Dark Knight feedback

[Lyth]

I think part of the problem is that a lot of the dev discussion regarding job balance happens only at live letters or interviews with Yoshi-P. Because everything is run centrally, the flow of information is slow. It's not like you're interacting directly with a job or even a role lead who is an expert in the area. The only exception that I've seen to this is in Lore, where Koji Fox directly interacts with the playerbase in an area of his expertise. But I think it's because he's aware of what western MMO players are expecting when it comes to feedback and dev interaction on the forums. Outside of that, the forums seem to be like the suggestion box in the hallway: you're not entirely sure if someone has looked in it recently.

This is a pretty complex game. We're competing for feedback against players looking for information on when there will be more housing, when bunny ears will be available for all players, and why you can't stack lalafells on top of each other. Running all of the communication through live letters is like getting all of your information from the Prime Minister. Sometimes, your cabinet ministers have to step up to the plate and explain what's going on. I would love to have some direct feedback from a DRK job lead or even a Tank role lead, just to understand their thought process and design philosophy. It also helps when the person in question actually plays your role, because then they understand your issues. Imagine a game designed entirely from the perspective of a dps player ("What do you mean, you want to do high damage as a tank? Aren't you just there to hold the boss in position for me?")

You really need to look at the big western MMO devs to see the format that players here are looking for. I think it's more important for your playerbase to understand why you're changing something, than it is for you to know what you're changing. Balance isn't just dependent on numbers; it's also dependent on how the playerbase perceives and reacts to those numbers. It's the product of both.