Quote Originally Posted by Bigglesworth View Post
I can see peoples points about the forums being a communication device between the player base. I do like that idea. And I do suspect that Brucey is right in regards to how the developement team looks at specific feedback and ideas coming from these forums, but regardless. These forums do have moderators, and those moderators are in Yoshi's ear, so whether they admit to it or not, or if the act or not on ideas, these forums place the player's voice directly in SE's proverbial ear. That "voice" whether intended or not does influence decision whatever level that may be.
Oh yes. Absolutely. I think what I was trying to say is the influence is less than the community thinks it is. Which, I feel, isn't a bad thing. However, it is a safe assumption that if several different members are loud enough on a certain subject it can be changed. Not to be confused with threads that are loud, but have only a few people doing all the pages of screaming.

I know one thing, having these forums is better than doing what was done at the start of the development team's shift and that was player polls. Some systems need a lot of dissecting and maybe player's opinions are defined by ignorance. These forums allow people to see things in the ways others do and it has the potential of teaching you the other side of things. The other side of where you see the game now and where it's going.