Ben, I'd like to see a stream today

[Degan]

The post by the Op is a perfect example of why these forums need a like button.

 

For those who don't know how to vote for a thread, please post a comment, scroll all teh way to the bottom of the page before you click submit and use the last drop down box to rate this thread. I, loved this post and therefore gave it a 5.

 

Thanks!, all this time and I had never noticed that!

[Bevin]

Great post, intelligent and well put together. Unfortunately I don't see any form of communication either than what they are doing is right...

[Jamtas]

Sorry OP we at BWA can't hear you. We're too busy being on vacation until January Livestream.

 

Oh I meant to say:

 

We can't say anything before the livestream. All questions will be answered at that time. The really hard part is that we are working on something awesome to tell you guys and you'll have to take our word for it until January livestream.

[xeriphim]

I'd like an update from you. Today. To talk about what you plan to do WRT making radical improvements to the CXP/GC situation.

 

A few yea-sayers aside, this structure has been universally panned. It is an abject failure in both conception and implementation. Whatever you'd planned/hoped/expected this system to do, it has not. The best you can claim is that it has been an effective repellent.

 

I'll discuss the major issues shortly, however the larger point of this post is to express you have a responsibility to speak to this today. Openly. Perhaps in an impromptu stream. You need to get in front of the community and express that you hear the anger and understand the mindset of your playerbase.

 

Like, right the now Ben. It's bad. I've been in a few different voice chats over the past couple days. I hear misery. Disdain. Dread. This is supposed to be a game. Look at fleet chat. Stronghold-planet chats. Ops chats. It's bad.

 

Maybe the ducks are telling you otherwise so I'm just giving you a heads up, in the form of a bucket of water to the face, a jolt of electricity, a siren in your ear.

 

You created uprisings. Good idea in theory. You cheaped out - we get it. That's how you do. But objectively it's a nice idea. You know what we think of them? We're already sick of grinding them.

 

On day 4.

 

You normalized gear. Good idea in theory. You didn't think it all the way through - we get it. That's how you do. Objectively? Again - nice idea. But all people are thinking about is how it's going to take until May to get geared.

 

On their main.

 

You've completely broken CXP gain with your nerf. If it was barely stomachable before - it wasn't but we're talking in relatives - it's a total horror show now. Lesson: You don't understand MMO's. That guy that grinded up to rank ~100? That's how it's played. If anything it demonstrated the cap was too low. Your reaction to that was ignorant, underhanded and, candidly, just utterly stupid. I'm sorry, but you don't remove the ability to grind in a grind system. You just don't. I'm not sure how you don't get that. Most people weren't doing that. All that did was screw everyone - because you were trying to fix something that wasn't a problem. You flat out lied about the point of the cap. That was not exploiting. That was simply someone playing a game in a way you don't understand because you have no understanding of this gametype or your playerbase. And that's your job.

 

Talk. Today. Stream. And answer questions. Own this. Explain yourself. Don't you dare get on screen and say one single postive thing about this expansion, save a minute or two on the story. Which, by the way, you've completely overshadowed and spoiled with GC.

 

I don't think - no, I know - you don't fully understand what this system is doing to gameplay and the community. What it means for pugs. Why the incentive is to bail as soon as there's a single wipe. Why the incentive - which for a couple days was to actually kill mobs in FPs/Ops - is now to simply spam queue for thrown GSF/PvP. Why last night it took 10 mins to get an Uprising pop on Harby with a tank/heal/DPS in the queue. Why heroics are pointless now.

 

We want to know what you're going to do to make this game fun again. Because today, thanks to you, it's not. We want to know how you're going to make playing alts viable. Now.

 

This needs to be handled. Right now. You need to talk to the community, as a leader, and demonstrate accountability, flexibility and concern. Show us why you're in your role. Today.

 

Best Post this Month. Spot on brilliant OP.

[Snowred]

Thanks!, all this time and I had never noticed that!

 

LOL neither did I 5*

[Mai-Hon]

Actually Ben, I don't want to hear from you, I just want you to go and make space for someone who knows what they're doing, who can drag this game back from the precipice you've driven it to!

[Lesliey]

Best Post this Month. Spot on brilliant OP.

 

spot on, shame they have not given the playebase any hope or communication

[Wayshuba]

Ben did make a statement on the complaints about GC / CXP on Friday during a press interview for the KotET launch. I doubt they have anything new / different to say on the matter since the weekend.

 

This provides the proof of what people were talking about.... that the boys in Austin are completely out of touch with their paying customer base.

 

I can just see the meetings in early January now:

 

Random Dev: hey Ben, 60% of customers cancelled their subs last month.

Ben: I don't understand, our internal models (i.e., the three of us discussing it amongst ourselves) said everyone would love it.

Random Dev: Well we did have hundreds of customers upon announcement of this system say how terrible it was. MassivelyOp and MMORPG did articles stating how bad an idea it was and one of the top fansites criticized it for being a very bad system and also commenting on reddit that we don't listen to the community.

Ben: But my model says everyone would love it. Just let them have more time with it, I know they will love it.

 

One month later:

 

Random Dev: Hey Ben, just got a call from the big wigs at corporate, they are pulling the plug on the game now that there are only 17 people left playing it.

Ben: But my model says everyone would love it. What is happening to the team here if they close it down?

Random Dev: They told us to start looking for other work since we can't seem to be able to design games that customers want to play. Well it was good while it lasted.

Ben: I still don't understand. My model says everyone would love it.

Random Dev: Ben, did you ever read the forums when we announced this system?

Ben: Yes, that is why we made the armor class specific.

Random Dev: Did you miss the part where people said no RNG?

Ben: But my model says everyone would love it.

Random Dev: Did your model say 60 days later there would only be 17 people left who love it?

[StreetPunk]

Nice try OP but everything they doing is just for money. You must stay here, pay subs-n if u want to gear somehow etc.

 

Have a nice day every1 )

[---Katsumoto---]

I'd like an update from you. Today. To talk about what you plan to do WRT making radical improvements to the CXP/GC situation.

 

A few yea-sayers aside, this structure has been universally panned. It is an abject failure in both conception and implementation. Whatever you'd planned/hoped/expected this system to do, it has not. The best you can claim is that it has been an effective repellent.

 

I'll discuss the major issues shortly, however the larger point of this post is to express you have a responsibility to speak to this today. Openly. Perhaps in an impromptu stream. You need to get in front of the community and express that you hear the anger and understand the mindset of your playerbase.

 

Like, right the now Ben. It's bad. I've been in a few different voice chats over the past couple days. I hear misery. Disdain. Dread. This is supposed to be a game. Look at fleet chat. Stronghold-planet chats. Ops chats. It's bad.

 

Maybe the ducks are telling you otherwise so I'm just giving you a heads up, in the form of a bucket of water to the face, a jolt of electricity, a siren in your ear.

 

You created uprisings. Good idea in theory. You cheaped out - we get it. That's how you do. But objectively it's a nice idea. You know what we think of them? We're already sick of grinding them.

 

On day 4.

 

You normalized gear. Good idea in theory. You didn't think it all the way through - we get it. That's how you do. Objectively? Again - nice idea. But all people are thinking about is how it's going to take until May to get geared.

 

On their main.

 

You've completely broken CXP gain with your nerf. If it was barely stomachable before - it wasn't but we're talking in relatives - it's a total horror show now. Lesson: You don't understand MMO's. That guy that grinded up to rank ~100? That's how it's played. If anything it demonstrated the cap was too low. Your reaction to that was ignorant, underhanded and, candidly, just utterly stupid. I'm sorry, but you don't remove the ability to grind in a grind system. You just don't. I'm not sure how you don't get that. Most people weren't doing that. All that did was screw everyone - because you were trying to fix something that wasn't a problem. You flat out lied about the point of the cap. That was not exploiting. That was simply someone playing a game in a way you don't understand because you have no understanding of this gametype or your playerbase. And that's your job.

 

Talk. Today. Stream. And answer questions. Own this. Explain yourself. Don't you dare get on screen and say one single postive thing about this expansion, save a minute or two on the story. Which, by the way, you've completely overshadowed and spoiled with GC.

 

I don't think - no, I know - you don't fully understand what this system is doing to gameplay and the community. What it means for pugs. Why the incentive is to bail as soon as there's a single wipe. Why the incentive - which for a couple days was to actually kill mobs in FPs/Ops - is now to simply spam queue for thrown GSF/PvP. Why last night it took 10 mins to get an Uprising pop on Harby with a tank/heal/DPS in the queue. Why heroics are pointless now.

 

We want to know what you're going to do to make this game fun again. Because today, thanks to you, it's not. We want to know how you're going to make playing alts viable. Now.

 

This needs to be handled. Right now. You need to talk to the community, as a leader, and demonstrate accountability, flexibility and concern. Show us why you're in your role. Today.

 

Excellent and well thought out. Everything I have been thinking and wanting to say summarized perfectly.

 

+5 Vote here!

[BaineOs]

Nice post OP, well said.

[gsummers]

I've never been happier with the game for one reason: the cxp associated with GSF has made the queue the best its been in years! Granted I've given up on the idea of gearing my characters, but as far as one aspect of the game I enjoy, its really an improvement. Please do not nerf the cxp for gsf.

[ludoviccb]

I've never been happier with the game for one reason: the cxp associated with GSF has made the queue the best its been in years! Granted I've given up on the idea of gearing my characters, but as far as one aspect of the game I enjoy, its really an improvement. Please do not nerf the cxp for gsf.

 

I saw a group of 4 players that the only thing that they did was queue, hope for death match and ram their ship in the ship right at the start. Take 2-3 minutes and the match is over. It's one of the fastest way to get CXP. The other is the group of 4 in Ranked, get 1 medal and all /stuck.

 

The way of CXP is implemented result in a lot of absurd things like that and it's really annoying when they are on your team.

Edited December 6, 2016 by ludoviccb

[Morrolan]

Nah wont happend, EA isnt in the habbit of actually responding to criticism, they live inside their own bubble.

 

Yep and its not just because they're EA, Bioware has specifically had this problem companywide since at least DA2, maybe even ME2, on every game.

[jauvtus]

This provides the proof of what people were talking about.... that the boys in Austin are completely out of touch with their paying customer base.

 

I can just see the meetings in early January now:

 

Random Dev: hey Ben, 60% of customers cancelled their subs last month.

Ben: I don't understand, our internal models (i.e., the three of us discussing it amongst ourselves) said everyone would love it.

Random Dev: Well we did have hundreds of customers upon announcement of this system say how terrible it was. MassivelyOp and MMORPG did articles stating how bad an idea it was and one of the top fansites criticized it for being a very bad system and also commenting on reddit that we don't listen to the community.

Ben: But my model says everyone would love it. Just let them have more time with it, I know they will love it.

 

One month later:

 

Random Dev: Hey Ben, just got a call from the big wigs at corporate, they are pulling the plug on the game now that there are only 17 people left playing it.

Ben: But my model says everyone would love it. What is happening to the team here if they close it down?

Random Dev: They told us to start looking for other work since we can't seem to be able to design games that customers want to play. Well it was good while it lasted.

Ben: I still don't understand. My model says everyone would love it.

Random Dev: Ben, did you ever read the forums when we announced this system?

Ben: Yes, that is why we made the armor class specific.

Random Dev: Did you miss the part where people said no RNG?

Ben: But my model says everyone would love it.

Random Dev: Did your model say 60 days later there would only be 17 people left who love it?

 

Man, I can totally picture this...

[Degan]

So, they decide to be silent yet again...

[gabigool]

Maybe tomorrow

[NomadFifteen]

Agree with OP.

 

Now, for the next question. How long until all of these posts stating how bad the CXP system is are moved to Off Topic like all of the posts about the last chapter of KoTFE? At times it's like the ostrich with its head in the sand - if we can't see the criticism then it doesn't exist.

[StarkHelsing]

Seeing some of these posts, I’m actually confused how anyone is offended by what is being said. Maybe I just have thick skin, but how is the OP being rude and overly demanding? To be demanding it's to ask for something that is not deserved nor earned. Are you saying that we do not 'deserve' to be addressed? And that we should sit here in silence? Bah, perhaps it’s how I’m reading it. Or maybe it’s due to my experience with dealing with such situations near on everyday…

 

Try running being part of a staff team for an online game that attracts the most irritating of children who thinks the world revolves around them. Point being, what the OP is saying is well written – thought out, and more so, it’s the truth. This should be done, now and if not now, soon. Numbers are dropping.

 

Defending the choices Bioware made is one thing but you can’t also turn a blind eye to what is happening. If there’s a huge outcry for change and it's not been acknowledged and met by a cacophony of silence on all fronts, then this game will suffer. And when a MMO suffers, profits suffer – it’s a chain reaction until the MMO is unplugged, for this is after all – EA.

 

I’ve been in game; I’ve seen people complain in droves in the zone chats. The only positive I’ve seen is that people are actively participating in PvP, but they’re not enjoying it.

 

Where’s the fun? When there’s no fun, there’s no player base and if there’s no player base there’s a black hole of ‘lost revenue’. EA hates lost revenue. And I would hate to lose this game. I want to enjoy the holidays knowing that something will be done and the game i've spent so much time and effort on is indeed safe and has a future. Not this. This feels like limbo, there's uncertainty for the future. A little over dramatic, maybe. But after playing this game for over three years - this is the worst thing i've seen and experienced. And it's sad that this new RNG system has completely shat all over the amazing story. It's bad when the story is overshadowed by the bugs, the bad system, etc.

Edited December 6, 2016 by StarkHelsing

[AireStyx]

Well said in the opening post, this is something that the development team and Ben need to have an actual conversation with the community. By conversation this means a dialogue from both sides not just a single post saying lets have a dialogue and then never talking.

[majopucik]

lol posted yesterday and already 15 pages

 

People are really fed up, but Bioware wont react, they have holiday season and will be back mid january.

[BarrinMarshall]

I'd like an update from you. Today. To talk about what you plan to do WRT making radical improvements to the CXP/GC situation.

 

A few yea-sayers aside, this structure has been universally panned. It is an abject failure in both conception and implementation. Whatever you'd planned/hoped/expected this system to do, it has not. The best you can claim is that it has been an effective repellent.

 

I'll discuss the major issues shortly, however the larger point of this post is to express you have a responsibility to speak to this today. Openly. Perhaps in an impromptu stream. You need to get in front of the community and express that you hear the anger and understand the mindset of your playerbase.

 

Like, right the now Ben. It's bad. I've been in a few different voice chats over the past couple days. I hear misery. Disdain. Dread. This is supposed to be a game. Look at fleet chat. Stronghold-planet chats. Ops chats. It's bad.

 

Maybe the ducks are telling you otherwise so I'm just giving you a heads up, in the form of a bucket of water to the face, a jolt of electricity, a siren in your ear.

 

You created uprisings. Good idea in theory. You cheaped out - we get it. That's how you do. But objectively it's a nice idea. You know what we think of them? We're already sick of grinding them.

 

On day 4.

 

You normalized gear. Good idea in theory. You didn't think it all the way through - we get it. That's how you do. Objectively? Again - nice idea. But all people are thinking about is how it's going to take until May to get geared.

 

On their main.

 

You've completely broken CXP gain with your nerf. If it was barely stomachable before - it wasn't but we're talking in relatives - it's a total horror show now. Lesson: You don't understand MMO's. That guy that grinded up to rank ~100? That's how it's played. If anything it demonstrated the cap was too low. Your reaction to that was ignorant, underhanded and, candidly, just utterly stupid. I'm sorry, but you don't remove the ability to grind in a grind system. You just don't. I'm not sure how you don't get that. Most people weren't doing that. All that did was screw everyone - because you were trying to fix something that wasn't a problem. You flat out lied about the point of the cap. That was not exploiting. That was simply someone playing a game in a way you don't understand because you have no understanding of this gametype or your playerbase. And that's your job.

 

Talk. Today. Stream. And answer questions. Own this. Explain yourself. Don't you dare get on screen and say one single postive thing about this expansion, save a minute or two on the story. Which, by the way, you've completely overshadowed and spoiled with GC.

 

I don't think - no, I know - you don't fully understand what this system is doing to gameplay and the community. What it means for pugs. Why the incentive is to bail as soon as there's a single wipe. Why the incentive - which for a couple days was to actually kill mobs in FPs/Ops - is now to simply spam queue for thrown GSF/PvP. Why last night it took 10 mins to get an Uprising pop on Harby with a tank/heal/DPS in the queue. Why heroics are pointless now.

 

We want to know what you're going to do to make this game fun again. Because today, thanks to you, it's not. We want to know how you're going to make playing alts viable. Now.

 

This needs to be handled. Right now. You need to talk to the community, as a leader, and demonstrate accountability, flexibility and concern. Show us why you're in your role. Today.

 

Thank you for this post Gabi! Sums up everything perfectly!

[Newyankalt]

They said they will do a stream sometime in December.

[Bonzenaattori]

9/11 was an inside job

[JattaGin]

You created uprisings. Good idea in theory. You cheaped out - we get it. That's how you do. But objectively it's a nice idea. You know what we think of them? We're already sick of grinding them.

 

On day 4.

 

Why were you grinding Uprisings for 4 days in a row? What's the point? I think I understand more and more what the issue is and why BW does not cater anymore to the hardcore players. It's impossible to please people who apparently have way too much time to GRIND a game which is supposed to be played for fun.

 

I am a player since beta as well, but I have never grinded this game. I refuse to grind and hence I have always been just playing it. The moment I take this game too serious is a sign that I should ease off again for a bit (it happened one year ago when a certain exploit occured for way too long and I stopped logging in for almost 2 months as a result).

 

How someone can say after 4 days that you are already sick of grinding a new content is beyond me. I didn't even have time to try it out yet. Here is a look at my life. What I did since KotET was released:

 

Tuesday + Wednesday: Played the new KotET chapters

 

Thursday: Participating in a big work event during the day. In the evening playing a bit of Life is Strange

 

Friday: Long, exhausting work day, in the evening just chilling and going to bed early

 

Saturday: Invited to a friend's place for an all day/night long boardgame, grill, drinking, sauna party

 

Sunday: Chilling, watching football and cooking a nice dinner for myself

 

Monday: Double work shifts from 5 to 22 (with some breaks in between)

 

Today: Free day, and I will (maybe) try out my first Uprising

 

Do your lives not look something like that? You guys are just grinding Swtor all day long?