How does everyone feel about Anet's communication and community interaction?

[Derdzvero.7051]

I think we should separate the things.

With regards to content updates no game developer discloses those until right time - E3, demos, campaign, etc. So there is nothing wrong in my opinion to not have details what is planned for future - we were told already another LWS is coming, that's more than enough. My 2 cents here of course.

 

With regards to game-related issues or concerns I think it's kind of OK. Example for OK: many reported concerns about Skyscale collections were immediately addressed or clearly communicated to be in re-design (timegate, ball throwing game), but others like Skyscale saddle were not handled well. Those were left with thousands of posts without any comment by Anet. I think we all here are passionate and reasonable enough to say "thank you" on a simple note by Anet "we're surprised of your feedback, let us think and discuss if we can do something. No promises at this stage, have to be re-evaluated carefully". Sometimes simply NO is a better answer than no answer at all.

Same applies to game optimization threads...

 

[Alin.2468]

Wait a minute... there is community interaction?! I failed to see it in PvP and WvW for the past 4 years. I must be living under a rock or something.

[Excursion.9752]

First off love the fact that anet is more active with the community and they appear to be listening. But in my opinion they issues being addressed are the low hanging fruit and while I feel while they are doing a good job or at least the best job they can. I don't feel they are hearing the main issues that are being often talked about in each sub forum. I am not going to debate what those issues are because that's for anet to decide.

 

I feel this community can only get stronger and larger when they feel their needs are being met and right now it feels like some times things are done just to show an attempt. Its like a child wanting a dog for Christmas and when gifts are open there lay a dog stuffed animal in the bottom of a box. Its not exactly what they wanted but it was a dog... Sure it will get played with minimally for a day or two but then the novelty wears off and it just sits in the bottom of a toy box of legacy code.

 

I guess what I am getting at is we do not need more Flash we need more meat and potatoes substance. Something that impacts our day to day playing in a positive way. Listen and I mean truly listen to the players while they are still here.

[Ototo.3214]

I'm honestly...Not really sure why people feel Anet doesn't take what the players say into account. Nearly everything I've ever suggested or seen others suggest has been implemented. Glyphs on gathering tools, more things in mat storage, build templates, key ring, changing the rewards in the bonus boxes for the Rush events, and even changing the time gate on things like the skyscale. They don't have to tell me literally everything they're thinking every 5 seconds. But just from seeing them actually implement things I've seen players suggest, that tells me they're listening. I don't really need much more than that.

Idk, maybe they could do those guild chat things more often and talk more about plans but eh.

[Ardenwolfe.8590]

> @"Just a flesh wound.3589" said:

> It’s typical from what I can see. They’ll decide to interact more and will do so for a while then it will taper off to near silence. Then they decide to interact more..... Rinse and repeat.

>

> Example: [[This forum]](https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/cdi). It was active for a while then fell to the wayside.

 

I think we all know the reason in your example, but that discussion can only be had elsewhere . . . and thus the reason.

[Ashen.2907]

> @"Edge.8724" said:

> Well, ArenaNet looks very absent from their game and it doesn't look like they care about it based on their extremely few announcements.

>

> If they were answering more questions from the community, interacting more with players, showing that they care about problems in the game (when you report someone, there is 0 way to know if they take action.)

>

> Acts speak more than words.

 

If, "acts speak louder than words," as you say, then why are you judging the degree to which ANet cares about the game based on words?

 

The self contradiction there is pretty significant.

[Edge.8724]

> @"Ashen.2907" said:

> > @"Edge.8724" said:

> > Well, ArenaNet looks very absent from their game and it doesn't look like they care about it based on their extremely few announcements.

> >

> > If they were answering more questions from the community, interacting more with players, showing that they care about problems in the game (when you report someone, there is 0 way to know if they take action.)

> >

> > Acts speak more than words.

>

> If, "acts speak louder than words," as you say, then why are you judging the degree to which ANet cares about the game based on words?

>

> The self contradiction there is pretty significant.

 

When I say this, I'm talking about the action of communicating with the community.

 

Exemple of words: "We will gives more news and/or be more present."

 

Exemple of action: *nothing*

 

Community suggests lots of things, nothing. Community asks questions, nothing. Its as if they don't care.

 

Oh, sometimes on rare occasions, they do something. On rare occasions.

 

I never though I'll had to explain my meaning here because apparently some people takes everything to the second degree.

[Ototo.3214]

> @"Edge.8724" said:

> > @"Ashen.2907" said:

> > > @"Edge.8724" said:

> > > Well, ArenaNet looks very absent from their game and it doesn't look like they care about it based on their extremely few announcements.

> > >

> > > If they were answering more questions from the community, interacting more with players, showing that they care about problems in the game (when you report someone, there is 0 way to know if they take action.)

> > >

> > > Acts speak more than words.

> >

> > If, "acts speak louder than words," as you say, then why are you judging the degree to which ANet cares about the game based on words?

> >

> > The self contradiction there is pretty significant.

>

> When I say this, I'm talking about the action of communicating with the community.

>

> Exemple of words: "We will gives more news and/or be more present."

>

> Exemple of action: *nothing*

>

> Community suggests lots of things, nothing. Community asks questions, nothing. Its as if they don't care.

>

> Oh, sometimes on rare occasions, they do something. On rare occasions.

>

> I never though I'll had to explain my meaning here because apparently some people takes everything to the second degree.

 

Saying that they ignore community suggestions is an outright lie. They've implemented tons of player suggestions in the past and have announced others that are currently in the works. They've started giving us more little mini events like the Rush events and WvW will be having an upcoming event soon, and even listened to player suggestions about the reward system for the events and changed it. They said they'd have an event in the open world related to the new raid and we got it. They listened to player feedback about the Skyscale and even posted on the forums about how they were looking into the issues players were having. I don't see that as nothing.

[Zaklex.6308]

> @"IndigoSundown.5419" said:

~snip~

>

> So, what's the solution? A regular Game Director's blog such as Colin Johanson published might be good. **This could be monthly, bi-monthly or quarterly. Preface such a blog with a canned statement to the effect that, "Any game development referred to as "in discussion" may not happen, and I'll let you know if such things are off the table in a later article should that happen." That could mitigate the blow-back which happens when people are "disappointed" that something "promised" falls through.**

>

> Surely such a blog would generate interest among active players. It _could_ also get less active players interested again. It might even generate news about the game. While the gaming "media" generally leave something to be desired, there are a lot of them, and they need to regularly throw out something to get views.

>

> The idea might be worth consideration.

 

That particular method has never worked in the past for ArenaNet, even when they have used it, and they have usually prefaced things with this may or may not happen...players still cry when it doesn't, even if they were told before hand that it might not.

 

> @"Grim West.3194" said:

> We all would like more communication. But that is not an easy sea to navigate. Players will tear apart and attack everything they say, while drawing false conclusions.

>

> Besides, actions speak louder than words. And ANET has many promises that have not been acted on even after 7 years.

 

What promises, go back over those 7 years and half of what you say are/were promises end up being nothing of the sort...you can't make a promise by saying you're working on something without having a date for that work to be shown or revealed(at least in my book: no date, no promise, it's like telling your girlfriend, yeah, we'll get married someday, I promise, doesn't mean crap without a date attached to it).

 

Either way, everyone, and I do mean everyone has their own personal opinion on what the communication from ArenaNet should be or shouldn't be or whether it's sufficient or insufficient. You can have these discussions but at the end of the day it's up to ArenaNet to set the communication standards...and personally I look at it this way, if they're not communicating that much that just means they're to busy actually working on stuff to give us.

[Aeolus.3615]

IMO its fair, they cant talk much when a company lacks... VISION.

[IndigoSundown.5419]

> @"Zaklex.6308" said:

> > @"IndigoSundown.5419" said:

> ~snip~

> >

> > So, what's the solution? A regular Game Director's blog such as Colin Johanson published might be good. **This could be monthly, bi-monthly or quarterly. Preface such a blog with a canned statement to the effect that, "Any game development referred to as "in discussion" may not happen, and I'll let you know if such things are off the table in a later article should that happen." That could mitigate the blow-back which happens when people are "disappointed" that something "promised" falls through.**

> >

> > Surely such a blog would generate interest among active players. It _could_ also get less active players interested again. It might even generate news about the game. While the gaming "media" generally leave something to be desired, there are a lot of them, and they need to regularly throw out something to get views.

> >

> > The idea might be worth consideration.

>

> That particular method has never worked in the past for ArenaNet, even when they have used it, and they have usually prefaced things with this may or may not happen...players still cry when it doesn't, even if they were told before hand that it might not.

 

Maybe ANet should find the fortitude to let those complaints slide like water off the proverbial duck's back, rather than giving power to those complainers by letting antipathy for "You promised!" posts dictate policy.