Community Interaction

[Sylar]

Do you like it when developers are active in the community? For example listening closely to community suggestions, and replying a lot to community posts/forum threads

I really love it when developers have time to be able to interact with the community. It feels awesome being able to talk to someone who's making the awesome game you play
The only drawback is when the community reacts negatively to a decision and starts personally attacking developers, or just starts flaming them. I really do not approve of that. They don't have to interact with us! Why berate them for doing it?!

 

[Martin]

I think it is a great idea. This is a reason why I moderate a game developer forums (the developer is QE2) because they are so into the community integration idea that there forum has an option to buy membership which gives access to development forum areas where you can post character creation ideas, story ideas etc. It is such a great idea and something I feel more game developers should do.

 

[Sylar]

I think it is a great idea. This is a reason why I moderate a game developer forums (the developer is QE2) because they are so into the community integration idea that there forum has an option to buy membership which gives access to development forum areas where you can post character creation ideas, story ideas etc. It is such a great idea and something I feel more game developers should do.

Wow that's actually pretty cool. Do the developers often take ideas from the paid developer forum?

 

[Martin]

Wow that's actually pretty cool. Do the developers often take ideas from the paid developer forum?

Can't be sure. Development has been slow - Kickstarter failed so other options of funding have being explored. Once the games progress is more apparent I am sure we will be able to see how much of it made it into the game. But as of right now, they at least view and reply to the threads with ideas.

 

[Sylar]

Ah ok, well that's understandable then. Hope they get it funded soon!

 

[Thomasss]

I love when developers and even the 'important people' (supervisors, etc) post on the forums and interact within the community. It just shows how much they care about user input and the overall community that is supporting them.

 

[Zyni]

I think it's a good idea. It used to feel like the WoW players mattered back when Blizzard did this. Now, they spend more time on social media than they do their own forums. I get that social media is all that these days, but I do think they should grace the players with their presence on their official forums sometimes too.

There used to be a suggestion forum too, but that was removed. I like the idea of having one. I think players have some really good ideas at times (as evidenced by some of their addons and such being incorporated into the game at a later date). I get that not everything can be put into the game, but I think the interaction is still worthwhile.

 

[Gladdy]

Yes! Especially in the less known, alpha type of games. I feel like community interaction with the developers is crucial for the success of the game. There are so many games that did well just because people felt connected to the developing team and felt like they're ''co-creating'' the game, just by giving their feedback, ideas and so on.

Such bond between the player and the devs is very special and can bring a lot of attention to your game. Of course, you will always find certain individuals that will choose to look for the most negative things possible and provide no constructive criticism but just ignore them. Focus on the ones that love your game and are trying to actually improve it.

 

[Zyni]

Yeah, you make some great points. That kind of interaction inspires fan loyalty. If people love the game and feel like they are a real part of it, they will be free advertising for you. They will brag it up and want everyone they know to also play the game.

Indeed, be open to constructive criticism as well as new ideas. It shouldn't be too hard to sort out the bad apples and give the good ones a venue for sharing thoughts, concerns, and ideas.

That's been part of the problem from what I've seen. Rather than ignoring or even banning the jerks, they just stop interacting with everyone. I think doing that is a really bad idea.

 

[rockandgreen]

I actually like when developers engage with their community as it leads to more activity as well as a faster improving game as the players suggest ways on how to improve their own experience. For example, Yandere Dev has a YouTube channel with well over 1 million subscribers and this has lead Yandere Simulator to gain quite a large following and interest. Close engagement with a community has benefits for everyone, the community, the game (as it improves faster) and the developer (more sales due to increased hype created by community engagement).

 

[WarVet]

Yes! Especially in the less known, alpha type of games. I feel like community interaction with the developers is crucial for the success of the game. There are so many games that did well just because people felt connected to the developing team and felt like they're ''co-creating'' the game, just by giving their feedback, ideas and so on.

Such bond between the player and the devs is very special and can bring a lot of attention to your game. Of course, you will always find certain individuals that will choose to look for the most negative things possible and provide no constructive criticism but just ignore them. Focus on the ones that love your game and are trying to actually improve it.

Yeah I mean the final and most important judge of your work are going to be the client. So the one you ought to listen is the client yes? Especially in the middle of the creation process customer feedback can mean a lot. I am currently in the process of developing a blog. And there is an online community which rates and gives you blog some feedback to help you with the creation process. It's been vital to me because I had never done this before.

 

[TsuyoyRival]

I personally love when I'm being listened, not just in game matters, so yeah, in order for me to be loyal to a game and/or company, the developers must show their intentions in a game, but also listen to the gamers and input their thoughts into the final project, update, etc.

 

[arachnophobik]

I do like it a lot. I came from an MMO where the mods and devs were very social in the forum and would even have spacetime chats with them from time to time. I liked the idea of them being active and leveling with us as it makes me feel like the devs are really into this game and that they're not just trying to milk as much money as they can for the game.

 

[overcast]

I like it when developers explain how they made the game. Also when they make the gaming engine open source, it's kind of fun to learn from it. I have found how the slack chat team once who were game developers did their best to make their game work open source. I like it when they reach out to community like this.

 

[fireball916]

I like when developers take the time to interact with the players and get their feedback. It shows they care about the game and the players and want to provide the best gaming experience possible. Unfortunately this puts them at risk at being attacked if the community reacts negatively to something. So I think the community has a duty not to over react when something happens. Providing feedback is good but we have to make sure not to over do it so the developers doesn't feel attacked.

 

[Zyni]

Yeah I mean the final and most important judge of your work are going to be the client. So the one you ought to listen is the client yes?

To some extent, yes, or at least interact. You can't always do everything that all the players want. The game would never get finished. Some things really aren't good for the game either. Still, if an idea is bad, explain why it's bad. People are much more likely to take that in stride than they are if they feel like they're being ignored completely. Plus, sometimes, the ideas are really good.

When they really need to listen is when there is a consensus that something is not fun. People play games to have fun, and some devs seem to have forgotten that very important part of it.

 

[WarVet]

To some extent, yes, or at least interact. You can't always do everything that all the players want. The game would never get finished. Some things really aren't good for the game either. Still, if an idea is bad, explain why it's bad. People are much more likely to take that in stride than they are if they feel like they're being ignored completely. Plus, sometimes, the ideas are really good.

When they really need to listen is when there is a consensus that something is not fun. People play games to have fun, and some devs seem to have forgotten that very important part of it.

Pretty much aye. I like independent developers because of this very reason. Since they don't have a ton of fanboys backing them up and buying every game they produce no matter how bad the final result is, they're usually more concerned with customer opinion. Unfortunately, some of those independent developers either become a big company or are swallowed by one.

 

[kgord]

I think it would be awesome to be able to interact with developers and be able to give them information about the types of games you like and how the current game you are playing stacks up, what you would like to see in the game etc.

 

[Zyni]

Pretty much aye. I like independent developers because of this very reason. Since they don't have a ton of fanboys backing them up and buying every game they produce no matter how bad the final result is, they're usually more concerned with customer opinion. Unfortunately, some of those independent developers either become a big company or are swallowed by one.

I couldn't have said it better, @WarVet. I get so sick of those, "Shut up and take my money," people who have no clue. They ruin good games for everyone else, since the devs don't even have to try any more.

Indeed, some studios just get too big for their britches. My former favorite is a testament to that. In fact, they suffered from both the problems you mentioned. They got big (and too full of themselves) plus they got swallowed up. Now, the bean counters are in charge and games aren't as much fun.

 

[kgord]

Yes, I think in order to develop good games you have to interact with your buyers to know what they want and can use. It is simply a way to make sure that you are listening to your customer base and being responsive to their needs.