By a lot you mean...

[Dark-Star]

Ran across this from the beginning of April:


Hello! My name is Fernando Paiz, Executive Producer for DDO. I am pleased to be able to present to you the preview release notes for Module 9! Although you will continue to see a lot of Kate, I thought this was a fitting occasion to write a letter to players and re-introduce myself to the DDO community.

By a lot he means... once? I don't recall seeing a lot of her prior to this post, and in the last two months has she shown herself other than in that non-informative interview?

She hasn't been out promoting the game as she promised as far as I can tell. The year's almost half gone, where's the support for the game from you all?

[Ellistran]

Feels like they are just gonna cancel DDO and suck up as much of our money as they can. Why else would they say nothing on the subject unless its really bad news or they know the changes they are gonna make will cause everyone who is left in this game to leave.

[Shal]

Why else would they say nothing on the subject?could be because every time they say anything, its brought here to the boards and used in a way it wasnt intended to be used to bash the game and its developers to the point that it cripples growth and drives the senior users away.

just a thought. im sure that the tireless and relentless bashing of the game and its staff is doing more good than it is harm. :rolleyes:

[Stamp3de]

They're probably waiting for E3, June 1st.

[Kylstrem]

could be because every time they say anything, its brought here to the boards and used in a way it wasnt intended to be used to bash the game and its developers to the point that it cripples growth and drives the senior users away.

just a thought. im sure that the tireless and relentless bashing of the game and its staff is doing more good than it is harm. :rolleyes:


Most of the bashing recently has been on lack of communication with the player base from the producers.

So, they have the power to stop it.

Unfortunately, they (higher-ups) don't seem to be doing anything to help out.

Cases in point:

1) Fernando says we'll see a lot of Kate.... We haven't yet.
2) Kate does an interview and all her answers are either non-answers, evasions, or answers that seem to indicate that they are backtracking on promises made in that past. The interview is discussed here in length, but the things that seem to have angered most of the people are not cleared up or addressed by Kate in any manner (we can understand her not being completely prepared for the interview or being caught without a pat answer during the interview... just come here and let us know what you really meant to say).
3) If they are waiting for E3... freakin' tell us that. Say "Hey, we have major industry conference coming up where we will answer many of the questions you are asking?"

Since they aren't doing that, that either means:
1) they don't know if they will be able to answer those questions at E3
2) They know they won't answer those questions at E3
3) They don't want to say that because it puts a hard date on it and people will just cancel their accounts and wait until then and they'd rather string us along hoping we keep our accounts active.

In any case... I'm still having fun with the game. And am not likely to cancel my account soon. Still have guildies to play with... hopefully Turbine can get their act together SOON (and I mean Soon as most people define it, and not how Turbine defined it in January or February) so the game will survive since I know me and my guildies won't keep it alive by ourselves.

[eonfreon]

could be because every time they say anything, its brought here to the boards and used in a way it wasnt intended to be used to bash the game and its developers to the point that it cripples growth and drives the senior users away.

just a thought. im sure that the tireless and relentless bashing of the game and its staff is doing more good than it is harm. :rolleyes:

I find it very hard to believe that negative feedback can "cripple growth and drive senior users away".
Especially if it's unfounded or hysterical negative feedback.
For the most part others will quickly see rants for what they are.
Now if the negative feedback is pretty much right on, for whatever reason, and THAT cripples growth somehow, then perhaps it should until the subject of the negative feedback is dealt with.

Personally I still love DDO.
I played for awhile before I ever came to these boards.
Normally I come here to look up specific things and while doing that other posts catch my eye, positive or negative.
I guess I'm almost a "senior" user, been here since Dec 06, and I'm perfectly capable of seeing negative and positive comments and able to make up my own mind.
ANd I seperate what's going on on the Forum with what's going on in the game.

Perhaps negative feedback will drive away a prospective new customer who comes to the Forums to check out the "community" and rules before trying the game themselves.

But seeing as there's a Free Trial available (it's still available right? that's how I convinced 2 friends of mine to try DDo and they still enjoy it) anyone who might have some reservations about the game due to negative Forum comments will still most likely try it out anyway, if they were so inclined to begin with.
If it cost money to even try the game, I could see a problem, but it's free (if it's working) t try so I figure most people will still prefer to try something for themselves rather than take Forum-goers word for it.
Especially since for every negative comment there's someone willing to step up and make a positive comment.

Common negative post:
My abilities/gear were nerfed. This game is no longer fun. DooooOOOoooommm.

Common positive post:
Your abilities/gear were unbalanced. If you're a good player you'll overcome. The game's still fun to me.

Common unhelpful defensive post:
U a Noob!!! Turbine took away your easy button. Want some cheese for that wine. Turbine doesn't owe u anything. Reroll or leave!!!

I think most people reading those things will mostly take it all with a grain of salt, and try the game if they are so inclined.

I mean are there really many people "on the fence" about playing a video game which will make their decision based upon the comments made in a Forum?

And losing potentail customers is the only way I can see negative comments having an affect on "growth".
I doubt a developer becomes so distraught over what's written about some quest or ability that he created that he can no longer function and loses his will to develop the game further.

But I suppose it can happen ;).

[Shal]

I find it very hard to believe that negative feedback can "cripple growth and drive senior users away".are you implying that the negative feedback is helping grow the playerbase and encouraging senior users to stay, or are you saying that it has no effect whatsoever when somebody researching the game posts this in the newbie forums ...


and I had a couple questions...

First of all, is the game noob friendly? Now, I should clarify. Are there people at lower levels willing to help newer people out? Quest with? Etc. And, obviously, are people friendly?

Additionally, is there any particular populated server that is better for newer players? I'd like to roll on a server that isn't deserted, if I plan to play for a while.

Finally, are there any particular suggestions if I wanted to play a rogue char (til drow) then a rogue and a sorc both?

I know these questions are a bit brief and vague...but, I have a DND bug going on something fierce, and am considering giving DDO a real chance finally, after all these years of ignoring it.and its answered with something like this ...


DONT.. RUN AWAY... this games goin downhill... the devs are useless... new content is all but unheard of any more... this game will be dead within the year... dont waste your timegranted, this particular thread has over ninty other posts in it, mostly useful and helpful to the original poster, but you cant honestly say that this has no negative effect or is not in any way a deterent. the fact is, people do research this game by coming to the forums. they research the game by taking the free ten day trial before they fork over hard earned cash to purchase a subscription to see how the game works and to analize, among other things, the player base. part of that analization comes from participation in the forums here, where hundreds, if not thousands of "researchers" have participated in the newbie forums and have have the chance to browse other forums on the site where it seems to me ... its nothing more than a bash fest on ddo. hell ... ive been playing for a few months now, and it scares me. if i read the gen discussion forum, i get the imjpression that ddo will not support future development, they wont acknowledge the playerbase, they wont advertise, when pr does finally and rarely speak to the playerbase ... its nothing more than blowing smoke up the users ass so that theyll keep spending money on the game until they shut it down sometime in the middle of next year, and the general mechanics of the game are so messed up that you cant hardly even play the game.

why anybody would want to spend money on something like that, is beyond me.

[bandyman1]

I've said it before, and I'll say it again;

Turbine wants a happy, happy, joy, joy forum full of butterflies, rainbows, and sunshine to bring in newer players????


Turbine should address some of the incredible levels of frustrations being experienced ( in the main ) by those who's $ have kept this little ship afloat for the last three years, instead of giving us the ole mushroom treatment.

Hard to give a **** about the effects of our rants on potential players, when we are watching our friends ( the number one reason most of us are still here; Because it **** sure isn't the year-old content we're running ) getting fed-up with this **** and leaving in droves.

Food for thought.

[Gum]

Feels like they are just gonna cancel DDO and suck up as much of our money as they can. Why else would they say nothing on the subject unless its really bad news or they know the changes they are gonna make will cause everyone who is left in this game to leave.

I agree. It's sad isn't it?

[Gum]

They're probably waiting for E3, June 1st.

Maybe so. Would be nice to know eh?

[ArkoHighStar]

Most of the bashing recently has been on lack of communication with the player base from the producers.

So, they have the power to stop it.

Unfortunately, they (higher-ups) don't seem to be doing anything to help out.

Cases in point:

1) Fernando says we'll see a lot of Kate.... We haven't yet.
2) Kate does an interview and all her answers are either non-answers, evasions, or answers that seem to indicate that they are backtracking on promises made in that past. The interview is discussed here in length, but the things that seem to have angered most of the people are not cleared up or addressed by Kate in any manner (we can understand her not being completely prepared for the interview or being caught without a pat answer during the interview... just come here and let us know what you really meant to say).
3) If they are waiting for E3... freakin' tell us that. Say "Hey, we have major industry conference coming up where we will answer many of the questions you are asking?"

Since they aren't doing that, that either means:
1) they don't know if they will be able to answer those questions at E3
2) They know they won't answer those questions at E3
3) They don't want to say that because it puts a hard date on it and people will just cancel their accounts and wait until then and they'd rather string us along hoping we keep our accounts active.

In any case... I'm still having fun with the game. And am not likely to cancel my account soon. Still have guildies to play with... hopefully Turbine can get their act together SOON (and I mean Soon as most people define it, and not how Turbine defined it in January or February) so the game will survive since I know me and my guildies won't keep it alive by ourselves.


Turbine is not an exhibitor at E3, so they will not be making any anouncements there

[Dark-Star]

if i read the gen discussion forum, i get the imjpression that ddo will not support future development, they wont acknowledge the playerbase, they wont advertise, when pr does finally and rarely speak to the playerbase ... its nothing more than blowing smoke up the users ass so that theyll keep spending money on the game until they shut it down sometime in the middle of next year, and the general mechanics of the game are so messed up that you cant hardly even play the game.

why anybody would want to spend money on something like that, is beyond me.

If the last six to eight months is any indication, this is sadly true (well most of it). We see a lot of lip service about how they value us, will promote and support the game, how we'll hear a lot from the senior folks in charge. I posted this to give another example of just how out of touch they seem to be with the community. What Fernando wrote has turned out to be a bold faced untruth, and one broken promise after another erodes any confidence we had in the people in charge of what happens to a game we love.

The only communication we seem to get lately is insignificant (art contests and free res cakes).

We care about the game, and they are doing irreparable harm to it. Why? They won't tell us.

Every week fewer guildmates and friends are logging on, and it sucks.

[Shal]

I've said it before, and I'll say it again;

Turbine wants a happy, happy, joy, joy forum full of butterflies, rainbows, and sunshine to bring in newer players????


Turbine should address some of the incredible levels of frustrations being experienced ( in the main ) by those who's $ have kept this little ship afloat for the last three years, instead of giving us the ole mushroom treatment.

Hard to give a **** about the effects of our rants on potential players, when we are watching our friends ( the number one reason most of us are still here; Because it **** sure isn't the year-old content we're running ) getting fed-up with this **** and leaving in droves.

Food for thought.ahhh ... yep. thats the way to go. full press releases every monday. five new quests and an explorer area ever three weeks. new splash screens daily. do away with the halfling race. full feat respec (whatever that is). make crafting better, get rid of crafting, reinstate crafting, get rid of crafting, renistate crafting, get rid of crafting, reinstate crafting ... greensteel handwraps. de nerf cloudkill ... nuke newbie island (even though vets can skip it, they just cant live with its existance). 4.0 ruleset. new class ever three months. down with the motivational posters. fire kate, promote tolero ...

[Shal]

If the last six to eight months is any indication, this is sadly true (well most of it). We see a lot of lip service about how they value us, will promote and support the game, how we'll hear a lot from the senior folks in charge. I posted this to give another example of just how out of touch they seem to be with the community. What Fernando wrote has turned out to be a bold faced untruth, and one broken promise after another erodes any confidence we had in the people in charge of what happens to a game we love.

The only communication we seem to get lately is insignificant (art contests and free res cakes).

We care about the game, and they are doing irreparable harm to it. Why? They won't tell us.

Every week fewer guildmates and friends are logging on, and it sucks.i feel your pain, and i dont defend their actions. i do however question the effectivness of all the doom and gloom in the forums. that is all.

[bandyman1]

ahhh ... yep. thats the way to go. Actually comminicate with your playerbase about the direction the game is going. Release content on a regular basis, instead of months past every stated projection. Having meaningful content to run for your capped playerbase besides 4 quests in an 8+ month period. Having mods that are already 6+ ( and waiting ) months late contain more than 4 new quests, in addition to a ****ton of nerfs, when aforementioned playerbase has been begging for content for the better part of a year. fire kate, promote tolero ...

Fixed your list Shal.

It's great that you've been here a few months ( and your profile DOES say " new to DDO " ), and you don't feel that content is a problem. Most of us have been here since the beginning, and feel that it is.

You're not going to change our minds on this.

[Shal]

ahhh ... yep. thats the way to go. full press releases every monday. five new quests and an explorer area ever three weeks. new splash screens daily. do away with the halfling race. full feat respec (whatever that is). make crafting better, get rid of crafting, reinstate crafting, get rid of crafting, renistate crafting, get rid of crafting, reinstate crafting ... greensteel handwraps. de nerf cloudkill ... nuke newbie island (even though vets can skip it, they just cant live with its existance). 4.0 ruleset. new class ever three months. down with the motivational posters. fire kate, promote tolero ...oh yeah ... and stick res cakes where the sun dont shine. lol.

[Shal]

Fixed your list Shal.

It's great that you've been here a few months ( and your profile DOES say " new to DDO " ), and you don't feel that content is a problem. Most of us have been here since the beginning, and feel that it is.

You're not going to change our minds on this.i should probably edit my profile. ive been here six months so i dont think im "new" anymore. still havent run out of content. like i said in a previouse post ... i dont defend there actions, just question the effectivness of the doom and gloom.

who knows, maybee all the doom and gloom is the reason why mod 9 is delayed without a release date. maybee the *****ing has actually got them to give you guys what you want. only mod nine will tell us for sure.

[weyoun]

Fixed your list Shal.

It's great that you've been here a few months ( and your profile DOES say " new to DDO " ), and you don't feel that content is a problem. Most of us have been here since the beginning, and feel that it is.

You're not going to change our minds on this.

Lolz and /signed

[branmakmuffin]

getting fed-up with this **** and leaving in droves.

Food for thought.
If "***" is your idea of food for thought, I won't be attending your party after all. Even at Jeffry Dahmer's, at least you get the cold shoulder. That's got to be better than ****.

And yeah, either it's all happiness and joy and butterflies, or it's the endless parade of "Turbine sucks" posts. We certainly can't have anything in between. :rolleyes:

[weyoun]

And yeah, either it's all happiness and joy and butterflies, or it's the endless parade of "Turbine sucks" posts. We certainly can't have anything in between. :rolleyes:

Thanks for your insight, muffy, as always, I'll take it under advisement.

[Tolero]

As the thread is going no where but slamming each other and staff, it's time to put it down.

As for Kate, Kate is still here and around, but until we actually are able to talk again, you'll likely not hear from her in the in between. It's bad enough when Tarrant and I are the ones saying "can't talk yet" much less having a third person to say the same thing :(