UWE's Community

RapGodRapGod Not entirely sure... Join Date: 2013-11-12 Member: 189322Members
Alright, maybe this will incite some angry posts, but I don't mean it to.

My questions are;

Does UWE ''appear'' to have the same community-based communication that they did in the past? Or is it too behind-closed-doors decisions?

Are people hopeful that uwe will continue work on ns2 (besides bugs and such)? Or are people fine as is?

Basically, do people feel like uwe is still a community-based team ran by a small indie group that give feedback and listen to the community. Why or why not?

Again, this is not to incite braaaaaaaaaaahhh grrrrr gun meh I hate uwe talk, mostly to get honest feedback about how people feel about the current handling of ns2; without them posting in a random thread bitching (I, too, am guilty of this). Really just want this to be a generally feedback that uwe can address without feeling like they may be trolled or insulted.

Be frank, have some evidence, don't be pissed before posting in this thread. If this becomes a hate thread, then by all means, close the thread. I just want the community to have a few words in before the trolls unleash their fury.
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Comments

  • SamusDroidSamusDroid Colorado Join Date: 2013-05-13 Member: 185219Members, Forum Moderators, NS2 Developer, NS2 Playtester, Squad Five Gold, Subnautica Playtester, NS2 Community Developer, Pistachionauts
    I angry troll coming to rage...here it goes...
    I think UWE took more on then they can handle and have become secretive in order to have bigger PR impact
  • RapGodRapGod Not entirely sure... Join Date: 2013-11-12 Member: 189322Members
    edited April 2014
    SamusDroid wrote: »
    I angry troll coming to rage...here it goes...
    I think UWE took more on then they can handle and have become secretive in order to have bigger PR impact

    Example? (Just trying to make everything seem 'less' like a complaint. More of feedback)

    Troll. :p

    Edit- I guess things can't always be proven entirely without having all the information (uwe's own info, which should be somewhat secretive). So, I guess just no one get pissed or start picking on individuals. Samus did it right. I just didn't explain more of my (evolving and only-this-forum) format.
  • CalegoCalego Join Date: 2013-01-24 Member: 181848Members, NS2 Map Tester
    I can't speak for before Build 230something but I can't really say I've seen much of this. I do miss the "State of development" posts from the blog (last one I can find is September 2013) and I guess I could see that there is very little stuff told to us about what exactly is being worked on. I attributed this to the fact that they're focusing their development power on Subnautica rather than NS2, so naturally less effort would be put our way.
  • RockyMarcRockyMarc Join Date: 2009-11-24 Member: 69519Members, Reinforced - Shadow
    The people who aren't raging against UWE are in the game having fun :P
    I wouldn't care if they didn't release any more content for the game, it's still very fun to me.
    I would like performance client & especially server to be worked on more though...
  • CarNagE1CarNagE1 Poland Join Date: 2003-05-14 Member: 16298Members, NS2 Playtester, Reinforced - Shadow, WC 2013 - Supporter, Subnautica Playtester
    Uwe has always been a model for other companies.
    They opened up to the community with all the DEV logs films, developer chats.
    Thay do experiment with Us but that is another matter, thay dont wish us harm. Becoming secretive certainly does not hurt to stoke interest but it have to be done "the right way", so it will not have a riple effect on community.
  • MuckyMcFlyMuckyMcFly Join Date: 2012-03-19 Member: 148982Members, Reinforced - Supporter, Reinforced - Shadow
    I'd rather them be working on something than trawling the forums looking at every post. My only gripe was the "27 days later" post which clearly still hasn't come out. :P
  • Maxx11_v2.0Maxx11_v2.0 Join Date: 2012-11-18 Member: 172221Members
    edited April 2014
    RapGod wrote: »
    Alright, maybe this will incite some angry posts, but I don't mean it to.

    My questions are;

    Does UWE ''appear'' to have the same community-based communication that they did in the past? Or is it too behind-closed-doors decisions?

    Are people hopeful that uwe will continue work on ns2 (besides bugs and such)? Or are people fine as is?

    Basically, do people feel like uwe is still a community-based team ran by a small indie group that give feedback and listen to the community. Why or why not?

    To an extent yes, they still have good community interaction, but you have to remember that UWE are now neither "indie" nor (depending how you look at it) "small".
    Its a business, their major commitments are now to their investors who hold a stake in the company, not us. They must make a profit in order to stay in business.

    Long story short, they can't keep sinking money into NS2 development because they "like us". As long as there's profit to be made they'll tinker with it a little, but if we want their doors to stay open, we shouldn't expect them to go beyond their initial commitments of promised content and fixing what needed to be fixed.
  • ZaggyZaggy NullPointerException The Netherlands Join Date: 2003-12-10 Member: 24214Forum Moderators, NS2 Playtester, Reinforced - Onos, Subnautica Playtester
    I'd say they're busier with developing and running a company than they were before with "just" making a mod and interacting with the community.
  • Maxx11_v2.0Maxx11_v2.0 Join Date: 2012-11-18 Member: 172221Members
    edited April 2014
    SamusDroid wrote: »
    I think UWE took more on then they can handle and have become secretive in order to have bigger PR impact
    Its how they've always done it Samus, long before NS2 came about.
    It just doesn't pass quite as unnoticed as it did when it was a free "labour of love" project.

    Currently, there are two common outcome scenarios to their announcement strategy.

    1. They miss the deadline:
    - people get upset about not getting the thing they hoped they would be getting.

    2. They make the deadline and make a release!:
    - people get upset about not getting the thing they hoped they would be getting.

    Notice something odd?
  • SebSeb Melbourne, AU Join Date: 2013-04-01 Member: 184576Members, Forum Moderators, NS2 Playtester, Squad Five Blue, Squad Five Silver, WC 2013 - Silver, Retired Community Developer
    I feel like copying and pasting my posts from the 27 days later thread, because this is a more relevant thread for that discussion.

    In summary though, UWE IMO have never gotten this part right, so if they go dark now, it won't change much but it is still for the better.
  • NammNamm Join Date: 2011-12-08 Member: 137116Members
    edited April 2014
    Orange pants. Basically.

    Edit: I just checked up on Subnautica and it seems Hugh is doing a great job on that front... Maybe it's just that simple that not much new or exciting is happening with NS2 right now.
  • Dictator93Dictator93 Join Date: 2008-12-21 Member: 65833Members, Reinforced - Shadow
    I am not really sure why there are no more "progress update blogs" or monthly"production news blogs." I loved those when they did them regularly.

    I would really prefer to know what is going on rather than not at all. Especially since this community is very niche and very tight nit.
  • RapGodRapGod Not entirely sure... Join Date: 2013-11-12 Member: 189322Members
    edited April 2014
    Yea, this was basically meant to close the '27 days later' thread that turned into basically what this is. @zaggy, what mod do you mean? Ns2? :-?

    Or is the comparison between the two ns'? Or ns2 and subnautica (this would obviously b a troll comment if that's he case lol but who cares)? Just curious.

    @Maxx11_v2.0‌, I see where you're coming from but your post is pushing this thread's in the direction of being closed. Next, someone could take that as... inticing? Somebody won't respond happily. dk. But don't get too negative when you're more upset than ... level-headed (funny coming from me, eh?).

    This was more of a constructive feedback thread (note the word constructive). This by no means means people can only praise uwe, rather, some praise and some should point out flaws without getting other's angry (if possible on the interwebs).
  • BensonBenson Join Date: 2012-03-07 Member: 148303Members, Reinforced - Shadow, WC 2013 - Shadow
    edited April 2014
    1. They miss the deadline:
    - people get upset about not getting the thing they hoped they would be getting.

    2. They make the deadline and make a release!:
    - people get upset about not getting the thing they hoped they would be getting.

    Notice something odd?

    Its almost as if the internet is always angry about something.......
  • Maxx11_v2.0Maxx11_v2.0 Join Date: 2012-11-18 Member: 172221Members
    edited April 2014
    RapGod wrote: »
    @Maxx11_v2.0‌, I see where you're coming from but your post is pushing this thread's in the direction of being closed. Next, someone could take that as... inticing? Somebody won't respond happily. dk. But don't get too negative when you're more upset than ... level-headed (funny coming from me, eh?).

    @RapGod
    Don't treat what I wrote as a rant, its more of an observation. I've already gone into more detail about this subject matter in other threads so I don't want to constantly repeat myself. I don't have a tendency to flat out rage on these forums but I'm not one to blindly praise UWE either. I tend to speak my mind but usually try to keep it constructive, give reasoning behind what I say, be it praise or criticism.
    Feedback should always be good for developers as long as its backed up with reasonable argumentation.
  • RoobubbaRoobubba Who you gonna call? Join Date: 2003-01-06 Member: 11930Members, Reinforced - Shadow, WC 2013 - Shadow
    uwe does an amazing job, but they are human. We are all subject to different moods and drivers and right now subnautica is the exciting new kid on the block. It is perfectly understandable that the direction of the company is moving away from ns 2 at this time, and I think it is a great thing. They will be learning so much more from this hiatus from the ns universe. I will be supporting subnautica entirely but what gets me really excited is the project that comes after that.
    uwe has made mistakes without question, but they are a fantastic bunch of people with talent and vision, and the games they have created have been nothing short of spectacular. ns2 is probably on its way out as far as uwe is concerned, and that is fine and natural. I do wish that they were more open with us, their biggest supporters, specifically about ns2 as it still forms the basis of many of our gaming lives. With that said, I am and will always be a proud supporter of uwe. @hugh feel free to take my words if they suit.
  • RapGodRapGod Not entirely sure... Join Date: 2013-11-12 Member: 189322Members
    edited April 2014
    @Maxx11_v2.0‌ , agreed, and I never believed it was a rant. I actually thought it was more blunt, tbh. You knew going into that message that it could annoy people lol

    And criticism is necessary, I agree. I entirely agree with you - I just think the post could have been... less annoyed? Idk, but you can see how it may make others react the same... and that leads to escalation.

    Wasn't trying to give the impression that I was just being a dick, just wanted to make sure this thread wouldn't quickly (but sadly will eventually) get to people hating on eachother. You didn't do that, so not saying you're spewing hate or ranting.

    Basically, wasn't trying to be offensive. :)>-
  • SteveRockSteveRock Join Date: 2012-10-01 Member: 161215Members, NS2 Developer, Subnautica Developer
    Just speaking for myself, we're working on a new project now (Subnautica), and yes at the beginning we kept pretty hush-hush cuz we weren't sure things were gonna work out. Now that we're more confident in the project (still a lot of unknowns of course), we're actually being very open about things. If we're not open at this point, it's just that we don't have time cuz we're so damn busy actually building things, and don't have time to write blog posts or do hour-long twitch streams. But, if you follow our twitter handles, we tend to post random stuff throughout the day. And as things become more clear for us, we'll spend more time communicating.
  • It's Super Effective!It's Super Effective! Join Date: 2012-08-28 Member: 156625Members, NS2 Playtester, Squad Five Blue, Reinforced - Shadow
    edited May 2014
    Isn't this where Hugh (or a PR / Community Manager) comes in?

    The community could help spread the word, I am sure anyone would be willing, but no one has a bridge to get info.

    This would offload a whole lot of weight, and give you guys a LOT of ...basically free advertising for the future.
  • Maxx11_v2.0Maxx11_v2.0 Join Date: 2012-11-18 Member: 172221Members
    People seem to have a hard time letting go, its been nearly two years since NS2 launched. Its not an MMO, a MOBA or a massive e-sport. There's only so much time you can spend supporting a game. At the moment the devs seem to have handed things over to the community, and while I don't like how they marketed their first premium DLC, I do think its the right direction to go as long as its done right from now on.
  • SteveRockSteveRock Join Date: 2012-10-01 Member: 161215Members, NS2 Developer, Subnautica Developer
    Isn't this where Hugh (or a PR / Community Manager) comes in?

    The community could help spread the word, I am sure anyone would be willing, but no one has a bridge to get info.

    This would offload a whole lot of weight, and give you guys a LOT of ...basically free advertising for the future.

    Not sure if you're talking NS2 or SN. For NS2, it is true, we have largely moved our efforts off of it because it's not sustainable for us. For SN, I think you'll see us opening up a lot more in the near future. Like I said, even now, it's more a matter of time/effort rather than wanting to keep things closed. If you have any specific suggestions for things, feel free to just email us.
  • It's Super Effective!It's Super Effective! Join Date: 2012-08-28 Member: 156625Members, NS2 Playtester, Squad Five Blue, Reinforced - Shadow
    I brought up a suggestion a long time ago regarding doing live stream Q&A, kinda show n tell type of thing.

    Say, have a 30-1 hour long Q&A session where people can submit questions for a interviewer to filter and convey to the topic expert on the team or to show some progress.

    For example if we were to be talking about the art of SN, Cory would be the guest for that day to show off his awesome concept art, give the man some face time :)

    Then a week later, another guest. I'm sure you guys are super duper busy, but I respect that you guys have a better idea of how valuable that 30 mins - 1 Hour on a single person is. It's really just a decision whether it be spent on developing or interacting with... what is technically potential investors and customers of your game :)

    Warframe does this, and manages 3000+ viewers easily, especially if they are making annoucements, or giving away small prizes, keys, etc.
  • NarfwakNarfwak Join Date: 2002-11-02 Member: 5258Members, Super Administrators, Forum Admins, NS1 Playtester, Playtest Lead, Forum Moderators, Constellation, NS2 Playtester, Squad Five Blue, Reinforced - Supporter, Reinforced - Silver, Reinforced - Gold, Reinforced - Diamond, Reinforced - Shadow, Subnautica PT Lead, NS2 Community Developer
    I brought up a suggestion a long time ago regarding doing live stream Q&A, kinda show n tell type of thing.

    Say, have a 30-1 hour long Q&A session where people can submit questions for a interviewer to filter and convey to the topic expert on the team or to show some progress.

    For example if we were to be talking about the art of SN, Cory would be the guest for that day to show off his awesome concept art, give the man some face time :)

    Then a week later, another guest. I'm sure you guys are super duper busy, but I respect that you guys have a better idea of how valuable that 30 mins - 1 Hour on a single person is. It's really just a decision whether it be spent on developing or interacting with... what is technically potential investors and customers of your game :)

    Warframe does this, and manages 3000+ viewers easily, especially if they are making annoucements, or giving away small prizes, keys, etc.

    UWE used to do this every week before NS2 released. It was discontinued for two reasons - people kept asking the same questions (many of which could not be answered satisfactorily), and because setting it up and taking the time to do it took away from valuable time that they could spend actually building things. I miss it more than anyone, but I understand completely why they don't do it anymore.
  • Squeal_Like_A_PigSqueal_Like_A_Pig Janitor Join Date: 2002-01-25 Member: 66Members, Super Administrators, NS1 Playtester, NS2 Developer, Reinforced - Supporter, WC 2013 - Silver, Subnautica Developer
    Narfwak wrote: »
    UWE used to do this every week before NS2 released. It was discontinued for two reasons - people kept asking the same questions (many of which could not be answered satisfactorily), and because setting it up and taking the time to do it took away from valuable time that they could spend actually building things. I miss it more than anyone, but I understand completely why they don't do it anymore.
    Narfwak totally nailed it, on reasons why this was discontinued. And to add to that, those Q&A sessions typically brought in a very small amount of viewers (probably one reason why the exact same questions kept coming up each time).
  • SteveRockSteveRock Join Date: 2012-10-01 Member: 161215Members, NS2 Developer, Subnautica Developer
    I brought up a suggestion a long time ago regarding doing live stream Q&A, kinda show n tell type of thing.

    Say, have a 30-1 hour long Q&A session where people can submit questions for a interviewer to filter and convey to the topic expert on the team or to show some progress.

    For example if we were to be talking about the art of SN, Cory would be the guest for that day to show off his awesome concept art, give the man some face time :)

    Then a week later, another guest. I'm sure you guys are super duper busy, but I respect that you guys have a better idea of how valuable that 30 mins - 1 Hour on a single person is. It's really just a decision whether it be spent on developing or interacting with... what is technically potential investors and customers of your game :)

    Warframe does this, and manages 3000+ viewers easily, especially if they are making annoucements, or giving away small prizes, keys, etc.

    For SN, I feel like it's too early. Most of the questions would be answered, quite honestly, with "We don't really know yet."

    But definitely once SN is out and people are playing it regularly we will probably do it again.
  • It's Super Effective!It's Super Effective! Join Date: 2012-08-28 Member: 156625Members, NS2 Playtester, Squad Five Blue, Reinforced - Shadow
    Thanks UWE for taking the time to respond, I eagerly await that moment :)!
  • RapGodRapGod Not entirely sure... Join Date: 2013-11-12 Member: 189322Members
  • CarNagE1CarNagE1 Poland Join Date: 2003-05-14 Member: 16298Members, NS2 Playtester, Reinforced - Shadow, WC 2013 - Supporter, Subnautica Playtester
    I liked Q&A session. But Narfwak is right it was a chaos no point in it. Maybe it could be done as a Developer diary. Its more popular, it takes some time to produce a quality video. A form of a short clips saying what was done, what is acualy been working on. Something like Steave do in his topic:

    http://forums.unknownworlds.com/discussion/134753/steve-s-dev-stream-of-consciousness#latest

    but in a form of a video diary with all UWE team members. Every one would prepare short dialog to the camera about his work. That would be great...
  • CalegoCalego Join Date: 2013-01-24 Member: 181848Members, NS2 Map Tester
    CarNagE1 wrote: »
    I liked Q&A session. But Narfwak is right it was a chaos no point in it. Maybe it could be done as a Developer diary. Its more popular, it takes some time to produce a quality video. A form of a short clips saying what was done, what is acualy been working on. Something like Steave do in his topic:

    http://forums.unknownworlds.com/discussion/134753/steve-s-dev-stream-of-consciousness#latest

    but in a form of a video diary with all UWE team members. Every one would prepare short dialog to the camera about his work. That would be great...

    Even starting up those State of Development Blog posts again would be great. I wouldn't mind reading about stuff if video making is too much hassle.
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