NeoGAF

On the Gaming Forum, Official Threads (designated with |OT|) serve specifically to contain the at-release and post-release discussion for a game, with the original post in the thread providing information about the game. The key word here is discussion, though. They are not intended to be marketing websites, hype-building or fellating as a result of the highs of the PR hype cycle, or all-encompassing megathreads for news.

When you create an official thread for a game, ideally after notifying the rest of the community here (especially for major releases so that you don't step on toes), you should follow these rules:

-Do not be affiliated in any way with the game in question, whether as a developer, publisher, or marketer.

-Do not exceed one post in length unless you have a very good reason to.

-Focus on presenting the facts in a clear and concise manner. You can be stylish, but avoid being bloated, in formatting or bandwidth usage.

-Avoid letting hype distort your perspective. Don't fellate the game in the thread title or otherwise, doubly so if its marketing budget is reminiscent of Apple's bank statement. It doesn't need it, and you'll come off as a viral.

-Don't post your official thread more than seven days prior to its game's release (excepting multiplayer-centric games with large-scale long-term open betas, like Dota 2, which are addressed individually). |OT|s are not for news, so they have no reason to exist while we're still in the news cycle.

-Satirical |OT|s can be acceptable, but whether you get a lock will be on a case-by-case basis.


Bear in mind, as of recently we are moving game |OT|s to the Community Forum one month post-release so that the Gaming Forum isn't clogged up and can focus on more relevant content.

It's like you're staring into my soul with those eyes. <3

I like the rules. Hopefully, this can keep threads more focused on easy to dissect info on games I have some interest in, but just want a bite size of info to help swing me to more information about it.

Still sad we'll never see a MGS4 mega thread again. :(

Thank god.

Can you make an OT thread if you don't own said game?

Originally Posted by EviLore

-Do not exceed one post in length unless you have a very good reason to.

praise the sun

Originally Posted by zlatko

Still sad we'll never see a MGS4 mega thread again. :(

But there has been a few "Mega OTs" since then (Modern Warfare 3, Battlefield 3, Mortal Kombat, Assassin's Creed Revelations).

Still, good to see guidelines.

Actual guidelines! And at such fair prices, who could resist?

Buy Now!

/notamarketer

Good news!

Originally Posted by Wario64

Can you make an OT thread if you don't own said game?

Is this in response to the KH3D OT?

If you want to focus on more recent content on the gaming forum, does that mean that discussion of old games (LTTP threads) should go in the community forum?

I always felt that the saterical thread titles attracted just as much BS as the super hyperbole inflated ones, honestly.

Thank god.

Some of those OTs were embarrassing.

Awesome news. Now I can open an OP without feeling like I am going to be in a companies marketing blitz. EL, do this rules also apply to OT's in the OT?

Because Scuilli is going to be really sad if he can't post all the stuff Spielberg's marketing team is wanting him to post.

Originally Posted by Jotamide

If you want to focus on more recent content on the gaming forum, does that mean that discussion of old games (LTTP threads) should go in the community forum?

No, LTTP is still for Gaming, those threads are usually quick and transient, while |OT|s can be populated by a few die-hards that have formed a community around the game, for months or years post-release, and sometimes stay a permanent fixture on page 1 of Gaming long after they've exhausted their relevance.

I do feel for gunbo--a lot of the information in his thread was the kind of in-depth stuff that most PR threads never delve into. Should've just pastebinned them with image links, though.

Hope it can be unlocked once some fixes are made.

How about no text walls in jpgs...

BUT NOW HOW WILL I EVER POST MY NOVELLA ON THE ORIGINS OF SORA'S HAIRCUT?!

I strongly support all of this.

Any limitations for off-site linking?

IE, if somebody made an entire website for the OP and merely stuck a link in the OP, would that be acceptable? Could you hyperlink to a subsection, IE, have a link to a separate webpage where the "story" section of the OT would reside?

Originally Posted by EviLore

-Do not exceed one post in length unless you have a very good reason to.

Justice has been delivered.

Thank you based Evilore.

I really like single-post OTs. Thank you EviLore.

I hope this means we get more OTs like Ninja Gaiden 2 lol

Originally Posted by ZealousD

Any limitations for off-site linking?

IE, if somebody made an entire website for the OP and merely stuck a link in the OP, would that be acceptable? Could you hyperlink to a subsection, IE, have a link to a separate webpage where the "story" section of the OT would reside?

If anyone did this I'd be quick to question their motives.

I wandered into the DMC HD thread, and wondered why in the blue hell it was that long.

I, for one, welcome the one post rule for Official Topics.

Originally Posted by EviLore

-Do not exceed one post in length unless you have a very good reason to.

Very happy to see this. Some of the OTs of late have been a bit obnoxious in how they're pretty much hype threads, and anything but calm, level-headed discussion of the game in question. If I want something that comes off as marketing PR I'll go to the game's official website. I don't want to see stuff like that here.

Great thread, OP!

Great news!

Originally Posted by EviLore

If anyone did this I'd be quick to question their motives.

People are going to try and come up with loopholes. If you setup barriers, people will do as much as they can within them.

I also imagine you'll also start seeing a lot more text within images, which would be a key way to get around character limits.

Cool. The one post rule is the best thing there, the limitation will only make OT's better.

Hopefully this means people stop using complete images for the entire OT. That way if you try to search for a particular piece of info you can find it quickly, instead of having to read an essay on why said game is the greatest game of all existence.

OTs were getting retarded indeed. Well not getting, I still remember the MGS4 OT being like 40 posts long. This is a good move.

BTW here's an example of what I think all OTs should aspire to

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthre...=final+fantasy

Looks real nice and has all the necessary information you could need.

Originally Posted by ZealousD

People are going to try and come up with loopholes. If you setup barriers, people will do as much as they can within them.

I also imagine you'll also start seeing a lot more text within images, which would be a key way to get around character limits.

The guidelines are more about expressing intent about how things will be enforced than presenting explicit limitations to try to find loopholes in. I don't think anyone wants all their |OT| work to be thrown into the trash with a lock, so, endeavor to fit with the guidelines.

Originally Posted by jett

OTs were getting retarded indeed. Well not getting, I still remember the MGS4 OT being like 40 posts long. This is a good move.

BTW here's an example of what I think all OTs should aspire to

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthre...=final+fantasy

Looks real nice and has all the necessary information you could need.

That is slick as fuck.

Originally Posted by Mr Nash

Very happy to see this. Some of the OTs of late have been a bit obnoxious in how they're pretty much hype threads, and anything but calm, level-headed discussion of the game in question. If I want something that comes off as marketing PR I'll go to the game's official website. I don't want to see stuff like that here.

Of late? It's been going on for years now.

That said, I approve of the new guidelines - It's something that has really bothered me about OTs for quite a while.

There goes the days when one could say "The OT is bigger than the game's manual"

Originally Posted by jett

OTs were getting retarded indeed. Well not getting, I still remember the MGS4 OT being like 40 posts long. This is a good move.

BTW here's an example of what I think all OTs should aspire to

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthre...=final+fantasy

Looks real nice and has all the necessary information you could need.

I think the only thing that lets it down is all the playable characters are shown there. To me, that is a spoiler.

The ME3 OT is pretty nice due to zero spoilers http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=464777

Originally Posted by Riposte

There goes the days when one could say "The OT is bigger than the game's manual"

Are you sure you've seen game manuals lately?

Originally Posted by Riposte

There goes the days when one could say "The OT is bigger than the game's manual"

No, with how shitty manuals are today, those days are only ahead at this point.

I really appreciate it when the OP updates the OT with answers to common questions and relevant upcoming news.

Originally Posted by jett

OTs were getting retarded indeed. Well not getting, I still remember the MGS4 OT being like 40 posts long. This is a good move.

BTW here's an example of what I think all OTs should aspire to

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthre...=final+fantasy

Looks real nice and has all the necessary information you could need.

Even that is way too much, in my opinion.

That's a shame about the one post, I'll miss great OT's like this.

Just include a link to a tumblr account?

Well that's good. My Blizzard DOTA thread was going to be a header, game description, section for patch notes links and Blizzard's download page. Was getting intimidated by these journal articles on game mechanics and collector's editions. Phew.

I apologize after the fact, EvilLore, for my long-winded (or so it may seem after seeing these guidelines) Dark Souls OT. Good to have a solid foundation to work from in the future though.

Originally Posted by fernoca

If anything ,another thing that need to be kept in mind while making OTs (as weird as it sounds) is that in many cases, many don't read OTs after a game is released. So, sometimes the OTs are flooded by questions that are already answered in the main post. Granted, in big/bloated threads it is a problem and telling people to "look for it yourself" of course it would suck; but if anything it's something that should be kept in mind when making them.

OT creators also need to update threads after posted, and not just typos. If you see a question been asked a lot in the thread (i.e. which version is the best, does the game has a reversible cover, online pass, etc.); that kind of stuff should be added to the main post (if not there from the beginning). But in many cases, OTs are posted and never updated with latest info unless something "big" happens.

I really wanted to do this with the Dark Souls/Demons Souls OT but duckroll ended up posting the subsequent OTs (OT2, etc etc) and it became too much to try and keep things updated. Life and such...

Originally Posted by EviLore

-Do not exceed one post in length unless you have a very good reason to.

Evilore you sexy beast.

Praise da lawd!