Mr. & Mrs. Paiz, your playerbase has spoken, I think now it's your turn

[Inkblack]

Suddenly I am reminded of new hires at work. You bring them in, and they are full of energy, bouncy, and happy as a puppy. Everything is shiny and new! Joy!

Then their bubble is burst. Within 6 months to a year, they are just younger versions of the veterans. The puppy has been kicked and cowed.

Ink

[Damionic]

I admire your diplomatic approach to this problem.

What you have written will eclipse anything I desire to post on this subject to the forum.
Im hoping that "someone" will respond..

But I have an ill feeling that this will be graced with the same silence as before.

And from experience diplomacy only works if both sides listen.

When diplomacy fails a few more potent methods are acted upon..Such as
Strikes/Boycotting
Mass Exodus and complete severing from DDO (including subscriptions)
Letters to gaming media and a forfeiting the title of the Escapist win

Stage one is for everyone who agrees with this thread to change their signature to link up to this thread for a allotted timeline..Say for 2 weeks.

Lets hope that we don't have to burn bridges before we can repair them..

[Furysetzer]

If this last year is any indication, there won't be anything new after Mod 9 until 2010...

Furthermore, I think the company probably has nondisclosure agreements with everyone employed with Turbine.

[Deadz]

But unfortunately there are a lot of immature whiners on this board.

I'd say congrats to Turbine on this, but more importantly, CONGRATS TO THOSE OF US THAT CARED TO GET THE VOTE OUT AND WIN THIS! This was a massive win for us, the player base. I love this game just as much as the next guy and I'm overly thrilled that we won this competition.

Great OP, by the way, and I'd love to hear the state of the game as well. If, indeed as many are speculating, DDO is going to XBox 360, sadly, I won't be. One, I don't have a 360 b/c there aren't any games I consider to be good enough to warrant me to buy one. Secondly, I don't know how they're going to make the game as dynamic as it is on a console. Just think about the casters, for instance. How many buttons are on a XBox360 controller? 8? 10? The two joysticks and direction buttons? We have so many spells, that I just don't see it happening. I hope they don't go that route; I'll stay on DDO on PC until it's not longer up, but I probably won't follow it to console, unless they make it for PS3

As far as the Turbine Engine 3.0 goes, does anyone know exactly what it does? Even if it's just speculation, I wouldn't mind hearing.

Anyways, cheers DDO on the Victory! Well deserved on a great game that has kept me busy the past 3 years.

Turbine 3 engine is just basically there next update, it WILL come out some day. turbine 2 was created for asheron's call 2, and actually used for lotro and ddo (hense one of the reasons asheron's call 2 never caught on, none of the AC1 players could run it, it was really advanced for it's time. With the upcoming mmo's turbine is making (specualation : Harry potter online, WB just gave them 40 million) it wouldn't be shocking to see a new technology used for there next "big" game.. my little **** theory is just that turbine is using DDO for a testing ground for there big mmo "lotro" and there next big mmo "harry potter"

I don't really have any proof of this, it's just guesswork and some fun free thinking..

Funny, now they actually call the turbine 2 engine "the turbine engine" dropping the "2" in the name http://www.turbine.com/technology.html

[Flex]

And remember Turbine..."Coffee's for closers only."

ABC's "always be closing", if your selling a product, sell it, you dont sell a mmo long term if you dont expand its content, and market it. The failed marketing and failing = sales not good/ noone is purchasing it/ the management is poor (they dont listen to customers)..if they did we would still get weekly updates, they are doing little so they cant sustain a weekly update. and they provide little info but a blurb here or there, if you worked with your tier 1 clients this way, would they come back and work with you on a daily basis NO, client interaction and discussion drives sales and marketing, disgruntled yes, like the game -- I did in the past, I see nothing driving it going forward with Lag and tiny bits of content and a continual approach of looking back at old content and fixing old content doesnt drive sales to the core base. I am sure those that work there would like to give us info, they just cant because of NDAs and or/ the slap on the wrist by mgmt, well that doesnt work in Sales...talk to your customer stay in their face and ABC

jrp

[Damionic]

Please keep this suggestion post alive people

[IgorUnchained]

DDO is a good game, started out great, unfortunately has become just good at this point, and the reason is.... too many disgruntled people think they can run the game better yet have produced zero MMOs of their own.

Of course your OP is dead on and well written, but that said......isnt the quoted statement a little of the pot calling out the kettle for it's unforgivable blackness?
Arent you the one calling out "Mr and Mrs Paiz"?
Irony at the base level, but I got a kick out of it!

[Lerincho]

Of course your OP is dead on and well written, but that said......isnt the quoted statement a little of the pot calling out the kettle for it's unforgivable blackness?
Arent you the one calling out "Mr and Mrs Paiz"?
Irony at the base level, but I got a kick out of it!

i can see where and why you would think that however, the devs are not the one making the decisions. Mr. and Mrs. Paiz are, there for ARE the appropriate people to call out for this post.

[Damionic]

Of course your OP is dead on and well written, but that said......isnt the quoted statement a little of the pot calling out the kettle for it's unforgivable blackness?
Arent you the one calling out "Mr and Mrs Paiz"?
Irony at the base level, but I got a kick out of it!

Im not sure why when something is posted for the good of the game and its players..Gets shat on by people who either don't know or don't care what they say, serving no logic but to burn down anything that could actually help us?

[Mekkah]

i can see where and why you would think that however, the devs are not the one making the decisions. Mr. and Mrs. Paiz are, there for ARE the appropriate people to call out for this post.

Ever heard the term "gag order?"

(And no, it's not your favorite adult film...)

And regarding a game engine update...you can't just drop in an "update" and say "there you go, new engine technology - enjoy!"

A game is written AROUND an engine. It wouldn't be a mod or even an expansion. Anything developed for a new engine would be an entirely new product (albeit perhaps a new DDO-related title but would have to be stand-alone).

[Lerincho]

Ever heard the term "gag order?"

(And no, it's not your favorite adult film...)

And regarding a game engine update...you can't just drop in an "update" and say "there you go, new engine technology - enjoy!"

A game is written AROUND an engine. It wouldn't be a mod or even an expansion. Anything developed for a new engine would be an entirely new product (albeit perhaps a new DDO-related title but would have to be stand-alone).

a gag order on developers, sure i can see it. nintendo did it to the create of mario brothers. gag order on the executive producers? if this was the case, they would never be allowed to do an interview.

besides you have evidence suggesting that a gag order is in place at Turbine in regards to DDO?

[Tarackian]

........and the silence is deafening. there's your answer.

[SneakThief]

Vast & Mysterious = Xbox 360.

Thanks for the votes!

you have proof?

Please see this thread:
http://forums.ddo.com/showthread.php?t=177866

Specifically this post:
http://forums.ddo.com/showpost.php?p...55&postcount=7

[Lorichie]

........and the silence is deafening. there's your answer.

No one, in any business, on any seniority level, will ever respond "officially" to something of this nature, without first writing something out, proof-reading it, sending it up for checking, sending it to the lawyers for re-checking, sending it to Wotc for precedent setting implications, getting it back to owner then sending it to moderator to actually write it out and give it to us.

If we hear something it'll be much later in the future, if we dont, it was too dangerous a topic to tough. (Anyone with any kind of Management background will probably cringe if and when they go to reply to something like this, and 99 percent of the time its not because they dont agree, its because anything that may be mistook, will be mistook.)

R

[ArkoHighStar]

Please see this thread:
http://forums.ddo.com/showthread.php?t=177866

Specifically this post:
http://forums.ddo.com/showpost.php?p...55&postcount=7

neither is proof, one is rumor that LOTRO will be brought to consoles, and the other is a statement of multiple console titles, it is of course highly suggestive but certainly nowhere near proof

[SneakThief]

you have proof?

neither is proof, one is rumor that LOTRO will be brought to consoles, and the other is a statement of multiple console titles, it is of course highly suggestive but certainly nowhere near proof

Never said it was proof of console DDO... just pointing interested people to the fact that Turbine "intends on announcing multiple console MMO projects sometime in early 2009."

And if you want something MORE suggestive ... Put together all the UI, combat, and targeting changes on Lamania with the above statement.

[Lerincho]

No one, in any business, on any seniority level, will ever respond "officially" to something of this nature, without first writing something out, proof-reading it, sending it up for checking, sending it to the lawyers for re-checking, sending it to Wotc for precedent setting implications, getting it back to owner then sending it to moderator to actually write it out and give it to us.

If we hear something it'll be much later in the future, if we dont, it was too dangerous a topic to tough. (Anyone with any kind of Management background will probably cringe if and when they go to reply to something like this, and 99 percent of the time its not because they dont agree, its because anything that may be mistook, will be mistook.)

R

well i can promise i will keep asking more than just this time.

[Lorichie]

well i can promise i will keep asking more than just this time.

as you should

R

[Krell]

EDIT: EVERYONE CHECK YOUR ATTITUDE AT THE DOOR AND PREPARE FOR A CIVILIZED DISCUSSION. All post not falling under this stipulation will be asked to be removed.



To Tarrant, the Paiz's and the rest of Turbine brass that deal with DDO:

Over the past two and a half weeks, the Escapist provided a contest "March Mayhem", for people to share their opinions and support for 64 developers that the staff of the Escapist felt worth of mention for Developer of the Year. While the Escapist community was less than welcoming, Turbine support garnered a total 17,248 votes through all six rounds of competition to help claim the title. Turbine has been named the Developer of the Year by the Escapist because of this competition. Your player base ethusiastically and dilligently stood up as one speaking volumes of your work within all three games, especially Dungeons and Dragons Online.

Now, it is Turbine's turn to show the player base the same respect and enthusiasm in return for such dedication. I am not referring to Mod 9's release, or in game freebies; but I am referrring to more communication. More communication in regards to direction of the game, what we can expect for the game, and no more vast and mysterious.

For three years we have been promised a State of the Game, for three years this promise has gone unfulfilled. Now we have been told of vast and mysterious things to come to DDO, never actually being given the vast and mysterious information in regards to DDO.

We know the developers work hard and love the game just as much as the players, and that the community specialist share in our joys and frustrations; however, after three years for founders it is not the developers and community specialist that we need to hear from. Who is it that actually needs to get back in touch with the playerbase of DDO? The executive producers of DDO. I find it interesting that Fernando gave us the release notes to Lamania and stated re-introducing himself to us; however, I have never heard of him before in the executive producer role. I looked at the credits for Lamania, and his name is not listed at all.

So Mr. and Mrs. Paiz, without further ado, here is what your playerbase is wanting to know, since it is you that controls what the developers work on.

1, What is our direction? What do you foresee in DDO by the end of the Summer? What do you foresee at year's end for DDO?

2, Previously mentioned projects, such as; guild housing, guild banks, ect... what happened? Are they off the radar completely? What is the main issue in implentation?

3, Other than Druids, what other classes can we look forward to seeing in DDO?

4, Other than Half-Orcs and Half-Elves, what other races can we look forward to seeing in DDO?

5, What are your plans beyond level 20? Legacy program?

6, Any more respec features on the horizon for DDO? Skill, alignment, class, attributes, physical?

7, Paid expansion in the future, perhaps for another entire city?

I am sure there are more questions, but then again, I highly doubt this gets passed along to anyone that will actually get us real answers. For a stupid contest that went on at a third-party site to receive 17,248 votes to me states volumes, and actually merits some kind of official communications from the executive producers of the game that so many enthusiastically supported.

edit: Follow up question, what is going to be done about marketing and promotions for DDO in regards to Atari agreement?
I ask this because when you watch the full credit you will see a Marketing team FROM Turbine, what exactly are the marketing?

If you recall a lot of stuff on the roadmap didn't happen the way it was originally planned and they were endlessly quoted as some kind of proof of failure. If it were my decision I would only talk about things that were in development and pretty solid, such as capstones, enhancements, new spells, etc. Any long term talk would wait until it was short term just because some forum warriors treat it as a bill of rights that were violated when priorities change.

Consider for a moment they decided to roll a lot of that stuff into an expansion pack. Something that would generate advertising and get product on the shelves like players have clamored for. Basically a big investment in the game. Follow the thought process a little further, that they would say they are working on something big but not release any additional details. A big mod is in the pipe and no need to steal thunder from it.

There is plenty in the mod to promote so no need to disclose any details about the expansion until after mod 9 is live, even if some people make direct appeals to the producers on the forums using escapist voting results as some sort of validation that the players are worthy of an earlier announcement. No, just focus the game promotion on mod 9 which is big then use the media outlets to announce the expansion later like they did for Mines of Moria to get the most visibility to potential new players. The goal here is to grow the game as much as possible with these two big investments. Eve Online did it and so can DDO. Some inpatient folks on the forums will have to be satisfied with mod 9 for now.

Just my thoughts but something to consider...

[Archetype]

*sigh*

Even if someone eventually does respond to this, or other such attempts to reach those "in charge" of DDO, well....frak it...it will still be too little & too late anyways for a lot of us, eh?

Too many weeks of waiting, months of hoping, years of not receiving...

Think there is Silence on these Official Company Forums? I disagree.

Turbine has communicated clearly to us, actually: they simply *don't* respect the DDO community anymore. They don't value us, they don't want to talk to us. (No, an occasional "pity-hug post" doesn't count.) They are, however, happy to take our money, as long as we are willing to pay them to be ignored and abused. Anyone who thinks otherwise is lost in a delusional co-dependency that they can't ever shake free of, sorry.

Turbine has realized that it can reliably cash-in on our naive expectations each month, as they use our money to pay their salaries while developing pet projects and "subsystems" (like the Download Manager, which clearly is where all of our last year's subscription dollars went, instead of the content development we thought we were 'prepaying' for...). We may gripe and moan, but...um....we *keep paying them* so all is well in Turbineland, guys. They can dribble out a smattering of content across the span of almost a year and we are still all here, yes? Why should they do more?

If you *can't* see and hear this very loud message from them by now, well, we will check back with you in .....a year?...... as you eagerly lap up the the scraps thrown your way.... in 2010 ("The Year Of Mod 10," heh they can now just release one mod per year, and be "on track": Mod 11 in 2011, Mod 12 in 2012, )