(edited by Loumy.7841)
Monday: Will they address the sensitive topic
I expect to see reponse “A”. While this wouldn’t make me particularly happy, I will have a lot more respect if they at least own up to it. I think it will also help people that are holding out for some answers to move on.
Obviously I would like to see “C”, but I’m not holding my breath.
(edited by Merthax.5172)
interestingly, i received an update email about the disconnect debacle on sunday,
“Thank you for your patience while we investigate the issue you reported regarding the Lost Shores event. We’re aware that some players were not able to receive the reward chest at the end of the event after having put in a lot of effort. We’re very sorry that happened and we’re investigating the possibility of restoring the reward to everyone who was affected.”
“We will update you early next week when we know all the details on exactly how we will accomplish this restoration.”
seems that perhaps the two statements will happen on the same planned day.
Mimizu Heavy Industries [Doll] – Underworld
The non-response on this and PR response on the grand success of some minor aspect is actually pretty funny, it reminds me of the Iraqi Information Minister during the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
(edited by Sylosi.6503)
Honestly, I’d be surprised if they knew a definite answer to that one yet.
I’m thinking B or D, due to the communication we’ve seen so far, but who knows maybe ArenaNet have actually realized they need to communicate more openly – with less secrecy.
I’m hoping for C!
I think we shall find out Monday.
There is no issue so there is nothing to respond to. D all the way.
Sad to say that is what I expect to see and hear.
It is clear to me they feel they have addressed the issue and nothing more needs to be done. What you and I and others believe well that, that is another story.
In this age of social media, all it takes is for one person so say a bad thing about about a customer and tens more know about it. Sure we might only be seeing the vocal minority, but I would like to bet the silent majority are hearing about this from friends, guildies, social media and other websites.
Staying quiet until it all blows over used to be a valid(but not great) tactic for crisis management. Now it just looks as though the company has something to hide and reduces trust even more. At this point in time facts don’t matter. Perception and trust are now the only thing that does. Like new coke, Ratners or SWG NGE people’s trust in Anet is what needs to be restored.
The very worst thing to do is give spin, and PR statements to people who are already annoyed. There are two ways left now to handle this(as mentioned above) .
1. Be open and transparent. Give facts and figures along with sound reasoning to why this decision was made.
2. Apologise and say “we listened to you and we’re working on a way to fix things. Watch the space.”
Most players are mature enough to say “Fair enough” and move on. Spin and Silence will just add Gasoline at this moment in time.
Guild Leader of DVDF www.dvdf.org.uk since 2005
People are actually hoping for C?
Of all the answers they could pick… for me C is the worst. It’s nothing but a delaying tactic. It answers nothing but presumes to answer everything with the promise of further discussion that is unlikely to ever happen. It’s pure PR spin doctoring and as already said by Shanaeri it is bad ju-ju to be messing with.
I recall during the Jita Riots in EVE-O, CCP tried to use similar tactics to quell the masses with answers that answer nothing. It made things much much worse and ended with the COE doing an awful lot of backpeddling and egg on his face (Watch what they do, not what they say.).
Personally I can only hope that they go with something akin to A or B, that is more of a direct insight into what they think in the office and how they view player feedback so far.
I doubt they’ll even acknowledge there might be something to address.
Back when they used Gaile Gray to distribute information in GW1, she had an amazing blind spot for that kind of stuff. Even when the district was 95% full of people afking rings.
The reason I was hoping for C, is that this is the only way, I can get the GW2 I am hoping for. It entails of a small chance, that they will “correct” or “improve” on their mistakes, and make a game I will love playing for many years. (call me naive)
Hmmm…. C is the best option there…. but I’m guessing if anything is said at all – it will be more like B or D.
A) "Due to this and that, it has been necessary for us to change the direction of our initial design philosophy. "
This wouldn’t improve on their damaged brand at all. People would still feel betrayed. Bad strategy, that is not saving any of the lost brand equity.
Considering this was the same BS fed to City of Heroes players when NCSoft shut it down I fully expect to see this crop up Monday. On top of that, NC’s stock is abysmally low and its shareholders have said that NC needs to “change their business plan” for the better. ArenaNet’s original no-grind mentality won’t fit in with Nexon/NCSoft’s endless pay-to-win/grind-to-win business plan.
vince.5937 — Tarnished Coast — Les Saintes
R.I.P. City of Heroes, 2004-2012
Long Live Atlas Park 33
R.I.P. City of Heroes, 2004-2012
Long Live Atlas Park 33
I doubt they’ll even acknowledge there might be something to address.
Back when they used Gaile Gray to distribute information in GW1, she had an amazing blind spot for that kind of stuff. Even when the district was 95% full of people afking rings.
. . . I’m going to put down another answer:
E) I’m not able to discuss that at this time. (Or some permutation of it.)
Because that’s what I would expect him to say if someone asks this of him. Reasonably, if this was a corporate-mandated change, he can’t say anything or it’s his job. And if he does say something and loses his job, the next person is going to come in and say: “What he said isn’t true” and begin the spin now to make it look like he didn’t know what he was talking about.
If this is a change they honestly wanted to make (for whatever reason), he’s probably going to be coached not to talk about it without PR consulting on the matter.
And if he does say something, I would strongly believe there was at least some consultation with a PR representative to at best polish what he has to say so he doesn’t wind up leaving threads for people to pull, or at worst . . . well, bend things in such a way that it sounds reasonable and nice while not meaning what you are led to think it means.
I don’t think there’s any way an ANet rep could answer the question without someone running with the answer and fanning this thing to keep going.
Seeking assistants for the Asuran Catapult Project. Applicants will be tested for aerodynamics.
A) "Due to this and that, it has been necessary for us to change the direction of our initial design philosophy. "
This wouldn’t improve on their damaged brand at all. People would still feel betrayed. Bad strategy, that is not saving any of the lost brand equity.B) “We do not think our philosophy of creating a great game has changed.”
The strategy of plain denial. People would feel even more angry. No one will buy into this – it will feel like a slap in the face.
This would be the worst strategy, further increasing brand damage.C) “We admit our mistakes of this and that, and we are working to implement a solution that will make everyone happy. Further details will follow.”
This strategy would be a better choice. It will buy them some time. People will await their “solution”. The future however will reveal what course they are actually taking.D) Not touching the issue at all. “What problem? There is no problem.”
I guess this is somewhat similar to option B.What do you think?
obviously i will prefer something like the C answer, but i think that will never happend. Taking too much time for a reply like this is nonsense, but im still here hoping for this.
most probably it will be somthing similar to the A reply, but there is open space to a worse possibility:
E) ignore all the questions regarding this particular problems.
and its useless to say that this will lead to a colossal disaster.
Let’s wait monday, and see.
Because, like Guild Wars before it, GW2 doesn’t fall into the traps of traditional MMORPGs.
It doesn’t suck your life away and force you onto a grinding treadmill"
LOL
It doesn’t suck your life away and force you onto a grinding treadmill"
LOL
(edited by Ganzo.5079)
I think that question isn’t adequate enough. It still allows wiggle room to answer it in a way that leaves all options open. I’d prefer a straight, “Yes or no. Will there be gear added with greater stats than Ascended gear from now until the next expansion?
And if Yes, do you feel you have compromised the vision of your game.
And if No, to what purpose does the increase stats on Ascended gear help the game?”
Zed Zebes – SBI Mesmer
As much as I would like to see a straight, yes or no. We probably won’t get that, since they want people to hang around as long as possible, regardless on their preferred gaming style. It is their actions that will tell what the truth is.
(edited by Loumy.7841)
There has been a lot of discussion in the forums regarding the new Ascended items and the new dungeon design. Some players feel, that there has been a radical change in the vision of the game – that the game is taking a course that is inconsistent with earlier statements from developers.
So will they address this sensitive topic on Monday’s AMA?
https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/info/news/AMA-with-Chris-Whiteside-on-Monday-November-26/first#post827481I’m sure a lot of players have formulated questions concerning this topic, and below is one from Reddit, that suits as a good example:
G4: Can we get a direct, on-the-record answer on where vertical progression will be headed? Specifically as it applies to gear-checks and gated content? Will there be an amended manifesto, or are there plans to alter current content to align with the manifesto?
Reddit:http://www.reddit.com/r/Guildwars2/comments/13lio6/prepare_for_the_chris_whiteside_ama_here/I’m sure an answer to this question is something a lot of us are waiting for in anticipation.
It’s a tricky topic to address for ArenaNet. What communication options do they have?A) "Due to this and that, it has been necessary for us to change the direction of our initial design philosophy. "
This wouldn’t improve on their damaged brand at all. People would still feel betrayed. Bad strategy, that is not saving any of the lost brand equity.B) “We do not think our philosophy of creating a great game has changed.”
The strategy of plain denial. People would feel even more angry. No one will buy into this – it will feel like a slap in the face.
This would be the worst strategy, further increasing brand damage.C) “We admit our mistakes of this and that, and we are working to implement a solution that will make everyone happy. Further details will follow.”
This strategy would be a better choice. It will buy them some time. People will await their “solution”. The future however will reveal what course they are actually taking.D) Not touching the issue at all. “What problem? There is no problem.”
I guess this is somewhat similar to option B.What do you think?
I bet 10 gold that they won’t address it at all, if not for a very vague statement which wouldn’t really say anything meaningful.
They will never admit the change of direction from the Manifesto, they’ll just probably ignore these questions.
I really hate what they did with this game, it had a lot of potential and was FINALLY a game where I could play without feeling the pressure to grind.
But I will be quick to forgive them if I heard a “C” answer (which will never happen, it’s the least likely of them all). In any case, “implement a solution that will make everyone happy” is not possible. There is no way to please everyone. Either you please the grinders or the laid-back players. A middle way will please no one.
(edited by Fuz.5621)
I think that question isn’t adequate enough. It still allows wiggle room to answer it in a way that leaves all options open. I’d prefer a straight, “Yes or no. Will there be gear added with greater stats than Ascended gear from now until the next expansion?
And if Yes, do you feel you have compromised the vision of your game.
And if No, to what purpose does the increase stats on Ascended gear help the game?”
You know, two things.
There’s still wiggle room with those questions, because “until the next expansion” could mean that they just market the next content update as an expansion and now they kept their word. Or they can say “no, no we won’t do that” and then do it right after the expansion . . . and keep their word.
And secondly, if we’re going to start off assuming they’re dishonest and compromised their vision, it’s not rational to expect them not to be dishonest or compromise it again.
Like I said elsewhere, no matter what they say, no matter how they say it, it’s not going to help defuse this whole thing anymore.
Seeking assistants for the Asuran Catapult Project. Applicants will be tested for aerodynamics.
They are not going to admit they made a mistake, they believe they are going in the right direction, they’ve been planning it for months and will continue with that plan. They are not going to turn around and make ascended back to exotic levels, they’ve explained their reason, which is ridiculous to us, but that’s the way it is. I only expect we will see answers to the items listed for the future updates. Time for everyone to move on with or without the game.
Another derailing post. ^^
North Keep: One of the village residents will now flee if their home is destroyed.
“Game over man, Game Over!” – RIP Bill
North Keep: One of the village residents will now flee if their home is destroyed.
“Game over man, Game Over!” – RIP Bill
I think that question isn’t adequate enough. It still allows wiggle room to answer it in a way that leaves all options open. I’d prefer a straight, “Yes or no. Will there be gear added with greater stats than Ascended gear from now until the next expansion?
And if Yes, do you feel you have compromised the vision of your game.
And if No, to what purpose does the increase stats on Ascended gear help the game?”You know, two things.
There’s still wiggle room with those questions, because “until the next expansion” could mean that they just market the next content update as an expansion and now they kept their word. Or they can say “no, no we won’t do that” and then do it right after the expansion . . . and keep their word.
And secondly, if we’re going to start off assuming they’re dishonest and compromised their vision, it’s not rational to expect them not to be dishonest or compromise it again.
Like I said elsewhere, no matter what they say, no matter how they say it, it’s not going to help defuse this whole thing anymore.
I should probably change expansion to level cap increase. Basically, is Ascended the new and final plateau for 80s? If they answered that straight with a yes or no then people could at least know whats really going on. Some may be unhappy if they are adding more gear tiers, but then they could at least know to not waste their time with the game.
As a company, they’ve lost trust. They need to rebuild the trust. That’s why things are asked with a sense of doubt. That doubt was not there before this change.
Zed Zebes – SBI Mesmer
I think that question isn’t adequate enough. It still allows wiggle room to answer it in a way that leaves all options open. I’d prefer a straight, “Yes or no. Will there be gear added with greater stats than Ascended gear from now until the next expansion?
And if Yes, do you feel you have compromised the vision of your game.
And if No, to what purpose does the increase stats on Ascended gear help the game?”You know, two things.
There’s still wiggle room with those questions, because “until the next expansion” could mean that they just market the next content update as an expansion and now they kept their word. Or they can say “no, no we won’t do that” and then do it right after the expansion . . . and keep their word.
And secondly, if we’re going to start off assuming they’re dishonest and compromised their vision, it’s not rational to expect them not to be dishonest or compromise it again.
Like I said elsewhere, no matter what they say, no matter how they say it, it’s not going to help defuse this whole thing anymore.
I should probably change expansion to level cap increase. Basically, is Ascended the new and final plateau for 80s? If they answered that straight with a yes or no then people could at least know whats really going on. Some may be unhappy if they are adding more gear tiers, but then they could at least know to not waste their time with the game.
As a company, they’ve lost trust. They need to rebuild the trust. That’s why things are asked with a sense of doubt. That doubt was not there before this change.
Mm, yeah. Better phrase of the question. Still won’t stop them from wriggling out of it if you expect them to. That’s more what the point of my post was – once you don’t trust them and doubt their word, how can you take what they say at face value anymore?
Seeking assistants for the Asuran Catapult Project. Applicants will be tested for aerodynamics.
what they feel they need to do, or not do, will all come down to the one thing we as players cannot gauge.
Revenue stream/sales.
the forums have been a flame fest since the patch, but if the game has been flying off the shelves ever since then they will stick to their guns and say there is no problem. If their sales have dropped off, they will do whatever is necissary to fix it.
Judging by how busy queensdale has been on my server lately I would have to guess that the influx of new players has increased in the last week. But i’m just guessing. I don’t have the sales numbers.
I think that question isn’t adequate enough. It still allows wiggle room to answer it in a way that leaves all options open. I’d prefer a straight, “Yes or no. Will there be gear added with greater stats than Ascended gear from now until the next expansion?
And if Yes, do you feel you have compromised the vision of your game.
And if No, to what purpose does the increase stats on Ascended gear help the game?”You know, two things.
There’s still wiggle room with those questions, because “until the next expansion” could mean that they just market the next content update as an expansion and now they kept their word. Or they can say “no, no we won’t do that” and then do it right after the expansion . . . and keep their word.
And secondly, if we’re going to start off assuming they’re dishonest and compromised their vision, it’s not rational to expect them not to be dishonest or compromise it again.
Like I said elsewhere, no matter what they say, no matter how they say it, it’s not going to help defuse this whole thing anymore.
I should probably change expansion to level cap increase. Basically, is Ascended the new and final plateau for 80s? If they answered that straight with a yes or no then people could at least know whats really going on. Some may be unhappy if they are adding more gear tiers, but then they could at least know to not waste their time with the game.
As a company, they’ve lost trust. They need to rebuild the trust. That’s why things are asked with a sense of doubt. That doubt was not there before this change.
Mm, yeah. Better phrase of the question. Still won’t stop them from wriggling out of it if you expect them to. That’s more what the point of my post was – once you don’t trust them and doubt their word, how can you take what they say at face value anymore?
It’s not just mistrust, but confusion as well. As has been noted, they’ve come out with responses but the “we needed to bridge a gap” explanation doesn’t hold up.
Beyond the angle of some idea of betrayal, the change to a gear treadmill doesn’t even make sense for their pricing model. Gear treadmills were popular because they worked towards keeping people subscribed. As Guild Wars 2 is a different business model, the treadmill really serves no purpose and is rather out of place. The advantage of Buy 2 Play is that you can take a break and come back later without being disadvantaged. Due to that, you can focus on non-power based hooks. That’s why I had the follow up questions asking to what purpose do the stat increases serve.
Due to there being no real need of a treadmill, people like myself are wiling to listen if they can rationalize the stat increase, and if not that, adjust things so that its isolated within one segment of the game (fractals).
Zed Zebes – SBI Mesmer
We already have the answer.
https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/info/news/A-message-from-our-Studio-Design-Director-Chris-Whiteside
We’re not getting much else than this non-answer.
It’s not just mistrust, but confusion as well. As has been noted, they’ve come out with responses but the “we needed to bridge a gap” explanation doesn’t hold up.
It’s a lot harder to communicate and be believed when the mistrust is there. The confusion and mistrust work together to prevent any answer which doesn’t “make sense” to the listener from being accepted.
This is one of the problems with the talk going on now, and the issue with people taking a hard line with “they lied, end of story” . . . no matter what the company would try to say, there’s that nagging doubt now planted: “are they lying again?”
It’s a terrible way to box in the issue, it turns this into “you lied, yes or no?” questions not being answered, “so the assumption has to reasonably be they lied, right? Right?”
Putting the issue into closed terms, and then adding mistrust into the mix . . . no, there’s not a way out of that without leaving that doubt in there. It’s why I think the people who are being the loudest aren’t going to be satisfied with any addressing of the topic at all until they get the answer they want.
Seeking assistants for the Asuran Catapult Project. Applicants will be tested for aerodynamics.
In line with their current approach I expect they will say C but not actually do it. As long as enough people believe it for long enough, that will be fine for them. And they will just throw more shinies and events on people in the hopes they will forget all about this.
It’s a game forum. The truth is not to be found here.
For all my complaining, I feel that if they do decide to come out clean, we should compliment them for it, not bash them down further. No matter how bad we feel they may have done, if they make an honest mistake, and admit/apologize for it, we should refrain from talking them down further.
Beyond the angle of some idea of betrayal, the change to a gear treadmill doesn’t even make sense for their pricing model.
Two words: Transmutation Stone
Even if only 10% of the players decide they like Guild Backpack better, at $1 per stone, that’s $200,000 just for changing a few numbers in a database. Not a bad revenue for 30 seconds of work right?
If you can read this then it is proof that ArenaNet’s moderators just, kind and fair.
(edited by ThiBash.5634)
People are actually hoping for C?
Of all the answers they could pick… for me C is the worst. It’s nothing but a delaying tactic. It answers nothing but presumes to answer everything with the promise of further discussion that is unlikely to ever happen. It’s pure PR spin doctoring and as already said by Shanaeri it is bad ju-ju to be messing with.
C is them admitting they made a mistake. Admitting the mistake is the first step to fixing it.
C is also something else that will come back to bite them if they continue down the gear treadmill path. You think it’s bad now ?
Imagine how bad it will be if they chose C, then introduce Ascended gear into any other slot.
C is also the only option that takes GW2 in the direction I was hoping for.
I doubt they’ll even acknowledge there might be something to address.
Back when they used Gaile Gray to distribute information in GW1, she had an amazing blind spot for that kind of stuff. Even when the district was 95% full of people afking rings.
Thing is, the timestamps on the questions will be present. So if they refuse to answer, expect lots of questions about why they refused to answer.
E) I’m not able to discuss that at this time. (Or some permutation of it.)
Follow up question: Why did you not have a preprepared answer for this question ?
Because ANET knows the question is coming and it’s an ask me anything session. They should want to get that answer out of the way quickly, even if that means answering it before it’s asked.
Gear treadmills were popular because they worked towards keeping people subscribed. As Guild Wars 2 is a different business model, the treadmill really serves no purpose and is rather out of place. The advantage of Buy 2 Play is that you can take a break and come back later without being disadvantaged. Due to that, you can focus on non-power based hooks. That’s why I had the follow up questions asking to what purpose do the stat increases serve.
That is the worst part about this whole thing, adding Ascended gear just doesn’t make sense when you consider the business model. Hence why so many people believe meddling from Nexon, because that we can understand.
For all my complaining, I feel that if they do decide to come out clean, we should compliment them for it, not bash them down further. No matter how bad we feel they may have done, if they make an honest mistake, and admit/apologize for it, we should refrain from talking them down further.
Beyond the angle of some idea of betrayal, the change to a gear treadmill doesn’t even make sense for their pricing model.
Two words: Transmutation Stone.
Even if only 10% of the players decide they like Guild Backpack better, at $1 per stone, that’s $200,000 just for changing a few numbers in a database. Not a bad revenue for 30 seconds of work right?
Beyond the angle of some idea of betrayal, the change to a gear treadmill doesn’t even make sense for their pricing model.
Two words: Transmutation Stone.
Even if only 10% of the players decide they like Guild Backpack better, at $1 per stone, that’s $200,000 just for changing a few numbers in a database. Not a bad revenue for 30 seconds of work right?
Are we talking about the Transmutation Stones which can be received in Daily Rewards some of the time? Or from the Black Lion Chests where you can get keys through personal story missions?
Yes, you can pay for the stones, but there exist other avenues to get them. It’s just quicker to put down Gems to do it.
Seeking assistants for the Asuran Catapult Project. Applicants will be tested for aerodynamics.
E) I’m not able to discuss that at this time. (Or some permutation of it.)
Follow up question: Why did you not have a preprepared answer for this question ?
Because ANET knows the question is coming and it’s an ask me anything session. They should want to get that answer out of the way quickly, even if that means answering it before it’s asked.
Follow-up answers:
- “It’s not my position to talk about that aspect of the game. Talk with someone else about it, please.”
Or the blunter version:
- “I do not have a comment on that question at this time.”
Seeking assistants for the Asuran Catapult Project. Applicants will be tested for aerodynamics.
It’s not just mistrust, but confusion as well. As has been noted, they’ve come out with responses but the “we needed to bridge a gap” explanation doesn’t hold up.
It’s a lot harder to communicate and be believed when the mistrust is there. The confusion and mistrust work together to prevent any answer which doesn’t “make sense” to the listener from being accepted.
This is one of the problems with the talk going on now, and the issue with people taking a hard line with “they lied, end of story” . . . no matter what the company would try to say, there’s that nagging doubt now planted: “are they lying again?”
It’s a terrible way to box in the issue, it turns this into “you lied, yes or no?” questions not being answered, “so the assumption has to reasonably be they lied, right? Right?”
Putting the issue into closed terms, and then adding mistrust into the mix . . . no, there’s not a way out of that without leaving that doubt in there. It’s why I think the people who are being the loudest aren’t going to be satisfied with any addressing of the topic at all until they get the answer they want.
You seem to be approaching this from the angle that all doubt leads to histrionics. People are capable of hearing an explanation that makes sense and accepting it. In other words, you don’t keep silent due to a handful of fools. The silence only worsens the situation.
Zed Zebes – SBI Mesmer
Beyond the angle of some idea of betrayal, the change to a gear treadmill doesn’t even make sense for their pricing model.
Two words: Transmutation Stone
Even if only 10% of the players decide they like Guild Backpack better, at $1 per stone, that’s $200,000 just for changing a few numbers in a database. Not a bad revenue for 30 seconds of work right?
As a short term cash grab it does. For the long term it doesn’t. ANET built a game where people could leave for months and return without penalty. So those people bought it. In the long term, those people will return, see that they have been penalized for their absence because of those cash grabs, then leave again.
It’s not just mistrust, but confusion as well. As has been noted, they’ve come out with responses but the “we needed to bridge a gap” explanation doesn’t hold up.
It’s a lot harder to communicate and be believed when the mistrust is there. The confusion and mistrust work together to prevent any answer which doesn’t “make sense” to the listener from being accepted.
This is one of the problems with the talk going on now, and the issue with people taking a hard line with “they lied, end of story” . . . no matter what the company would try to say, there’s that nagging doubt now planted: “are they lying again?”
It’s a terrible way to box in the issue, it turns this into “you lied, yes or no?” questions not being answered, “so the assumption has to reasonably be they lied, right? Right?”
Putting the issue into closed terms, and then adding mistrust into the mix . . . no, there’s not a way out of that without leaving that doubt in there. It’s why I think the people who are being the loudest aren’t going to be satisfied with any addressing of the topic at all until they get the answer they want.
You seem to be approaching this from the angle that all doubt leads to histrionics. People are capable of hearing an explanation that makes sense and accepting it. In other words, you don’t keep silent due to a handful of fools. The silence only worsens the situation.
Well, it might seem that way, let me tone it back some.
People in the loudest groups going right now who foster doubt about ArenaNet’s word are likely to read way . . . way . . . way too much into anything they say which doesn’t conform to what they think they should say. And begin pushing this further out of control.
I don’t doubt people can be reasonable . . . but what we have here is not everyone being completely reasonable about this. We have people being reasonable about this on both sides, but the distrust and frustration at the unreasonable people on the other side harden their resolve and make it oh-so-easy to block out what doesn’t suit them.
And all you need are people so hardened in their opinion and resolute in their conclusions that you will have more of the same going on as the issue continues.
Seeking assistants for the Asuran Catapult Project. Applicants will be tested for aerodynamics.
You seem to be approaching this from the angle that all doubt leads to histrionics. People are capable of hearing an explanation that makes sense and accepting it. In other words, you don’t keep silent due to a handful of fools. The silence only worsens the situation.
Especially if they give an explanation players have already guessed at. Which would mean blaming Nexon.
Beyond the angle of some idea of betrayal, the change to a gear treadmill doesn’t even make sense for their pricing model.
Two words: Transmutation Stone
Even if only 10% of the players decide they like Guild Backpack better, at $1 per stone, that’s $200,000 just for changing a few numbers in a database. Not a bad revenue for 30 seconds of work right?
As a short term cash grab it does. For the long term it doesn’t. ANET built a game where people could leave for months and return without penalty. So those people bought it. In the long term, those people will return, see that they have been penalized for their absence because of those cash grabs, then leave again.
Some will return, see they have work to catch up, become discouraged and leave. They’re the ones you’re talking about, and you’re probably very correct.
Some will sigh and get down to business. They love playing the game more than the frustration of needing to catch up.
In the end, everyone leaves a game and entropy wins.
Seeking assistants for the Asuran Catapult Project. Applicants will be tested for aerodynamics.
Of course they won´t.
This is just “us bickering at each other”, don´t you know?
And reddit-mods won´t dare allow “inflammatory” post either, in their awe of yet another AMA by some VIP.
Guess it´s just easier to let others play the bad cop censor instead of just daring to log on to your own fora and fire of some honest answers in the many threads.
Polish > hype