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Suggestion: Make a suggestions process that works


Heezdedjim

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Suggestion: Start a formal iterative suggestions process centered on a short list of the 99 things players most want to see changed or added.

 

Note: See https://forums.eveonline.com/default.aspx?g=posts&t=257924&find=unread for the suggestions "crowd sourcing" thread that CCP recently started for EvE Online, which includes a link to a devblog on how their 99 things process will work.

 

The idea is to start a formal process for gathering suggestions from players, condensing and prioritizing them into a short list of things people want the most, and then acting on them, in a structured, iterative way. The suggestions forum could be a great venue for this, but it lacks three things: (1) coherence; (2) priorities; and (3) results.

 

COHERENCE

 

First, Bioware could lend some coherence to the suggestions process by making a single, officially maintained sticky thread in the Suggestions forum, which would contain a running list of items suggested.

 

In CCP's process, they use the player council (the "CSM") and some clever text mining to scrape suggestions out of posts made in one designated thread, condense duplicates, and then come up with a ranked list of the top 99 items. Once the player council submits their ranked list of the 99 things, CCP reviews them and decides which ones they can act on and incorporate into future development plans.

 

Bioware could run a similar process centered around the suggestions forum. It could start with an official sticky post in the suggestions forum, in a locked thread, which should contain a current, condensed, prioritized list of suggestions that people have submitted. The review and collection of suggestions posted could be done either by Bioware staff, or by designated players (such as, perhaps, the newly elected class reps, or maybe by some new volunteers designated to review and collect information from the Suggestions forum).

 

PRIORITIES

 

Second, since the forum does not have a "like" feature, Bioware could make it easier to gauge player support for each suggestion and rank the top 99 things by putting in place a few new rules for suggestion threads:

 

(1) Don't propose things that are already listed in the current official sticky post.

(2) Don't propose things that already have a thread in the forum (either active or locked).

(3) Post only one suggestion per thread.

(4) Start the post with a line that begins with "Suggestion: " followed by a simple, clear, one-sentence description of what is suggested. The Suggestion: should be short and plain enough that it could be a tweet. If you can't reduce it to tweetability, then simplify the idea until you can.

(5) Optionally, include a line that starts with "Note: " followed by one sentence and a link directing readers to either a separate regular forum thread or an external link with extended discussion on the issue.

(6) Follow in the body of the post with any more information that will help readers understand what the suggestion involves and why it's a good idea.

(7) If you support a suggestion, then you may post ONCE in the thread for that suggestion to add your +1 vote to it. Dislikes or "-1" posts are not counted; any post in a thread will be counted as a +1. If you don't like a suggestion, don't post in the thread. You may include comments in your +1 post if you like, but any post in the thread will be counted as a +1 vote regardless of the comments made. Each poster may only post once in each thread, and any second or following posts by the same poster will be deleted.

 

The last rule could be eliminated if the forum ever gains a "like" feature for posts, in which case people could just like the original post, and replies would not be permitted at all. Until then, the reply count of each thread would function as a visible and easy to collect count of +1 votes that each suggestion has gained.

 

At the end of each suggestions period, when the 99 things list is generated, all threads containing suggestions that made it onto the list should be locked so they can stick around for future reference, without cluttering up the top page of the forum.

 

RESULTS

 

Finally, at some reasonable interval (maybe once each quarter) a new list of the top 99 things could be posted in the official sticky thread to reflect the current prioritized list of player requests. Bioware should then review that list and respond by updating the sticky post and dividing the list into things that they (1) will act on within the next year; (2) might act on, but not within the next year; and (3) won't act on ever. Each newly posted 99 things list should contain not only the currently proposed 99 things, but also a complete categorized historical list of all things that have appeared on past 99 things lists, to avoid having time wasted in the future on things already dealt with in a previous cycle.

Edited by Heezdedjim
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Heezdedjim, I fully support your idea.

 

That said, I have ZERO faith that something as reasonable as this would ever be taken on by BioFail BugWare. Good luck with that.

 

Snowball, meet Hell.

 

Cartel Market über alles!

Edited by Laendser
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I suggest you use the suggestion forum for your suggestion of a new suggestion process.

 

Just a suggestion.

 

Are you suggesting that the OP should suggest his suggestion in the forum suggested to be use purely for suggesting suggestions?

 

...this is making my head hurt.

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