Droid Engineer Archive
Thread: Poll: New DE Focus Threads(tm) Should I even bother?
Fellow "sub-optimal" DEs,
Some of you may have noted that I started some fairly well-received DE Focus Threads(tm).
I had listed a group of about 5 or 6 (#3 and higher) that have yet to be posted.
A large part of this was due to the fact that it all seemed for naught. Now, however, we are getting (supposedly) to a point where we WILL get attention and/or communication.
My poll to the DEs is...
Should I pick them back up again?
Let me state that the ONLY way I will continue to do the threads over time is if the DE Correspondent and/or some red named Devs show up on the threads to help make them valid and useful.
If I'm just gonna blow hot air and it's all for nothing, I'm not even going to start.
Let me know soon so that I can start on #3 and #4 (and a new 'surprise' Focus Thread.) 
/bow
Respectfully,
Ackis,
It doesn't hurt YOU....you're not the one that has to write them. 
I am more interested as to whether any DEs care enough to try to get the Devs to see that we do try to communicate a ton of constructive ideas. However, if they don't engage us (in addition to the role our correspondent will play), I really really fear for the changes they have in mind.
In my experience with this dev team, it won't be very hard for them to mis-implement these changes, especially if they aren't actively engaging us in what's best for the future of the profession.
(note: and....sorry, a single correspondent, no matter how good, just can't get it done.)
/bow
Respectfully,
If you looked at the Announcement and the In Development about the changes to the forums, it appears that they ARE attempting to improve communication between the player base and the devs.
The point I want to try to make, as soon as they put up that thread for forums changes, is the same problem we has with 'The Plan' after Sintrosi handed down what they gave him.
Communication needs to be a continual two way street, not intermittant or not at all.
After we were given that plan with vague wording on some of the items, we asked for clarification and received nothing in response to our questions.
Eventually TH started answering all our questions with one of his own - "Well what do you think?"
Meaning, how do you think it should be done.
NO!
While that approach may give them ideas to work with, we were asked what we thought of THEIR plan, not to come up with OUR OWN plan.
As a result, most discussion did not have much direction since we were all making our own assumptions about what the devs ment.
If you want focus and direction at that stage - when a plan has already been produced - TELL US WHAT YOU MEAN, then let us give you feedback on what we think of it.
We're past the point of writing the plan, so don't ask us how we would do it. We're at the point of modifying the plan, so provide us with enough information to intelligently discuss what we were given.
The announcement of the forum changes stated that In Process would be blue-sky brainstorming, and In Development would be the point at which the design doc has been written and we would help polish it to the final result.
If you'll notice, both the forum changes AND the droid invasion were both listed as In Development.
That means THEY'VE ALREADY DECIDED WHAT THEY'RE GOING TO DO.
We're just being asked to help polish.
So regardless of what we kept telling them over and over and over again, they're going to do it anyway.
But now they're asking us to help finalize what we asked them NOT to do.
OK.........
I'm just waiting till they post the droid thread to see what they say there. It appears that communication also seems to be an issue within the organization as well as without the organization. I can understand that when people are writing about things they don't really understand the nuances of. It's just not an ideal method of trying to communicate information - too many problems.
We're just being asked to help polish."
- - - - -
For sake of discussion, let's assume you're right on this. It's that "Polish" that I'm at least trying to discuss in my other thread about Combat Droids. We have a pretty good idea that part of their plan is to give current combat chassis combat capabilities, even though many folks don't want proton launching R2's.
What I'm trying to get at here without going too far off topic is that we need to try to get that polish going, and in a direction we, the Droid Engineers of this game, want! Is it unavoidable that MSE droids might turn into roving bombs? Perhaps... but we can still try to urge the Dev's not to make perfectly idiotic decisions within their plan (like 3PO with a rocket launcher).
Focus threads are good.Keep 'em going. Discussion threads are good, even if it appears that SOE has already made a decision on something. Perhaps we can at least help to modify their decision.
Sinnare wrote:
Reality, you will get what they give, at that point you decide if its worth it. Personally it worrys me that our correspondant that was in the know of upcoming changes quit the game
So far as I understand it, the two things (changes coming and Sintrosi quitting) had nothing to do with each other, though I am sure that his frustration of poor to zero communication with SOE did have more than a little to do with it.
I started a thread in the main SWG discussion forum (http://forums.station.sony.com/swg/board/message?board.id=Development&message.id=1006477) to address the more general topic of them communicating back with us AFTER we communicate with them. While I doubt it will draw the attention of a red-name, it at least makes clear our generalized frustration of them not listening to any of our feedback--regardless of whether it was on what they presented to us or their request for us to provide them with data. We shall see where it goes from there, but "in one eyeball and out the other" is the front runner so far.
TheRealTK421 wrote:
If only they ACTUALLY listen (instead of trying to code from some kind of ego-induced ivory tower).
Sad to say that I have actually never fully read your focus threads. Feel rather shamed by that.
But I know the burnout you're feeling. It's in your text.I can see it in your writings on here and in the way you have been acting. I say stop the focus threads. The more you write the more it'll only push you further to wanting out of this profession. And now is not a good time to want to be out of this profession.
To compensate for this, I might as well reveal a few things now as well. First, I'm going to be writing a new droid engineer guide as soon as the new droids and updates come out. I'd much appreciate it if you'd concider coming over and writing a chapter or two with me. We have a bit of time before the new updates are out, so it should get you out of the burnout phase you're currently in (and that I went through a couple months ago).
Second, there will be a new correspondant soon, one way or another. Will give up more information regarding that matteras soon as I can, but a few last things need to be done first.
Lastly, I think that "Thighs" is a great word that should be said as often as possible. It just relieves stress whenever it appears