Hello everyone!
I just wanted to leave a little feedback and suggestion regarding the recent changes of the bug/help forum area.
I know that Answers HQ is the official place to report game bugs, but I feel like when it comes to minor issues that can sometimes be resolved, a little fellow Simmer help can go a long way. I've noticed that a lot of threads get started and closed because of people asking for help regarding the game, but quite often I see a helpful player who either offers a solution, or directs them to the proper channels at Answers HQ.
So would it be possible to have a forum segment for player to player inquiries? I think a lot of people miss the bug reporting/help sections of the forums and find HQ to be a little difficult to navigate sometimes. I also think that it would be a great buffer for resolving some of the little things that don't actually need to be reported over there.
I honestly don't know if having a section like this is redundant, but because of all of the threads I see get closed, and all of the helpful Simmers around the forums, I thought it might be a nice segment. It would be awesome for general in-game advice, too.
Thanks! Have a great week!
@EA_David @EA_Lanna @EA_Cian
Comments
They'd rather people post possible bugs that are just actually features that don't work the way the player wants there than have bugs posted here. Because that player to player section would cause more people to just post in that section and not on the Answers HQ board.
I figured that was kind of already happening, lol. But I do suppose it might deter people from reporting in the right place, so I could see why they wouldn't do it. I was thinking that players would still direct bug problems to the AHQ, but for CC issues and common questions or gameplay misunderstandings, there would be a place where they could ask besides General and the Pack sections of the forums. From my observation, it seems like there are posts being closed almost daily and there are a fair share of questions scattered about the forums, looking for help. Of course, if there's no real need, then there's no sense in doing it. The moderators would certainly know better than me about that.
That's great! And I think Crinrict does an amazing job, don't get me wrong. But I also see why it's kind of confusing to navigate over there, too. Plus, I frequently see players asking why there is no help on the official forums so I was trying to come up with a sort of in-between solution, since we have a good selection of very helpful players over here as well.
That's true! There are definitely some very helpful people around here, which is a large contributing factor for why I think it would be nice to have.
I often see new Simmers showing up in the forums and they don't know anyone yet or have a handle on navigation. Many people don't really frequent the forums, they just pop in and out to ask questions or check for updates. Since it seems pretty common (to me, at least...not sure what the actual numbers are,) I thought a player to player Q&A section would be beneficial. It wouldn't need to be for game bugs, those questions could still be directed to AHQ, but for players who want game advice, navigation help, or a little tutorial advice, it would be nice to have a section they could go to where some of the helpful forum users might keep watch. I think, also, that it might help take some of the pressure off of Crinrict, if there are little issues and inquiries that can be answered or resolved before reaching her over there.
But people are lazy and would post all of their issues there. Even the ones that aren't minor. Players won't just tell them to go to AHQ, they'll help the ones who have major issues that should be going to AHQ and reporting the bug properly. And then people will stop going to AHQ to post the bugs and we're back at square one. Plus a lot of headache for the moderation staff here closing down all of the threads improperly posted here because it's not a minor issue.
As for tutorial and how do I do this stuff, I'd think General or Expansion sections already have that covered. We don't need a new section for that.
That made me smile
AHQ does have a technical section though and a game info one where everyone can post if they are unsure if it's a bug. There's many more helpers there and it's also Player To Player help so everyone can chip in. The Bug forum is a bit special but still everyone is welcome to discuss stuff. There have been threads that were deemed as by design before.
I do encourage to discuss here but if you're game is crashing or you can't play, it's better to head over to AHQ and post there.
I see this thread as perfect example how the two forum can work together: https://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/951894/daring-a-child-to-streak-o-o .. discuss it here first and once you agree it's a bug, head over and make a bug report.
Threads that often get closed here are the ones where someone posts a link to a bug report and then the discussion goes on and on. A discussion which would have been better off at AHQ, in the monitored threads. .. or if people start posting unrelated stuff in them saying: I have this and that.
AHQ is also player to player. None of the regular helpers and bug reporters over there work for EA.
I encourage everyone to give it a try. The more people we get to join, the more helpful it will be (and yeah, not a fan of the design myself)
Please do not send me PMs/post on my wall if you're looking for help. I can't attend to those. You can find me at AnswerHQ.
How to report bugs at AnswersHQ
AHQ Tutorial
Thanks so much for weighing in on this, I appreciate it.
Just to clarify, I wasn't intending to try to take anything away from the good people at AHQ. I was thinking more that the forums are always getting new users and a wide variety of questions, many of which I think are easily resolved. And, I've noticed that players can be rather impatient sometimes about getting a response, or intimidated by going to an external site. But I also totally support AHQ and have used it many times myself. If a player to player section would be redundant, then of course I would concede to that. As someone who enjoys the community here at the forums, I thought it would be a nice, more unofficial, segment for "the little things".
I totally see where you're coming from and I don't wanna take away from this community. There's so much history here and I've been very active during Sims 3, doing all the stuff I do now, here. It's just gotten so much easier with AHQ. But yeah, I think discussion here should be encouraged and don't take the closing of threads as a sign that you can't discuss stuff, especially if you're unsure. It's to nudge the discussion on something that is known to the place where it's monitored.
AHQ kinda makes you give information that you don't provide here (cause of the template). It makes it so much easier to know the basics right away and I think it also makes people think about how they got the error and provide the details from start.
Please do not send me PMs/post on my wall if you're looking for help. I can't attend to those. You can find me at AnswerHQ.
How to report bugs at AnswersHQ
AHQ Tutorial
Yeah, I can totally see where AHQ is better for detailed information and eliminates some of the back and forth from the getgo. I think the "me too" feature is great for ease of throwing in your voice for a quick count. I actually just made use of it tonight, with an added post about the crazy glitch I got.
Thanks for all you do over there, it's much appreciated.
> I think the discussion and pack boards here are perfect for the little things. The danger with calling something Help is that people start reporting again.
>
> I totally see where you're coming from and I don't wanna take away from this community. There's so much history here and I've been very active during Sims 3, doing all the stuff I do now, here. It's just gotten so much easier with AHQ. But yeah, I think discussion here should be encouraged and don't take the closing of threads as a sign that you can't discuss stuff, especially if you're unsure. It's to nudge the discussion on something that is known to the place where it's monitored.
>
> AHQ kinda makes you give information that you don't provide here (cause of the template). It makes it so much easier to know the basics right away and I think it also makes people think about how they got the error and provide the details from start.
So I read through this... and still don't really know where one would go to ask questions. When I see "help" I think more of just talking and sharing information, not so much like bug reports and getting technical assistance.
For instance, I had a question regarding small paintings. Do they give less decor bonus that large paintings or are they the same? Is the size of the bonus bigger for bigger paintings or are they the same? Stuff like that I wouldnt think to ask on the Answers HQ, but maybe I'm wrong~
If you feel that it's not working the way it was intended to work, then it would be a bug but if you just wanna know how it works, it's a question you can ask in general discussion.
As I said, don't be afraid to ask in the wrong place. If it turns out it's a bug that needs to be posted at AHQ, you'll be redirected. Posting in the wrong section isn't an offense that gets you a warning or anything, especially if it's something borderline.
Please do not send me PMs/post on my wall if you're looking for help. I can't attend to those. You can find me at AnswerHQ.
How to report bugs at AnswersHQ
AHQ Tutorial