At which point? He's done it multiple times in various podcasts over the years.
Like everyone, he's human too and sometimes loses his temper. Not that I'm making excuses for him but I'm willing to cut him some slack for his occasional verbal mistreatment of the players. Still, he's an employee, and like most of us he doesn't have the luxury of ignoring orders from his superiors. Still not giving excuses for him, but I'm willing to listen to his ideas and play them awhile- tho with a healthy grain of salt.
I'm also not in the 'I like more things in STO than I hate' camp, I play because I have so much time already invested from the days when I actually did like more things than I hate, and I still cling to the hope that things will eventually turn around, tho sometimes more passionately than I should. This is my first MMO experience and STO leaves a foul taste in my mouth regarding MMO's in general, but I appreciate that he's a fan of the franchise and can only wish he can help change my mind about MMO's, and STO.
That's true, on reddit it will be difficult to have more than a page. Let alone 3.
Joke aside, he can always post and lock the thread.
And have people open new "independent" thread criticizing* him for "posting and locking"
*-i.e. calling him coward, and claiming he is insulting the player-base, again...
But lets put this issue a side - you really need to take some time to read between the lines:
I love Star Trek, and I love Star Trek Online... (etc., etc.)
I don't think anyone here can refute that.
When it comes to the business, I have a boss just like everyone else, and he has a boss, and so on.
Yes ladies and Gentlemen, Star Trek online is a product, and Cryptic studios is the business that makes it.
This business is employing people to design, code, art, test and produce said product - people who need to be paid at the end of the day.
To pay them, this business needs to make money - and this is were we, the player-base, come in.
Some companies will, say, charge for content or expansion packs. STO does not do that. We rely on microtransactions to keep the lights on and bring you this game for free.
Or in plainer terms, the star trek franchise, and more notably the "prime-universe", is not popular enough to make money in a subscription business model or in a "pay-per-expansion" model.
An F2P model, lures in a much larger number of players.
If you consider the chance of a single player to make a micro-transaction as a statistical probability (i.e. 5%), increasing the nominal number of players directly increases your revenues (from a statistical standpoint)
The infamous DR meme presents and interesting problem:
DR was a financial success ("best expansion ever... blah blah blah) because they sold a large number of DR ops packs - maybe even more then they predicted.
The problem is that with the debacle DR turned out to be - at least this is how many players present it here in the forums (personally, I don't agree) - is that the next expansion would probably sell on a much smaller scale - people would prefer to "sit on the fence", and see how things are going.
This is an important point for you players, who are disappointed (outraged?) by DR, but want to see STO live on, because you need to realize that if what you say is true, and STO is "on life support" (as I read in another thread several hours ago), and the next expansion fails, this very well mean the death of STO.
Not everything we do is my decision, but I stand behind everything we have done and I am proud of it.
Or in other word, we will never know what Gecko REALLY feels about many of the things you bring up, especially if they are tied directly into the monetization system.
Sure, he can be the money-grabbing one-eyed-pirate some of the people here describe him as.
He can also be the guy who calls every morning to PWE HQ, talking to everyone he possibly can, trying to explain to them that this "endless grind/more monetization" approach is killing STO, and Steven D'Angelo can be standing right next to him on this call, and the constant replay from the "Chinese overlords" (another term I've seen floating around) is "it work perfectly with our asian players - implement it. NOW!"
Point is, we'll never know -
He is the lead designer - a position which is a major functionary, and as such, his view and his stance would always be that of the company.
Do you really expect him to say something like "yeah, I know you hate the grind, I told so to Mr. Xiao, but he said we have to make more money or no more STO, so... yeah... sorry, you'll have to keep grinding..."
I don't know him well enough to answer that with any degree of certainty. Would he (and other Devs) post here more frequently if the forums toned down the negativity and immaturity? Honestly, I think the chances are good they would.
Exactly, tried to talk to one once and the forum ran him off when asking about adding animations, plus when most run out of fuel they attack others and go cannibal I noticed, and have not vent(ed) (past tense) and returned to normal after the effect
some of us still visit to check if anything added seems like a chance to go in there and have fun, and if not, onto the next thing till something appealing comes up.
Is not? He was the one that insulted us. It may be both sides foult, but Geko has his share.
If I were a dev, I would like to know what my community feels and think. I wont hide on a "frendly" forum.
Insulted how? Dude, get over yourself and get some fresh air. You seem to take this video game far too seriously. There are various things i don't like about the game, but i don't cry into my cornflakes about it every day.
It has already repeatedly been said, the topic was created on reddit and GeCko made this post in response to people asking who he was. They didn't make the topic on the official forums, they made it on reddit.
How hard is that to understand? You think he should generate a response on every social medium, to any question, regardless where it was asked? or you think he should respond to things as and when they pop up, wherever that may be?
I think you will find the reason devs rarely comment on the official forums isn't to 'hide'. Its because these forums are a complete joke, and people like you, with comments like that, are the ones to blame for it. The same threads pop up constantly, the same people, the same bitchy, childish whines.
Listing legitimate grievances accurately and constructively is one thing. Thats how gamers can feedback their opinion on a game they play and is still developing. However a bunch of raging nerdvirgins, trying to show how cool and edgy they are by constantly griping, moaning, belittling, and making stupid meme's, just makes people switch off to it. Trying to communicate on these forums for a dev must be somewhat akin to trying to console a spoilt and angry child.
if i were a dev i would laugh and joke about these forums over dinner, and continue to ignore all the no lifers that act like this game is life or death for them. Probably the same kind of people that have 9 alts or even higher, who then complain about grinding. lol, jokers.
" Experience is a hard mistress, she gives the tests first, and the lessons after... "
it is probably because tacofangs and geko were banned from sto forums for aggravating the fans. look at the dev traker. i dont think its because it is messed up. as Q was removed and now he is back as of yesterday so he can post
it is probably because tacofangs and geko were banned from sto forums for aggravating the fans. look at the dev traker. i dont think its because it is messed up. as Q was removed and now he is back as of yesterday so he can post
dev tracker is bugged. No one was banned. Taco talked in the forums all day yesterday.
it is probably because tacofangs and geko were banned from sto forums for aggravating the fans. look at the dev traker. i dont think its because it is messed up. as Q was removed and now he is back as of yesterday so he can post
But was it Geko? or geko? Maybe GeCko?
Bet it wasn't CaptainGecko....
" Experience is a hard mistress, she gives the tests first, and the lessons after... "
it is probably because tacofangs and geko were banned from sto forums for aggravating the fans. look at the dev traker. i dont think its because it is messed up. as Q was removed and now he is back as of yesterday so he can post
Example the Galaxy class revamp that was a total insult to the players...The ship in question got nothing the Gal-X did a totally different ship
However I and we don't know who set Geko's limits if any were set at all... We just don't know and he isn't saying for whatever reason
Perhaps he cannot talk about limits placed on his decisions, Perhaps he has no limits we don't know
That is where I think a lot of the frustration comes from.....We want canon good game play but we as gamers and fans don't know what Geko is up against on his end
Jellico....Engineer ground.....Da'val Romulan space Sci
Saphire.. Science ground......Ko'el Romulan space Tac
Leva........Tactical ground.....Koj Romulan space Eng
JJ-Verse will never be Canon or considered Lore...It will always be JJ-Verse
...
Do you really expect him to say something like "yeah, I know you hate the grind, I told so to Mr. Xiao, but he said we have to make more money or no more STO, so... yeah... sorry, you'll have to keep grinding..."
yea, that's what I want to read!
No resigned "everyone has a boss" phrase. I want to see him fighting for a better game!;)
Insulted how? Dude, get over yourself and get some fresh air. You seem to take this video game far too seriously. There are various things i don't like about the game, but i don't cry into my cornflakes about it every day.
It has already repeatedly been said, the topic was created on reddit and GeCko made this post in response to people asking who he was. They didn't make the topic on the official forums, they made it on reddit.
How hard is that to understand? You think he should generate a response on every social medium, to any question, regardless where it was asked? or you think he should respond to things as and when they pop up, wherever that may be?
I think you will find the reason devs rarely comment on the official forums isn't to 'hide'. Its because these forums are a complete joke, and people like you, with comments like that, are the ones to blame for it. The same threads pop up constantly, the same people, the same bitchy, childish whines.
Listing legitimate grievances accurately and constructively is one thing. Thats how gamers can feedback their opinion on a game they play and is still developing. However a bunch of raging nerdvirgins, trying to show how cool and edgy they are by constantly griping, moaning, belittling, and making stupid meme's, just makes people switch off to it. Trying to communicate on these forums for a dev must be somewhat akin to trying to console a spoilt and angry child.
if i were a dev i would laugh and joke about these forums over dinner, and continue to ignore all the no lifers that act like this game is life or death for them. Probably the same kind of people that have 9 alts or even higher, who then complain about grinding. lol, jokers.
Sarcasm isn't necessarily childish and it certainly isn't stupid. To put it in other terms, imagine learning a new language and then imagine trying to employ sarcasm in that language. Joe Smoe learning Spanish isn't going to know how to employ sarcasm or joke around in an idiomatic manner in that new language because it requires some intelligence to do so.
Sarcasm can also a healthy escape valve for society. See the Daily Show or the Colbert Report and look at how those shows rose in popularity as well as won multiple awards in journalism. Many young people actually considered Colbert a more trustworthy news source than the cable and network news channels.
What you're saying also cuts both ways. If you expect us to behave better, the same standard should apply to the developers. See any of Taco's recent posts as an example of how you should communicate with an angry forum. I removed my signature only out of respect for him.
But please don't pretend that only the players are at fault here. Much constructive feedback was given and geko blatantly ignored it, even going as far as generalizing that the feedback wasn't constructive on podcasts (which was patently untrue for some of the feedback). Do you take us for fools?
Lastly, if the forums have no value to the devs, close it and get rid of the community people. What purpose do they serve if communication isn't a two way street and all they do is tout accomplishments, only deal exclusively with pro-Cryptic podcasts, and ignore critical complaints. I'm beginning to wonder what the community people actually do for Cryptic.
I would suggest we shoot each other to death? Then no one would fight about a letter no one finds to be correct.
I will start, can someone hand me a gun?
I uh...don't have a problem with the letter. I clicked the link. It's the kind of letter one would expect as a reply to the questioned asked. No, I'm not just saying that because I don't want to be shot.
Besides, all the folks that didn't click the link and are whining...it's just a trip to laugh at them.
Geko posting on a different site just shows what he thinks of the playerbase
its just another slap in the face ....i wonder if people relise he be pimp slapping the bejesus out of y'all....and you smile and say THANK YOU SIR MAY I HAVE ANOTHER!!! :rolleyes:
I uh...don't have a problem with the letter. I clicked the link. It's the kind of letter one would expect as a reply to the questioned asked. No, I'm not just saying that because I don't want to be shot.
Besides, all the folks that didn't click the link and are whining...it's just a trip to laugh at them.
This is an important point for you players, who are disappointed (outraged?) by DR, but want to see STO live on, because you need to realize that if what you say is true, and STO is "on life support" (as I read in another thread several hours ago), and the next expansion fails, this very well mean the death of STO.
I would say at this point the critical fact you seem to be missing is there is very little 'STO' left to live on.
Development decisions are always going to be driven by profit and business cases. However, it's a well known dicta that you can't expect to extract increased profits without improving the base product.
ALL businesses want to make money. Unfortunately, as you yourself pointed out, this is a product. If the product, due to the desire for profits, is no longer desirable, then people won't buy it.
That isn't up to the players. That's up to the Devs. And we have a lead developer who has repeatedly stated that he does not consider customer feedback important in the decision making process.
So, we do know exactly what Geko feels about many of the things we bring up -- he doesn't care.
He says he loves Star Trek, but it's clear from his various statements and podcasts that this is a person very much firm in his belief that his own ideas are always good and that (and I am not saying he is wrong) a great deal of customer feedback is , perhaps, unworkable.
But the bottom line to that is he has gone on to suggest that ALL player feedback is, essentially, worthless. So, no, I seriously doubt he agrees with us on the outcome of things. And if the next expansion bombs due to the fact that he fails to see how upset the players are, he will accuse them of immaturity instead of accepting the fact that the design choices made were badly executed.
the constant replay from the "Chinese overlords" (another term I've seen floating around) is "it work perfectly with our asian players - implement it. NOW!"
Point is, we'll never know
I find it amusing that people assume a highly competent and aggressive company like PWE is somehow stupid enough to think American players will behave like Chinese ones. I think most of the people doing so are basically racists, or at least relying on stereotype rather than fact.
We have zero evidence so far that PWE is that rapacious -- if they had been, they would have surely axed Champions Online by now. No, I think what we are seeing is highly different -- PWE simply states revenue targets to hit and Cryptic hits them.
I have my doubts that PWE is bothering to drive this current DR debacle.
He is the lead designer - a position which is a major functionary, and as such, his view and his stance would always be that of the company.
I certainly agree with this.
However, I also suggest that as the lead designer, he should be more circumspect of his words, regardless of his feelings.
It's one thing to decide that you don't care about customer feedback and that you feel the majority of your player base is immature Hitler-quote throwing morons. It's another to say so publicly, and still another do so multiple times and suggest there's nothing wrong saying it.
Geko posting on a different site just shows what he thinks of the playerbase
He finds them important?
After all, he responded to a question from a Star Trek Online player that encountered someone called Captain Gecko or something like that (but wasn't CrypticGeko).
Who do you think is using reddit to talk about Star Trek Online? Basket Weaving Fanclubs?
Star Trek Online Advancement: You start with lowbie gear, you end with Lobi gear.
So somebody working for STO placed an answer on a different forum! Is that not allowed? Why?
If there is a serious topic here, that gets his attention, don't you think he would answer that too?
I think this to be possible, but perhaps it will be rare, because there are other people responsible for this forums.
He likes STO. So do we (I assume).
He didn't say so (because he cannot do that), but I believe that he isn't perfectly happy with every decision made for STO. That is true for me as well. Well, I choose that parts of the game I like and I ignore the rest. Sometimes I'm sad about my choices as well.
It's just as he said: as long as there is more in favour of the game, I'll play it. If that changes, I'll go - quietly. No need to bother other people with my personal decisions.
As long as I stay, I'll care for the game. I'll post my opinions, I'll mention the bugs (where they should be mentioned) and I play and enjoy the game.
For all the good things, I'll say a big "Thank you" to any member of the staff. Please continue to give your best. I'll appreciate it (mostly).
After all, he responded to a question from a Star Trek Online player that encountered someone called Captain Gecko or something like that (but wasn't CrypticGeko).
Who do you think is using reddit to talk about Star Trek Online? Basket Weaving Fanclubs?
You know what he meant. We all know that you love cryptic more than anything, but you should undrestend that if a dev responds questions to players on a forum that is not official, but ignores the official forum, he send a wrong signal.
A few days ago Geko posted a rather long post about the game, and his position as Lead Designer. As long as some discussion about the Excelsior (don't ask).
Unfortunately, it was on REDDIT, and not on the forum.
Since it might be interesting for everyone, I'm quoting the entire post, and providing the link to the Reddit post. As for the context, someone saw a Captain Gecko ingame, and was wondering if it was him.
Hi, This is CaptainGeko (I dont spell my name using GeCko). So if you saw a Capt Gecko (or any other spelling of the name) it isn't me. I don’t play STO using that name. I play anonymously. If you want to verify this is me, you can check my twitter account @CaptainGeko. I'll tweet a link to this reddit.
I am not the content lead, the systems lead or the executive produce. I am the Lead Designer of STO. That means in one form or another, I am responsible for all aspects of the design of the game. I am not responsible for the art, the code, the web, the marketing or even the business of the game - although I do work closely with all those involved with those departments. We all collaborate to bring you the game.
Building a Free to Play MMO is no small task. Its a huge challenge and, for the most part, Cryptic studios is blazing a trail, along with Perfect World, on how to deliver a FTP MMO. There are lots of different models. Some companies will, say, charge for content or expansion packs. STO does not do that. We rely on microtransactions to keep the lights on and bring you this game for free.
Let me say one thing that is very important to me. I love Star Trek, and I love Star Trek Online. If you listen to any of the podcast I go on, such as Priority One, STOked, G&T show, Podcast UGC, Trek Radio, and more, I hope you will get a sense of the passion and respect I have for the IP and the Game. I have been a trekkie since I was probably around 5 years old. My sister introduced me to TOS and all sci-fi. I have seen every episode and every movie multiple times - even before I started working on STO. And I have been working on STO from the very beginning - almost 7 years. I was one of 6 original employees on the projects. I have put a lot of my life into STO. It is my art and it has forever changed me. I've been at Cryptic Studios for 12 years now. Before STO, I worked on Champions, Marvel, and City of Heroes and City of Villains. Before Cryptic, I worked on the Sims Online at Maxis, and before that, I was at Sega.com/Sega soft where I worked on 10SIX, Vigilance and I was involved in the online aspects of a few Dreamcast games.
If you are reading this, you probably are more than an average fan. So I assume you like the game. As the Lead Designer, most design decisions come through me one way or another. Not all the decisions are mine. Like any business, STO exists to try to deliver the best product we can and to get as many people to play as much as possible, and in turn, earn money for the company. As with any game, I realize there are parts of STO that some people don't like. In also know that most people who play STO love the game. If you are reading this, I am going to guess there are more things about STO that you like then there are things that you don't like. If you didn't, that would be strange - I would imagine you would stop playing and stop reading forums and reddits about it.
I sometimes read post that people don't like me because of something in the game. That's ok, it comes with the territory. I would be lying if I said it didn't hurt my feelings, but I have been in the industry long enough to understand things like that are typically only said because someone love the product you are working on or wants more from that product. So in a weird way, even when someone says something mean, its sort of a compliment. Hey, I love my I-phone, but I have more than once cursed the company and the leaders of Apples for the product. Although I love my I-phone, it's not perfect and it still sometimes frustrates me. But I get it - humans made it, humans use it. I am still glad for it and admire those who made it.
When it comes to the business, I have a boss just like everyone else, and he has a boss, and so on. Not everything we do is my decision, but I stand behind everything we have done and I am proud of it. STO is the best game I have ever had the privilege to work on. I hope you love the game as much as I. I suspect there are some here that may even love it more than I. At Star Trek Conventions, I meet some wonderful people who love this game. I have met wonderful fans, men and women, children and adults, people of all races, creeds and colors. I met a young boy who showed me pictures of his STO themed bar mitzvah. I have met people who have dedicated countless hours making videos and podcasts dedicated to STO. And I have even met a couple who lived in different countries, met on STO, and then got married. Those people make it all worth it.
I guess the main point I am trying to make is that I know not everyone loves every aspect of STO, and sometimes I am the scapegoat for that. That's OK. But remember this - If there are design aspects of STO you dont like, I am probably in some way responsible for that. I am sorry you dont like those things. But on the other side, if there is something you love about the game (the story, the systems, the ships, the characters, the missions, the items, the enemies, the Star Trek-iness), I probably had a lot to do with that too. And so did a lot of other talented people. I hope there are more things you love about STO then there are things you don't like. And if you are on this reddit, I am guessing that is true - and that makes me happy. I will always strive to bring you the best Star Trek experience and the best game we can possibly deliver. I appreciate every one of you and I hope you will all play for a very long time.
LLAP
Al "CaptainGeko" Rivera
Am I the only one who think it's a bit sad to have the Lead Designer posting on a non official forum instead of the official forum ? Someone had a quite similar question, and I don't think he was ever officially answered (topic closed), where he said a friend of his was banned 3 days for having "Geko" as a name, not knowing why he was banned (it seems geko is a word in some Slavic country or something).
Anyway, I hope you'll stay civil, I thought this was worth reading for any STO player.
I have hilighted a few things that stand out to me.
a) "I love Star Trek, and I love Star Trek Online." - Personally, I don't get that impression. I don't claim to know you personally but that "love" for Star Trek has not translated well into what the majority of the vocal players are seeing. Please try harder to convince us. More mission based story content, more ships from the IP, a starship load of bug fixes, more costumes, and stop taking out content people like. I would like to see Deja Q back, please and thank you!
b) "In also know that most people who play STO love the game." - Is this a play on words or did you genuintely mean, I also know that most people who play STO love the game?
c) "Like any business, STO exists to try to deliver the best product we can and to get as many people to play as much as possible, and in turn, earn money for the company. As with any game, I realize there are parts of STO that some people don't like. In also know that most people who play STO love the game." - Again, I don't personally see this. Did you mean to imply that, "STO exists to try to deliver the best product we can" is your top priority with everything to do with Star Trek Online? Based on how I see the game and the direction it is going. I would say, "earning money for the company" is by far the single top priority driving factor behind everything released in past couple of years.
d) "I sometimes read post that people don't like me because of something in the game. That's ok, it comes with the territory. I would be lying if I said it didn't hurt my feelings, but I have been in the industry long enough to understand things like that are typically only said because someone love the product you are working on or wants more from that product." - Thank you for taking some responsibility! Doing so anywhere but the STO Forum significantly takes away from the impact this could have had. I can't speak for everyone and I'm not going to even try, but I don't hate you or even dislike you. However, I dislike the direction of STO! Anything that is specifically aimed at you in regard to my discontent with the direction of the game, you have confirmed, I am directing my discontentment and suggestions at the right person.
It truly is sad to see Geko take the time to post that on another place than the forum for the game he mentions repeatedly!
Agree.. nothing to said to a guy that is constantly insulting the players.
It's a two-way street! He needs to be able to take our criticism without feeling the need to lash back at the players with insults and whining like he's so hard done by.
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Looking for a new fleet? Drop by the in-game chat channel, "tenforwardforum", and say hi to the members of A Fleet Called Ten Forward (Fed) and The Orion Pirates (KDF). If you already have a fleet you are happy with, please feel free to drop by our chat channel if you are looking for a friendly bunch of helpful people to socialize with.
Yes but criticism should be posted in a helpfu,l and respectful way. Most people on the forums feel the need to throw insults and threats around if they don't get what they want.
Defending The Galaxy By Breaking One Starfleet Regulation After The Next.
Yes but criticism should be posted in a helpfu,l and respectful way. Most people on the forums feel the need to throw insults and threats around if they don't get what they want.
There is a lot of helpful and respectful threads with feedback before DR on Tribble, and after DR on holodeck. All of them were ignored and now a lot of players are mad.. well.. sorry, but if you ignore your costumers, they may get mad.
Comments
Like everyone, he's human too and sometimes loses his temper. Not that I'm making excuses for him but I'm willing to cut him some slack for his occasional verbal mistreatment of the players. Still, he's an employee, and like most of us he doesn't have the luxury of ignoring orders from his superiors. Still not giving excuses for him, but I'm willing to listen to his ideas and play them awhile- tho with a healthy grain of salt.
I'm also not in the 'I like more things in STO than I hate' camp, I play because I have so much time already invested from the days when I actually did like more things than I hate, and I still cling to the hope that things will eventually turn around, tho sometimes more passionately than I should. This is my first MMO experience and STO leaves a foul taste in my mouth regarding MMO's in general, but I appreciate that he's a fan of the franchise and can only wish he can help change my mind about MMO's, and STO.
Awoken Dead
Now shaddup about the queues, it's a BUG
And have people open new "independent" thread criticizing* him for "posting and locking"
*-i.e. calling him coward, and claiming he is insulting the player-base, again...
But lets put this issue a side - you really need to take some time to read between the lines: I don't think anyone here can refute that. Yes ladies and Gentlemen, Star Trek online is a product, and Cryptic studios is the business that makes it.
This business is employing people to design, code, art, test and produce said product - people who need to be paid at the end of the day.
To pay them, this business needs to make money - and this is were we, the player-base, come in. Or in plainer terms, the star trek franchise, and more notably the "prime-universe", is not popular enough to make money in a subscription business model or in a "pay-per-expansion" model.
An F2P model, lures in a much larger number of players.
If you consider the chance of a single player to make a micro-transaction as a statistical probability (i.e. 5%), increasing the nominal number of players directly increases your revenues (from a statistical standpoint)
The infamous DR meme presents and interesting problem:
DR was a financial success ("best expansion ever... blah blah blah) because they sold a large number of DR ops packs - maybe even more then they predicted.
The problem is that with the debacle DR turned out to be - at least this is how many players present it here in the forums (personally, I don't agree) - is that the next expansion would probably sell on a much smaller scale - people would prefer to "sit on the fence", and see how things are going.
This is an important point for you players, who are disappointed (outraged?) by DR, but want to see STO live on, because you need to realize that if what you say is true, and STO is "on life support" (as I read in another thread several hours ago), and the next expansion fails, this very well mean the death of STO. Or in other word, we will never know what Gecko REALLY feels about many of the things you bring up, especially if they are tied directly into the monetization system.
Sure, he can be the money-grabbing one-eyed-pirate some of the people here describe him as.
He can also be the guy who calls every morning to PWE HQ, talking to everyone he possibly can, trying to explain to them that this "endless grind/more monetization" approach is killing STO, and Steven D'Angelo can be standing right next to him on this call, and the constant replay from the "Chinese overlords" (another term I've seen floating around) is "it work perfectly with our asian players - implement it. NOW!"
Point is, we'll never know -
He is the lead designer - a position which is a major functionary, and as such, his view and his stance would always be that of the company.
Do you really expect him to say something like "yeah, I know you hate the grind, I told so to Mr. Xiao, but he said we have to make more money or no more STO, so... yeah... sorry, you'll have to keep grinding..."
Exactly, tried to talk to one once and the forum ran him off when asking about adding animations, plus when most run out of fuel they attack others and go cannibal I noticed, and have not vent(ed) (past tense) and returned to normal after the effect
some of us still visit to check if anything added seems like a chance to go in there and have fun, and if not, onto the next thing till something appealing comes up.
but your dead right on that.
Insulted how? Dude, get over yourself and get some fresh air. You seem to take this video game far too seriously. There are various things i don't like about the game, but i don't cry into my cornflakes about it every day.
It has already repeatedly been said, the topic was created on reddit and GeCko made this post in response to people asking who he was. They didn't make the topic on the official forums, they made it on reddit.
How hard is that to understand? You think he should generate a response on every social medium, to any question, regardless where it was asked? or you think he should respond to things as and when they pop up, wherever that may be?
I think you will find the reason devs rarely comment on the official forums isn't to 'hide'. Its because these forums are a complete joke, and people like you, with comments like that, are the ones to blame for it. The same threads pop up constantly, the same people, the same bitchy, childish whines.
Listing legitimate grievances accurately and constructively is one thing. Thats how gamers can feedback their opinion on a game they play and is still developing. However a bunch of raging nerdvirgins, trying to show how cool and edgy they are by constantly griping, moaning, belittling, and making stupid meme's, just makes people switch off to it. Trying to communicate on these forums for a dev must be somewhat akin to trying to console a spoilt and angry child.
if i were a dev i would laugh and joke about these forums over dinner, and continue to ignore all the no lifers that act like this game is life or death for them. Probably the same kind of people that have 9 alts or even higher, who then complain about grinding. lol, jokers.
dev tracker is bugged. No one was banned. Taco talked in the forums all day yesterday.
But was it Geko? or geko? Maybe GeCko?
Bet it wasn't CaptainGecko....
Also, the grinding escalation will keep exploding, so f y'all
http://sto-forum.perfectworld.com/showthread.php?t=1347221
It's warpdustdev's fault.
Betty's got a picture on her wall of a wee lizard with freakin' laser beams on its head.
Example the Galaxy class revamp that was a total insult to the players...The ship in question got nothing the Gal-X did a totally different ship
However I and we don't know who set Geko's limits if any were set at all... We just don't know and he isn't saying for whatever reason
Perhaps he cannot talk about limits placed on his decisions, Perhaps he has no limits we don't know
That is where I think a lot of the frustration comes from.....We want canon good game play but we as gamers and fans don't know what Geko is up against on his end
Saphire.. Science ground......Ko'el Romulan space Tac
Leva........Tactical ground.....Koj Romulan space Eng
JJ-Verse will never be Canon or considered Lore...It will always be JJ-Verse
No resigned "everyone has a boss" phrase. I want to see him fighting for a better game!;)
Holy Grail of Gamification is Addiction | 5 Ways to Accomplisch | and the Psychology of Freemium
I like this plan. This is a good plan here. Can I shoot up the Fed, KDF, and PVP part of the forums?
Sarcasm isn't necessarily childish and it certainly isn't stupid. To put it in other terms, imagine learning a new language and then imagine trying to employ sarcasm in that language. Joe Smoe learning Spanish isn't going to know how to employ sarcasm or joke around in an idiomatic manner in that new language because it requires some intelligence to do so.
Sarcasm can also a healthy escape valve for society. See the Daily Show or the Colbert Report and look at how those shows rose in popularity as well as won multiple awards in journalism. Many young people actually considered Colbert a more trustworthy news source than the cable and network news channels.
What you're saying also cuts both ways. If you expect us to behave better, the same standard should apply to the developers. See any of Taco's recent posts as an example of how you should communicate with an angry forum. I removed my signature only out of respect for him.
But please don't pretend that only the players are at fault here. Much constructive feedback was given and geko blatantly ignored it, even going as far as generalizing that the feedback wasn't constructive on podcasts (which was patently untrue for some of the feedback). Do you take us for fools?
Lastly, if the forums have no value to the devs, close it and get rid of the community people. What purpose do they serve if communication isn't a two way street and all they do is tout accomplishments, only deal exclusively with pro-Cryptic podcasts, and ignore critical complaints. I'm beginning to wonder what the community people actually do for Cryptic.
I uh...don't have a problem with the letter. I clicked the link. It's the kind of letter one would expect as a reply to the questioned asked. No, I'm not just saying that because I don't want to be shot.
Besides, all the folks that didn't click the link and are whining...it's just a trip to laugh at them.
its just another slap in the face ....i wonder if people relise he be pimp slapping the bejesus out of y'all....and you smile and say THANK YOU SIR MAY I HAVE ANOTHER!!! :rolleyes:
LOOOL.. have you seen your post? It start with rage and ends with rage.
Take a sedative pill, take a nice sleep and came back when you can mantain a adult discussion
Just a frendly advice
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That is a remarkably off-topic and random post, I see you have experience.
^^ Literary Gold, they are cannibals V... lol
I would say at this point the critical fact you seem to be missing is there is very little 'STO' left to live on.
Development decisions are always going to be driven by profit and business cases. However, it's a well known dicta that you can't expect to extract increased profits without improving the base product.
ALL businesses want to make money. Unfortunately, as you yourself pointed out, this is a product. If the product, due to the desire for profits, is no longer desirable, then people won't buy it.
That isn't up to the players. That's up to the Devs. And we have a lead developer who has repeatedly stated that he does not consider customer feedback important in the decision making process.
So, we do know exactly what Geko feels about many of the things we bring up -- he doesn't care.
He says he loves Star Trek, but it's clear from his various statements and podcasts that this is a person very much firm in his belief that his own ideas are always good and that (and I am not saying he is wrong) a great deal of customer feedback is , perhaps, unworkable.
But the bottom line to that is he has gone on to suggest that ALL player feedback is, essentially, worthless. So, no, I seriously doubt he agrees with us on the outcome of things. And if the next expansion bombs due to the fact that he fails to see how upset the players are, he will accuse them of immaturity instead of accepting the fact that the design choices made were badly executed.
I find it amusing that people assume a highly competent and aggressive company like PWE is somehow stupid enough to think American players will behave like Chinese ones. I think most of the people doing so are basically racists, or at least relying on stereotype rather than fact.
We have zero evidence so far that PWE is that rapacious -- if they had been, they would have surely axed Champions Online by now. No, I think what we are seeing is highly different -- PWE simply states revenue targets to hit and Cryptic hits them.
I have my doubts that PWE is bothering to drive this current DR debacle.
I certainly agree with this.
However, I also suggest that as the lead designer, he should be more circumspect of his words, regardless of his feelings.
It's one thing to decide that you don't care about customer feedback and that you feel the majority of your player base is immature Hitler-quote throwing morons. It's another to say so publicly, and still another do so multiple times and suggest there's nothing wrong saying it.
After all, he responded to a question from a Star Trek Online player that encountered someone called Captain Gecko or something like that (but wasn't CrypticGeko).
Who do you think is using reddit to talk about Star Trek Online? Basket Weaving Fanclubs?
So somebody working for STO placed an answer on a different forum! Is that not allowed? Why?
If there is a serious topic here, that gets his attention, don't you think he would answer that too?
I think this to be possible, but perhaps it will be rare, because there are other people responsible for this forums.
He likes STO. So do we (I assume).
He didn't say so (because he cannot do that), but I believe that he isn't perfectly happy with every decision made for STO. That is true for me as well. Well, I choose that parts of the game I like and I ignore the rest. Sometimes I'm sad about my choices as well.
It's just as he said: as long as there is more in favour of the game, I'll play it. If that changes, I'll go - quietly. No need to bother other people with my personal decisions.
As long as I stay, I'll care for the game. I'll post my opinions, I'll mention the bugs (where they should be mentioned) and I play and enjoy the game.
For all the good things, I'll say a big "Thank you" to any member of the staff. Please continue to give your best. I'll appreciate it (mostly).
You know what he meant. We all know that you love cryptic more than anything, but you should undrestend that if a dev responds questions to players on a forum that is not official, but ignores the official forum, he send a wrong signal.
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These forums? Why the hell would they post here? Taco hit the nail on the head with the following
usually they are run off by the flock when posting, well, take care all
I have hilighted a few things that stand out to me.
a) "I love Star Trek, and I love Star Trek Online." - Personally, I don't get that impression. I don't claim to know you personally but that "love" for Star Trek has not translated well into what the majority of the vocal players are seeing. Please try harder to convince us. More mission based story content, more ships from the IP, a starship load of bug fixes, more costumes, and stop taking out content people like. I would like to see Deja Q back, please and thank you!
b) "In also know that most people who play STO love the game." - Is this a play on words or did you genuintely mean, I also know that most people who play STO love the game?
c) "Like any business, STO exists to try to deliver the best product we can and to get as many people to play as much as possible, and in turn, earn money for the company. As with any game, I realize there are parts of STO that some people don't like. In also know that most people who play STO love the game." - Again, I don't personally see this. Did you mean to imply that, "STO exists to try to deliver the best product we can" is your top priority with everything to do with Star Trek Online? Based on how I see the game and the direction it is going. I would say, "earning money for the company" is by far the single top priority driving factor behind everything released in past couple of years.
d) "I sometimes read post that people don't like me because of something in the game. That's ok, it comes with the territory. I would be lying if I said it didn't hurt my feelings, but I have been in the industry long enough to understand things like that are typically only said because someone love the product you are working on or wants more from that product." - Thank you for taking some responsibility! Doing so anywhere but the STO Forum significantly takes away from the impact this could have had. I can't speak for everyone and I'm not going to even try, but I don't hate you or even dislike you. However, I dislike the direction of STO! Anything that is specifically aimed at you in regard to my discontent with the direction of the game, you have confirmed, I am directing my discontentment and suggestions at the right person.
It truly is sad to see Geko take the time to post that on another place than the forum for the game he mentions repeatedly!
It's a two-way street! He needs to be able to take our criticism without feeling the need to lash back at the players with insults and whining like he's so hard done by.
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Defending The Galaxy By Breaking One Starfleet Regulation After The Next.
Why are you the only one stoking flames then ?
#failhardorgohome ?
There is a lot of helpful and respectful threads with feedback before DR on Tribble, and after DR on holodeck. All of them were ignored and now a lot of players are mad.. well.. sorry, but if you ignore your costumers, they may get mad.
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