Update wanted: Dead or alive

[Ninjapacman]

On 6/14/2020 at 10:02 PM, Legate of Mineta said:

S;

Well, I've been cleared to say it's before the end of the year. But I can't yet say the date.

I understand the importance of cordiality in customer service, but I feel I must voice the concerns of many on the discord, which I fear is the entire base of the few supporters you seem to have remaining at this point.

The release is no longer something to be discussed with laughs and cheeky banter.  That was amusing 2 years ago, when we were all thinking it was getting close.  But Being told “It’s definitely close this time!” since 2016 has certainly soured the sentiment.  

I believe it would be less frustrating for the 20 or so people who still actively follow the development of this game if you would kindly stop using emotes and “haha” when replying to honest and rather concerned questions.  It’s frankly alienating and at this point, borderline condescending and rude.

I understand that your tongue is tied for us Legate, but at the very least, pass my unmitigated sentiments to the entire team so they may understand at least partially the frustration of 4 years of almost literally laughing at every attempt to gauge the time we must anxiously wait for a snippet of actual help.

[Legate of Mineta]

Ninja;

And so I shall. I think they've heard you loud *and* clear, since I trumpet what you are saying at least once a week.

Hold fast. There's nothing cheeky about this- it's coming, and this year.

I like jokes and emotes, as you know- please don't read too much into it. It's just my style.

[Ninjapacman]

30 minutes ago, Legate of Mineta said:

Ninja;

And so I shall. I think they've heard you loud *and* clear, since I trumpet what you are saying at least once a week.

Hold fast. There's nothing cheeky about this- it's coming, and this year.

I like jokes and emotes, as you know- please don't read too much into it. It's just my style.

To address each response in turn:

I believe you are, but I also believe the entire team has a dreadful apathy about the situation.  I feel they are mistakenly assuming you have just as much support now as you did 4 years ago with the initial campaign.  They seem to assume everything will simply work out.  Under such a repetitive routine, many of the voices of your fans have cried for a long time that they are not heard.

 

This I do believe, but I fear that among the 20 people I am actively in contact with who follow you, less than half have the same enthusiasm.

 

Finally, I do not mean to curb your enthusiasm, nor to shame your generous vocal contribution.  I feel however that the use of such mirthful expression was out of place, particularly in response to Mig’s very serious address of the player base’s concerns.  The tone of your response was not in keeping at all with the question being asked in that instance.  Please do continue to be the Legate we know and love.  Understand that we all appreciate your efforts to keep up a conversation with the voices of your beleaguered fans.

I apologize that as the middle man you are bearing the brunt of this frustration.

[Legate of Mineta]

Ninja;

Phew, thanks! It was unGodly hard not to use an emote or a hahaha in that last post.

You know, the Team isn't unaware at all- I'd say they are as frustrated as the fan base. I've seen (well, heard) tears on some of our calls. It's been tough beating each challenge. But that place is past, and I think some of the shell shock is ending for all of us. Our meetings are more about what's going right than what's going wrong, by a wide margin. Which, you know, thank God.

I think you're going to proud of what they've built, and I want, so very, very badly, to tell you when. But after what they've been through over the past few years, they don't want to come forward and not be Done. If they have to refactor again, I think they don't want that to bust expectations...*again*. It makes everyone feel terrible, that's for sure.

They're close to feeling, I don't know how to express it, 'sure' enough about the game to give the release window, but...it's not yet. Hope this helps explain where they're at.

As for me, I kind of sit on the fence on the whole thing. I'm just ready for my progress to stop being wiped every week.

 

[TwoHeavens]

I have to concur with my colleague Pac. I'm glad BCS is going to be here. I'm just not sure how many of us will be left. I know I will. I know Pac will. Dr. Y, and a select few others, but we're the most die hard of the die hard, and even we're starting to suffer morale wise. I can only imagine how harrowing it is on the studio end. We can all hang alone or we can all hang together. Without the discord, which is very much us backers hanging together, and has itself been suffering a slow, but steady stream of casualties over the last two years... well. I'd still be in. But again I'm not representative. 

On some level I understand not wanting to disappoint everyone. I get it. I really do. I've bought in entirely, I have a personal stake in this game going off like the DM-2 launch. At the same time... I think it's okay to let us in a little bit. We've stuck with you for four years now. A peek under the hood, no matter how messy the engine compartment is presently, is not going to scare anyone away. 

But literally what you just said in the last post is enough if presented officially! "We're doing pre-alpha testing, here's what we can do in that build, blah blah, lame that progress gets wiped at the end of the week. Things are going better than not, everyone's really tired and putting a lot of heart into this but we're committed to see this though to the degree of quality or better than we promised." That's the type of thing people are asking for. It doesn't need to be grand gestures, sweeping promises or wide scale anything. Just... "Hey we're hereish."

[Hyperion]

I have neither the time nor the care to make a long post, I just want an answer.

 

What year is this game *actually* coming out. At this point I don't care if it doesn't come out this year, or the next year or the next, but you guys have taken an extraordinarily long time, and quite frankly I do not believe you when you say the game is coming later this year. So please, be honest, and tell us when you KNOW it's gonna come out.

[Legate of Mineta]

Hyperion;

That's exactly what we're talking about right now: the Team only wants to talk about when they *know* it's coming out, and not anything else.

But, there's another side, too, which TH eloquently has set out.

TH;

Thanks, as usual, for the support. I poked the Team a bit this afternoon, and I think they'll do a preface to the Update this week generally talking about some of the interesting things going on.

If nothing else, it will be interesting.

 

[lazarusdw]

i look forward to that preface to the Update this week

[Legate of Mineta]

lazarus;

I think I can give a date on that one. Friday!

 

[Draven001]

I would like to say ive been following since day one, have not been the most active poster nor have i joined in on the discord, guess im more a lurker type when it comes to fourms.

But I im looking forward to what becomes of this game. after all the issues that have come up over the years. I have backed some projects which have just gone dark and nothing has come of them, Im glad to see the interaction with the community management and the fans.

kinda echo what is said above, happy to wait for the finished product, and happy to have at lest some feed back from BCS to keep me going.

[Legate of Mineta]

Draven001;

Thanks! We appreciate that.

We're not the type to go dark. We'll see this ship to port.

[Ninjapacman]

I PROPOSE A SUGGESTION.  A SUGGESTY SUGGESTION THAT SUGGESTS SUGGESTIVELY.

In Other words I propose something that could raise morale and hype again before release.

 

New Interviews.  It would only be a couple. One a month until release.  But I figure throwing a couple new belles in the mix could breathe a little more life into the remaining fandom. 
 

They could be used as notes from the devs.  “The writing team’s favorite and why” the next could be the art team’s favorite and why, etc.

[lazarusdw]

i support this

[Wellington99]

I agree wholeheartedly. Something different, something new

[Käpt'n Korky]

1 hour ago, Ninjapacman said:

I PROPOSE A SUGGESTION.  A SUGGESTY SUGGESTION THAT SUGGESTS SUGGESTIVELY. 

I suggest you bugger off, since opening completely new stuff takes time and effort away from getting the game done and I don't like that. We already got the dev corner and BCS only less than 6 months to deliver.

That said, I kinda expect new interviews either after the beta came out, to figuratively level the field for the then "unknown" Walküren or if BCS blows the promise and comes crawling out from under the Weihnachtsbaum admitting nervously the beta/game won't be happening in 2020. Because then compensation truly is in order.

[Legate of Mineta]

It's a good suggestion over all! But I think it's probably more likely to see new Belles post Launch, as Korky notes. Right now, everyone's rushing to the finish line.

[Ninjapacman]

No update today or are we just running late?

[Legate of Mineta]

Ninja;

None today- it's the usual skip, just the timing feels off because of the 4th of July.

[calqueraas]

No update this week?

[Legate of Mineta]

Nope, this coming week though.

[calqueraas]

So... no update this week also?

[Legate of Mineta]

calqueraas;

Nope, this is our standard pause.

[calqueraas]

Not to be overly accusatory or anything, but what's the schedule nowadays? There was also a pause in the week before last week.

[Legate of Mineta]

Yep, that was for Easter/Sprint Break.