Then I think you'll like this next episode better Rusty *heh*
Thanks for the "heads up".
While we have been admittedly harsh on a number of suggestions in the Research Lab recently, they have been on the suggestions themselves -- reflections on them -- and not the person making the suggestions. Admittedly when it is one or more of the same users putting forth such suggestions that we, as the panel, do not care for in whole or in part, it can come across as though we are picking on particular individuals. I don't feel that is the case, and I don't believe that we are being disrespectful.
When criticizing these ideas, we work to explain why in a constructive fashion: if we did not believe they were worthy of consideration, they would not be covered on the show. Yes, some of our remarks in criticism have been more aggressive than not -- that is even acknowledged at one point in the episode itself -- but on balance, I think that when taken in the greater context of our discussions, we are fair in our analyses. If we have left a perception with some in our audience otherwise, it was not our intent and hope that at least is accepted.
This deserves further explanation. I brought this to your attention because I trust that neither host, nor panel nor guests intended to pick on anyone. While I believe the discussion turned disrespectful, I also believe it was unintentional.The idea was discussed well up to a point.
I appreciate your efforts to keep the crew on track, and I heartily enjoyed "Similization V", I thought it was the highpoint of the show, and you probably wouldn't have reached that moment without the free exchange of ideas. Heavy handed moderating would have ended the discussion on the topic. I guess the answer lies in a little more editing.
This is where I would draw the line- I think that terms like 'dumb', 'stupid', 'what were they thinking?', & 'did they think about this?' ,' use their head?'etc. are perfect in the context of discussing the A.I. . Sometimes it lacks sense in it's behavior, but the fact that we talk about workers and governors and leaders as if they were living, thinking people is really a compliment to the game designers and programmers.
On the other hand, having our ideas discused in those terms feels like an insult to ourselves. We've all had teachers or parents or supervisors who have done this to us in our lives. We know how it feels to enthusiastically put forth an idea, only to have it dismissed & put down in a way that reflects on our mentallity. Words like 'stupid' do that. In my experience, people on internet forums are smarter on the whole than people in real life. I think they deserve to be treated with the same courtesy and respect you'd give them on the forums, or if they were a live guest on the show.
Having frequented this forum long before I joined it, I can appreciate that a lot of these more micromanagement ideas are born from things like pride in a person's heritage. A Russian might be justifiably proud of the way that his people threw back Napoleon and Hitler even though they'd both rolled over most all of Europe, but that's hard to re-create in game terms without introducing supply... which means micromanagement.
I appreciate that micromanagement is nowhere on the panel's One..More..Turn.. slider,
and 5% on mine ( I play a mod with 5% increments, increasingly useful as the game goes on ) , but words like stupid are a poor shorthand for more micromanagement, when we all know that micromangement takes brainpower. A person that likes micromanagement could be boring, but they probably aren't stupid. "Not fun" would be preferable as a term.
IMRAN- I think I smell micromanagement
CARTIMANDUA- Cool! I'll pick cathair off of the couch while you guys do that!
IMRAN- Hey wait! Can I help you out on the couch?
CARTIMANDUA - No! Don't talk. Just don't talk.
MAKI- Eh. I need a refill before we even start...
DAN- Lulabye----- and goodni---ght...
MAKI - WE HAVE A NO SINGING RULE !!!
@ Rusty: There is no "T" in "salmon", so no wonder she couldn't understand you!
I mostly have a midwestern accent, having grown up in Indiana, but I've also lived in Mississippi and I pick up the drawl real easy when I go through the south. On those rare occasions I've been to/through Boston, NYC, and the Lake Superior region, I pick up those accents too, but I don't hold them as long. Oh, and a lot of New Yorkers live in my area in Florida (as snowbirds) so I sometimes pick that up when I'm home, too. It all adds up to an inconsistent dialect that confuses most people as to where I'm from.
We ARE gonna hafta change Mak's name. When President Kennedy was introducing the "RS-71 Blackbird", he mispronounced it as "SR-71", and so they promptly renamed it. If Mak is even half as polite as the Air Force, she'll change it. Come on, girlfriend, you don't want people to think you're as rude and snobby as the Air Force, do ya?
Interesting stories.