Switch Theme:

GW closes its own forums  [RSS] Share on facebook Share on Twitter Submit to Reddit
»
Author Message
Advert


Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you:
  • No adverts like this in the forums anymore.
  • Times and dates in your local timezone.
  • Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance.
  • Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely.
  • Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net.
If you are already a member then feel free to login now.




Made in gb
Longtime Dakkanaut






Hope this hasn't already been posted....

From:
http://uk.games-workshop.com/forums/

<h4 class="style1">Games Workshop
Forums Announcement </h4>

Games Workshop forums will be closing on Wednesday November 15. Over the last few years there has been an explosion in the number and variety of forums devoted to the Games Workshop Hobby. These range from the huge forums covering the whole Hobby to small, focussed boards dedicated to a single army. If you want to meet and chat with other hobbyists online, we recommend that you check out a variety of these forums to find one (or more!) that suits your needs. A huge selection can be found by using any of the big internet search engines. We recommend typing in the name of your favourite game (40k, WH etc), army (Eldar, Empire etc) or aspect of the hobby (GW gaming, GW painting etc) and apend 'forum' to the end.

We'd like to say a big thank-you to all the people who have posted on (or even just read) our forums and our special thanks go to all the volunteers who over the years have helped moderate our forums. If you need personal hobby advice, please call our hobby advisors on 0115 91 40000 or visit your nearest Games Workshop store.


Hodge-Podge says: Run with the Devil, Shout Satan's Might. Deathtongue! Deathtongue! The Beast arises tonight!
 
   
Made in us
Screeching Screamer of Tzeentch





Not a bad move by them to save money. Anything worthwhile that could come out of those forums could come from elsewhere. Now we just have to worry about the influx of 14 year olds.
   
Made in us
Plastictrees



Amongst the Stars, In the Night

**AROOGAH AROOOGAH AROOGAH**
General Quarters, man your battle stations! This is not a drill!
**AROOGAH AROOOGAH AROOGAH**
Attention OT Brigade: Prepare Flamethrowers for impending invasion from the Eye of Terror!
**AROOGAH AROOOGAH AROOGAH**
General Quarters, man your battle stations! This is not a drill!
**AROOGAH AROOOGAH AROOGAH**



Oh christ, that is really terrible news. What on earth are they thinking?

OT Zone: A More Wretched Hive of Scum and Villany
The Loyal Slave learns to Love the Lash! 
   
Made in us
Lieutenant General





Florence, KY

Yep. Here's the message from the US side:

NOTICE:

The Games Workshop message boards will be closing on Wednesday, November 15, 2006. We?d like to say a big thank-you to all the people who have posted on (or even just read) our message boards and our special thanks go to all the volunteers and staff who over the years have helped moderate our message boards. Your registration information will remain the same for access to the checkout of the US Online Store.

If you need personal hobby advice or customer service help, please call our Direct Services Department at 1-800-394-4263, or visit your nearest Games Workshop store or independent retailer. For technical web site or online store help, please e-mail us at: techpriest@games-workshop.com

'It is a source of constant consternation that my opponents
cannot correlate their innate inferiority with their inevitable
defeat. It would seem that stupidity is as eternal as war.'

- Nemesor Zahndrekh of the Sautekh Dynasty
Overlord of the Crownworld of Gidrim
 
   
Made in us
Servoarm Flailing Magos







It's probably such old forum software that no one wants to deal with it. They should've moved to a newer system years ago, when it wouldn't have been so painful.

Also, in classic GW style, they fubar'ed the announcement by posting it to a stickied thread BEFORE telling their own moderators. So mods were saying, "Where did you hear this?" as they found out the news themselves.

GW's retreat from the web has been fascinating. A few years back the US store was 'upgraded' and lost a lot of the higher-quality pictures of individual sprues and parts that was really useful. The Specialist Games forum has been a weird side-forum using phpBB or similar.

It took years to get army tags for the forum... How long can it take to get tiny 1 bit icons of the army symbols made?

Over the last year a couple sub-frums have been removed or repurposed.

I'm guessing they will soon stop selling bitz online and can Black Gobbo and the like.

I wonder if this is another case of GW being run as a collection of people instead of a proper company, and the one guy that maintained the back-end of the forums left, so they're shutting the whole thing down?

Working on someting you'll either love or hate. Hopefully to be revealed by November.
Play the games that make you happy. 
   
Made in us
Longtime Dakkanaut






What are they thinking?

They are thinking, "If we close our forums, we save money by using the bandwidth for something else, we don't have to put up with importunate adolescents, and we can pretend that we just don't know about rules conflicts because no one brought them to our attention."


He's got a mind like a steel trap. By which I mean it can only hold one idea at a time;
it latches on to the first idea to come along, good or bad; and it takes strenuous effort with a crowbar to make it let go.
 
   
Made in us
Clousseau





Wilmington DE

Posted By nyarlathotep667 on 11/01/2006 9:22 AM
**AROOGAH AROOOGAH AROOGAH**
General Quarters, man your battle stations! This is not a drill!
**AROOGAH AROOOGAH AROOGAH**
Attention OT Brigade: Prepare Flamethrowers for impending invasion from the Eye of Terror!
**AROOGAH AROOOGAH AROOGAH**
General Quarters, man your battle stations! This is not a drill!
**AROOGAH AROOOGAH AROOGAH**



Oh christ, that is really terrible news. What on earth are they thinking?

Game over man! Game over!
*Hides in little corner*  

Guinness: for those who are men of the cloth and football fans, but not necessarily in that order.

I think the lesson here is the best way to enjoy GW's games is to not use any of their rules.--Crimson Devil 
   
Made in us
[MOD]
Madrak Ironhide







I have a better idea.

Get me my rusty spoon...

DR:70+S+G-MB-I+Pwmhd05#+D++A+++/aWD100R++T(S)DM+++
Get your own Dakka Code!

"...he could never understand the sense of a contest in which the two adversaries agreed upon the rules." Gabriel Garcia Marquez, One Hundred Years of Solitude 
   
Made in us
5th God of Chaos! (Yea'rly!)




The Great State of Texas

Specialist Games Forums are NOT being shut down
http://www.specialist-games.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=9530

-"Wait a minute.....who is that Frazz is talking to in the gallery? Hmmm something is going on here.....Oh.... it seems there is some dispute over video taping of some sort......Frazz is really upset now..........wait a minute......whats he go there.......is it? Can it be?....Frazz has just unleashed his hidden weiner dog from his mini bag, while quoting shakespeares "Let slip the dogs the war!!" GG
-"Don't mind Frazzled. He's just Dakka's crazy old dude locked in the attic. He's harmless. Mostly."
-TBone the Magnificent 1999-2014, Long Live the King!
 
   
Made in us
Hurr! Ogryn Bone 'Ead!





Covina, California

Posted By syr8766 on 11/01/2006 9:40 AM
Posted By nyarlathotep667 on 11/01/2006 9:22 AM
**AROOGAH AROOOGAH AROOGAH**
General Quarters, man your battle stations! This is not a drill!
**AROOGAH AROOOGAH AROOGAH**
Attention OT Brigade: Prepare Flamethrowers for impending invasion from the Eye of Terror!
**AROOGAH AROOOGAH AROOGAH**
General Quarters, man your battle stations! This is not a drill!
**AROOGAH AROOOGAH AROOGAH**



Oh christ, that is really terrible news. What on earth are they thinking?

Game over man! Game over!
*Hides in little corner*  
We're dogmeat man, dogmeat!

Orks are like those neighbor children who aren't invited to your parties and they come right in anyway.

Veritas Crusade 2000pts
95th Krieg 'Blackguard' 3000pts
Cadian 489th 2000pts
 
   
Made in us
Longtime Dakkanaut






I think it's a genius move. I'm sure the logic is that if you have some of your bandwidth devoted to online sales and some devoted to your forum, removing the forum will mean that all of your bandwidth will be used for online sales, and you'll sell more.

Brilliant!

With GW I keep getting this "last one out shut off the lights" feeling from them.


"I've still got a job, so the rules must be good enough" - Design team motto.  
   
Made in us
Regular Dakkanaut




Philadelphia, PA

I am guessing that each GW business (GwUS, GWUK,etc) will have to setup and pay for its own forums now.

Clear the battlefield and let me see
All the profit from our victory.
 
   
Made in us
RogueSangre





The Cockatrice Malediction

Uh-oh SpaghettiOs!

   
Made in us
Plastictrees



Amongst the Stars, In the Night

Posted By Shattered Soul on 11/01/2006 10:23 AM
Posted By syr8766 on 11/01/2006 9:40 AM
Posted By nyarlathotep667 on 11/01/2006 9:22 AM
**AROOGAH AROOOGAH AROOGAH**
General Quarters, man your battle stations! This is not a drill!
**AROOGAH AROOOGAH AROOGAH**
Attention OT Brigade: Prepare Flamethrowers for impending invasion from the Eye of Terror!
**AROOGAH AROOOGAH AROOGAH**
General Quarters, man your battle stations! This is not a drill!
**AROOGAH AROOOGAH AROOGAH**



Oh christ, that is really terrible news. What on earth are they thinking?

Game over man! Game over!
*Hides in little corner*  
We're dogmeat man, dogmeat!
Don't worry. Me and my squad of ultimate badasses will protect you! Check it out! Independently targeting particle beam phalanx. Whoa! Fry half a city with this puppy. We got tactical smart missiles, phase-plasma pulse rifles, RPGs, we got sonic electronic ball breakers! We got nukes, we got knives, sharp sticks...


I think Ed has it dead on, every new business decision seems more and more like the kind that get made when a company is in a death spiral. Are we witnessing GW swirling around the drain? All I know is the last two fiscal years have been pretty dismal...

OT Zone: A More Wretched Hive of Scum and Villany
The Loyal Slave learns to Love the Lash! 
   
Made in us
Foul Dwimmerlaik






Minneapolis, MN

It seems that way, but look at their stocks. Not doing to badly there. it may be a bouncing dead cat, but it seems a decent rebound.

I think they will pull through, this is just a way to yank:

a) A thing that is done far better eslwhere in a lot of different places. We wont have to worry about the crying little "Noo0Bz!!1!" as the will just have to get straight or get out. It saves alot of IT money too.

b) bad mouthing GW on their own site. It keeps people who own stock from visiting them and seeing their own forums rife with GW slander. (which is very apparent, why do you think they closed down the white dwarf forums? They served their purpose and they didnt like the results&gt

So they can comfortably shut their eyes to whatever is going on and claim ignorance to outside feedback.

This just strengthens what people need to do anyways. Write them well thought out letters to their office. Not crying like a 6 year old on a forum.

   
Made in us
Clousseau





Wilmington DE

Posted By mauleed on 11/01/2006 10:25 AM

With GW I keep getting this "last one out shut off the lights" feeling from them.   
Either that, or as HF was suggesting, they're just much more interested in climbing back into their echo chamber rather than deal with (and pay for) the prattling complaints of the hoi-palloi that happen to be their customers,. If this is the case, then it's really too bad. Things like COD (and the building sets), the 'three-for-the-price-of-one' limited boxed sets (War Walkers, Piranha), and bringing the Harlequin back show that GW still has the ability to do what they've done best and respond to customer demands.. And while I would'na want to deal with some of the fan stuff out there (Revile the Pan-Fo!), it does strike me as odd that a company would want to cut itself off from its consumers in this way.

Of course, it could just be a cost-cutting move that they feel is justified by their own market saturation.   

Guinness: for those who are men of the cloth and football fans, but not necessarily in that order.

I think the lesson here is the best way to enjoy GW's games is to not use any of their rules.--Crimson Devil 
   
Made in us
Regular Dakkanaut



SF Bay Area, CA

I'm sure it was a tough decision but I can understand why they did it. My company has wrestled with the forum question and always decided not to do them. They can be a great benefit but are costly, time consuming, and have lots of negatives especially when 'official'. Considering the GW community on the Web I can see why they'd want to ditch it.

Of course what GW SHOULD have is a questions and answer forum but considering how they seem to be reacting to FAQs and the like theses days that is certainly not going to happen. And, as others have said, presumably they'll still respond to direct emails. In my limited experience email response has been excellent but I've never sent a rules question.
   
Made in us
5th God of Chaos! (Yea'rly!)




The Great State of Texas

I have seen multiple mentions of warseer but not here. I don't think this board would suffer GW board members gladly. We're the angry bitter uncle in the corner who foams at the mouth but unfortunately is usually right...

-"Wait a minute.....who is that Frazz is talking to in the gallery? Hmmm something is going on here.....Oh.... it seems there is some dispute over video taping of some sort......Frazz is really upset now..........wait a minute......whats he go there.......is it? Can it be?....Frazz has just unleashed his hidden weiner dog from his mini bag, while quoting shakespeares "Let slip the dogs the war!!" GG
-"Don't mind Frazzled. He's just Dakka's crazy old dude locked in the attic. He's harmless. Mostly."
-TBone the Magnificent 1999-2014, Long Live the King!
 
   
Made in ca
Fixture of Dakka




Canada

I dunno Jfrazell- you kinda just described the Frothers (ie. FUUK) Forum pretty well

"Nothing from the outside world can be imported into Canada without first being doused in ranch dressing. Canadian Techs have found that while this makes the internet delicious it tends to hamper the bandwidth potential. Scientists are working furiously to rectify the problem. "

--Glaive Company CO 
   
Made in us
[MOD]
Madrak Ironhide







Posted By jfrazell on 11/01/2006 12:01 PM
I have seen multiple mentions of warseer but not here. I don't think this board would suffer GW board members gladly. We're the angry bitter uncle in the corner who foams at the mouth but unfortunately is usually right...

That's the angry, bitter, DIRTY FILTHY LYING unclie in the corner...

And naked. Did I mention naked? Oh? Am I the only one not working?

DR:70+S+G-MB-I+Pwmhd05#+D++A+++/aWD100R++T(S)DM+++
Get your own Dakka Code!

"...he could never understand the sense of a contest in which the two adversaries agreed upon the rules." Gabriel Garcia Marquez, One Hundred Years of Solitude 
   
Made in us
Been Around the Block




Newark Ohio

I think its stupid of GW and a mistake instead of putting in the time and turning their Forums around they just ditch and run, forgetting that most of those forum goers are their supposed target customers, little Billie, little Danny and Tiny Tim who no longer have somewhere to go and cry my Marines THE Greatest!!!!!!!!! and have everyone and their younger brother agree. Instead they have us and Warseer and the SGs forum and others where their mostly gonna get the cynical old Vets and disalusioned specialist games player who already felt the boot of an uncarring GW for far too long.
But hey since I really wish GW all the worst at this point thats okay if they keep right on making dumb choices like this, another few years and  I can watch them finish their death spiral down the drain.

   
Made in in
[MOD]
Otiose in a Niche






Hyderabad, India

GW

Customer feedback is the lifeblood of a hobby-based company like this.  Without a forum or a letters page in WD customers will vote with their wallets and by then it's too late.

My previous company set up forums, games, courted fan sites and did everything they could to encourge fan commitment and participation.  GW is running from their fan base.


 
   
Made in se
Regular Dakkanaut




Webway

Posted By syr8766 on 11/01/2006 11:56 AM
...the 'three-for-the-price-of-one' limited boxed sets (War Walkers, Piranha)....

If you are writing about Warwalker and Piranha sets, I think you are rather referring to the "three-for-the-price-of-three" special offer. Anyway, it still better than their regular "one-for-the-price-of-two" offer.

...Back on topic, I think that GW proves every day how outdated their mindset is regarding their own customer base. Can they really hope to sell plastic toys to 12-years old and pretend they don't know what Internet is?

Of course, if they shutdown their long-outdated forums (the only valid reason being out of sheer shame for the lack of features of their software) it can't do any good. The Eye of Terror will spread around, but I'm sure the hordes of fanboys ending in every corner of W40K forum galaxy won't find an environment as supportive and GW-friendly as they were accustomed to. I mean, a typical GW fanboy posting "as he used to do on GW forums" but on Dakka instead, will be down in flames in seconds.

And some of them may even discover a level of discontent they might have been unaware of while posting there.


: : www.stephane.info : :
"It's better to enlarge the game than to restrict the players" -- Eric Wujcik 
   
Made in in
[MOD]
Otiose in a Niche






Hyderabad, India

Y'know though we should post a link in the Eye of Terror, sure a lot of them are kids but so were we all once. And it's good to remind some of the mature posters we exist.

 
   
Made in us
RogueSangre





The Cockatrice Malediction

I'm not too worried about being overrun by refugees.  In fact I'm looking forward to it.  Because if there's one thing dakka excels at it's making fun of stupid people.  I eagerly await the hilarity to ensue.
   
Made in us
Clousseau





Wilmington DE

Posted By Abadabadoobaddon on 11/01/2006 12:21 PM
I'm not too worried about being overrun by refugees.  In fact I'm looking forward to it.  Because if there's one thing dakka excels at it's making fun of stupid people.  I eagerly await the hilarity to ensue.

Exalt!

Guinness: for those who are men of the cloth and football fans, but not necessarily in that order.

I think the lesson here is the best way to enjoy GW's games is to not use any of their rules.--Crimson Devil 
   
Made in us
Krazed Killa Kan






South NJ/Philly

Their forums were pretty bad.

It's not like they can "ignore" feedback. If they cared about feedback they'll just read the fan forums like they already do, just not visibly to the rest of us.

Brimstone at Warseer is a GW employee and is the guy who gives out rumors. Many GW employees read fan forums and I'm sure the Dev team isn't going to be deaf to what the fans are saying.

I'd be more upset if their forums weren't so bad. After finding Dakka and Warseer I haven't gone back.
   
Made in us
5th God of Chaos! (Yea'rly!)




The Great State of Texas

Posted By Kid_Kyoto on 11/01/2006 12:16 PM
Y'know though we should post a link in the Eye of Terror, sure a lot of them are kids but so were we all once. And it's good to remind some of the mature posters we exist.


Thats a lie! I was never a kid! Or Cool!

Just ask my kids .



-"Wait a minute.....who is that Frazz is talking to in the gallery? Hmmm something is going on here.....Oh.... it seems there is some dispute over video taping of some sort......Frazz is really upset now..........wait a minute......whats he go there.......is it? Can it be?....Frazz has just unleashed his hidden weiner dog from his mini bag, while quoting shakespeares "Let slip the dogs the war!!" GG
-"Don't mind Frazzled. He's just Dakka's crazy old dude locked in the attic. He's harmless. Mostly."
-TBone the Magnificent 1999-2014, Long Live the King!
 
   
Made in us
[MOD]
Madrak Ironhide







So they're going to leave the forums in the hands of people even more psychotic than they are?

This should be highly entertaining...

DR:70+S+G-MB-I+Pwmhd05#+D++A+++/aWD100R++T(S)DM+++
Get your own Dakka Code!

"...he could never understand the sense of a contest in which the two adversaries agreed upon the rules." Gabriel Garcia Marquez, One Hundred Years of Solitude 
   
Made in us
[MOD]
Madrak Ironhide







Posted By Kid_Kyoto on 11/01/2006 12:16 PM
Y'know though we should post a link in the Eye of Terror, sure a lot of them are kids but so were we all once. And it's good to remind some of the mature posters we exist.

Kyoto Sensei, ambassador...of the undead!

DR:70+S+G-MB-I+Pwmhd05#+D++A+++/aWD100R++T(S)DM+++
Get your own Dakka Code!

"...he could never understand the sense of a contest in which the two adversaries agreed upon the rules." Gabriel Garcia Marquez, One Hundred Years of Solitude 
   
 
Forum Index » News & Rumors
Go to: