Thanks for talking to us, Paragon.

My brief time spent in another NCSoft-run MMO has really made me appreciate the level of communication the PStudios team has with its customers.

While I can't actually name the game (it rhymes with 'try on'), their most recent patch promised a Double XP server; by this, they meant that normal servers would be getting an XP nerf and never said anything. Now, on their forums, dev replies are far-between and vague and nothing is being done to quell the amount of players (and holy mother of pearl, it's a lot) leaving the game and telling their friends not to play.

This would never, ever happen at Paragon Studios. You guys have to be the most straightforward, eager-to-interact game developer team I've ever had the pleasure of giving my gaming money to, and that means you have a life customer in me. Heck, as I write this, Dink is in another thread upstaging every character artist ever by hearing someone say "this armor needs less ugly" and replying with "okay! "

You just don't see that in other games or other developers.

So thanks for talking to us, Paragon Studios. I think it may be something we all take for granted.

+1

Dink alone talks to the player more than the whole dev team of that recent galactic fanfiction disaster - or at least what's left of them

Plus, the TwitchTV broadcasts give us a live weekly Q&A with the devs, which I'm surprised more studios haven't tried doing, as it really helps to get the players involved - player summits with player chosen and designed cotume sets also help to set Paragon Studios apart.

Indeed. I may not always like or agree with what they do with the game, but it's definitely one of (if not THE) best MMO dev groups I've ever had experience with.

I never feel like the devs are talking down to people, which is a nice switch from a certain other MMO. Even if they can't actually make suggested changes, they aren't rude about it. And I do feel like they actually LISTEN to their players, as opposed to pretending like they do, and then only implimenting player-asked for things to pull their bacon out of the fire.

Quite right. It's one of the many reasons that I prefer this MMO experience over the others. Our Devs have put a great emphasis on listening to their customers on a more personal level than I've experienced otherwise. We won't get everything we want out of this game, but I feel that those folks crafting the experience do their best to give us as much as they can and aren't afraid to credit the source of ideas, stemming from our community.

Tbh not only is the community one of the reasons i'm still with this game 5/6 yrs on ... But the dev team is amazing lot one of the best i've eva meant ((online :P))

The devs and community mods are quite cool. And it's not just 'talking to the playerbase as a whole' that sets them apart. They talk to us as individuals as well (via Coffee Talks, Freedom Fridays, Twitter comments, Google+ hangouts, and the random PM).

Speaking of which... when's the next Pummit, Zwill?

Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite

I am constantly and consistently reminded why I love this game so much. And it is due, in large part, to the Developers and the rest of the community, being so darned nice and willing to lay their cards on the table and explain what is going on (unless it doesn't happen Soon™ enough for them to say).

Hawk and Synapse have been amazing in their back and forth with the community about power set development and implement reasonable suggestions, while also being able to weather the flames when an unpopular choice needs to be made.

Zwillinger, Hit Streak and the rest of the community team have been going above and beyond (see the implementation of the Tweet Code changes as just one example) to make as many folks happy as possible. And the Coffee Talks have gone a long way to give a face to much of the Development Team... and get a window on what is going on over there in Paragon Studios.

Don't even get me started on awesome folks like Dink...

I am sure I am forgetting a few, but there is no end to the awesome that can be found around these parts.

Aren't you thankful?

[Except, for real.]

I completely agree with what everyone is saying in this thread.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nalrok_AthZim While I can't actually name the game (it rhymes with 'try on'), their most recent patch promised a Double XP server; by this, they meant that normal servers would be getting an XP nerf and never said anything.

Wow, that is pretty sleazy..

I personally think that every single MMO studio that can manage it (i.e. All of them), should have a community management policy at least approaching what Paragon has. I honestly think it would not only improve game quality, but also improve the community. Think about it: What MMO has one of the nicest communities? City of Heroes. Which MMO has the most involved Community Managers? City of Heroes. I know correlation doesn't imply causation, but it does waggled its eyebrows suggestively and mouth "Hey, look over there!"

Paragon is great but it doesn't compare to the dev team of (rhymes with Sift). Paragon has great communication but it's actual ability to put out updates to the game is nearly 1/3rd the speed of "Sift's" and their ability to fix bugs in a timely fashion isn't even on the same planet. As far as within NCsoft though, Paragon is definitely on top. And yes, "Try on's" 3.1 update was a complete mess.

2 thoughts from this thread.
1. is that really how you guys pronounce that game, i always pronounced it like play-on.
2. yeah the communication is nice, and not to play favorites, but zwill has really been one of our most active community people in a long time. Time was you were far more likely to get babs or castle in a thread than the community person, now i liked babs and castle, so no tears there, but the coffee talks and high forum presence are noticeable and really make an 8 year old game feel alive and vibrant. the other recent event that I really liked was the nukes thing. hawk apparently put in the extra work to push up a feature that the community was hopeful for. he didnt have to, we were already told the schedule, and expectations were managed, but he raised the bar and exceeded those expectations, and it was appreciated, and i barely even play blasters. he made soon tm SOONER tm. And honestly, how can you not like ww?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Samuel_Tow *snerk* Oh, God, that's just so special I can't tell if it's the height of brilliance or the depth of stupidity ---

It is strikingly Machiavellian, my inner slytherin applaudes

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