I think you're really not giving a great deal of people credit if you think they're that susceptible to being influenced by the comments.
Generally, when I vote, it's right after I read the comic. I don't get into the comments until after that. But a lot of times, I really don't care to vote on stuff. The vote's arbitrary to me. I know I've cited people who've commented prior to me at times in my crits, but that was more about not wanting to step on the toes of what they already said & typically reinforcing the point they've made. If one person points something out about the comic, then it might just be something they alone see. You suddenly get two people telling you the same thing, it might be worth looking into.
And a lot of times, if the first commenter covered it sufficiently, I'll just sort of ditto them. But a lot of other times, they may just kind of graze the surface, & I'll take what they started & run with it. Hell, other times, I might flat out disagree with what's been said & like to address it too, like telling some new person that they can disregard being called "Too Anime" or something.
Anyway, I think it's silly to think anything people read influences the vote other than the comic itself, & I like being able to see what's been said.
I do like the idea of some sort of separation between pre & post battle comments. Even if there were some sort of timestamp kind of a comment once a battle's been uploaded, it would help.
Birthright
Saal, Louise Ambre-Aliona, and Llaana
@ 3:44 PM Apr 16th