Popping in quickly, cause you know, I’m pretty active here and across all of our various community/social platforms.
We have communicated frequently about several of the issues raised. However, if we don’t say that we are actively working on something, or action player feedback directly, we are often accused of not listening to the community. This isn’t true, we are listening. I tell you when we are listening. Listening does not necessarily equal actioning, which I believe is an important distinction to make. Many times when players claim we are not listening, they actually mean that we are not actioning their feedback. I have explained several times in the past why we cannot always do so, and if everyone really wants me too, I will pull up several of these posts.
Now, to address the issues directly.
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We would like to do an arena rework in the future, but it is not our biggest priority. Re-working entire parts of the game takes a considerable about of time and investment. We are currently working on future updates, and are not currently prioritising an arena re-work. It is something we would like to revisit, but due to our development schedules, future updates, and deadlines, is unlikely to to happen in the short term future. Also, whenever we re-work existing parts of the game, not only must we re-design entire systems, but we have to be careful regarding their potential affect on the in-game economy.
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We do not plan to change these at this point in time. I am sorry to hear that you feel they are boring. Luckily, the Tower of Doom is not a weekly event, and there are lots of other things to do in-game if you would like a break.
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We are aware of the Delve Rewards and do not have any plans to change them at this point in time,
@Slypenslyde, in regards to not revealing upcoming plans, this is something that is not always true. I have been making a concerted effort to speak more about upcoming changes, and action community feedback as quickly as I can. Some tasks are bigger than others, but I have been communicating more clearly and more often with the community at large (these forums in particular) about what we are working on, and when you can expect to see it in game. If this communication is not appreciated, I understand, and will spend my time more wisely in the future. There is never a lack of work for me to do, and I would benefit greatly from having more time for my other duties.
We also do major update previews to let players know what is coming ahead of time. These can be watched at any point prior to an update releasing, as I highlight these streams and make them accessible online. Our beta testers also offer feedback on upcoming updates, and often tweak and change things after hearing their thoughts.
To address an earlier point, I believe that this approach shows that we value our community and their opinions. I have stated in the past that some of the feedback the community offers is detrimental to the health of the game, where others is very useful. It is my job to triage this and curate our Quality of Life requests.
You also need to be aware of the amount of time it takes to be in constant contact with you. We do not have the man power, or hours in the day, to respond to every single question we receive or request that is made. I reply where I can, answer questions on stream, and in general am VERY active across a plethora of accounts. The forums aren’t the only place that offers feedback, and aren’t the only place where I need to help players. Our developers already work long hours, and cannot be expected to reply to every thread when they are already working full time jobs without expecting them to maintain an online presence that is very demanding.
@PeperandSalt I do not know why you assume we get 3 days off a week. We don’t unless we spend our leave to take a long weekend. We work a full work week like everyone else. We also work a full work week, and then choose to play the game OUTSIDE OF THESE HOURS. Anytime we spend in Gems of War is not considered part of our working week, and is something that we choose to do personally. So yes, Tacet likely does spend more time in-game than us, but Tacet also does not have a full time job. So not only are we interacting and making this game for a full working week, we are also choosing to play it in our own time.
Also, we needed specific personnel to fix the Delve issue last week. Sirrian was planning to go into the office to change it, but was unable to do so. It is unreasonable to expect someone to come into work over the weekend, and in other industries this wouldn’t even be questioned. Unfortunately, people view games differently, which I believe is unfair. Banks aren’t physically open on weekends, and their help lines also do not operate during them (at least in Australia) and that is a service that is far more vital to the long term health and well being of the average person than Gems of War. To expect us to work more than we already do is unreasonable, and often at the cost of our physical and mental health.
I understand that this reply probably comes across a bit salty. That would be because it is. I believe that a lot of what has been mentioned here is unfair, and highlights a lack of understanding towards game development and live service games. Have any of you actively worked for a live service game such as Gems of War for a significant period of time? Or worked in the F2P games model? Things that seem simple, such as the arena rework that was mentioned earlier, are not that easy. Firstly, the mode must be redesigned with a suite of different play styles, and players, in mind. We must consider what a re-work would offer early, mid and end-gamers, before even discussing what we can do. Then, the rework must be designed, programmed, implemented, tested, and released. This would need to be done in conjunction with our milestones and deadlines. On top of that, a re-work needs to have a clear chance at bringing in additional revenue, otherwise it won’t be prioritised over a new feature, or fixing bugs.
TLDR; I have answered your questions. We listen to feedback. We action some of your feedback. We work long hours and care about the game. Most of you don’t understand how game development, specifically for live service games, works. That’s cool, you don’t work in it. We do.