"How Do I 'X'" a Quick Reference

[dramspringfeald]

How do I "x"

There are a LOT of people asking how do I do something on here. Usually it's simple, sometimes it's not but it all comes down to learning how to do it. The simplest answer is to just do it. The questions range from "How do I Draw a person?" or How Do I Write a Blog to How do I make a Video Game Level? and Most of the time they all tell you to study your subject then try to mirror the ones you like. From Michelangelo to Shakespeare All of them have said simply "look what at what I do" (not sure if they really said it like that but they must have at least once.

My point is if you want to learn how to do something THEN go look it up. Google is a Good source. If reading isn't your thing then try youtube. Seriously people a little Google and mirroring will take you a long way.


I don't mean to be mean but seriously.... Google You had to have used it at least once to get here.

[Misfile]

To be fair google will mostly point you to one of the various Stack Exchange family of sites. They even have their own Game Dev section where people have asked a couple of Ren'Py questions

[Sapphi]

There are a LOT of people asking how do I do something on here.

Is that a bad thing? I mean, we're a task-oriented community... and you have to know the process before you can complete the task...

My point is if you want to learn how to do something THEN go look it up.

While I understand your frustration with redundant questions/questions with seemingly obvious answers, don't you think it's better for these questions to be asked and answered within the bounds of this community rather than routing them elsewhere? The whole point of community is to help each other and we have some talented and/or experienced people on hand who can do just that. Or why have a community in the first place?

(And don't forget, forum threads show up on google, too... just think, what if every community directed its newbies to google instead of allowing them to generate content for google?)

[Desu_Cake]

There's one thing to be said for the threads made by people asking how to do things, they at least have more purpose than this thread.

[arachni42]

If reading isn't your thing then try youtube.

Incidentally, there's nothing I hate more than only being able to find a video when I type a "How Do I" question into Google. Give me a page with text over a video any day... BUT, that's beside the point.

Yes, "How Do I" questions are repetitious for people who have been part of a community for awhile, and it's true of every community I've been in (thus the usefulness for FAQs and stickies). It's also true of every community I've been in that at some point, somebody has always expressed frustration about the repetitiveness of some questions... which is the reason I'm writing this long answer. Maybe my "How Do I Tolerate Repetitive Questions on a Forum? A Quick Reference" will show up on Google.

You should take some things into account:
1. It's not new to you but is probably new to the asker.

2. Posting to a forum allows the asker to get responses that are tailored to their situation. They might ask "How Do I Draw a Person" but their purpose may affect what tools are best, which tutorials they may benefit most from, which artists' work to look at, etc.

3. If the answers are always the same, this may reflect a deficiency in the answers, not the question. If someone asks "How Do I Draw a Person" with no other details, a good answer would to be to ask what their goal is (Do they want to draw better in general or are they doing this for the game they want to make? Do they want to do it digitally or use traditional media and scan it in? Are they trying to draw realistic people or cartoon-style people? etc), because this would allow a more specific follow-up answer. But answerers may not think of that, or they may not have time, or they may not care enough, or whatever. Even if the question was specific, sometimes you get generic answers.

4. Posting to a forum serves a dual purpose. It's not just about answers like, "look at art you like and practice." You'll also hear personal experiences. ("I used to have trouble drawing people, but I got a lot better when I made a replica of the Sistine Chapel on the ceiling of my house, but my parents got mad so stick with canvas" or "Try this Tutorial XYZ that I found on Google -- I tried all 37,364 of the results but THIS is the tutorial that helped ME.") Even "I know how you feel" can be encouraging sometimes. If they always wanted to write epic plays but were despairing that they would "never be as good as Shakespeare," having people say "I used to suck but now people now hundreds of people read and perform my plays" can help. That's the community part. Just because you can sum up the gist of the answers in two sentences doesn't mean that the rest of it wasn't helpful in some way to the asker.

To summarize: Google has lots of information, but it does not offer judgment, empathy, or community. And yes, as someone pointed out, what's on Google has to have been created somewhere (like here).

[fioricca]

Agreeing with what's been said; Google might offer information, but it doesn't offer guidance. If Google was all we need then no one would go to school :'D I don't think those questions are redundant, because I'm sure that it's also beneficial to others. After all, I remember someone making a thread asking about how to create GUIs, and I got some advice from Auro and Nyaatrap out of it! Helpful people also solved my little issue with perspective much more quickly and efficiently than Google can. I think it's awesome that users are interested in furthering themselves anyway, even if they had to start with basic questions.

That doesn't mean I encourage spoonfeeding, but not all questions are stupid.

[LateWhiteRabbit]

(And don't forget, forum threads show up on google, too... just think, what if every community directed its newbies to google instead of allowing them to generate content for google?)

Ah, yes. This.

I can't count the number of times I've tried to find something obscure only to get pages and pages of results on Google of forum threads where someone posts the question, and then some other jerk ass posts - "Shut up, you lazy newb. Google it."

So many jerk asses do this that all you can find when Googling some topics is jerk asses telling some poor questioner to Google it. It's like a circle of hell reveling in tautology. If people just took the time to post the answer in those forum threads, people would have something to find when they Google the question. If you are tired of seeing the same questions, just pass them by without comment. It really is that easy.

[TrickWithAKnife]

If people are asking the same questions over and over, then write a guide.
There's obviously a demand for it.

If they don't understand an existing guide, then improve on it.

Or we could just be rude to people who are asking for help. That works too.

[nyaatrap]

It's OK another people is asking a same question, but when I met people who is asking without knowing "what they actually don't know", I got facepalmed.
"I don't know what I don't know but tell me what I want to know" ehhhh
I'm not an ESPer who knows your history without seeing nor hearing.

[PyTom]

While it's polite to search for something before you post, I don't think we want to be the sort of forum that cuts off conversation because we've had it before. Don't forget, a lot of people asking questions are new, and may not know the correct terms to google - so we provide a valuable service by pointing them in the right direction. The best response, when someone has asked a question before, is to point them to a thread where the question was previously answered. Doing that both helps the person out, teaches them about the forum, and also lets google find the original response more easily, which is a nice side effect.

I've seen forums - most notably, the old Megatokoyo dating sims forum - that discouraged new members from asking questions, and that would lock a thread if it repeated an older thread. The result was that new members didn't feel welcome, and as old members left the forum became a ghost town.

[Gear]

I think most of us who have been doing some of these things for a while, like writing, drawing, coding, tend to enjoy guiding people who are newer to it. I do love the rare occasion when a question pops up that I can answer - it helps me have a place here, and asking questions gives me a chance to get a more thorough or even in-context answer than what even Google can give. Heck, like Py'Tom said, some questions are difficult to ask a computer if you don't know what words to use.

One of the reasons I love this place is because as a newbie to making video games, I got guidance. A little tough love, but there was always someone willing to answer a question. That's why I'm still here, for one.

[dramspringfeald]

I'm not saying if it's more a "advanced" question like writing on philosophy as a game mechanic but "I need ideas for a game" < Google, "how do I draw a foot?" <Google, "How do I write for a video game" < Google

Just saying a little lurking and learning would be nice before we have to reply to yet another "How do I write a modern High School age story with a magical girl and robots." Or ANYTHING with Magical Girl, High School, Robots in the title/descriptions.

[ebi brain]

If it makes you annoyed, why even bother replying to a thread like that?

Those who feel like helping out can respond to the question, those who don't can ignore it.

There's another forum I post on that gets a LOT of beginner's questions, and there was 1 guy who would reply to every.single.one of these pretty much slagging them off and telling them what lazy, incompetent pieces of *bleep* they are.

And then I can't help but think, what a waste of time :/ If it gets you so upset... How about just not getting involved at all?

Sure, google is great, but I think the reason most people post these questions is because they want to hear it *live* from people, if that makes sense.
I mean you could google anything these days and find an answer, but it's so much more personal to actually have it as a discussion if that makes sense.

[Gear]

Plus, a "how do I X" question on Google will get you "This is how you X". If you post "How do I X" on a forum, you'll get your answer, but you could also get, "Yes, that's how you do X, but I would recommend doing Y instead using Z and here's why..."

[TrickWithAKnife]

I'm not saying if it's more a "advanced" question like writing on philosophy as a game mechanic but "I need ideas for a game" < Google, "how do I draw a foot?" <Google, "How do I write for a video game" < Google

Just saying a little lurking and learning would be nice before we have to reply to yet another "How do I write a modern High School age story with a magical girl and robots." Or ANYTHING with Magical Girl, High School, Robots in the title/descriptions.

This topic title is misleading. Sounds like you were making a list with links to check for particular information.

Perhaps "Listen to me slag off people with questions I don't find worthy, because it's much easier than actually helping" would be more suitable.

One of the reasons this forum has been so popular is because people felt like they were supported.
This topic is counterproductive.