@BillkwandoGood look or no, the lack of transparency about whether the bug is being fixed and when we can expect a rough timeframe of it being fixed is going to cause ire for those who can’t play the game that has promised so much. In a weird way I’d argue that the backlash over the controls highlights that there is a passionate and dedicated group of players there that just want to play the game that they’ve been so excited by.
As others have said, everyone makes mistakes and I’m sure everyone was expecting form of bugs on launch if they were truly honest with themselves. How those are dealt with will be how EA are judged.
The issue is still not on the Known Issues thread. @EA_Charlemagne said it was a deliberate design choice rather than a bug (I struggle to take this seriously, there seems to be no rational reason for this if it is the case). Other control issues been recognised and fixed (HOTAS anyone?). All we’ve had on here is @Straatford87 putting the problem as solved under the spurious reasoning that it will help people find the thread more easily (or rather it would show as solved and people might assume EA had actually sorted it).
This bug would have been picked up with even a cursory play test which means one of the following is true:
There wasn’t any/enough play testing to find it.
They knew it was there and didn’t fix deliberately as the number of customers lost due to being affected would cost less time than the fix.
They found it and can’t fix it so they’re hoping it will go away.
In any case, information and transparency is the only way to manage this (and the other bugs to be fair). If they had said “we’re working on it and we think we’ll have it sorted before Christmas but we will fix it” I wouldn’t have got a refund (nor would my friends). If they turned around and said “we can’t/won’t fix it, sorry” we could all work out where we stand and possibly live with the game as it is.
This thread started with some civility, however EA have done absolutely nothing on here or elsewhere to help their cause, and constant pressure is about the only thing that can be done to try and get this solved or at least have some closure whether others think it dignified or not.
I’m gutted I had to get a refund. I’m gutted I’m not playing it now and have videos of people enjoying this game all over YouTube. I’m gutted that a smaller studio is having a crap time of it with the reaction they’re getting to all of the bugs.
With a marginally competent PR strategy this could all have been avoided. At the moment it seems to be a case of ignoring it and hoping it will go away. I’d have been happy with a robust and open conversation with any of the ‘EA Community Managers’ about it, but they’re banking on this fizzling out. Whilst it may eventually do so, the lasting impression for me will be how EA and Motive don’t seem to be fussed about the end user once the money has been spent which I don’t think, with the possible hardships looming on the horizon, is a sensible strategy. If you look at the most successful companies they have their products sorted at launch, and if there is an issue they communicate and solve the issue as soon as possible.
So many times with PR issues it can be difficult to find the most appropriate and best way to solve the problem, but in this issue we’re not only explain what we want clearly, but how to do it as well. We want to know when (or if!) the bug will be fixed, and then the fix (or if it can’t be the closure to move on). Very rarely is the correct path so simple and low cost. A post on any forum/Twitter/Reddit with some firm details or a roadmap makes this issue evaporate instantly. This is a headache that is entirely self-inflicted, and I’m a little puzzled why it’s still an issue.
The community, in whatever form however needs to stick together and not pick holes in the grumbling of those who are struggling with a defective product. I personally wouldn’t start quoting poetry to complain, but I understand and support those that do because they’re unhappy and trying to get a solution or at least some closure. The community needs to stay together to reinforce that it’s unacceptable for this practice of bug ridden software launches to continue, and in maintaining the focus on the company rather than the methods employed to complain this will happen.
