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Community 247 Q&A, Tonight!

    • VR Staff
    • 574 posts
    October 26, 2023 8:51 AM PDT
    We would like to invite everyone to join me, Jamie "Savanja" Henry and Creative Director, Chris "Joppa" Perkins for a community Q&A to discuss recent updates to development. While we know we won't be able to answer all of your questions, we would like to make ourselves available to hit upon important topics within the community.



    The Q&A will be taking place in Discord via a Stage Event today, Thursday, October 26th at 5PM PDT (-7GMT). We look forward to connecting with you all!

    For those who were unable to attend, the recording of the Q&A is available on YouTube.
    This post was edited by Savanja at October 27, 2023 10:19 AM PDT
    • 79 posts
    October 26, 2023 9:03 AM PDT

    • 3852 posts
    October 26, 2023 11:05 AM PDT
    Perhaps. Or perhaps evil. We shall see.
    • 2419 posts
    October 26, 2023 11:25 AM PDT

    Letting the general public ask questions is going to backfire spectacularly.  Everyone needs to have very low expectations that any question asked will get a definitive answer. Instead you'll get a long winded off-the-cuff response that uses a lot of words but says very little.  Never specifics, never definitive answers.

    • 23 posts
    October 26, 2023 1:19 PM PDT
    The discord link doesn't work for me, it just says "No Text Channels". Edit: Nevermind, found a link to get invited and joined again and now it's working.
    This post was edited by asterlea at October 26, 2023 1:32 PM PDT
    • 128 posts
    October 26, 2023 1:56 PM PDT
    Doing this on discord is the next installment of "how to do bad PR and how to not communicate with an angry audience".



    I forgot which official it was, but they stated on Discord that they are doing it there, because they don't have the time to do it on a stream. "Not having the time" for putting out flames fits riiiight into the picture that is being painted right now.



    I can't express how disappointed I am in the current team and project. It almost feels like they want to burn the house down on purpose.

    Edit: To be fair here: (some) TESTERS on Discord claim they have so much fun and wish they were allowed to show that and talk about it. Now... that would be good eh? If testers are actually having fun in the game, why not show the fun parts? Why not let them talk? CLEARLY the PR side of VR does not know how to transport those fun parts to the outside audience. Let the gamers do it then.
    This post was edited by Rattenmann at October 26, 2023 2:15 PM PDT
    • 2419 posts
    October 26, 2023 2:08 PM PDT

    Rattenmann said: To be fair here: TESTERS on Discord claim they have so much fun and wish they were allowed to show that and talk about it. Now... that would be good eh? If testers are actually having fun in the game, why not show the fun parts? Why not let them talk? CLEARLY the PR side of VR does not know how to transport those fun parts to the outside audience. Let the gamers do it then.

    You should edit again and add 'some' in front of TESTERS because some are also saying it's complete shet.

    • 128 posts
    October 26, 2023 2:15 PM PDT

    Vandraad said:

    Rattenmann said: To be fair here: TESTERS on Discord claim they have so much fun and wish they were allowed to show that and talk about it. Now... that would be good eh? If testers are actually having fun in the game, why not show the fun parts? Why not let them talk? CLEARLY the PR side of VR does not know how to transport those fun parts to the outside audience. Let the gamers do it then.

    You should edit again and add 'some' in front of TESTERS because some are also saying it's complete shet.

    Also fair. Done. :-) 

    • 3852 posts
    October 26, 2023 4:28 PM PDT
    Vandraad said:

    Letting the general public ask questions is going to backfire spectacularly. Everyone needs to have very low expectations that any question asked will get a definitive answer. Instead you'll get a long winded off-the-cuff response that uses a lot of words but says very little. Never specifics, never definitive answers.





    I disagree. Backfire implies that things will be worse afterwards than they were before. Unlikely.

    The rest of what you say seems quite likely - things will not be better afterwards either.

    Those inclined to accept vague and lengthy but very *positive* answers without any more specifics than we have now will be happy. Those whose tolerance for positive and optimistic answers unsupported by details has been used up will be less happy.

    They have said that the cash flow is slowing down. But despite seeing the rock on its way they have also said that they are not convinced that the hard place is an improvement.

    Unless I am missing something they have said that they foresee even slower development with even less money ahead of them but that 247 offers such a remote chance of success that this may be the best case scenario. They are still deciding. This is what I get from the newsletter. I would have been far happier had they been rah rah rah 247 will save us all with pictures of a vocalist singing at the horse.
    This post was edited by dorotea at October 26, 2023 4:28 PM PDT
    • 80 posts
    October 26, 2023 11:37 PM PDT
    Savanja said:

    We would like to invite everyone to join me, Jamie "Savanja" Henry and Creative Director, Chris "Joppa" Perkins for a community Q&A to discuss recent updates to development. While we know we won't be able to answer all of your questions, we would like to make ourselves available to hit upon important topics within the community.



    The Q&A will be taking place in Discord via a Stage Event today, Thursday, October 26th at 5PM PDT (-7GMT). We look forward to connecting with you all!



    Credit where credit is due, you did not shy away from asking tough questions. The vast majority of community managers, would have done so.
    • 79 posts
    October 27, 2023 3:46 AM PDT

    Agreed as well, communication is something that would have prevented this mess and communication is going to be the thing that gets us out of it.  If they need money, then ask the community ways to monetize the game.  Most people would prefer they release a single player RPG or even just a simple $1 dungeon experience, SOMETHING, other than 247. 

    So kudos to them for actually making a Q & A.  Now the question will be if they actually integrate the overwhelming community feedback or just ignore it and move on.  The last two months of this year will be very telling.  As I have said before, when your community is active, even negatively active, that isn't a bad thing.  It means they care.  But when your community becomes a ghost town, that will be the end of the game, no doubt.

    • 79 posts
    October 27, 2023 7:32 AM PDT

    Go to the 1 hour mark, right around 1 hour and 1 minute.

    Sav : "What are we doing to address and integrate that feedback?"
    >>>>VERY VALID QUESTION<<<<<<

    Joppa : *awkwardly long pause" well ummm check out our updates and progression!
    >>>>Yeah we have been checking out your updates and progression for YEARS now <<<<<

    As I said in my previous post, watch VERY CLOSELY how they listen to this feedback and backlash.  If they just continue full steam ahead, then stay FAR away.  But if they actually open up, become transparent, increase communication like this AND integrate that feedback, then you are with a good project!

    • 40 posts
    October 28, 2023 5:14 PM PDT
    Thank you, Sav, for eventually taking the reins during that Q&A and bringing the focus back to Q and A -- and for not simply holding back some of the tougher questions to answer, even if the answer right now was not going to be great. While I sincerely respect Joppa's insight and dedication to bringing this world to life, we needed the direct questions and answers for this session while the community is yet feeling turmoil from the latest changes and news.

    Naively I did not know Joppa was the only full-time designer. That is a shame, and while I give kudos to all of the part-timers who choose to give more of themselves than "required" to make this dream come alive, burnout is a reality, so I hope there is also balance there.

    Regarding 247, my biggest takeaway is that this -- while possibly an avenue for some future income -- is meant to create a semi-open-but-controlled environment for specific testing and data gathering related to actual parts of the MMO that will be Pantheon. I personally do not think the survival/extraction was the best route, but we are here now and I do like the time restriction which can help to "chunk" testing sessions.

    Regarding the art style (and audio), I was happy to hear the word grit being noted and I hope to see the style mature in that direction.

    While the last month+ has felt to me like we may have fallen, nearer the end of the Q&A session I had hope again that this would be a fall from which we would rise.
    • 128 posts
    October 29, 2023 3:51 AM PDT

    While I felt the Discord Q&A was just a huge dumpster fire, especially the answers to questions that appear to have caught Joppa off-guard and flat-footed. (and HOW could that possibly be?) I do agree that Savanja did a far better job than anyone else in PR would have. So, kudos for that. Also, kudos to Nephele/Steve who both continue who both appear to working diligently in what I think are the end-times for Terminus.

     

     

    • 2419 posts
    October 29, 2023 12:08 PM PDT

    Nagasakee said:

    While I felt the Discord Q&A was just a huge dumpster fire, especially the answers to questions that appear to have caught Joppa off-guard and flat-footed. (and HOW could that possibly be?) I do agree that Savanja did a far better job than anyone else in PR would have. So, kudos for that. Also, kudos to Nephele/Steve who both continue who both appear to working diligently in what I think are the end-times for Terminus.

    The reason Joppa was 'off-guard and flat-footed' was because he didn't know exactly what questions would be asked.  But even when he knows the questions his answers are long-winded and rambling because he doesn't prepare in advance.

    • 194 posts
    October 29, 2023 1:31 PM PDT
    Vandraad said:

    Nagasakee said:



    While I felt the Discord Q&A was just a huge dumpster fire, especially the answers to questions that appear to have caught Joppa off-guard and flat-footed. (and HOW could that possibly be?) I do agree that Savanja did a far better job than anyone else in PR would have. So, kudos for that. Also, kudos to Nephele/Steve who both continue who both appear to working diligently in what I think are the end-times for Terminus.






    The reason Joppa was 'off-guard and flat-footed' was because he didn't know exactly what questions would be asked. But even when he knows the questions his answers are long-winded and rambling because he doesn't prepare in advance.



    Yeah, the questions were literally posed in the chat so the answers were completely impromptu. I'll give him a pass for not having rehearsed his answers and also answering a couple of tough ones.
    This post was edited by justdrop at October 29, 2023 1:31 PM PDT
    • 32 posts
    November 3, 2023 9:26 PM PDT
    The whole thing is a bummer. Shame we'll likely never get what we were sold.
    • 40 posts
    November 8, 2023 9:33 PM PST

    Pantheon: Rise of the Division

     

    Looks like VR is going to make it to extraction with all of our loot.

     

    GG, congrats guise

    • 7 posts
    November 9, 2023 4:59 AM PST
    I pledged , I now have 4 children and a home. Will one day my children see this q&a and explain to their kids that grandpa wasn't crazy?
    • 3852 posts
    November 9, 2023 7:35 AM PST
    Newgraves said:
    I pledged , I now have 4 children and a home. Will one day my children see this q&a and explain to their kids that grandpa wasn't crazy?




    I assume that the n't is a typo. Otherwise you have it right.
    • 67 posts
    November 17, 2023 8:12 AM PST
    I thought last nights episode/feed (call it what you want) went well and sounded very positive imho.

    In my opinion you folks seemed to have pulled back in and went back to the core of the game. kudos!