Should I post this FPP? If so, how? [mi]

May 1, 2006 5:36 AM

Should I post this FPP? If so, how? [mi]
posted by Bugbread to Etiquette/Policy at 5:36 AM (19 comments total)

I found this game, freeware for Windows computers, via kotaku, via SomethingAwful. It's very good. However, the site which contains it is nigh unreadable (or, rather, the site isn't interesting; the game is; but it's pretty much impossible to find the game on the site). The game is, in my opinion, a "best" thing, and it is on the web, so it's "best of the web", but it's a big download (27 megs or so), only usable on Windows PCs, an application as opposed to a site, and as such I don't know whether posting it would be seen as a good thing or a bad thing.
posted by Bugbread at 5:36 AM on May 1, 2006

bugbread: I love that you are even asking. I'm not sure of the logistics of how to point users in the right direction, but apps [and games, as you know] are posted all the time. I'm thinking of these two recent ones, the former an fpp, and the latter a comment within one. Both are really cool. So if you think it's good enough, do it up. [There are always going to be whiners. This is MeFi after all.]

Tag it with "Windows", "PC", &c., note that it's a large DL, and let 'er rip.
posted by exlotuseater at 5:49 AM on May 1, 2006

Sounds fine to me too - just so long as it's clear in the post that it's something a Mac using, non-game playing reader like myself should skip!
posted by jack_mo at 5:53 AM on May 1, 2006

"On the web" is not "of the web". Linking directly to a multi-megabyte platform-specific local executable is hardly a good way to foster discussion.
posted by jjg at 5:55 AM on May 1, 2006

I thought we had all agreed that "discussion" was not necessarily the desired goal on MeFi - if it was, we could just do Politics and Religionfilter all day long. But then again, you're user 16 and I'm 19thousandsomething, so what the fuck do I know?
posted by ereshkigal45 at 6:11 AM on May 1, 2006

Get someone to blog it. FPP the blog entry.
posted by Plutor at 6:24 AM on May 1, 2006

Plutor: It's been blogged by Kotaku and SomethingAwful, but I'm worried that people would see the blog entry as being the "meat" of the posts, and the Kotaku entry isn't particularly good, and the Something Awful entry, although very good (it also introduces 4 other free indie games) would probably get a lot of flack for "linking to Something Awful", when in reality what I am trying to get people to look at is not SA but the game linked within.
posted by Bugbread at 6:27 AM on May 1, 2006

Bugbread, you'll get flack no matter what and when you link to anything. "Flinging flack" is the goal in life for a lot of participants here, when they're not flinging something even less appetizing.
posted by Steven C. Den Beste at 6:49 AM on May 1, 2006

SCDB,

I realize that. But flack is like radiation: there's a certain amount of background radiation, no matter where you go. However, certain actions can cause a lot of radiation: for example, walking in your underwear into a breeder reactor. I just don't really know if this post would be the radiation equivalent of hanging out on the beach or the equivalent of playing in the sand in Chernobyl.
posted by Bugbread at 6:56 AM on May 1, 2006

hardly a good way to foster discussion.

Fostering discusison is not the point of Metafilter, and the belief that it is has led us into newsfilter hell. The point is to share cool stuff on the web. Go ahead and post it, and link to this MeTa thread in your post to draw off the complainers.
posted by LarryC at 7:17 AM on May 1, 2006

Ok, so the vibe I'm getting is:

It's ok to post if you believe discussion is secondary (which I do).

When posting it, make clear in the main part of the post that it is a large download, and Windows only. Tag the post with "Windows" "PC" "game", etc. Any other advice?
posted by Bugbread at 7:28 AM on May 1, 2006

Link the game *and* the "very good" blog post, and fuck anyone who complains about linking to SA.
posted by mediareport at 7:29 AM on May 1, 2006

Yeah, mediareport's got it. People should worry less about generating discussion and more about posting good links. They're both important, but, the former is easy.
posted by Plutor at 7:44 AM on May 1, 2006

For what it's worth, the game is excellent. Three minutes into it, I found myself thinking, "huh, someone should post this."
posted by cortex at 7:49 AM on May 1, 2006

link to as much material surrounding the game as you can, including the kotaku article and the somethingawful article. make any declarations and clarifications as you feel you need, but post it.
If I can post this, and get almost entirely positive reactions, then you can post that.
posted by shmegegge at 8:15 AM on May 1, 2006

Write a good FPP, with good descriptive information, maybe find a supporting link or two (even if its to wikipedia) and post it, and then never look back, and certainly never read that thread ever again.
posted by blue_beetle at 8:17 AM on May 1, 2006

Ok, the post is up. Thank you all for your help.
posted by Bugbread at 8:38 AM on May 1, 2006

Kudos all around!
posted by Plutor at 8:58 AM on May 1, 2006

Definitely post worthy.
posted by knave at 10:00 AM on May 1, 2006