Yeah but its so tricky, there are so many variables.

If you've not stealth trolled in a while, do we ban you immediately?

How many stealth trolls are allowed, what counts etc?

Plus if the stealth troll is hilarious, I let it go, because you brought laughter into my life.

So many variables.

Lets say we crack down on what many believe is stealth trolling "User A clearly has a dislike for company B, comes into thread about company B and posts an unpopular opinion. Opinion is stated within the rules of the forum."

It becomes really tough to moderate for that especially if the post is within the rules.

Keep in mind that I see a lot of people tend to throw accusations at a particular fan base or users of particular fan base. If we were to be even more stringent around this than what we already are, then keep in mind this effects everybody as every fan base has users who do this. If you are thinking to yourself "Be more strict then all these --insert company name here-- fans will leave us alone" then you are already seeing this the wrong way. The very person you think is stealth trolling, thinks you are the one that's actually stealth trolling :) This really runs both ways. I've heard so many different opinions about who is stealth trolling and who isn't stealth trolling etc. within the community and even within the mod team. One mans stealth troll is another mans straight talker.

I'm not saying this isn't a big problem, it is. But it is tricky to moderate around this and what might seem like an obvious moderation to you, might not necessarily be the case. Sure as a mod team we can always do better, and i think striking the right balance between protecting good healthy discussion but also allowing people to express their opinions freely and openly whether negative or positive, is key to our success as a mod team. This isn't something we can do alone. We need the community to help us out...and its really simple to do this, follow the guidelines set out in the forum rules. If you make a post with a controversial opinion then at least make an attempt to provide reasoning for it. Try your best to not make it personal. If your post is targeted at a user or fan base then you are doing it wrong.

Just my 2 cents on the topic, but no means do i talk for the entire mod team :)

I agree entirely, and it makes moderating very difficult.

http://gamrconnect.vgchartz.com/thread.php?id=203522&page=2

This thread highlights a lot of the problems. Some people made personal attacks, and they got banned - but everyone thinks they're part of a console crowd that is inherently victimised. As a result, they become hypersensitive to opinions that differ from their own. To them, it becomes 'stealth trolling,' rather than just a different view, as it falls within their existing narrative of feeling victimised.

To be honest, there is also a degree of 'what mod is on?'

I am very familiar with stealth trolling as it pertains to Xbox One and PS4.

I am less familiar with stealth trolling as it pertains to handhelds and PC.

I tend only to frequent Nintendo threads that have the words 'Zelda,' 'Starfox' or 'Pokemon' in them.

As such, I am simply going to miss some subtle jabs at Nintendo, or the Vita for example - and the exact opposite for other mods.

Sorry, I didnt mean to imply that doesn't happen regularly, it does.

But ultimately we're human, and we're volunteers - it'll never be perfect! We're trying to do better though!

Honestly, if the forum is to a point where posting about something you don't love is unwelcome entirely, then I'm not even sure this is a forum I want to be apart of. There is a clear difference in stating your opinion and trolling a fanbase. It seems like padib is asking for less criticism whenever people want to complain. No fanbase is a protected group, even if we try to make them into ones with PS Nation, Empire, and Nintendomination.

I would plus 1 to this.

If what I have written is considered stealth trolling, most opinions that don't paint something with gold should be considered stealth trolling. And besides, stealth would imply that I am not being clear about what I am saying or referring to. But I am clear.

The behaviour I pointed out is pretty much admitted by Padib himself, when he says "To pretend like Nintendo fans have no reason to complain "because graphics" is not controversial, it is ignorant imho whether willful or due to having little desire to understand the fanbase under criticism.". He admits that they complain in that very sentence. And that's what my comment referred to. I didn't mention anything regarding the reasons for complaining and whether or not they're legitimate. The fact remains that complaints are made whether third party developers release their games or not. Low sales of their content have contributed to making it a hard bet for them to develop for Nintendo home consoles. People complain when they release their games if they're not as technically sound as the best versions out there, among other reasons, and they complain if the developer doesn't want to take a financial risk by developing a version that will most likely not sell enough to warrant the effort in the first place. Hence the damned if they do, damned if they don't.

Now, I know Padib has been on my "case" for quite some time now and has seemingly been out to get me on multiple occasions, so his reaction isn't surprising to me. 

Make that + 2!

so its officially okay to call a fanbase or users petty now, right? because if so i want to go make a few wall posts. or do i need a green dash on my avatar that says "moderator" to be able to get a free pass? 

(and in case a mod here wonders about what i am talking about, a certain user called a certain fanbase petty, got reported, and nothing happened)