Devs, enough is enough, Communicate!

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Since this communication is quite broad, I’ll take the opportunity and address their “Known Issues” thread.

This is a place where a great deal of what’s happening is being mentioned. And I mean, a lot. That is a place where they acknowledge the issues. That’s the place they use - since it’s humanly impossible to keep a perfect track of all threads and all mentions and pins and discussions. By 1-2 people.

Most of the discussed is already there. At least what I can tell.
When the 4-match surges are concerned … I dunno. Was there a reason to mention it? People have been complaining about “huge mana float” when it was involved and devs said they’ll keep an eye on it and probably address it if needed (as they always say).
… And so they do.

Nobody complained when PC version couldn’t surge, and now we’re just getting back to the very same spot. (if even).
Why make it look like a problem? It’s a change. Nothing more but a change. It’s not toxic. It’s not horrible. It’s just a change.

And what is the justification?
… Well - it’s not really their problem when people do not check the thread created for that purpose, neither is it a good idea to mention every change they are trying on Beta servers. Why? I already mentioned it’s not a good strategy to say something you’re not sure you can finish in time.

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But this is how it has always been. There is no cross-play between Xbone and PS4 yet we always had to wait for Microsoft approval. I do not know the reasons and I am not saying if it’s good or bad just that how it has always been and that it’s more than likely not going to change.

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Unity came to PC 2 months before it went to mobile/console. If it’s okay to drop nerfs on PC first, I think PC should get fixes without having to wait for mobile/console too.

(Unity is when SkullFall and the AI “luck tweaks” started, so yes, I’m calling it a nerf. The advice freely circulated for those 2 months was “do your GW on mobile, it’s better” because the AI didn’t cheat.)

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I want to like your post, because I agree with:

Unfortunately I disagree with the latter half. I don’t believe the AI cheats. I think the changes in gameplay that came about since the adoption of the Console client have been on the whole worse for the game (landslide victories on both sides) and have resulted in the wrong kind of difficulty-through-RNG, but that the playing field is still as even as always.

But you’re spot on in the quoted paragraph. They released an entire client for PC that wasn’t 100% in line with Mobile in the same ecosystem. But now we have to wait for Console cert just to fix a few bugs? If that’s the case – and @Saltypatra hasn’t denied it – those priorities need to be reevaluated immediately.

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I want to like your post, because I agree with:

But I am not sure about the latter part. I have nothing against PC/mobile getting the updates earlier but wasn’t the point of bringing all platforms up to speed that all platforms get everything at the same time? And if Devs start releasing patches/updates faster for PC it will just give more fodder to console players that for years have been complaining about being second rate citizens to Pc/mobile crowd.

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That’s just mechanics at that point. The fixes are ready but can’t go to Console because of the cert time. I think that message would resonate just fine. “Major releases and patches will be released on the same date; bug fixes will be deployed to each platform as quickly as possible.” Do you think a PS player would feel disenfranchised upon hearing that?

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Are you annoyed that you have to wait?

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I am annoyed that people have to wait, yes, but more than that, I’m annoyed by the lack of transparency.

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Just to start with, as @peterix said, please use the Known issues Thread! That is what it is there for! A lot of devs frequently jump on there to talk about where we are on certain bugs and fixes. It is the single best place to get information regarding anything of this nature. (After posting this, I’m going to go and pin it.) Also as Peterix mentioned, we do get into a huge amount of heat if we specify a date (or even a rough date) and something happens that means we can’t deliver. The community backlash is swift and overwhelming. This is why you will very rarely see us committing to something concretely, even if it might be a fix for a bad bug. These fixes can take longer than anticipated, or affect other parts of the game, so we have to be careful.

I’m hoping to write up the patch notes for the 3.1.5 update as early as possible next week so the community is aware of the fixes and small tweaks that will be released. As you know, we typically don’t release the patch notes until the day of the patch, but I’ll see if I can release them a little earlier.

@Pantenkind, I make our team aware of all echoed feedback. A lot of the issues you have raised (especially convcerning the RNG) is still being investigated. Until we have come to a course of action, there is nothing that can be said. Then, when we do decide on a way forward, there will always be fallout from some part of our playerbase. So yes, I have made the team aware, and no, there is nothing to be said publicly at this time while we are looking into the perceived issues. I am also aware that this isn’t what you want to hear, but it is the only answer available at this point in time.

The team is aware of the perceived issues with Wisp. We have done a lot of internal testing since the feedback was aired on the forum, and I have spoken to this feedback in the past. However, we are looking into this again now, and until we have decided on a course of action, won’t be commenting on it further. (Aside from sharing some of the teams that we use to fight Wisp.) There will always be a meta, and we do our best to introduce new troops and balance others to offer some variety.

@Lyya, In regards to the release, where possible we would like to be able to release things on PC/Mobile and console spontaneously. This is not always possible, but it is where we have been heading with the game over the past year (especially with the move to Unity on PC/Mobile.) In this case, it just so happens that the PC/Mobile build should be ready at the same time the approval process for console is finished. This wasn’t a deliberate decision to hold back an update that was ready, this time things just turned out this way.

If there is a change in interal policy concerning update releases I will let everyone know.

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Will 3.1.5 contain the guild wars changes that only count the top 27 instead of 30 and add the other quality of life items like your defense team contributing to your guild wars score?

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I won’t be announcing anything further over the weekend. I will have the patch notes released as soon as I am able.

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Sounds good. Enjoy your weekend!

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Thank you for taking time out of YOUR weekend to address these concerns. I appreciate it!
:hugs:

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I agree. Thank you, @Saltypatra.

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Yes and what? They are talking about the console AI/RNG which the same that we have now on PC/Mobile after the update. So it’s relevant.

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Nobody is asking you to wake up people in Australia. You may wait until they get up :wink:
Seriously, I’m quite surprised there’s not a list of the fixes in the making to be given to you, as the speaker for the devs in this forum, maybe with annotation about what to talk about freely and what better not.
I’m also suprised that the devs have to find time to browse the forum. Nobody to gather info from the threads and the tickets?
When I see that Dungeons don’t pay gold - as they do, recently - I’m supposed to know if it’s a bug, a feature, an experiment patched on production servers? I know it’s a bug when you acknowledge it’s a bug.

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This part is both disheartening and concerning. “Perceived issues”? So we’re all imagining that continuous looping is an issue in high level PVP? Wisp-Wisp-Krystenax-Mab and Wisp-Wisp-Kraken-Mab are the most common defenses I see in PVP as a level 1150+ player and both are capable of looping and freezing my entire team to death in turn 1.

This has been reported repeatedly by many players on these boards, yet it is still a “perceived issue”? This is getting beyond ridiculous. It was actually already ridiculous that Wisp was released in its current form, as there is no way this was tested enough before release. Or even tested at all! Do you even have a quality control department or person that checks new content without bias? 'cause from the state of the “recent” releases it looks like that person or department is either non existent or incompetent (apologies if this is insulting, but the continuous (absurd!!!) denial of the existance of problems with this troop has destroyed any filter with regards to criticism I might have had in the past). :frowning:

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Sadly, just as I defended the developers on their front, I have to completely agree with
@Darkness here.
The last few patches were beyond absurd. There’s no way anyone would believe those troops are balanced. Phoenix was fresh and unique! Wisp, on the other hand? That troop couldn’t have seen the balance team. When Fizz came out - I was 100% sure I’m not imagining things. These troops are not being tested at all.

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Sounds good, have a wonderful weekend! :sunglasses:

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