Guild Wars 2

Taking a few ideas mentioned here, and some of my own, I have mocked up an idea of how in-game surveys could work.

1. Login Screen

(See first and second image below)

- When players log in for the first time after the survey goes live, they are presented with a prompt that asks them to choose whether they would like to participate in the survey or not.

- If players choose not to participate, they are shown a prompt that explains that they can turn on the survey in settings.

2. In-game survey

(See last two images)

- Once a player has opted into the online survey a new icon shows up on the menu bar.

- When a player completes an event that has a survey attached to it, they will be prompted with an alert icon (similar to when new mail comes), so they can see they have a new survey to fill out.

This could also be accompanied by a carrier pigeon, or some other animal.

- When players have time, they can open the survey panel and fill out the surveys they’re interested in (or skip the ones they’re not).

- Surveys are only displayed once, and once they’ve been submitted they disappear from the list, unless they’re updated and require a new survey (Eg. Tequatl)

*See images below for more

Someone in another thread brought up the concern about players getting spammed. The following are my thoughts.

If it were I designing the survey questions, they would be only used in places that really made sense. For example, I don’t think we really need surveys every time we beat a champ with the same mechanics as say the ones in Queensdale.
However, the first time you fight say, Jormag, then it would make sense to have the icon change.

The nice thing about the idea (proposed a few pages back by Erick-Alastor), is that it is fairly unobtrusive. Like the the BLTC, or the skills icon, it doesn’t really get in your way while you play. While a bird could be used to draw attention to it, even that isn’t really needed, as long as the icon changes it should be enough to prompt the player.

Like the other icons however, the only issue is that if there is an active alert already, the player may miss a new one. For me personally, that’s a small price to pay to keep it out of the players face (aka, no popups).

You’re right though, getting spammed is a concern, but I think that if ANet were to confine the surveys to important events and major disussion topics, the “disruption” would be minimal. As well, as the players start completing surveys, the frequency would come less and less (you don’t need a survey every time you fight The Maw).

I do think surveys should also be account age sensitive. Ie until you have played x hours it doesn’t let you know there is an active survey you can answer.

No sense asking someone to give feedback on the game who has barely walked in the door. It would be like a radiant asking you to rate your meal after only the appetizers

Teraphas.6210:

I do think surveys should also be account age sensitive. Ie until you have played x hours it doesn’t let you know there is an active survey you can answer.

No sense asking someone to give feedback on the game who has barely walked in the door. It would be like a radiant asking you to rate your meal after only the appetizers

These surveys would only unlock themselves after a player has taken part in some sort of experience.

For instance, you’ve run a specific dungeon path for the first time. A survey for that dungeon path would be unlocked. I don’t think it matters much whether you are an old player or new, you’ll have a valid opinion on the experience. It would certainly be possible though for the form to return the account age togther with the answers, should ANet want to include that information in their statistical evaluation.