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Star Trek Online Advisory Council Formed

SystemSystem Member, NoReporting Posts: 178,019 Arc User
edited June 2011 in Galactic News Network [PC]
We're happy to introduce the Star Trek Advisory Council, where we speak to members of the Star Trek and Star Trek Online community to learn more about what our fans want from the game. Read on to learn more.

Link to the news article.
Post edited by Unknown User on
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    Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited April 2010
    Soooo...we are giving a small number of fans greater input than the rest of us because......
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    Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited April 2010
    Ugh, you have to be careful with these sorts of things. You're mostly going to hear from the noisy minority, as the majority of players will be in-game... Not on those sites, or on these forums.

    Will they actually pay attention to what's going on in-game? Hard for me to tell. All I can say is, don't go saying things like [example removed to avoid starting a debate] again that are just not quite the truth.

    If you really want to get in touch with your playerbase, put something in the game that they can't miss, but won't be a pest. Something like a single yes/no/unsure/don'tcare question every once in a while.
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    Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited April 2010
    ChargerIIC wrote: »
    Soooo...we are giving a small number of fans greater input than the rest of us because......

    Presumably they're responsible for filtering and distilling the chatter down into a Cryptic-usable form.

    I know it says these are the charter members and more will be added, but I see three U.S.S. names and one "Starfleet"... Klingons gonna have a fit again. :rolleyes:
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    Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited April 2010
    Rekhan wrote:
    We're happy to introduce the Star Trek Advisory Council, where we speak to members of the Star Trek and Star Trek Online community to learn more about what our fans want from the game. Read on to learn more.

    Link to the news article.

    So, do we need our own website to join, because all of the current members have one? Is this something we can all join, or what's the deal? I'd love to give my feedback for the game. I am very dedicated to doing so, which is why I made the Comprehensive List of Suggestions that can be found in my Sig.
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    Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited April 2010
    Absolutely TERRIBLE idea. Every paying customer of this game deserves EQUAL say, and creating some "player council" means you are giving the people who are on it MORE say than those who arent. No one speaks for me but MYSELF, and the same goes for every other member of the community. If you want player feedback, you should get it through official polls and surveys where EVERY member of the community can give their input, not some elite few. The people who are on that council do not represent ANYONE but themselves, and they never will.

    I can accept the fact that the game was launched too early, because that may have been out of your control. What I CANT accept is you giving a handful of players more of a say in what happens to this game than the rest of the community. What makes it even worse is the fact that you completely IGNORED the wishes of your playerbase when this idea was proposed a week or so ago and it recieved an overwhelmingly negative response from the community. This is literally the biggest BLUNDER you have made thus far, and if I didnt have a LT sub I would probably cancel because of this outrage.

    *edit*

    Tell Cryptic exactly what you think here:

    Should STO have a player council?
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    Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited April 2010
    i think the idea is great. but i also think there should be one rep from EVERY fleet in the council.
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    Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited April 2010
    Interesting - what's the aim here? Condense feedback? Expand the number of people looking at discussions about the game (effectively a volunteer service)? Just some people's opinions? The article is a little light on details e.g. do these people meet? how often? with specific aims? or specific remits?

    I'm leery of giving specific people power over the game that effectively silences portions of the playerbase they personally disagree with. How do you intend to combat this?

    I'm intrigued by the implication that the council goes beyond STO players to the wider Star Trek community (which is fairly diverse in its strongly held opinions :D). I am presuming the focus would be on the question of 'is item X sufficiently Star Trek?' rather than gameplay details?

    The above is a lot of questions, so if I had to pick one for you to answer: why exactly is this superior to repeated surveys of the entire playerbase?

    Potentially good stuff - it'll be interesting to see how this evolves.
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    Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited April 2010
    We've been suggesting you use in-game polls since closed beta. Instead, we now have a few "ambassadors" that are supposed to represent the player base? Zinc already said STO is a polarizing game and now you've thrown player politics into the mess. Bad move in my opinion.
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    Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited April 2010
    out of those four listed, three are very commercial sites.
    they would therefore have a possibility to increase sales and/or donations based on this fact alone.

    not sure i like this now. ive stood up for cryptic many times, but i really think this is overboard with who you have picked.

    so now your advertising a site, they are advertising a stie and now get free revenue from sales or donations. meanwhile, true fans and other fleets dont get a say cause they are not as commercailized on thier sites...
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    Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited April 2010
    Hmm, this is either going to be a good idea or a complete disaster. I tend to lean toward the latter given previous experiences in MMOs. It usually ends up a "mobocracy" with the wants of the few taking precedence and the majority getting alienated. Similar thing happened, in a less official capacity, in SWG. SOE devs, who admitedly had already hefted the nerf stick, only paid attention to one group in particular and..well, it didn't go well. I like this game and think, with work, it has great potential so hopefully these individuals are reasonable, intelligent people who care more about the game than pushing their own agendas. We'll just need to see, wont we?
    And yes.. ALL Starfleet!! Really Cryptic? TThat's fair. Off to a GREAT start ^^
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    Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited April 2010
    This reminds me of one of teh idea's Awen was toying around with. I think its a great idea personally, any way of getting the community more involved with the games development is great to me.
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    Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited April 2010
    Yep. Special treatment just because they're louder than other people. It's quite a horrible decision to make.

    Even if they allow "normal" or "less equal" players to suggest things, they will ultimately be a bad thing.

    Make the decisions yourself, or speak to your players directly. Don't let others deem what is worthy and what is not simply because they're "Star Trek and gaming fans" that say, have their own webshow.

    Special interests never lead to anything good. They just divide the community and create harsh feelings. You should dismantle this program now, before it steps one more foot forward.
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    Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited April 2010
    This is a bad idea. You're not going to be hearing from the majority of users, only the select few. Those people are going to be speaking for themselves. As its been said above, no one speaks for me or anyone else. I

    f you wanted to know what the players think more of those surveys would have been the way to go, or polls. This is going to lead to nothing but trouble.

    Who decided on those players anyway? Why did they get picked and not others? What makes them so special?

    No, I'm sorry but this is NOT the way to go.

    First problem you got there is NO klingon players? Why's that?
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    Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited April 2010
    Lol. This is a horrible Idea. If the devs want to know what their fan base is thinking and calling for, all they need to do is read the forums. Not appoint some stupid council. Someone that puts up a website and talks about or features STO in some way does not mean that they have the players ear or that they have any real right to influence the game. That should go to the general community that activley playes the game. Not a selected few.
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    Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited April 2010
    On the same week we get Roper...


    Are you F'n kidding?


    Cryptic should read the forums and see for themselves what the fans want.
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    Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited April 2010
    I think its a good idea

    Its like my school. Next year my faculty is moving off campus. So they created a counsel made up of students to advise the dean on what students need. We can suggest things to the counsel and ask the counsel questions. It has worked out great so far.
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    Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited April 2010
    Sir_James_of_Cadiz wrote:
    out of those four listed, three are very commercial sites.
    they would therefore have a possibility to increase sales and/or donations based on this fact alone.

    not sure i like this now. ive stood up for cryptic many times, but i really think this is overboard with who you have picked.

    so now your advertising a site, they are advertising a stie and now get free revenue from sales or donations. meanwhile, true fans and other fleets dont get a say cause they are not as commercailized on thier sites...

    So how much did they pay to get a seat?
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    Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited April 2010
    I thought it was bad enough when you gave players the capacity to indiscriminately silence others without accountability or recourse.

    Now you're giving a handful of players the authority to speak on my behalf too?

    What the hell? Is Atari too tight on the purse strings to hire an extra GM or two?
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    Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited April 2010
    Post removed
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    Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited April 2010
    and the kingon advisor is ?
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    Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited April 2010
    ChargerIIC wrote: »
    Soooo...we are giving a small number of fans greater input than the rest of us because......

    I think the idea is that anyone can petition to join the Advisory Council. Basically, it's for players and fans who are inclined to give more feedback -- feedback that gets filtered by other notable players and Star Trek fans. In other words, it's another way for people to be a part of an STO community -- a different sort of fan club, if you will.

    For example, participating in the Advisory Council might be preferable to being vocal on the forums for a Star Trek fan who is not really into MMOs and isn't game mechanics savvy.

    Certainly, the intention is not, "we listen to them and we don't listen to you." Nothing could be further from the truth.
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    Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited April 2010
    Ivan-Cryptic wrote: »
    I think the idea is that anyone can petition to join the Advisory Council. Basically, it's for players and fans who are inclined to give more feedback -- feedback that gets filtered by other notable players and Star Trek fans. In other words, it's another way for people to be a part of an STO community -- a different sort of fan club, if you will.

    For example, participating in the Advisory Council might be preferable to being vocal on the forums for a Star Trek fan who is not really into MMOs and isn't game mechanics savvy.

    Certainly, the intention is not, "we listen to them and we don't listen to you." Nothing could be further from the truth.

    So why even have a council at all? All you need to do to get all the feedback you need is to read the forums! Reply to peoples concerns and maintain a presence in the threads that your players make! Take out the middle man and communicate with your fan base directly!
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    Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited April 2010
    As long as they give good attention to us Klingons, I'm satisfied.
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    Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited April 2010
    Cost wrote: »
    If you really want to get in touch with your playerbase, put something in the game that they can't miss, but won't be a pest. Something like a single yes/no/unsure/don'tcare question every once in a while.

    Oh, of course! We've done polls for our entire user base in the past and we'll do many, many more in the future. We also have regular community reporting designed to provide us with an accurate gauge of our forums and an early assessment of what our players want.

    This Advisory Council is just another way of getting valuable opinions and data from people who may not be inclined to post on the forums or submit feedback to us directly.
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    Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited April 2010
    Ivan-Cryptic wrote: »
    I think the idea is that anyone can petition to join the Advisory Council. Basically, it's for players and fans who are inclined to give more feedback -- feedback that gets filtered by other notable players and Star Trek fans. In other words, it's another way for people to be a part of an STO community -- a different sort of fan club, if you will.

    For example, participating in the Advisory Council might be preferable to being vocal on the forums for a Star Trek fan who is not really into MMOs and isn't game mechanics savvy.

    Certainly, the intention is not, "we listen to them and we don't listen to you." Nothing could be further from the truth.

    Can members be "impeached" if the players feel that certain members are trying to push their ideas rather then what players want?
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    Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited April 2010
    Ivan-Cryptic wrote: »
    I think the idea is that anyone can petition to join the Advisory Council. Basically, it's for players and fans who are inclined to give more feedback -- feedback that gets filtered by other notable players and Star Trek fans. In other words, it's another way for people to be a part of an STO community -- a different sort of fan club, if you will.

    For example, participating in the Advisory Council might be preferable to being vocal on the forums for a Star Trek fan who is not really into MMOs and isn't game mechanics savvy.

    Certainly, the intention is not, "we listen to them and we don't listen to you." Nothing could be further from the truth.

    What a crock! We give feedback in the forums. You are using it to hide and just listen to the few.
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    Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited April 2010
    Ivan-Cryptic wrote: »
    I think the idea is that anyone can petition to join the Advisory Council.

    With all due respect, we ALL petition for this. It's called a subscription fee. :rolleyes:
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    Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited April 2010
    Stormstryke wrote:
    What a crock! We give feedback in the forums. You are using it to hide and just listen to the few.

    With respect, I don't think we should expect the devs to look at every thread on the boards. And some threads disappear faster then others, that may require the same merit as any other.
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    Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited April 2010
    This could be good, IF those on the advisory don't put their personal views before those of the community. Just how do any of these represent the STO community anyway? Survey's and polls are, from what I've seen in 35 years of life, a much better gauge of what any community wants, not a small group that 'speaks' for everyone or as it usually ends up being, themselves. Guess we'll see.

    So what are they going to do exactly? Peruse the forums and gather data? Do we need to subscribe to their forums/sites to have a voice? A few more details and it may be more well received.
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    Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited April 2010
    Look at it this way, they are all community sites and all those people can see what issues people are talking about most, it makes much more sence to use people that are very actively involved in th community and actually use time and effort to maintain websites/podcasts, since it shows they are dedicated.

    Also, I see no reason to believe these people would deflect critism or hide issues from the devs with agenda's, since they've not even had to a chance to yet, if in a few months those things have happened, then feel free to criticise them of doing so, but its silly to do it before they've even had a chance to prove themselves.
This discussion has been closed.