R.I.P MPQ Forum 10/2013-8/2020

Colognoisseur
Colognoisseur Posts: 804 Critical Contributor
In a sudden and drastic turn the forum for the popular mobile game Marvel Puzzle Quest passed away this month. In its adolescence it was a popular resource for players to learn from each other. It also featured a regular presence from the developers behind the game who seemed to enjoy teasing new parts of the game. At its peak there were thousands of players interacting.
In recent years as it has aged signs of decrepitude have begun to accumulate at an alarming rate. When given a memory test the forum couldn't remember the simple five words of, "communicate, customer, fun, information, question". At the time it seemed the end was approaching.
This month the forum just died. No information about upcoming events or characters. In its dying throes it was heard to say something that sounded like Sentinels or maybe Sneak Peek. It was in such a weakened state it was better to allow it to slip away quietly.
The family has asked in lieu of flowers to spare a kind thought for what the forum used to be and not to remember it in its final sad days.
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Comments

  • DyingLegend
    DyingLegend Posts: 1,191 Chairperson of the Boards
    I'll send a fruit basket to HQ
  • Daredevil217
    Daredevil217 Posts: 3,895 Chairperson of the Boards
    You know... it feels like I’ve gone to too many of these things. 

    When will the killing stop?!
  • Michael1957
    Michael1957 Posts: 630 Critical Contributor
    The forum has basically become the complaint department over the past few years , it should be called the Nag and Rag, or Opine and Whine . 
  • HoundofShadow
    HoundofShadow Posts: 8,004 Chairperson of the Boards
    edited August 2020
    Sure, game forums are usually filled with complains. However, the differences lie in the level or degree of negativity. I put here as 80-90% negativity. Over in MPQ Reddit, I put it as 60% to 70%. At least, there are more players over there who have a more realistic view of what's possible and what's not, compared to here.
  • Jexy
    Jexy Posts: 52 Match Maker
    I was looking at the reviews in the app store & in response to a negative comment about the developers' lack of interest in the game, the "developer response" said "the developers are active on the game's forum" and I lolled
  • Michael1957
    Michael1957 Posts: 630 Critical Contributor
    DAZ0273 said:
    My dictionary must be out of date coz I keep seeing this word "toxic" and this forum being put together, not only here but in past threads also and the definitions don't line up for me.
    I used to moderate a web site back in the 2000's and on the day I was asked to do so the main forum had several threads that had pornagraphic images in them, posters had called several creators involved many many bad names (and also their spouses very bad names too), there was a thread about what the size of members members were, etc etc. And just for the cherry on top - the owner decided to make a separate forum called "Politics". It didn't go well. Oh and there was this guy who was always posting drunk and ranting about things - he was kind'a funny though - he once mispelled Spider-Man as Sapi-Uderman - I can't to this day not think about it and chuckle when I see Spidey! I actually ended up meeting him in real life and typically of course he was quiet and really polite!
    Anyway - I came here for the information when I started playing, lurked because lurking is a thing, joined in for the often fun interaction and if things get a little sassy now and then, well a little bit of sassy never burned down any houses!
    Well, at least they didn’t mention anyone’s mother , it could have been worse 
  • DAZ0273
    DAZ0273 Posts: 9,580 Chairperson of the Boards
    DAZ0273 said:
    My dictionary must be out of date coz I keep seeing this word "toxic" and this forum being put together, not only here but in past threads also and the definitions don't line up for me.
    I used to moderate a web site back in the 2000's and on the day I was asked to do so the main forum had several threads that had pornagraphic images in them, posters had called several creators involved many many bad names (and also their spouses very bad names too), there was a thread about what the size of members members were, etc etc. And just for the cherry on top - the owner decided to make a separate forum called "Politics". It didn't go well. Oh and there was this guy who was always posting drunk and ranting about things - he was kind'a funny though - he once mispelled Spider-Man as Sapi-Uderman - I can't to this day not think about it and chuckle when I see Spidey! I actually ended up meeting him in real life and typically of course he was quiet and really polite!
    Anyway - I came here for the information when I started playing, lurked because lurking is a thing, joined in for the often fun interaction and if things get a little sassy now and then, well a little bit of sassy never burned down any houses!
    Well, at least they didn’t mention anyone’s mother , it could have been worse 

    Yeah, nobody sank that low...
  • DeNappa
    DeNappa Posts: 1,368 Chairperson of the Boards
    IMO this sentiment is a direct result of their firing / discontinuing the position of community manager in february.
  • Theghouse
    Theghouse Posts: 315 Mover and Shaker
    jp1 said:
    Theghouse said:
    Their absence is almost as if there's a toxic environment of continuous negativity towards the devs that would make them want to actively avoid on the forums....

    Oh wait.

    Tinykitty.
    Yeah, any time I have to deal with a difficult client at work due to their dissatisfaction with our services I’ll run to the nearest closet and hide until they leave from frustration. 

    #professionalservicegoals

    Seriously though, I can’t fathom this meeting.

    ”So, it seems you have completely shirked your responsibilities on the official forum, could you tell me why?”

    ”Of course, you see, the folks there are too negative for me. I was planning to return as soon as enough veteran whales leave the game and to F2P crowd who loves us is all that’s left.”

    ”That’s a brilliant plan gent, continue!”


    I am 100 percent in the wrong field. Any behavior like this would have immediate ramifications for me, my team, or my peers. Don’t even get me started on the way it stinks of entitlement if that is indeed their reasoning.

    A post like this assumes that there is, in somebody's job description, "official forum responsibilities".  As another poster mentioned the person who had those responsibilities tied to their job description, Brigby, is no longer a part of their team.

    The truth is that we have become used to a certain level of dev involvement. We have been spoiled.

    It is the community who "stinks of entitlement" in this unfortunate relationship.  Can you imagine someone thinking their own personal issues are so important to the development of this game that they tag game developers in conversations fully expecting a personal response?  And then bad mouthing them if they don't get a response, or sometimes even if they do? There is a place for direct contact with the developers of the game and it is not the forums, it is the support contact.

    Many of the threads that the devs are "responsible for" started out as community managed projects, like new character pages.  Many of the other threads are just repeated information that is visible in the game itself.  The sneak peek threads were great information before we would get it in the game.  I did enjoy those threads and am sad to not see them getting updated.  But nobody here is entitled to a direct reply from a developer on their forum posts.  We're not entitled to early information posted here on the forum before it goes live in game, even if we have been lucky enough to get a lot of it in the past.

    But as other posters have said, it is us, the community, who is responsible for the environment created here on the forums.  And maybe if we can create an environment that doesn't just constantly bad mouth and call out the devs, maybe they would elect to be more active because they want to be.
  • Punisher5784
    Punisher5784 Posts: 3,836 Chairperson of the Boards
    edited August 2020
    I'm here for the funeral.. We haven't spoken in over a year, but the MPQ Forum will be missed. R.I.P.
  • HoundofShadow
    HoundofShadow Posts: 8,004 Chairperson of the Boards
    Many passionate ones have trouble accepting rejection or answers that they don't want to hear. For example, when the dev said they felt they were releasing feeders too fast last year, how did people respond? "Feeders are dead. The developers are out of touch." 

    Secondly, they expect the dev to do things a certain way, before a certain timing, and in a specific manner. Apart from these, they judge how well the dev are doing their jobs based on their personal preferences and biases as a measuring stick.  When the dev doesn't live up to their expectations, insert <negative words>. Ask yourself, how many people here actually put themselves in the shoes of them, instead of the typical knee-jerk reactions of demeaning them. 

    There's a big difference between listening to feedbacks and giving in to demands.

    When someone is genuinely giving feedbacks, they hope they will be read and be helpful to the other party. When their feedbacks aren't implemented, they aren't going to kick up a big fuss and start threatening the other party or start demonising them.

    What usually happens here is, when "feedbacks" are given, the dev are expected to implement them. If not, they will start demonising or insulting them. 

    Tradeoffs are subjective. People need to understand that when major tradeoffs are made for the entire playerbase, or the majority, some will win, and some will lose. It's part and parcel of life. It's impossible that everyone will be satisified.