It's not uncommon for new users on a message board to be confused about posting a topic in the appropriate forum (in this case, Creative/Radicons). Those first few days or weeks for a new member are very apparent. I suppose this can be somewhat forgiven due to a lack of experience on the boards, but I'll move forward with this issue regardless.

Toy Discussion is a subforum that gets a fair amount of custom-oriented topics, which are promptly moved over here. But even if a thread from an obvious first-timer is posted in the right part of our Creative/Radicons forum, why does it seem that our tutorials section is largely ignored? Is it not clearly featured or accessible? Is it simply an overall lack of diligence?

This is just a trend I've been noticing with a lot of users, especially recently. And it's not just new members, either. You see this sort of thing from people that have been on the site for at least 2 or 3 years.

Superquad7 and others are always making it a point for new members - or anyone new to customizing in general - to read up on the tutorials section. There's a wealth of knowledge there that goes all the way back to 2002-03, when Transtopia was around.

I mean, how many times do we have to tell someone that rubbing alcohol is good for stripping off unwanted factory paint, or that cleaning a figure in soap and warm water is part of the pre-paint process? I know that I’m not alone in this sentiment.

Discuss!

 

Something I think might help would be to make 2 "How To" areas. One a more generalized "How To" thread with things like pin removal, paint removal, dying plastics. The other a more project specific thread like tutorials for mods to specific figures, such as "an easy Grappel mod" or "Wheeljack leg mod".

This set up would make it easier for beginners to find the basic "How To's" instead of trying to search the 22 pages worth of things in the current "Tutorials and How To's" forum. Yes I know there is a search tool, but there are times when it is disabled or not readily apparent where its located on the page for beginners to find.

I don't know maybe this is something worth looking into to make it easier to find the basic procedures for beginners and the more advanced stuff for the more experienced.

 

if a question mark is used in a post from a member who has < 50 posts on the board, it should auto-direct them to the search function.

 

I think moving the tutorials to it's own sub-group he in creative would be easier than being at the top of the custom "show case" area. It gets a little hidden up there.

 

 

I think we should have a thread here in RGD called "How To" or something, and it's full of tips, tricks and other crap for people who are just starting out. In the First Post, we put a link to the Tutorials section, and then we sticky the thread in RGD. Problem solved.

 

Good luck.... all suggestions that have been made over the years, but noting will be done. Hell, we still have a post for November 2009 Custom of the Month up top in Radicons. Just like the suggestion for the seperate WIP section.....

 

There's nothing to stop us, as members of this board, to just start a Tips and Tricks thread in RGD, and surely if that gets enough replies, then the mods will have no choice but to sticky it. Just sayin'.  

 

I'm sorry! I'm assuming you're prob talking about me and my post in the creative section asking about how things are done. I suppose I can give you the perspective of a newbie. it's funny because I actually made my account because I only wanted to access the images of the "how to" section. And so I did and I literally went through ALL of the tutorials haha. But I had some questions at the end and so I thought I would make a post. Like I noticed that all the older "how to" sections, back from say 02 or 03, used enamels. but more recent stuff I saw more acrylics. So I was kind of confused as to which ones were best. I also saw varied techniques for some things, and wanted to know a little more on specific techniques. That was all haha. I don't think it's a matter or not reading the "how to" sections, but more so of wanting more of an evaluation on things. Sometimes it's mentioned to mix paints or dilute paints, and I'm totally lost on those things and don't even know where to begin, so I ask for some help. But that's just me

 

I don't think anyone here's targeting just one person (except G60, who seems to catch a lot of flak around here*   ), it's just that a lot of the tutorials really are hidden very very well. Hell, I tried to find an only tutorial a while back and it took me a good hour to find it. That, and some of them are just outdated by now.

I say SQ7's approach was still the best so far, when he asked us each to post about our little tricks (a thread which I think was stickied at the top of the tutorials). If nothing else, that should be a good enou starting point for most people.

Ultimately the best thing to do is sort through the tutorials by date. If an old one says do A, but a newer one says B is better, chances are the mods made the newer one an official tutorial because it was more current, or covered things the old one didn't. That, and there are multiple ways to do practically anything, so best to see for yourself by hacking up crap... Like say Tuner Mudflap. Or any other movie Twins figure, for that matter.  

I guess people just got to get it through their heads that there is no best way, only a way a certain artist likes. I personally swear by Games Workshop and Mr. hobby paints and wouldn't touch Tamiya, but I know artists who would trade their relatives (not literally, of course) for a couple jars of Tamiya. It's just how a certain person likes to do things, and it's best just to try for yourself to see how you like to do something.

 

One person is not enough to make me want to post a thread on the matter. No offense. This is just a trend I've been noticing with a lot of users, especially recently. So there are way more instances of this sort of thing happening. And it's not just new members, either. You see this sort of thing from people that have been around for at least 2 or 3 years.

 

As someone who only started customizing several months ago that thread was priceless. However, it would be far easier to have a section of the site dedicated to tutorials with a nice break down of how to do things. I'd be more than willing to help create the section, wrapping up what's been posted already into tutorials, and contributing what little I know / have learned (which is limited when compared to many of the vets who have already posted in this thread).

 

So tell me again how I remove paint from my figures?  

 

I don't see the problem. Don't wanna answer someone's question? Then don't. But it's everyone's general customising discussion, and if someone wants help than where else would they post.

 

You're missing the point entirely. The questions are all too common to the point of being redundant. Making the Tutorials section more visible and accessible to newcomers is the issue. It's about pointing them to our library of resources. It has nothing to do with not wanting to help beginning customizers out (you're honestly talking to the wrong person about that as I go out of my way to explain things to people). I'll gladly help anyone out if they're having a unique issue(s) that hasn't already been covered extensively in our Tutorials section

 

That's the gist I got from the first post. The tutorials are pretty well located in the radicons customs subforum, but perhaps they would do better being a subsection in here instead.

 

I think that teh Tutorials should stay where they are, but since SQ7 already had the genius to put together a thread for customisers to offer their tips and tricks for beginners in the first post, i think that should be stickied both in RC and in RGD.

 

Ok gang, let me try to take a few moments and answer a few of the concerns here:

The long story short here is that people access a message board in a multitude of different ways. It can be difficult to steer some people in the right direction no matter what we do. Also, I'll add that even if something seems really redundant here in Creative General Discussion, sometimes things can end up coming up that no one thought of. As such, the discussion can become useful again. But long story short: yes, often times I think it's lack of diligence and also someone just wanting an answer to their question instantaneously. Whenever any of you see this happen with a topic that's already covered, simply post a link to the tutorials or the specific tutorials. I think if this continually gets done, people will end up taking the hint. If I come along and see that the thread is irrelevant, I'll just close it.

If one looks at the Table of Contents, it's already set up that way. If someone clicks on "Tutorials" from the drop-down menu from ">RADICONS", one is taken to the Table of Contents directly.

Also, one can still use the prefix search function. Again, I think some of these things are a lack of diligence, etc.

The Creative General Discussion is less-frequented by members and guests, so this would potentially create more problems than solve them.

No. Sticky threads often times don't get read.

This is way too absolute of a statement, especially since there are many things going on behinds the scenes of TFW2005.com that members aren't privy to.

See my previous reply. I mean, a "Tips and Tricks" thread is fine, and if there are useful things, they can certainly be resourced. However, that doesn't "solve the problem". Also, the moderators and administrators always "have a choice". Again, sticky threads hardly get read.

 

Fair point SQ7. Maybe we can just shove a link in the little description under Radicons Customs in the main index page? It won't exactly be the most noticeable, but it seems the easiest to do, and even if people gloss over it the first few times, a hyperlink generally stands out enough from the rest of the text, no?

 

I think once people access Customs, Tutorials are right there after people jump in. I can see what you're saying, but I don't think such a link would be all that noticeable anyways.

 

The tutorials are easy to miss.
Then you have a LOT of scrolling to *hopefully* find what you are looking for.

Just go to S7 or PC for good directories of how to do something... and people have always happily answered my questions, regardless of how redundant they might be.

I'm always happy to see that not everyone follows the "don't bother me, use the SEARCH button and search 50 pages before saying something" motto.

Sore subject with me right there.
There as a mod one time in a forum very much like this one who was lamenting about a policy. Me and a couple others tried to illustrate what the problem was (and that the rules they were lamenting that nobody ever followed were actually an Easter egg hunt to find), but the Mod wasn't actually interested in problem solving- he/she just wanted to vent and that continued "pointing out" would be considered arguing and was threatened with punishment.

Whoa! Check THAt out! I never saw that.

Again, easy to miss.