Okay so here is what I just came up with (while honestly being kinda drunk^^, so excuse me if it´s bull**** I will delete it tomorrow xD). Human minds work in a very stubborn way. Once we come up with an aproach, idea or thought we usually stick to this idea, even tho it´s wrong. Everyone probably has noticed this all ready while solving mathematical problems - once you came up with an idea, how to solve something, that ends up being wrong you still come up with exactly the same idea when you try to find another solution - even tho you know that it´s wrong. But realizing that it´s wrong at least allows you to look for another solution.
Okay… but how does this relate to the feedback we give? Thats quiet simple: most of us ask for the same things when giving SD some of our feedback. Some of them are more complex while others are relatively simple to establish… For example 95% of the criticism is somehow related to the maps. This criticism leads to ideas, thoughts and assumptions about the current maps being just ****, while maps like those in ET, ET:QW could instantly solve of those issues and even tho not being perfect at least lay down a path that seems to work and possible be tuned to be perfect. Because of that most of the feedback repeats itself over and over from all kinds of people and that over the period of years. This obviously can´t be productive.
So how do you solve this? SD can´t actually sold this by themselves, since people need to understand themselves how misplaced there ideas are. But SD can help us to actually realize something like this by doing ONE of those TWO things:
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The first, and not most efficient solution, is to give very detailed answers to the feedback. And by that I understand the EXACT explanation why a certain solution is being chosen and why this certain solution is better compared to all the stuff that is being suggested on the forums.
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Implement the suggested thing into the game and just look at the outcome yourself and also allow us, the testers, to see if our ideas of how to improve the game are correct.
The best way to actually process feedback you get, would be to implement them into the game on a VERY superficial level, and then tell us exactly why you like or dislike this idea you saw on the forums. I am pretty sure this would lead to way more productive feedback then what we are giving you now.
So as an actual example I would like to take the issues all of us see in the current maps. Most of us agree, that maps like those we had in ET or ET:QW would actually benefit the gameplay a LOT. So I would like to see the following procedure to be applied in this case:
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Find out which map we would like to see MOST of those two games, and also find out in which way they need to be changed in order to fit the current game play. Don´t do it yourself tho, since this would become an easy escape plan for everyone who plays them!! It would be way to easy to say that the maps didnt work because of what SD had changed leading to no real progress game or feedback wise.
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Implement this 2 maps (one from ET and the other one from ET:QW, or at least ONE of those) in a verry superficial level. By superficial level I mean a level mostly without specific details and bugs here and there. Just something you create with as little work as possible while still giving something that is good enough to judge a specific idea.
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Look at the outcome yourself and also take into consideration what the testers think about those maps. Decide if the they are worth being tested furthers or just drop them.
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EXPLAIN why you dropped the maps, or why you keep on working on them and testing them out.
cheers,
onYn