Polygon has a new comment system!

Rather a lot can change in a decade. Again in Might 2012, Lucasfilm was an unbiased firm and had launched solely six live-action Star Wars movies; there was only one online game named Name of Responsibility: Trendy Warfare 2; and the debuts of the “next-gen” PlayStation 4 and Xbox One had been nonetheless 18 months away.

Oh, and Polygon didn’t exist (or not less than, this web site didn’t).

Once we launched Polygon, one among our targets was to create and maintain a vibrant group of gaming aficionados — individuals who may carry their ardour to our feedback sections and boards, however in a method that was pleasant and inclusive reasonably than unwelcoming and off-putting. It’s a piece in progress, and as a part of our ongoing efforts on this entrance, we’re thrilled to announce that Polygon is transferring to a brand new commenting system Wednesday afternoon!

The brand new commenting platform known as Coral, and also you’ll be conversant in it when you learn our sister web site SB Nation or any of its a whole bunch of group blogs, which have all been upgraded with this technique over the previous couple of years. The first mission for the group behind Coral is to supply higher conversations by encouraging productive dialogue and discouraging abuse. In different phrases, it’s an ideal match for our mission at Polygon.

We all know that change is frightening, however we hope that when this transition is full, you’ll recognize the brand new system as a lot as we do. We ask on your endurance as we work to iron out any points which will come up. And if in case you have any concepts for a way we are able to make the brand new commenting platform higher, we’re all ears — please ship your ideas to coralsupport@voxmedia.com.

You will discover an FAQ in regards to the Coral changeover under; please tell us if in case you have some other questions. As well as, we’ve simply printed an replace to Polygon’s group tips — please test it out to be taught extra in regards to the sort of place we would like Polygon to be. And as at all times, thanks for studying Polygon.

Why are the feedback altering?

We launched Polygon virtually 10 years in the past, and that’s an eternity in web time. Whereas our present remark system has served us effectively, it has change into more durable over time for our product group to keep up it. Polygon readers and staffers have additionally requested for brand spanking new options over time, and it’s a problem so as to add performance to a platform that wasn’t designed for it.

Along with introducing various options that you just’ll discover as commenters, Coral gives some main back-end upgrades for Polygon’s hardworking moderation group. That may pay dividends in enhancing our moderators’ lives in addition to your commenting expertise.

What’s new within the new remark system?

Coral will carry with it various long-requested options:

• a greater WYSIWYG editor that comes with a brand new “sarcasm” font, and makes it straightforward as pie to embed tweets and YouTube movies — simply paste in a hyperlink!
• the flexibility to kind the feedback in a number of methods
• the choice to obtain electronic mail notifications when somebody replies to your remark
• entry to a GIF library straight from throughout the remark editor
• new options round advisable feedback — now known as “preferred” feedback — akin to seeing those with probably the most likes and checking who has preferred your remark
• the flexibility to mute customers whose feedback you don’t wish to see
• higher, extra particular instruments for reporting feedback that violate Polygon’s group tips
• the flexibility for Polygon staffers to choose “featured feedback,” which shall be highlighted in their very own tab of the feedback part

Are any commenting options going away?

We’ve stored all the primary options that you just love, like keyboard shortcuts to leap between feedback; yellow highlights for feedback with not less than 5 likes; spoiler tags and strikethrough textual content; and the flexibility to embed externally hosted photographs.

In contrast to our present system, Coral doesn’t permit for previewing feedback. With the intention to compensate, we’ve lengthened the window throughout which you’ll be able to edit your remark: It’s now 5 minutes as a substitute of 90 seconds.

The consumer profile web page — which at present reveals up while you click on on a commenter’s username — will nonetheless exist on Polygon, however it’ll not be accessible that method. (Clicking on a username in Coral will generate a pop-up that incorporates some details about that consumer. Coral means that you can add a 100-character bio that reveals up in that field — simply head to the “My Profile” tab of the feedback part.) As a substitute, if you wish to go to a profile web page, you’ll must manually navigate to it utilizing this URL format: https://www.polygon.com/customers/[username]

One essential factor to know is that you just’ll nonetheless log in to Polygon the identical method you’ve at all times logged in; your username gained’t change.

Will my remark historical past nonetheless exist?

Sure — however not instantly. Transitioning Polygon to a brand new commenting platform is an enormous enterprise, and making an attempt emigrate 10 years’ value of feedback on the similar time would’ve been a nasty concept. Don’t fear! All the prevailing feedback have been archived, and so they’ll be introduced over to Coral quickly.

It’s value noting that till that migration occurs, the remark counts on tales printed earlier than the transition shall be inaccurate. And since any present feedback will disappear (in the interim) when the Coral changeover takes impact on Wednesday, these in-progress discussions shall be interrupted.

Any new feedback you publish by way of Coral shall be collected below the My Profile tab of the feedback part — that’s the place you’ll entry your remark historical past now, not out of your Polygon consumer profile. As soon as the outdated feedback are moved over to Coral, they’ll even be obtainable below My Profile.