by the fans for the fans

This latest bout of "technical difficulties" at Robotech.com got me thinking... is the site even worth fixing anymore?


Ever since the site opened in 2001, it's been going steadily downhill. It's a far different place from what it was when I first signed up there back in 2003, and I know a great many old timers who say the site was slipping even back then.


For whatever reason, Harmony Gold seems utterly oblivious to the fact that the average Robotech fan is in his late 20s. Because they're so dead-set on maintaining what they think is a "kid-friendly" atmosphere on a site populated almost exclusively by people who're old enough to buy their own guns and liquor, it's virtually impossible to hold an intelligent conversation there. You can't talk about any subject that might be even the slightest bit offensive or controversial... including politics, religion, most current events, anything that isn't sold in the RT.com store, etc. Since those subjects are all banned, the Warzone there degenerated into a neverending wasteland of imbecilic "can A beat up B" threads, and most other chat topics are just the same old circular arguments. There's certainly nothing NEW to talk about. It's been years since Shadow Chronicles, and it'll be years before we see anything to do with Shadow Rising or the live-action movie. What's the point of having the message boards at all if any topic that was even remotely interesting is verboten? Are we honestly expected to just sit around talking about the same old garbage they've been selling for nearly 25 years now?


What's more, you can't even chat about the old crap in peace there anymore. The site used to have half-decent moderator coverage... but just like most of the old fans who actually had standards, many of the moderators have simply said "FGSFDS" and quit the fandom, leaving us in the hands of three entirely apathetic administrators (Steve, Tommy, and Kevin) and the small handful of moderators who show up only occasionally. The few who do often either never get the problem reports or choose not to act on them, because getting a moderator to take prompt action on a real problem is next to impossible. On some occasions, the mods who DO respond apparently don't bother reading the thread, and just lash out at whoever they don't like (I'm lookin' at YOU, Maverick_LSC). Because the moderators can't be arsed to actually respond to problems these days, the very worst troublemakers, trolls like Jeebers, Sanman, and ROBOTECHFANPLUS, assume they've been given carte blanche to do as they damn well please.


Unfortunately for the fans, the apathy of those in charge extends to the maintenance of the site itself. Robotech.com has myriad technical problems, some of which it took them YEARS to address, and many of which still have not been corrected. Add to that the fact that the "Official" site's reference section is a pathetic joke, with literally no information about the mecha, characters, or story of their latest production, and many errors, incomplete sections, and stubs populating the remainder of the Infopedia. Many fans, myself included, have offered to fix the Infopedia, though no action has yet been taken.


Over on MacrossWorld, I was talking to several former fans who were forcibly driven from the fandom by Harmony Gold's asinine behavior and/or outright revolting treatment of the fanbase, including former moderator Jasonc and well-known fanworks contributor MedMepGuy. Among many such fans, the general feeling is that Harmony Gold couldn't empty water from a boot if the instructions were printed on the heel, and that Robotech is, for all practical purposes, in the hands of the fans now. Since Harmony Gold has aptly demonstrated they don't give a toss about the fans or the official site, it falls to the fan-sites to keep the fandom alive and vibrant. MedMapGuy made a case for retracting any and all offers of aid to fix the Robotech.com Infopedia and devote our efforts to beefing up the fan-made reference collections on sites like this one.


To this end, I want to ask you all what you think... is it really worth our trouble to fix up Robotech.com, or should the motivated, knowledgeable fans adopt the attitude of "By the Fans, For the Fans" with their contributions?


I ask because MedMapGuy went one step further and suggested that I should round up those members who wanted to see the Infopedia updated and, with MEMO's consent, embark on a total overhaul of the reference section here at RobotechX. Let me know what you think.

This latest bout of "technical difficulties" at Robotech.com got me thinking... is the site even worth fixing anymore?


Ever since the site opened in 2001, it's been going steadily downhill. It's a far different place from what it was when I first signed up there back in 2003, and I know a great many old timers who say the site was slipping even back then.


For whatever reason, Harmony Gold seems utterly oblivious to the fact that the average Robotech fan is in his late 20s. Because they're so dead-set on maintaining what they think is a "kid-friendly" atmosphere on a site populated almost exclusively by people who're old enough to buy their own guns and liquor, it's virtually impossible to hold an intelligent conversation there. You can't talk about any subject that might be even the slightest bit offensive or controversial... including politics, religion, most current events, anything that isn't sold in the RT.com store, etc. Since those subjects are all banned, the Warzone there degenerated into a neverending wasteland of imbecilic "can A beat up B" threads, and most other chat topics are just the same old circular arguments. There's certainly nothing NEW to talk about. It's been years since Shadow Chronicles, and it'll be years before we see anything to do with Shadow Rising or the live-action movie. What's the point of having the message boards at all if any topic that was even remotely interesting is verboten? Are we honestly expected to just sit around talking about the same old garbage they've been selling for nearly 25 years now?

You make a lot of good points there, but don't forget that some members do like talking about the same garbage, and those same members would vote yes on having the site fixed.

What's more, you can't even chat about the old crap in peace there anymore. The site used to have half-decent moderator coverage... but just like most of the old fans who actually had standards, many of the moderators have simply said "FGSFDS" and quit the fandom, leaving us in the hands of three entirely apathetic administrators (Steve, Tommy, and Kevin) and the small handful of moderators who show up only occasionally. The few who do often either never get the problem reports or choose not to act on them, because getting a moderator to take prompt action on a real problem is next to impossible. On some occasions, the mods who DO respond apparently don't bother reading the thread, and just lash out at whoever they don't like (I'm lookin' at YOU, Maverick_LSC). Because the moderators can't be arsed to actually respond to problems these days, the very worst troublemakers, trolls like Jeebers, Sanman, and ROBOTECHFANPLUS, assume they've been given carte blanche to do as they damn well please.

I've noticed this too, but I just choose to ignore it.

Unfortunately for the fans, the apathy of those in charge extends to the maintenance of the site itself. Robotech.com has myriad technical problems, some of which it took them YEARS to address, and many of which still have not been corrected. Add to that the fact that the "Official" site's reference section is a pathetic joke, with literally no information about the mecha, characters, or story of their latest production, and many errors, incomplete sections, and stubs populating the remainder of the Infopedia. Many fans, myself included, have offered to fix the Infopedia, though no action has yet been taken.

They obviously need the help on updating the site, because they don't seem to have the time to do it themselves
for whatever reasons. If people offer to help and do it for them why decline?

Over on MacrossWorld, I was talking to several former fans who were forcibly driven from the fandom by Harmony Gold's asinine behavior and/or outright revolting treatment of the fanbase, including former moderator Jasonc and well-known fanworks contributor MedMepGuy. Among many such fans, the general feeling is that Harmony Gold couldn't empty water from a boot if the instructions were printed on the heel, and that Robotech is, for all practical purposes, in the hands of the fans now. Since Harmony Gold has aptly demonstrated they don't give a toss about the fans or the official site, it falls to the fan-sites to keep the fandom alive and vibrant. MedMapGuy made a case for retracting any and all offers of aid to fix the Robotech.com Infopedia and devote our efforts to beefing up the fan-made reference collections on sites like this one.

This is also a major concern with me. I remember all the drama involving MMG back then, it was just stupid and uncalled for. All he was doing was expressing his opinions and he was called out for it. I don't know everything that happened, but I do think he was treated unfairly.

To this end, I want to ask you all what you think... is it really worth our trouble to fix up Robotech.com, or should the motivated, knowledgeable fans adopt the attitude of "By the Fans, For the Fans" with their contributions?

I do agree, fans are the only ones contributing anything anymore. All we've got to fall on is the information on the live action movie, but how much have we actually heard about it?

I ask because MedMapGuy went one step further and suggested that I should round up those members who wanted to see the Infopedia updated and, with MEMO's consent, embark on a total overhaul of the reference section here at RobotechX. Let me know what you think.

That's a good idea, you definitely should.

Uhhh... WHOA!!!

That's litterally all I can say about your post, Seto... WHOA!!!

In response, I'll totally back up everything you said, and maybe even throw in a couple words of my own.

First, the indemic problem with the fandom at RT.com can be measured by the traffic patterns on thier message forums. As we've both discussed ad nauseum, most of the real day-to-day traffic happens in the 'Lounge' and 'Small Talk' sections, where the idea of fan-based discussion can, at best, be only loosely applied.

The Lounge, nicknamed the Place to Annoy the Mods, is anything but. Discussions there are the most rigorously monitored and controlled on the site, save for the more direct fandom-based dicussions in the 'Robotech Production', 'Robotech Fandom' and 'Series and Stories' sections. These latter sections are easily more scrutinised, but the ammount of traffic there seems to dwindle fruther and fruther into obscurity.

The Lounge would seem to be a place that allows for off-topic discussions on any number of catagories, topics, concerns, etc., but this is far from the truth. Certain fans who have a very stinted view of thier own importance will do thier very best to flame-bait you, then report you to the mods for disciplinary action, and possible banning. All the while, these self-same self-important members whine incessantly about the mean people picking on them.


The 'Small Talk' area seems to be the most popular site on the board, and it's no real wonder why. This area has the most interesting content, the most engageing discussions, and probably the most solid indications of where the fandom feels they are seen, in regardds to the management at HG.

It's probably not a surprise to most, but the many threads that occupy that section of the site are driven by the immaginations of the fans that attend, and are, for the most part, more tangible and entertaining than HG's more recent attempts.

All in all, I thinnk it's a good idea to nudge the fandom into a more fan-oriented environment, since it's plainly clear that Harmony Gold has little to no regard for the people that support thier franchise.

Thanks, SK. This is good!!!

To this end, I want to ask you all what you think... is it really worth our trouble to fix up Robotech.com, or should the motivated, knowledgeable fans adopt the attitude of "By the Fans, For the Fans" with their contributions?

The Unofficial Robotech Ref Guide is still just that. Creating another on this site will not accomplish anything, your efforts are worth more than that.

The days of HG accepting thing from the fans handed on a silver platter ore over, I think. As Robotech's profile rises HG will want to fill in the blanks and take steps to unite the fanbase, likely with a complete overhaul if not completely new official site being rolled out.

The problem is that there will be no need for such large steps if the LA movie falls through.

I never understood why RT.com never really beefed up their Shadow Chronicles infopedia like the Macross, Masters, & New Generation ones. If Shadow Chron. really is a part of the OFFICIAL continuity should'nt be more information on it. More mech specs or character bios or somethin'. I want to learn more on this new generation of Robotech.

I never understood why RT.com never really beefed up their Shadow Chronicles infopedia like the Macross, Masters, & New Generation ones. If Shadow Chron. really is a part of the OFFICIAL continuity should'nt be more information on it. More mech specs or character bios or somethin'. I want to learn more on this new generation of Robotech.

treiz wrote:

The Unofficial Robotech Ref Guide is still just that. Creating another on this site will not accomplish anything, your efforts are worth more than that.

I'm afraid there really isn't any one source that's actually in line with the official Robotech universe. The uRRG is a companion source for the fan-fiction Robotech universe created by its authors... it doesn't line up at all with the official universe either before or after the 2001 continuity reboot, and there really aren't any other major sources aside from the Infopedia.


treiz wrote:

The problem is that there will be no need for such large steps if the LA movie falls through.

Unfortunately, that's the fate that I and quite a few others are predicting... Warner Brothers is clearly not taking the project seriously. The 80's revival trend is already starting to lose steam... if they don't get down to production soon, they're going to miss their proverbial train altogether and release an 80's revival movie into a market that has already tired of the trend, assuming they don't just axe the project altogether when they realize they've waited too long.


Troubleman245 wrote:

I never understood why RT.com never really beefed up their Shadow Chronicles infopedia like the Macross, Masters, & New Generation ones. If Shadow Chron. really is a part of the OFFICIAL continuity should'nt be more information on it. More mech specs or character bios or somethin'. I want to learn more on this new generation of Robotech.

Yeah, that's one of the main complaints about the current state of affairs over on Robotech.com. Apart from a few minor modifications to existing articles, the Infopedia really hasn't been updated at all. Ships from Robotech: the Shadow Chronicles are still marked ??? in the mecha size comparison, and there are no stat pages for mecha or characters, or even a story summary.

Even The Art of Robotech: the Shadow Chronicles has next to nothing on the characters and mecha of the movie. The typical article is a brief four or five sentences on a character's general history, or an even shorter blurb about the new mecha. Next to nothing is given in the way of hard stats, aside from what was reprinted out of the Infopedia and Robotech Art 1. I picked up a copy of the book for a dollar at a local garage sale, and I still felt like I overpaid.

It's precisely this sort of neglect that drives so many people away from Robotech and Robotech.com... the company line so often repeated by Kevin McKeever... that updating the site has the lowest possible priority because they won't make any money doing it.

Warner Brothers is clearly not taking the project seriously.

How so? From what we know of the talent being brought to bear it seems like Warner is taking this very seriously indeed.

The 80's revival trend is already starting to lose steam...

According to whom? The GIJoe movie hasn't even been released yet.

DONT COUNT GO LION VOLTRON WITH WB AND THE LAST AVATAR, ASTROBOY, BLOOD, PONYO,...

JUST A FEW.


NOW WITH HG FIXING THEIR SITE, THATS ALL UP TO THEM. THEY ARE THE OFFICIAL SITE ADN ONLY PLACE WHERE FANS CAN VOICE THEIR CONCERN OF CERTAIN THINGS.

HAND IN HAND, THIS SITE WORKS WELL AS AN "EXTRA" PAGE TO DO THE EXTRA STUFF THAT ONE CANT DO IN RT.COM. OF COURSE THEY SHOULD FIX IT.

AND UPDATE IT.

HEHEHE

MEMO1DOMINION wrote:

DONT COUNT GO LION VOLTRON WITH WB AND THE LAST AVATAR, ASTROBOY, BLOOD, PONYO,...

Aren't half of the ones you just listed mired in legal issues that make it extremely unlikely that they'll even get to production? I know Voltron is tied up in court because of a rights dispute.


MEMO1DOMINION wrote:

NOW WITH HG FIXING THEIR SITE, THATS ALL UP TO THEM. THEY ARE THE OFFICIAL SITE AND ONLY PLACE WHERE FANS CAN VOICE THEIR CONCERN OF CERTAIN THINGS.

Point is, Harmony Gold ISN'T fixing their site. The only improvements that've been made have come along when the site gets so run-down that it's barely usable anymore, like the new server. Whenever it's proposed that they actually update the Infopedia or any of the sections of the site that aren't the Store, McKeever chimes in with "we don't make money on it, so it's not worth the trouble".