Let me confess that I haven't used the Ignore function on TheRPGSite ever. For the greater part, a lot of the off-topic insults and bullshitting (not that it's always easy to distinguish from the non-off-topic parts) have too much entertainment value.

What's more, I find few people so consistently boring and non-contributing in any meaningful way as to merit going on my Ignore.

But. There are some pairings of posters which I'd LOVE to put on my ignore. There's quite a few of these pairings, and I wish I could supply a more complete list, so here's just some off the top of my head: Seanchai and Stormbringer, Stormbringer and Pseudoephedrine, Seanchai and jeff37923, and (slightly out dated) Abyssal Maw vs. jeff37923 or J Arcane (one of the two, don't remember which). Now the point of naming posters isn't to call them out but just to illustrate what I mean by way of subjective exemplification.

None of these pairings contain a single poster who I'd personally would want to put on my Ignore list. (Which is why I haven't done so.) For, each of them, taken on his own, frequently posts worthwhile and insightful things. But once you see them posting back and forth to each other, it's just really a huge waste of time. I mean, just read this and tell me you haven't seen this before - a hundred times.

So here's my question. Is it technically possible to develop an ignore function which puts posters on ignore, as soon as they engage one particular other poster? I mean, it can't be impossible to implement, right? Say, everytime Stormbringer quotes Seanchai (or vice versa), I want that post to be blanked when I peruse these forums.

PLEASE let me know this is possible. I thoroughly enjoy the debates on this forum, but part of it is just boring and INSANELY repetitive.

Thanks for your attention.

True, true.

I probably wouldn't use such a function, but it certainly would be useful to some people. Personally, I generally laugh at the first few exchanges of these dreaded pairs (you didn't include me and Abyssal Maw - I think we would qualify), but then the exchanges get really old, really really fast.

That's okay with me, though. People need to vent.

Quote from: Windjammer;311683So here's my question. Is it technically possible to develop an ignore function which puts posters on ignore, as soon as they engage one particular other poster? I mean, it can't be impossible to implement, right? Say, everytime Stormbringer quotes Seanchai (or vice versa), I want that post to be blanked when I peruse these forums.

Of course it's not technically impossible.  I guess the real question is whether there is the demand to justify the feature, and whether it would create an excessive burden on the server.  (I'm guessing 'no' to the latter.)

I took a spin through my database, as I was curious about the structure in regards to this request.  I assume all the forum software works about the same way, in that they store the post in plain text in the database, which is then constructed on the fly when being read by the forum software.  So, on the one hand, regex matching the field that stores the authour to text in the content field ("[quote=") wouldn't be difficult.

On the other hand, this very structure makes it fairly easy to circumvent,  even unintentionally.  I may have gotten in the habit of changing the "quote=" from the user name to 'Douchebag1' or some other alteration.  Perhaps a particular poster prefers taking the authour out of the quote tag altogether.  I don't know how often a post would contain a multi-quote with a passing snipe but a lengthier section on the main topic, but it would trigger on that and blank the whole post as well.

I find it more fun to jump in every 30 posts or so and mock them.

Personally, I think the worst trend this site has developed in some time is the prevalence of these sorts of prick waving personality fights that don't have anything to do with the goddamn thread and boil down to "I know you are but what am I", but with far more bytes wasted.

and with Off Topic gone, it seems that these are now just spilling about randomly all over the fucking board, instead of at least having some sort of cesspit to dump them off in so the rest of us can read the actual thread.

Quote from: Kyle Aaron;311734I find it more fun to jump in every 30 posts or so and mock them.

I also would like to vote for mockery. In fact, an automock feature would save me some time.