At 11/1/13 10:01 PM, SCTE3 wrote:

At 11/1/13 04:53 PM, Wavepad wrote:

At 11/1/13 12:23 PM, gamejunkie wrote: Stencyl Tutorial.

And that's like 100 Stencyl Tutorials you have found? lol

I have to agree with this. From now on, if something is a "stencyl tutorial" please provide a link to it.

In most cases it's eiter the one with the Alien Gun thingy or the ones where you have to destroy blocks to make the one block fall into places. I don't know why gamejunkie or anyone should be forced to link in such obvious cases. I mean, I wouldn't post the original Chocobreak everytime I see another one subitted, right?

At 10/28/13 03:50 PM, Copywrong wrote: Speaking of which, I haven't joined the Elite Guard Barracks myself. Wade referred me to this thread for reporting Flash submissions a while back, and I have considered joining this organization. I'm ranked as a Master Sergeant with 1,183 blams as of posting this, and have a protect/blam ratio of approximately 5.587.

While those are very good stats, we require our candidates to have at least a silver whistle to start. This gives us indication that you have an understanding of how to clear up the reviews system by recognizing and removing abusive reviews. Give it a go, and check back in here when you've made a little progress. You're on the right track.

At 10/28/13 01:40 PM, DeftonesFan665 wrote: I've reached the rank of Private and I'd like to officially join the EGB.

Private DeftonesFan665, you are qualified to request permission to join the Elite Guard. However, there are a few things you'll need to read and understand before you join, but don't worry - I'll be guiding you through the recruitment process. Here's how it works.

First, I will present you with the shortened code of conduct for the Barracks, along with links to the relevant FAQ's on our forums. You must read them, understand them, and post here again confirming that you accept those principles. A simple "yes, I agree" will be sufficient. This process serves two purposes:

1) Ensuring that you're not a "drive-by applicant" who asks to join and then never comes back, and

2) Ensuring that you know how we operate so there won't be any complications in the future, such as "wait, we're not supposed to be mass voting?".

After you agree to the code of conduct, the Barracks community will discuss your qualifications and decide whether to allow you into the group. Our requirements aren't too strict; beyond the main qualifications of 2500+ B/P and a Bronze Whistle or better, we'll be looking for sufficient post quality (low number of one-liners, intelligent posts that contribute to the topic), helpful reviews, any potentially problematic flashes, stuff like that. After discussion and a vote, we'll make the final call and PM you with the results. Assuming that no objections are raised, the process usually takes a day or two.

Here is our abbreviated Code of Conduct. Read it, learn it, and post again with confirmation of your understanding. If you can't abide by these principles, say so.

*****

1. Voting fairly.

This is the foundation of the Elite Guard Barracks. All members are expected to give every flash a fair vote, regardless of who made it or what their group affiliations are. We do not target any flash group, not favorably or in opposition; our only enemies are those who break the rules of the site, not those who merely bend them.

Everyone has a different definition of quality, and all members are expected to vote based on what they honestly feel a flash deserves, not on whether they think the flash will pass or be blammed. While Barracks members are proud of their high ranks, and are eager to compete with others, a high B/P score means nothing if achieved through petty point-whore voting, and any member who admits to doing so will be removed from the organization.

2. Stopping Portal abuse.

Numerous stolen, malicious, and unsuitable flash are submitted to the Flash Portal every day, and it is our job to ensure that as many of them are removed as possible. Members are expected to report any suspicious flash to the Barracks, including any evidence or doubts that they might have, and only whistle something if they are sure, beyond a reasonable doubt, that it is whistle-worthy.

Just as with B/P, points mean nothing if achieved through inappropriate means. There should be no blind rush to whistle a flash that is merely suspected of wrongdoing; it's better to let an uncertain case go by rather than wrongly whistle an innocent submission. If evidence of wrongdoing is discovered after a flash passes judgment, we can always (and will always) inform Wade of our findings.

In the case of a beyond-reasonable-doubt rulebreaking flash, members are encouraged to share their results with the Newgrounds Police Department and the Newgrounds Department of Defense.

3. Cleaning up the review system.

Members are expected to be familiar with the review guidelines and whistle abusive reviews when they come across them, and report severe cases of abuse to a review mod. Additionally, members are expected to write helpful reviews, offering constructive criticism and remaining civil even when the author refuses to do so. We must set a good example for other Newgrounders, in hopes that they will improve their own reviews as well.

4. Setting an example for others to follow.

Barracks members are expected to post intelligently, contributing to threads rather than merely dropping a one-liner opinion on it. Flaming, spamming, and other ban-worthy behavior is strictly prohibited, and extreme misbehavior will lead to removal from the EGB.

Members are also expected to act civilly towards all Newgrounders. You are expected to be helpful and patient when dealing with newer members, whether simply showing them the FAQ or explaining more complex concepts that they do not understand. Concepts such as fair voting, intelligent posting/reviewing, and keeping an open mind are essential for newer members to learn, and we are just the ones to teach them.

For those with more experience, you are expected to show respect and understand that they may, in fact, know more about Newgrounds than you do, even if you're a seasoned veteran. This applies both to fellow Barracks members and Newgrounders in the general population.

Members are expected to put reasonable effort into any flash or audio submissions, and be careful with who they become Portal Buddies with. We are quite generous with our definition of reasonable effort; examples of unacceptable submissions would be static images, single frames, ridiculously small loops, or purposefully bad music. Anyone submitting rulebreaking content would, obviously, be removed from the Barracks and reported to Wade.

5. Not starting shit.

As mentioned above, the Barracks has no enemies beyond those who break the rules of the site. Our roster has included current and former members of various flash groups, including the Clock Crew, Barney Bunch, and Kitty Krew, and we are open to anyone willing to follow our principles. Barracks members are expected to be civil to others and not start fights, and anyone found to be starting shit with anyone, even if they deserve it, will be removed. You are representing the Barracks with your actions, and if your actions do not reflect our principles, you will not be a part of the organization.

6. Remaining active with the group.

Barracks members are expected to remain reasonably active in the thread, as well as with their duties. Those who are inactive for long periods (months) may be removed from the roster at any time, and rollcalls are occasionally sent out to all members to determine who is active. Members who expect to be inactive for some time due to IRL reasons (such as school, employment, vacation, etc) should inform the Barracks in advance.

*****
In addition to the above, please examine the following materials.
The Barracks Manifesto
The Barracks FAQ
*****

So, just let me know, and we'll get you started! And, please, for the love of GOD, do NOT quote this entire thing! :-)

At 11/1/13 10:12 PM, Asandir wrote:

At 11/1/13 10:01 PM, SCTE3 wrote:

At 11/1/13 04:53 PM, Wavepad wrote:

At 11/1/13 12:23 PM, gamejunkie wrote:

This went from joke to a dead serious conversation.

Really? November 1st already? Before you know it, it'll be Thanksunnakah and Chrismoose. Boy, time flies when you're having...fun?

Before I present the monthly roster, I do want to share an observation - we are all dismally losing control our blam/save ratios. I personally manage only 62 blams last month, which is about half of what Gagsy did (about 133) and all she focuses on is blamming. I'm averaging a little over 2 blams a day; our illustrious overachiever, EGSC Coop hits about 3 a day.

It's not from lack of trying - but the overall portal thoughput has dropped to an all-time low. We are lucky to get 50 flashes a day - and many of them are deleted by mods as stolen or inappropriate. It really is a bit grim out there these days.

The throughput in NGLogs is also at an all-time low. When I took it over in May of 06, about 300 users a month checked stats for about 1100 checks per month. The all-time high was March 2008, with 530+ users checking 4,200+ times a month. But then the interest declined, almost linearly. Now, in October, 2013, we had less than 200 users checking only 926 times in the month. I have been considering a re-write to make it more updated and user friendly, but if no one is using it, should I bother? Or if I give it a facelift, would that bring interest to NGLogs - and maybe back to Newgrounds itself?

What do you think? If I build it, will they come?

Now back to work...with no further adieu, I present the:

Barracks Roster as of November 1st, 2013:

Milestones::
Asandir - 22K saves
BrokenDeck - 13K saves
byteslinger - 92K saves
Coop - 122K total B/P
Jolly - 45K saves, 51K total B/P

The Current Roster:
No. B/P / Gain / Average / Level / Change / Username / Rank / Posts / Level
01) 122,591 | 0,615 | 19.84 | C | +018.04 | Coop Sup. Commander | 0 | F
02) 105,815 | 0,601 | 19.39 | C | +002.21 | byteslinger Sup. Commander | 15 | B
03) 80,294 | 0,000 | 00.00 | F | +000.00 | Phantom Sup. Commander | 0 | F
04) 63,898 | 0,457 | 14.74 | C | -005.38 | GameJunkie Sup. Commander | 42 | A
05) 56,190 | 0,003 | 00.10 | D | +000.00 | Little-Rena Sup. Commander | 0 | F
06) 52,129 | 0,000 | 00.00 | F | +000.00 | EagleRock Sup. Commander | 0 | F
07) 51,692 | 0,778 | 25.10 | B | +005.71 | Jolly Sup. Commander | 0 | F
08) 48,965 | 0,285 | 09.19 | C | -026.17 | Exedor Sup. Commander | 127 | A
09) 36,466 | 0,021 | 00.68 | D | -055.32 | Cootie Sup. Commander | 0 | F
10) 31,101 | 0,018 | 00.58 | D | -028.00 | RohantheBarbarian Sup. Commander | 0 | F
11) 26,718 | 0,686 | 22.13 | B | -011.37 | Asandir Commander | 55 | A
12) 25,178 | 0,000 | 00.00 | F | +000.00 | Gimmick General | 0 | F
13) 18,986 | 0,151 | 04.87 | D | +011.85 | Decky Colonel | 14 | B
14) 14,379 | 0,121 | 03.90 | D | -009.70 | BrokenDeck Captain +1 | 0 | F
15) 14,323 | 0,003 | 00.10 | D | +000.00 | Chrausner Captain -1 | 0 | F
16) 10,339 | 0,028 | 00.90 | D | -060.56 | Archonic Sgt. Major | 6 | C
17) 10,061 | 0,000 | 00.00 | F | +000.00 | SeeD419 Sgt. Major | 0 | F
18) 7,374 | 0,000 | 00.00 | F | +000.00 | phantomlassuk Master Sergeant | 0 | F
19) 6,912 | 0,060 | 01.94 | D | +000.00 | ZJ Staff Sergeant | 0 | F
20) 6,479 | 0,000 | 00.00 | F | +000.00 | HeavenDuff Staff Sergeant | 0 | F
21) 6,434 | 0,001 | 00.03 | D | -075.00 | Ronald-McDonald-Lol Staff Sergeant | 0 | F
22) 6,415 | 0,000 | 00.00 | F | +000.00 | SpiffyMasta Staff Sergeant | 0 | F
23) 6,161 | 0,016 | 00.52 | D | -005.88 | BenwaHakubi Staff Sergeant | 0 | F
24) 5,036 | 0,008 | 00.26 | D | +000.00 | Jackho Sergeant | 0 | F
25) 3,725 | 0,000 | 00.00 | F | +000.00 | Sectus Pvt. First Class | 0 | F
26) 2,583 | 0,020 | 00.65 | D | +000.00 | ForNoReason Private | 4 | D

Top 5 Gainers::
Jolly - 778 (20.09% of total)
Asandir - 686 (17.72% of total)
Coop - 615 (15.88% of total)
byteslinger - 601 (15.52% of total)
GameJunkie - 457 (11.80% of total)

Top 5 users accounted for 81.02% of B/P points (3,137 total)

Top gainers, repeat appearances::
Jolly (34) - By Jan 1, 2014 - 3 years???
Coop (17) back in the saddle again!
byteslinger (9) I've even surprised myself...
Asandir (7) Go, go gadget!
GameJunkie (5) Nice start.

Total gain for month: 3,872 (18 Active Members)

That's 124.90 per day, or 6.94 per day per active member.

Just to give you an idea of the decline:

Nov 1st, 2012-Total gain for month: 7,106 (20 Active Members) 229.23 per day, or 11.46 per day per active member.
Nov 1st, 2011-Total gain for month: 12,054 (24 Active Members) 388.84 per day, or 16.20 per day per active member.
Nov 1st, 2010-Total gain for month: 10,735 (29 Active Members) 346.29 per day, or 11.94 per day per active member.
Nov 1st, 2009-Total gain for month: 11,756 (30 Active Members) 379.23 per day, or 12.64 per day per active member.

In the past 4 years, we've dropped our own member activity by 40% - and the overall point activity dropped 64%. Average points per member per day dropped by 50%.

Any ideas on how we can turn this around?

Keep fighting the good fight!

*Salutes*

Here is our abbreviated Code of Conduct. Read it, learn it, and post again with confirmation of your understanding. If you can't abide by these principles, say so.

Yes, I agree and understand the code.

At 11/1/13 10:57 PM, byteslinger wrote: It's not from lack of trying - but the overall portal thoughput has dropped to an all-time low. We are lucky to get 50 flashes a day - and many of them are deleted by mods as stolen or inappropriate. It really is a bit grim out there these days.

Well, yeah. When my internet works fine and Portal Guard is running like a well oiled machine, then you don't even see most of the abusive stuff, as I take it off pretty quickly. I always keep track of my B/P ratio and it has been between 5.1 and 5.3 for the last months which I would say is acceptable, for todays standards. Of course I could only vote on stuff that I want to get blammed but I see no reason for that. I am obligated to play and watch everything anyways as both a member of the EGB and even more so as portal mod, thus I can also give it a vote. Only came back to voting to help out when stuff took millenia to pass, which has been resolved, thankfully.

As for NGLogs- I do not think that it needs a redesign. It looks well organised and it is honestly just a natural progress that less users visit it, since only Newgrounds users use it - and there is an ongoing, undeniable decline of userbase activity. If you watch through my interviews, then you will also see an overall consensus that people were unhappy about the decreased emphasis on stats (smaller level icons, custom user icons as few examples) and thus cared less about their stats - and stopped using NGLogs, probably.

I see myself getting less active in the future. Newgrounds is way less active than back when I joined and it's a bit depressing to watch and I do not care about stats as much anymore. I log my EXP and vote on stuff, but I do not post outside from the EGB thread that often and I feel largely disconnected from the forums that were once my favourite place.

To be honest, the interviews that I make play a big part in me sticking around since they make me keep visiting the forums and Newgrounds in general.

As long as I am able to, I will try to keep going to fullfill my duties as EGB member and portal mod.

As for getting more member activity - it seems like we get more new members soon, aside from that I think that a fusion with the NGPD wouldn't have been a bad thing, quite frankly though - now it's too late, as the NGPD is pretty much dead. Maybe some of us could look out for promising users and make them their "pet project" and mold them into viable candidates. Maybe.

At 11/1/13 10:21 PM, byteslinger wrote:

At 10/28/13 03:50 PM, Copywrong wrote: Speaking of which, I haven't joined the Elite Guard Barracks myself. Wade referred me to this thread for reporting Flash submissions a while back, and I have considered joining this organization. I'm ranked as a Master Sergeant with 1,183 blams as of posting this, and have a protect/blam ratio of approximately 5.587.

While those are very good stats, we require our candidates to have at least a silver whistle to start. This gives us indication that you have an understanding of how to clear up the reviews system by recognizing and removing abusive reviews. Give it a go, and check back in here when you've made a little progress. You're on the right track.

I've actually flagged a handful of reviews some time ago, including, but not limited to insulting reviews, as well as short reviews consisting of less than ten words which are not significant enough to remain in existence. However, it seems like none of them were actually removed. Did none of the staff seem to notice, or am I supposed to do something in addition to clicking the flag button? I suppose while I'm here, I should remind you of a user who posted plenty of abusive reviews.

I've actually flagged a handful of reviews some time ago, including, but not limited to insulting reviews, as well as short reviews consisting of less than ten words which are not significant enough to remain in existence. However, it seems like none of them were actually removed. Did none of the staff seem to notice, or am I supposed to do something in addition to clicking the flag button? I suppose while I'm here, I should remind you of a user who posted plenty of abusive reviews.

There needs to be at least a couple other people who flag the reviews that you're flagging for it to gain the attention of the mods. I went to the link of the user that you posted and flagged all the abusive reviews he posted, so it should get the attention of the mods faster.

At 11/1/13 10:12 PM, Asandir wrote:

At 11/1/13 10:01 PM, SCTE3 wrote:

At 11/1/13 04:53 PM, Wavepad wrote:

At 11/1/13 12:23 PM, gamejunkie wrote: Stencyl Tutorial.

And that's like 100 Stencyl Tutorials you have found? lol

I have to agree with this. From now on, if something is a "stencyl tutorial" please provide a link to it.

In most cases it's eiter the one with the Alien Gun thingy or the ones where you have to destroy blocks to make the one block fall into places. I don't know why gamejunkie or anyone should be forced to link in such obvious cases. I mean, I wouldn't post the original Chocobreak everytime I see another one subitted, right?

I agree. I haven't explored the Stencyl site and software enough to know if I'd need to have it installed to see the tutorials, or to locate them. But I sure know that green-mesh alien eyeball shooter when I see it. :\

At 11/1/13 11:57 PM, Copywrong wrote: I've actually flagged a handful of reviews some time ago, including, but not limited to insulting reviews, as well as short reviews consisting of less than ten words which are not significant enough to remain in existence.

That could be what's killing your stats. Just cuz a review is short does not mean it needs to be flagged. Flagging things incorrectly lowers your stats.

However, it seems like none of them were actually removed. Did none of the staff seem to notice, or am I supposed to do something in addition to clicking the flag button?

See? They may not have been removed because maybe they weren't flag-worthy. Also, until your whistle rank increases, it'll take more than just your own vote to send somethng off for review. Even as Diety Whistle, I can't guarantee that everything I flag goes away.

I suppose while I'm here, I should remind you of a user who posted plenty of abusive reviews.

Nah.

I haven't seen a game from him in a while...

• Unpublished Submission

Stencyl tutorial

• Unpublished Submission

Not an animation.

• Unpublished Submission

• 

  Madness Tests

  by Zapchon

  A few tests i made while i work on bigger things

  Movie

  150 Views

  (Ages 17+)

Resubmit of one that was blammed earlier today:

http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/627790

At 11/2/13 08:55 PM, Exedor wrote: http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/627819

If it gets saved do I have to do that Review trick you taught me?

At 11/2/13 09:59 PM, SCTE3 wrote:

At 11/2/13 08:55 PM, Exedor wrote: http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/627819
Resubmit of one that was blammed earlier today:
http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/627790

"I had to reupload it due to massive zero 'bombing' "
If it didn't pass the first time, what made them think it would pass this time?

Madness Fans want their friends to kiss his ass and make it pass.
But the opposite happened, therefore, it caused him to re-upload it.

At 11/2/13 09:59 PM, SCTE3 wrote:

At 11/2/13 08:55 PM, Exedor wrote: http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/627819
Resubmit of one that was blammed earlier today:
http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/627790

"I had to reupload it due to massive zero 'bombing' "
If it didn't pass the first time, what made them think it would pass this time?

A lot of blammed submissions get protected status at the second time,
because most of users aren't voting fairly.

At 11/1/13 10:57 PM, byteslinger wrote: Before I present the monthly roster, I do want to share an observation - we are all dismally losing control our blam/save ratios. I personally manage only 62 blams last month, which is about half of what Gagsy did (about 133) and all she focuses on is blamming. I'm averaging a little over 2 blams a day; our illustrious overachiever, EGSC Coop hits about 3 a day.

Coop lives on here, which is how he gets so many. I've been working , but I miss my sit-on-my-butt-like-Coop days. :) [<3 U Coop!]

The throughput in NGLogs is also at an all-time low. When I took it over in May of 06, about 300 users a month checked stats for about 1100 checks per month. The all-time high was March 2008, with 530+ users checking 4,200+ times a month. But then the interest declined, almost linearly. Now, in October, 2013, we had less than 200 users checking only 926 times in the month. I have been considering a re-write to make it more updated and user friendly, but if no one is using it, should I bother? Or if I give it a facelift, would that bring interest to NGLogs - and maybe back to Newgrounds itself?

Honestly, I forget about it. I like seeing where I'm at when I'm there, but there's no quick link to get to it (or maybe there is and I don't know?) so I spend all my time here playing Stencyl tutorials and watching Madness tests. :3

In the past 4 years, we've dropped our own member activity by 40% - and the overall point activity dropped 64%. Average points per member per day dropped by 50%.

Can't blam them if the users pass them. I do my best, tho. :\ Always 0, never 1.

http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/627843 you can't play this game its not even out yet its just an ad for the game

At 11/3/13 04:56 AM, elitegamer11 wrote: http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/627843 you can't play this game its not even out yet its just an ad for the game

Earlier today it was a playable demo, atleast. I unpublished this shameless ad. That is the second time that such a thing happened within the last week, thanks for your report. I guess fileswapping is becoming a trend again.

This author has removed and resubmitted the same thing a few times. New:

• 

  by <deleted>

  Under Judgment

  (Everyone)

Second time, that I know of:

• 

  werkwoordspelling 1

  by jufgroep8abc

  Oefen je werkwoordspelling!

  Game

  259 Views

  (Everyone)

The first time doesn't appear to have been blammed, but it's not on here either. I reviewed the 2nd one, so I could still find it. Reviews left in Dutch and English thanks to Google translate. :)

Not an animation.

• Unpublished Submission

At 11/3/13 06:13 PM, DeftonesFan665 wrote: Not an animation.
http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/627905

Removed. God, today aside frome the abusive stuff a lot of crappy submissions were submitted to the portal. I wish our userbase would vote more fair and kick those awful things out, wishful thinking. Every few minutes a new flash, but it's all trash. I don't think that there were even 5 things that I liked today.

At 11/3/13 06:18 PM, Asandir wrote:

At 11/3/13 06:13 PM, DeftonesFan665 wrote: Not an animation.
http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/627905

Removed. God, today aside frome the abusive stuff a lot of crappy submissions were submitted to the portal. I wish our userbase would vote more fair and kick those awful things out, wishful thinking. Every few minutes a new flash, but it's all trash. I don't think that there were even 5 things that I liked today.

Yeah, there weren't very many good submissions today. And for the crappy submissions passing or the ones that violate the rules, blame the savewhores.

Not an animation.

• 

  Hades Gets a Kidney Stone

  by poisoncrab

  Even gods can get kidney stones.

  Movie

  49 Views

  (Ages 13+)

More stolen stuff from bianji

• Unpublished Submission

Here's some more gahe shovelware.

• Unpublished Submission

• Unpublished Submission

Maybe we should just call the, shovelware...?

Stencyl tutorial shovelware. It's the slingshot one. You'll know it when you hear it.

• 

  Angels Heart

  by gameswala

  Angels heart is sweet and cute shooting game.

  Game

  1,333 Views

  (Everyone)

Dunno how this passed. It's a slideshow, no animation, and it loops for extra pleasure.

http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/627929?id=627929

"this is a test so don't say it's bad" It's ahorrible "stop motion" with more stop than motion.

• 

  stopmotion

  by TheAAnimator

  stop motion

  Movie

  933 Views

  (Everyone)

And, this guy should be on our radar, aka gamejunkie. This looks like it's all shovelware:

• 

  Farm Hoops Challenge

  by inocreato

  Hoops challenge

  Game

  398 Views

  (Everyone)

• 

  Hoop Challenge

  by inocreato

  Hoop Challenge flash game. 8 level, and each level is time limited, so be fast.

  Game

  580 Views

  (Everyone)

There was a Halloween one where you threw pumpkins, but maybe it got blammed...? He's got several pool games that look familiar, and he's got 4 "shoot the bubble"-type games.

game4joy shovelware

• Unpublished Submission