Requesting more communication

[spIash_damage]

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@Shadowphinx101 wrote:

@Iron_Guard8Well we now have some more communication.!!

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I wouldn’t hold my breath.  Twitter messages or Reddit posts only exacerbate forum members feeling ostracized.

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@kapkarrot wrote:
@Iron_Guard8(putting on tin foil hat)

I believe that communication is sparse because BfN is performing below expectations and won't be supported as long-term as initially suggested.

Remember when @spIash_damageposted a list of changes and asked for more communication (it was a wonderful thread)? Well, they responded with a shout-out on the live stream to a similar reddit thread (y'know, the place with all the inappropriate humor and drug references) and never acknowledged the hard work used to compile the information on their own official forums.

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Communication has been sparse since day one. 😢. They truly could care less about the forum...

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When I made this post:  https://answers.ea.com/t5/General-Discussion/5-Community-Ideas-For-Developers-Livestream/m-p/8620081...  the forum was also much different in that monthly XP leaders would have over 1,500 to 2,000 points per month, many vets were still playing, and video content was being added to the boards daily.

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Had more typed and forum software deleted original post... 🙁

[dwooten77]

 @EA_David refreshing this because it should be attended too.  The forum is just asking for communication.  Not necessarily answers you might not have.  
@TheSprinter85 im no longer on slack.  Assuming you are as most active champion right now.  Can you draw some attention to this?  I would use both PVZ and the main channel Sometimes they need a push or reminders to address these things.  Thank you.

[TheSprinter85]

@dwooten77  Would you like me to draw attention to this specific post via Slack? I’ll see what I can do.

[dwooten77]

@TheSprinter85 just messaged with Arcadia, doesn’t sound like there’s much they can comment on.  It just seems to me if the community spoke out on lack of communication then they would want to know about it.  No worries on going to slack.

[kapkarrot]

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@dwooten77 wrote:

@TheSprinter85 just messaged with Arcadia, doesn’t sound like there’s much they can comment on.  It just seems to me if the community spoke out on lack of communication then they would want to know about it.  No worries on going to slack.

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That...is not good news.  And now I'm incredibly sad because I really do believe my tin foil hat theory is correct.

[shurikeninja]

@GutmanSca Some people asked for Citron buffs, but otherwise true.

[shurikeninja]

@kapkarrot We are truly in the darkest times I thought we'd get like 8-10 new characters but it seems like the devs are moving on for the most part. This could be a good thing for people who don't really like BFN, maybe the next game will be even better, but it doesn't excuse things like the new map's state and balance.

[Iron_Guard8]

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@kapkarrot wrote:

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@dwooten77 wrote:

@TheSprinter85 just messaged with Arcadia, doesn’t sound like there’s much they can comment on.  It just seems to me if the community spoke out on lack of communication then they would want to know about it.  No worries on going to slack.

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That...is not good news.  And now I'm incredibly sad because I really do believe my tin foil hat theory is correct.

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This does worry me. When the game launched at Founders it was buzzing with activity and several EA folks commented on the forums often. Over time I do expect the hubbub of a newly launched title to die down, but it's been eerily quiet for a live title these days. I played GW1 but wasn't on the forums and I didn't get into GW2 till it launched, but have been active since then, and the support does die down, but BfN seems to be losing that active support faster than GW2 did.

If they are planning to stick with BfN for the long term, we need more communication. We're missing some promising ideas that could really invigorate the game (better Ops and new characters especially), so some kind of time table and other posts from devs would really help!

If instead, they are unhappy with how BfN is doing (and lacking data, I have no idea how things are going beyond anecdotes), and are planning on returning in some way to the GW formula, all this silence would make sense. So far though, I've heard nothing about them working on a new game, and we heard they were working on the next game fairly early after GW2 launched. Maybe GW3 is going to use the best ideas of the 3 current games? Would love to hear what they plan on if so.

Another option is something like what is happening with Anthem; the devs are quieter than normal as they work on a BfN 2.0 kind of thing to address all the issues we are experiencing. I'd prefer them to still talk with us more, even if it's ;"We're working on several improvements that will take time to implement." and giving us a monthly post that fills us in on what they're planning.

The last idea, and this is something I do not want to see, is that BfN is failing to meet expectations and may be the last PvZ shooter. That would be a dark day indeed and something I don't think any of us want to see. I actually don't think this is what's happening, and that instead they're working on something, but it's difficult to be sure right now.

[shurikeninja]

@Iron_Guard8 That last paragraph, I felt that. I would be mad if that were the case because it's literally EA/Popcap's fault for this game not meeting expectations. Although that could also be good, as long as they make something wacky and fun so that I can get my wacky shooter fix. I can't go for another decade of PvZ shooters honestly. EA Vancouver and the other support studios are full of amazing developers with great ideas. Hopefully they have learnt from this experience and will come back better than before.

Anyway, development on new games usually starts around this time, GW2's last big update was in 2017 I think and we barely got any new variants/maps. Unfortunately we won't get many new characters it seems, but as long as monthly Legendary Upgrades continue until everyone gets one and we get new modes every week I could be fine with it.

But please devs, fix Tourist Trap Island, work with the community to find bugs and help you fix them, and nerf Grody Goop.

[ToastedSarnie]

@Iron_Guard8 I've had about 3 weeks out of both forum & game after posting I needed a time-out from my frustration with both & it's made me realise a few things.

I've realised I still want the game to succeed & be enjoyable but the fact I haven't missed playing it these past few weeks is a big "tell" to me, given how I still regularly play the GWs, despite max-ranking & obtaining all the cosmetics on several profiles between the two games.

I've realised I've been playing for a long time out of love for the franchise & hope that the devs can turn things around still - but we've had months & months of hoping, without even a little communication from the devs to us here in the forum.

I know there are things that can't be discussed or promised, but it would take just a minute of someone's time to post an occasional "Sorry, guys, can't go into detail / give you a timeline on x,y,z but wanted to let you know we're aware of it".
Even if they did so through gritted teeth while cursing us all for being demanding, it's good PR & I've never understood why they haven't taken the time to engage with us.

Communicating with us would give us all some hope that it's worth continuing to play... not doing so is leading to far more people leaving the forum & game than any other issue in my opinion, sadly.

I know the Covid situation isn't helping, but it hasn't prevented weekly Twitter updates for PvZ2, so surely an odd message te BFN isn't too much to ask for?? 🤷‍♀️

I've had a brief pop-in today to post on a few subjects & this one is by far the most important - I'm happy to take breaks from the game if things are feeling bad after updates but a continuing lack of communication about the future (in terms of bugs, balance etc) is likely to make me stop trying altogether & give up on the game completely.