So why not just pin them? I anticipate there may be quite a few things over time, especially once people start creating guides and stuff. Far too many to pin, and IME people tend to skip over pinned stuff if there's more than a (very) small number.
Sorry to say, but I really disagree with this approach. I think its a solution in search of a problem that doesn't currently exist, and that the forums would be better served with more topical pins in each relevant section, at least for now.
In my experience people do read pinned threads, especially people who are new to a forum. Pins are a very useful organizational tool for everyone, especially when a forums section is very broad in scope, which is the case with the General and Feedback/Suggestions sections.
The forums aren't being bogged down right now with a proliferation of guides, or an overabundance of stickies that are taking up too much screen real estate here, but they are being beset by thread/subject reduplication.
The most direct way to get a handle on it is to pin hotbutton threads with clear descriptive titles. If you find that there are way too many pins to manage, then adding a few more moderators and creating a new forum section at that point might make sense. But I just don't think we're there yet, or likely to get there soon. Right now the issue is more the sheer volume of contributors and feedback being provided and lack of overall structure to the two main discussion sections. The news, QA, and technical help forums are fine. Its General and Feedback that are caught in the maelstrom.
My impression is that the General section is maybe more for servicing levity, and the Feedback section is more for gravity, but that's just an impression and its rather inconsistent right now. Pinned threads with descriptive titles could help to frame each section out a bit more and model the kinds of discussions we want to encourage there. A couple new sections might also help.
For example, having a BG3 new users section which is maybe more inviting and welcoming for newbs and introductory level stuff, with general info and useful link pins and an atmosphere less prone to condesension pedantics might be nice. Shout-down or abrasive posts in this section should be strongly discouraged and the section should be carefully moderated. We don't need assholes ruining the welcome wagon, so the Mod hammer should fall hardest here. The attitude should be "welcome to the party" or "thanks for stopping by, we're so glad you came. Here's the bar and there's the restroom, come meet our friends" as opposed to like, "fuck off newb! Who invited you anyway?! You don't know thing one about jack! That's so last year!" Lol. So we need some deft mods and friendly pins to help engender the friendly kind of environment I think. Everyone casting bless and cure light wounds basically.
To offset perhaps a section that is more specifically for sour grapes where people can go to grumble and complain about things they really don't like, or to play devils advocate and argue in flame wars, which is fine for a forum with this many members as long as its contained. Maybe a warning like "Here be Dragons" or arguing into uncharted terrain so people know what they're getting into. Giving trolls a bridge to congregate under can sometimes be helpful in a gripes thread, as long as they're only part time trolls, but it should really be more for spirited debates or strong opinions, never personal attacks, so again highly moderated, ideally, if we know its going to be a more fraught section. 'BG3 ruined my childhood' or whatever, walling it off so flaming hands and fireballs don't bring down the rest of the castle.
Those types of sections for a forum tend to be more siloe'd off which I think is useful. The idea is to have a couple sections that are almost mood oriented. Like maybe
"Lets meet" all the intro stuff, FAQ, linkchains
"Let play around/humor" general section BG3 on topic/ sub section slightly off topic D&D or gaming etc
"Lets learn/teach/review" news, QA section, EA feedback
(Needs the most work I think in pins, with story vs gameplay mechanics topics or guided discussion.)
"Lets scribe/archive" which is what the above turns into after a year or so I'd guess. Or this section we're in right now. Curating feedback.
"let's argue/debate" flaming hands, the opinion section on topic agon.
"let's fix/build" bugsquash and development/mods
I just think this place needs a bit more structure overall so its easier for people to navigate and locate the topics they are interested in discussing. I think feedback section could be broken up into 2 or more forums sections with a dozen or so pins to cast guiding bolt on the whole thing hehe
Right now the single most useful pin for feedback section would be one called "My comprehensive feedback"
Not a discussion thread, but a place for people to make single entry posts (giant lists or walls of text), that contributors can then edit/update as time goes on.
This is the most reduplicated thread I've seen so far on these forums (usually with a subtitle like "after 120 hours", or "from a D&D veteran" or "Larian please listen to me!" whatever.) These could all be in one large thread, or a dedicated section where contributors are only allowed to start one thread per person. There are probably a thousand of these right now in separate topics, often with no replies or just a couple +1 type posts if they are well organized.
The reason to do it in a large mega thread with single post entries, or single subject section with only 1 new thread per contributor is so that people are encouraged to join a topical discussion already ongoing if possible. You know instead of trying to post an encyclopedic "cover everything all at once" type thread, which is likely to just get buried anyway, regardless of how good or useful the feedback might be. It will also help new users or devs to see where there is broad concensus or broad divergence on a particular issue that keeps coming up. This is basically the feedback compendium thread you have posted here already, but it should really remain in the Feedback section where it originated I think, where it can do the heavy lifting, and in the OP explain that this is meant for large compendium length posts only, not open discussion or multiple short replies.
Feedback template could also be helpful. Like where the larian feedback link is provided
https://larian.com/support/baldur-s-gate-3#feedbackMaybe pin to note weekly/monthly guided feedback on particular topics or stuff that has been patched in recently. To help it stay on target for whatever is coming down the pipeline.
Forum feature to merge threads and upvote would also be good I think.
