Do you even have an idea how bad this sounds?
As a company, every one of you keeps parrotting this same useless, nondescript, I’m speaking but saying nothing platitude?
While I understand that you burned yourself with statements in the past, instead of learning how to communicate correctly, you chose silence and this type of comment is more of an insult than an assurance.
Well, having done some work on Blood Bowl digital a lot of years ago. I can attest than Game Workshop licence stuff makes near impossible to speak about things before, at least for new non approved content (so careers, or new enemies for example).
And this is why cm’s don’t comment in threads.
I can understand that too.
But, floating a general idea without actual details and hearing what people think about it is not the same as committing to anything.
Just imagine how it would have been if they gave you a forum topic with the notion of “we think about a game mode with mutators, redesigned maps and fixed enemy spawns”.
Could that have steered away from the disaster we call Weaves?
And what we have now is such a great thing?
Yes and no. Usually a discussion should be about a specific theme and participants should explain their point in order to convince other people. The moment the developer weights in, the opinion of all other people becomes insignificant because the opinion of the developer is so much more valuable.
In this regard the thread shifts from convincing each other to convincing the developer. The flow of the conversation completely shifts in a unfavourable way.
I would see this still problematic. As you have always two sides of community. The one okay with the role would directly become hyper vary while the other side would be directly: “FS totally promised to revamp class xyz”. If the topic was not about that certain point it would completely change the conversation in the topic. If it was already about that certain point what would it help to make such a vague comment. I don’t see the worth here.
As long as we don’t manage to separate developer comments (often personal opinion) from FS official stance (official game direction) it will be problematic. And honestly, this community is awful in this regard (most communities are though). Do I may remind you for Dedicated Servers? Some members are STILL hung up about this. 2 YEARS after because FS totally promised it. However, every pre-release information and 99 % of all statement in interviews and streams always speaks about Dedicated Server Support. Support. Not hosting servers themselves. Yet, the majority of these people insist that it was like this. The “basis” for this is one unlucky comment by one developer buried in the Steam forum which 99 % of people have never read. No, the moment when noone in the whole community complains for the lack of dedicated servers for three months, THEN I will be willing to believe that developers can and should take part more in discussions.
No it’s not, but they don’t comment because they can’t be specific. And because they can’t be specific then players get frustrated that they aren’t saying anything and are talking like a politician.
Also for your question about weaves, i think thats just a question for a poll, and i’m all for them doing that more often. Also listen to beta feedback instead of having a fixed release date even if it’s all broken, which they have admitted was the reason of such a bad wom beta.
And as a developer you are not allowed to even talk or discuss about smth. you’re planning to work on or are interested in? I mean there is this process BEFORE “concepting” where you’re maybe brainstorming and getting ideas about smth. and this is where I would start to communicate in the forums. But maybe I’m just not into that whole GW philsophy of operating behind closed doors…
Well, I never asked for a devs opinion on smth., I asked for “leading a discussion”, like, have you ever seen journalists arguing about smth. on TV, there is always a moderator!? That’s what im talking about, smth. like a moderation and acting towards the central theme.
It’s still better to say that we will never do it and then still do it in the future, as keeping things in this limbo of “looking into it” indefinitely. then of course people feel they have a basis for asking for it, since nobody ever said that they will never do it.
That will happen anyway, once they do it one way, thus invalidating every other person’s opinion or wishes. Might as well be upfron about it.
How does a cm know what op wants to discuss. If the cm’s made a thread with a question, sure they could direct the discussion in a way. But if it’s made by players then that’s hard to come and play the ‘boss’ in someonr else’s thread. Op should be the moderator if asking a question, not a cm, unless cm’s ask a qs
You mean a talk show? So FS developer says: “Interesting Mr. Adelion. But now to our next community member. Mr Unskinner what is your opinion on this matter?” I don’t see the point of this.
Or do you what for FS to make threads themselves a la: “Today we talk about” ?
I have the feeling you want a direct feedback like: “Good idea.” which would again create forementioned problems. I don’t see much gain for the actual disussions other than “Yay, I’m feeling acknowledged” accompanied by fuzzy feelings.
You mean a post like: Q&A - Week 41 :: Warhammer: Vermintide 2 Helmgart Keep - General Discussions
Where Hedge says: “Consider them gone.” Or is it still limbo for you?
Sure, but the difference is the moment in time. As long as they haven’t made the statement, they can still change their mind more easily. And if you have ever done development for ANYTHING you will know that nothing is set in stone until the official release/deadline. And for my job i to prefer to keep options open as long as possible.
It’s still better to let everyone discuss to maybe find some arguments and pov’s the devs never thought about. Just shutting everything down is counter productive to a discussion, even if a cm secretly knows it will most likely never happen.
That statement there is just as buried as it’s counterpart you complain about.
With the difference that it is made by the OFFICIAL community manager in an OFFICAL Q&A. It is a legitimate offical answer in comparison to the buried counterpart.
And yet people still don’t get it, how is that possible, then?
Edit:
What is better, Hedge having said it once in the mentioned official manner and people like you (I don’t read steam forums) being able to quote him, OR having never said anything?
This. and what i meant with moderation, is just an “ongoing support on the thread” like giving directions on the discussion. I just take the rest you wrote as a joke, since it’s absolutley nonsense, I, again, said I’m not interested in their opinions, I just want to talk about relevant things and want to get a direction because atm I have no idea where they want to go with the game.
This is what irks me most also.
All you get is “we have cool ideas” “we work on awesome stuff” , etc.
And you’re like, BUT WHAT IS IT?
All you get is a new Season and then flies buzz in the silence for 3 months.
There has to be a point of no return after which you’d have to be able to communicate certainties.