The First rec.games.pinball Preferred Content Survey This Survey is an attempt to find out what people like/dislike about r.g.p, what they would change, what they would like more/less of, how they feel about volume and various special topics, etc. It is also an attempt to fill some of my time with vaguely pinball-related activity, which is the kind of activity I prefer. Complete answers (to every question) are preferred, but I'll take any comments I can get. All replies are considered confidential except for statistical purposes, unless you specify otherwise. That is to say, I will not associate any name or e-mail address with any comment or reply, directly or indirectly. If you wish to send in a *truly* anonymous response, you can send e-mail to me through the double-blind anonymous e-mail server, by using the address . You will automatically be assigned your own anonymous address, through which you and any other anonymous e-mailer can exchange messages. Otherwise, please send all responses to - if you want to post your answers in order to generate discussion, by all means, do so, but if you can, send me a copy - apparently not all of r.g.p has been reaching my site in the last few days. I will summarize the results of this Survey to the net, by posting to r.g.p. However, there is no end result or ultimate purpose for this Survey, and I certainly do not represent any authority over what r.g.p should or should not contain (nor does any such authority really exist); it's just something I thought r.g.p readers might find interesting. I know I'm curious to find out what people generally think. The questions are in a first-person fill-in-the-blank format or multiple choice format, but feel free to add any other comments you might have, or to ignore the choices offered if they don't correspond to what you have in mind. PART I - Background information ------------------------------- 01) I have been reading Usenet for ___ years/months/days/hours/whatever. 02) I have been reading rec.games.pinball for ___ (time). 03) In rec.games.pinball, I post: a) frequently (every day) b) occasionally (a few times a week) c) infrequently (maybe once a week) d) only followups (the mildest form of de-lurking) e) never 04) I think the volume in r.g.p is: a) far too much b) heavy (but acceptable) c) just right d) not enough e) NEED MORE, URGENTLY - FEED ME! 05) I have been playing pinball for ___ (time). 06) As a pinball player, I consider myself: a) a wizard (I hold or have held real #1 titles) b) advanced (I give wizards a run for their money) c) intermediate (I'm better than my non-wizard friends) d) novice (I know what I'm doing, mostly) e) rank beginner (pinball virgin) [Note: the answer "second only to God" is not acceptable.] 07) As a pinball tech/repair/maintenance person, I consider myself: a) a wizard (I can build three pins from one 1957 Chevy) b) advanced (I can fully assemble/disassemble/debug a pin) c) intermediate (I do troubleshooting, moderate repairs) d) novice (I do simple repairs or maintenance) e) rank beginner (I know where not to stick my fingers) f) clueless 08) I use the FTP (or FTPmail) Pinball Archive: a) all the time (every day or more) b) frequently (several times a week) c) occasionally (once a week or so) d) infrequently (once a month, or only once) e) never PART II - Current r.g.p ----------------------- Please rate each of the following categories of r.g.p posts on two scales, indicating: A) how much use you make of this kind of post currently The scale for Question A) is: 0 - I ignore these posts entirely. 1 - I skim these posts occasionally. 2 - I read these posts usually. 3 - I try to read most of these posts. 4 - I read all of these posts. B) how you feel about this kind of post - want more? want less? The scale for Question B) is: 0 - I hate these posts. Useless or wasteful or counterproductive. 1 - I don't like these posts, prefer not to see them, I may even have them in my KILLfile. 2 - These posts are fine by me, whether I read them or not. 3 - I like these posts, would miss them if they disappeared. 4 - I sit at my terminal all day, salivating for more such posts. [Note - the phrase "discussions of" can also include "questions about" or "flamewars about" or whatever...] [Also - many posts will fall under one or more category.] 09) Discussions of a pinball game (such as COWZ!) designed by r.g.p readers 10) Discussions of ball time and earnings for new games 11) Discussions of best/worst arcades and experiences 12) Discussions of Easter Eggs and non-game-related hidden features 13) Discussions of game features (not rules, but things like Smart Missile and yes, Extra Ball Buy-In) 14) Discussions of game maintenance 15) Discussions of game rules 16) Discussions of general strategy and playing tips 17) Discussions of hypothetical design and mechanics improvements (ie, another auto/manual plunger design, an automatic ball cleaner, etc) 18) Discussions of legal complications in the industry 19) Discussions of manufacturer "preferences" 20) Discussions of older/rare machines or problems with same 21) Discussions of terminology 22) Discussions of tournaments 23) Discussions of video/computer pinball games (Tristan, etc) 24) Announcements of tournaments 25) Announcements of tournament results 26) Bragging 27) FAQs such as the FAQ, playingtips, PAPS, Master List, etc. 28) For Sale and Want To Buy 29) Information about the Pinball Archive (semi-periodic postings) 30) Information/previews of new games (betas or machines you have not yet seen in your area) 31) Lists of pinball games in various areas 32) Polls, surveys, quizzes 33) Rules Sheets 34) Other - please specify any category I may have missed, and your A and B answers for it. PART III - Anything else? ------------------------- Make any other comments you wish. Thank you for your time and participation.