherwise, people who have never played the third Heroes will vote, just for fun, or a person who immediately registers 10 nicknames.
Remember how we chose players for the interportal; I would suggest something like that.
It is not necessary for a player to write their top five in plain text; they can send them via ICQ.
The elected body should be re-elected, say, every six months.
Some will not be able to, some will leave for various reasons, etc., but the composition must be active.
By the way, the AC will not limit the democracy of our forum in any way; the AC will not be able to shut anyone's mouth; its role is to fight diseases, not people.
From what I have read, the following candidates have been proposed:
Ta Kotoraya...,
vbn,
Alex R,
Mizrael,
Scorp,
Pit for LM,
LeBron. These are still preliminary proposals; let's not delay.
I myself will not be able to be in the AC, thank you, Evgeny and Querty, but I will help such an AC in every possible way. Again, Evgeny himself writes that he will not be able to. And most importantly, it is the person's desire to benefit their forum; there is no reward for this; you will have to take criticism along the way.
LeBron
