Are We Wasting Our Time?

[Alhanelem]

I don't agree with that 'dishonest with us a lot' bit, but I do agree that in this case, it was handled wrong. Why bother asking us if they're not going to factor it in?

[Selzak]

Just another point I'd like to make: My first choice was the Opo-opo, and I think I'd actually prefer the Hippogryph to the Scropion. This is not at all the issue, and if you think that we're just whining because we want our Scorpion then you are missing the point to a ridiculous extent.

[Laraul]

It's not their way of designing games which we question, but their lie about giving us a vote in the matter. If they simply shut us out and did their own thing, or reserved forums for bug reports alone, no one would be bitching here. But this is very much bitch-worthy.

I have two words that need to be said. Grow Up.

[Zaknafein]

I have two words that need to be said. Grow Up.

If you really want to simplify this issue down to 2 words it seems to me that paying customers are being told.

Bend over.

[Selzak]

I imagine we'll get some response along the lines that the decision was made independently by the development team and that no favoritism is involved (they just happened to pick the fourth-favorite choice overall and Japanese favorite, coincidence!) and maybe even go as far as adding the Scorpion to appease us.

I'll say it now, I don't care about the Scorpion. I want an explanation or an apology, and some acknowledgement of the real issue. Best-case scenario for me is that they admit they haven't been paying enough (any) attention to this board and they start. That doesn't mean they should give PLDs their HOLIEST WARRIOR Invincible-ga ability that some 16-year old asked for, but that they should pay equal attention to their players regardless of what language they speak. If there's a 90 page thread on the Job Manifesto in the English forum and a 20 page thread on the Job Manifesto in the Japanese forum, I don't want to see a response in our thread that says "Answers to your feedback, keep it coming!" that exclusively responds to feedback from the Japanese thread.

That's the main sentiment in the OP, and I believe it's the sentiment of most people here- the situation with this BST thing just happens to be blatant enough to warrant an actual response. Before this, one could make the argument that SE was just inadequate and lacked the ability to properly communicate with with its English-speaking players or read what they were saying. Now, it's apparent that the problem goes at least a little bit deeper.



As has been stated before, I think we should be careful not to misplace the blame on this problem. We really only have contact with two community reps, and it seems like all they're here to do is provide translations for us. I have a very strong feeling that we tend to get pushed outside of the circle via them, not because of them. Especially with Camate, it seems like he did all he could early on and finally just gave up- and I hope no one makes the mistake of blaming him for sharing the poll with us in the first place if our votes weren't going to make a difference. I believe that, like us, Camate genuinely thought out votes would matter, and was probably as dismayed as we are now when he shared our results with a development team that didn't care.

"Hopefully" this is just a very big structural problem, but this whole debacle calls that into question and makes us wonder what kind of attitudes the people we're giving our money to and trying to communicate with actually have towards us. This is what we want an answer to, and (at least on my part) it's coming from a very genuine place.

[Camiie]

For the longest time, SE seemed to have a policy of ignoring or dismissing pretty much anything the players had to say. They were aloof, stubborn, and arrogant. Then, suddenly, they started listening. They started reacting. The very things people were asking for started to be implemented. Adjustments and tweaks were made based on player feedback. What a marked improvement that was. I guess all good things must come to an end though.

Now... in this case they're outright lying to us? That's more than just a snapback to the old ways. This is even worse than when they apparently thought the player base had nothing constructive to offer. It's a step beyond dismissive. Just how stupid and worthless do they think we are?

You can fix this though, SE. I'd be shocked if you did, but you can. And this isn't directed specifically at you, Camate. It's SE as a whole.

Apologize first and foremost. Eat your piece of humble pie. You're big boys and girls. You're professionals. You can take the criticism and admit you were wrong. I don't care whether it was a mistake, a miscommunication, or a purposeful act. You screwed up and you should be sorry. If not, as some players like to suggest to one another, you should quit. That may be harsh, but unlike some people in this thread, I don't let companies as large as SE get off with very many excuses. SE has done too many great things in the past to make me expect anything less than the best of you at all times. You all set the standard. Live up to it.

Secondly, the the scorpion should now be implemented along with the other "winners". I seriously doubt that this is some terrible hardship for you, but even if it is it needs to be done. To be honest, I don't see why you didn't just add it in the first place. Interest has been shown for scorpion and other type pets for a very long time. You at SE aren't stupid or blind and neither are we the players. Now, start acting like it.

[Shibayama]

Oh I'm almost certain there will be no apology at all from SE - if they even choose to acknowledge this, it'll most likely be a response saying how "Well while the votes may have been higher, we thought that the *rationale* behind the hippogriph was just better so we decided to implement that based on the current status of available pets" Or something.

This seems to be commonplace with big japanese gaming companies though. Capcom's excuse for why Megaman wasn't in MvC3 was that he "didn't get enough requests to make the cut into the game" - and yet obscure characters like Firebrand and Rocket Raccoon were...

Hmm...

[Selzak]

Oh I'm almost certain there will be no apology at all from SE - if they even choose to acknowledge this, it'll most likely be a response saying how "Well while the votes may have been higher, we thought that the *rationale* behind the hippogriph was just better so we decided to implement that based on the current status of available pets" Or something.

This seems to be commonplace with big japanese gaming companies though. Capcom's excuse for why Megaman wasn't in MvC3 was that he "didn't get enough requests to make the cut into the game" - and yet obscure characters like Firebrand and Rocket Raccoon were...

Hmm...

I guess it's just a trait they picked up from American companies, but the subtlety of our corporate bullshit was lost in translation.

[Olor]

I couldn't even believe that hippo won, given the fact no one I saw really voted for it.

[Olor]

Also the vote count is meaningless. The reasons behind a decision matter more than an actual vote count. What's wrong with a Hyppoglyph. I think it makes more sense than a Scorpion.

Do you even play bst? How does it "make more sense" - and which vermin jug do you usually use? Cause there are so many awesome vermin jugs amirite?