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To Stephen: A Message About Trust and Zen
gulberat
Member Posts: 5,505 Arc User
An Open Letter to Stephen:
A day late and a dollar short.
We've all heard that phrase, but maybe not given much thought to what it really means. It means showing up too late, and woefully underprepared for the situation at hand.
I'm afraid that's what I have seen happen here. I have tried to warn the team more than once about what happens when you all fail to communicate quickly and promptly. Those involved in testing--and Silver members like me (some of whom DID pay into the game by means other than a subscription) got cut out of that process--feel that their time and their bug reports mean nothing in the end. Additionally, the game mechanics and parts of the DQ story progression itself are breaking people's immersion and really haven't lived up to the hype, and the expectations that the level of voice talent you brought in would have led us to hope. And until today, the communications we did receive were vague, sparse, and in some cases made matters worse rather than better.
I've tried to warn you. I wasn't the only one.
I had hoped that what happened with the XP for the Elite players was a different kind of bug, one that took away something that you intended for them to have, and while it was instead a bug of giving more than they should have had, I was hoping that had that been the situation, I might be able to help you figure out what it was. So don't forget, all of this that I am saying is intended as constructive rather than destructive.
But when people test, report bugs, and they get only silence and a patch containing the same bugs in return, it breaks trust. When something breaks down on Holodeck and poor communication leads people to feel accused, and things are taken away from them without explanation, and all they get is silence, they WILL jump to the worst possible conclusions and even with evidence otherwise later, the damage for many can never be undone.
I believed and do still believe you about the exploit, because I heard rumblings elsewhere that seemed to corroborate the idea that something like what you described had indeed occurred. And yes...I understand now the nature of the bug in the XP, now that devs have taken the time to explain it.
I am also glad that we finally did start getting communication this afternoon.
I at least do not think you or your team lied, even when things may have been explained very poorly, and too late.
I will also mention that as a player who has only played on Normal, and does not have time to level very fast, my five little points were still intact and my XP bar exactly where I left it before this crisis. So I at least had nothing taken from me.
The thing is...I recognize that others did, and I cannot assume that they all deserved it. And I think that the pattern of poor communication and the squandering of testing on Tribble--which again, I could not even help you with because I happened to pay for the game in a different way than a Gold or Lifetime member--has gone on enough that I'll need to see this recent communication be not just one much-needed step in the right direction, but the beginning of a path, a vision, and action towards a state of much better two-way communication. Speak to us and we'll listen--as long as your team listens to us when we speak.
That does not mean we have to agree on everything...though I would advise you to let some members of your team know that when they are angry (sometimes justifiably when the forum gets rough), they should either take some deep breaths and try the prayer, mantra, or meditation of their choice before posting something that might come off as harsh (and remember that harshness is multiplied in the eyes of the reader by a factor of ten at least, when it comes from an official source), or they should consider going to get someone on the team who isn't as hot about it to check them before they post, or even do it in their place.
But even if there are civil disagreements--which are to be feared far, far less than the explosive results that come out of management silence--at least it is dialogue, at least it is a presence. That is what we need to see more of, as well as more listening to of feedback, especially as it is offered during testing.
That could mean having to delay on a release sometimes. I know that you may fear a delay makes it look as though you are not fulfilling your commitments, or that it may mean missed revenue. Some may make fun of those concerns but I GET those concerns. However, I would again state that the loss of revenue from releasing something "on time" but not "in shape" (especially when followed up by the lacking crisis management that we have seen), is far worse, and if you're going to recover from this it will take some serious, hard work, and sustained.
I've been trying to get between the combatants in these last few days in a way, recognizing that both parties are right and both parties are wrong. As someone else aptly put it, things have degraded so badly now that we have a situation where instead of PvE or PvP, we now seem to have PvD...player versus dev. And that is BAD for us, and it is BAD for you. The atmosphere right now is as toxic as a Malon waste dump site, and you guys have the most powerful equipment to clean it up if you would please show that you have learned from this.
Now...I hate to say this, but I'm afraid that even as patient as I have been, I've reached a point where I cannot contribute to the Zen economy in any way anymore (and if you pull my records, you'll see that I have in the past), until I see that today's first step becomes many more steps forward. That means no Zen purchases outright, nor any conversion of dilithium to Zen.
This is not because I want to see you fail. I WANT to see you succeed. That's why, once I verified I had no losses of XP or skill points, I am going to continue to play the game. I want to see things turn around and get better for everyone's sake.
This is not a spiteful, "I'm going to take my money elsewhere and TRIBBLE you" sort of unproductive feedback. You can still change my mind on the Zen, some time down the road. But it is going to take hard, sustained work. I need to see that happen over time. And despite being frustrated enough to withdraw from any form of real-money economy in the game, I am not full of unreasoning rage and I would like to see you and the community talk this out together.
If you or anyone on the team wants suggestions from players--and I mean really wants them and wants to have an open and honest dialogue about them--I am here, and my PM box is also open.
Trust is built over time, and it is built with words and actions. And in a situation like this, it will take very diligent effort on your part. I also know that not everyone in the community would like to listen or give any time or effort on their end--and after all that's happened, I completely understand why those people feel that way. But there are still a few of us who would want to be a part of working out a better way to move forward.
Please, no more self-inflicted wounds. No more crises spurred on by silence. STO is not just a game but a community I enjoy being a part of and I would like to be able to enjoy it without this dark stormcloud hanging over it.
Sincerely,
Gulberat
A day late and a dollar short.
We've all heard that phrase, but maybe not given much thought to what it really means. It means showing up too late, and woefully underprepared for the situation at hand.
I'm afraid that's what I have seen happen here. I have tried to warn the team more than once about what happens when you all fail to communicate quickly and promptly. Those involved in testing--and Silver members like me (some of whom DID pay into the game by means other than a subscription) got cut out of that process--feel that their time and their bug reports mean nothing in the end. Additionally, the game mechanics and parts of the DQ story progression itself are breaking people's immersion and really haven't lived up to the hype, and the expectations that the level of voice talent you brought in would have led us to hope. And until today, the communications we did receive were vague, sparse, and in some cases made matters worse rather than better.
I've tried to warn you. I wasn't the only one.
I had hoped that what happened with the XP for the Elite players was a different kind of bug, one that took away something that you intended for them to have, and while it was instead a bug of giving more than they should have had, I was hoping that had that been the situation, I might be able to help you figure out what it was. So don't forget, all of this that I am saying is intended as constructive rather than destructive.
But when people test, report bugs, and they get only silence and a patch containing the same bugs in return, it breaks trust. When something breaks down on Holodeck and poor communication leads people to feel accused, and things are taken away from them without explanation, and all they get is silence, they WILL jump to the worst possible conclusions and even with evidence otherwise later, the damage for many can never be undone.
I believed and do still believe you about the exploit, because I heard rumblings elsewhere that seemed to corroborate the idea that something like what you described had indeed occurred. And yes...I understand now the nature of the bug in the XP, now that devs have taken the time to explain it.
I am also glad that we finally did start getting communication this afternoon.
I at least do not think you or your team lied, even when things may have been explained very poorly, and too late.
I will also mention that as a player who has only played on Normal, and does not have time to level very fast, my five little points were still intact and my XP bar exactly where I left it before this crisis. So I at least had nothing taken from me.
The thing is...I recognize that others did, and I cannot assume that they all deserved it. And I think that the pattern of poor communication and the squandering of testing on Tribble--which again, I could not even help you with because I happened to pay for the game in a different way than a Gold or Lifetime member--has gone on enough that I'll need to see this recent communication be not just one much-needed step in the right direction, but the beginning of a path, a vision, and action towards a state of much better two-way communication. Speak to us and we'll listen--as long as your team listens to us when we speak.
That does not mean we have to agree on everything...though I would advise you to let some members of your team know that when they are angry (sometimes justifiably when the forum gets rough), they should either take some deep breaths and try the prayer, mantra, or meditation of their choice before posting something that might come off as harsh (and remember that harshness is multiplied in the eyes of the reader by a factor of ten at least, when it comes from an official source), or they should consider going to get someone on the team who isn't as hot about it to check them before they post, or even do it in their place.
But even if there are civil disagreements--which are to be feared far, far less than the explosive results that come out of management silence--at least it is dialogue, at least it is a presence. That is what we need to see more of, as well as more listening to of feedback, especially as it is offered during testing.
That could mean having to delay on a release sometimes. I know that you may fear a delay makes it look as though you are not fulfilling your commitments, or that it may mean missed revenue. Some may make fun of those concerns but I GET those concerns. However, I would again state that the loss of revenue from releasing something "on time" but not "in shape" (especially when followed up by the lacking crisis management that we have seen), is far worse, and if you're going to recover from this it will take some serious, hard work, and sustained.
I've been trying to get between the combatants in these last few days in a way, recognizing that both parties are right and both parties are wrong. As someone else aptly put it, things have degraded so badly now that we have a situation where instead of PvE or PvP, we now seem to have PvD...player versus dev. And that is BAD for us, and it is BAD for you. The atmosphere right now is as toxic as a Malon waste dump site, and you guys have the most powerful equipment to clean it up if you would please show that you have learned from this.
Now...I hate to say this, but I'm afraid that even as patient as I have been, I've reached a point where I cannot contribute to the Zen economy in any way anymore (and if you pull my records, you'll see that I have in the past), until I see that today's first step becomes many more steps forward. That means no Zen purchases outright, nor any conversion of dilithium to Zen.
This is not because I want to see you fail. I WANT to see you succeed. That's why, once I verified I had no losses of XP or skill points, I am going to continue to play the game. I want to see things turn around and get better for everyone's sake.
This is not a spiteful, "I'm going to take my money elsewhere and TRIBBLE you" sort of unproductive feedback. You can still change my mind on the Zen, some time down the road. But it is going to take hard, sustained work. I need to see that happen over time. And despite being frustrated enough to withdraw from any form of real-money economy in the game, I am not full of unreasoning rage and I would like to see you and the community talk this out together.
If you or anyone on the team wants suggestions from players--and I mean really wants them and wants to have an open and honest dialogue about them--I am here, and my PM box is also open.
Trust is built over time, and it is built with words and actions. And in a situation like this, it will take very diligent effort on your part. I also know that not everyone in the community would like to listen or give any time or effort on their end--and after all that's happened, I completely understand why those people feel that way. But there are still a few of us who would want to be a part of working out a better way to move forward.
Please, no more self-inflicted wounds. No more crises spurred on by silence. STO is not just a game but a community I enjoy being a part of and I would like to be able to enjoy it without this dark stormcloud hanging over it.
Sincerely,
Gulberat
Christian Gaming Community Fleets--Faith, Fun, and Fellowship! See the website and PM for more. :-)
Proudly F2P. Signature image by gulberat. Avatar image by balsavor.deviantart.com.
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it says dont be lazy and read it
Bad dev, bad!
What's the point of reading it if it just says to read it?
Now, now, according to CCC (Cryptic Clown Cohort):
*this is f2p (dog droppings are also free)
*this is only ST MMO (see above with ST logo on it)
*this isn't too bad (compared to what, Battle of Stalingrad?)
*you are all haters (God forbid you show any displeasure)
*ZOMG Voiceovers (by third rate washout actors)
*mindless grinding = meaningful advancement (flipping burgers online)
*price tag is OK (if it was $1000 it would still be OK)
*Cryptic knows best (Papal Infalibillity)
*bugs, what bugs? (only haters see bugs)
*I LOVE THE CONTENT (I would love it even if Cryptic was to castrate me with a spoon)
Did I miss anything?
Seriously Cryptic if someones comparing you to PGI then you need to go to RED ****ing ALERT bro.... like right now!
its basically a im not happy you get no money from me post.
except it starts out trying to sound like he wants to help.
"It appears we have lost our sex appeal, captain."- Tuvok
I can find excuses for PGI, not so much for Cryptic with Star Trek IP.
hey now jeri ryan had a career before and after voyager :P shes even had recurring roles on popular series :P
as for what you forgot... you forgot to praise the crafting and upgrade systems
The new ships and abilities - well, they're a thinly veiled money grab. I know - I invested in them.
The combination of stripping the dilithium out of the game as rewards - hell rewards in general - and creating an astronomical dilithium sink in the form of R&D.
The casual player has absolutely no chance.
Players are leaving - and are vocal about it. The playerbase is dropping.
And the guy in charge doesn't get it.
What we have here is a failure to communicate. And they don't care.
Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa!
Granted, Robert Picardo also, still hardly enough to paper over all the other bad things.
*amazing crafting upgrade (equal to working in a coal mine for 18 hours)
Oh he gets it, probably his Chinese Overlords also but the chosen approach is to tighten the screws and wait for the players to come back, and if not they weren't making purchases anyways.
You see, if STO is not bleeding us dry for PWE than it is worth more dead than alive.
I will agree to all of your points but this. No need to take it out on people who work for a living.
Never said they weren't, they are also B actors at best, most of them below that grade.
Not enough to paper over the failings of DR.
Nothing is enough.... but better a B actor than an A nobody
Fair enough, sadly the VOs are easily the best part of the expansion.
I want to see things get better. But I also cannot pay in when I have good reason to be concerned that I would be financing a lack of communication, customer service, and quality assurance. It's like being wary of a bond investment whose rating has dropped significantly: it may not be the smartest place to invest your money. But if things change and that same organization turns itself around and demonstrates clearly over time that it has learned from its mistakes, it can become a worthy investment again. The most critical part is establishing true dialogue with customers and in that regard I AM willing to help...none of this is out of a fit of rage, just disappointment.
That's the mindset I approach this with.
Christian Gaming Community Fleets--Faith, Fun, and Fellowship! See the website and PM for more. :-)
Proudly F2P. Signature image by gulberat. Avatar image by balsavor.deviantart.com.
Of the rest illyrian2008, pretty much bang on.
It's funny as I had $50 earmarked for some dil to get some gear to Mk14 UR. That has indeed gone elsewhere now (actually on a Bicycle instead!) and I can't see myself spending money on the game in the future unless the game actually changes meaningfully into something worth playing for fun again. There's literally no content in the game that interests me in it's current state. The PvE queue's are empty as the AI don't scale in any meaningful or useful manner. The same is to be said of the story gameplay, the patrols and pretty much any other activity ingame. The PvP build I was making is pointless now, no Ker'rat no chance of getting to the level of gear needed to be competitive. It's just not feasible. It'll cost around a 100,000,000 EC and around 1,000,000 Dil to upgrade 1 ship. I've got 8 toons and roughly 2 ships worth of equipment to level on each one...
The maths means the game is pointless to try to progress in. I just don't get the EP's concept for this expansion. It doesn't make financial sense, any economics idiot can see that the prices are out of whack and need adjusting. The fact that the small XP boost was 50% better value than the large XP boost is laughable.
I can comprehend some people make mistakes, but when it's alleged professionals and this much money involved then I can't fathom how any of them got through QA and testing. Most a blind person could see on a dark night with a hangover...
"You don't have to do something again and again and again repetitive that doesn't have much challange, that's just a general good gameplay thing."
Thats saying alot considering how flat they all are...Besides Neelix.
OMG I just sprayed coffee over everything at work LOL!
I'm just trying not to think about it too hard and waiting for whatever fixes come down the line.
Tim Russ is pretty solid--he seemed pretty much like what I remembered from Voyager.
I think Cryptic would have done better to stick just with him and MAYBE Ethan Phillips, and use the rest of their budget on expanding their resources for storyline and above all proper testing and QA.
Christian Gaming Community Fleets--Faith, Fun, and Fellowship! See the website and PM for more. :-)
Proudly F2P. Signature image by gulberat. Avatar image by balsavor.deviantart.com.
Yup, that's my contribution to this thread.
Stephen even alluded to such--and I WAS at least glad to see the recognition, however late, that part of the trouble *was* down to lack of foresight and recognition of the type of communication that would be needed. The thing is...now I need to see that new recognition put into consistent action before I can feel confident that contributions to the game economy are not going to be a wasted investment.
If the devs and EP decide they genuinely want to talk to and listen to players, though, my ready room door is open.
Christian Gaming Community Fleets--Faith, Fun, and Fellowship! See the website and PM for more. :-)
Proudly F2P. Signature image by gulberat. Avatar image by balsavor.deviantart.com.
:eek: You sir get the golden forum post award for the best post of the day
well done sir
And honestly, despite what was said yesterday it does still feel like the forums are at war with itself, the devs, and anything else it can get hold of right now, even if it has simmered down a little bit.
A shame really, there was a time in the past when everyone seemed to get along better, but then there's only so much the community is willing to put up with and it's quite easy for this kind of mess to spill over into other areas that wouldn't normally get inflamed.
what you said i give him a gold star also
system Lord Baal is dead
And Seven was pointless, she was basically a titanic waste of money.
Tuvok, the holodoc, and especially Harry Kim were very worth it, though. Harry is now my default example for a revitalized character.
On Neelix, that's technically true but is actually a BAD thing, because Neelix is the most titanic, annoying, loathsome waste of a quality actor EVER.
Have to disagree on your other ratings, Tuvok and the Doctor were good, but Harry was better. I love that guy, he's like my little adventure buddy.
Seven was flat and just sort of generically there for the star factor, I didn't think much of her.
But yeah, these are quality actors; Picardo is a personal favorite of mine, Tim Russ and Garret Wang are cool, Jeri Ryan's a whooooooole lot better than the Voyager writers ever let her be, and Ethan Phillips is several orders of magnitude better than Neelix.
Christian Gaming Community Fleets--Faith, Fun, and Fellowship! See the website and PM for more. :-)
Proudly F2P. Signature image by gulberat. Avatar image by balsavor.deviantart.com.