If here they fall they shall live on when ever you cry “For Ascalon!”
Better way of doing things on streams?
Depends on the audience. I personally prefer seeing people that are having fun with what they do rather than slick salesmen. The slicker the delivery, the higher my sales resistance.
Joel for president 2016
Not an amazing presenter, but he is the only one who could present the camera changes because he literally made it and knows everything its capable of
The same is probably true for the other content
What if HoT turns out to be the Mordrem Invasion event, x100?
You’re not wrong.
They desperately need better personalities hosting the stream.
I really love GW2, to the point where I would absolutely take an hour or two out of my week to watch the official stream. But in it’s current state, I’d rather receive the announcements and news in a text-dump after the show ends.
I like it how it is. It matches well with majority of the community that has stayed close to gw2 since launch. There’s nothing wrong how the streams have gone. GW2 is like a big silly happy family. Holding them up to some kind of high standard professionalism seems completely out of place.
I thought the streams at twitchcon and POI have been very scripted. They don’t want someone to come on and say something they shouldn’t. The format is therefore dry with only a little interplay between Rubi and whoever. I think Rubi is a great host.
They don’t want some dev to say something that they understand because they know the context unless they do the setup of the context first, by them or the host. Because of that they can be rather dry. But it’s better than not talking to us at all.
We are heroes. This is what we do!
RIP City of Heroes
RIP City of Heroes
Depends on the audience. I personally prefer seeing people that are having fun with what they do rather than slick salesmen. The slicker the delivery, the higher my sales resistance.
I’m not talking about “slick” or not – I’m talking about people who are good at the “job” of giving information to others and do it professionally.
Let me explain it a bit better – I work in the medical field – and in said field you have to build trust in order for people to cooperate with you – if the image you present is not up to par – things won’t work out. Patients won’t trust you or feel like they can open up to you, potential collaborators will pass you by and so on.
Presenting a positive, strong and coherent image in a public situation isn’t just about being “slick” but rather about being professional and on point.
If here they fall they shall live on when ever you cry “For Ascalon!”
Joel for president 2016
Not an amazing presenter, but he is the only one who could present the camera changes because he literally made it and knows everything its capable of
The same is probably true for the other content
I agree with you – the work that he did is amazing and will probably be very well received but being the person who made something doesn’t automatically qualify you as the best person to promote it.
Look at other businesses – other industries – I don’t remember seeing the people who made the latest BMW series trying to promote it publicly.
Creating something and promoting it in a public setting are two very different things – one cannot really work without the other – but both are important.
If here they fall they shall live on when ever you cry “For Ascalon!”
Joel for president 2016
Not an amazing presenter, but he is the only one who could present the camera changes because he literally made it and knows everything its capable of
The same is probably true for the other content
I agree with you – the work that he did is amazing and will probably be very well received but being the person who made something doesn’t automatically qualify you as the best person to promote it.
Look at other businesses – other industries – I don’t remember seeing the people who made the latest BMW series trying to promote it publicly.
Creating something and promoting it in a public setting are two very different things – one cannot really work without the other – but both are important.
His enthusiasm and personality made it that much better. I think you need to lighten up a tad.
I thought the streams at twitchcon and POI have been very scripted. They don’t want someone to come on and say something they shouldn’t. The format is therefore dry with only a little interplay between Rubi and whoever. I think Rubi is a great host.
They don’t want some dev to say something that they understand because they know the context unless they do the setup of the context first, by them or the host. Because of that they can be rather dry. But it’s better than not talking to us at all.
And this is a great reason why a third party presenter could possibly be a good fit – without the constraints of being a developer this person cannot possibly leak any accidental information to the audience considering he only presents what he’s been briefed on.
On top of that – you don’t need to have a “rigid scripted thing” because you’re not constantly worried about slipping up – if the draft he presents is free of any information you don’t want to leak then the presenter can be as carefree and charismatic as he can be – there’s nothing to worry about.
From a PR point of view you can also avoid a lot of uncomfortable questions or reactions since this person is not a developer but rather an interface between developers and the general public – and as such cannot answer any curveball questions or react to them in any way.
If here they fall they shall live on when ever you cry “For Ascalon!”
I like it how it is. It matches well with majority of the community that has stayed close to gw2 since launch. There’s nothing wrong how the streams have gone. GW2 is like a big silly happy family. Holding them up to some kind of high standard professionalism seems completely out of place.
Still – this game had sold 5 million copies before it went F2P – this is a HUGE number – publicity matters – even if you think it doesn’t.
I agree that enthusiasm about something can go a long way but ultimately the stream is supposed to offer information – and I feel it should do that in a more clear and structured format – with a more “streamlined” approach.
The “silly family” feel you love can still be a part of the GW2 experience – but maybe make a separate series out of it like “Whacky Wednesday with the devs” (or whatever more appropriate name here).
If here they fall they shall live on when ever you cry “For Ascalon!”
meh… not a Fan of Rubi…. to me she seems like kari on mythbusters… there for one reason… give the guys somethin to look at thru the dull explanations of things. She is dull to listen to and half the time she speaks so low i have to turn up speakers to hear what she says. She seems “forced” in her presentations. The only real draw for her is she is a semi decent looking girl in a gamers world full of guys, which is why I think some people like her. I donot think she is a good host.
Okay, I now know what the OP was talking about. Yeah … Joel was a little wired there and running open loop on the Action Cam changes. Think he was two energy drinks away from obtaining Flash like powers.
Not a lot Rubi could do without making him look … worse. Only so many times you could say FOCUS before you resort to slapping. Most of the time when they had devs on they were a lot more organized. At least she didn’t have to pull teeth to get the information out.
As for Rubi’s volume, that’s the sound engineer dropping the ball.
Basically it’s simple. ANet is still a “small” company who don’t mind, for better or worse, put the people who did the work on camera rather than having the person with the slickest camera presence and is familiar enough with what they are showing to field questions from Twitch/Rubi.
We are heroes. This is what we do!
RIP City of Heroes
RIP City of Heroes
I agree that it’s sometimes a tad chaotic and disorganized, but I kinda like that. If it sounds too much like a perfectly recited presentation, it’s too “business-like” and not really appealing to me.
And I think that it’s awesome to give the people some spotlight who usually work behind the scenes to develop all that stuff. Seeing them so enthusiastic about stuff they created makes it so much more lively.
Edit: kitten filter doesn’t like bit combined with chaotic it seems…
People seemed to enjoy it but I thought it was a hard to follow mess.
Which is why demoing in the PvP test area is controllable rather the the open world on their internal game server. You don’t get accidental agro. Who else shouted at the screen to just kill that river drake rather than trying to break agro by running around in a small circle and get back on topic?
F11 = options. Use it. I was just waiting for him to press the wrong button every time he pressed ESC.
We are heroes. This is what we do!
RIP City of Heroes
RIP City of Heroes
I might get the wrong idea in my head, but I kind of just feel like you’re trying to make them “tryharding” their stream, sitting straight backed, in tux, no emotions on their faces and just list information as if they were pieces of paper themselves.
I for myself, really like how they do their streams. Are they giggling a lot? Yes. Are they being wacky? Yes. Crazy? Definitely, and that’s exactly how it should be.
Filled with emotions and personalities, fun and silly moments and show off the crazy developers they have.
It’s so much personality compared to the office suite men with no-emotion faces so many other game developers have.
If it’s too much for you, wait for your Dulfy report.
As much as some of the Devs presenting information are obviously not practiced presenters, I’d rather see the actual Devs. Put a face to the name…and the work.
It’s much more personal and allows us to feel more connected with the game, and those that develop it.
Many times, it seems, when a particular Dev first gets ‘on-screen’, they seem nervous and scattered; but, after a time or two, they become much more relaxed and confident.
I’d never trade in Peter or Maclaine or Lena or….well, just about any of the Devs…for a ‘slick’ presenter.
You go, Devs! =)
No, I don’t mind the lighthearted atmosphere. But it’s still a presentation and they would like it to not run over by a lot. That’s the problem with a live stream on Twitch Vs a YT edited video.
Too polished, people don’t trust it. It’s boring. It’s a PPP. It’s a four color glossy. We get enough of that at work and Apple events.
Too unscripted and the significant points they want to highlight gets buried in the noise.
We are heroes. This is what we do!
RIP City of Heroes
RIP City of Heroes
Let us also consider the audience response. At the start of Joel’s presentation Twitch chat (almost never all that polite, to put it mildly, though ANet Twitch chat is muuuuch nicer nor others) the less respectful sorts were ragging on him. As soon as he began telling us what he had done with the camera, the mood swung solidly behind him and chat filled with singing of praises. He never got less nervous, he never focused down to a bullet point presentation, he spent a bit more time laying foundations than needed … and the chat adored him because he was showing Very Cool Stuff.
Similarly, when we first saw Seth describing Guild Hall mechanics, chat bloomed with unkind comments on his appearance (modded fast, but not fast enough). Yet when his direct, informative commentary took hold (he’s a fantastic presenter of information), chat swung over to the praising again. Dara’s puns have won her acclaim as well (I’m so happy that I enjoy punnage).
Check out the reactions to Josh and Hugh’s shenanigans as well. They’re loved most at their silliest.
So it certainly seems the Guild Chat audience values information and enthusiasm far more than spit and polish.
I might get the wrong idea in my head, but I kind of just feel like you’re trying to make them “tryharding” their stream, sitting straight backed, in tux, no emotions on their faces and just list information as if they were pieces of paper themselves.
I for myself, really like how they do their streams. Are they giggling a lot? Yes. Are they being wacky? Yes. Crazy? Definitely, and that’s exactly how it should be.
Filled with emotions and personalities, fun and silly moments and show off the crazy developers they have.
It’s so much personality compared to the office suite men with no-emotion faces so many other game developers have.
If it’s too much for you, wait for your Dulfy report.
Nope – I don’t want them wearing suits and reciting things without emotion – but I want someone who:
-Has a clear flow of ideas and the capacity to string them together.
-Doesn’t get distracted at very short intervals and forgets what they’re there to do.
-Doesn’t take forever telling us the information we want to receive.
-Knows how to express himself or herself effectively in a public setting.
This for all intents and purposes could be a dev – but I’d like to see a little more effort put into these streams I guess?
I have a few IRL friends that play GW2 – most of us very different when it comes to opinions and whatnot yet somehow we can all agree that the streams aren’t that good because of the way they’re presented.
Also – I’ve seen a lot of negative reactions in-game whenever a stream is on – especially with this one we had yesterday.
What I don’t understand is why there can’t be an Anet made emotion-filled wacky show and also better more streamlined streams?
The purpose of a livestream that for example discusses new combat mechanics or new legendary weapons is to convey in a clear and effective manner information about those topics to the audience – when the stream fails to do that there’s a problem – as far as I see it.
I have nothing against the more wacky emotion aspect of anything – but shouldn’t that be its own thing? Combining the two is ultimately costing Anet PR – because I guarantee you there are people out there who’ll watch that stream and not take Anet or GW2 seriously after it.
Same with some other things – like some marketing campaigns they did.
If here they fall they shall live on when ever you cry “For Ascalon!”
No, I don’t mind the lighthearted atmosphere. But it’s still a presentation and they would like it to not run over by a lot. That’s the problem with a live stream on Twitch Vs a YT edited video.
Too polished, people don’t trust it. It’s boring. It’s a PPP. It’s a four color glossy. We get enough of that at work and Apple events.
Too unscripted and the significant points they want to highlight gets buried in the noise.
I somewhat agree – I see how people won’t want guys in suits doing this – but at least give it a good practice run before you go live.
If here they fall they shall live on when ever you cry “For Ascalon!”
Let us also consider the audience response. At the start of Joel’s presentation Twitch chat (almost never all that polite, to put it mildly, though ANet Twitch chat is muuuuch nicer nor others) the less respectful sorts were ragging on him. As soon as he began telling us what he had done with the camera, the mood swung solidly behind him and chat filled with singing of praises. He never got less nervous, he never focused down to a bullet point presentation, he spent a bit more time laying foundations than needed … and the chat adored him because he was showing Very Cool Stuff.
Similarly, when we first saw Seth describing Guild Hall mechanics, chat bloomed with unkind comments on his appearance (modded fast, but not fast enough). Yet when his direct, informative commentary took hold (he’s a fantastic presenter of information), chat swung over to the praising again. Dara’s puns have won her acclaim as well (I’m so happy that I enjoy punnage).
Check out the reactions to Josh and Hugh’s shenanigans as well. They’re loved most at their silliest.
So it certainly seems the Guild Chat audience values information and enthusiasm far more than spit and polish.
They value information and features – their initial reaction was to the person presenting. Their second reaction was to what was being presented. These are separate things.
Positive reaction to what’s being presented doesn’t mean it’s being presented in a very good manner – just that what is being presented is relevant enough to entail a positive reaction.
If here they fall they shall live on when ever you cry “For Ascalon!”
I enjoy the streams. I find the people who appear on them, interesting and enthusiastic about the work they have done. It’s great. You can always read about the content somewhere later if it bothers you that much.
I enjoy the streams. I find the people who appear on them, interesting and enthusiastic about the work they have done. It’s great. You can always read about the content somewhere later if it bothers you that much.
People seem to misunderstand me and why I made this post.
This is not about me being unable to read the notes on a site afterwards – I can do that and have done it for as long as there have been streams – I’m used to it and I don’t really mind doing it.
This is about trying to point out a potential problem and suggest a solution to it – it’s about trying to give some constructive feedback to Anet regarding a pretty important part of their public exposure angle.
The fact that I and others seem to find the stream a bit suboptimal might suggest that there may be others out there who might find it the same way.
Maybe a full professional stream might be too much – I understand – but maybe a middle ground would do a lot of good and benefit both people like me that would like some improvements and those who like the current format of the stream.
Ultimately – even if nothing is changed all I’m trying to do is offer some constructive criticism.
If here they fall they shall live on when ever you cry “For Ascalon!”
Considering that anet’s PR and disaster are synonyms I don’t think that allowing them to speak about dev stuff on stream is a good idea.
I enjoy the streams. I find the people who appear on them, interesting and enthusiastic about the work they have done. It’s great. You can always read about the content somewhere later if it bothers you that much.
People seem to misunderstand me and why I made this post.
This is not about me being unable to read the notes on a site afterwards – I can do that and have done it for as long as there have been streams – I’m used to it and I don’t really mind doing it.This is about trying to point out a potential problem and suggest a solution to it – it’s about trying to give some constructive feedback to Anet regarding a pretty important part of their public exposure angle.
The fact that I and others seem to find the stream a bit suboptimal might suggest that there may be others out there who might find it the same way.
Maybe a full professional stream might be too much – I understand – but maybe a middle ground would do a lot of good and benefit both people like me that would like some improvements and those who like the current format of the stream.
Ultimately – even if nothing is changed all I’m trying to do is offer some constructive criticism.
There is no potential problem, the stream went crazy for excitement when Joel was presenting and I agree with the other posters in here saying he did a great job. If you want a dull read from the card presenter then just read the notes afterwords. Having a developer who you may not think as “professional” is exactly what we need. This is not the game that will have a person try to sell you a product, this is the game that will show you who made the product. They will show you how enthusiastic they are about what they made.
I hope Arena-Net keeps letting the developers talk about what they made, threads like this can just read the notes afterwords that way they get the “professional” take on it.
Yes I agree with the OP. I too am not bashing their ability to create anything, in fact I am amazed all the time. That said putting creative people out to be the face of the company is not always the best way to go.