I just want to tag in on this thread to share the sentiment. I've been noticing this same issue for a good while now. I read the explanation on the reasons, and it does make sense. However, it does leave me wish the same disappointment and frustration.
I want to give devs positive feedback and gratitude for some of the demos I find here. Of course I can always try to reach out to them in other ways, and I do, but that's genuinely defeating the entire purpose of the comment section. It feels like I'm in the same weird shadowban zone as @RXA623, where I know other comments are going through, but not mine, and I'm just confused.
That said, again, I do understand having to tighten the spam filters. I just hope it can get sorted out soon in a way where it doesn't feel like users are being punished for nothing. Ack. That's not meant to be snarky either, I don't want it to read that way. T_T It's just so upsetting that I'm over here like "I love your game!" "Wishlisted, this is awesome!" and yeah...that just goes nowhere? Oof.
I do not understand why people keep using the term shadowban so completely wrong. If you know immediatly that you are banned, it is not a shadow ban, it is a regular ban. The platforms that did or do use such tactics display comments as regular to the shadow banned user, but no other users will see the comments.
Anyway, is the rate button disabled too, if your comments are held in moderation?
Maybe You just don't understand the term "shadowban" then? Because that's exactly what this is - being allowed to post, but essentially not being allowed to post, tricked into "yeah, this definitely works", while it doesn't and nobody can see your comments. Just because I don't see my messages either, I'm just even more dissapointed, because the site keeps gaslighting me into some illusion that my comments just need to be approved (and if they can't be approved after 8 months, then how is it different from a shadowban?).
"Anyway, is the rate button disabled too, if your comments are held in moderation?"
No, but rating by itself removes the "discussion" part of a comment section, which I believe to be the most engaging and helpful. Seeing what others say, people replying to criticism and providing different points of view.