Smuggler Archive
Thread: Tuesday Tip
TashunkaSapa wrote:
Warryyr wrote:
It's called proprietary knowledge, and it's what keeps a business ahead of the competition. Sure, some bits and pieces *might* get devulged, but in general businesses competing with other businesses don't want to give out all of their secrets - or a competitor might say, dang we need to steal their thunder - we need something BIGGER and BETTER!
Instead, the competition says, oh dang - they just did this, we need to step up!
Pardon me for observing this, but who, exactly, is the competition? Is there another Star Wars MMO out there that I haven't heard about? Perhaps I should be playing that one...
If you're talking about other MMOs in general, we have prima facie evidence that SOE's current method of community relations is helping the competition - every player who quits in disgust after being lied to and kept in the dark is spending their money on someone else's game.
How can you be lied to, AND kept in the dark?
And yes, I was talking about MMORPG's - the stats show that new players are rarely added to the mix, rather there is a playerbase that each is trying to attract.
The last thing SWG needs to do is let someone else get a chance to best them with their future plans. That's just giving customers away.
There are myriad reasons for people leaving SWG. Not just for being lied to, or for being kept in the dark. Sometimes they don't even play another game. It's hard to make broad statements like SWG's current communication method is causing so many people to leave, without actually seeing the exit surveys.
MorpheusArgus wrote:
Say they do have a revamp for smuggler cooking. It's all coded and everything and they tell you 3 months in advance. Well a huge bug comes up and they can't push it out and everyone jumps on them saying "OMG YOU PROMISED THE REVAMP STOP SCREWING SMUGGLERS". They give in cause everyone is screaming at them and the huge bug gets published! Well now we have everyone yelling "HOW COULD YOU PUSH THIS REVAMP WITH THIS BIG YOU GUYS SUCK"
It's not SOE's fault for not telling us anything. It's the playerbase for yelling at them for everything they do. Good or bad.
Say they do have a revamp for Smuggler cooking. It's all coded and everything and they tell us 3 months in advance. Well, a huge bug comes up and they can't push it out and someone like Blixtev or JFreeman explains in an easy-to-understand manner (as they did with some other recent issues) what exactly is wrong and says that they're working on it for the next publish or the one after. No one screams, no one yells, and everything's ok.
Message Edited by riotcontrol on 08-10-2005 11:24 PM
MorpheusArgus wrote:
Say they do have a revamp for smuggler cooking. It's all coded and everything and they tell you 3 months in advance. Well a huge bug comes up and they can't push it out and everyone jumps on them saying "OMG YOU PROMISED THE REVAMP STOP SCREWING SMUGGLERS". They give in cause everyone is screaming at them and the huge bug gets published! Well now we have everyone yelling "HOW COULD YOU PUSH THIS REVAMP WITH THIS BIG YOU GUYS SUCK"
It's not SOE's fault for not telling us anything. It's the playerbase for yelling at them for everything they do. Good or bad.
AN yet, it would kill them to say, say we found this BIG BUG. and it is gonna be delayed. roughly a month. and explain the problem the bug is causing would be so hard to do ? say like um think was blix who did something similar and people practically drooled on him with praise for stating a fix was delayed and the reason why?
whats wrong with that? instead of hey revamp in 3 months.... 2 years later......... going to three..... oh and inbetween.. well we have something coming but cant tell you.cuz its like secret. or something like 6 months into it .. we have balance coming.. 6 months later not a balance a revamp .. 6 months later no wait its an UPGRADE!...
Then its NOT WHAT YOU WANT, BUT WHAT WILL SPEED THE GAME UP WOOHOO! ! !.
Yeah the second way is soooooooooo much better
Oh and BTW. im still waiting on the 'faster' aspect of this upgrade.
Message Edited by Wolveryne40 on 08-10-2005 04:25 PM
Warryyr wrote:
How can you be lied to, AND kept in the dark?
Because only the truth can illuminate what's really going on - and they seem incredibly reluctant to share that.
They're already giving customers away by alienating them. Take a look for yourself at all the people who have clearly announced their reasons for departure. Are you honestly trying to defend that their current attitude of "reveal nothing" is building customer loyalty?
The last thing SWG needs to do is let someone else get a chance to best them with their future plans. That's just giving customers away.
There are myriad reasons for people leaving SWG. Not just for being lied to, or for being kept in the dark. Sometimes they don't even play another game. It's hard to make broad statements like SWG's current communication method is causing so many people to leave, without actually seeing the exit surveys.
Shaan'ti Hokai (Kauri) 
MorpheusArgus wrote:
Say they do have a revamp for smuggler cooking. It's all coded and everything and they tell you 3 months in advance. Well a huge bug comes up and they can't push it out and everyone jumps on them saying "OMG YOU PROMISED THE REVAMP STOP SCREWING SMUGGLERS". They give in cause everyone is screaming at them and the huge bug gets published! Well now we have everyone yelling "HOW COULD YOU PUSH THIS REVAMP WITH THIS BIG YOU GUYS SUCK"
It's not SOE's fault for not telling us anything. It's the playerbase for yelling at them for everything they do. Good or bad.
Might be applicable to other Professions
But not to Smugglers - cause we have been there 4 times by now.
If it where a bug and they push it out a patch - noone would complain anymore than now - but in complaining we would have hope -of which we have none right now.
It is SOE fault - there are ways to communicate INformation, even if it is not set in stone.
And there are ways to enrage the players more than they have to - and until the Tuesday tip i thought i had seen them all. I was wrong and now i am waiting for the next thing.
So all together now:
One of the Most visible Profession in STAR WARS? Smuggler - existence in SWG? by name only
Not right. Period.
We have the right to all the yelling we can give them.
Magnum
TashunkaSapa wrote:
Warryyr wrote:
It's called proprietary knowledge, and it's what keeps a business ahead of the competition. Sure, some bits and pieces *might* get devulged, but in general businesses competing with other businesses don't want to give out all of their secrets - or a competitor might say, dang we need to steal their thunder - we need something BIGGER and BETTER!
Instead, the competition says, oh dang - they just did this, we need to step up!
Pardon me for observing this, but who, exactly, is the competition? Is there another Star Wars MMO out there that I haven't heard about? Perhaps I should be playing that one...
If you're talking about other MMOs in general, we have prima facie evidence that SOE's current method of community relations is helping the competition - every player who quits in disgust after being lied to and kept in the dark is spending their money on someone else's game.
Message Edited by Almightyrastus on 08-10-2005 10:37 PM
Tiggs wrote:Hello Folks,
I just wanted to comment on the Tuesday Tip that was posted yesterday. In no way was the tip meant as a slap in the face or to take shots at our Smuggler community. Tuesday tips are scheduled ahead of time and posted each week. If anyone was offended by the tip I apologize however our intentions were not malicious.
That's great, Tiggs... Where's TH's apology? You shouldn't be expected to take the heat for TH's thoughtlessness/carelessness.
There are SO many things wrong with the "Tuesday Tip": The aforementioned "Slap in the face" to the community when we're already down and our senior members are leaving in droves. - Using a player's macro without even notifying them. - Giving a tip that is so obviously an "in" joke specifically for the smuggler community to the rest of the community at large.
Do I think TH meant an intentional slight? No, of course not. Do I think TH was careless and didn't "think before speaking"? Yup.
Personally, the content of the TT doesn't really bother me. It's a cute joke that's been alive in our community nearly as long as the game's been live. (If not longer). TH's blatent disregard of how his post would be viewed by the smuggler community (and the reaction he's gotten should've been EASILY predictable on his part) is what upsets me.
I'm even more concerned by the fact it seems TH asked you to apologize for him. Not your mistake, not your job.
TashunkaSapa wrote:
Warryyr wrote:
How can you be lied to, AND kept in the dark?
Because only the truth can illuminate what's really going on - and they seem incredibly reluctant to share that.
They're already giving customers away by alienating them. Take a look for yourself at all the people who have clearly announced their reasons for departure. Are you honestly trying to defend that their current attitude of "reveal nothing" is building customer loyalty?
The last thing SWG needs to do is let someone else get a chance to best them with their future plans. That's just giving customers away.There are myriad reasons for people leaving SWG. Not just for being lied to, or for being kept in the dark. Sometimes they don't even play another game. It's hard to make broad statements like SWG's current communication method is causing so many people to leave, without actually seeing the exit surveys.
I'll just let you speak for me, you are doing a hell of a job lol.
Tash is right.
one more thing, exactly who again? has a star wars MMO that sony has to worry about being BESTED at? is some orc getting a lightsaber soon? no one knows about light sabers but us? What exactly would be that reason to HIDE the secret from another company who doesnt have a license to produce a star wars mmo?
Your reasoning doesn't make any sense.
.. it didn't do much for anyone's street cred (especially now I could receive the hand shake from an imposter! ), but it's hopefully something everyone can get over soon and concentrate on the important issues at hand.
TashunkaSapa wrote:
Tiggs wrote:
Direction of games change every day due to various reasons. That is why there is nothing definite being posted until it is almost out on Test Center.
Game design requires planning - and the problem seems to be, you guys don't even have a plan. The problem isn't that the "direction" changes every day, the problem is that the company line changes every day.
We make a committment to you each month, it's not unreasonable to expect one in return. Show us that you care about your customers, decide what you need to do to satisfy them, tell us what you've got planned and then MAKE IT HAPPEN.
Stop making excuses and start making progress.
You have to understand that they are not only constrained by what the bosses at SOE says they can do, they are also under a gag order of sorts from Lucas Arts, big George himself.
I would imagine that it goes something like this:
1) Brainstorming by devs/content developers
2) Meeting within SOE (i.e. - is this doable?)
3) The idea is tossed to LA for approval
4) Waiting game
5) Approval (or not) from LA - if yes, continue to step 6. If no, then back to step 1
6) Idea is refined
7) The refined idea is tossed BACK to LA for approval
8) Approval (or not) from LA - if yes, continue to step 9. If no, then back to step 6
9) "Idea" is posted to forums as "In Concept", if approved to release it. If not, more time is wasted waiting on LA to approve its release
10) While players are posting feedback, "Idea" is further refined
11) "Idea" is pitched BACK to LA for final approval
12) If approved then "Idea" is put on some variation of TC
13) 50 percent of the players praise / 50 percent of the players hate it
14) For the next couple months, 50 bugs that were introduced by said "Idea" are fixed/attempted to be fixed
Tiggs wrote:
We have many un-announced plans that one day soon will be public knowledge. Until we receive the go-ahead nothing will be said, sorry.
Message Edited by ner0sputnik on 08-10-2005 02:44 PM