What happened to AO?

[tae]

That sounds good. I came here for information and all I find are pastry recipes

[tsc]

Lets just say that I have intmate knowledge of the planning of the project, but the forum is not mine. In reality it has no ownership with exception to the ownership to the memebrship.



You will come, just as you have added to this post. You won't see members of the forum posting on AO or PBN asking for new members to come to the newer cooler forum. It will spread via word of mouth and with an invite in you inbox.

Hahaha, yeah. There's defending myself and my friends that I've known for five years, and then there's a pseudo elitist circlejerk.

There shouldn't *HAVE* to be a separate forum. The old members have been posting the same way for years, and the rules have changed to coddle the new members who find issues with it. Internet with teeth is a good thing-- it keeps you in line.

[tae]

Teeth are good, I think thats what a more focused fourm would be. You dont need to exclude people, if you are getting agitated by someone you can simply ignore them.

[Steelrat]

This wasn't about that at all, it was about how AO has degenerated into nothing more than a flame fest. Theres already a few posts here that are borderline flames.........

Check the Viking threat if you want to see flames.



As for losing members, its sad. I see most of my old Norcal crew stopped posting. Its a normal part of forum evolution, but I do miss some of the people a lot.

Luckily, you still have me.

[Automaggot68]

Check the Viking threat if you want to see flames.


As for losing members, its sad. I see most of my old Norcal crew stopped posting. Its a normal part of forum evolution, but I do miss some of the people a lot.

Luckily, you still have me.

I wish Zak Was still around.

[Steelrat]

I wish Zak Was still around.

Maybe he'll be back, who knows. People move on, its just human nature. I gotta give that guy a call.

[Cryer]

I used to hate it when...

...when people would reply to the first post of a multi-page thread.

whatever

So the other day, a friend of mine asked me if I still had my stuff. He want's for me to accompany him to a scenario game in the near future. I would honestly have to try really hard to remember the last time I played, or tell you when that was, and so I told him and appologized.

Though the conversation ended there, my thoughts did not. I've spent the last several days lost in reminiscence of the "good ole days" of which you speak. I remembered the times I had, and the people I met. I was involved in paintball for some time before I came to AO and bought a mag, but once I found this place, it became my sole contact with the world of paintball. The people whom I met at AO meets and events, in stark contrast to those whom I met at "real" tournaments, shared freely a comradery and kinship unequalled in our sport. I enjoyed meeting and hanging out with AOer's, I enjoyed conversing and joking with them here. So much so, that I eventually refused to participate in the sport unless it was with those whom I had met here. I had found the apex of sportsmanship and kinship in an otherwise very unsportsmanlike and ruthlessly competetive past-time.

But as with all good things... Something began to change. I can't pinpoint where, or because of whom (as if any one person--or any one group of people for that matter--could be shouldered with the blame for changing our world here ), but one day, I noticed I spent more time and mental energy deciding which side of whose argument I agreed with than I did engaging in friendly and helpful conversation on these forums. And I noticed that I hadn't been alone--discussions, demeanors, and priorities had seemingly changed accross the board. I got fed up with lots of people for different reasons. (I amassed an ignore list that I'd wager is longer than anyone else's). I kept trying to focusing on the positive, but the positive was slipping through my fingers. Friends I had made began to stop posting as much, many ultimately (or suddenly as the case often was) left altogether.

Combined with other stressors in my life at the time, this caused me to reevaluated my commitment to paintball in general. I had come to hate the "world" of paintball because it seemed that the only thing people wanted to do was beat you (by anymeans necessary) and be really really really rediculously good-looking while beating you. And my freinds that offered my an alternative to that ego-fest were dissappearing.

So I sold my stuff, and evetually stop posting here.

So like I said, my friend asked me about this scenario game and it got me reminiscin' and all... so the last few days I've been trollin around here and the thorums, just trying to get a feel for what AO has become (I realise that the Thorums may not be the best source for the true character of AO, as most members there seem to be ever-so-slightly biased... ). To be honest, I feel like playing some old Hank Williams. People are insulting, Insults and flames are rampant, and I don't understand the jokes anymore (I'm with you Phantomhitman, WTF does syrup have to do with anything? I laugh because its random, and random is funny sometimes. but you guys are just being silly now. just silly.)

Warped1- I'll be honest with you. You are one of the many on my ignore list. And I don't remember why. Had I actually been logged in while trolling, I wouldn't have seen your post. Despite the differences I appearently held for you, I do agree with you on your point. AO has changed, and it makes me sad.


:sad:

And I still hate that damn banana smilie.

*shoutout to GT*

I'm not complaining at all, just pointing out fact. But AO used to be a great forum with many posters with vast knowlege of more than just mags on paintball. Now it has become worse than PBNation. Express your opinion, get flamed to death. Ask a question and you're told to not be stupid and use a search, or you get called a noob for asking such a stupid question. AO did keep its B/S/T reputation intact. I'm not comfortable trading anywhere else(except www.shockerowners.com where I supermod, great guys over there.)
Also in the past 3 days, the front page has not had any useful posts that can teach you a thing or two about the game. Instead posts like what anno or what jersey should I get are prominant. Form your own opinion! AO says it's full of people who don't follow trends, that's why the mag has barely changed in 15 years, but everyones asking essentially how to fit in type questions.
I pretty much only come to AO for novelty anymore. The vast group of intelligent posters, like gibby, have stopped coming. I often say "let's see what the idiots are complaining about today" before I visit AO.
Tell me, did the average IQ drop when the average age dropped well below 20? Or is it that Tom is no longer in control, so you're all rebelling?
Well, before a certain mod bans me for this post because all I did throughout it is trash mags I'll say goodbye.
Oh by the way mags DO NOT suck and I AM NOT trashing them. I'm allowed to have my opinions. It's a fine marker, just not my cup of tea.

[rkjunior303]

Holy CRAP! It' Cryer!

[rkjunior303]

Fact of the matter is... While this site is part of a public domain, the site is still owned and operated by Airgun Designs. They can say who and who can not be on this site, along with what content is allowed. AGD allows you to be a GUEST here and nothing more.

[Eatem Alive]

As for losing members, its sad. I see most of my old Norcal crew stopped posting. Its a normal part of forum evolution, but I do miss some of the people a lot.

Luckily, you still have me.

i miss you, ryan

[FooTemps]

HOLY CRAP CRYER! i always loved your sigs.

But anyway, the old guard is long gone and so is the wang force. I've got to say that wang force has got to be the epitome of of the "cool kids" of AO. And with this cool kid era, I've got to say that the old guard was also at its best. The mods actively participated in conversations (both silly and serious), members discussed ideas that were fresh and not those mundane "can i buy this or that" or "how do we save mags" or "is agd dying" and the list could go on even further. (Sure, these conversations always existed, but not at the ratio that the forums have now) Another big contribution to the old guard was that Tom Kaye himself posted on these forums. As of now, AGD's participation in the mag community is rather diminutive at best. With this decline in contributing members, of course AO is going to go down the drain in quality.

examples of cool kid era:
Dream mag photochop contest
Beta release of SUPERBOLT
Development process of INTELLIFRAME
Xmag teasers
the round table discussion forum
multiple thread parties
wang force
pie

I mean, we don't even have interesting flame fests against postwhores anymore. (yeah man... wtf happened to mango and flamebo)

/Warped is a bad lawyer. he doesn't know his rights on this forum.
//Maybe he should have read the disclaimer before he checked "i agree"
///slashes are cool

[nippinout]

Full disclosure:
/me was never a member of da Wang Force.

I lurk more than post anymore. I think my posts died when #automags died.

In regards to Cryer, was that you in the Storm Trooper suit?

[WARPED1]

I make a comment earlier today about how there's no more constructive posts and everyone just resorts to flaming. Thank you for proving my point newer school AO'ers!

[Vex]

EDIT: Well, I had a picture, but it doesn't look like it wanted to play nicely...

[Lohman446]

I make a comment earlier today about how there's no more constructive posts and everyone just resorts to flaming. Thank you for proving my point newer school AO'ers!

I don't see the flaming. I think we all got softer skin and take everything that might be construed as against us as a flame, and turn things into flame fest, as a collective whole. I don't see anyone flaming you here.