Thanks for the update, I'm sure I'm not the only one who looks forward to seeing what you guys come up with :)
-Cym

got me some reputation
Everybody got their cups, but they ain't chipped in
this type of crit, happens all the time
You got to get yours before I gotta get mine

Edit: I got negative rating for helping others out. I really hope the adjustment to the rep system comes sooner rather than later, because this tomfoolery is annoying.

You could argue that people will willingly give positive rep for people because irrespective of their attitude or behaviour the antagonist is entitled to their own opinion so therefore deserves a positive rep.
But it only represents the opionion at the time. If people don't like what someone has said - leave negative rep, that's what it's for!
You could read good stuff but find that when you read it you read it to be smarmy or arse licking so you leave negative rep.
At the end of the day - so what! It doesn't matter, it's completely immaterial, we need more of it IMO.
If you're that bothered at what people vote about your post, don't post anything.

I got my good rep, by posting positive messages, and helping people with technical issues. If people don't want my help anymore, that's fine, that's up to them. If they want to -1 me because I have high rep, it's their own foolishness. They're jealous because I'm helpful? I help people because to me, it is satisfying, much more deeply satisfying than trolling. I could troll all day if I wanted. I don't hog rep, there are many people who have solved issues in the Fallout forums, and I don't claim to know everything about Fallout, I try to help where I can. It just so happens that due to my work, I have a large amount of time to be on here and assist people. I could help people someplace else. I have no problem picking up and moving to a new community, I've done it before. I always attract a lot of controversy, a lot of jealousy. It's not so much that I'm confident, or stuck up, it's just something I recognize that happens. I'm helping more than just the users on here, but the GOG.com staff as well, by bug reporting, educating new users, and providing an example to other people.
What is that example? to be helpful. If tomorrow, all my rep was taken away from me, and I was at the bottom of the list, and people like Karl and Nico were up at the top, I'd congratulate the both of them. Being helpful to others is a wonderful thing. But I think I eventually (if I cared to keep at it) would gain the rep back to surpass them, because it is in my nature to be helpful.
I'm taking an extra interest in loss of rep not just for my own sake, but for the sake of others who have been helpful, or will be helpful. Let's face it, it has finally happened, the community is no longer as wonderful as it once was. As we all knew it wouldn't last. Trolls, greed, and etc have set in, but that's ok. That's everywhere. But if we can safe guard against these practices and stay pro-active, perhaps this will be a safe community after all.
Here's to no longer being beta! Here's to future updates!

Agreed +1 for you.

People have a huge problem with the rep issue but as you just said you help people so therefore you get a good rep, others like UK John here moan and winge about bad rep despite not realising that their submissions don't add to a discussion then he gets all rowdy over it.

Read my first post - People who have high rep could have it because they have high rep - people with low rep could equally get more -1's because of it.
My point - and many agree it seems, is that you cannot rely on people to give a +1 or a -1 for logical reasons. For example you have +2 on your post for disagreeing with me - so two others are just giving you +1's because they agree with you - not because you helped them or anything.
In a way then, your post, and the +2 it has received shows why the post rep system doesn't work.
If what you say in this post is right, that people get +1's for helping people, explain what was helpful in your post so it currently has a +2? All your post was was an opinion. Two people agreed with it and so gave +1's. According to you, that's not how the system works- and yet for your post, it has!
I rest my case.

The issue here isn't necessarily that a -1 vote, gives you -1 rep, but that a small number of -1 votes give you a -1 and that it takes a large number of +1's to restore that.
Well maybe that isn't the whole issue, but it's part of it.

I think the purpose of some of us stating how we feel about the rep system, and explaining to people like myself how exactly it works has shed a lot of light on the subject. As it stands now we've merely tried to point out that opinions seem to be rewarded as much as helpful posts, and that goes hand in hand with opinions receiving negative ratings.
I myself only mention it when I get a negative rating because I've gone out of my way to be helpful and quite frankly there are times when I don't understand why people would give me a negative rating for being helpful. I apologize if I personally have sounded whiny, that is not my intent.
I look at the people with high rep on these forums and I tell myself I want to be as productive to the community here as they are. That is my mindset, and the rep is really a bonus. I just don't want to end up with a negativer personal rating because my opinion conflicts with people on here who like to give negative ratings, and it's already been said it doesn't take too many negatives to give you a negative personal rating.
I just want to help as I am able, but unfortunately most of these games I've never played, so my helpfulness is limited. Therefore I try to bring constructive posts to the discussion, sometimes I get positive ratings, sometimes negative ones. In the end it's not a popularity contest, and that's not why I get upset by negative ratings. I get upset because I go out of my way to not purposefully troll or flame, and sometimes I still get negative ratings for what (I think) are helpful or at least acknowledging posts.
Your experience may differ, and I hope it does. Ratings are superficial, I just hate to see people receive negative ratings for opinions that are not trolling, but instead are usually thought-provoking.
-Cym
EDIT: Please don't take this as a personal assault if you're one of those people who gives out negative ratings. My purpose of this post is to get you to think about it before you hit that minus button, because as of this post there's no way to take your vote back. If you disagree it might be more beneficial to state your opinion in a logical manner and leave the rep rating alone until after some exchange has happened. You might find that you and the person you disagree with agree on some of the finer points, but maybe not on the point in question as a whole.
Just a suggestion.

You rest your case! Jesus! I'll have a pint of whatever you're drinking, You've just proved why the rep system doesn't matter and if you tried reading for a change you'd realise I've never offered a explanation as to why someone leaves rep. They can leave rep for any reason whatsoever.
People agree with me and give me rep points accordingly but because it does not tie in with you it's a flawed system?
It's not about whether your post is helpful it's about people reading the post and wanting to give your post a + or - award, nothing else. You moaned in a previous thread as you believed that you deserved more rep than what you got.
The rep system is purely about what a reader is thinking at the time. Get over it. It doesn't matter, and going by the + points, according to you, others think the same. I don't care about whether a negative takes more than one positive to wipe out and at the end of the day it's not really a cause for worry. Some agree with what you write, some people don't and that's about it.
If it were purely down to whether you find a comment useful so that all you hard work in putting those thoughts into english is rewarded by a nice fat + score you need to go onto another website such as Amazon for that.

+1 because I actually agree with what you're saying, and you bring a different perspective to things than what I was looking at before.

Clagg - your the reason people think twice about starting a thread. I get these accusation because I started the thread. As I have gone from -4 to -1 I know I have got many +1's, so it's very far from me 'whining' In fact, the pluses and minuses in the last half dozen posts just shows how this system is redundant. It allows bullies to bully, it allows posts like your, just whining about me, to get +4 and me, defending myself can get a -1. No doubt from someone who gave your opinion on me a +1.
This system allow personal vendetta's. It reinforces the 'me's and the 'you's' in debates and it garners confusion from everybody, quite bluntly, whether they have a post rep of +50 or -10!!!
If you're lucky enough to like a game and be in a majority, then expect a + rep score. But if you're in a minority of not liking it, this system keeps you quiet. Because once you go into minus territory ANY post whatever it says, will get hidden. And why should your post telling me I am a whiner say shown, and mine, defending myself, be hidden?
This post rep system is a great way for certain types of people to 'stir it'.I don; think these forums, in particular, should go down that route, or it will end up like any other 'fanboy' forum where it's difficult to have a sensible conversation at all!