Ive noticed a horrible trend appearing again on the streets whereby folks are sitting there waiting to pounce upon anybody who opens their mouth. For me, I couldnt give a shite. If I want to say something, ill just say it. Ive never been afraid to voice my views or opinions, thank God.

How and ever, this is a game centred around Role Playing. And so the word on the streets is like the cornerstone of it all. If every time that someone comes to the streets and makes a statement, the usual rabble start shouting and cussing and generally carrying on with their 'Shut the fuck up, you know nothing, I know it all' bullshit, then the streets will remain but a poor shadow of their former selves.

Now Im not saying, everyone should stay quiet and say nothing because that doesnt work either. We need debate, we need discussion, we need for folks to be told theyre out of line when theyre out of line. But maybe, just maybe a modicom of acceptance and tolerance would help encourage folks, particularly the newer folks to come out on the streets again and speak.

We can only live in hope

Kev

I'm going to have to disagree with you.

Other than the obvious idiots who post "Iota is a dickhead" as an entire thread, the most common responses are well thought out ones. Sure, not all of them are nice and polite, but they are all well within the acceptable realms of the game. Rarely have I seen a post of 'shut the fuck up, you know nothing, I know it all' and I believe myself to be amongst a number of people capable of making that sort of remark if I decided to. Instead, those who do know, largely spend their time explaining it to others - usually more nicely than they deserve.

I believe it is easy to confuse disagreements within debates as people 'being hammered', but I actually think this is one of the most significantly improved areas of the game.

After all, this is a game where everyone is accountable for anything they say and we need to make that the priority. If you feel someone has gone too far, make an issue of it - within the game. There is no need for us to look elsewhere for policing on the comments said well within character, that is our area of concern and our area of control.

~G~warble.

So, explain to me why the majority of folks who DONT post on the streets say they are afraid to post on the streets because they feel they will be hammered as soon as they open their mouth on the streets.

Im not denying that some folks know a lot more about the game. But does that mean they have to ram their knowledge down someones throat just because they decided they have an opinion to express. What I am saying is that their are new people around, and if they see every conversation as a free for all torrent of abuse, its hardly incouraging for them is it.

Nobody is gonna learn if you constantly try to ram your opinion at them. There are different ways to encourage the new folks to speak. I understand that there is a danger of things going the opposite way, and the streets being filled with total drivel. If you asked me which Id prefer, I couldnt give an honest answer because one way is as bad as the other.

I still stick to my original opinion because well, im not blind nor deaf, nor unintelligent and I see it happening time and time again, people getting shot down and hammered because they are new and ignorant of our ways, or other folks just being hammered for the sake of being hammered.

Where is all this hammering going on? I genuinely don't see it. I see people speaking, I see people speaking back to them. I don't know who it is lowering the boom on everyone again and again or where this is happening.

Similarly, I don't see opinions being rammed down throats nor do I see every conversation being a free for all. I rarely see conversations going too far anymore and the majority of the people who become embroiled in arguments are experienced practioners of the game and either do or should understand the politics of the game.

Why don't most people speak in the streets? I think there are a lot more reasons for that than merely 'fear of being hammered'. Some people don't speak English as a first language, some people don't know very much about the Mafia, some people don't want to risk making a mistake that costs them their account, some people don't even read the streets, some people play to kill, others to mug, other to make a lot of money and get a good rank.

I don't believe this to be the hugely common issue you're making it out to be.

As someone who rarely speaks in the streets, and being relatively new as well, I have to agree with RiverKing.  I've no idea who he even is, but I think he sums up the situation quite well.

Well with respect to you Gwarble, maybe thats the reason I choose to come here today and speak about this issue. Maybe some folks are so wrapped up in what they CAN see to notice the things that they CAN see, and I dont particularly mean you or anyone indivually when I say this. I have to admit, there was a time when I was guilty of it myself. So caught up in what I saw or what I wanted to say, that I completely didnt realise that there were others out there who from pure fear alone didnt want to speak or say anything.

Im not trying to change the world here, Im only trying to bring to light what 'I' felt was becoming a problem and the only reason 'I' had felt this was because of comments that were made to me again and again about how 'others' are feeling when it comes to trying to make a street presence for themselves.

Like I said at the beginning, personally I couldnt give a shite who hammers me or speaks down to me or whatever on the streets. Its a role playing game and I dont take any of it to heart. There was a time when maybe I did, but I got a bit of sense since then (notice I said 'bit':-P ) and see it all for what it is.

Look we all know that in general its the same voices that speak over and over again. A lot of these people are well in command out there on the streets, they have been around a while and know the workings of the game inside out. My reason for coming here is just to see how other people REALLY feel. Surely this is a safer place for them to voice their concerns than the thoughts of trying to role play those same thoughts and ideas on the streets they seem to fear.

Oh and thank you Ave Maria (did I spell that right). It would seem that my words didnt fall completely on deaf ears. Anyone else feel the same? Or totally disagree? Or whatever?

I just have one question. Where are all these people who are afraid to speak? I'm not a big speaker, unless I think the issue is important. I'm not fearful of being shut down or hammered. I agree with Gwarble that there are plenty of other reasons people don't speak. Fear of being cussed at or hammered down is most likely the smallest one. 

If there is a problem there, I'll happily have my eyes opened. However, I've specifically started looking round again after this and I still don't have a clue what prompted this thread or the horrible trend you've seen appearing on the streets.

It isn't that I'm against people starting to speak on the Streets, far from it. It is that I genuinely don't see what it is that needs to stop.

there wasnt anything on the streets specifically as Ive mentioned before spurned me on to write this thread Gwarble. It was more from a couple of conversations I had this morning with people who had expressed their concerns about it. So I came here and expressed an opinion because like yourself, I would like to see what kind of feedback I get from people.

Im not saying that this is the ONLY issue in the world and Im not asking folks to get their knickers in a twist over it. Im simply asking for feedback, positive or negative because I would like to hear from other people about the matter.

Yes Don, Im sure there are a 1000 other reasons why people dont speak on the streets, but my topic of conversation is about peoples RIGHT to speak. That is that they want to speak but feel as soon as they open their mouths theyre gonna be hammered for it.

Now I dont know for sure the extent of the issue. We have had one person come forward and agree and two who have come forward and totally disagreed. But its early days yet, lol.

I must admit im one of these people who are sceptical of posting, however it is down to the invdividual to make sure there post has substance and not full of unneeded comments, as we all know that leads to conflict and confrontation.

There are going to be people who dont like to post because of the reactions, but it is the same in the real world, it is all about communication if you upset someone in a pub or anywhere else they take offence, which is the same here.

Which is okay as far as im concerned, if new players post and are respectful I dont see why others would flame them as you put it...my two cents.

I say do a poll vote, and let that deicide

I've seen people make vows not to speak until they were made because their views are not recieved in the manner they would like. However most of the time its not because they're low down the food chain that they  are ignored and ridiculed, it's because they write badly and briefly before responding bullishly when picked up on it. But yeah, whatever lets do a poll vote - how about 'are people too critical of posts made in the street?' then everyone who has had a post criticized can vote 'yes' and everyone who hasn't can vote 'no' and we will all have learnt something.

I don't see the issue myself. I prefer the streets be at least slightly intimidating. It breeds careful thought and considered speech. It also reveals character, not only of the speaker, but of those who call them friend and family. I think anyone can come to these streets and speak their mind if they stay respectful and in character, the off chance you may talk yourself into a corner is what makes our streets exciting and unique.

this game is far from the real thing ;)

do as you please

oh really is it not? so what mob are you affiliated to?

Are you saying that it IS realistic, Fyodor?

I could ask what mob you were affiliated with in order for you to have such knowledge, but that would make my comment as dumb as yours.  Instead, I guess I would ask for an example of a "real" mob family that goes around shooting sleeping bums, has contests in the street complete with prizes, runs bars with high ranking mobsters working as bartenders or waitresses, openly accepts bums off the street into their family without the slightest bit of knowledge about them, and kills their made guys over the murder of a homeless bum.

Yeah, it's realistic alright.  I don't know what the point was of Benny's comments, but your retort was even more ridiculous.

Bit of a waste of your time there Charles. If someone replies to a comment saying that mafia returns isn't like the real thing with 'Oh really?' rest assured they were probably being sarcastic. My question about what mob he was affiliated was in reply to his wink after - as in 'you guys don't really know anything about the mob wink wink' So therefore after making a completely fatuous remark about a mmorpg not being like real life he implied that he actually had some inside knowledge about the mob, hence the question. As to the rest of your comment, you're really not saying anything new.

Well i am part of a real mafia, that i was born into, so if you arent in a "real" mafia, then you shouldnt open your mouth

see? exactly what I told you. If you had been able to read between the lines of either person's post Charles then you would have noticed I was only trying to take pop the ego of a raving fantasist. Instead you stormed in on your high horse with the insults and made yourself look stupid.