Why so little interaction with the community?

[Hood]

It's a downward spiral now which may even have started the instant the game was released in such a poor state.

A lot of the "whiners" really really want a fixed game but make their feelings known. The developers don't respond, maybe because of language issues, lack of common sense or fear of another backlash, so they get it in the neck for not responding. When there is a response it is often incomplete, wildly optimistic or just false (for the same reasons as above) and so the whole cycle takes a downwards lurch.

What is really needed is an amnesty on the part of the forum members combined with a regular update or dialogue from the developers. In the past I've advocated a simple, locked, update thread even if it is just to report that they're still working on something. Really that won't happen now because the only update will be that the latest patch will be made official sometime, then wait for the sequel whatever format that is to take given that it hasn't been announced yet...

Originally Posted by zapatista

whatever is positive about the sim

Lots of whining about very little then. I'm a whiner yet I'll buy the sequel if only because I live in hope that I'll get to fly the BoB without too much heartache.

Hood

[kestrel79]

I kinda like how other sims have taken to Facebook and Twitter. No time for a Friday update? No problem, just post one new screenshot during the middle of the week. It takes 2 seconds, and we will lap it up. Or dropping hints on stuff. It gets people excited.

iRacing does this, Train Simulator, War Thunder.

[jermin]

Originally Posted by Feathered_IV

I get the impresion that Luthier, much more than Oleg, does not particularly like the community or his product's customer base. Whenever he has referred to us, it has been with some disdain and a sense that we are an unpleasant nuisance to his circular development cycle.

I have the same feeling. Let's try to understand their logic lying behind such consideration.

Right now the sales of CloD per time unit has drpped down to a steadily low digit. Those who didn't buy CloD before and on its release are not likely to ever buy it, after seeing how disapointing the game status and aftersale support have been.

They have eraned all what they could earned. In order to presell as many copies as possible, they even kept sending out falsely optimistic information regarding the status of game development to the eagerly waiting community.

With that amount of money, though far from satisfactory, they initially attempted to fix this game, in hope of persuading those waiting custumers, who still held their money in hands, to take their moves.

But the development was not going as smoothly as they originally thought. They spent too much time and resources without getting equivalent outcome. And the market price of the game dropped quickly. It became more and more pointless to continue that attempt, since even if the game is finally fixed, its generated sales (as low as $3 per copy) won't bring them enough profit to cover the expense of the remedial development.

So from a business viewpoint, shifting their development priority to the sequel was obviously right.

Now here comes the most important part. Because 1C has nearly no competitors in the WW2 sim market that can cast threat to them, they don't need to keep us engaged and satisfied. The reasoning behind this is that they are not afraid to lose their customer base, because nobody can steal it, at least for now. They know clearly that as long as they finally get the sequel back on track, those who formerly swore not to buy the sequel will still happily empty their pockets for it.

Sadly, once buyers make their payment, they lost their controlability over the developer. That is why a refund system is essential.

Sent from my Milestone using Tapatalk 2

[csThor]

I've said it again and again, only to be ignored every single time: Luthier is not Oleg. He hates PR and "communication". He'd like nothing better to lock himself and the team up in the office complex, work on whatever project they have on their hands and not be bothered at all by suits with milestones and deadlines and especially not by players wanting to know what's going on.

Neither asking for answers nor yammering about the state of CloD will change that fundamental aversion to PR and communication. He doesn't like it so he's avoiding it whenever possible.

[MadTommy]

I agree with a lot that has been said...however I'm not solely talking about future work & patchs.

I'm also talking about general interaction about gameplay issues, bugs and the like.

If i post what i think is a bug or a query about how something is meant to work in RoF or DCS forum, generally you will get a response of either a developer or beta tester (i.e someone with some inside knowledge). Here you never get any input or response, ever.

It appears Maddox Games simply has no interest in their product or their customers. It really is baffling.

[SiThSpAwN]

Originally Posted by MadTommy

I agree with a lot that has been said...however I'm not solely talking about future work & patchs.

I'm also talking about general interaction about gameplay issues, bugs and the like.

If i post what i think is a bug or a query about how something is meant to work in RoF or DCS forum, generally you will get a response of either a developer or beta tester (i.e someone with some inside knowledge). Here you never get any input or response, ever.

It appears Maddox Games simply has no interest in their product or their customers. It really is baffling.

I sorta get where you are coming from, over the last few months I have gotten the impression that there is not much in the way of passion for this sim. Having talked to a couple Devs over at Eagle Dynamics, they seem passionate about recreating an aircraft, I dont get that here, It feels like a job, they work on it during the day and go home and play something else... CloD feels like it is missing heart if that makes any sense...

Dont get me wrong, I still see the potential here, and still think the game has come far in the last while... I just dont feel like the Devs like this sim very much... maybe that will change in the sequel when these guys have more vested in it, I realize that most of them came on to fix others isssues...

[Toni74]

Originally Posted by csThor

I've said it again and again, only to be ignored every single time: Luthier is not Oleg. He hates PR and "communication". He'd like nothing better to lock himself and the team up in the office complex, work on whatever project they have on their hands and not be bothered at all by suits with milestones and deadlines and especially not by players wanting to know what's going on.

Neither asking for answers nor yammering about the state of CloD will change that fundamental aversion to PR and communication. He doesn't like it so he's avoiding it whenever possible.

What's wrong with doing it that way? If I were him I would do it same way - and additionaly I would close this forum.

[Essef]

Just look at the number of tickets raised i think you.ll find that answers your question

Im new to this sim and have spent the last three days attempting to get the dam thing operational

Essef

[ACE-OF-ACES]

Originally Posted by zapatista

since then a handful of perpetual whiners and psychopathic trolls who camp here have even been bitching at whatever is positive about the sim as it has been gradually fixed, so it stinks up the forum and doesnt really create an environment for positive interaction

Bingo!

[MadTommy]

Originally Posted by Toni74

What's wrong with doing it that way? If I were him I would do it same way - and additionaly I would close this forum.

Additionally you would have no customers for your sequel and you would be out of a job.

IMO from a business point of view, PR & customer support is critical for future sales. I suspect as it stands only a dedicated few will purchase the sequel, certainly not enough to recuperate the loose of CloD and several years the development cost for the sequel.