A great example of Forum communication

LXSandman

Hey Guys,

So I just wanted to post a link to an example of forum communication from the dev's of Marvel Heroes. I know that many people have suggested that the D3 dev's run this forum more like they do over there, and I thought this post was a perfect one to highlight.

http://forums.marvelheroes.com/discussion/197434/tuning-talk-corner-come-visit/p1

It's talking about balancing in their game.... which could also be relevant to the dev's here too.

Communication is never a bad thing.. if you make a mistake it's easy enough to apologize and move on if there is a regular dialog present.

Hope you take a look Devs!

LXSandman

Unknown

ok i need to be playing this marvel heroes game. this IS a great example of forum communication. super clear and open/honest. a few phrases that stood out to me:

"Our overall philosophy at the studio is to buff many things rather than nerf a few things."
"We prefer it that way, even if it’s more work overall. We may be crazy sometimes, but nobody in the studio is lazy...It’s our responsibility."
"I do have one question for you. I read an interesting forum thread where some folks were requesting ..."

the first quote i highlighted sums it all up for me. the dev over at marvel heroes that posted took the time to explain the philosophy behind how they go about balancing their game. as a player, knowing this really gives you a better idea of the direction of the game and what to expect so you're not constantly being surprised by sudden and radical changes, like what we've experienced with mpq so often. furthermore, this openness and transparency builds TRUST. not to mention the fact that in his post the dev shows clearly that the process of balancing is one that entails dialogue with the player base, one that is based on responsibility. really impressed with this display of communication and now i feel compelled to check this game out.

Unknown

Woot new game here I come. I've had 0 desire to play MPQ since Ultron ended so I think it's time to expand my gaming horizons. Even through the glitches Ultron was fun and completely **** all over the current PVP and PVE system. It's a shame but I think it's time for a break. At day 545 the game is starting to become the epitome of monotony.

LXSandman

While Marvel Heroes IS a great game, I'm not trying to recruit people to play it or get people to quit MPQ.

I just wanted to make it clear that I wasn't trying to bash anyone. I was just hoping that maybe the Dev's could look at this and think about incorporating some of it into their style...

LXSandman

p.s. one of the best features of their forums is that at the top of the forums is a "Latest Developer posts" section that highlights every post the developer makes. That would be a super great addition to this forum... Since you are switching up the forums soon (Try 2?) maybe you could incorporate that as well. It's amazing

Jonny1Punch

DEFINITELY gonna check this game out asap. That's the kind of communication and support I need to develop enough trust and confidence to throw down money. Great link OP. Unco dans posted quotes highlight exactly what we all would like to someday see when coming to this forum.

babinro

This is a good example but in defense of MPQ they've been pretty good with communication through their actions. Just a few examples:

1) They've made their design goal of tightening the tiers and creating a more balanced characters through nerfs and buffs abundantly clear through their actions. The focus was on nerfing out of a desire to slow the pace of games down since we already had a game degenerating to turn 3 wins (or matches being decided by then)...buffing the remaining roster would have only further degenerated this gameplay. Tons of people knew that XF was going to be nerfed almost immediately after Thor and to practically no ones surprise it happened. The design goals were made clear through actions even if people weren't paying close attention.

2) The devs have asked us for feedback in the past most notably after every revision of the MMR testing came into effect. They even went as far as to prompt us directly when the feedback slowed on the very last iteration rather than simply assume all was 'good'.

3) The devs frequently act upon our feedback as evidenced by many of the MMR changes, the TU changes, and character changes prior or near release (see Iron Fist, Xavier, and Quicksilver). Not to mention things like time slices, PvE modes that are non-competitive and not dependent on bracketing. More alliance friendly reward tiers (4* pve).

Despite all of these things there's always room for further improvement in terms of communication even if it is just a higher post count on the forums to let people know you're listening. I consider MPQ to be well above average in terms of gaming communication relative to other games I play...but there are certainly better examples as the OP points out.

Edit: In hindsight...had the devs made their intentions clear that they want to slow the pacing of matches and balance out the game I think that people would have been a bit more understanding. They'd have still rage quit and got angry from nerfs (because that happens regardless of warning)...but it would have helped soften the blow for some.

Unknown

Yeah, that is why say Emeryt is still playing Marvel Heroes, but burned his MPQ roster for good.

But here enough people keep feeding this set of developers and encourage their attitude (both in communication, game design elements and practical implementation running the servers), so why do you think they will change, ever?

Doc L

I just want to back up everything that has been said about Marvel Heroes. The game themselves are very different - Puzzle Quest versus Diablo essentially, but the way they alter characters, the way they give a huge amount of lead-in time for any new areas/characters/functions etc, and the way they listen to their players is commendable. I would say the game is not perfect, I still have issues with the inventory space, which I never seem to have enough of, but it is like Roster Slots-lite in terms of an issue. Great game to play if you love Marvel and Diablo, and one I play extensively.

Colognoisseur

I think the biggest difference between the post in the OP and what the devs have done on MPQ is the lack of communicating their vision.

One of the more frustrating things about the MPQ devs is that they have never communicated what they would like MPQ to be. It would help put many of their decisions into context. I also think while it might not change some people's irritation it would help others take it a little more easily.

I also have met many people throughout my professional career who when given this kind of feedback they believe they have been communicating all the time. Sometimes it is the audience and sometimes it the speaker but in the case of MPQ we aren't effectively communicating and over at Marvel Heroes it seems like they are.

Demiurge_Kabir

LXSandman wrote:

It's talking about balancing in their game.... which could also be relevant to the dev's here too.

Communication is never a bad thing.. if you make a mistake it's easy enough to apologize and move on if there is a regular dialog present.

Hope you take a look Devs!

Thanks, this is great feedback. We're always looking to improve our communication, and this is a great pointer in understanding what our players care about.

Unknown

Doc L wrote:

I just want to back up everything that has been said about Marvel Heroes. The game themselves are very different - Puzzle Quest versus Diablo essentially, but the way they alter characters, the way they give a huge amount of lead-in time for any new areas/characters/functions etc, and the way they listen to their players is commendable. I would say the game is not perfect, I still have issues with the inventory space, which I never seem to have enough of, but it is like Roster Slots-lite in terms of an issue. Great game to play if you love Marvel and Diablo, and one I play extensively.

They don't have a vision other than dollar $$$$ign$$$$$$$$

Unknown

Demiurge_Kabir wrote:

Thanks, this is great feedback. We're always looking to improve our communication, and this is a great pointer in understanding what our players care about.

Happy to see you face the reality with some courage and open-mindedness Kabir.

Arondite

What game is this?

_RiO_

Arondite wrote:

What game is this?

An MMO ARPG.
Think Diablo II. Add hub worlds with lots of players active, add instanced dungeons with parties of up to 5 players in regular play. Add end-game raid dungeons with parties of up to 10 people. Now add an end-game leveling system that beats the snot out of Diablo III's paragon system. Add around 50 different character classes each with unique skill trees. Then brand it all with the Marvel theme.

Arondite

Sub fees? Chatacter costs?

MarvelMan

_RiO_ wrote:

Arondite wrote:

What game is this?

An MMO ARPG.
Think Diablo II. Add hub worlds with lots of players active, add instanced dungeons with parties of up to 5 players in regular play. Add end-game raid dungeons with parties of up to 10 people. Now add an end-game leveling system that beats the snot out of Diablo III's paragon system. Add around 50 different character classes each with unique skill trees. Then brand it all with the Marvel theme.

A mobile version of D2? I spent WAY WAY too much of my college brainpower/time in that game.....

energythief

Marvel Heroes is amazing, and if you aren't playing it, you should. It's completely free to play, and all characters in the game are available through in-game currency.

If you join, hit me up in game (username: energythief) and I would love to help you out and give you some tips.

Best dev interaction with any community I have ever experienced.

Edit: PC/Mac only, no mobile or console yet. Also avail through Steam.

Unknown

Bump for competent Devs from Heros. Also Marvel Champions is another great game for anyone looking for a change. Not having to worry about nerf theft does wonders for morale.

Unknown

bumping in lieu of latest non-communicative communicative act regarding changes to pvp scoring

Unknown

I haven't played Heroes since beta. Controls were a bit janky and not as smooth as I would have liked. Still, it was fun.

Raffoon

Demiurge_Kabir wrote:

LXSandman wrote:

It's talking about balancing in their game.... which could also be relevant to the dev's here too.

Communication is never a bad thing.. if you make a mistake it's easy enough to apologize and move on if there is a regular dialog present.

Hope you take a look Devs!

Thanks, this is great feedback. We're always looking to improve our communication, and this is a great pointer in understanding what our players care about.

Pretty sure people have been mentioning Marvel Heroes' style of player interaction since day 1. From what I remember from when I played, they were on the forums posting information, teasers, and just interacting daily.

And something extra funny, the start of their 3rd paragraph:
"Our overall philosophy at the studio is to buff many things rather than nerf a few things."

It's extra funny because if I dig around, I can find a post from your own company president about this game saying essentially the same thing. That you guys prefer to follow the "Blizzard" model of making everything feel a bit overpowered, and then when all characters feel overpowered it's balanced because they're all equally overpowered.

Too bad you guys don't follow these philosophies.

Every time I see Thor/Xforce in my roster it reminds me to never spend money on this game again. Thanks for betraying our trust!