Letter from the Producer LIVE Part X: Will the netcode issue be honestly addressed?

[Alcyon_Densetsu]

Just out of polite curiosity...what exactly do you want to hear from them?

Here's the story.
Basically, if you read my OP, this thread started as an open letter to emphasise the importance of the issue, it was a plea. These two threads are the raw player feedback I wanted to capitalise upon in order to try and get SE's attention, by showing respect but determination in my open letter:
Thread: Sorry SE, but endgame won't work if you don't fix something.
→ Early feedback
Thread: .3 Second Positional Update Delay (Requesting Dev Response)
→ More specific feedback

This thread of mine, which was created 10 days before the "Letter from the Producer LIVE Part X" was meant to try and get SE to answer during that specific event (it's due for next friday). As I said in the OP, I didn't want to divert attention from these existing topics, which is why I keep referencing them all the time, and why this thread of mine is meant to die after this Letter from the Producer. It's just a basic attempt at gathering people and try to make SE react, do or say something.

However… then came Sinth's post. He posted here then made a thread of his own to further expose his take on this.
Thread: Why the netcode issue exists, and why it cannot be fixed.
→ Technical considerations

That's when we learned that clearly, the issue was probably much deeper than we thought.

Which prompted this realisation, at least as far as I'm concerned (post #77):

My hopes hit a low as well after understanding the nub of the issue thanks to Sinth's explanation. As someone said in his thread, SE's facing a dilemma where both ways are bad PR: either admit they failed to take into account the huge discrepancy between Japan's outstanding connections and the rest of the world which is clearly not as well connected, and much more distant from the datacenters; or maintain the silent treatment and face some kind of exodus as people become first aware, then jaded from vainly trying to avoid events that already happened when their screens display them…
Read more of my blabla about how I would personally try to proceed, from what little I know about this situation (not an insider at SE, obviously)

Which means I totally understand the mess they might be in, and the fact it's highly unlikely we get an answer anytime soon.

For what it's worth (post #82):

[…] SE's not particularly known to be quick at responding to feedback or criticism, especially when it's founded on very real considerations; and somehow I can't help but think it has to do with this company's internal management (culture, practice, higher-ups mentality). Whatever Yoshi-P thinks about it, I'm not sure his hands (or rather, mouth) are free in this matter.

Which is why I'm not quite sure we'll hear anything before some time, probably not in 2013, possibly not before they have a working solution already well advanced in the pipes. If Sinth's estimations are correct, that might not be late into 2014, provided they start working on it right now (or already are).

So, how do I want this to proceed?
Well it's not really my place to say, since I don't speak for the community, I simply try to speak to the best of my ability to further this cause but… yeah, well, as I said things may be worse than we thought.

If Sinth was wrong, entirely or partially, and SE could actually fix this is in a timely manner… I would be nothing but happy. Overjoyed. Ecstatic. (no offense dear Sinth, but I think you wish you were wrong too given the situation ^^). But alas, I don't really think they can, or they would have by now. At best, should they shove the millions and the man-hours, maybe for 3.0. Maybe never. I don't know. I wish I knew (hence this thread continues, so far).

I wish they told us:
"Guys we are so sorry about this issue, we know it's problematic for a lot of you. We sincerely apologise for taking so much time to answer, blablabla."
That would be a great first step in regaining trust. Owning the mistake, which a lot of us would understand, I suppose. Would these words, just the words, make us stay? Probably not all of us who are feeling this netcode issue as game-breaking, but probably more than if they said nothing, and above all it would make us consider SE in a different light—a more positive light. I would consider FFXV for instance, right now as we speak my interest couldn't be much lower (and I'm an old FF fan).
But that would still be a blow (again nothing knew, it is already one as we speak), so yeah it would need to be followed by substantial words like:
"But we have this super-plan, and we're going to turn the tables and do this, and this, and that, and it's going to be great, please look forward to it."
I would actually look forward to that.

I could give you my ideal "plan" as a PR-guy (I was actually thinking in my shower today how I'd deal with this if I were them lol) but I'm not sure that's what you want to hear, since it would be filled with conjectures (don't have the numbers etc), so we should probably wait for SE to say something.

All I know is that there's almost always a way to turn a mistake into an opportunity, and Square does have a strong backbone, so they could definitely do something should they really wish to. Maybe that would hurt profits for a while, I suppose, but what's a Q or two without profits so long as you don't sustain losses, and you gain so much trust and respect from your fans, your players, your customers? In the long run this is an event that will stick, and particularly since this is a MMORPG, so I'd wager there is as much to lose as there is to win, should they adopt the wrong or the right stance about this. I see a few ways for the high road. I hope they can too.

(Again, they're in a bad situation but many companies have been there, and have recovered only to shine more. And I'm not talking about spinning this with words, I mean actual, substantial work and 'kindness' towards your customers to make up for your mistakes. Kinda like they already did for ARR actually. Honestly, thinking of all that work, I do feel for them, because I'm sure they meant well, they just… screwed up. Which happens. Probably too often these days at SE, but still. They do show good will.)

Not saying anything however would clearly mean, to me, in corporate-language, that the issue isn't going away before late into 2014, if ever. It would essentially confirm our biggest fears. And I hate that notion. But that's reality for us.

As for waiting, personally I don't mind at all. No MMO announced for 2014 interests me much, and anyhow as a old FF fan I could wait 6 months. Even a year. I really don't mind. You know, you don't follow a franchise for 20 years to refuse a few months wait in order to get the next great instalment. I've actually already stated somewhere in these forums that I would have been fine with waiting 6 months more for the game to be released with more content, so… personally I'd much prefer a great product later than a broken one now.

Does that answer your question? (sorry if I was too long. I do that ^^; )