Development Cycle Archive
Thread: Crafting Experimentation Changes... resolution.
Why did we find out what the changes would mean so close to release? Think of all the people who wouldn't have threatened to quit if this were resolved sooner. Yes- that is the ONLY reason we got our way folks. It wasnt the feedback- It was the direct threat to SOE's bank account.
This was a bitter-sweet victory folks. Sorry to seem so pissy, but it was clear from the beginning we didnt want this. It had to get ugly before action was taken.
I just felt I needed to add my own thanks to the many you've already seen here.
Whether keeping the status quo is good, or putting the change in would have been better, no one can tell at this stage.
But the fact that you listened to your customers overshadows any other concern we each have had - and debated - over this whole issue. And because of that, you've made all of us very happy.
Thanks again, and keep up the great work, Devs. 
ShizNetWars wrote:
Thanks so much for taking the customers' suggestions to heart. As a new master armorsmith, I did not find it difficult to compete with the long time masters. As soon as I acquired the resources, I could make armor just as good as them, and sell for less whilst still making a profit. Even if someone had NO vendor, the trade forum alone will sell your product.
Translation:
Why should I have to work for three months to figure the secrets of of good armor making out? Hand to me please, on a silver platter preferably.
I do not doubt that you genuinely wanted to make the game better and, quite possibly, if crafting had been this way on Day One the game would be better.
BUT:
Here's the dynamic. Any player who's half decent can max out a character in a few weeks. After that - no growth, no advancement, no improvement, total stasis.
In such environment, you can't nerf people. You really, really, can't nerf people. If you tell people that, after 6 months playing the game, they will be LESS capable than they were after 6 weeks... well, they'll hate your guts.
You should reflect on this as you work on rebalancing combat. I'm already very disheartened at the decrease in my own capabilities as a Commando-**edit**-flamethrower + Master CH. I've done a few Holocrons, and now I'm about to start working on Rifle. But, frankly, I'm hard pressed to care; by the time I master it you'll just nerf me into oblivion, the same as you've nerfed everything I've ever done and, while in the end you may 'balance' me, I'll NEVER be as good as I was 6 weeks ago, and never even CLOSE to as good as I was 3 months ago.
This entirely reverses the dynamic of MMORPG, in which players work long-term to build up their characters, to become more powerful and more capable over time. Who, in their right mind, wants to go through all this effort when every month they become more feeble? The answer is, nobody, and you'll alienate the entire player base if you don't change the trajectory from 'ever downward' to 'ever upward.'
If you had given something in exchange for what you took this probably would have worked; if the changes allowed crafters to get better at what they did instead of worse, people would have loved this. NOBODY likes nerfs, and you'll be better off coming up with new challenges and giving the weaklings some love rather than nerfing absolutely everyone and never letting them even come close to where they used to be.
Drakforge wrote:
Bah also take note that those that read the forum are less then 10% of the whole game. I think this change would have been good. Extreamly upset that this change didnt go thru because a few people said no.. the CH change went thru even witht he whole community in an up roar.. I hope this desicion isnt final and the change is left in game (even if it means something takes priority over the hotfix and it takes a few months to get it removed ..hint hint.)
Yes, the CH changes went through even though the community was in an uproar. They completely destroyed CH as a profession in the process. CH is pretty much useless except perhaps as something to dabble in.
JustG wrote:
End of the story first.
We are going to revert the Experimentation changes. They are baked into P7, which goes out tomorrow morning, but we will take them out with a hotfix Wednesday morning.
I would like to take you through the process so you have a little behind-the-scenes insight into how this has come about.
....... This post went to the coorespondents at the beginning of last week. After tweaking it with their feedback, it went out to the players on Friday......
Thanks for the professional responses to this issue.
Best,
- g
shouldnt you appologize for censoring the correspondents? you cant ask for their feedback and then censor them, its not good policy and it show the incredible amount of class lacking with the entire SOE community.
thank you for FINALLY getting the word that players dont want these changes, if you want to decrease player power in the game you should not go about it by nerfing crafters and making beta changes to a system we have grown to enjoy and become comfortable with.
and none of the cop out excuses, "we never expected players to get this good at crafting and make things this good", you knew it would be done, you ballanced the equipment with ideal resources. dont know if any dev ever said this but it was commonly stated in all our protest threads.
thanks for listening to us after weeks of driving the prices up with nerf threatening.
On behalf of myself and my armorsmith friends, I thank you. I will cancel my retirement party. I hope the devs find a way to make a better economy in the long run, as long as it does not kill the game.
Thank you Thank you for listening
Thai
A couple of weeks ago,we called a meeting because there was concern about the way this change would be seen by a majority of our players.