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 Post subject: User Survey - How well does this describe you? Discuss.. :)
PostPosted: Thu Feb 22, 2007 11:12 pm 
DAPHNE Creator
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Joined: Sat Jan 20, 2001 1:00 am
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Location: Salt Lake City,Utah, USA
Here is a fun, non-scientific survey to get people thinking and talking.

- When you have a Daphne question, what do you do first? (Search documentation, Go to a chat room, Post a message, etc)

- When you have a Daphne question, to whom do to direct the question first? (a Daphne developer, an experienced Daphne user, or an unaffiliated community of friends on a different website or chat room, etc)

- Daphne has some long-standing issues, the most famous one being Goal to Go not working. How do you feel about this? Does this make you frustrated because it's been broken for so many years?

- Most people have had an experience where they asked a question and got a less-than-welcome response. How does this make you feel? Are you indignant because you were just innocently asking a question, and got mistreated? How do you think you'd respond if the roles were reversed. Would you would gladly help anyone who needed it?

- When trying out a new update or feature of Daphne, what is your usual first response? Do you tend to respond favorably to features that work well, ask for help with features that don't seem to be working, etc ?

- What do you think about asking why Daphne is the way it is? Are these types of questions different from asking how to resolve a problem?

- What kind of tech support should a Daphne user expect to receive? Is there a difference between asking for help by using the recommended solution and asking for help trying something off-the-wall ?


Discuss ... use specific examples if you can.


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 Post subject: Re: User Survey - How well does this describe you? Discuss..
PostPosted: Fri Feb 23, 2007 2:12 am 
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I don't have a lot of experience using Daphne, but I'll fill this survery talking about emulators in general; Daphne included.

Matt Ownby wrote:
- When you have a Daphne question, what do you do first? (Search documentation, Go to a chat room, Post a message, etc)
I usually search the product's official forum or FAQ if it exists.

Matt Ownby wrote:
- When you have a Daphne question, to whom do to direct the question first? (a Daphne developer, an experienced Daphne user, or an unaffiliated community of friends on a different website or chat room, etc)
I usually make it open so anyone feels free to reply. I would tipically create a thread for my question if I don't find it in the forum.

Matt Ownby wrote:
- Daphne has some long-standing issues, the most famous one being Goal to Go not working. How do you feel about this? Does this make you frustrated because it's been broken for so many years?
Hehe... well, I didn't even know that game existed. But for example, it made me sad me that DL2 wouldn't work for the longest time (I'm honestly not sure if it works now :p) but while it's a little disappointing; I don't feel like it's the author's responsibility to make it work. If it ever works, then so much the better! I am of the patient type I guess :).

Matt Ownby wrote:
- Most people have had an experience where they asked a question and got a less-than-welcome response. How does this make you feel? Are you indignant because you were just innocently asking a question, and got mistreated? How do you think you'd respond if the roles were reversed. Would you would gladly help anyone who needed it?
Well, if I post a question and no one replies, I usually just forget it; I don't try further and let it go. On the other hand; I try to help people if I know the answer, but I don't know much :)

Matt Ownby wrote:
- When trying out a new update or feature of Daphne, what is your usual first response? Do you tend to respond favorably to features that work well, ask for help with features that don't seem to be working, etc ?
Well... since I don't take emulators for granted; I'm simply very happy to learn when new features or fixes are applied.

Matt Ownby wrote:
- What do you think about asking why Daphne is the way it is? Are these types of questions different from asking how to resolve a problem?
I find it a waste of time to ask these kind of questions, instead the people should see how they can support the project.

Matt Ownby wrote:
- What kind of tech support should a Daphne user expect to receive? Is there a difference between asking for help by using the recommended solution and asking for help trying something off-the-wall ?
Emulators are almost always free, so no tech support should ever be expected. Whatever time the developers are able to dedicate to solve a user's specific problem, should be seen as added value, and overall kindness from the authors.

_________________
Fernando Garcia - Information Director at Retrogamingradio


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 Post subject: Re: User Survey - How well does this describe you? Discuss..
PostPosted: Fri Feb 23, 2007 5:18 pm 
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Joined: Wed Feb 21, 2007 6:16 pm
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Quote:
- When you have a Daphne question, what do you do first? (Search documentation, Go to a chat room, Post a message, etc)

Search docs first, then google, then maybe post a msg, chat room last.

Quote:
- When you have a Daphne question, to whom do to direct the question first? (a Daphne developer, an experienced Daphne user, or an unaffiliated community of friends on a different website or chat room, etc)

I would post on byoac first. From reading this board the guys at byoac are a little more friendly.

Quote:
- Daphne has some long-standing issues, the most famous one being Goal to Go not working. How do you feel about this? Does this make you frustrated because it's been broken for so many years?

Game doesn't look remotely interested and didn't play it as a kid. Freedom fighter on the other hand would be nice to have working.

Quote:
- Most people have had an experience where they asked a question and got a less-than-welcome response. How does this make you feel? Are you indignant because you were just innocently asking a question, and got mistreated? How do you think you'd respond if the roles were reversed. Would you would gladly help anyone who needed it?

Some people get off on knowing things others don't and making the questioner feel bad about asking. That's more to do with thier internal unhappiness so it doesn't phase me. I'll help people if I have the time... if I have the time to post something nasty I would have the time to post something helpful.

-
Quote:
When trying out a new update or feature of Daphne, what is your usual first response? Do you tend to respond favorably to features that work well, ask for help with features that don't seem to be working, etc ?

I just hammer on it till it works or turn the feature off. The roms I like using work so no need to change it for me.

Quote:
- What do you think about asking why Daphne is the way it is? Are these types of questions different from asking how to resolve a problem?

Don't ever ask because I'm glad someone took the time to write it.

Quote:
- What kind of tech support should a Daphne user expect to receive? Is there a difference between asking for help by using the recommended solution and asking for help trying something off-the-wall ?

Things should be documented enough to help people. No one is paying for the product so you can't really expect an extreme level of prompt support.


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Fri Feb 23, 2007 6:41 pm 
DAPHNE Creator
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Joined: Sat Jan 20, 2001 1:00 am
Posts: 2127
Location: Salt Lake City,Utah, USA
Thanks for the responses, guys.

Keep them coming :)


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 Post subject: What a wonderful survey!
PostPosted: Thu Mar 01, 2007 6:54 am 
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Joined: Wed Sep 27, 2006 11:32 am
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I presume this survey is in response to some very unique/repetitive questions that have come up recently in the forums; good show!

- When you have a Daphne question, what do you do first? (Search documentation, Go to a chat room, Post a message, etc)

I usually search the forums first, since I'm sure the question I may have has most likely come up more than once already. If I can't find it, I post a clear and concise question that covers what I want to know. If I get no responses to that posted question (or none that seem to work/resolve the issue), I head to the Daphne Chat room.

- When you have a Daphne question, to whom do to direct the question first? (a Daphne developer, an experienced Daphne user, or an unaffiliated community of friends on a different website or chat room, etc)


It seems like painfully common sense to me, but if I have a Daphne specific question, not a front end question (BYOAC is better for this), I'll direct it towards the Daphne community. And while I'd always like to go straight to the source, I'm realistic and know that any help/advice is better than none at all. With regards to friendliness at the forums influencing who I'll speak with, that does make a difference, but I've found that no matter where a person posts questions online, if a person asks their question as clearly as possible without petulant demands and written with relatively understandable grammar, treatment will be kind and fair.

When it comes to posting here in particular, I've noticed that those that are often quick to post about being treated unfairly or disrespectfully, are often the same ones that make outlandish demands and fix actions for issues that have identified resolutions in the documentation or on the forums here. Additionally, there are some that claim mistreatment when they have clearly posted questions that go against the forum rules here, especially in the realm of piracy. So, while I myself try to keep from being impolite, I can fully understand why some rudeness doled out by members of the forum in these circumstances, especially the latter, is often warranted.


- Daphne has some long-standing issues, the most famous one being Goal to Go not working. How do you feel about this? Does this make you frustrated because it's been broken for so many years?

It's a mixed bag for me on a personal level. On one hand, games like Goal to Go, RoadBlaster, and a few other ALG games would be a nice addition to the Daphne roster, but there is only so much a small group of people can do before a fun hobby turns into a frustrating day-job. Ultimately, I know if I really want a game that's unsupported I can afford to go and buy (if it still physically exists and can be found) that game in dedicated format. But then, I'm a collector, so this is what I would do.


- Most people have had an experience where they asked a question and got a less-than-welcome response. How does this make you feel? Are you indignant because you were just innocently asking a question, and got mistreated? How do you think you'd respond if the roles were reversed. Would you would gladly help anyone who needed it?


It's been said that some people allegedly get off on knowing things that other don't; directly or indirectly causing question askers to "feel bad for asking". While this does happen at a lot of online forums, Daphne forums being no exception (Sorry HowardC,you can be a little gruff at times, although I respect what you post), it still shouldn't hinder anyone from posting a question if they truly have one. That's one of the greatest luxuries of the internet - anonymity. The worst thing that anyone could ever have happen on a forum is have their post verbally lambasted or simply ignored - it's not like a life is on the line...unless of course getting Dragon's Lair to work will determine if you live or die. When I see a question posted that I think I may know the answer to, I try to chime in with as much info as I can provide that I think may be beneficial to the poster. I do this because I honestly want to help, not because I want to indirectly brag about what I may know (or think I know). Remember, online tragedy is a means by which to gain wisdom, not a guide by which to live.


- When trying out a new update or feature of Daphne, what is your usual first response? Do you tend to respond favorably to features that work well, ask for help with features that don't seem to be working, etc ?



On this note I can't speak much on since, while I've studied how Daphne works and how people use it since I registered here, I've never personally used anything more than the Linux source that was released last month. However, with what I have been able to use compared to what was previously available (OpenGL support), I'm glad I took everyone's advice and waited for this latest release.



- What do you think about asking why Daphne is the way it is? Are these types of questions different from asking how to resolve a problem?


I personally think that questions like these are a bit childish and self indulgent at the expense of those that look at creating, developing and supporting Daphne as a fun hobby rather than a job. These same questions are levied at all types of emulators and those that make them, usually due to frustration of some sort on the part of the user. These types of questions are completely different in so far that they serve to attack an emulators established features rather than cite possible user error.



- What kind of tech support should a Daphne user expect to receive? Is there a difference between asking for help by using the recommended solution and asking for help trying something off-the-wall ?


A Daphne user should expect a decent amount of support as long as they use the proper resources correctly:

  • Search the forums with appropriate/specific terms for questions that may have answers.
  • Post questions in accordance to forum rules, and do so as clearly as possible so that others can understand what you are asking and expedite help.
  • Refer to the Daphne Wiki for questions to supplement what's found in the forums.
  • Make use of the Daphne Chat room whenever possible, and try to be patient, as many that chat there may be away from the screen for inordinate periods of time.


Despite the fact that Daphne is freeware, if a user follows the above list they should have no adverse problems while resolving their issues.


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Thu Mar 08, 2007 6:48 am 
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- When you have a Daphne question, what do you do first? (Search documentation, Go to a chat room, Post a message, etc)

I search the docs first and always. Being someone who also writes stuff for the community, it annoys the hell out of me when I spend hours on docs that nobody reads, so when I run into a problem, I try to solve it myself first out of respect for you guys. I've never found daphne terribly difficult to setup (even back in the day) so questions are few and far between though.

- When you have a Daphne question, to whom do to direct the question first? (a Daphne developer, an experienced Daphne user, or an unaffiliated community of friends on a different website or chat room, etc)

Generally I just post it here in the forums. Who ever can best answer it, be it another user or a developer, will be hanging around here, so it makes sense to ask here first. I have noticed that some people seem to ask everywhere but here first (like byoac) and that doesn't make sense to me as the average emulation enthuasist doesn't know about daphne worst-case, or best-case doesn't know enough about it to help. There were like 5 questions over at byoac just last week. I have no clue what they are thinking, as you guys are just too nice and helpful to ignore until last.

- Daphne has some long-standing issues, the most famous one being Goal to Go not working. How do you feel about this? Does this make you frustrated because it's been broken for so many years?

It annoys me to a point, but not completely. I am one of those people who thinks quality is better than quantity. I'm also a guy who thinks that even crappy games nobody wants to play (like gtg) should be emulated just as quickly as the more fun games, because eventually the info/people with the talent needed to implement these broken or missing games will dry up, and they will be lost forever. With that being said, some issues you just don't know how to fix, and seeing as how I have no clue how daphne works, I can understand why you skip over some bugs.

I guess what I am saying is if an issue could be fixed but it would just take time then you should do it, but if it's an issue you don't have a clue about and it's unlikely a solution will be found until new data comes out, then leave it and move on for now.

- Most people have had an experience where they asked a question and got a less-than-welcome response. How does this make you feel? Are you indignant because you were just innocently asking a question, and got mistreated? How do you think you'd respond if the roles were reversed. Would you would gladly help anyone who needed it?

Actually, I'm usually on the other end of the conversation (giving a less than nice response).
It works like this:

If the answer to your question is in the docs and clearly in the docs, then you are wasting everybody's time by asking the question. Generally speaking, I (and others like me) will ignore it if the question is asked nicely enough and the person in question is new or hasn't made a habit of these types of questions. If you keep asking "stupid" questions though on a regular basis then you deserve any flaming you get, especially if you are one of these types that keep nagging (bump!, anyone) until you get a response.

By directing someone to the docs you are helping them, by directing someone to the docs rather than spoon-feeding them the quick answer then you are "teaching them to fish" and thus your answer will help them more in the long-run.

On the other-hand, getting flamed for a legitimate question is in-excuseable.

-edit-

I forgot to mention that "opinion" questions are a totally different animal. For example: When you post "check out my brand new thing I made, do you like it?" And I post "umm no" you shouldn't and cannot get mad or upset about it. Don't ask for an opinion if you only want positive ones or ones that agree with your point of view. That is of course, unless you are a woman, as you do that anyway. ;)

With that being said, I'm a guy that'll respond "well it sucks, but this is why and this is how you can fix it" so I am being constructive, not just rude. But still, someone has every right to just tell you what they think when you ask them to. My "gruffness" is my honesty..... I'm not here to sing camp-fire songs and trade hugs, I'm here to talk about daphne and help out every once in a while when I can. There is a strange trend on the net where users tend to think that support forums double as social clubs, they don't. That is what the "misc" section of forums and chatrooms are for.

- When trying out a new update or feature of Daphne, what is your usual first response? Do you tend to respond favorably to features that work well, ask for help with features that don't seem to be working, etc ?

I'm generally a "yeah yeah this is great, but x, x and x aren't working" type of person. I'm not negative about it at all and I do really appreciate the work you and the other devs do, but the loud sucking sound of 3500 "great job" responses attaching to ya'lls butts tends to bring the complainer out of me a little. I figure you'd rather know about glitches and suggestions for improvements rather than an admission of my un-dying love for you guys and all things daphne anyway. ;)

- What do you think about asking why Daphne is the way it is? Are these types of questions different from asking how to resolve a problem?

It depends upon the question. Sometimes it's just a case of a user not understanding why "x" has to be done this way. In those instances it's just a simple case of ignorance to the inner-workings. (Which is understandable.) Other times, it's more of a feature request. Sometimes programmers are set in their ways, and do things in a manner which seems odd to some. There are instances when questioning why "x" was done this way are completely valid and could lead to better functionality.

- What kind of tech support should a Daphne user expect to receive? Is there a difference between asking for help by using the recommended solution and asking for help trying something off-the-wall ?

Since you guys aren't charging then they should expect zip and squat in terms of tech support. People don't seem to get that when you give them something then they can't expect a money-back guarantee with it. It angers me that almost everyone that responded to this seems to think they are owed some level of support (however small). Mind you what one should expect compared to what we actually get are totally different as you guys are very helpful, but if I were to ask a question and you guys said, "sorry but I don't know and I'm too busy to figure it out" my response would be "ok, thanks anyway" and I'd move on. No tantrums, no resentment, nothing.

This goes back to the topic of flaming I mentioned earlier..... users who type like they are owed a response tend to get flamed, and so they should. It is dis-respectful to the developers and the community at large when you act like the world owes you a living.


Sorry if my answers are a little blunt, but I just tell it like it is. Gotta keep it real G. :D


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PostPosted: Thu Mar 08, 2007 6:01 pm 
DAPHNE Creator
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Location: Salt Lake City,Utah, USA
Thanks for the response, HowardC. That was a good read.

These are good guys, keep them coming... :)


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