Wow, unless you are a long time lurker, you already have deep insight of the site. But seriously calling the admin being lazy is really uncalled for.

I have been actively contributing to this site for two years. Every now and then post like this will pop up complaining nothing has changed. If I recall the last gripe session was about 9 months ago. Believe it or not most complain starts about when school is over where there are a big influx of noobs.

I'm not going to defend the mods/admins for their inactions. We were promised times and times again that the site will improve but a lot of us realized that they do this for free and they have their own lives to take care off.

The quality of the site is going to get worse since school is over. Live with it. See spams report them and move along.

Before any more flames or words being thrown around, I suggest the mod lock this thread, when they get to it.

Okay, well.. being a "noob", my opinion probably has little value, but here's my impressions of the place since I registered in 2010...

Think of it as a rational point of view from a lowly noob's perspective. Please bear in mind that everything I'm saying is not said in malice. These are mere suggestions. I simply feel that it needs to be said (and hopefully read) to help us all keep things in perspective.

The general attitude I've seen around here is split down the middle. 50% of the people here want to help each other, and 50% want to bash/ban people for asking simple questions. This is a problem because this website is touted as THE premiere Halo costuming *community*... Again, from a "noob's" perspective let's see what that might mean...

The best of the best Halo universe costumers helping out each other to grow the community.

That's how that tag line reads to me, and why I registered to this site.

Now that I've begun work on my own kit, I'm always running into minor problems, such as needing reference pictures and/or technique questions answered. Isn't that what this site was designed to be? A one-stop shop for all your Halo costuming needs... Or at least, that's how it should be.

Instead, 'noobs' are restricted to where they can post new threads, and god forbid a noob start a thread ask a specific question, because that's simply not allowed. Why? Because the 'experienced' costumers are sick of answering the question? That's how it looks, folks.

This site *needs* a reference area. An area separated into various category folders based on the costume one is doing.

Example:

UNSC Forces

• Spartans
  • Reference Pictures (Self explanatory)
  • Pep files (ALL the pep files for this costume are listed here)
  • Armor Rigging (Need to know how to attach your armor so you can wear it?)
  • Soft/Cloth parts and patterns (Undersuits and the like)
  • Painting details (Insignias, warning labels, etc etc etc and where they go)
• ODST
  • Reference Pictures
  • Pep files
  • Armor Rigging
  • Soft/Cloth parts and patterns
  • Painting details
• Marines
  • Reference Pictures
  • Pep files
  • Armor Rigging
  • Soft/Cloth parts and patterns
  • Painting details
• Navy
  • Reference Pictures
  • Pep files
  • Armor Rigging
  • Soft/Cloth parts and patterns
  • Painting details
• Cortana
  • Reference Pictures
  • Pep files
  • Soft/Cloth parts and patterns
  • Painting details
• Weapons
  • Ma5c Assault Rifle
  • SMG
  • ODST Silenced SMG
  • Pistol
  • Shotgun
  • etc

Each are can be moderated and maintained by one or two people who are the 'experts' of that area/costume and people can submit new reference materials to them to be added.

Currently, there is no such place on this site...Or at least none that I can find, which again, is a bit dismaying considering the purpose of this website.. To band together and help each other be the best Halo costumers we can be.

Oh.. I had read somewhere in the 'noob' files that someone compared the 405th with the 501st Stormtrooper Legion and how the 405th is going down that same road.

As a former member of the 501st Legion for 10 years I can tell you this...

DON'T.

Keep it simple, keep it friendly, keep it helpful, and above all else, keep it loose and free. We're all fans of Halo trying to make silly suits of make-believe armor to fight make-believe aliens. Remember that. Deep down, we're all human and we're all here to HELP each other.

If someone asks a question:

1. Don't slam them. That's just being rude and it makes you look like a tool.
   
2. Don't treat them like they're an idiot. They're not an idiot, they're just new here and things are very, very tough to find on this site. Yes, I'm aware that there's a search function on the site; you don't need to post a cute and clever little screencap of it when I ask you a question. Honestly, the search function can be compared to trying to find a needle in a field of haystacks.
   
3. Don't sit on your high horse because you managed to craft one or two suits of great pretend armor. You have no reason to look down at people. Besides, you were new once and likely had questions too. Don't forget that.

1. DO be helpful.
   
2. DO be patient.
   
3. DO whatever you can to guide this new person through the process so that they can enjoy this hobby the way you do.

In short, remember what Jesus says:


Seriously... This site needs a reference area...badly. If there was a reference area 95% of the questions that are raised by new costumers would be eliminated. At the very least, it'd be one area that people can be pointed to if you don't feel like answering them yourself. I'd be willing to help gather whatever I can to post in it and I'm sure there are plenty of others who are also willing to help gather reference material. Hell, it's likely that most of us already have a metric ton of it already, due to our projects. Wouldn't it be nice to have it all in one central location that's easy to find?

Yes. God, yes it would.

EDIT: Note the post directly above mine.... NOT helpful and exactly the kind of thing I'm talking about here.

Well there used to be such a reference gallery a forum version ago. Wich was quite handy actually. Don't really know why they didn't port it over, i'm guessing they have their reasons.

Not true. No idea where you got that idea.

We have a set of rules before we actually ban someone. I think you percieved this wrong.

And you have this actually on allot of forums that people bash on other people. Thats just the habbit of forums and people being people.

Perhaps you might be able to ask those concerned and find out? I ask this simply out of curiosity because not having any reference area at all as it currently stands is just plain silly, especially given the reputation the 405th is trying to project and maintain. I only want what's best for all concerned; noobs and 'lites.

Look, I'm not here to rock boats or join Sparticus in any revolt against "the man". I'm here to seek guidance and assistance, be it technical or motivational, to build my own set of armor like everyone else. If there was a Reference area in a conspicuous area (Part of the top menu bar, perhaps?) where all of the tutorials, reference pictures, pep files, etc etc etc etc were kept, then there simply would not be as many "dumb questions" for people to spew out the common "go read all the posts, newb! Ha! I'm l337".

You make the answers easy to find and lo and behold the questions diminish considerably. Hell, I'm trying to find out if anyone has a pattern for the harness buckles on the ODST armor. Do I dare ask? Nope, because it's been made clear in the "noob" area that you're not allowed to start a question thread. Period. So I spend a ton of time reading and sifting through page after page of each and every ODST thread hoping that maybe, just maybe, I'll find what I'm looking for. This is a monumental waste of time and defeats the entire purpose of a forum like this, doesn't it?

That's all I'm proposing. A simple to find, well organized and categorized reference area with monitored and maintained content.

That's entirely possible, but given that my eyes see "don't start a thread to ask a question or you will be punished" every "help" post, can you really blame me for coming to what many would likely consider the next logical conclusion?

Again, all of this could be sidestepped by instituting a Reference area.

At least then, such rules about asking questions would make some sense, since the likely answer would be in an easy to find location, thus showing that the asker hadn't bothered looking.

Yes. Bashing is rampant all over the internet because people devolve into bully children when they can safely hide behind the shroud of anonymity. Just because other sites allow and/or encourage such asinine behavior, does that mean that the 405th should as well, or even turn a blind eye?

Isn't the motto of the 405th "Honor, Armor, Unity"?

Bashing on people doesn't really fall into any of those things... well..Maybe armor, but still.

The point I was making before was that people don't have to be a jerk. Members can and should take the high road and be helpful. Look, if someone doesn't want to be helpful, that's fine, then they don't have to reply to the person's question at all. They can be aloof all they want; just don't be a jerk and add nothing to the conversation but an insult or some other juvenile thing.

That's just my opinion.

We still need a reference area.

Badly.

As a fellow noob I am affraid I have to disagree with 'TD-0013'.

Yes there is a split between the people who are willing to help and those who aren't, the ones who aren't make up the minority as most of them have left because they can't stand all the noobs (get a grip, noobs happen, deal with it) The other, I'd say 85% or more are more than happy to help so it seems.

As for noob's being restricted I think that that the way it has been done is very good. You can start as many new Threads as you like in the noob section and the pro's will jump in and help you.
Granted you can't post a thread in other areas but you can post...posts, which is more than enough.
I have not found a reason to start a new thread anywhere but the noob section.
And as to be expected every question imaginable has at some point been asked, thus proper use of the search bar (read the how to on that) or use of google will provide 99.9% of the answers.


Other than the random symbols and the occasional broken link here and there (as to be expected from a forum that goes way back) I have found it very very nice here.
Ok a little bit of maintenance wouldn't go a miss though Im sure its slowly making progress but I would not say its falling apart.


As a new comer I realise I do not have encyclopaedic knowledge of how this place works or is run.....but I have found it meets and exceeds all of my requirements.




END NOTE: I would like to see the 'PEPAKURA FILES' section finished



Manix

This is a pretty prominent thing that I have noticed to, at least among the broken quotes, images, some videos, and certain symbols like ' and :, but I always assumed it was simply the browser I was using (I use Chrome, and usually forums work best for me in Explorer). I'm glad that other people are having the same problems.

A reference section would be nice, especially with the new Halo coming out in like what, less than 5 months? Time passes so fast. It'd be helpful especially now because as more information is released, people make pep files for various things, or a model, and they're lost because it's just on the border of not being entirely important or relevant yet.

As for what Rundown said about banning people, I really have no comment except that I have found a lot of helpful people that answer my exact questions who seemed 100% helpful and not rude to the noobs at all who have been banned for reasons I do not know. Of course, this may be because of what Wanderer and TD touched on, but it may be because of completely unrelated issues that don't need to be discussed here.

And finally, this was just to voice another noobs opinion, which really doesn't have much meaning outside of the Noob Forum so if you find this post offensive in any way, remember I'm simply a noob. Give me time

Whatever someone's individual gripe is, to start a conversation by saying something that took hard work and years to create and maintain is "falling apart" is just an invitation to a flame war/bash session/in-fighting or whatever you wanna call it.

I think that the OP tried to set a tone that thankfully is not being followed.

Having said that, noobs exist. Some noobs are noobier than others and in some, this is compounded by rudeness and unrealistic expectations. And here as in real life in general some people require more direction than others. I think it's interesting that there are posts by two self-proclaimed Noobs that differ so dramatically about their experience here.

I agree about the maintenance and the reference section is an excellent idea. But sometimes all you have to do is hold your fire SPARTAN, and be patient and things get resolved.

Okay... Thank you, because this kind of proves my point.

I just did a search for "search Function" and "Search Help"... A massive pile of threads that don't indicate any such information is located within them.

I also went into the "Help" Stickies and dug around. One I just looked through is Help: Forum Usage

After reading all 10 pages, I saw nothing about using the search feature here, or a link to where that information is kept.

I'm not trying to be a pain in the ass, I swear. I'd just rather spend my time actually working on my armor than searching and searching for hours for the answer to one of those "every imaginable" questions.

...and Google it? Really?

Anyhow... I'm done talking about this because the last thing I want is to be labeled as a problem child or some such thing.

Take care and armor on...

Ok, so I can agree I came off a bit rude in the first post, but it's true. The staff have let this place go, that's to say the least. I just find it saddening that members like ForgedReclaimer, Ruze, Nintendude, Sean Bradley, the list could go on of veteran members who helped other people and got tired of this place and either left, hardly come here anymore, or have been banned.

Look at every thread that's started like this, almost every single one of them, closed. Course nobody else I think can see it but I looked back at all of Nintendude's past threads and posts, and if nobody else could see that he was losing his mind due to stress and everything else,then people are blind. But he was banned in almost the same fashion as a lot of other people. That's just one example. If the stasff sincerly wanted to keep this place alive and make it better they would get in touch with some of the long time veterans and ask them to come back and help work on ther site, plain and simple. But that's not ever going to happen.

Agreed, this place needs better maintained, things fixed, etc. Another little example. The front page of the site. We have the Top 25 links on there, but nothing has been done besides 4 stories.

As for being patient alix965, how long has it been since anything was done to improve the site even though suggestions have been made over and over?

Yes, really. Google is a way better search engine than most forum software searches.

Pro-tip: If you add "site:www-405th.com" to your Google search, it will only search the 405th. If you type "site:www-405th.com search how to" the very first hit is the thread you were looking for.

For the record, I'm not a Spartan.

THANK YOU. A straight answer kicks ass and earns you a cookie!

Just kidding. Ha.

I'm still here. Don't post too often but I'm here frequently, moderating in the background. Sorry if the couple of us that there are can't always be instantly available to rid us of Spam reports or spam accounts, but we do try. For real.

Nintendude is not a character to be lumped in with anyone else who has been banned. He was certainly not banned for making this kind of thread. I don't think I can go into details about it but he went waaayyy above and beyond simply being a disgruntled member. And even after his first requested account deactivation the staff gave him a second chance and he still broke numerous rules and there was absolutely no way to avoid banning him. And his other accounts he created trying to get back on here - which is also against site rules. But I'm not going to derail any further about him and I suggest nobody else does either. Just thought I'd directly address that issue.

Threads like this get closed mainly because they become flame threads where people just lay into the all Site Staff for all issues, regardless of what different abilities Mods and Admins have. They go from legit threads where people discuss issues and solutions and turn into a place to disrespect Mods. And the ones that get closed before that actually happens are primarily just preemptive locks since it's a nearly unavoidable progression.

People do not get banned simply for speaking their mind about how they'd like to see the site improved. Members may not even be able to see what gets another member banned, if there is PM harassing or ebay recasting involved (just examples). But bannings are justified, not simply thrown around at whoever brings up an issues thread.

Anyways, I'd love to see changes made. We've been trying for some time now. I'll bring it up again.

As for a reference picture section, I seem to remember it was a forum version or server issue, though I can't seem to find where I saw it mentioned. It was a limitation at the time of the forum changeover, and I don't recall what was in the way... might have been a costly forum upgrade (?)

I'd love to see some of our Veterans come back too, but sometimes people just move on. Might not even have to do with the state of the forum or anything- just life interfering, hobby interests shifting, new/ demanding employment... I know I've moved on from several other forums in the 4.5 years I've been here.

I'll leave this open for now as long as it remains civil. I'll start a New list of issues/ suggestions and bring it up to the Top Guys.

Having read through this, I think it comes down to a simple "if you don't like it then don't use it" answer.
The mods are not paid to maintain this site and they owe you (or any of us for that matter) nothing. Just be grateful for what we have here, I personally love this site just how it is.

I mean.. some stuff could be cleaned up and maybe updated but that is a big task. There are still members that are here and have been here a while and are willing to help like me. I'm gonna have to agree with Anna though. I'm sure this site can be confusing at times but you most likely wouldn't have found the information you did without it.