Thanks for the mention(s),
Smooth Criminal
- and
shrooby
I think you hit the nail on head the head.
First, please, don't feel like you failed anyone. The negativity you're talking about isn't unique nor due to you - I believe it was inevitable. Back in the 3DS days, D3 was so
fun - I actually took second at a sizable tourney early on, losing to Seagull Joe's sanic. But then Wii U version came out, and gradually we found ourselves with a whole lot of passion but few wins. Frankly, I think us D3 main have gotten hit so hard so many times, we're tired. Tired that almost every other lower tier got a key buff, tired that it feels like everyone but us has new tech discovered all the time, tired that ZSS exists, tired that we can't zone or rush down or defend or or or or. A break is fine - I've honestly been on one as well - as burnout happens with anything competitive, but I think we'll all come back in our time. Smash 4 ain't going anywhere, and the kind of personality that loves D3 isn't going to be sated with anyone else.
Frankly, it's very hard to snag positive momentum with D3. After posting my initial videos, I actually tried for months to discover more D3 tech - and 99% of it was just impractical or plain useless. That's no fun, and that's not Nintendo as I know it. That's honestly why I've been fine intentionally dwelling more on on the negative aspects of D3 - in pure, naive hope that Nintendo hears some of it. Maybe that can be tempered or directed better (I need to make a video of "Top 5 Easy Adjustments to Make D3 Viable" or something), but I really feel this next patch is the one. But if nothing happens, I swear I'll shut up and accept things as they are.
With the index thread: yes, we absolutely need it, something with all caps "READ THIS FIRST" in the title. And then inside that thread, a directory of all useful threads
in addition to a guide on "where to post about xyz". A few examples:
- If you want match critiques: post in the video thread (link here)
- If you have a basic question post in the Q&A (link here) and someone will respond to you ASAP.
- For EVERYTHING ELSE please search the forum first before creating a new topic.
Humans need to be told this stuff, it's annoying but true. A lot of the other boards do this quite well actually - the DK board comes to mind.
With positivity and improvement: I have an idea. Or have had one, for awhile really. Frankly, you're as good as whoever you regularly play, and For Glory alone teaches you tons of bad habits (I'll volunteer as the posterchild of this). Yeah, my talents mostly lie in breaking down complicated stuff to newbs (I'm a business consultant, it's what I do in life too), but
dammit I want to be better at this game, you know? To that end, I was thinking about starting a regular bi-weekly or monthly event here, where board members can join an IRC/Skype/Smashladder chatroom and up their game. This holds value in a lot of facets: as D3 mains we might uniquely help each other more than most, we could set up a structure for mentoring/critiquing matches, and could hold the occasional tourney.
But I feel the real impact would be on board positivity - in contrast to occasional board replies, this would be a place to center and build live community. My honest problem - and I think this might apply to many of you - is that I don't have a live smash community within easy driving distance - a place talk smash nerd crap with, or
reinvigorate your love of smash with items on very high. But this might help that - just sign on for however long you can and shoot the breeze, you know? We have a really special community here already - I'd say one of the most unique on smashboards - and I for one would have a lot of fun doing this. Also, a recurring event like this might be a great way to delegate/check in on D3-related projects, a la what
@SalsaSavant was talking about. Overall, this would be incredibly easy to implement, we just need a date and we can give it a test run. All we need is a snazzy D3-related title. Hmm...
Dem's my thoughts. What you all think?