Before assuming/claiming we're getting less answers you might want to actually LOOK at and compare FotF's from the past to the current ones (just did a quick run-through of random ones going back to 2010), which would've shown you that there hasn't been that big a change at all over the years.
But I'm not assuming or claiming we are getting less (total) answers in no way, shape or form. The question is about
who answers those questions - not that the total amount of answers went down.
The
"you" part of the question is even in bold to denote that.
Damn it's expected for the amount of answers to go up as DF just got more popular through the years and the amount of questions also went up. The amount of questions he doesn't answer directly also went way up and that's the point of the question.
but having people who've been around and remember what's been answered already help answer repeat questions is hardly a bad thing considering
Sure, that's the good part. If someone asks "when is X coming" and someone reply "Toady said in Y arc" then you have an objective answer about something. Problem is the nature of human engagement isn't that simple and a lot of questions have some leeway for interpretation - and the interpretation we get is not from Toady.
Take my previous question. I expect Toady to quote Shonai_Dweller answer or answer the same thing. Why? Because, as we can see, there was a lot of misunderstanding on what the question was about. There's three possible scenarios here, where Toady reads the question and:
A)Understands what I meant and answers it.
B)Thinks he understood but skimming through the discussion around it is left in doubt over what I asked, as people are interpreting it some other way. Which can lead to either scenario A or C.
C)Understand it the way so many people misunderstood it, quote one of the answers that doesn't really answer the question and carries on.
He might even avoid the question thinking the issue got too controversial. While I get a lot of people are trying to help (and I appreciate that), if no one ever answered it thinking that was answered in the Reddit AMA then the only possible scenarios would be he answering it (or not answering at all, which would also be fine). Whether his interpretation of my question was right or wrong, I'd have an answer from the person I'm asking - not from someone else.
Let's say I go to a Q&A with an author. Several people are there, so your question might be picked or not. That's part of it.
But if for your question that was picked someone else in the audience answered and the author just pointed towards the person who answered it, well, that could be frustrating couldn't it? I mean the purpose of the Q&A was to engage with the author and know what he thinks, in his words. Not what someone else in the audience thinks.
And it's no surprise some people get a bit agitated when you come in with all manner of hyperbole, veiled insults and personal attacks. Might want to consider how you express yourself, just saying.
There are no veiled insults or personal attacks in my questions to Toady. If you consider anything I wrote an hyperbole (and the only thing that could be construed that way was my second question, even though it clearly states an IMO which you might be interested to know means "in my opinion") then that's on you but hey, the question isn't directed to you. What compels you to make this strawman over a question that you (or anyone) are not obliged to answer is baffling. If you think I'm being rude when people drop in and interfere in a question I'm asking someone else, well, you are not obliged to interact with me either. Just ignore me.