An open letter to Bioware.

[Dezzi]

The first part of your post is a fair question. I will answer that.

 

For me, and I realise this is personal, I have had the experience on forums that people use this sort of resumé to give more strength to their points and often exaggerate because 1) nobody can check it and 2) they think it gives strength to their arguments they feel is lacking. This is a bad habit because I think the points should speak for themselves. If the points are good, you do not need to explain how long you've been gaming, especially since anyone can say they have a lot of gaming experience and can simply lie. This is a forum after all, we can't check the truth about it. So to me it is better to avoid it.

 

As soon as I see one of these approaches therefore, I rarely read on because I feel the rest will likely be equally rubbish. In this case I did read on and as I mentioned in my post I do feel he has good points.

 

So there you have a bit more explanation about why I say that.

 

However, then you go on to state that I am purposefully derailing the thread to shut up a dissenter.

 

This is as uncalled for as it is unfounded. You purely base this on the premise that because you don't understand me, I therefore must be evil. This reasoning makes absolutely no sense and you know it. You assume a lot there and it's simply not true. Especially since I finished my post by saying that I felt the OP actually made good points.

 

Why he posted his resumé is also your interpretation. I am sure he can speak for himself. Your reason might be right but if you think you can read his mind over the internet, then I will choose to disbelieve you.

 

Let me tell you then where I stand. I agree with pretty much every point the OP makes AFTER his resumé. All in all not all points are so strong for me that it makes me quit, but there is one issue that needs to be addressed yesterday rather than tomorrow: server population. This is priority number one. It is killing this game. Transfers cannot come soon enough. I have posted about this in other threads and have said that I am disappointed that BW did not have a plan ready for falling population because I feel it's a given in MMOs that this will happen a few months after release.

 

So yes, I do like this game but I also agree there are problems and they do need fixing, but fix population first.

 

I guess I just don't understand why, given the context of the OP's post, people insisted on making one very off-hand sentence the focus of the discussion. Stop reading after he makes his appeal to experience--that's your prerogative, but why the thread (initially) devolved into a tirade against the aforementioned sentence is well and truly beyond me.

 

The simplest explanation is that said people just disagree with his points, but instead of debating him on those points, they resorted to ad hominem based on one very insignificant remark made by the OP.

 

As it is in all debate/discussion, when you resort to personal attacks in the face of legitimate points (as was the case here), it's very clear that you've lost the argument. They did themselves no credit, especially considering that some of these people call for well-reasoned constructive posts from the "complainers," but even here--when provided with such a well-reasoned and constructive post--it wasn't enough.

 

So I get where you're coming from and agree completely; e-credentials are worthless. So I guess my disconnect is where they were made such a big deal, not necessarily by you, but by posters in the first few pages of this thread.

 

In the interest of keeping this on-topic, I'll leave this as my last comment on the matter.

Edited June 6, 2012 by Dezzi

[alastairc]

Why he posted his resumé is also your interpretation. I am sure he can speak for himself.

 

No problem, Tsillah; I will try to be clearer. I did not post my resumé, that would be excessive. I posted a couple of lines explaining who I was and what my experience is, so that Bioware (or other readers, given that this is posted in a public forum) have perspective on what I then write, which are I freely admit, my opinions as a player.

 

Specifically, I wanted to clarify that: a) I am not a games developer and make no claim to being one, b) I have played a reasonable number of MMOs over a few years so am a customer with a reasonably broad perspective of market platforms, and c) I am a professional business analyst who looks at processes, business modelling and IT developments in another context.

 

If I were reading a post, or a letter, or a business proposal from a complete stranger, I would expect to see something similar in the introduction. You are entirely free to feel otherwise, and I respect that you have different experiences and expectations to my own.

 

Hope that helps.

 

Alastair

[alastairc]

I happen to disagree with much of what he is arguing, and seek a very different outcome then him.

 

That is absolutely your prerogative as a Bioware customer, Blackardin, and I hope the company also addresses your own concerns. If you would be prepared to share some of what inspires or troubles you about the current SWTOR offering and direction, I'd be interested to read it?

[Tsillah]

No problem, Tsillah; I will try to be clearer. I did not post my resumé, that would be excessive. I posted a couple of lines explaining who I was and what my experience is, so that Bioware (or other readers, given that this is posted in a public forum) have perspective on what I then write, which are I freely admit, my opinions as a player.

 

Specifically, I wanted to clarify that: a) I am not a games developer and make no claim to being one, b) I have played a reasonable number of MMOs over a few years so am a customer with a reasonably broad perspective of market platforms, and c) I am a professional business analyst who looks at processes, business modelling and IT developments in another context.

 

If I were reading a post, or a letter, or a business proposal from a complete stranger, I would expect to see something similar in the introduction. You are entirely free to feel otherwise, and I respect that you have different experiences and expectations to my own.

 

Hope that helps.

 

Alastair

 

yeah, my point was simply that I can choose to believe you or not, but I cannot tell if you are telling the truth even now. Not because it's you but because it's a forum on the internet. Just saying what you said, doesn't make it so. You could still be a game developer or not....we don't know.

 

Your points, arguments however do make a lot of sense to me. So that is enough for me.

 

I do want to ask about a couple of things. You said endgame cotent is limited to ops and pvp. There are of course also HM Flash Points, so let's bring these in as well. I found it interesting to read in the 1.3 patch notes for the PTS that rewards are changing significantly in endgame content. So there's a point that might improve shortly. I was wondering what you feel about these changes, because from what I read the rewards are improving significantly in pve endgame by the looks of it. (Didn't check pvp as I dont do that in MMOs).

 

Another point you mentioned I fully agree with and that is Legacy. You hit the nail on the head with that one. It is simply a credit sink and not a reward system. I have Legacy level 45 and when people are impressed, I just tell them: yeh, but it doesn't do me any good, because it doesn't really reward me so it means nothing to me.

 

Your comment about pvp gear fouling up pve endgame is a good one. I would simply not allow pvp gear in fp's and ops. Clean and simple.

 

So just a few additions from my side.

 

 

 

As a sidenote I want to thank Dezzi for his last reply and also want to leave it at that

Edited June 6, 2012 by Tsillah

[Unkknownsith]

Nobody says he can't contribute. He can certainly go to college and get a degree in game design and then go get a real job that is in the field of game design. He can then work in that career for many years developing a game and once it is complete he can come on the forums and enjoy reading up on posts that mock his design written by people who have no relevant experience in the genre other than playing the games. That is how he could contribute. Can't wait to see it.

 

You do realize that some of the greatest game designers in the industry, were actually gamers first long before they were designers don't you. In fact some of the best game designs have come from the game enthusiast not the stuck up dev's who have the god syndrome complex. Counter Strike, which originated from a Half-Life modification by "Gooseman" and Jess "Cliffe" Cliffe. Biggest block buster ever created, still has millions of players playing came from enthusiasts, same with Team Fortress. How about the one who started it all Richard Garriott, creator of Ultima Online. You think he had a college diploma in making games. So now you should be feeling embarrassed by your post because most of the top gaming innovations came from enthusiasts who had no college degree in gaming design.

Edited June 6, 2012 by Unkknownsith

[DarthTreize]

I think the issue that bioware is facing isn't necessarily one of whether or not content or mechanics aren't being implimented, it is that they are hardly responsive to their community. It feels as though they are putting out content according to their schedule (or EA's) and may pick up a few strands from the players along the way. I think subs. and the players would feel more at ease if that disconnect bewteen the devs. and the community were less smoke and mirror and more connected. In my humble opinion (**** an opininon, how quaint) most of the issues at current I can ignore for a little while longer but I feel like the longer they say "wait and see what comes next" kind of like with legacy, people are going to be (and already are) fed up with the crappy foreplay bioware is doing.

 

I want this game to succeed, always have. Yet the longer this disconnect from the company and the community persists, the more I want to make my own company and develop Kotor III