There is a wealth of information on the game, feedback to player inquires etc on the official forums.
If you have a specific question you don't see there or in the FAQ, just ask and I will do my best to answer it.
For the record: I never have - and never will - make games that everyone and their mother-in-law want to play. I cater to specific group of players who like the games that I develop. Considering how many games I've developed over the years - and the fact that I'm still in business and have made a very decent living from it - I'm perfectly happy catering to that group and could care less about what everyone else is doing. I develop games that I see myself playing.
Derek. Oh, Derek. Are you still doing this on forums? My days in the sun of posting here have passed, but I'm going to say something anyway. And I want you to keep a few things in mind when I do. I'm absolutely not bashing you, and I have no interest in jumping on the hate bandwagon. I was there when the hate on you was still in fashion, which was over ten years ago, and it honestly seemed passe to me even then, much less now.
But I also remember reading these same conversations ten years ago, and they went the same way then that they do now. I'm going to respectfully submit that your engagement strategy could use a bit of adaptation.
Don't get me wrong. I get the niche game thing, honestly. I've been there, though on a smaller scale than you. I was literally in the amateur online game scene before most of these guys heard the term MMORPG (mostly because it didn't then exist), first as a player, then as an admin, and eventually as a designer. I remember having to look at games in their raw form. As a single example, while our players thought of the loot system as the shiny drop which popped out of the monster or the crafting system, I can still close my eyes and see the database with tens of thousands of values, most of which I had either created or edited in some way. I put in the million or so hours and sleepless nights a time or two. I dealt with the frustration of watching what I thought were my best designs get ignored while something else I created, which I thought would be a sideshow, became a big hit. So I know what it all starts to mean to a person, and while your games aren't my thing, I respect your efforts.
But most pertinently here, I dealt with the endless hate. The smaller you are in gaming, the closer your ear is to the crowd, and no matter how good or bad your work is, you always hear the most from the few people who have a lot of bad stuff to say about you. Anybody in the business who has dealt with small scale work, which is how most of them start out, have gone through that baptism of fire.
But we all learned to live with it. We all learned the hard lesson. The unfortunate reality is that while you must maintain _a_ conversation with both your current and prospective playerbase, direct online conversation with players is most certainly the fastest path to insanity for a game developer.
Please stop doing this to yourself. I'm saying this because I remember this type of drama from your perspective, and it's painful to watch you continue to do it year after year. Yes, I get that Derek Smart is your brand, for better or worse. Yes, I get that while you've earned the ire of some, you have a small fanbase which loves you and wants to hear your voice. But mixing it up here, or any large public forum, is not good for you. You need the exposure, but not like this. Do it on your own terms, please. I'm sure you can think of a better way.
I know, right? Are we the only ones that take note of that?
Anyway, this tanked when Derek Smart was brought up. Did you know he will actually, i'm not joking, come onto these and other forums to flame the crap out of you over stupid things? It's hilarious. Almost as hilarious as everything else you can learn just by googling.
For those willing to check it out anyway, more power to you! I hope it's awesome.
I don't care what he's known for and what he isn't. It's what he does with this game that'll make or break my views of him.
I personally don't give a fat crap about what he did or didn't do, but rather what he does and will do. Bill Gates was a college dropout, for example.
All I wanna do it sit with a sniper rifle and blow people's faces off, or fly. Or both. Give me those options and I'll be a happy camper.
Hardly the same thing, precedence plays a big part in the development of MMOs. Particularly where this guy is concerned, he tends to want nothing to do with playerbase input.
Not always a bad attitude.
This, often times player input is worthless, since players will whine about anything whether or not its good or not, and often times have no idea what would work in a game.
Indeed. There's also the fact that so much of player feedback is people asking for changes that would improve the game for them personally "right now", without thought or concern of how it would affect the game for everyone in the long term.
Comments
Hey you!!! Get my ass in beta please!!!
Philosophy of MMO Game Design
Derek. Oh, Derek. Are you still doing this on forums? My days in the sun of posting here have passed, but I'm going to say something anyway. And I want you to keep a few things in mind when I do. I'm absolutely not bashing you, and I have no interest in jumping on the hate bandwagon. I was there when the hate on you was still in fashion, which was over ten years ago, and it honestly seemed passe to me even then, much less now.
But I also remember reading these same conversations ten years ago, and they went the same way then that they do now. I'm going to respectfully submit that your engagement strategy could use a bit of adaptation.
Don't get me wrong. I get the niche game thing, honestly. I've been there, though on a smaller scale than you. I was literally in the amateur online game scene before most of these guys heard the term MMORPG (mostly because it didn't then exist), first as a player, then as an admin, and eventually as a designer. I remember having to look at games in their raw form. As a single example, while our players thought of the loot system as the shiny drop which popped out of the monster or the crafting system, I can still close my eyes and see the database with tens of thousands of values, most of which I had either created or edited in some way. I put in the million or so hours and sleepless nights a time or two. I dealt with the frustration of watching what I thought were my best designs get ignored while something else I created, which I thought would be a sideshow, became a big hit. So I know what it all starts to mean to a person, and while your games aren't my thing, I respect your efforts.
But most pertinently here, I dealt with the endless hate. The smaller you are in gaming, the closer your ear is to the crowd, and no matter how good or bad your work is, you always hear the most from the few people who have a lot of bad stuff to say about you. Anybody in the business who has dealt with small scale work, which is how most of them start out, have gone through that baptism of fire.
But we all learned to live with it. We all learned the hard lesson. The unfortunate reality is that while you must maintain _a_ conversation with both your current and prospective playerbase, direct online conversation with players is most certainly the fastest path to insanity for a game developer.
Please stop doing this to yourself. I'm saying this because I remember this type of drama from your perspective, and it's painful to watch you continue to do it year after year. Yes, I get that Derek Smart is your brand, for better or worse. Yes, I get that while you've earned the ire of some, you have a small fanbase which loves you and wants to hear your voice. But mixing it up here, or any large public forum, is not good for you. You need the exposure, but not like this. Do it on your own terms, please. I'm sure you can think of a better way.
I know, right? Are we the only ones that take note of that?
Anyway, this tanked when Derek Smart was brought up. Did you know he will actually, i'm not joking, come onto these and other forums to flame the crap out of you over stupid things? It's hilarious. Almost as hilarious as everything else you can learn just by googling.
For those willing to check it out anyway, more power to you! I hope it's awesome.
But "Santa"?
Indeed. There's also the fact that so much of player feedback is people asking for changes that would improve the game for them personally "right now", without thought or concern of how it would affect the game for everyone in the long term.