Take a breath...
USAgent
Member Posts: 2 ★
Since the end of AW Season 2 and the latest 19.0 patch I've stepped away from the game. I was in a competitive Platinum 2 alliance s1 and dropped to a Platinum 3 alliance s2. The pressure/stress of the constant attention this game requires at that level, (I can only imagine much more for the higher tiers) is absurd. Part of this stress is coupled with the fact that we enjoy this game, but many of the difficulties faced in the game cannot be solved with skill alone - this is exacerbated largely by progression revolving around luck and spending.
The first time a boycott was proposed after the 12.0 debacle there was a clear feeling that Kabam did not have players best interest at heart. Kabam was unhappy with the state of the game, champions were either too overpowered or prominently used for content and they sought to create their vision of balance. The problem was this was done in broad sweeping changes to established norms or metas in the game and further problematic due to the amount of spending to obtain and rank these characters just weeks prior.
The community bonded together and as a whole I think we were happy with most of the responses. Kabam vowed to keep us in their best interest and were more transparent on updates and releases, rolling back some of the changes or modifying them more reasonably. This worked because there was a dialogue and there was communication and there was feedback.
We now sit at a eerily familiar crossroad. Kabam has released an "update" that has been far more problematic than past iterations. What is now major cause for concern is that many of the lessons learned are being forgotten. Kabam has still moved forward with sales (which in itself is fine, many players look forward to these) and other business without clear communication or transparency to the current and future state of the game. The optics on this are bad because it appears Kabam's priority is making their money first and fixing the game second, keeping player's best interests at heart last.
What can be done? Well in no particular order:
1.Kabam can be more transparent, communicate with us more frequently.
-We don't need to know what every developer is doing every day, but to be told "we're working on it" doesn't give much confidence. At least draft or share current plans and findings, if there is nothing to hide then don't hide. The more you share the more the player base will appreciate it.
2.Speak to us without the tone of authority or brashness.
-Thread upon thread with similar feelings have been closed left and right. Players have serious concern, especially those with significant money invested in this game. Forum moderation to merely shutdown these concerns is troubling, people have a right to communicate these, create a thread or chain and move posts there.
3.Don't offer half measures
-While no one was thrilled with compensation, both players and Kabam know this was lame. Significant downtime and current state of the game considered, there should be more thought put into this. Other games constantly reward it's players and give out freebies, it doesn't need to be charity but it should be thought out and meaningful. Offer reduced energy costs on quests, increased drop rates, waive costs on mastery (let's people experiment with points during offseason and with new champs). These are just a few easy ideas
4.Take a breath
-All parties are stressed, let's remember we all for the most part enjoy the game and the characters, it's supposed to be fun. Let's try and get back to that!
tl;dr Kabam needs to open up communication and give respect where it is due. Players have vested large amounts of time and money and deserve to be heard.
The first time a boycott was proposed after the 12.0 debacle there was a clear feeling that Kabam did not have players best interest at heart. Kabam was unhappy with the state of the game, champions were either too overpowered or prominently used for content and they sought to create their vision of balance. The problem was this was done in broad sweeping changes to established norms or metas in the game and further problematic due to the amount of spending to obtain and rank these characters just weeks prior.
The community bonded together and as a whole I think we were happy with most of the responses. Kabam vowed to keep us in their best interest and were more transparent on updates and releases, rolling back some of the changes or modifying them more reasonably. This worked because there was a dialogue and there was communication and there was feedback.
We now sit at a eerily familiar crossroad. Kabam has released an "update" that has been far more problematic than past iterations. What is now major cause for concern is that many of the lessons learned are being forgotten. Kabam has still moved forward with sales (which in itself is fine, many players look forward to these) and other business without clear communication or transparency to the current and future state of the game. The optics on this are bad because it appears Kabam's priority is making their money first and fixing the game second, keeping player's best interests at heart last.
What can be done? Well in no particular order:
1.Kabam can be more transparent, communicate with us more frequently.
-We don't need to know what every developer is doing every day, but to be told "we're working on it" doesn't give much confidence. At least draft or share current plans and findings, if there is nothing to hide then don't hide. The more you share the more the player base will appreciate it.
2.Speak to us without the tone of authority or brashness.
-Thread upon thread with similar feelings have been closed left and right. Players have serious concern, especially those with significant money invested in this game. Forum moderation to merely shutdown these concerns is troubling, people have a right to communicate these, create a thread or chain and move posts there.
3.Don't offer half measures
-While no one was thrilled with compensation, both players and Kabam know this was lame. Significant downtime and current state of the game considered, there should be more thought put into this. Other games constantly reward it's players and give out freebies, it doesn't need to be charity but it should be thought out and meaningful. Offer reduced energy costs on quests, increased drop rates, waive costs on mastery (let's people experiment with points during offseason and with new champs). These are just a few easy ideas
4.Take a breath
-All parties are stressed, let's remember we all for the most part enjoy the game and the characters, it's supposed to be fun. Let's try and get back to that!
tl;dr Kabam needs to open up communication and give respect where it is due. Players have vested large amounts of time and money and deserve to be heard.
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