On moving goalposts

There's been a lot of discussion, both on the newsgroups, and various blogs, about changes in Clan Lord, the impact of those changes on the players, and issues of GM communication. On one side, we have players quitting the game. On the other side, we have people reminding us it's just a game. I'm more inclined to agree with Tove, in that the truth is somewhere in the middle.

I think most of the people who are frustrated and venting aren't upset that the game has been made more difficult. What makes a game fun to play is making meaningful choices. A player decides to purchase items and train skills based on what he can find out. These investments are not trivial. Clan Lord ups the ante in that information to make those choices is deliberately obscured. Frequently this involves asking around. Sometimes you can't get a definitive answer. For instance: "Does a sylphstone ring heal you when you use a cad?" Two people will give you different answers. Is this a bug? Is there some obscure factor at work? More spirit? More respia?

Now, if Delta Tao knows it's a bug, and at some point, they are going to fix it, one way or the other, they owe it to the players to inform them. Ideally before a player throws ranks and/or coins on something. If Delta Tao had a page, like this:

Current Bugs

Some players are able to self-heal with the sylphstone ring while cadding, others are not. The sylphstone ring will eventually not work with the cad.

(etc..)

then this current tempest wouldn't be happening. It's not about adding challenge. It's about respecting the time players invest. If I make a decision based on the best information I can obtain, and that decision involves a large commitment on my part, you can bet your ass I'm going to be upset when an impossible to foresee engineering change invalidates what I did. All it takes to prevent such things from occurring is communication.

A similiar issue is revealed with bug and abuse reports. Delta Tao's standing policy is to not respond directly to these. I think it's dangerous not to at least acknowledge abuse reports. A simple "We will investigate and get back to you." is sufficent. It's human nature to want to be heard and acknowledged. It's basic respect. That doesn't mean having to act immeadiately on such things, but simply to let the players know they are being heard. That alone can go a long way to improving player / staff relations.

I think it's important to remember that people in Clan Lord aren't just players, they are community stakeholders, and as such, expect some amount of respect and courtesy. (Of course, the staff deserves the same too.) Generally Delta Tao does a pretty good job. When it comes to adjustments in game mechanics, though, they tend to think more along the lines of engineering then community relations. I really think the fuss has more to do with how Delta Tao handles changes like balance tax and the sylphstone ring, rather than the changes themselves. People get upset not because the game is being made harder, or worse, but that Delta Tao frequently communicates its intent so poorly, or entirely after the fact, that players feel entirely disregarded and disrespected. Then you get a lot of anger, with many people saying "Well, if I had known THAT, I would have never of..."

Sure the world is dynamic, and it's going to change, that's generally a good thing. How those changes are made can make a huge difference. When changes come across as arbitrary and capricious, that's a bad thing, even if the change is for a good reason.
posted 2:12 PM | link |