Update on Roadmap

[MeNaCe-NZ]

I was gone for most of the 5.x debacle before this Exciting RNG happened. Only been back like almost 2 months. Can't post unless you are SUB. I see a big ole YEAR gap in my posting history friend.

 

Glad to see you are your normal annoying self. LOL

 

Right you are and yet you still come back as captain negative. No pleasing some people I guess.

Edited May 31, 2017 by MeNaCe-NZ

[Zolxtren]

maaaan i need to renew my Salt Mine license........ i gonna be freaken rich i can feel it.....

[Andryah]

Anticipated result is anticipated.

 

The second he didn't "take the out", you could see how it was going to end. There were going to be "semantic posts" and then the "it won't be coming in May" rejoinder.

 

The next inevitable result is the "is that it?" comments that come with an announcement that probably is content detail , doesn't go past Dec. and is not QoL fixes.

 

At this point, I'm about 90% detached and 10% "how will this affect guilds/queues?".

 

True true.

 

He kind of put his foot in it though on the 18th by reaffirming very firmly that he was on track to make the end of the month.

Hey everyone,

 

I wanted to let you know I’m still on target to deliver the SWTOR Roadmap this month. I will share with you the direction for each SWTOR gameplay area, our plans for improving a variety of in-game experiences, and insight into how we’ll be communicating with you going forward. In the meantime, I’d like to continue providing you with a weekly update.

 

Last week, I gave you a few of the highlights for the next game update coming in June (5.2.2); here’s another one – You’ll now be able to customize Theron’s outfit!

 

---Keith

http://www.swtor.com/community/showpost.php?p=9310699&postcount=379

 

Chalk it up as a rookie mistake.

 

This sort of delay is not unusual when you have to have everyone sign-off. It is after all a large studio inside a large game division inside a huge game holding corporation.

 

This is one of the key reasons I earlier tired to encourage Keith to make the Roadmap a permanent living document, that gets revised and updated over time as plans shift/change/etc. That way he could have gone live with elements of the roadmap that are approved, and with obvious placeholders for things still pending so as to keep the predators at bay a bit longer before they go full pack-attack on his hind quarters.

Edited May 31, 2017 by Andryah

[Icykill_]

LOL.. out come the pitchforks and torches.

 

Poor Keith... it was a short honeymoon.

 

It wasn't that short.. there were things that could have been addressed or discussed as possible out comes or acknowledging concerns in the time he's been in charge.. most things he's discussed have been "fluff" or you'll just have to "wait for the roadmap".. but he then said not everything will be in the roadmap, but we'll address those seperately and discuss with you.... When does he plan on discussing those things?

I think we've given him a long enough honey moon, especially when the tough discussions have been ignored or avoided.. I think if none of those are addressed in the road map, there will be a mass exodus by a lot of long time loyal subscribers.

Edited May 31, 2017 by Icykill_

[LtGeneralGezlin]

While this sucks, I'm not surprised. Hearing back about anything in a corporate environment is a pain in the neck. But, the fact that people are breaking out the pitchforks and torches over this is... just overreacting a tad,

[Galahard]

My sub runs out on 1st June.

I'm off to a one month holiday, and I would have played swtor, but unfortunately, no Mac port (don't ask, company laptop), after 5+ years.

 

So, hello Steam and GOG library!

[Icykill_]

While this sucks, I'm not surprised. Hearing back about anything in a corporate environment is a pain in the neck. But, the fact that people are breaking out the pitchforks and torches over this is... just overreacting a tad,

 

Yeah, a few days isn't long to wait.. I think it's more the broken promises that people are upset about.. let's just hope it's not a white whale that turns into a seal or the harpoons will be out for blood.

[NuSeC]

Hey all,

 

There were skeptics among you regarding my ability to deliver the Roadmap in May - I'm sitting here in disbelief having to acknowledge you just might be right!

 

I realize we have all-day tomorrow, too, but I didn't want to wait until the very last day to provide an update. The Roadmap is nearly there! I'm still making a number of adjustments based on internal reviews and working diligently to get them included and signed off.

 

My goal now is to get it out this week, so until it's ready to go I'll commit to providing you with a daily update through Friday. To be honest, I definitely underestimated the amount of time this was going to take.

 

Humbly, Keith

 

LOL... um wow.

[Kaizersan]

Been trying explain to you guy's that James Ohlen calls the shots and is the reason for the delays and Keiths response just proves that and the fact that changes are being made to the map means James Ohlen has messed with the road map. Edited May 31, 2017 by Kaizersan

[Zolxtren]

i give credit because atleast he is communicating with the player base so thats +999999345667 by in itself. Edited May 31, 2017 by Zolxtren

[dscount]

Right you are and yet you still come back as captain negative. No pleasing some people I guess.

 

Yes.. how dare me ask the developers to deliver a product worthy of the money each month.

 

I'm still very much in love with SWTOR, but don't believe a word they write or say. Until I see something show up and validate it's actually happening I don't believe it's happening. They have a VERY long history of fluffy community manager words and broken promises. So yes.. I'm negative until I see something positive. Came back for two months to check it out. (i.e. "Better than X-Server PVP", "Increased Drop rate on Gree Mount 'You got it...", etc..)

 

But good to see you too.

[casirabit]

Hey all,

 

There were skeptics among you regarding my ability to deliver the Roadmap in May - I'm sitting here in disbelief having to acknowledge you just might be right!

 

I realize we have all-day tomorrow, too, but I didn't want to wait until the very last day to provide an update. The Roadmap is nearly there! I'm still making a number of adjustments based on internal reviews and working diligently to get them included and signed off.

 

My goal now is to get it out this week, so until it's ready to go I'll commit to providing you with a daily update through Friday. To be honest, I definitely underestimated the amount of time this was going to take.

 

Humbly, Keith

 

 

Thank you for the update Keith and even though it is sad not to have the roadmap this month, I know you did your best and things happen that sometimes we can't control. I hope you get it out this week and have a good week and thanks for the communication.

[Icykill_]

Been trying explain to you guy's that James Ohlen calls the shots and is the reason for the delays and Keiths response just proves that and the fact that changes are being made to the map means James Ohlen has messed with the road map.

 

You keep saying that, but you have no proof that is the case. Unless you work at Bioware and know first hand, then it's just speculation. You can't blame people for holding Keith to account when he "makes" it seem that he is the decision maker and doesn't mention James once.

[Kaizersan]

You keep saying that, but you have no proof that is the case. Unless you work at Bioware and know first hand, then it's just speculation. You can't blame people for holding Keith to account when he "makes" it seem that he is the decision maker and doesn't mention James once.

 

Would you call out your boss on a forum where it could get you fired? Also James Ohlen's title is Senior Creative Director and head of Bioware Austin so yes he does have the final say with any games changes based on his position alone.

[americanaussie]

Yes.. how dare me ask the developers to deliver a product worthy of the money each month.

 

I'm still very much in love with SWTOR, but don't believe a word they write or say. Until I see something show up and validate it's actually happening I don't believe it's happening. They have a VERY long history of fluffy community manager words and broken promises. So yes.. I'm negative until I see something positive. Came back for two months to check it out. (i.e. "Better than X-Server PVP", "Increased Drop rate on Gree Mount 'You got it...", etc..)

 

But good to see you too.

 

I agree. I'm not trying to be negative. I am glad for kotet and Iokath but now I'm wanting more. So I'm not saying there hasn't been any new content but 45 mins of new stuff won't keep me subbed for 4-6 months without anything else. I'm not bitter and I'm not threatening to unsubscribe. If the roadmap shows nothing but Theron customisations for the next 3 months then I'll unsubscribe for those 3 months. Game servers are constantly unstable which adds to my decision. I'm just bored right now but I'll return with new content. I have before. Unless there is an extra incentive to stay subbed until new content, I don't see the point. Galactic RNG is just blah. I'm tired of grinding.

Edited May 31, 2017 by americanaussie

[MeNaCe-NZ]

Been trying explain to you guy's that James Ohlen calls the shots and is the reason for the delays and Keiths response just proves that and the fact that changes are being made to the map means James Ohlen has messed with the road map.

 

Oh wow tin foil hat time.

 

I wonder also if you are the same person as reddit because if so and how negative you are there ... why are you paying for the game?

[ChunkyGoodness]

What was the problem. Aproving it in EA? Or talking to the developers departments about what can they do in what amount of time?

 

Developer department? I thought with the rate they were giving content, there was only a single developer. Unless you mean reskins for the cartel market, probably loads of those guys.

[TUXs]

To be fair we know there are operation bosses coming, 4 within ideally a 7 month timeline if they can keep to the goal of 5 by the end of the year. also not even close to being as bad as what we had after KoTeT ended - almost 4 months with no content if you didn't qualify for the bonus chapter (almost 3 if you did). From there it was 2 months until a few more uprisings and almost 3 months until 5.2 ... coming up on 2 months with no content is nothing unusual really for this game in recent times.

All true...but ONE Operation over the course of an entire year, is really nothing to get excited about.

[Nmyownworld]

A roadmap sooner rather than later would be good, but do what you need to, Keith Kanneg. You didn't take over a game that is in a pristine state, rolling in revenue. It's going to take time to turn it around. There's a lot to turn around. And, convincing The Powers That Be who signed off on the current state of the game to change their minds. I appreciate the difference I've seen so far -- a vastly improved Dev communication.

 

So, I'm looking forward to the road map, and willing to wait a bit longer for it.

Edited May 31, 2017 by Nmyownworld

[Icykill_]

Would you call out your boss on a forum where it could get you fired? Also James Ohlen's title is Senior Creative Director and head of Bioware Austin so yes he does have the final say with any games changes based on his position alone.

 

I've run departments with "titles" like that, I can tell you from my experience that you listen to the people you've put in charge of doing the work because you don't have the time and sometimes the knowledge to go over the work with a fine tooth comb. You need to trust the people under you to make the right decisions. It's only if you see something monumentally wrong or stupid that you should step in. Plus every day you delay someone else's work because you are second guessing them is not productive for you or them. If that is the type of manager someone is, then they may as well just do the work themselves and get rid of the "middle man".

But if as you say, James is the "only" man to sign off, then the whole debacle that is 5.0, falls squarely on his shoulders because he didn't understand what was happening, ask the right questions or spot the monumentally stupid mistake. He should then be fired or asked to stand down for complete and utter incompetence as creative director.

But I don't think that is the case. I think James might have some input early on in the plan and little in the final stage. He would mostly go with what's presented to him. He certainly wouldn't have them going backwards and forwards in the late sign off stage. I believe what Keith means by signing off refers to the different departments who report to him and him signing off on it all before going to James and saying here you go, it's ready. I can't imagine Keith doing that unless he thought it was perfect. They'd have one meeting and he would sign off in a day or two. It would basically be a formality.

Edited May 31, 2017 by Icykill_

[JediBoadicea]

It's been almost a month and a half since the roadmap was mentioned. It really takes that long to put upcoming features together into written form?

 

Yes, it does. Because if what you are trying to publish actually details specifics about features, and ties them to timeline deliverables, then it is not simply a matter of putting a bunch of words together. When you have to get analysis, production plans, and timeline expectations from multiple departments handling tasks that involve a lot of moving pieces, it takes time. It takes resource assessment. It takes project plans. It takes sign offs at multiple department and management levels. It's called organizational workplace management. It can be tedious and time consuming.

 

Frankly, the fact that we're getting a roadmap at all is such a vast improvement on anything we've had communications-wise for the last few years that I'm not going to flip out about a few extra days. I would much have rather seen the team devoting their energy to resolving the issue with the east coast servers, as they did, and knowing the knock-on effects crisis management has on normal productivity afterward. If it gets extended beyond the end of this week then yes, I admit I'll be more disappointed, if only because I'm so eager to discover what the roadmap will contain. But a few more days isn't going to kill us. Seriously.

[Defel]

Hey all,

 

There were skeptics among you regarding my ability to deliver the Roadmap in May - I'm sitting here in disbelief having to acknowledge you just might be right!

 

I realize we have all-day tomorrow, too, but I didn't want to wait until the very last day to provide an update. The Roadmap is nearly there! I'm still making a number of adjustments based on internal reviews and working diligently to get them included and signed off.

 

My goal now is to get it out this week, so until it's ready to go I'll commit to providing you with a daily update through Friday. To be honest, I definitely underestimated the amount of time this was going to take.

 

Humbly, Keith

 

Keith,

 

I rarely post on the forums but I will add that I will take open, daily communication over a missed deadline. It is the wall of silence that gets frustrating. Anyone who has worked within a complex organization on a complex project knows that there are factors and constraints beyond your control that impact deliverables. Coming here and saying that you are still pushing and hope to have the deliverable ASAP but are also willing to keep the player base updated means a lot.

 

Technology and project work rarely goes as expected, open, honest communication and a willingness to update the players is more than fair and a welcome change from past company performance.

 

Thank you for your time and effort, I for one appreciate it.

[Bwleonseven]

Are we really surprised? EA doesn't care they buy studios and/or IPs, milk them dry then move on to the next thing. I say let Disney take the licence back and either do it themselves or give it to a company that actually gives a ****.

 

Here Lies SSX 2000- 2012

Here Lies Mass Effect 2007 - 2017

Here Lies Dragon Age 2009 - 2014

Here Lies SWTOR 2011 -

 

Maxis (SimCity) - Purchased by EA in 1997; shut down in 2015

Mythic (Dark Age of Camelot) - Purchased by EA in 2006; shut down in 2014.

Bullfrog (Syndicate, Dungeon Keeper) - Purchased by EA in 1995; shut down in 2001.

Origin (Ultima, Wing Commander) - Purchased by EA in 1992; shut down in 2004.

Westwood (Command & Conquer) - Purchased by EA in 1998; shut down in 2003.

DreamWorks Interactive/Danger Close/EA Los Angeles (Medal of Honor) - Purchased by EA in 2000; shut down in 2013.

Phenomic (SpellForce, BattleForge) - Purchased by EA in 2006; shut down in 2013.

Black Box Games (Need for Speed, Skate) - Purchased by EA in 2002; shut down in 2013.

Pandemic (The Saboteur) - Purchased by EA in 2008; shut down in 2009.

PlayFish (The Sims Social) - Purchased by EA in 2009; shut down in 2013.

NuFX (NBA Street) - Purchased by EA in 2004; shut down in 2007.

Edited May 31, 2017 by Bwleonseven

[Nebdar]

Ahh the Usual late Friday news release and then no response to questions till late Monday, Tuesday:(

I had that feeling too... if the Road Map wouldn't be released on Monday will have to wait till.. Friday....

 

I would appreciate to post the unfinished full Road Map.... with annotations (unconfirmed, confirmed)... This way people had the time to discuss and prepare questions and you the answers.

 

I am also disappointed.... that no matter what the New Guy/New Producer/New Community Manager promises/has in plan all the positive energy and ideas are somewhat demolished,slowed down, delayed and destroyed inside the BW

:(:(

[ajiehblr]

Yes, it does. Because if what you are trying to publish actually details specifics about features, and ties them to timeline deliverables, then it is not simply a matter of putting a bunch of words together. When you have to get analysis, production plans, and timeline expectations from multiple departments handling tasks that involve a lot of moving pieces, it takes time. It takes resource assessment. It takes project plans. It takes sign offs at multiple department and management levels. It's called organizational workplace management. It can be tedious and time consuming.

 

Frankly, the fact that we're getting a roadmap at all is such a vast improvement on anything we've had communications-wise for the last few years that I'm not going to flip out about a few extra days. I would much have rather seen the team devoting their energy to resolving the issue with the east coast servers, as they did, and knowing the knock-on effects crisis management has on normal productivity afterward. If it gets extended beyond the end of this week then yes, I admit I'll be more disappointed, if only because I'm so eager to discover what the roadmap will contain. But a few more days isn't going to kill us. Seriously.

 

I'm sure they HAVE project plan and they know vague date on when each feature will be done. It's not like they haven't decided what to do in next year or so. In fact many features may be in development for a long time now. And I'm sure they do have timeline for when they will be done. And it's hardly understandable why its taking so much time to get internal reviews. Especially when he said it was almost done 05.09.2017 and now after 25 days we are still at the same spot. How hard it's to get all reviews during 25 days? I guess it's not that simple... (in fact it's more than enough time). Unless it wasn't nearly done on 05.09.2017 and all this time he was working on it.