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Your Pet Peeves re: replies to your stories, art threads, etc.

Linkachu

Hero of Pizza
Staff member
Administrator
As much as this would best fit onto one of the submission forums, it's a rather broad topic so I don't think it'd work. So, here it stays.

Anyways... For anyone who's ever posted a creative piece online (this includes non-Pokecharms websites), may it be a story, artwork, a program you made, etc., what are your greatest pet peeves when it comes to feedback or lack there of? Anything from standard replies to how people ask for requests. I'm just curious if the same sorts of things that irk me get to other people, too.

Now, I'm more of a lurker than an active artist online, but that doesn't mean I haven't seen a number of things that piss me off. Awhile back an artist I follow posted a journal entry about people who are manipulative with requests, and I couldn't agree more. Example: someone draws you a picture at random, then in turn expects you to draw them something. They basically turn a "gift" into an exchange without your consent, and while drawing gifts for people is a nice gesture... A gift is still a gift. People who expect something in return need a slap upside the head.

I could say much, but I'll leave it at that for now to see what other people think. (Don't wanna sound TOO angry XD)
 

KoL

Expert FPS Player
Staff member
Moderator
One issue I have with people when I am posting something like that is nitpickers - people who will criticize the tiniest little details purely so that they have something to whine about. One thing I remember involved not so much a piece of work, but a trick I discovered on Metroid Fusion that allowed you to beat the Serris boss without taking damage (there's a small spot in the pool of water he swims in where he cannot touch you.) I posted this trick on a Metroid forum to see what they thought, and the second reply was basically a complaint asking how you were supposed to get out of the water before his X-Parasite (second) form killed you, despite the fact that getting out the pool before then is ridiculously easy - even a monkey could do it in the time the game gives you. I honestly felt like slapping the guy, since I could tell he'd posted that purely out of spite, when even the owner of the forum had posted before him and said the trick was an amazing discovery.

One other thing I don't like actually comes from the perspective of the critic, not the creator. As I have mentioned before, I used to be a member of a Yu-Gi-Oh! forum where people would create their own cards. Now some of these cards were, in a word, terrible - whether it be due to terrible grammar, sheer broken-ness or the opposite in complete uselessness, some of them would be the most god-awful aberrations you'd ever see. However, the creators of these terrible cards would insist that their card(s) were good, and that the critics were wrong - THAT used to infuriate me beyond all comprehension. The creators would say things in their defense to the critics, such as "Clearly you didn't notice this!" or whatever, and my response was almost always "Yes, actually I did notice that, and your card is still terrible," which would then cause an unbelievable amount of flaming from the card creator. People used to post articles about certain topics of the Yu-Gi-Oh! game as well, and one article (which was basically a whiny rant,) I posted a reply to telling the creator that his "article" was nothing more than a whiny rant. The creator then decided to respond by telling all his critics that they had clearly misread the article completely, and that's why they all thought it was terrible. The sheer nerve of the topic creator made me see red, and I was left after hoping and praying that one day all of the topic creator's fingers fall off so he may never use a keyboard again. Sometimes the creators are just as guilty as the critics for acting like douches.
 

Nemesis

Former Administrator
I tend to dislike generic comments, even if they are along the lines of "Awesome" or "Keep writing!". Although they are encouraging, and it is good to know people like what you have done, it provides you with no insight as to WHAT people liked about your work.

Generally, if there is something wrong, people are much more specific.
 
I dislike the one or two line comments about how great they are, but never explain it. I guess it's similar if not the same to what Nem's saying.

I also don't like the people who come into my threads and don't actually read the thread before posting, that also really pisses me off. For example, they post a question when the answer was on page 3 of the thread, or when people come in and ask for X request when I already said a few pages back that I'd stopped making them.

Really silly, but really easy to avoid. :-\

Edit: Also, methinks Katie posted this in response to your post in Magpie's thread? :p
 

Linkachu

Hero of Pizza
Staff member
Administrator
Edit: Also, methinks Katie posted this in response to your post in Magpie's thread? :p

A bit, yes, but not entirely. Comments other people have made in the past related to their threads gave me the idea for it, too ^^

So much anger to go around x)
 
I hate flames. I love constructive criticism but flames bug me. Heck, I don't mind it if people diss my story like there's no tomorrow but there is one kind that just ticks me off.

I had a story on fanfiction and I must admit it wasn't my best work... In fact, it was probably one of my worst. Anyway, so I got a flame about and it annoyed me because that person didn't tell me any of the problems of my story except that it was crap and I had no life.

But my friend got the very same flame the next day and I realized that person was just copying and pasting long flames with big words and picking out random people to flame... And then I found out she was banned ten times before the same thing.
 

Magpie

Feathered Overseer
Staff member
Moderator
With me I think it's more what I see in other peoples threads that annoys me, rather than stuff in my own (So far, anyway)

I think the Artwork/sprite forums are an 'easy' way for people to clock up a fair amount of posts, say in order to gain the 50 mark and the ability to have their own avatar. I've certainly seen many members in the past, who simply posted 'Good, keep up the good work' in as many recent topics as possible.

It is nice when people do read the first pages of an art/sprite topic as well. LoN's Signature Shop gets loads of requests that isn't in the correct format etc. It is also nice if people explain why they like something, rather than just saying 'Thanks.' I know some members here spend ages making awesome sprites and pictures for requesters, who in turn barely take the time to post back in thanks.

With my thread, if members don't follow my guidelines for requests, I'll just close requests and keep drawing stuff for the members here that deserve to be showered with arty gifts ^^
 

Doctor Oak

Staff member
Overlord
There is the old addage that there are more words for terrible than brilliant that does kinda step in here.

If you post something shit, there's LOADS to comment on - you can completely tear it apart pointing out what was wrong, ideally in an attempt to put the creator right and help them in creating better works. If you post something brilliant, though, people just don't have enough to comment on, I guess.

It'd probably be pretty nice if members who are going to post praise would do so with more analysis. Why was what you liked good? What was it that made it stand out to you? What were the best bits? What were the worse/t bits?

Unfortunately, it's probably more effort than most people'd ever bother putting in.
 
Well, I don't want to complain about all the people who don't give me constructive criticism, as I myself suck at it.

The types of comments that irk me are those that completely miss the point and proceed to spam about one little bit of error. They have nothing good to say and instead concentrate on the small flaws. I say if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all. :V Cheesy, but I live by that philosophy despite my apparent sadism.

The other variation that comes to mind is the type that completely misses the point ands asks for a request. It's fine if you've never stressed that you don't do them, but its just plain annoying. On the other hand, I guess its sort of a compliment in itself. To request would mean that he/she is impressed with your work overall.
 

Teapot

Virtual Duck Enthusiast
Staff member
Administrator
What Hax said is often true: I'm personally a serial offender on the "not giving proper constructive feedback" front, often because I simply haven't a clue what to say. But, for people who do openly accept requests, like LoN, The fact that I request from them shows that I do respect their work and that I know that they will produce quality work.

I think the reasons I don't give constrictive critisism at lot of the time is that I know that I do not possess any Skills of an Artist myself, so I wouldn't want to pick holes in someone's work if I can't produce something as good or better myself. It's my way of adhering to "people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones". Additionally, I don't trust myself not to go too far with my criticism and end up accidentally flaming the work in question.
 
I hate when people ask for requests, but don't comment. I saw someone request a D/P Riley Mugshot on Meep's thread, but refused to comment Meep's work.

Also, people who spam random junk. Seriously, its annoying. >>
 
Oh my gosh I hate those people who got to my thread and say "Those look good, but they need some work." It's like they only think that their work is good and stuff. After you have to redo what you did and stuff. Your just doing extra work. After they don't even go back and look at what you did. I hope the person doesn't read this :o
 

Yoshimitsu

Former Moderator
I tend to dislike generic comments, even if they are along the lines of "Awesome" or "Keep writing!". Although they are encouraging, and it is good to know people like what you have done, it provides you with no insight as to WHAT people liked about your work.

Generally, if there is something wrong, people are much more specific.

That's my major issue too. It's nice and all, but seriously, where's the substance in the post? Some kind of feedback on -anything- would be nice.
 
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