Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Sarlax 09-28-05, 01:18 AM	Do all warforged have three big fingers like in the pictures? What is your favorite kind of hat? What does the Mark of Death do? Can an artificer make a wand of a bard spell? These are the kinds of questions that appear on the Ask Keith threads. Questions are often unrelated to the setting, far too broad to be answered, or repetitive. I read the thread regularly and I'm finding it harder to continue. I'm particularly distressed at the recent indication that Keith Baker is dividing his time between the thread and official material such as Dragonshards or Eberron Expanded. I'm suggesting that the Ask Keith thread no longer be used. Hellcow prowls the boards looking for interesting topics, so the Thread isn't the only way for him to interact with the board members. Additionally, the vast majority of questions asked in the Thread (the ones that have anything to do with the setting, that is) can be answered by other board members. I'm not set on this; I just want to throw it out to see what people think.
a_psh 09-28-05, 01:28 AM	I find it rather unweildy, particularly since we don't have a good search facility. Keith's wisdom can easily be had in a number of other interesting topic-related threads. I value the Dragonshards articles very highly and really would like to see them coming out more often. So I, personally, wouldn't miss the AKB thread. It's repetitive, unmanageable, and bloated. If it means even one more Dragonshard coming out per month, it's well worth axing the thread. I think some sort of Keith Baker answer index, with a handful of links to particularly noteworthy threads in which he's posted dozens of times, might be nice to keep around.
Cutlass 09-28-05, 01:28 AM	I have already stated my preference for Mr. Baker writing dragonshards if he has to choose between maintaining a presence on the boards and shards. However, as long as he is willing and able to do both then I see no need to discontinue the AKB thread. I think that some of the problems you have with the AKB thread could be mitigated if the answers that Mr. Baker have already given were collated and indexed. I believe that there are several people working on this already. Once that resource is available then hopefully that will reduce the number of repetitive questions that turn up. However, I think that regardless of who does what there will always be some people who will try to "abuse" the AKB thread. It's just one of those things that to a certain extent has to be expected on an open board. I think that Mr. Baker and the WizO's can handle that if it looks like it's getting too far out of hand and I do not see that as being a good reason to close the thread. In a nutshell, it all comes down to how much time Mr. Baker has available. But if he thinks he can handle both the dragonshards and a presence on the boards then I wouldn't want to make him somehow feel unwelcome on the board by "closing" the thread.
PoeticJustice 09-28-05, 01:45 AM	I can't help but smile whenever someone complains about the search option. I don't know about other browsers, but on firefox it's easy to search for a given topic using the AKB FAQ and ctrl+f.All you do is write out your question, plug in the operative word to the browser search, and voila!
Charles Phipps 09-28-05, 01:47 AM	I agree.
a_psh 09-28-05, 02:03 AM	I can't help but smile whenever someone complains about the search option. I don't know about other browsers, but on firefox it's easy to search for a given topic using the AKB FAQ and ctrl+f.All you do is write out your question, plug in the operative word to the browser search, and voila! Ctrl+F (or Cmd+F for Macs, I guess) is a very standard and very old thing, supported by practically every program that involves text in some way supports it (though a lot use / to search for text instead)... ... which enables you to search through the current page or file. This has very limited utility in this context: it will get you something out of the FAQ, yes, but it's too cumbersome to search the actual thread effectively. The very fact that someone has to compile and update this big hulking FAQ is a testament to the fact that the AKB thread is unwieldy. With the thread itself, you can't really do very much unless you go page-by-page and Find things (tedious! many, many pages!), or prepend "site:boards1.wizards.com" in a Google search (very hit-or-miss). Neither of which is anything close to a good method. It's not even a matter of the board search function being down. Just of the long-lived and high-traffic nature of the AKB thread.
Sucros 09-28-05, 02:10 AM	I absolutely love the AKB thread. I will fight to see that it sticks around. However, it's rather obvious that sometimes Mr. Baker doesn't have time to get to it. Personally, I think Hellcow should be allowed to lock the thread for a period of time if he so sees fit, to catch up on work. Similar to how I once asked a moderator of another of my favorite forums to ban me for a week so I'll get some finals studying done. But I am a HUGE fan of the thread. I've read the entire archive (no small task, I'll tell you that) and it's actually an incredibly enjoyable read. I find myself taking notes, either really neat ideas of keith's, or great ideas of my own that spawn from the thread.
DarkWarriorKarg 09-28-05, 09:32 AM	Has there ever been a reason given why the search facility is disabled?
a_psh 09-28-05, 10:09 AM	Has there ever been a reason given why the search facility is disabled? Technical reasons. I forget the details, but I think Mel said something about how search requires traversing a lot of data base entries, then sending them somewhere, and it's this sending them somewhere that totally b0rks everything, because a connection somewhere is inundated. (The bottleneck between memory and CPU is so wide that this shouldn't happen on a single system. There are separate search and database servers, perhaps?)
Grymar 09-28-05, 10:29 AM	I'll agree that the good questions on AKB are few and far between. If it means we get Dragonshards regularly, then I say it is time for the perma-lock on the AKB thread.
ChimericalWolf 09-28-05, 01:42 PM	My opinion is that Mr Baker perhaps shouldn't be posting in the thread itself, but that the thread should be used as a question pool, and that Mr Baker's answers to questions from the pool should be put on the website with the question asked. These responses should be collated into catagories, so we could easily look up, say, Warforged, and have a quick list of all Mr Baker's opinions, without having to search through the threads. I don't think we should just let him post in forums (That sounds wrong, but I don't know how to phrase it better) because some people (like myself) only look at threads that catch our eye, but would be interested in Mr Baker's posts, regardless of the subject. I for one, wouldn't be very interested in a thread on, oh, the socio-economic conditions of Karrn farmers, but I might take a look at the thread if I knew it had garnered Mr Baker's eloquent opinion. I doubt that my little post will be the blueprint for sweeping changes in the way we do things here, but, gotta try, eh?
Altaris13 09-28-05, 02:30 PM	KB, I have said a 1000 times 1000 that you ROCK. Your dedication to the setting, your creativity, your willingness to spend gads upon gads of hours conversing with crowds of fans with inane and often inconcequential questions is awe inspiring. I own ever Eberron book released so far, and have collected every Dragonshard and most of the Eberron Expanded articles (those that apply to those products which I own.) I have collected pages and pages of Ask KB FAQ information for my Eberron Archive. It is sickening at how many down-right idiotic questions random p0sers toss into the thread. It is frustrating at the endless debates which people have, filling the thread with useless babble. It is infuriating to see what was a great and wonderful resource turned into a cesspool of waste and redundency. KB, I think my opinion is obvious. Though we all greatly appreciate your willingness to scour these boards and to discuss the virtues of King Kaius over Mein Fhurer Der Vampire Badass Kaius, I personally request that you cease answering this crap that has become the Ask Keith Baker Thread.
DarkWarriorKarg 09-28-05, 02:59 PM	Technical reasons. I forget the details, but I think Mel said something about how search requires traversing a lot of data base entries, then sending them somewhere, and it's this sending them somewhere that totally b0rks everything, because a connection somewhere is inundated. (The bottleneck between memory and CPU is so wide that this shouldn't happen on a single system. There are separate search and database servers, perhaps?) Hmm... the search should be traversing an index of the database entries, not the entries themselves (that's a table scan, which is like looking through a phone book alphabetically until you find the person you look for... now imagine searching by phone number that way...). Oh, well. It depends on how their infrastructure is layed out...
Altaris13 09-28-05, 02:59 PM	I just wanted to add in something else. It has only been by the glory and grace of a select few people that the AKB threads have even been truly useful. To those people, you're up there (almost) next to KB himself. You have my personal gratitude for making these boards a better place. :bow:
Majorafire77 09-28-05, 03:08 PM	Well, there's really no place other than the AKB thread to ask Eberron-specific questions directly to Keith. I don't think that I should have to make a whole new thread just to ask him whether I can bind a druid who's wildshaped into an elemental in a khyber shard. There are many perfectly legitimate questions that don't warrant a new thread to be made just for them. That's what the AKB thread is for. I think it would be better if the WizOs check there every so often and find some way to punish the people who are loading up that perfectly fine thread with crap. KB, I think my opinion is obvious. Though we all greatly appreciate your willingness to scour these boards and to discuss the virtues of King Kaius over Mein Fhurer Der Vampire Badass Kaius, I personally request that you cease answering this crap that has become the Ask Keith Baker Thread. There is more legitimate stuff on the AKB thread than there is crap. He should respond to it, but not to questions that aren't pertinent (sp) to the camapaign setting (though I will admit that I did ask him how he decided on "hellcow" once).
ekomega 09-28-05, 04:06 PM	Maybe WotC should pay Keith to keep up the Ask Keith thread? That way he's not wasting his time that he could be using making other monies. It's obviously a valuable resource to some part of the Eberron community. Of course, it being his job makes it a very different thing. He might start hating it. And WotC might want good questions to be asked. And it'll never happen.
aelryinth 09-28-05, 04:19 PM	Hellcow's involvement with the AKB thread is one of the things that make this board come alive. The problem has been the number of questions that have gone on and on. I've not posted a question to the AKB unless it was one that he could answer quickly...I've started threads, he's read them and chosen to answer. But I check the AKB regularly, because there's tidbits there and his continual involvement is one of the things that makes the setting come alive. ==Aelryinth
MysticTheurge 09-28-05, 04:43 PM	I don't think that I should have to make a whole new thread just to ask him whether I can bind a druid who's wildshaped into an elemental in a khyber shard. There are many perfectly legitimate questions that don't warrant a new thread to be made just for them. That's what the AKB thread is for. Call me crazy, but I'm not sure why you have to ask Keith whether you can bind a wildshaped-druid. Personally, I'd rather see things like this discussed by everyone, in a general thread on the boards, than wait for Keith to say this is a rules question and can't really be answered by him or that he doesn't see why not. I guess, my opinion is that a lot of the questions that get put there can be answered by other board users, and a lot of ones that can't be answered definitively can be discussed just as easily by everyone as they can be "answered" by Keith.
Altaris13 09-28-05, 04:46 PM	Well, there's really no place other than the AKB thread to ask Eberron-specific questions directly to Keith. I don't think that I should have to make a whole new thread just to ask him whether I can bind a druid who's wildshaped into an elemental in a khyber shard. There are many perfectly legitimate questions that don't warrant a new thread to be made just for them. That's what the AKB thread is for. Yes, but it is questions like that which clog up the thread. That is a rules question, not a 'setting' question. And yes, there are many questions that are legitimate. But there are many more posts which bury those useful questions beneath heaps of garbage. I think it would be better if the WizOs check there every so often and find some way to punish the people who are loading up that perfectly fine thread with crap. The WizOs have plenty to do already, but I agree with you. There is more legitimate stuff on the AKB thread than there is crap. He should respond to it, but not to questions that aren't pertinent (sp) to the camapaign setting (though I will admit that I did ask him how he decided on "hellcow" once). I stand by my opinion. I look in on the AKB thread often enough. Every time I do I am further and further discouraged. Why should I ask my equally valid and legitimate questions when they too will only be bombarded by non-KB Posters' answers and further covered in the grease of running-at-the-mouth p0sers? The thread has become useless. It was wonderful. I wish it were still so, but that is not the case. I'd rather see even bi-weekly Shards with official material than KB answering questions that have been posted a billion times before or questions that have no bearing on the setting.
Altaris13 09-28-05, 04:52 PM	Call me crazy, but I'm not sure why you have to ask Keith whether you can bind a wildshaped-druid. Personally, I'd rather see things like this discussed by everyone, in a general thread on the boards, than wait for Keith to say this is a rules question and can't really be answered by him or that he doesn't see why not. I guess, my opinion is that a lot of the questions that get put there can be answered by other board users, and a lot of ones that can't be answered definitively can be discussed just as easily by everyone as they can be "answered" by Keith. Well said Mystic. I think these boards have come alive from the great (and occasionally not-so-great) people which have come to love Eberron just as much as the rest of us who've been here for quite some time. KB has contributed to that, but he is not the sole reason the boards have prospered.
Majorafire77 09-28-05, 10:49 PM	C'mon people, you know what I mean. Maybe it was a bad example but still, there are many better examples of setting-specific questions that would never get answered if it weren't for Keith. Plus, if we had a new thread for every single question that people have then this board would get clogged up very quickly. If we were smart about it and put all of the questions in one thread, and Keith roved around the board responding to threads, then we'd just have another Ask Keith Baker, which is the smarter solution. I stand by my opinion. I look in on the AKB thread often enough. Every time I do I am further and further discouraged. Why should I ask my equally valid and legitimate questions when they too will only be bombarded by non-KB Posters' answers and further covered in the grease of running-at-the-mouth p0sers? The thread has become useless. It was wonderful. I wish it were still so, but that is not the case. I'd rather see even bi-weekly Shards with official material than KB answering questions that have been posted a billion times before or questions that have no bearing on the setting. Believe me when I say that I know what you mean. However, I don't think that deleting the AKB thread is the right answer. Stricter rules should be made for the thread as opposed to deleting it. Deleting it would kind of suck when you think about it because there are many questions that aren't answered in the dragonshards, and if the AKB thread isn't around then we would have no place to ask them besides for on these boards to people who know as much or as little about the setting as you or I. Also, I'm sure that you've realized that Keith can't possibly cover every topic that could be made into a dragonshard within the next year (or two), and there might be people who want answers from a reputable (sp?) source for their campaign ASAP. Yes, we do have sources that are good, but none of them as good as Keith himself. Stricter rules are the answer, not the destruction of the thread.
Moria 09-29-05, 01:31 AM	I'll agree that the good questions on AKB are few and far between. If it means we get Dragonshards regularly, then I say it is time for the perma-lock on the AKB thread. I agree. I really, really want more dragonshards
Splendide 09-29-05, 01:45 AM	I appreciate the Keith Baker thread more than most Dragonshards. Don't axe it.
Sucros 09-29-05, 02:46 AM	Well put.
Insignia) 09-29-05, 04:46 AM	AKB is simply brilliant. It provided me with TONS of useful info. If you can't find your way around it, too bad... but it's your own ineptitude, nothing more. Don't let selfishness cloud your judgment. I EDIT: If Keith ever decides to close the thread, I'll support his decision 100%. However, I'll not see it closed because a handful of people "don't really like it anymore."
Mr. Wilson 09-29-05, 08:19 AM	My suggestion if you keep the AKB threads: Have Keith take a look over at the Candlekeep boards where Ed Greenwood answers fan questions through The Hidden One (one of his players). It has worked well for years. Right now, without a doubt the Dragonshards are more useful than AKB, but that's because AKB has been destroyed by innane questions. Edit: It also helps that Ed has some control of his setting, and anything he says is by contract, canon. Keith has made it clear that on some things, he will not give answers because he isn't in control of his setting. 'Course, Ed also has those pesky NDA's that foil us every so often.
Altaris13 09-29-05, 01:28 PM	AKB is simply brilliant. It provided me with TONS of useful info. If you can't find your way around it, too bad... but it's your own ineptitude, nothing more. Don't let selfishness cloud your judgment. Perhaps you shouldn't be here flaming people. If you cannot see the idiocy that fills the AKB thread, then you certainly shouldn't be calling anyone inept. Watch the CoC, Insiginificant. The AKB /was/ brilliant. KB /is/ brilliant. I'd rather see his words made canon in Dragonshards than his time wasted by n00bs who haven't even read the ECS all the way through.
Insignia) 09-29-05, 04:15 PM	The AKB /was/ brilliant. KB /is/ brilliant. I'd rather see his words made canon in Dragonshards than his time wasted by n00bs who haven't even read the ECS all the way through. Idiocy is something intelligent people have to cope with every single day... Swimming through it is not an unusual experience for me. If Keith decides to drop one, sure, I'll vote against AKB. However, I still find it to be an incredibly useful source of (often very specific) information, and wouldn't like to see it dropped if it's not absolutely necessary. :twocents: I
MrFilthyIke 09-29-05, 05:22 PM	Idiocy is something intelligent people have to cope with every single day... Swimming through it is not an unusual experience for me. Was going...to...post...drowning in...overinflated ego....*gasp* Where's my rolling eyes icon? Ah, there it is. :rolleyes: BAM!
Zookeeper 09-29-05, 05:52 PM	My suggestion if you keep the AKB threads: Have Keith take a look over at the Candlekeep boards where Ed Greenwood answers fan questions through The Hidden One (one of his players). It has worked well for years. I would suggest the same type of thing. Only allow a small handful of (say maybe 5) people be allowed to post to the AKB threads, thereby filtering out the repetitive and unrelated questions. Those people would surf through the threads and find legitimate questions answering them or post the fact that you will submit it to keith, then post the responce. This would help keep the AKB thread open and shorter and also free up time for keith to continue the dragonshard articles, or whatever else he may be working on.
WarlockDa 09-29-05, 06:02 PM	You know you can easily search any topic without doing a Crtl-F on every page right? Click Thread Tools then download thread. The thread is saved as a TxT file that you can load into whatever word processor you prefer and search whenever you want. Least that way you can search the entire thread at once and not search page by page for 50+ pages ;)