Announcing The Old Republic Guild Summit

[JoxerNL]

feels like they are just stalling while ignoring all the suggestions made on these forums.

[Caille]

Great news! Glad to see events like this already being put in place for this game.

 

Shadows of the Empire applied. And I will be in Texas at that time anyway prepping my Hans Christian for transport! Tested the game for over a year, so have a long view of changes we have seen.

 

Worst case scenario I am in Texas anyway.

 

 

Alexis

*smiles*

Edited February 1, 2012 by Caille

[XeeThot]

I swear, even if Bioware were to offer every single subscriber to TOR an all expenses paid trip to Austin TX to preview the offices, get a free copy of the CE, talk with the developers about how to improve the game, a billion ingame credits, and a small pony, they would complain about the event being overcrowded. Some people will just never be happy.

 

Hmmm.... yellow text.

 

And I concur. It's impossible to please everyone, as a dev has put once before: "well, people are crap". Humanity as a whole has the problem of thinking that their problem is bigger/more important than everyone's else. The "To hell with everyone else, make me happy." point of view is hard to break.

[Fett]

As a solo player, I like many other intend to start my own guild today, fill it out with people so I can get to go to Austin to see the guild capital ships and laud my top secret info over the rest of the player base, as well as forcing home my own personal agenda and being social with all those people I've been nasty to in game.

 

Let's see how this one goes, I get the feeling however this is done, it's going to lead to the feeling that some people are 'B team' players, and feeling hard done by.

 

After all, given this is an online game, isn't everyone's opinion valid and isn't the web the best medium for presenting material like this?

[Caille]

Oh and to the naysayers, news like this can only mean good things for the game, forum whining is one thing, summits, and fan events are another and a much better idea to get some clue what the people who will be around a while are interested in.

 

 

Alexis

*smiles*

[Airwane]

Why these cool stuff only happen in the US NEVER in EU when there will be a Summit in the EU? Edited February 1, 2012 by Airwane

[Sivri]

You guys should really consider letting some guilds apply to join in over skype conferences I would love to attend with my other co-gm to this meeting but I can unfortunately not leave the country. I can imagine many people being in the same boat (specially us in the EU)

and I think perhaps getting some feedback from other places than just the US would be great too ^^

[GamewizX]

Hmmm.... yellow text.

 

And I concur. It's impossible to please everyone, as a dev has put once before: "well, people are crap". Humanity as a whole has the problem of thinking that their problem is bigger/more important than everyone's else. The "To hell with everyone else, make me happy." point of view is hard to break.

 

Gotta get yer dose of yellow text.

 

I'm not going, even if I got an invite I couldn't afford to go. That doesn't mean this is some horrid idea and that because the game isn't perfect Bioware should give me some all-expense paid trip to their HQ. To even think I would be entitled to something like that is ludicrous, so I can never understand that sort of mindset.

[Fiachsidhe]

feels like they are just stalling while ignoring all the suggestions made on these forums.

 

Exactly. It's a publicity stunt, nothing more. People here on the boards feel ignored, so Bioware decides to pull a select few away from said boards. This is their problem solving.

[Skin_Job]

Gotta get yer dose of yellow text.

 

I'm not going, even if I got an invite I couldn't afford to go. That doesn't mean this is some horrid idea and that because the game isn't perfect Bioware should give me some all-expense paid trip to their HQ. To even think I would be entitled to something like that is ludicrous, so I can never understand that sort of mindset.

 

I don't understand how this is a "ludicrous" idea when companies do this all of the time.

Edited February 1, 2012 by Skin_Job

[Grimhand]

I had a long, rational, logical post written out then I realized it didn't matter. That these forums don't utilize logic or critical thinking.

 

Overall I've come to accept the main problem with SW:TOR is its community.

 

 

Words of wisdom from Tyler Durden.

 

I'm going to ignore forums for the foreseeable future, don't even know why I still use forums when there is Reddit now.

[rhirne]

Probably video conference for those that cannot attend in person. That would be my guess.

 

OHHH.. you mean the ones where the only questions that are "answered" are those that have been asked and answered 3412139418 times via forums, official posts, videos, etc...

 

"At what level do I get my LS?"

"When do I get my ship?"

"Can I travel to other planets?"

"Are SI and JC basically the same?"

 

Cause those video chats are REAL informative.... Genralized questions which have been answered in every interview, video, blog, forum post, etc... but yet it is the only question they answer and skip the other questions.

 

"Why were JC and SI ranged abilities moved to 10m while all other ranged classes kept their 30m range?" This question never was answered other than "Our numbers showed SI and JC needed their range reduced" Give us a decent explanation instead of some vague response.

 

"Why is it that there is an EXHAUSTION ZONE outside of the starting Areas on Tatooine thus forcing me to pay for a taxi ride?"

 

"Why is it ALL caves are 'no Vehicle in this cave' even if it only is connecting 2 areas together and no enemies reside in the cave?"

 

"Are you going to even fix the Tatooine ballon problem?"

 

"Are you going to ever fix the artwork being upside-down and backwards - mainly on the Aurebesh?" (this one is on EVERY world and is more annoying than anything - but makes reading the signs quite difficult)

 

 

I'm not usually one to bash on BW, but this just has some bad vibes written all over it.

[Cylide]

Why these cool stuff only happen in the US NEVER in EU when there will be a Summit in the EU?

 

Play European MMOs, get European Events.

EvE Online has its fanfest in Iceland e.g.

[Fiachsidhe]

OHHH.. you mean the ones where the only questions that are "answered" are those that have been asked and answered 3412139418 times via forums, official posts, videos, etc...

 

"At what level do I get my LS?"

"When do I get my ship?"

"Can I travel to other planets?"

"Are SI and JC basically the same?"

 

Cause those video chats are REAL informative.... Genralized questions which have been answered in every interview, video, blog, forum post, etc... but yet it is the only question they answer and skip the other questions.

 

"Why were JC and SI ranged abilities moved to 10m while all other ranged classes kept their 30m range?" This question never was answered other than "Our numbers showed SI and JC needed their range reduced" Give us a decent explanation instead of some vague response.

 

"Why is it that there is an EXHAUSTION ZONE outside of the starting Areas on Tatooine thus forcing me to pay for a taxi ride?"

 

"Why is it ALL caves are 'no Vehicle in this cave' even if it only is connecting 2 areas together and no enemies reside in the cave?"

 

"Are you going to even fix the Tatooine ballon problem?"

 

"Are you going to ever fix the artwork being upside-down and backwards - mainly on the Aurebesh?" (this one is on EVERY world and is more annoying than anything - but makes reading the signs quite difficult)

 

 

I'm not usually one to bash on BW, but this just has some bad vibes written all over it.

 

It's astounding how easy it is for companies to play mmorpg communities. I've defended this game for a long time, even Bioware, but they're making it harder and harder to do so with each passing week.

[PjPablo]

OHHH.. you mean the ones where the only questions that are "answered" are those that have been asked and answered 3412139418 times via forums, official posts, videos, etc...

 

"At what level do I get my LS?"

"When do I get my ship?"

"Can I travel to other planets?"

"Are SI and JC basically the same?"

 

Cause those video chats are REAL informative.... Genralized questions which have been answered in every interview, video, blog, forum post, etc... but yet it is the only question they answer and skip the other questions.

 

"Why were JC and SI ranged abilities moved to 10m while all other ranged classes kept their 30m range?" This question never was answered other than "Our numbers showed SI and JC needed their range reduced" Give us a decent explanation instead of some vague response.

 

"Why is it that there is an EXHAUSTION ZONE outside of the starting Areas on Tatooine thus forcing me to pay for a taxi ride?"

 

"Why is it ALL caves are 'no Vehicle in this cave' even if it only is connecting 2 areas together and no enemies reside in the cave?"

 

"Are you going to even fix the Tatooine ballon problem?"

 

"Are you going to ever fix the artwork being upside-down and backwards - mainly on the Aurebesh?" (this one is on EVERY world and is more annoying than anything - but makes reading the signs quite difficult)

 

 

I'm not usually one to bash on BW, but this just has some bad vibes written all over it.

 

You have to expect that type of questioning when you open it up to the masses. Taking an approach where you limit the attendees to a smaller group like guild leaders to me increases the likelihood of more meaningful discussion.

 

I really don't understand why some seem so offended by the idea. BW is simply reaching out to the community via guild leadership to discuss the game. What is fundamentally wrong with that. They could just take a stance whereby they say "Nope. We aren't going to talk to anyone. You all can just keep your opinions to yourselves." They aren't. Now some will play conspiracy theorist and says this is a smoke screen and nothing substantive will come of this. How about we wait and see what the end result is.

[EddieLongshanks]

I'll be there with my hard hitting questions such as:

 

• Jawas; why can't we marry them?
  
• The door to the shuttle when leaving BT and how it stays there
  
• The shuttle on Correlia and how it flies through a building
  
• Is she more than a pretty sidekick, buster?
  

 

[DTuloJr]

Exactly. It's a publicity stunt, nothing more. People here on the boards feel ignored, so Bioware decides to pull a select few away from said boards. This is their problem solving.

 

With respect, it's not a publicity stunt. I've worked in the industry, and I'm probably BioWare AUSTIN's harshest critic, because they pretty much ignored every single major warning and suggestion from their beta testers for a whole year, and pretty much confirmed it with some wildly arrogant press interviews, but in this specific situation, they're absolutely spot-on with how they're performing both community outreach and soliciting real feedback from those that matter; The Guilds. Why do guilds matter more than solo players? Because they're *organized*, and odds are higher that they'll be able to serve as the games greatest vocal supporters, detractors, or ambassadors, than any single player can hope to achieve. Guilds, regardless of their play-style focus, are exactly where BWA's focus should be.

 

Whether anything productive comes of it... well... hopefully we shall see. What they should have done is get that group together a couple of months into beta in order to seriously change direction for some aspects of the game that are... off. Seriously off. This is an honest effort put forth by them to get some more personalized feedback, so I say, good.

 

Hopefully they'll be open to receiving honest feedback, and hopefully guild reps will actually be willing to give honest feedback on what works, and what doesn't. Because fanboys gushing help no one when they make excuses for mediocrity. Hold BWA to a higher standard, get them to produce a better game, and we all win.

[Fiachsidhe]

You have to expect that type of questioning when you open it up to the masses. Taking an approach where you limit the attendees to a smaller group like guild leaders to me increases the likelihood of more meaningful discussion.

 

I really don't understand why some seem so offended by the idea. BW is simply reaching out to the community via guild leadership to discuss the game. What is fundamentally wrong with that. They could just take a stance whereby they say "Nope. We aren't going to talk to anyone. You all can just keep your opinions to yourselves." They aren't. Now some will play conspiracy theorist and says this is a smoke screen and nothing substantive will come of this. How about we wait and see what the end result is.

 

Why can't anyone defend this publicity stunt with anything other than logical fallacy and strawman arguments?

[PjPablo]

Why can't anyone defend this publicity stunt with anything other than logical fallacy and strawman arguments?

 

Why should I have to defend a company actually inviting its customers to come to their offices to discuss a product? How is that ever a bad thing? I have yet to see you explain why that is bad on its face or what some other alternatives to improving communication might be. I just see someone who appears to be outraged at the idea that a company would like to offer an outlet for conversation to their customers. Rather than just complain why not offer solutions to the problem as you see it?

[Ludicrouse]

Here's some common sense for you. BW is based in Austin. Is it common sense for them to give their game developers multiple days off and pay thousands of dollars to send them to EU, or to have the players come to them?

 

Maybe if the summit is successful they'll consider having one in EU, but to expect that they'd be willing to do that on the first pass is unrealistic.

 

 

I am afraid i was educated in a British School, they taught Geography to us so thankfully, unlike other places/people in the world i actually know the layout of this Planet. Thank you for trying to point out where Bioware is based though.

 

As for your "Common Sense" - Yes, it is common sense for them to send Staff Members to the EU from Austin.

 

Firstly, they have done it before - Bioware a small number of EU Conventions to show off SWTOR, back then they were not even getting any Subscription income so by your own argument they should of stayed in Austin.

 

Secondly, they would not send many Staff from Austin - It would likely only be Stephen Reid, DE and maybe GZ from BW Austin and instead they would likely send some Rep's from BW Cork like Chris Deum.

 

Thirdly, it would generate good PR for SWTOR in the EU and PR, as any Public Rep would tell you, is bloody priceless. It could potentially generate extra Subscription Income if people feel like they are being involved more and their opinions have weight.

[Amp_]

Im not Mr. Cleverclogs. I cannot afford to go, if i could then i quite possibly would consider it. However that still does not alter the fact that a Summit in Austin is essentially alienation of the European fanbase, that is without even mentioning the whole "Guild Leaders Only" debate that has cropped up on here.

 

Surely it would of made much more sense to have two Summit's, a US one and an EU one. This would allow them to invite more people overall and would significantly reduce the cost incurred to the punter.

 

To get from where i am on those dates would cost, as i said previously, around $2000. If there was, as suggested elsewhere in this thread, an alternative Summit in Amsterdam for example then i could go there for as little as $50.

 

Hell, don't let me stop people from twisting common sense into something else entirely.

 

 

@SioGallichan Siobhan Gallichan

@Rockjaw but our GL is WELSH! Air travel is the work of the devil and all his little pixies, according to him. See the problem now?

 

@Rockjaw Stephen Reid

@SioGallichan Yep. It's a way to go, we realize. Stay tuned, there will be ways to be involved.

 

In this day and age of technology, I wouldn't be surprised if BioWare can come up with a viable way to have people involved, regardless of location.

Edited February 1, 2012 by Amp_

[Fiachsidhe]

With respect, it's not a publicity stunt. I've worked in the industry, and I'm probably BioWare AUSTIN's harshest critic, because they pretty much ignored every single major warning and suggestion from their beta testers for a whole year, and pretty much confirmed it with some wildly arrogant press interviews, but in this specific situation, they're absolutely spot-on with how they're performing both community outreach and soliciting real feedback from those that matter; The Guilds. Why do guilds matter more than solo players? Because they're *organized*, and odds are higher that they'll be able to serve as the games greatest vocal supporters, detractors, or ambassadors, than any single player can hope to achieve. Guilds, regardless of their play-style focus, are exactly where BWA's focus should be.

 

Whether anything productive comes of it... well... hopefully we shall see. What they should have done is get that group together a couple of months into beta in order to seriously change direction for some aspects of the game that are... off. Seriously off. This is an honest effort put forth by them to get some more personalized feedback, so I say, good.

 

Hopefully they'll be open to receiving honest feedback, and hopefully guild reps will actually be willing to give honest feedback on what works, and what doesn't. Because fanboys gushing help no one when they make excuses for mediocrity. Hold BWA to a higher standard, get them to produce a better game, and we all win.

 

Which would all be well and good if this website wasn't already filled with constructive, well thought out feedback.

 

I can also make assumptions, and say that anyone who is willing to take vacation days, shell out travel/lodging fees, just to do what they do on the forums, is also the kind of person who will simply gush, and tell them that everything is ok.

 

Or, that they'll be too nervous to tell Bioware what they really feel, when face to face.

 

If I have the bulk of my vocal community, telling me what is wrong, and after months of that, I turn around and say, ok let's see what a tiny fraction of you think, in person. What is any sane person supposed to think?

 

It's like they want a focus group, when they have the biggest resource imaginable right here. I've yet to see one Bioware sanctioned poll. If they really wanted constructive well thought out responses they'd have them by now.

 

Cherry picking people from the community, based on little more than their guild rank, isn't reaching out to the community. If they had any interest in that, they'd be on these boards, or Facebook, or Google+, etc.

Edited February 1, 2012 by Fiachsidhe

[rhirne]

...

 

Why do guilds matter more than solo players? Because they're *organized*, and odds are higher that they'll be able to serve as the games greatest vocal supporters, detractors, or ambassadors, than any single player can hope to achieve. Guilds, regardless of their play-style focus, are exactly where BWA's focus should be.

 

 

Notice the coloring. You yourself, by your own comment, just stated Solo Players don't matter and you have to be in a guild to 'understand game mechanics and how it works.' Maybe I don't have a guild because... hmmm. I don't know... There's nothing there for them right now.

 

You are saying that because I have a "social guild" that we just sit and talk all day, they are better "organized" and "better off" than say PlayerQ who runs and puts together PUG's / Pre-Mades for Heroics and FP's and does it on a daily basis? By your own words, you just excluded a large portion of the playerbase

 

Again, I'm not usually harsh on BW and have been a supporter and sticking with it, but this just has a bad stench on it.

[Fiachsidhe]

Why should I have to defend a company actually inviting its customers to come to their offices to discuss a product? How is that ever a bad thing? I have yet to see you explain why that is bad on its face or what some other alternatives to improving communication might be. I just see someone who appears to be outraged at the idea that a company would like to offer an outlet for conversation to their customers. Rather than just complain why not offer solutions to the problem as you see it?

 

Nothing you said made any sense.

 

Why should you have to defend the company? Irrelevant, the point is, you are.

You haven't seen me describe why it's bad? Then you haven't been reading any of my posts.

 

All I see in you, is someone so desperate to defend a company that makes a product you enjoy, that you can ignore dozens of posts telling you why it's a pointless and insulting, while relying entirely on a fallacy argument, that the alternative to cherry picking a tiny sum of arbitrarily chosen people, is total apathy.

 

Oh you want me to offer alternatives? You mean like the dozen or so times I said READ THESE FORUMS? You know, the ones that are right now, full of suggestions?

Edited February 1, 2012 by Fiachsidhe

[Ludicrouse]

@SioGallichan Siobhan Gallichan

@Rockjaw but our GL is WELSH! Air travel is the work of the devil and all his little pixies, according to him. See the problem now?

 

@Rockjaw Stephen Reid

@SioGallichan Yep. It's a way to go, we realize. Stay tuned, there will be ways to be involved.

 

In this day and age of technology, I wouldn't be surprised if BioWare can come up with a viable way to have people involved, regardless of location.

 

Yeah, i saw that. There was also a Tweet by David Bass a while ago saying they had stuff in the pipework. Im very thankful, i just hope that it is not merely a Live Stream of watching everyone else get to ask questions/give opinions.

 

"Involved" is such a vague term.