Change overload

[Datameister]

I will start off by saying that this post is intended to be positive, and in no way an excuse for all and sundry to vent their wrath in reply.

I, like the next player, am always glad to see new content, new events and new challenges, but spending (too long) a career working on projects has taught me well that taking on too much change all at once will only lead to disappointment and difficulty.

I cannot help thinking that much of the frustration felt by players in the recent event(s) has come about not because of any lack of competence on the part of the Game Developers, but as a result of trying too much, too quickly, under too much pressure to deliver.

With that in mind, my "suggestion" would be for a show of hands from players to give "feedback" on what we would all like. Do we want:
a) Lots more new content
b) A period of peace, quiet and stabilisation between Easter and Halloween to get the game on a stable footing before future events?

Both would be great, but you don't always get what you want.

In the interim, there are always the well-tried mini-events (Pirate Week, Co-Op week etc) if it is felt necessary to "stimulate" players during the Summer months. There seems to be quite a bit of new content (Endless Coal and Gold Mines etc) to keep many players (not all I admit) occupied for a while, and plenty to spend gems on if you are that way inclined whilst items get remedied.

I vote b.

[Sororius]

I vote b :)

[Quickstep]

I vote b in general, but if the Devs start now, they should be able to get a really good Rugby World Cup event built, thoroughly tested and deployed in time for start of September... ;)

[Concita]

I vote b) too

[Roderius]

I vote for option B

[Bobblyt]

another vote for b from me

[sparkz]

I cannot help thinking that much of the frustration felt by players in the recent event(s) has come about not because of any lack of competence on the part of the Game Developers, but as a result of trying too much, too quickly, under too much pressure to deliver.

Unfortunately you're wrong on that.

No half-decent company pushes an unfinished product that doesnt work on very basic level to the market as fast as possible to just "deliver".

This event just highlights the issues BB has on every level, from decision making through development and testing (or lack of such) to even things like a proper live reference that would allow seamless delivery of the final version to the live servers.

What they're doing is by no means a normal practice and by no means a sign of any competence.

[Datameister]

Not working at BB I cannot comment with any certainty, but I personally suspect the decision making is more likely to be at fault than the developing. In development, despite everyone's best efforts, the product will always be ready when it's ready. If the testing ain't done, or last minute bugs are found, you don't put it out (unless the management give you no choice, the point I was trying to make).

My original post was my own poor effort to highlight this and call for a period of thoughtful consideration before rushing headlong into a further change program. It's only worth playing catch-up if there is any possibility of catching up.

[Freddy5]

my vote is for b

[Sheddoe]

B from me, too

[lordloocan]

B for me

[Alexa75]

I vote for b) too

[maryam1]

B, B and B again. I am almost at the end of my tolerance for yet more content that glitches everything else and doesent work ( often in spite of this having been the case on test server! ).

[AbsoluteZ]

Big fat capital B!

So much of the new content and game mechanics feel like a gimmicky disappointment anyway: e.g. all these buildings where multiple copies reduce cooldown or production time, market/garden areas of influence, weather station, conditional zone buffs, the lame Mad Scientist, the ever-growing list of geologists that spend most of their time parked in star, exorbitant weekly challenges for a few tokens, the "improved" mail system... I'm sure I've missed some things as there are just so many lol

Not to mention the excessive amount of bugs all this clutter has brought with it, many of which are still annoying people on a daily basis.

If BB wants to make new content, why not try adding some more adventures? Some new AB-style adventures, continue the Little Tailor chain, maybe a few easy ones for lower levels. This is what people spend most of their time doing anyway, and it gets boring after running the same maps literally hundreds of times!

I decided at level 70 that I would stop focusing on XP and just do whatever I felt like doing. Unfortunately I find that I don't feel like doing anything lately because none of this new stuff excites me, and the bugs bug me.