FIRAXIS... Time for Damage Control on the MP Issue!

[Jason Beaudoin]

This message is for Firaxis:

There is some major dissent going on in these forums and I think your organization really needs to pay attention to what people are saying here and come up with a good response.

The key gripe that customers have is that you did indicate that this game would be multiplayer, and retailers did start taking pre-orders before you anounced that it wouldn't be in there. So, in a way, those customers that pre-ordered this game for the multiplayer portion of it are being treated unfairly. For those that want MP and bought the pre-release video are really screwed because they can't take that back.

More importantly, I believe you have insulted many fans (myself included) by the method in which your communications department allowed the news about MP to be released. Not only did you willful witheld that information, but you allowed the news to trickle out in a few lines of an interview, without any real explanation of what were the problems with implementing it now, or any direction of where you plan on taking MP.

These people are so devoted to your game and many are very loyal to your company. They deserve to be treated with a little more respect than what has been demonstrated in your most recent actions.

If anything, your company needs to develop better strategies to notify your most supportive fans of news that is obviously going to be dissappointing. Your communications department needs to think more stragically and develop better forcasting skills to understand the impact their methods of communicating with the public has on Firaxis' reputation.

This is a problem that has been ongoing with your company for quite some time because I remember back when I was the Web Master for Beyond Alpha Centauri (now the Apolyton SMAC site), communication between me and your company was a real issue. It was the reason why I decided to distance myself from the volunteer work of promoting and supporting your products.

So, please demonstrate to your fans here that you do appreciate them and put the MP issue to rest. Also, make a serious effort to improve your communication policies and how information is delivered to your consumers.

Thank you!

[Wexu]

Yawn...

[Pembleton]

Well my message to Firaxis is: Well Done!

I'm glad you got out the SP because that means you concentrated on completing that part and decided not to rush MP. I don't feel like I should be penalized with a delay in the game for an aspect of the game that I don't care about. And no MP means that the SP will be of higher quality. A release with both would mean an inferior SP as well as an inferior MP!

Go Firaxis! (Well a friend does want to play MP with me, but if he didn't ask, I wouldn't have even thought about it.)

[Jason Beaudoin]

Personally, I couldn't care less about MP. In fact, I probably will never play MP.

The point of my message is that their delivery of the news is deplorable. We deserve better than that.

[Shiva]

Originally posted by Jason Beaudoin
Personally, I couldn't care less about MP. In fact, I probably will never play MP.

The point of my message is that their delivery of the news is deplorable. We deserve better than that.

Agree totally. Makes you wonder if they gave everyone the week off when it went gold since there is such a black hole of news.

[drake]

I'm glad you got out the SP because that means you concentrated on completing that part and decided not to rush MP. I don't feel like I should be penalized with a delay in the game for an aspect of the game that I don't care about.

This is pembys game after all
Oh and wexus too I think

Very nice post Jason. Well put. But if you expect them to actually come here and be honest *concept* about this, you're fooling yourself.

Maybe another marketing appearance to try to boost sales one more time. But to answer the tough questions? Nah.

[Jason Beaudoin]

Well, I wouldn't be so sure Drake. I also sent that letter to their communications department, and if I get my hands on any other Firaxis emails, I'm going to do the same.

When I was the Web Master of Beyond Alpha Centauri, I did get responses from Firaxis. I've learned that if you put your message accross professionally, you'll usually get a decent response.

You may be right about them answering those tough questions because that could damage their position on this issue even more.

I think Firaxis never intended on including multiplayer in the initial release. I think that they understood the problems of implementing MP in a turn-based strategy game and they realized that they could make a success of this game without it.

Also, I believe that because the game will sell nicely without MP, they are going to implement MP in an expansion. I believe that the decision not to put MP in is actually a marketing strategy. The expansion will appeal to more people if there's and MP patch built into it.

I think they learned that marketing strategy when Microprose released CIVNET.

Those devils at Firaxis know how to scrape ever dollar out of us don't they.

[CapTVK]

Originally posted by Jason Beaudoin
Personally, I couldn't care less about MP. In fact, I probably will never play MP.

The point of my message is that their delivery of the news is deplorable. We deserve better than that.

Your solidarity with the MP-crowd is heart warming.

Could it be that the seeds for an Apolyton's civilwar have been planted!? Fellow civer against civer?

[Steve Clark]

Delivery of what news? Just because they didn't explicitly say that MP would not be in the Oct 2001 release does not ASS-U-ME that it would be in the release. No one can find an official announcement saying that they were committed to having MP in the Oct 2001, so the message is moot, imo.

One can argue that they should have been more "honest" about its status but all of you should have learned by now that Firaxis' modus operandi is to only announce things when they are ready. All the rest is pure speculation and that it the trap that many of you have fallen into.

[Shiva]

Originally posted by Steve Clark
Delivery of what news? Just because they didn't explicitly say that MP would not be in the Oct 2001 release does not ASS-U-ME that it would be in the release. No one can find an official announcement saying that they were committed to having MP in the Oct 2001, so the message is moot, imo.

One can argue that they should have been more "honest" about its status but all of you should have learned by now that Firaxis' modus operandi is to only announce things when they are ready. All the rest is pure speculation and that it the trap that many of you have fallen into.

Steve what I get out of his post is that first off there isnt anything one way or the other and its causing a hell of alot of trouble when a one word answer would let us all know and let it get worked outta the system. If they would have said its not in a month ago this wouldnt be happening now (you would still have the doomsayers) at this level. With out an answer it goes on day in day out here and it will keep going till we know.

Also since the game went gold we have not had hardly anything new come out. Their site hasnt even been updated. Now is the time for the information to be flowing. And it needs to start with a clear answer on MP.

[drake]

Steve, you're right.

We naively got our hopes up for nothing. We thought that our community and opinion have value. We were wrong. We are worthless according to Firaxis.

We thought they would naturally do the right thing. We must be suckers. We should have known that money is all that counts. No point making a quality product if people will buy a substandard product right?

That better Steve? Do I sound like I've caught your drift?

[Pembleton]

Originally posted by drake
This is pembys game after all

Interesting response. The only reason why I even made my retort was because of attitudes like Yin's who say *I* shouldn't buy the game because *he* and *you* are upset about the exclusion of MP.

If they decided not to include queues, which is probably the most important improvement in Civ3 over Civ2 for me, I wouldn't be demanding that no-one else buy the game and that everyone else should boycott Firaxis like Yin's claiming.

I would just complain once and then leave this forum forever.

[drake]

Fair enough pemb.......

It's just easy to be on the side that is getting what they want....
It's significantly harder to be on the side whos hopes for the game got destroyed.

That being said, I don't really care that much, but its fun arguing about

As you've said over and over, it is only a freakin game. And I'm under no illusion that civ3 will change my life if i do or dont get it.
Though I can't speak for others in that regard

[Jason Beaudoin]

One can argue that they should have been more "honest" about its status but all of you should have learned by now that Firaxis' modus operandi is to only announce things when they are ready. All the rest is pure speculation and that it the trap that many of you have fallen into.

You almost had me on this one... but the problem remains that the delivery of the news was really poorly done.

I know that Firaxis must play a very delicate balancing act on releasing enough information so that the game flies of the shelves, but enough information to themselves so that expectations are not set too high, which could result in bad reviews.

I appreciate their position and I understand it fully...

...but, I can't think of any reason why they would keep information about MP out of it, other than they either couldn't get it done in time for an October release. If that is the case, they should have simply told us so and moved on.

Regardless, there are much better ways to handle bad news like this, and we deserve better.

[Steve Clark]

Yes, drake, it is fun to argue (or be argumentative), it makes the time go by faster.