EA/DICE respond to backlash
... https://www.reddit.com/r/battlefield2042/comments/rx0w9y/eadice_finally_responds_to_the_backlash/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share
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I can see this from both sides.
On one hand, you have someone who is thinking about their employees who I have no doubt have been working hard and were likely promised a much deserved rest. They are also being realistic about some peoples expectations that things can simply be added and changed to the game in short order. They are obviously considering a lot of the feedback in including those "legacy features" the game was missing from the start. ....but they need to weigh what is possible, what to prioritize, how it fits into their vision of the game, etc. Right, wrong or indifferent, they need time.
On the other hand, you have consumers, paying customers who are upset and rightly so. When you cut through the BS insults and irrational remarks, there is a lot of good feedback to be heard and fair statements about how EA/DICE have let down their fans. Some feeling cheated and misled. EA/DICE could communicate better IMO and quite frankly, I see the posted remarks a little off-putting. I get standing up for your employees taking a holiday break but they are not running a charity here. They took peoples money and if there weren't problems with the game, we wouldn't be having this conversation now. ....they could handle the fallout better IMO. They could keep people clued in on what is being worked on, etc. to help let them feel involved and appreciated.
Personally, I never liked their vision for BF2042 and still don't. My friends and I only bought the game because of Portal and quite selfishly, that's really what I want to see come through all this and thrive. If the other elements of BF2042 get fixed to others satisfaction, that's great but personally, it doesn't matter much to me as I simply don't see the other parts of the game being changed to the point I would be interested in playing AOW, HZ, etc. It's too far gone from the formula I grew to love to be honest. If it wasn't for Portal, I would made a hard pass on this game as I intended to do the first time I saw the reveal.
Anyhow, that's how I see it.
Come on guys, some of the things we do expect are very brutal. Like VOIP, all chat, permanent servers, bigger squads, better comma rose etc. They are new features that have never been tried and tested in previous games after all so just chill yeah.
I have a cool idea, how about during stealth melee kills, a huge crazy graphic pops up during the animation that says BRUTAL FATALITY!!!! and then also maybe a popular specialist can even be a character in a mortal kombat game!!!
- @GovntTookMyBaby How about no... this is supposed to be a game of realism. You wouldn't hear crap like that in real combat
@Kean_1111took the words right out of my mouth, I think my biggest issue with the response is not the content but the way he went about it and then following up with a somewhat jaded and childish sarcasm afterwards. Then this is followed up by tons of constructive feedback not being responded to but then instead he responded to trolls.
I don't necessarily think this is a company issue anymore, I think this is a people issue. Developers are human too just like the community and unfortunately much like the community they are capable of just as much bad behaviour and generally childish remarks. His approach is not something a company should allow frankly, not because he shouldn't be free to do so but because it further confuses the intent of the company and it will also create the perspective that the developers just do not care. People don't want their favourite franchise to die and if I am completely honest it is on track to doing so if this keeps up. But as I've posted to others in the community and youtubers, doing this over the Christmas period and expecting immediate changes is just silly.But some accountability needs to be had regarding how it released and the clear lack of content and unfinished nature of the game. We know there was a class system but then was replaced by Specialists for no other reason than to likely compete with warzone and because the class system wasn't finished. Then you have the maps, seemingly barren and a default "tornado" on every map as some sort of place holder for that. The balance, the lack of optimisation. I am not saying there should be a witch hunt or something but this is worse than how cyberpunk 2077 turned out in my opinion, the game just isn't as big as cyberpunk and cyberpunk turned out better. Nobody should be attacking the devs for it though, project leads and higher ups (marketing included as they have way more power than they think) need to take responsibility for this mess. But the first step is to acknowledge the mess, the second is to work on fixing it.
This was my thread on how to improve it, a bit hopeful over a couple of patches but maybe the next couple of months:
https://answers.ea.com/t5/General-Discussion/Wishlist-for-the-next-couple-of-patches-to-fix-this-abomination/td-p/11162106
If nothing else this should be a clear example of why you should never try to release 3 games at once (2042, Hazard zone, Portal) the best thing they can do right now is acknowledge they screwed up and start making changes over time. Its the only way they will win back any good will from the community at this point.
@xeNizKing wrote:@Kean_1111took the words right out of my mouth, I think my biggest issue with the response is not the content but the way he went about it and then following up with a somewhat jaded and childish sarcasm afterwards. Then this is followed up by tons of constructive feedback not being responded to but then instead he responded to trolls.
I couldn't agree more and if I'm going to be perfectly honest, it was this similar attitude that affected my decision not to buy BFV. They chose to engage a few trolls and make it sound like all of the criticism against the bionic / super hero character in the reveal was related to the poor behavior of a relative few. .....it wasn't, and when the CCO said "We stand up for the cause because I think those people who don’t understand it, well, you have two choices: either accept it or don’t buy the game. I’m fine with either or. It’s just not ok.”
Many like myself weren't turned off by the representation and inclusion of women in the game but the silly nature of the reveal trailer that simply wasn't realistic. They handled that completely wrong IMO by giving a few chauvinistic trolls the spotlight while dismissing the rest valid, related feedback as if they were guilty of the same.
While the Tweet in this thread is nowhere near that, I still get that vibe with the "brutal" remark. It came off as "I love you guys but your expectations are irrational". ....it comes off as condescending. I would have never addressed paying customers in this fashion nor accepted that from others in our business.
Personally, I would have just let people know that we were back from break and are hitting the ground running. I would explain that while I understand the concerns our customers and fans have, we have heard the feedback but it will take time to fully review, figure out what's doable, prioritize and implement those changes / additions that we can. We will keep you posted along the way but please understand that we are committed to improving BF2042 and your feedback is important to us. .....follow that up with better communication going forward and don't get distracted by the trolls.
As for people taking a break, I don't fault those guys. When I was working, I would have loved a job that gave the company 2 weeks off for the holidays. As it was, I felt lucky getting a few of those days off and had to supplement the rest with my own paid vacation days if I wanted more time. .....submitted weeks earlier to make sure my department was covered.
On a side note, I never really understood the whole "crunch time" issue in this industry. The media and other people making a big deal of this must live in a bubble. There are many industries that have to contend with similar "crunch times". Many deal with this every month and/or every quarter vs. just at the end of a long project. A lot of those people are in lower paying, more demanding jobs that aren't in cushy offices with lounge areas, free food / drinks / coffee and more lax working environments.
As a consumer, I could care less. The working environments within EA, DICE or any dev studio is no concern of mine. ....we're not talking about a company in a 3rd world country exploiting child labor or something along those lines. These are companies bound by labor laws in first world countries offering positions within a competitive job market. .....cry me a river.
I any event, I just think they could handle the communication better moving forward.
@Kean_1111 wrote:
@xeNizKing wrote:@Kean_1111took the words right out of my mouth, I think my biggest issue with the response is not the content but the way he went about it and then following up with a somewhat jaded and childish sarcasm afterwards. Then this is followed up by tons of constructive feedback not being responded to but then instead he responded to trolls.
I any event, I just think they could handle the communication better moving forward.
Yep and the only way to do that properly is just say nothing. Work on the game. Put up patch notes when stuff is released.
IT's pointless to communicate with the so-called "community" for a multitude of reasons.
1. Everyone wants something different.
2. They communicated with the "community" before the game came out. Did that help the "community?" No.
3. Anything they say can and will be used against them.
4. It doesn't make anything come out sooner or better.
5. It doesn't change how the game plays currently.
I would just release patch notes in Swedish when stuff comes out. And the only official communications would be highlighting cool things already in the game in an official channel. And maybe sticky "our team is hard at work on improving the game." Maybe. (And probably a more benign statement to 'sticky' would be "We are committed to providing support for BF2042 into 2023.")
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