Discussion: Ten Ton Hammer Q&A With Matt Miller
By
all_hell,
Posted on: 2011-01-11 13:04 in News, Events and Announcement Discussion
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I'd like to see that number as well. |
Originally Posted by Le Blanc
I disagree. On the BOARDS, perhaps, but not the actual player base. I would have liked to have seen a # like this...
Active (3-4X a week in game) players total = ??? % of Active Players who use the CoX Boards (3-4X a week) = %??? Thats a number I would like to see. MANY people here have speculated that it is QUITE less than a 3rd. |
Despite how much people complain about this feature or that feature, it all boils down to the resources.
I'm sure that if enough well placed resources were implemented -no the game would not be perfect- but it would be damn closer than any other game.
That's the potential I see.
Ignoring anyone is a mistake. You might miss something viral to your cause.
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I might be wrong about this, but I think that the actual in game playerbase would be a heck of a lot more polite than the seasoned gamers on the forums.|
Originally Posted by Silver Gale
If you ask the playerbase "what was the biggest failure in CoH?" the answer you'll get is "ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING EVER".
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Honest, AND polite.
Myself included for that.
Ignoring anyone is a mistake. You might miss something viral to your cause.
I noticed that ruining and then not touching PvP for several years was not listed as a failure. Nor was the fact that the red side of the game STILL only has about 25% of the content/maps that the blueside has. Don't bother listing side switching as additional content either since that is simply a cop out. Didn't even mention that failing to add almost anything after the inception of bases was a failure.
Good thing he didn't list those three things too, that might actually make the game look bad.
Good interview. Nice positioning but doesn't tell us a huge amount about the future of the game.
Thelonious Monk
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The thing is, if you ask "the playerbase", then for every thing that was ever added to the game, there will be at least *one* person who thinks it is the worst ever.|
Originally Posted by MrHassenpheffer
I might be wrong about this, but I think that the actual in game playerbase would be a heck of a lot more polite than the seasoned gamers on the forums.
Honest, AND polite. Myself included for that. |
Or you'd find the majority says that "ED was the worst idea ever", because it was a highly visible change that affected everybody and required pretty much every character ever to change their slotting. But would any of the devs agree? No, because ED narrows down the gap between the best builds and the middle of the road ones, even accounting for Inventions and purples, making it much easier to balance the game.
Sure, you can ask the playerbase to see which feature was the most or least *popular*, but success is defined not only by "how many people like the feature". There's also "did we achieve the expected result", "how did this impact the health of the game" and "how much time and effort did we spend compared to the result". To gauge any of those things, you require knowledge that only a dev of the game has.
Character index
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None of which is a bad thing until you get to this "To gauge any of those things, you require knowledge that only a dev of the game has"|
Originally Posted by Silver Gale
The thing is, if you ask "the playerbase", then for every thing that was ever added to the game, there will be at least *one* person who thinks it is the worst ever.
Or you'd find the majority says that "ED was the worst idea ever", because it was a highly visible change that affected everybody and required pretty much every character ever to change their slotting. But would any of the devs agree? No, because ED narrows down the gap between the best builds and the middle of the road ones, even accounting for Inventions and purples, making it much easier to balance the game. Sure, you can ask the playerbase to see which feature was the most or least *popular*, but success is defined not only by "how many people like the feature". There's also "did we achieve the expected result", "how did this impact the health of the game" and "how much time and effort did we spend compared to the result". To gauge any of those things, you require knowledge that only a dev of the game has. |
We aren't talking about what the devs gauge.
We are talking about what the players gauge.
The players are the ones that keep things going...right?
So... that non tailored feedback, good or bad, is what would be important on defining success and failure... it would point to the "hey we need more resources...nao..."
Please keep in mind, I'm not faulting the devs for -any- failure.
They are too awesome for that!
I'm faulting the parent company for not allocating enough resources and keeping devs well fed and better equipped, because I really want to say "I guarantee you" that if this game had the resources it DESERVED... there would be a-LOT less disappointment when gaining feedback.
Any kind of "Failure" can easily be linked to "Not enough resources"
Bank on that.
Seriously... If I were a millionaire, I would soooo make sure that this game would have everything it needs, well fed devs included, because it deserves nothing short of the very best.
It does.
Ignoring anyone is a mistake. You might miss something viral to your cause.
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And players don't have as much information as devs. A player doesn't know what a feature was supposed to accomplish, unless a dev happens to mention the process. A player doesn't know how the idea was developed from first concept to implementation, what approaches were considered, how much it cost to implement - again, unless a dev mentions it. A player only knows how much they themselves play, and how much their friends play, and has a vague idea of how many people are playing at the times they are on, on the server they're on. Devs have access to much more in-depth player stats, including how often specific content is played. |
Originally Posted by MrHassenpheffer
None of which is a bad thing until you get to this "To gauge any of those things, you require knowledge that only a dev of the game has"
We aren't talking about what the devs gauge. We are talking about what the players gauge. |
Bottom line: players have less data to go on.
Your original point was "if you want to know what failed, don't ask the Devs, ask the playerbase", but I maintain that all you can know from the playerbase is what they *don't like*, not what *failed*, and that's not the same thing.
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You are deliberately missing the point.
That's fine and expected.
My "point" won't miss its intended audience, and that's all that matters...
Ignoring anyone is a mistake. You might miss something viral to your cause.
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...okay?
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Originally Posted by MrHassenpheffer
You are deliberately missing the point.
That's fine and expected. |
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yep!
Ignoring anyone is a mistake. You might miss something viral to your cause.
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True, but that's basically how the article was billed. I was expecting that from our webpage's preview. I was rather surprised those statistics were in there, and found them the most interesting part of the article (as well as what happened to the idea of a Nemesis system... which I'd still rather like to see, even if I kind of did what Posi said in the MA mission in my sig).|
Originally Posted by Scarlet Shocker
Good interview. Nice positioning but doesn't tell us a huge amount about the future of the game.
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Anyway, everyone is going to have their favorite and least favorite things about the game, the articles shows what Posi thinks for himself. I'd be hard pressed to name a favorite one, though I would say I9 and IOs, as well as I19 and the Incarnate stuff have the best implementation and give the most legs to the game. Other things are up there, especially a lot of my favorite content. I actually like MA, but its implementation is still iffy and could use time and improving.
If anything, Posi's nod to Gladiators is a nod to the whole PvP system... they just haven't been able to devote the resources they need to make it work, and there's a decent argument to be made that devoting those resources might not be the best idea. Still, I'd like to see that and MA fixed the most right now, as those are the most "sore" spots of the game. Incarnate stuff needs work, obviously, but it's started on a very good track.
Guide: Tanking, Wall of Fire Style (Updated for I19!), and the Four Rules of Tanking
Story Arc: Belated Justice, #88003
Synopsis: Explore the fine line between justice and vengeance as you help a hero of Talos Island bring his friend's murderer to justice.
Grey Pilgrim: Fire/Fire Tanker (50), Victory
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I think he's meaning he's typing to himself.
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Originally Posted by Silver Gale
...okay?
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Knowing How To Conduct a Interview basics...|
Originally Posted by GMan3
I noticed that ruining and then not touching PvP for several years was not listed as a failure. Nor was the fact that the red side of the game STILL only has about 25% of the content/maps that the blueside has. Don't bother listing side switching as additional content either since that is simply a cop out. Didn't even mention that failing to add almost anything after the inception of bases was a failure.
Good thing he didn't list those three things too, that might actually make the game look bad. |
The bad stuff comes to be said AFTER you leave the game. Not many are going to willingly give their product bad press while they are still working for the company...
Also, PvP isn't considered a real failure since you know...there are still PvP Leagues/Kickball held on Freedom and Champion. Even though there are no where near as many PvPers as there were before i13, there has been virtually nothing to do with Gladiators after you got the two arena badges for it and it's even less competitive than actual PvP...
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Most times not even after...if they intend to get other work in the industry. You don't want future employers to know that you're willing to bad mouth their products if you leave the company.|
Originally Posted by Mr. DJ
The bad stuff comes to be said AFTER you leave the game. Not many are going to willingly give their product bad press while they are still working for the company...
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The interview seems like your typical large wall of (marketing) text.
PVP in this game has always been driven by fun, not by rewards. It honestly wouldn't take that many resources to fix PVP...simply revert many of the PVP changes, and watch the players come back.
Base raids might be harder to tackle, but I am not too familiar as to why that is so complicated it hasn't been addressed by now.
If they are able to polish up the 1-50 content in small pieces while working on the Incarnate content, that would be very good to satisfy those that like the Incarnate system, and those with alt-itis.
The Gladiator sysetm was your biggest dissapointment?
I liked the system. We had fun with it. It's problem was one of balance. Basically all you had to do was bring 3 CoT Arch Mages and you either win or stalemate everytime.
I wondered why this system was never fixed or mentioned. It was fun.
Arch Mages and Shivans 
You got fleas?
Ignoring anyone is a mistake. You might miss something viral to your cause.