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Needless to say this was something I had been working on for a very long time, Microsoft is very happy about how the MechWarrior brand is being re-invigorated with the new art work and gameplay advances. This extended license deal gives PGI many of the assurances we were looking for to justify continuing to spend large amounts of development funds on the game, we know we now have the runway to make the investment logical.
This is very disheartening....
Let me preface this post by saying, Russ, I commend you on your honesty. The way you addressed the community this evening was something I've been harsh in my opinions on when it comes to PGI and you in particular. You seemed to be very genuine and acted in a truly professional manner. You also seem to understand that the community really seems to be at a breaking point.
The above quote.......
I just..... I don't understand. Were you not going full force on game development prior to this extension? This statement really makes perceptions of pgi just making money grabs seem a little more realistic unfortunately. Why would you be dropping all of these monetary packages if you weren't planning to continue full-blown development....
You said on twitter when you announced the clan packs that CW would be in before clans. You made a point to say that we, as customers, had nothing to worry about when it came to that. Why would you make that statement if you knew if to be false? Why would you give us all of the 90 day deadlines over the past two years?
Why wouldn't you just give us lobbies and let us do our own CW while we waited on you? You want customers to drop large sums of money on your product but you haven't given us one bit of honesty prior to today (which I'm still on the fence about because at this point you have created a very skeptical environment).
I've asked several times over the past few days. Russ, if you were me, and I were you, would YOU give me money? Would you continue to pay a company that has acted in this manner? You have been exceptionally dishonest about a lot of things. I understand it's not "you" specifically to blame for everything but heavy is the head that wears the crown.
If you could not give us the cornerstones of the game that you originally promised to founders, you should have said so. You should have taken the many suggestions of just simply giving us a lobby and way to sync drop without the headaches. We would have taken care of the rest and created our own leagues while waiting. We also wouldn't have raged.
The other part of my concern, is this is the same thing we got for Project Phoenix. PGI became a lot more vocal and communicative and it seemed it was genuine. Then once PP sales were concluded, we got exactly what we complained about again. Silence.
You and others on staff have insulted and berated players. Especially those that are just as, if not more, passionate about this IP than you are. Players that have dedicated decades and thousands of dollars not only to the IP but millions of dollars to you on good faith based on your good word. You've done nothing to earn that faith at this point and done everything to break that faith. You said in your post that you will listen to polite and constructive feedback.
Hire a GOOD PR and marketing guy. You are not a PR guy. You might be a good designer and manager but your public relation skills are poor. You don't seem to have a finger on the pulse of your community and many times even though you dont' realize it, your statements compound the problems and issues the player base has with you, the company, and the game at this point. (Personally I'd give Niko a shot at it, he's the best mod you have and has always been fair and friendly when dealing with even the worst trolls out here)
Give the community lobbies and a way to drop against opponents in a composed drop. This will completely alleviate the pressure I'm sure you and the rest of your team feel when it comes to CW. Your opinion and definition of CW is irrelevant at this point. Your customers have a clear and concise opinion on what CW THEY want. Give it to them. This is going to give them something to do beyond stomp, shoot, buy. Don't worry, we'll still be more than happy to conquer your planetary map when you get it done, but until then we need something more to justify the amount of money you're asking for us to spend.
Rethink your ideologies on micro-transactions. The pretty little things in the store are way too expensive in the eyes of most of your community. Camos and colors especially. Keep the price on the mechs the same if you really think $30+ is a good deal for a single in-game unit. (I don't but you have the hard data to prove this one right or wrong, I don't)
No more perceived money grabs. That doesn't mean continue dropping the hero and champion mechs. That means stop with any more pacakges. Personally I think you should have the fortitude to delay the Clan pack indefinitely and hold true to your promise that we will have CW before clan mechs. If you can get CW out prior to June then keep it on and go for it.
Stop with all the hush hush attitude. It's ridiculous to drop new merchandise and not give an accurate description of what the customer is getting. This isn't "Let's Make A Deal" and I don't want to have to wait to find out what's behind door #2 for my $240 purchase. Before you dropped clan packs you SHOULD have delivered everything from the Phoenix Pack including a detailed description of how loyalty points work, what they do, how the medallions will play into that, and what impact that will have on CW. It's inexcusable that I have to theory craft on what exactly $240 will get me. You know how this stuff will work and if you don't, you should NOT have put it out for public consumption until you did.
This isn't about entitlement or any such nonsense. This about convincing paying customers that your product is good enough to warrant 200+ dollars of their hard earned money. I have the disposable income to purchase the clan pack. I WANT the clan pack (I nearly salivate every time I look at my beloved Timberwolf) but I can't see spending that much money on a company I have no faith in at this point or won't give me anything to do besides stomp, shoot, buy.
If you can do the things mentioned above and keep up the open and honest communication you gave me tonight I'll be dropping in my shiny new clan mechs June 17. If you cannot I'll be dropping in the same mechs I have now on June 17. It shouldn't take a concerted backlash of juggernaut threads (thanks for the term Road) and near riot situations to get this company to explain to its customers what's going on and how things work as far as game mechanics and features. Until I see this stuff actually implemented I'll be sucking up your company's bandwidth as a free player. If it doesn't produce more of a game then I'll continue playing as a free player until something that DOESN'T treat me like I'm a child catches my attention and gives me a more satisfactory gaming experience.
I hope you meant what you said about listening to and responding to open, honest, curteous, and constructive feedback because I took time, effort, and thought for this particular post. The ball is in your court PGI.
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Harlem Mavalon, on 14 December 2013 - 06:08 PM, said:
Wait... someone else already said that? 
Seriously? 
And they where being serious about it? 
