So I'm pretty sure it's come to the attention of many that #osu has been steadily growing worse over the years as our community grows larger, and lately it's been quite unbearable to watch. I'd like to think I'm fairly resilient to nonsense that goes on in #osu, yet for the past few months I've been enjoying myself less and less in that channel. I'm guessing there will be some people don't see this as a problem but hopefully most people will agree.

So instead of letting the channel worsen to the point where it becomes simply impossible to hold a conversation at all, let's think of a solution to this problem. I'll write down any ideas here.

1)
Split up the #osu into four #general channels, where players randomly join in one of the four when starting the game (not upon reconnect). I know having four #osu's sounds like some kind of horrible sadistic idea, but by doing this we can split up the flow of all the random conversation which should ideally revert the effect that the community's growth has had on #osu. Also, in the event that more than one intelligent conversation is going on in the general channels, you can pick the conversation that you're more interested in participating in.

2)
Create a supporter-only channel, similar to #bat or #lounge or whatever it is. This isn't the most elegant solution but I'll admit it's something I've wanted for a while now. Having supporter doesn't automatically disqualify you from being a retard, but combining the barrier to entry along with the need to switch from the default channel (which has graced #modhelp and #english for quite some time now) should result in a very clean and ideal chat. You could even go as far as revoking supporter bonuses for users who constantly raid #supporter just because they happen to have support on their account.

3)
Force users to choose a channel (disable automatic entry for #osu) when they haven't opened chat before/don't have channels open. This could be very useful in weeding out international players and reduce the amount of foreign language stuff that plagues #osu. It also gives mods an excuse to enforce English-only much more strictly as channel selection should give users a fair warning before they enter #osu.
^ As an additional note, doing this and also changing #osu into various specific channels (#anime, #pc, #touhou, #graphics, etc) would force everyone into different channels, and would make rarely used channels (#help, #videogames) more populated. Not having a general channel makes things difficult though, so this might not work.

I think that's all I have for now. If anyone else has any ideas then I'll add them to this list.

tl;dr: just read the first sentence of each paragraph

I agree with 2/3, but 1 would be terrible
2 mightalso not be that good of an idea, but might be helpful
3 would be the best IMHO

there will be ppl like that everywhere, even if you're fixing the #osu channel. That's why Chat Moderators exist.

also making a channel exclusive for supporters is a bad idea, because it somehow can develop superiority complex imo

No we don't need this

baraatje123 wrote:

I agree with 2/3, but 1 would be terrible

Can you explain why you think 1 is bad?

Yuzuru wrote:

there will be ppl like that everywhere, even if you're fixing the #osu channel. That's why Chat Moderators exist.

I think you don't understand the problem with #osu right now, and it's that since there are more people playing the game, more people will randomly open the chat and add random unhelpful comments. Lately it's been getting to the point where it's absolutely out of control; we've already had an increase in chat mods this year, yet despite this it would take an absurd amount of moderation to keep everything in control in a single channel.

For the record, and I don't mean to be imposing or anything, but I don't think people should be downright denying this request without actually being a part of #osu and knowing what goes on in there.

so instead of contain all of the stupidity in one place where moderators can control it, you want moderators to have to moderate 3 other channels on top of that

great idea dude

I think a supporter only channel would be great.

RMaltsaar wrote:

I think a supporter only channel would be great.

it would create a sense of elitism in the community and it would make #osu practically unusable

I'm not sure it's ag ood idea, I think it's already been requested before anyways

2 and 3 sound good, (#supporter and not auto joining #osu)
don't do 1 it'ld just bring more work for mods and it would feel weird

This is why I don't use #osu... I'm always in #taiko anyway and I find it more peaceful there. What annoys me though is that #osu automatically opens every time I start osu! but that's it's own problem entirely.

Back on topic:

#1 --> I can see how it would be useful but essentially you're just splitting 1 big "stupid" into four separate "stupid" and that just creates more work for Moderators

#2 --> #supporter sounds like a good idea. I don't think it would cause a sense of elitism or a superiority complex in the community, as the others suggested it would, because last time I checked supporter isn't free so that means only people with jobs should have it and those people most likely have common sense and bearing... or at least they hopefully have it... One argument against this though is that this option still doesn't necessarily fix the problem.

#3 --> I have mixed feelings on this... Disabling automatic entry would definitely be an effective measure in deterring the amount of nonsense that goes on there. But once you do that, where does it all go? Sure #osu would be a better place but every other channel would possibly become worse and what moderators we do have, would be stretched thinly across all of osu.

Maeglwn wrote:

it would create a sense of elitism in the community and it would make #osu practically unusable

There is already a sense of elitism between becoming a supporter or not (Yellow Name, osu!direct, access to certain things). Adding more goodies for us wouldn't cause any issue at all.

Though even though the idea is seriously vague, I kinda say the third one would be the best one out of them all though it won't possibly fix the issue at all. #2 In which revoking supporter status bonuses is just completely retarded to even state and splitting channels just cause more fatigue to staff.

You can slice that #osu! cake as much as you want but at the end of the day it's still a cake... Everything you suggested will not solve your problem of enjoying yourself.

Elitism aside a novelty channel such as #supporter will eventually hit a saturation point full of nonsense and extra channels will have vacancy at times where the people you want to talk to wont be there or give it the attention in favor of a more verbally saturated channel (Like sheep we'll all be lead to the slaughter house and you'll be forever alone).

It wouldn't surprise me if peps got fed up with osu! chats getting supersaturated reduced to the point of a shitty twitch chat and ultimately shuts down channels in favor something like invite only rooms based around a friend system which is what most users do through 3rd party connectivity like skype, mumble, vent, G+ hangouts, etc...

My only solution to you is make friends and pick a system or skip osu! entirely for another chat system if all you wanted was conversation ^_^

RBRat3 wrote:

Elitism aside a novelty channel such as #supporter will eventually hit a saturation point full of nonsense and extra channels will have vacancy at times where the people you want to talk to wont be there or give it the attention in favor of a more verbally saturated channel (Like sheep we'll all be lead to the slaughter house and you'll be forever alone).

So instead of a partial solution, it's better to not do anything at all?

RBRat3 wrote:

My only solution to you is make friends and pick a system or skip osu! entirely for another chat system if all you wanted was conversation ^_^

Please don't make it sound like I don't have any friends ._.
There are a couple of friends who somehow have a ridiculous level of retard tolerance and tend to stay in #osu all the time (rather than #modhelp or #english), I'd personally like to be able to chat with them in the general chat without dealing with all the extra mayhem that goes on in there.

But I've pretty much gotten the idea that apparently I'm the only one who actually wants to do something about osu!. Guess it's just because I'm from the 2009/2010 #osu era. Just fuck everything right? Let's let the chat burn in hell why don't we.

Supporter channel sounds like a VIP channel and they may not like it, the multiple channels could be useful tho.

Kitsunemimi wrote:

But I've pretty much gotten the idea that apparently I'm the only one who actually wants to do something about osu!. Guess it's just because I'm from the 2009/2010 #osu era. Just fuck everything right? Let's let the chat burn in hell why don't we.

Calm down, nobody's saying that... Even if #osu doesn't get a complete overhaul, it would still be idea to take a step in the right direction. The reason you opened this thread was so you could try to get this fixed right? Jumping to conclusions as soon as someone doesn't necessarily agree with you, won't get you anywhere.

First, disabling automatic entry of #osu would be the way to go. It seems like the least harmful way to approach this.
Next would most likely be this -- https://osu.ppy.sh/forum/t/19891 -- Peppy's already mentioned that he's thinking of a way to implement this.

Just these two alone would most likely solve your problem.

The supporter only channel feels a bit discriminating. Dunno lol

Yuzuru wrote:

there will be ppl like that everywhere, even if you're fixing the #osu channel. That's why Chat Moderators exist.

also making a channel exclusive for supporters is a bad idea, because it somehow can develop superiority complex imo

Have you ever tried to moderate a channel?
I have. It was a channel with 100-150 users of activity and it was a pain day in and day out with stubborn users who think they're funny or cool and love to shit up the place

There are 7,715 users online right now and most of them are in #osu

Get real

wow i can't fucking post fuck how do i forum

Tess wrote:

Have you ever tried to moderate a channel?
I have. It was a channel with 100-150 users of activity and it was a pain day in and day out with stubborn users who think they're funny or cool and love to shit up the place

There are 7,715 users online right now and most of them are in #osu

Get real

Maeglwn wrote:

so instead of contain all of the stupidity in one place where moderators can control it, you want moderators to have to moderate 3 other channels on top of that

get real. I don't intend to make a drama here so stop your offensive language. making more channels doesn't make the retard become someone smarter

Yuzuru wrote:

Maeglwn wrote:

so instead of contain all of the stupidity in one place where moderators can control it, you want moderators to have to moderate 3 other channels on top of that

get real

Yes, that's exactly what the suggestion is. Because smaller groups of stupidity are easier to control than one large one.
Divide & Conquer, ever heard of it?

Also what's offensive about saying you're being unrealistic

Fr33z3R wrote:

The supporter only channel feels a bit discriminating. Dunno lol

Supporter features are discrimination. That's why they exist at all.

Google wrote:

discrimination
noun
1.
the unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people, especially on the grounds of race, age, or sex.
"victims of racial discrimination"
2.
recognition and understanding of the difference between one thing and another.
"discrimination between right and wrong"

In this case it would be definition #2 - the discrimination between someone who supports the game and someone who doesn't
There's nothing wrong with that, discrimination isn't inherently bad and there's nothing unjust about giving additional benefits to someone who supports your game
Be happy peppy didn't plaster osu! with viagra and leagueofangels ads and doesn't really ask for a huge amount per month
Other games are way worse with this, you know. Osu! players are spoiled.

Tess wrote:

Yes, that's exactly what the suggestion is. Because smaller groups of stupidity are easier to control than one large one.
Divide & Conquer, ever heard of it?

do you think osu! is a war place when you need some kind of tactics to win over a battle? no. ever heard about genocide? does genocide happen in one concentrated place or in many places in one time?

Tess wrote:

Also what's offensive about saying you're being unrealistic

you have edited your post. there's no need for me to repeat it

I edited my post because I fucked it over like thrice because I don't know how to post. If you mean me saying that you watch too much anime it's because your thinking is similar to the ideas I've seen in anime. Life isn't like that, and though a lot of people say that they can distinguish between the two, they really can't, at least not fully

Osu isn't a war place, and "Divide & Conquer" has use in more places than war. If you want to do a big task, it's way easier to split it between several people and have them all work on one aspect of the task than doing it all by yourself, or working on the entire task with the entire group without organization. Splitting things into smaller components always leads to more clarity, especially when it comes to groups of people and keeping them in check. 1000 people in one place are way harder to shut up than 10 groups of 100 people.

Like do you really think you'll solve the situation by keeping everything as-is? Because if you do then there's no point in further discussing this with you

And if you don't it'd be nice to see you present an actual solution since #osu is a legitimate problem that needs fixing
We don't need to eliminate the stupid, that's impossible, just suppress it. That makes it go away in the long run if you do it right.

Tess wrote:

I edited my post because I fucked it over like thrice because I don't know how to post. If you mean me saying that you watch too much anime it's because your thinking is similar to the ideas I've seen in anime. Life isn't like that, and though a lot of people say that they can distinguish between the two, they really can't, at least not fully

Osu isn't a war place, and "Divide & Conquer" has use in more places than war. If you want to do a big task, it's way easier to split it between several people and have them all work on one aspect of the task than doing it all by yourself, or working on the entire task with the entire group without organization. Splitting things into smaller components always leads to more clarity, especially when it comes to groups of people and keeping them in check. 1000 people in one place are way harder to shut up than 10 groups of 100 people.

Like do you really think you'll solve the situation by keeping everything as-is? Because if you do then there's no point in further discussing this with you

And if you don't it'd be nice to see you present an actual solution since #osu is a legitimate problem that needs fixing
We don't need to eliminate the stupid, that's impossible, just suppress it. That makes it go away in the long run if you do it right.

It's not that anime part. your whole language is offensive for me, realize or not.
and no, I'm not basing it from an anime or any fantasy at all. It's a common sense for me, maybe not for you.

even in the "divide and conquer" theory, even if you split your enemy, you're still using the full force to take them down. In this case, every single chat mods have to standby in one channel to take down everyone of them. truly it works on that channel, but don't forget that we have more channels.

once mods are leaving that place, then ppl will start making a ruckus again. so, why splitting them up?

It's not like they can't unite either

Okay, I'll adapt my language to be less offensive, then.

You're actually not using the full force to take them down. Imagine having to lift 1 kilo with both hands. Now let's say that you can split the kilo into two portions of 500 grams, and carry each portion in each of your hands. It will feel lighter and cost less effort to carry because there's distribution in the weights. It's pretty straightforward that things weigh less if you split them in parts, and that's how it applies to other sides of life as well.

You're approaching this from an angle where you're assuming that the 4 channels will be like #osu, except split in 4, and I think that that's why you're not realizing what I'm trying to say. The 4 channels wouldn't be like #osu at all since due to the fact that the channels are smaller and there is more direction (each channel has its own topic of interest), people are less likely to step out of line, because there's less chaos. The entire point is that distributing the total #osu population across 4 separate channels and giving each channel a direction will calm people down and make things a little easier for the mods. Yes, if you would just have #osu1 #osu2 #osu3 and #osu4 you'd have 4 hellholes instead of a single one. But that's not what OP is suggesting.

Well, that escalated quickly.

Tess basically explains it perfectly. The idea behind splitting up the general chat is that by dividing up the randomness, you effectively get a lot less spam in any specific channel. As you bring the spam in a channel down to lower levels, it becomes a lot easier to follow and encourages coherent conversation. This is essentially the concept of signal to noise ratio (SNR) in internet chats. Given a constant level of proper conversation, the amount of background noise (spam) will determine whether the chat is easy to follow or a huge pain in the ass.

The reason why I think it would work is because I believe that the problem we're having with the amount of spam and unnecessary comments in #osu is attributed to the way the playerbase in osu! has grown over time. As time went on, and the playerbase expanded, the chat went from being silly, to difficult to follow, and finally to crap. So if you split up the playerbase amongst multiple general channels, ideally that would make each channel like the way #osu was back when the game was less populated.

Of course, this would mean that it's likely that 3 of the 4 channels won't have anything interesting happening in them. Personally, I'd be willing to accept this, as anyone who "regulars" #osu, or would like to join a larger conversation, could just take a quick look at the channels and find the one they want to chat in. If there's a lot of stuff going on in a single channel, you could still try to start a conversation in another one. Anyone who isn't a regular part of #osu, or just happened to stumble upon the chat, wouldn't care enough to see this as a problem.
Also, I agree that it's a bit more difficult for moderators to moderate multiple channels at once. Basically, the new system would work out better if more people actually used !report (which is unlikely to happen). But, as I mentioned earlier, if we can bring down the levels of spam to tolerable levels in each channel, it might not even be that much of an issue anymore.

...Um. Wow that was way longer than I expected :/. Hopefully that helped clear up the motive behind option 1.

you're both arguing over completely non sensical things

it's much easier to moderate one big channel than 4 different little ones, I know this from experience, RIGHT NOW, because I'm the one moderating #osu

Talking about re-establishing the control in chat is not non-sensical

Point 2 makes it worse than better. Point 1 is... nonsense in general. And Point 3 is not necessary. Just to clarify why I move this.