[Video] Open letter from community to Elite Dangerous

[strelkanz]

In support of influencers, community developers, and (LARGE) player group leaders, these are the only people FDev listen too.

As an example, last year, for months and months we had been asking what was happening with Player Minor Factions, we had posted in the PMF thread, asking why nothing was happening. The community manager(?) had consistently said he had nothing to say. It was not until several influences and community leaders posted videos on the issue did we get any response, and in the end, it was in one of their content streams here. However, as they were more interested in showing off the new screenshot candy we were given a less than cordial response to the question possed, “player factions are really exciting but I don’t think they're quite as cool as the inside of these structures (in reference to a guardian site they were showing off)... ...under active consideration”, after months and months of silence and inaction, they basically say 'we know you've been asking, but we've been ignoring you, but now we are looking at doing something because we are being forced too'.....

So you know what, if you want something brought into the open with FDev, if you want something addressed and changes made, then influencers, community developers, and (LARGE) player group leaders have to speak for us because they are the only people FDev will listen to when it comes to problems we as a community want to address.

 

[CMDR Karrde Sun]

I disagree. So far betas have always been quite valuable. If you take a look at the changelogs (we often have 4-8 beta iterations) there are hundreds of bugs fixed. They also regularly acted on feedback.
The problem is when they don't. I can't understand how a bug gets reported in beta 1 of 6 and yet it makes it into the live release. I also don't understand how they completely ignored the feedback on the cockpit modes, the entire community was in agreement (at least those who bothered to post) and we made some pretty simple suggestions how to fix it. AFAIK they never commented on it.

Yeah exactly that. The only rational conclusion is they never intended the scope of the beta to include qualitative feedback.

Im trying to remember back to some of the 2.x beta's as well... i may have not participated in one, but i remember them being very focused and not looking to generally improve the quality that the petition is likely asking for (from more common industry practice).

I've got that impression pretty solidly.. frontier actually don't care about what we as a community think (in general and to a specific feature)... unless they themselves want to know it. That's their right too, but yeah. If the game itself was holding up better we wouldn't need this anyway. As Ralph suggested earlier speaking though the code is the best approach.

 

[Bigmaec]

The problem was changing the colour of that one button in the UI.

The entitled have had a sniff of power and are now making a lunge for the steering wheel from the back seat. None of them have drivers licences, they don't know the route and they haven't agreed on a destination, this will not get us all to the beach any faster.

But the orange button is nice.

 

[Factabulous]

But the orange button will be nice.

FTFY

 

[Shanaeri]

all the back and forth, and let's not forget the privacy and information collecting concerns

you mean this one

https://www.reddit.com/r/EliteDangerous/comments/dbbxeb/_/f231gi2

Source: https://old.reddit.com/r/EliteDangerous/comments/dbbxeb/community_requests_to_frontier_developments/f231gi2/


As with everything. your personal data is FAR more important than any game or community trying to do something.

 

[thistle]

Look, I probably like SDC even less than you do. And know that even the most publicly whitewashed of its members (like the one who posted this petition) remain trolls at heart, with contempt for most of the community. But there are times when you have to evaluate what you read without prejudice, and consider that it wasn't just their product, but endorsed (and I hope read and greenlighted beforehand) by more decent members of the community. Their involvement is not enough to bin it.

I think the involvement of those who you rightly suggest view the community (and the company) with open contempt should be enough to keep well away.

 

[Siobhan]

They don't speak for me.
That is all.

 

[Stigbob]

But the orange button is nice.

Just look what you've done, all these little tear streaked faces wanting different things for dinner.

 

[Daiyus73]

I think a lot of people are missing the fact that one can agree with this petition, support it, and still think Elite Dangerous is a fantastic game. Naturally I can't speak for everyone, but to me Elite Dangerous could be as close to a perfect game as I'll ever see. Unfortunately the way development is progressing makes me feel like that potential will never be realised, particularly when it comes to unfixed long-standing bugs and seemingly abandoned gameplay elements.

I respect Frontier, and everyone that works there. I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings, and I'm certainly not calling them lazy, incompetent, or any other derogatory term that gets flung around here far too casually. I have no doubt that they are working hard to do the best they can. That said the current approach obviously isn't flawless, and pointing a spotlight at that so things can change isn't a bad thing.

I think we've all had times in our professional lives where we've worked hard on something. Invested not only time, but soul into a project, only to have it chewed apart at review. While our initial reactions are personal hurt, it usually turns out that the project improves from that new perspective, and those reviewing your work are only trying to make it the best it can be. What is going on here is no different.

 

[Zapgun]

Has the original premise of the thread and it's handful of supporters been successfully mocked by the rest of the outstanding forum community into submission to the point where they've thrown up their hands and abandoned the conversation?

That's pretty much how most of these threads go, don't they? Moderators don't seem to mind or put a stop to that sort of behavior, (which I wish they would). It results in reasonable people feeling bullied and getting frustrated further (which then turns into a 'told you they were being overly emotional' post - followed by more mocking).

To be fair, it's really only a handful of folks that do this, but it certain fuels the 'toxic forum' problem and is one of the main points of frustration for some folks (and why I generally avoid this place).

 

[Factabulous]

Just look what you've done, all these little tear streaked faces wanting different things for dinner.

Sounds like victim blaming

This current campaign is just the usual bait & switch "hey fdev, you messed up a release, give us all this other unrelated stuff in return". Same crowd after the same things as usual - just attaching themselves lamprey-like to any passing story whilst distracting everyone from the things fdev should be looking at - missing ARX, missing shop, broken consoles (not necessarily in that order).

 

[Rubbernuke]

Just look what you've done, all these little tear streaked faces wanting different things for dinner.

FD have fed PP players five years of nothing. Isn't that worth at least an answer about its future-or is that only worth condescending remarks? Despite where its come from, people here are united in one respect in that features introduced are left to die, and this necrosis has spread throughout the game.

 

[sollisb]

I think it's more a problem with the company not listening and when they do, not managing the details and then expectations. Communication while there has been some, has been sporadic and to me (opinionated) felt forced.

Again, opinionated me gets the feeling that Elite Dangerous was seen as a golden goose, with many grandiose plans but then realism set in and the work on it was badly designed, planned and executed.

There can be no denying that the delivery of the game releases has been beset by dismal attention to testing and quality. And while there is a certain level of expectancy of bugs, Frontier, as a company, have pushed this expectancy to breaking point to even the most ardent followers.

The reply by Zac leaves me again wondering, how much they [frontier] really care and how much life is left in this title for the company.

Elite Dangerous has been a milestone setting title, but one bereft of direction and good project management. There is still plenty of room and scope to expand this game/sim/sandbox, but it will take a major shift in thinking and imagination at frontier to do so.

Without the astoundingly great graphics and VR, the title would have failed long ago.

 

[M00ka]

Sounds like victim blaming

This current campaign is just the usual bait & switch "hey fdev, you messed up a release, give us all this other unrelated stuff in return". Same crowd after the same things as usual - just attaching themselves lamprey-like to any passing story whilst distracting everyone from the things fdev should be looking at - missing ARX, missing shop, broken consoles (not necessarily in that order).

You have to admit that that crowd consists of some very self appointed and in their minds, very important people, as they know what the entire playerbase wants!

As for what FD should be doing, I am just happy they don't prioritise their work effort from input via the forums since the most talked about complaint after the update was an icon on the screen (OMFG the world will end) and free in game currency.

 

[Stigbob]

FD have fed PP players five years of nothing. Isn't that worth at least an answer about its future-or is that only worth condescending remarks? Despite where its come from, people here are united in one respect in that features introduced are left to die, and this necrosis has spread throughout the game.

I'm pretty sure you are in a minority of one thinking this is about chicken mcnuggets PP, so I wouldn't get your hopes up. There's no unity at all here.

As for info on the future, we've already had it from Zac he told us everything he could and explained why he couldn't tell us any more yet.

 

[Archon Valec]

you mean this one

https://www.reddit.com/r/EliteDangerous/comments/dbbxeb/_/f231gi2

Source: https://old.reddit.com/r/EliteDangerous/comments/dbbxeb/community_requests_to_frontier_developments/f231gi2/


As with everything. your personal data is FAR more important than any game or community trying to do something.

Thats the one!

 

[Rubbernuke]

I'm pretty sure you are in a minority of one thinking this is about chicken mcnuggets PP, so I wouldn't get your hopes up. There's no unity at all here.

I never said it was wholly about PP, but that does not really fit your narrative. Its about how features are dropped out and left undeveloped, each feature being isolated and unbalanced, no ongoing development with each update (for example multicrew- whats it for? Any new roles or gameplay this time round?)

As for info on the future, we've already had it from Zac he told us everything he could and explained why he couldn't tell us any more yet.

So for a feature that totally depends on players 100%, you'd advocate letting them wait for another year to say nothing is coming ever again? Thats going to go down well in a feature already struggling because development practically stopped ten minutes after it was released, and been ignored ever since.

 

[Agony_Aunt]

You would think that after 4 years, they would have improved their systems and not maintained the status quo.

You would have. But they haven't. And they haven't improved after repeated outrages and open letters.

One would think there comes a point where you understand no matter how open letters people write, how many rage quit posts they make, nothing will ever change.

 

[Agony_Aunt]

While true, there's also a big difference. Not only there's now an uproar for lack of communication and buggy updates, but the community doesn't even have any specific hope for the future to fall back to (as it did during the Engineering time, for example). Whatever happens, we're now heading towards a year (I mean after the Fleet Carriers, which we hope will be at least less buggy than the September update) of no new updates. These months of darkness -- without even knowing what we are waiting for -- have already pushed a lot of people away.

Meh. We've known its coming for a long time. FCs should provide some fun, there will still be smaller updates throughout next year, hopefully some bug fixes, and then the big content, which fingers crossed, will be decent.

People might leave, they might come back, FD's plans are not contingent on them. They have their plans, they've been working on this bug update for a good while already from what we understand, FD financials are sound, i think they can weather some forum drama.

 

[Stigbob]

We demand rigidly defined areas of doubt and uncertainty.