Roadmap after release

[OVMorat]

Do we really need a new thread about this every couple of days?
https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=91333
https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=85063
https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=78051
https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=77774
https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=74798

I think that due to the reaction to dropping offline we can't have nice things like roadmaps. Actually it's not even the offline reaction - that was understandable - it's the petulance and refund demands for every minor issue or missing piece of functionality that seems to be common behaviour since then. There is no benefit to FD in showing us a roadmap, only risk.

Until there is a roadmap (or more likely, a prioritised list of intended features without promises or deadlines) there will be RAGE every time a new feature IS released because angry forumistas will be incensed that "their" pet feature was not included that time round.

Expectations are not being managed right now, and letting users' expectations run out of control is a big NO NO for any IT project.

 

[Splette]

Unfortunately a published roadmap would be seen as nothing less than a contractural obligation by the more vocal here - as such, publishing it would be an act of insanity by Frontier.

+1
I couldn't have put it better.
While I'd also love to know what new features FD intends to add and in what order, I totally understand why they wouldn't want to make their road map public.

 

[Aewarin Jameson]

My instant assumption was version 1, you assumed version 2.

No offence taken - made me smile.

You are correct in that it's easy to misunderstand things, more so as we have an international community.

 

[Skillet]

We will be revealing more information on what is coming in the next few weeks.

Michael

Big mistake Michael.

 

[Viajero]

Sorry to use your post as an example, but it's just such a perfect demonstration of how careful developers have to be when posting.

What Michael said can be interpreted in 2 ways

1. Either to refer to the content that will be coming over the next few weeks
2. Or to refer to announcing over the next few weeks content that will come later.

My instant assumption was version 1, you assumed version 2.

Others would then quote you or me, and the message would get just that little bit more garbled and so on, till in a week we could have

"Micheal promised that we will have a firm roadmap published for the next 3 months development"

Very true. Now, given the OP was about future plans (i.e. a roadmap) the safer bet would be No 2.

Also, what would be the point of the forum if everything was clear cut! No fun without speculation!

Big mistake Michael.

Lol, there is no way to "win" this one!

 

[Adept]

Oh what have I done

 

[Gimi]

A roadmap is a good idea, but it needs to be done right.

Frontier can't announce a detailed development plan with planetary landings in December 2015 and wings next week. Doing that would be just insane as they risk missing deadlines and over-promising.
From my experiencing, keeping to a deadline and to their promises is something FD are actually good at (offline mode is a very big exception and it probably wasn't handled very well, but that is a different discussion).

On the other hand, withholding information is generally a very bad idea. Every public relations officer in just about every military in the world can tell you that (just do some searches for military media blunders). In a connected world the military has had to learn how to handle media and control information in a setting where withholding all information is just not an option.

Traditionally Frontier has been a developer who has developed on behalf of publishers. This means that the publisher has handled support the public and marketing and FD has had a NDA in place for all involved.
Now they have entered a new arena as a publisher. On top of that, since ED is crowd founded, they have thousands of stakeholders who demand information on what is going on.
In this situation withholding information is not a good idea, but controlling it is essential.

Let's take slaving of drives as an example.
This was cancelled after FD took a closer look at the concept and decided that it wouldn't work as intended. The announcement caused a small uproar when it should have been cause for applause.
They looked at an idea and decided that it wouldn't work well and then came up with something they think is better. How can that be bad.
So rather than saying that "slaving of drives has been cancelled", one should say "the mechanics for players travelling together has been enhanced to work better. Slaving of drives where one player is allowed to control several ships was too limiting so we have decided to do it this way instead. We call it the Wings mechanics" or something along those lines.

So I applaud any general development road map from Frontier, but I don't want to see their internal development plan as that is probably subject to change on a weekly or even daily basis and would probably be more open to interpretation than EU regulations.

 

[halo jones 101]

Expectations are not being managed right now, and letting users' expectations run out of control is a big NO NO for any IT project.

The problem is that trying to manage expectations, with gamers and gaming forums, is i believe this is sadly not possible. Game forums do tend to attract people who are unable to understand the concept of there being a difference between what Devs / Producers want to make and what is practically possible or achievable, then road maps and the like are then take things out of context, attracting... Well forums full of shoutyness... Sad isn't it.

 

[Pomerlaw]

Totally agree. If this "meta" faction system struggle could be enhanced offering some kind of obvious and direct motivation for players to side on (other than pure role playing or testing) then actual player territorial gameplay via proxy of factions could take place. That d be awesome.

Yes that would be good. We need to CARE more.

 

[Balsbigbrother]

We will be revealing more information on what is coming in the next few weeks.

Michael

Seriously weeks /sigh

I like the game and love the start you have all made with the it. However, as someone who started just before official launch I feel your community interaction and communication is somewhat short of the mark sadly

 

[Adept]

Yes that would be good. We need to CARE more.

And who holds the space needs to have tangible consequences for our moment-to-moment gameplay. Destruction of ships needs to be a big deal, and NPCs with high Elite rank can't be fodder for farming. Lots to do...

 

[Alatar]

After the fiasco with Offline? You really think that they are going to go: 'Hey, here's a good idea... let's publish a roadmap!" *passes out the snorkels*

The lack of communication was exactly the reason behind the offline thing getting so big.

Had FD communicated to the playerbase what's happening with ED's features (big picture, no need to get into details) every few weeks there wouldn't have been an outrage because players would have been already aware of the difficulties and the uncertainty of the feature.

The problem with keeping customers in the dark is that there are going to be surprises. Sometimes that's good but as we saw with offline-mode those surprises can also be extremely bad.

Cut the amount of surprises and you cut the amount of outrage. Also letting people have some info gives the players something to look forward to which is a really good way to keep people playing.

 

[Viajero]

Seriously weeks /sigh

I like the game and love the start you have all made with the it. However, as someone who started just before official launch I feel your community interaction and communication is somewhat short of the mark sadly

Then I advise you to get this on your bookmark list if you dont have it yet: http://www.miggy.org/games/elite-dangerous/devtracker/ed-dev-posts.rss

FDEV staff have been involved in the forums day in day out in most of the critical topics, and then some. I have rarely seen a dev team posting as often in the forums.

Sandro Sammarco´s entries in particular are great with regards to game design and plans thereof. He is my "favorite" dev (see they are like stars now).

Mr Sammarco on the left. The other one could be yours truly but then again, maybe not:

Spoiler

 

[Armour]

Some of these responses make it seem like the posters don't understand what "holiday" means. They've probably only been back in the office for about 6 hours since the Christmas break started, and yet you think they should have everything all planned out and scheduled for the next x months? Get real.

 

[Dabba]

Can't win for losing in this business. Put out a roadmap and some people will take it as a promise rather than a suggestion, and if you don't then they scream about lack of communication.

Just tell us you're working on cool stuff, and then let us know shortly before its ready to roll out what to expect, and take the criticism with the mountain of salt it deserves knowing there is no escaping it regardless of what you do.

 

[Tarman]

Then I advise you to get this on your bookmark list if you dont have it yet: http://www.miggy.org/games/elite-dangerous/devtracker/ed-dev-posts.rss

FDEV staff have been involved in the forums day in day out in most of the critical topics. I have rarely seen a dev team posting as often in the forums.

http://eft.recoil.org/

For those of us who have not the Logitech screen-keyboards with RSS feed displays

 

[{SAS}Stalker]

We will be revealing more information on what is coming in the next few weeks.

Michael

I assume its taking a few weeks for the stone masons to carve the text out?

 

[Kitiara]

Lol, there is no way to "win" this one!

Next we'll have people suggesting that Frontier want to cheat and have an "I Win" button installed in their office.

 

[KING5TON]

Thanks Michael.
Let me help manage expectations by breaking it down

"We will be revealing more information on what is coming"
You read this and think they will produce a cool list of things they plan to add along with rough estimates when they will release them.
That is not the case, you have read it incorrectly
Expect the majority to be information on stuff you already know about. Such as "There will be wings added Soon", "We will add the first person expansion first, it will not be soon".
There will probably be one or two new titbits but do not hold your breath.


"in the next few weeks".
You read this and think that they will be releasing stuff in the next few weeks.
This is not the case, you have read it incorrectly.
The more information on what is coming will be released in the next few weeks, that is all.
Probably in newsletters, I wouldn't expect anything this week though.

If you follow my quick and easy guide you will not be disappointed in the next few weeks.

 

[Balsbigbrother]

Then I advise you to get this on your bookmark list if you dont have it yet: http://www.miggy.org/games/elite-dangerous/devtracker/ed-dev-posts.rss

FDEV staff have been involved in the forums day in day out in most of the critical topics. I have rarely seen a dev team posting as often in the forums.

Yeah most if not all of those are fire fighting posts since the launch but not engaging the community in general discussions about Elite and its future.

I imagine that a lot of that went on during the beta but they have picked up a whole host of new people since then who did not take part in the beta/gamma/kickstarter process and so now frontier have whole extra community to engage with. That is what I mean when I say lacking in communication and engagement.

If you or anyone else feel differently that is fine I just happen to have another perspective and opinion.