"how do you open the tutorial? i downloaded it and yet it won't open =("
This is not fiction. This comment was posted to the RR Companions Vault this afternoon.
If you'll excuse me, I need to sit in the corner for awhile and weep quietly for the future of the human race.
It looks like the poster in question has been a member of the site for only a few days. I wouldn't put much faith in him or her knowing how to do anything to do with modding, and I'd even hazard a guess that he's only owned the game for a short period of time and is not too familiar with it either.
ReplyDeleteTry not to judge noobs too harshly, Matt. I know it's hard to have patience, but remember we all have to start somewhere.
This reminds me of when I first discovered the Nexus sites. I only owned Morrowind and Oblivion at the time, and I was like: "OMG! I can add all this cool stuff to the games? Sweet!" I had no idea what an archive file was and in fact was a newb to the internet itself and was still learning how to navigate. I DLed like EVERY mod I could find, not knowing what most of them would do or how to install them. I just wanted all this content to add to these great games. I still have several gigs of Morrowind mods to sort through thanks to that blind zeal and may never get them all sorted out before I finally decide to delete them all and chalk it up to a learning experience.
Anyway, all I'm trying to say is that just because someone is green doesn't mean they're stupid. For all we know, one of these noobs might be the next Nos or Herculine. They just need to learn, to acquire experience. I'm not saying it's our responsibility to teach them ourselves or that we should even try because frankly there are way too many of them for me to devote such time to. I'm just saying try not to be too hard on them and be patient since it is a virtue.
I know, I know... Lords of Darkness don't do the whole virtue thing too well. But I will give you credit for being civil and not calling the poster an idiot in the comments thread. Maybe some of my pixie dust is rubbing off on you...
(Sorry about the delay in your comment posting, Herculine - blogger had flagged it as a spam comment. I didn't even know they had a spam filter in comments now, so I didn't notice right away; but I told it you aren't spam, and hopefully this won't happen again)
ReplyDeleteI don't call people idiots in comments threads because the Nexus has an explicitly stated "be nice to stupid people" rule, and I don't want to get my ass banned. Fileplanet and the like are a poor substitute and would cut my audience by 90%.
As for the idiot in question...
There's no shame in ignorance, and we all have to start somewhere. I don't begrudge anyone that.
However.
Look at the comment. There's no mention of what "won't open"; what the offending extension is. Just "IT R NO WERK!" and a damned emoticon.
Maybe I really am weird, but even when I was ignorant and new? When I hit a file extension I didn't recognize and couldn't open? I ran it through a search engine. Granted, Google didn't exist in those days and my engine of choice was Excite, but the principal is the same. To whit:
RAR File
HTM File
First result in both searches fixes you right up. It literally takes less than thirty seconds to search, and read an outline of what the file type is.
Beyond that, I don't get the problem. There was no complaining about the mod itself, so RAR files must be openable; which only leaves the htm files themselves. Every copy of Windows since 95 has come with a web browser installed from the start. Internet Explorer may not be my vehicle of choice on the intarwebz, but it'll open htm without a hitch.
So, let's tally, here.
*No real information given in complaint.
*Common file formats with wide accessibility used.
*Complete lack of grammar, and capitalization; and little punctuation used in comment.
*Comment ended with smiley.
*Commenter too lazy to use search engine.
I'm sorry, I know I'm a heartless bastard, but what part of this is supposed to endear me to this poster's hardships in E-life?
Okay, sure; theoretically, had they posted/PM'd something more along the lines of: "Sorry to bother you, but I'm new at this sort of thing and I don't know how to work with these files. Which programs should I use?"
Then, I would have answered without snark; recommended 7zip and Firefox, and sent the tot on their merry way without any grief.
But no, I get this info-less crap that expects me to be a bleedin' psychic and know every detail of their PC and situation.
I tell ya, Kiddo, not since WebTV invaded Usenet back in the late 90's have I seen such a concentrated group of stupid as is now infested the Nexus sites.
I see your point and apologize if it sounded like I was scolding you. Just playing Devil's Advocate again I suppose. Perhaps the result of too many counseling sessions with government-funded therapists, I always try to put myself in the other guy's shoes.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand however, you know that like you I have little patience for poor writing and grammar, so I can empathize with you there. But that alludes to a problem with the newer generations of society that I won't type a full-page dissertation about here since this is supposed to be a blog for your mods and not an episode of Dr. Phil. Suffice it to say that the socialization and communication skills of folks these days suck, perhaps not entirely by their own faults except that they don't attempt to improve. But enough of that...
And if I'm going to be labeled as a processed meat by-product, I really think I'm of a higher caliber than SPAM. I'm at least a Slim Jim, or maybe a Steak-umm...
Hey, don't be knockin' spam! Fry it up right, serve with cheddar and mayo on some good wheat bread; and it ain't half bad stuff.
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure the run-off of the sandwich would be enough to replenish an engine that was a quart low... but that's beside the point.
And yes, I know I still bear more than a few redneck tendencies, despite my long absence from proper folk south of the Mason-Dixon. Yee-haw, and so forth.
For the record, I didn't think you were scolding me. (Not that trying it would work, anyway :p ) I do try to see things from other perspectives, and I'm well aware that not everyone is as driven to learn as me... but I'm also a believer in natural selection. Adapt, overcome, and improve; or prove only that you're unworthy to live and have your genes skimmed from the pool.
I don't mind so much when someone can't do something - I mind when they won't try; expecting whoever's on the receiving end to pick up the slack and do it all for them.
My brother lives by that mantra, and it's annoyed the holy living shit out of me most of my life.
Am I projecting? Probably, but I still don't like it, and don't feel the need to cut slack to people who can't be bothered to give it an honest effort.
Mm. Is projecting the right word? On further consideration, I think that's when you assign traits of yourself that you don't like to other people.
ReplyDeleteWhat the hell is the one I'm thinking of? Transference?
Damn it, where'd I leave that psych textbook...
Displacement, I believe it is. But then, I'm no psychologist either...
ReplyDeleteScrew it. I say we go back to solving such things with torches and pitchforks.
ReplyDeleteTHEY'RE WITCHES, I TELLS YA!