I love it when you guys use my Movie Puzzles topic to discuss ANYthing, ranging from Cher's hidden talents to the benefits of being a feature writer and bright new ideas about Atopuzzles evolution! Could we also move the "fish" topic in this page to make it more attractive? I'll even add a debate about sausages if you want.
I also love to write these grumpy comments when you do it.
Now... until I get to be a feature writer myself (and authorize myself to quote Mae West, like @re, in any rookie puzzle he choses to), my comments:
I have also been pondering something like Otto's idea. It's true that when you make it to Pro, the number of points you make grows much slower. Yet there are usually about 120 pro puzzles left to guess, against 80 rookie and 80 expert puzzles. Isn't it enough, or is it that the new guys harvest all the easier ones? I am saying new guys because often it seems that they are as able as the pros, they just haven't had time yet to get their 200 points.
If Otto's idea is adopted, it means that:
- whether the whole pro category is locked, and it is now impossible to promote a rookie or expert puzzle into the pro category. Otherwise it would be unfair for the new guys who spent some time doing research on that puzzle.
- or a 4rth category is created (the locked pro puzzles). The other puzzles cannot be promoted in that category.
This maybe pushing towards the splitting of Autopuzzles in 2 twin sites. I gave this a thought for a while, because:
1) there was so much traffic recently than clicking the "Show unread posts since last visit." became uneffective unless you want to spent an hour checking this everyday.
2) being a baby boomer, I had little interest for yesteryear's cars and, watching some some group puzzles, felt like I was peeping into a kindergarten. But this was a grumpy thought I should be ashamed of. I barely know the meaning of "tuning", yet.
So? My idea was that everyone should have his fun, but it may be boring at times to rummage through many pages to find only a few cars that mean something to you. Would the solution be to have pre-1980 puzzles ans post-1980 puzzles grouped in 2 categories?
Good ideas, bad ideas? I honestly don't know, and I don't have to because that this kind of decision should rest in Ultra's and Otto's hands, and it suits me well.
I hope our thoughts will help you decide, guys (and not the opposite).