Why no communication?

Guess its always easier to blame the other guy when the game we are all playing is the one seriously lacking in pretty much every category right now. To think its less than a month from shipping final release has me extremely worried.

But keep telling yourself whatever it takes for you to sleep well at night. in the end that is all that matters. sleep

blame the other guy? the GAME we are all playing? you are extremely worried but i am telling myself things about a video game to help me sleep at night?

wrong. wrong. wrong.
 
if_you_build_it_they_will_come_photo.jpg

I wonder if the guys who invented the internet like what we have done posting all the cat videos with their marvelous tool :D
 
I believe the OP is spot on and I also think the above quote is rubbish! Who am I to say you are wrong ... I'm nobody, but Chris Roberts who is making that other game has 61,406,998 reasons why you are dead wrong.
He gets his hardcore gamer followers worked to a fever pitch by blasting his homepage with new glitzy content every week. Four or Five posts EVERY week , right in your face.... His followers then show their unwashed masses (of friends ) the fantastic videos /up coming content , developer work. Which forces those unwashed masses to change to clean underwear and then get a copy for themselves.
So, lets take a look at what the world sees when they go to elitedangerous.com ...... well it looks good......... Under the media tab... the last post was from 2 months ago!!!... and you've lost them (and their money)

I found that FD does a great job with ED development but the other side of the coin is this constant lack of communication/marketing, we have here a great futur game (ELITE) and in my opinion there is a lot of work in order to sell it at it at its best. I mean 1 newsletter per week is good but why can't we (backers) have some inside look on WIP and one or two post from the game designers on some futur features? Forum is boiling under pressure, could at least release the newsletter in advance in order to loose the ranting of some posters.....
 
I've looked on Twitter and the last Tweet was the 7th Nov.

obviously that is technically correct, however https://twitter.com/EliteDangerous/with_replies begs to differ manifold. and there are other employees of FDEV that have spoken since, one quite literally DB at MS techday but yeah keep pushing that agenda of yours.

the rest of your "argument" follows from there. in polite talk: you make a statement that is obviously false and build a quite dismissing case on it. there is a name for this kind of behavior, it just won't come to me right now...
 
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The amount of threads started recently are evidence that people have concerns - which is my point.

Actually, given the numbers of people in at the beta stage (and all prior stages) the amount of diquiet shown on the forums is remarkably low, particularly as the people who want a moan/'raise concerns' (legitimate or otherwise - I support your right to bear children Brother! ;) ) tend to become the vocal majority (and thats accounting for the fact that a good proportion won't even use the forums, let alone post).
Yes, people have concerns about the unknown, it is a fundamental human response to change and new things.
The fact that people have concerns does not validate the theory that anything is actually wrong, as far as the game is concerned, only that people correlate the two.
Having concerns at this stage is unlikely to have any impact on what gets released anyway, which may be why they go unaddressed.
 
I agree with this and here's why. When you leave a game (EvE) you played for a long time. You look for something to fill that void. I can tell you here and now. When the pvp'ers from EvE get their teeth into Elite Dangerous and it's combat with track ir or occulus or whatever tracking they decide on. It will blow them away. This is what many of us always craved for in EvE. It's like ringing the dinner bell to sharks in dinner jackets. I doubt many will wait for years in the development of another said space game (RSI). Don't get me wrong, I hope it succeeds. People on the other hand, won't wait that long. There's already live streams and videos on youtube and all over the place of Elite Dangerous beta, they can see for themselves what it can offer. This is where the masses hang out and this is where they will see it as I did on youtube, which sent me rushing headlong to these forums thirsting for info.

Shok.

Agreed, but there has to be what I call the 'CCE' in MMO development or they won't come or stay -

Communication - Tell the community what you are implementing, what you hope to implement (and why) and allow for player feedback and adjust accordingly

Content - Give the players in the universe you create something to do (story lines, chained quests) and aspire too (Rare Drops/rewards/Titles, etc)

Execution - Aggressive in diminishing/eliminating bugs/unplayable content/broken systems. Streamline gameplay.

You can have the coolest things (IR tracking, Voice Attack) in a game, a huge budget to work from and it will still not do well if the above is not in play..

Cheers!
 

Tar Stone

Banned
RSI does all the glitzy web PR stuff in lieu of a game.

Frontier gave us a game so they don't have to do glitzy web PR stuff.

There are a shed load of meet ups and events, official and fan-organised; there's also Lave Radio, TV news coverage, articles in UK newspapers, too many YouTube and twitch streamers to count, and people sweating inside Occulus headsets for hours at a time.

They aren't doing more to sell the game because frankly it's selling itself. You wouldn't be here otherwise.
 
Can you link the part where I say they "Disconnect"? Geez, is it me or have you just misquoted me more than once. Talk about selective reading.... Speaking of nice responses, was your original one about FD apparently hiding from the world or that a response of "they're busy" won't cut it kind-of attitude. Come on, the door swings both ways here. I don't agree with the majority of "concerns" threads that I've seen, many are baseless and full of gross assumptions in assuming we have it all. Which, logic dictates if we had - we'd already have the finished game and be playing it. Yet, they persist in attempting to paint this picture of a finished, lacking product not fit to be played by the world at large and that some imaginary critique of gamers will send it to scrap heap on release.

Shok.

Yes, I now see that what you wrote was "What exactly are you afraid of and assume everyone else is in fear and discontent?" and not "What exactly are you afraid of and assume everyone else is in fear and disconnect?". That was carelessness on my part and for that I apologise. Is the OP invalid because of this? I don't think so.

The problem here is that while I was careless and made a mistake you have decided to misrepresent (or at least exaggerate) what I wrote (as outlined in my initial response to you). Sadly in your most recent post you have again resorted to this trick . Please note I never said that Frontier were "hiding from the world". I suggested that there is a management decision not to directly interact with the negative opinion - at least the threads on this forum - and that this was a mistake as it perhaps indirectly fomented discontent. I then asked for opinions on why this is. The rest of your post is an irrelevance and I'll not address it.

Just to understand how I see the development of this thread. I started by asking why Frontier have been quiet of late. Some people responded by suggesting that they are too busy. I don't think is a credible response for a company with community managers but I appreciate that they will still disagree with me. Others have pointed me in the direction of Ed lewis's recent posts or Facebook. Neither of which I think address the point of my OP. So I could I be wrong and Frontier are actively communicating since the 7th in a way that addresses the discontent? Sure! If this is the case then I would appreciate being pointed in the right direction. The problem is I've not yet received such direction. Instead, I get the likes of yourself, Shok, second guessing my motivations while all the time reading my words in the worst possible light.

I'm not criticising the game nor the efforts or skill Frontier staff in getting to this point. Rather, I'm questioning whether they have dealt with the negativity in the best manner. Indeed, the video in the most recent newsletter certainly helped me adjust my thinking from "It wont all be ready on the 22nd. The horror!" to something more along the lines of "Well, the game I wont wont be ready on the 22nd and that's because my expectation were too high. It will take a long time to get there and I've got to be a bit more patient". For some strange reason I've decided not to respond to people who have actually bothered to address the OP and instead I'm humouring you and your aggressive posts. I'll stop that now, Shok, and instead simply wish you a good evening.
 
Simple question. Does anyone know why Frontier dropped off the map since the 7th or thereabouts?

I'm looking at their most common forms of communication - Facebook, Twitter and the forums - and I've not noticed any activity in about a week. Before anyone suggests that they are simply too busy to be bothered by such things it's not a response that floats - they have community managers after all. I think it's a safe assumption that this is a policy of silence (for whatever reason) and one that I think has been damaging to some extent. It seems to me that some official communication (it doesn't have to be much) would go a looooooong way to allaying fears and reducing the discontent that has been growing lately.

Discuss.

(A response from the Frontier would be ever better.)

This might not be a popular opinion, but I believe this is the way things will be from now on. The relationship is no longer backer/developer, it is now self-publisher/customer...
 
I believe the OP is spot on and I also think the above quote is rubbish! Who am I to say you are wrong ... I'm nobody, but Chris Roberts who is making that other game has 61,406,998 reasons why you are dead wrong.
He gets his hardcore gamer followers worked to a fever pitch by blasting his homepage with new glitzy content every week.
---Peace Out---

I also have my ticket paid for the other game. Mr. Roberts has definitely got his marketing down, considering we've paid in to his concept to the tune of $62 million. They have about about $60 million more than what the developers have here. That's a lot of credit given to a developer for basically vaporware, who also has a history of overpromising and underdelivering. So yeah, RSI has to keep his game, at this stage, in everyone's face because people want to see what is going on with their money. Those that have invested here, can already see what is happening with their money by playing the game.
 
Its a fact the communication has decreased significantly.

I imagine they are busy, but there should be someone. Especially this close to launch.

We had a guy pop in the forums last week, first one I had seen in a while, promised to find out something the community wanted to know said he would get on it and hasnt been seen since.
 
Simple question. Does anyone know why Frontier dropped off the map since the 7th or thereabouts?

I'm looking at their most common forms of communication - Facebook, Twitter and the forums - and I've not noticed any activity in about a week. Before anyone suggests that they are simply too busy to be bothered by such things it's not a response that floats - they have community managers after all. I think it's a safe assumption that this is a policy of silence (for whatever reason) and one that I think has been damaging to some extent. It seems to me that some official communication (it doesn't have to be much) would go a looooooong way to allaying fears and reducing the discontent that has been growing lately.

Discuss.

(A response from the Frontier would be ever better.)

Perhaps they are just a little busy polishing and tweaking the Final Release code in preparation for Nov. 22? As to allaying fear and discontent, why not just let Final Release code speak for itself on the 22nd. No matter how much they communicate between now and then, the naysayers will continue their moaning and whinging.
 
obviously that is technically correct, however https://twitter.com/EliteDangerous/with_replies begs to differ manifold. and there are other employees of FDEV that have spoken since, one quite literally DB at MS techday but yeah keep pushing that agenda of yours.

the rest of your "argument" follows from there. in polite talk: you make a statement that is obviously false and build a quite dismissing case on it. there is a name for this kind of behavior, it just won't come to me right now...

OK, two things.

Firstly, thank you for the twitter link. It looks that Frontier have been active on Twitter with about 9 replies since the 7th. (I'm not including those replies written since I started this thread.) Do they actually address the topic of the OP? I'm not so sure they do. But I suppose that is for the community to decide as a whole. The other link has nothing to do with my OP and I don't know why you included it. Do you suppose that a dissatisfied forum member would have bought a ticked to hear David not address their beef?

Secondly, why the negative rep and the hostility emanating from you, deusx_ophc? I'd like to think that I've been reasonable in this thread. You might not agree with my assessment but I've not resorted to personal attacks, nor have I've not criticised Frontier for their game or development abilities. Rather, I've focused on one area - what I perceive to be poor communications, specifically with regards to how they have addressed dissatisfaction amongst some members of the community. I don't know if this is a small but vocal minority or a larger group. But believe it or not (and that's a rhetorical statement because I know you wont) I would actually like to see the forum return to how it was even a number of weeks back to when there seemed to be less negative vibes floating around.

Hey, but if it makes you feel better to think me the bogeyman and to throw around power words like "agenda" then knock yourself out.

Perhaps they are just a little busy polishing and tweaking the Final Release code in preparation for Nov. 22? As to allaying fear and discontent, why not just let Final Release code speak for itself on the 22nd. No matter how much they communicate between now and then, the naysayers will continue their moaning and whinging.

Fair enough. You could be correct. And yet it doesn't seem to float as an excuse. They have a couple of community managers (we are part of the community, right?) as well as other staff who occasionally drop by. All I'm proposing that a well crafted message or two (maybe just a Tweet telling us all how many bugs got squished today and how fantastic the game is coming along) would be enough for some people - not everyone, but some - and that some of the tension might be released.
 
if they would tell us now about new things, what would be left to reveal for 22nd?

i also don't expect too much info in tomorrow's newsletter
 
I wonder if a lot of the criticism about ED's marketing is being pumped out by the clergy of Our Lady of Perpetual Snake Oil, who simply can't abide the idea that in the modern era, they (marketers and advertisers) aren't quite as essential to the process of selling stuff as they might wish to be...
 
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Fair enough. You could be correct. And yet it doesn't seem to float as an excuse. They have a couple of community managers (we are part of the community, right?) as well as other staff who occasionally drop by. All I'm proposing that a well crafted message or two (maybe just a Tweet telling us all how many bugs got squished today and how fantastic the game is coming along) would be enough for some people - not everyone, but some - and that some of the tension might be released.

What tension? Who cares? They are busy, it's obvious.
 
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OK, two things.

Firstly, thank you for the twitter link.

Secondly, why the negative rep and the hostility emanating from you, deusx_ophc?

you are most welcome. but that does not allay the suspicion that the OP wasn't entirely focused on getting an answer. since very good points haven been made against all of the OPs statements i fail to understand what you are still scoring points for... again it could only be because that alone was the exercise (as has been pointed out by others in this thread).

the plain answer is: FDEV have communicated in their "normal" manner since last week friday via twitter and on other media. @michaelgapper is touring the world in a PR blitz (i guess that is what it is, did you see the LA tweets from saturday?) and @edwardclewis is doing his thing, tweeting and being clear & concise on reddit. you even know that you will get another newsletter in less than 24hrs that will address a certain elephant ;)

as far as i know FDEV have always been edgy in their coms. that is the way they are, it is a policy decision and as such has benefits and some downsides. however, they have improved dramatically since i follow them (nov 2012).

the negative rep? you are clearly smart enough to know better than you state. thus you also realise that your OP wasn't aimed at calming this forum, it was likely to cause more concern. that is why i handed you some negatroy rep. i think it unsavory, sorry. but please this is only me saying my thing. i am sure you get plenty of +rep for your attitude, too ^^
 
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