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thank you so much for listening now please give us a lobby and game rooms based off msn zone would just make this thing perfect and let us have pirate units
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Official Response to Community Concerns - OCT 12/2012
Started by Paul Inouye, Oct 12 2012 05:29 PM
680 replies to this topic
#102
Posted 12 October 2012 - 06:13 PM
As much as i am very happy to have such a forthright communication i feel this is way overdue and almost too late.
PGI have had ample opportunities to outline these things for weeks if not months but have given vague answers instead of details which has set everyones teeth on edge and created more problems in this community than has excited or informed anyone.
I work in product development too in a diffifent industray and i totally sympathise with you in regards to steering a big ship. I understand and have been there, but the forums is your canary going down into the mine and it really felt like you were ignoring the canary dying of dangerous gasses and pushing deeper into a dangerous place.
We might be the vocal minory on the beta forums - but we will also be your most powerful advocates for this game going forward.
If this small portion of the community feels like they are not being listened to it could poison a significant part of your release.
Several weeks go it got to a point like this and PGI started comunicating much better and it was amazing the community mood being lifted, but then it all stopped again and it has led to an official announcement to the m,*** market you now need to roll back. I implore you not to do this again as i am sure you realise this is a significant problem.
Here is a quick lesson on how you can interact with us without overpromising.
1. If you do not know yet - tell us outright.
2. If the thing is in progress but things might change so you do not want to overcommit to any information - tell us just that, we are msotly adults and would rather know its tough and you might have to change things.
3. If you have a solid roadmap like he matchmaker and people are worried about it, release it with a huge notice that things could change.
As much as people carry on here nearly all of us are adults and understand to a degree that development of a complex game is not easy and not everything you say will come true ... but please, do not go silent again - treat the beta testers with some respect and transparency and this will be rewarded in the long term.
/rant
PGI have had ample opportunities to outline these things for weeks if not months but have given vague answers instead of details which has set everyones teeth on edge and created more problems in this community than has excited or informed anyone.
I work in product development too in a diffifent industray and i totally sympathise with you in regards to steering a big ship. I understand and have been there, but the forums is your canary going down into the mine and it really felt like you were ignoring the canary dying of dangerous gasses and pushing deeper into a dangerous place.
We might be the vocal minory on the beta forums - but we will also be your most powerful advocates for this game going forward.
If this small portion of the community feels like they are not being listened to it could poison a significant part of your release.
Several weeks go it got to a point like this and PGI started comunicating much better and it was amazing the community mood being lifted, but then it all stopped again and it has led to an official announcement to the m,*** market you now need to roll back. I implore you not to do this again as i am sure you realise this is a significant problem.
Here is a quick lesson on how you can interact with us without overpromising.
1. If you do not know yet - tell us outright.
2. If the thing is in progress but things might change so you do not want to overcommit to any information - tell us just that, we are msotly adults and would rather know its tough and you might have to change things.
3. If you have a solid roadmap like he matchmaker and people are worried about it, release it with a huge notice that things could change.
As much as people carry on here nearly all of us are adults and understand to a degree that development of a complex game is not easy and not everything you say will come true ... but please, do not go silent again - treat the beta testers with some respect and transparency and this will be rewarded in the long term.
/rant
#103
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- 346 posts
Member
Posted 12 October 2012 - 06:15 PM
I'm a fan. The mm changes will be much better for new people joining our community as well with Open beta starting. We can give up 8 man teams for a couple weeks to make the overall new player experience better. Face it, none of you that are grouping in premades are going to go anywhere if they take away all matchmaking for a couple weeks, much less giving us a 4 man option. Surely some of you remember when you couldn't even guarantee that you were going to be grouped on the same team, much less teams of 8.
#104
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- The Infernal
- 280 posts
Member
- LocationLa Isla Bonita
Posted 12 October 2012 - 06:15 PM
Roger that...
#105
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- 19 posts
Member
- Locationcolorado
Posted 12 October 2012 - 06:15 PM
Liked the start at your time on the premium. i will wait for most of the bugs to be fixed before I start. KUDO's
#106
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- The Spear
- 1,152 posts
Member
- LocationIdaho
Posted 12 October 2012 - 06:16 PM
Garth Erlam, on 12 October 2012 - 05:56 PM, said:
Just to make sure everyone sees this: "This is why we move to Phase 2 VERY soon after Phase 1."
Making sure something can be seen? Not always a good idea, this Public Service Announcement will explain why.
Although in all seriousness, I think it's fantastic you guys were open to the idea of pushing the beta back a bit. I went from mildly concerned to overwhelmingly satisfied with this.
I mean, let's face it, no matter how polished the beta state of the game is or not, going from Closed to Open Beta is like a first time skydiver at the door of the airplane looking down at the Earth FAAAARRRRR below... it's a make or break moment and frankly, the pushback is extremely re-assuring.
Edited by Sir Roland MXIII, 12 October 2012 - 06:20 PM.
#107
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- 484 posts
Member
- LocationN. E. Kentucky
Posted 12 October 2012 - 06:16 PM
Paul Inouye, on 12 October 2012 - 05:29 PM, said:
...Phase 1:
Reduce the maximum # of players in a group to 4. ...
Reduce the maximum # of players in a group to 4. ...
I don't give a rats *** about PUGS or competitive play. I play this game to play with my friends. This makes the game not worth my time.
I'm done with this game.
Can anyone tell me how I go about requesting a refund of my Founders purchase and get taken off the mailing list?
#108
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- 86 posts
Member
- LocationIllinois
Posted 12 October 2012 - 06:17 PM
Thanks for getting the server lag/FPS drops resolved.
#109
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- Bad Company
- 2,461 posts
Member
- LocationEvening Ladies
Posted 12 October 2012 - 06:18 PM
Paul Inouye, on 12 October 2012 - 05:29 PM, said:
A response to the major concerns of the community.
We would like to let you all know that we DO listen and DO carefully follow the forums, Facebook, Tweets, PMs and support tickets. We have a team of committed staff whose entire job is to tell us these things.
We would like to let you all know that we DO listen and DO carefully follow the forums, Facebook, Tweets, PMs and support tickets. We have a team of committed staff whose entire job is to tell us these things.
Those....poor smucks....
Paul Inouye, on 12 October 2012 - 05:29 PM, said:
Open Beta:
We have decided to push Open Beta back. We agree that the game's current state of stability is not allowing us to get the latest experience across to new and veteran players alike. This is a short push back on the date and will depend on the stability and playability of the build.
Good call IMO, Stability issues current in play would have caused the ruckus on the forums to multiply a hundred fold.
Paul Inouye, on 12 October 2012 - 05:29 PM, said:
Phase 1:
Reduce the maximum # of players in a group to 4. This means when players form a group, they will only be able to add 3 people. When that group launches, they will be put in a bucket. The match maker will then fill the rest of the 8 player team with 4 PUGs or any partial groups that are looking for a match at that moment. The same will happen for the other team. Matches will still be 8v8 but instead of playing against 8 people in an organized premade, you will see a max of 4.
Reduce the maximum # of players in a group to 4. This means when players form a group, they will only be able to add 3 people. When that group launches, they will be put in a bucket. The match maker will then fill the rest of the 8 player team with 4 PUGs or any partial groups that are looking for a match at that moment. The same will happen for the other team. Matches will still be 8v8 but instead of playing against 8 people in an organized premade, you will see a max of 4.
Thats just hilariously awesome.
Paul Inouye, on 12 October 2012 - 05:29 PM, said:
Phase 3:
We have been examining the various ranking systems in other games/structured tournament play etc. This includes ELO, TrueSkill and others. Our current plan is to use a hybrid system that uses the mentality of ELO with a weighting system that we’ve determined that drives down to player effectiveness/skill in a match. In order for this to work properly, we will need to do heavy pre-release testing before it goes live to the community and hence the amount of time to get it implemented.
We currently cannot go into detail as to how this system will work because we are not going to over-promise something that may change during implementation. We will try to keep you as up to date on this as possible.
We have been examining the various ranking systems in other games/structured tournament play etc. This includes ELO, TrueSkill and others. Our current plan is to use a hybrid system that uses the mentality of ELO with a weighting system that we’ve determined that drives down to player effectiveness/skill in a match. In order for this to work properly, we will need to do heavy pre-release testing before it goes live to the community and hence the amount of time to get it implemented.
We currently cannot go into detail as to how this system will work because we are not going to over-promise something that may change during implementation. We will try to keep you as up to date on this as possible.
Scary stuff, sounds like alot of work!
Paul Inouye, on 12 October 2012 - 05:29 PM, said:
Founder’s Premium Account Status:
We have heard your cries and we are responding to them…
On the date of Open Beta, your Premium Account timer WILL start ticking. Around Open Beta, a button will appear that will allow YOU the Founder’s account holder to decide when the timer starts to tick down. At the same time as this button appearing, your used Premium Account time will be reset to its full value. At that point, you can click the button to start your timer but you cannot stop it. It will be up to you to decide when the Premium Account starts to tick.
We have heard your cries and we are responding to them…
On the date of Open Beta, your Premium Account timer WILL start ticking. Around Open Beta, a button will appear that will allow YOU the Founder’s account holder to decide when the timer starts to tick down. At the same time as this button appearing, your used Premium Account time will be reset to its full value. At that point, you can click the button to start your timer but you cannot stop it. It will be up to you to decide when the Premium Account starts to tick.
Please tell me its a big red button of doom.
Paul Inouye, on 12 October 2012 - 05:29 PM, said:
Game Balance:
The game is fairly close to where we want it but the last few items are finally coming into play in terms of Mech on-board systems and items such as Double Heat Sinks, Ferro Fibrous Armor which directly relate to weapon balance and combat experience. Now that those systems are in place, we will be looking into balancing factors such as heat and damage/damage over time etc.
For more information about where weapons are going, check out this link.
The game is fairly close to where we want it but the last few items are finally coming into play in terms of Mech on-board systems and items such as Double Heat Sinks, Ferro Fibrous Armor which directly relate to weapon balance and combat experience. Now that those systems are in place, we will be looking into balancing factors such as heat and damage/damage over time etc.
For more information about where weapons are going, check out this link.
Im curious as to how Flamers will end up later on down the road (currently considered useless, and when double heat sinks are put in they are considered useless for anti-mech combat in Battletech as a whole) but being able to set (limited) fires with them could prove interesting later as a tactical weapon (such as lighting up the tunnel on Forest Colony).
Paul Inouye, on 12 October 2012 - 05:29 PM, said:
New User Experience:
We are adding a lot of tutorials for new players, and we believe this will help greatly. We’re also tightening the UI to make the flow easier to understand. In general, we’re adding a lot in the coming days, and we do understand this is needed to help new players the various complexities of MechWarrior Online.
Videos of every aspect of Mech Warfare will be coming soon, including moving your Mech, arming your Mech and tactics with your Mech.
We are adding a lot of tutorials for new players, and we believe this will help greatly. We’re also tightening the UI to make the flow easier to understand. In general, we’re adding a lot in the coming days, and we do understand this is needed to help new players the various complexities of MechWarrior Online.
Videos of every aspect of Mech Warfare will be coming soon, including moving your Mech, arming your Mech and tactics with your Mech.
Rejoice new(er) people!
Paul Inouye, on 12 October 2012 - 05:29 PM, said:
Community Warfare:
Let’s start off by re-quoting the original Community Warfare Pillar from our game description:
Community Warfare:
MechWarrior® in all of its incarnations has always had a loyal following of players in one of the strongest on-line communities in gaming history. Piranha-Games hopes to bring this community together in a friendly conflict of universal control. This may sound a little odd, but it is the fun competitiveness that will keep the game alive and kicking for years to come. Utilizing the BattleTech® Inner Sphere, we plan to have skirmishes amongst the Great Houses in BattleTech® lore. Allowing the player to have an active part in this conflict is one of our key directives in designing this game. Players will be able to create, manage and customize their Merc Corp's player base and appearance, while banding together to really delve into the Inner Sphere conflict where House alignment reigns supreme. Merc Corp leaders will bid and fight for occupation rights to some of the most valuable planets across the Inner Sphere and challenge other Merc Corps for control of planets reaping large rewards.
Nothing has changed from this original vision of where we want to take Community Warfare. The thing about Community Warfare the decision to push it out further post Open Beta, is the sheer size of the feature and the amount of time to implement. Right now we want the dev team to focus on getting the current game feature set into the live build and then stabilize the build as people join us through the first few weeks of Open Beta. Soon after, a large segment of the entire team will shift over to getting Community Warfare coded and implemented so we can get this into the hands of internal/early beta tester’s hands so we can launch the feature in the future. Because of the sheer workload of this feature we cannot give you an accurate timeline for delivery for this but we will start rolling out information as we begin development of Community Warfare.
After this big gameplay injection, we will look at the plan for the Clan Invasion.
- The MechWarrior™ Online® Team
Let’s start off by re-quoting the original Community Warfare Pillar from our game description:
Community Warfare:
MechWarrior® in all of its incarnations has always had a loyal following of players in one of the strongest on-line communities in gaming history. Piranha-Games hopes to bring this community together in a friendly conflict of universal control. This may sound a little odd, but it is the fun competitiveness that will keep the game alive and kicking for years to come. Utilizing the BattleTech® Inner Sphere, we plan to have skirmishes amongst the Great Houses in BattleTech® lore. Allowing the player to have an active part in this conflict is one of our key directives in designing this game. Players will be able to create, manage and customize their Merc Corp's player base and appearance, while banding together to really delve into the Inner Sphere conflict where House alignment reigns supreme. Merc Corp leaders will bid and fight for occupation rights to some of the most valuable planets across the Inner Sphere and challenge other Merc Corps for control of planets reaping large rewards.
Nothing has changed from this original vision of where we want to take Community Warfare. The thing about Community Warfare the decision to push it out further post Open Beta, is the sheer size of the feature and the amount of time to implement. Right now we want the dev team to focus on getting the current game feature set into the live build and then stabilize the build as people join us through the first few weeks of Open Beta. Soon after, a large segment of the entire team will shift over to getting Community Warfare coded and implemented so we can get this into the hands of internal/early beta tester’s hands so we can launch the feature in the future. Because of the sheer workload of this feature we cannot give you an accurate timeline for delivery for this but we will start rolling out information as we begin development of Community Warfare.
After this big gameplay injection, we will look at the plan for the Clan Invasion.
- The MechWarrior™ Online® Team
Thats alot to do, alot to refine and a whole lot of tweaking: given our current pace of progression in terms of timeline to real time progression (which so far has been treated as a 1:1 ratio) it doesn't seem feasible to expand on the Clan Invasion anytime soon, would you say its more likely our "Merc Corps" will be getting news reports about the invasion for quite some time before we see some clan stomping action (And thus access to clan equipment) ?
#110
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- 346 posts
Member
Posted 12 October 2012 - 06:18 PM
Gristle, on 12 October 2012 - 06:16 PM, said:
I don't give a rats *** about PUGS or competitive play. I play this game to play with my friends. This makes the game not worth my time.
I'm done with this game.
Can anyone tell me how I go about requesting a refund of my Founders purchase and get taken off the mailing list?
Oh noes. Someone's got sand in his/her shorts and other sensitive areas. I guess this is going to weed out some of the whiners too. People like you don't deserve refunds.
Edited by Angst, 12 October 2012 - 06:19 PM.
#111
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- The Infernal
- 8,881 posts
Member
Posted 12 October 2012 - 06:18 PM
Well finally a developer that listens and more importantly answers it seems. All I can say at this point they might have just earned another $30 from me for that Elite Upgrade.
#112
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- The Clan Cat
- 1,482 posts
Member
Posted 12 October 2012 - 06:19 PM
Garth Erlam, on 12 October 2012 - 05:56 PM, said:
Just to make sure everyone sees this: "This is why we move to Phase 2 VERY soon after Phase 1."
Skip Phase 1. There's no point to it.
Edited by Glory, 12 October 2012 - 06:19 PM.
#113
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- 86 posts
Member
- LocationIllinois
Posted 12 October 2012 - 06:19 PM
Gristle, on 12 October 2012 - 06:16 PM, said:
I don't give a rats *** about PUGS or competitive play. I play this game to play with my friends. This makes the game not worth my time.
I'm done with this game.
Can anyone tell me how I go about requesting a refund of my Founders purchase and get taken off the mailing list?
You might not care about them, but PGI does since they are a large part of the playerbase. You're the minority here. If you want a refund, open a ticket, obviously this isn't the place to ask for it.
#114
Posted 12 October 2012 - 06:19 PM
Gristle, on 12 October 2012 - 06:16 PM, said:
I don't give a rats *** about PUGS or competitive play. I play this game to play with my friends. This makes the game not worth my time.
I'm done with this game.
Can anyone tell me how I go about requesting a refund of my Founders purchase and get taken off the mailing list?
You can stil play with your friends in smaller groups. Then later they will add the 8 vs 8 functionality.
You are being catered for.
#115
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- Mercenary Rank 2
- 87 posts
Member
Posted 12 October 2012 - 06:19 PM
Sounds like all good news to me.
#116
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- 781 posts
Member
- LocationSecret UrbanMech Production Facility
Posted 12 October 2012 - 06:20 PM
Small but important point: Elo is a dude's name, not an acronym.
Arpad Elo invented the Elo Rating System.
Don't be one of those companies that gets this wrong and looks stupid in front of math nerds when most of your TT stalwarts are, in fact, math nerds. (This poster included)
Arpad Elo invented the Elo Rating System.
Don't be one of those companies that gets this wrong and looks stupid in front of math nerds when most of your TT stalwarts are, in fact, math nerds. (This poster included)
#117
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- 1,214 posts
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Posted 12 October 2012 - 06:20 PM
I'm sorry that some of the issues are giving you trouble but I'm glad you have the freedom and flexibility to make this choice if it is what you think is best. Thank you for communicating with us and thank you for working so hard on the game!
#118
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- The Spear
- 1,152 posts
Member
- LocationIdaho
Posted 12 October 2012 - 06:23 PM
Glory, on 12 October 2012 - 06:19 PM, said:
Skip Phase 1. There's no point to it.
First off Phase One will be extremely brief. Secondly, you want them to release something with minimal testing? Hypocrisy senses tingling!
#119
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- 6 posts
Rookie
Posted 12 October 2012 - 06:25 PM
rofl, group of 4 or 8 only down the road.. Seems a touch pointless... But hey why not consolize this PC game as well.... They must of hired a few layed off EA or DICE guys to screw this promising game up as well..
#120
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- The Spear
- 1,152 posts
Member
- LocationIdaho
Posted 12 October 2012 - 06:25 PM
Thontor, on 12 October 2012 - 06:24 PM, said:
honestly surprised at the open beta pushback after the big public press push you were going, not complaining though
It's a happy surprise though. I would've been surprised to the point of shock if they HADN'T.
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