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PGI, you have a fantastic game. But there is/are a/some problem(s). And it is not your game. Mechanically the game is rock solid. The gameplay is complex and satisfying. There are a lot of good things here. I personally feel that this is, at its core, the best Mechwarrior game to date. I'm an old fan of the franchise, and I want to see it succeed.
That said, you have 2 big problems that I can see. First, your relationship with your players is not so hot, and hasn't been for a while. This is due to trust and communication. Now I can see and appreciate improvements to your explanations, from your lectures on new mechanics like consumables, to your more in depth 'Ask the Devs'. These are important steps in the right direction, but I know a lot of people who feel betrayed at going back on earlier commitments.
I know a lot of people who have lost interest or are losing interest due to a lack of game goals, and frankly a good number of folk are now waiting, which is problem number two. Waiting happens sometimes in the development of a game - especially a free to play. But a lot of your older players are heavily invested. We're all waiting to see that investment pay off. From founders to hero mechs, collecting our favorite mechs and getting in on Project Phoenix, we've stockpiled everything we want right now. We've gotten prepared for the eventual game beyond collecting mechs and fighting arena battles.
You sold us on a vision of MechWarrior. A game with factions, contention over worlds, the eventual invasion of the clans, and a fascinating competitive thinking person's shooter. Some people came here because of Battle Tech, some people because of the old MechWarrior games, and others keep coming because giant stompy robots are awesome.
But you're losing people in the waiting period. People only stay so long, and a lot of them will not be coming back. Though compared to 'just some other game' you might be surprised how many fans of this series will come back. I feel like this is the MechWarrior franchise's last real shot before it gets buried away for another decade. I think a lot of people feel this way, and it's why there are so many loyal players. That and you have a mostly unique game universe to work in. Battletech is well developed, deep, and fascinating.
What we need is for you to deliver the game. I know a lot of people on here don't understand the game development process. It's why you've explained at least a dozen times that the people who make mechs, levels, cockpit items, and camo are not the same people who make core features and thus you are not delaying the core development by putting out new content each patch.
However, while there has been a lot of thankless hard work to improve the game, bringing 12 man combat, HSR, improved performance on lower end machines, and stability - the game hasn't developed. There are no end goals to aspire to beyond mech collection. There is nowhere to grow. The game has a competitive scene run by players with no support from PGI or IGP. Third party communications tools are used instead of one's built into the game - a game which prides itself on intense teamwork.
MWO aspires to be a lot, and none of us have forgotten the dream you sold us on. But we're weary of what all this waiting means. We're all waiting for you to deliver, and maybe sales from the new guys coming in will keep you going, or all the buildup from Project Phoenix - but you won't be seeing much out of us old timers until there is more game to play.
I want to go back and hit upon my first point - which is relationship and communication with your player base. Trust is a number one factor for investors - which is what you ultimately get people to do with Free To Play - is to invest their time and/or money into the fun machine which is MWO.
You put third person view into the game. A lot of people didn't want it. A lot of people raged against it. You handled this perfectly by explaining how there would be a hardcore queue for people who only wanted first person to prevent unfair exploitation of perspective in third person. Then you recant this statement. I know you said you are considering it - but let me break down how I see this.
First, it means you are not holding to your promise. Second, you say that there is no significant advantage. We know you have a significant test team both internally and among players. After just 5 minutes most of us figured out you could look over hilltops and around corners using third person view. This makes us question the skill and dedication of your internal testers, and the decision making ability of gameplay design leadership. How did you miss this obvious advantage? Using third person view will become a necessary gameplay skill for scouts and snipers to get an intelligence advantage from cover. This is the specific problem many players wanted to avoid with a hardcore mode - whose existence is now in question.
Additionally, we know this is a task which requires programmers to work on it. The same people who have to work on CW, UI 2.0, lobbies, VOIP, tournaments, and all the other really critical components. This makes a lot of us freak out about priorities and your timeline. Patience is running out.
This isn't just my perception. If this is incorrect or you feel this merits a response - do so. Assuage our fears or own up to a mistake. It takes a lot of guts and it takes time - but it keeps players around.
When you see all this negative feedback and lashing out - you have to say something. Do not pretend that nothing has happened. Do not think that waiting will have any effect other than to let people stew. Yes there are times when balance changes make people freak out as they adjust to the new game and those have to sink in - but third person view is a significant alteration to the formula. This is about an agreement you made with people by selling them on a vision which you altered away from what was stated and expected. There is a lot of doubt right now, and only you can change that.
So please continue to improve your communications with your player base, and with only a month until launch someone spend a couple days working to get people excited. All this doom and gloom is wearing thin after so much waiting. We're still with you, but I'm hearing a lot more "one last chance" and "we'll just have to see if they can do it". In this player-developer conversation, you aren't talking enough. It has to go both ways to keep people in it until you finish the rest of the game.
Edited by DeadEyeDeale, 22 August 2013 - 07:12 AM.
