Guild Wars 2

Gaile Gray.6029:

Zoltar MacRoth.7146:

Siobhan.5273:

Gaile Gray.6029:

Visuals – I honestly didn’t know that Colin had said something about visuals. I’m not being rude, but can you link me to a post? I’d like to follow up and get that information, but it would be marvelous if I had a post or a blog entry where those statements were made. Makes it “fast and easy” to then pursue an answer.

It’s been linked in this thread a few times, it’s been linked in the Visual nerf thread a few times, and it’s been linked in Just a flesh wound’s Reddit thread. I have it bookmarked.

Here it is.

Hi Gaile, any news on the visuals question..?

I have followed up, but I don’t have any information yet. Remember that, as Mike O’Brien reiterated recently, we’re are not going to be making a lot of predictive statements. Nor do we want to give dates. Now, I notice that that sort of was a predictive statement made a few weeks ago. But what I’m saying is that while I’ll see if there’s more information to share, this may be a situation where, if changes are made, they roll out without prior announcement.

I guess at this time the most I could say is that this is a known request.

Just for my clarification, which part is the ‘known request’?

Gaile Gray.6029:

[SNIP]… But what I’m saying is that while I’ll see if there’s more information to share, this may be a situation where, if changes are made, they roll out without prior announcement.

I guess at this time the most I could say is that this is a known request.

Can someone at least explain why it would even be necessary for these changes to roll out without prior announcement?

It cannot be because ANet doesn’t want to ruin the surprise, since Colin already announced that the changes were coming.

It cannot be because you don’t want to give a specific date, because Colin never gave such a date in the first place (and no one here has asked for a specific date anyway.)

Look, I know; I’ve been pretty salty, and I get that it can be off-putting. But I wasn’t always. There was a time when my post history consisted of thoughtful, measured, optimistic posts (even ones that praised the work you were doing). And I meant every word.

But then the communication started getting just…weird. And this is an example of the kind of communication that has frustrated me to no end.

Like it or not, Colin communicated information. That information is either correct, or it is not.

If it is correct, then there is no reason not to confirm it, since the information is already out there.

If it is not correct, then we have a situation where the impression being given is that ANet is planning to intentionally allow players to believe that information — that was communicated by GW2’s own Game Director — is correct, when internally, they know it is not. And further, they are considering withholding that information right up until the last possible second, where changes are released into the game that may or may not be in line with what was communicated.

Personal feelings aside, Gaile, can you honestly say that you don’t see why some customers resent being treated this way? Does Mike O’Brien honestly not understand the kind of message this kind of communication style sends? I get that ANet wants us to be respectful when we communicate , but I am not getting the feeling that ANet understands that respect is a two-way street.

minbariguy.7504:

Gaile Gray.6029:

[SNIP]… But what I’m saying is that while I’ll see if there’s more information to share, this may be a situation where, if changes are made, they roll out without prior announcement.

I guess at this time the most I could say is that this is a known request.

Can someone at least explain why it would even be necessary for these changes to roll out without prior announcement?

It cannot be because ANet doesn’t want to ruin the surprise, since Colin already announced that the changes were coming.

It cannot be because you don’t want to give a specific date, because Colin never gave such a date in the first place (and no one here has asked for a specific date anyway.)

Look, I know; I’ve been pretty salty, and I get that it can be off-putting. But I wasn’t always. There was a time when my post history consisted of thoughtful, measured, optimistic posts (even ones that praised the work you were doing). And I meant every word.

But then the communication started getting just…weird. And this is an example of the kind of communication that has frustrated me to no end.

Like it or not, Colin communicated information. That information is either correct, or it is not.

If it is correct, then there is no reason not to confirm it, since the information is already out there.

If it is not correct, then we have a situation where the impression being given is that ANet is planning to intentionally allow players to believe that information — that was communicated by GW2’s own Game Director — is correct, when internally, they know it is not. And further, they are considering withholding that information right up until the last possible second, where changes are released into the game that may or may not be in line with what was communicated.

Personal feelings aside, Gaile, can you honestly say that you don’t see why some customers resent being treated this way? Does Mike O’Brien honestly not understand the kind of message this kind of communication style sends? I get that ANet wants us to be respectful when we communicate , but I am not getting the feeling that ANet understands that respect is a two-way street.

This.

Colin made the statement. The question is whether or not Anet, in light of Colin’s departure, intends to follow through. The question is not a matter of when. Not a matter of asking Anet to commit to a specific timetable. Just a request that some confirmation, one way or the other, be provided regarding something that ANet has already communicated.

Commentary to the effect of, “we can neither confirm nor deny an intention to follow through on something we have already announced,” does not cast the company in a particularly flattering light.

minbariguy-

Right on. Your entire post is indicative of what I, and others have been communicating for months. I’ve bent over backwards, posting in this thread. Scroll up towards the top of the previous page before Gaile even posted asking for Colin’s Reddit post link: there is a wall of text from me with links to what Colin posted on Reddit, I’ve posted too many times to count in the visual nerf thread, I linked Colin’s comment in the AMA ‘notice’ thread and Gaile posted after I did in that again, etc, etc. All those threads and so many others, trying to start a conversation on this issue, or the nerf issue, or at least get some kind of a response that we’re being heard. I posted earlier than that in this very thread about more communication concerns because threads were merged here, and we’re told that “We ask all forum members to please take a moment to see if there’s an existing thread on a specific subject, rather than creating a new one.” because it’s easier for devs to read our feedback, or for Gaile’s weekly reports to the devs if everything is one place.. but comments made almost a month ago (and repeated by numerous people and yammered about for 2 pages!) in the proper place and in a thread that’s almost 1k in responses, and there since before the holidays is just being ignored? We get told “that” comment was missed? I’m sorry. I don’t think Gaile has time to see every single dang post I make, but seriously. C’mon now. It was posted in the Dev quotes from Reddit thread, too, so it’s not just me. However, if someone is going to take the time to quote, and comment on a partial response I’ve made to someone, answer my entire post that it was quoted from. Oh, that’s the very one that I cited above. The links and all, made at the top of this page.

Gaile made it a point to state here that she’s “been following games since the 90’s. I covered them as a fan, a journalist, and a dev. Frankly, I was just glad to have information, and I wasn’t one to grouse about where it appeared". Well, I don’t mean to be rude, but a lot of us have been gamers since then, even before then, however, it’s 2016 and the expectations of what most customers perceive as very simple requests from many service providers since the 90’s have changed. Simply telling a customer to go bookmark another site, and devs are posting on their own time (under the company tag…) just doesn’t sit well when customer here are ignored. Just 6 months ago when customers complained about having to go elsewhere for info they were told “I think I’ve already addressed this, but to repeat: This is the official Guild Wars 2 Forum, and we communicate often and with the highest priority here.”

*—Edit-I’ve said it before, and I’ll agree with the above post by Ashen. ArenaNet either stands by the comment made by Colin because they have before and he made it with that tag on like in other cases when they’ve had his back:

Gaile Gray.6029:

You guys — SAB is coming back. Colin said it. It’s true. This is positive and definite and no I don’t have a date and I know you’d like to have one but that’s not possible but… it’s coming back. Posts that proclaim it’s not coming are not just wrong — they’re dead wrong. Posts that express upset about the coin — while I understand them — will be moot when SAB returns. Which will happen.

All I can say is keep your chin up, because it’s going to happen.

Gaile Gray.6029:

Relax, Aidan. I’m not perfect, but that wasn’t a flub. Colin did make the statement, so I was just repeating the core message that he shared.

Or they tell us he just wanted to wreak havoc and fire up the masses before departing, making a sloppy mess for staff to deal with and that’s all we got. But, no one will say that, so we’re gonna get double speak till our eyes bleed.

Over it. I can shut my wallet just as fast as they shut down the requests for reasonable information. I’m not a child and I don’t feel the need to “unwrap” what I feel is very basic customer service.