Game Director Letter – July 2013

[Erock25]

GRRRRRR /wrists

Now that I think about it, my posts fall on deaf ears.

3 accounts paid for with year subs each. Why shouldn't I be emo?

Oh well. Truth is too much.... I'll stop posting.

Three accounts? Really? Sucks to be you.

[Kurt2013]

Ok, if we take and accept it (for various good and bad reasons), that new content is coming slow or has low priorities...how does it keep you from doing maintenance and bugfixing?

Or have you lost all the bug reports and decided to start from scratch with them too?
Moving and hiding it in TL (thus moving the main part of the work to your customers shoulders) is NOT a good idea.

Especially if the main team is on holiday or working somewhere else, wouldn't that be a good time to go through the reported bugs and suggestion lists and work through them? At least you should be able to spare an intern or one coder per game to "prepare" repair patches.

Doing this successfully and putting in one or two undisputed suggestions in can only have a positive effect for a very low amount of effort in the long run, wouldn't it?

[SelfRez]

Anyone with a decent job is given holiday/vacation time. When they use it is up to them and their company, regardless of the industry. RL or not, that's how employment works around the world. It's not solely Joel's fault that someone takes vacation. It's how having a job works. Some of you seem to be forgetting that this IS just a job. It is not the Dev's or Joel's life and sole purpose to make AoC a glorious game that you can sink all of your time and money into. It is their JOB to do that. Jobs aren't 24/7/365.

Come on now. Nowbody here is saying FC jobs should be 24/7/365 without any holidays. That is just retarded even to suggest such thing. The fact is that there is no systemating updating done in AoC. Why is it that not even the minor bugs arent fixed while we are waiting some new content to show up. It would surely be more than nothing and show that the game is regulary patched for bugs. I dont think is wrong for subscribers to wait some kind of regular maintaining for the game they are monthly paying for.
If you are behing the schedule constantly you should really think why is that and should you maybe be pulling some extra hours to keep up with your plans

[Lurvi]

Some of you seem to be forgetting that this IS just a job. It is not the Dev's or Joel's life and sole purpose to make AoC a glorious game that you can sink all of your time and money into. It is their JOB to do that.

Not saying you're not allowed vacations, but... Aren't the guys in the game-industry considered "artists"?

As for the Funcom guys it's pretty darn apparent. It is simply their dayjob, and they don't spend their time to perfect it like true artists would. As you say. It isn't their life. Their hearts don't have a burning desire for this game? Cause I sure as hell don't see any.

How could any gamedirector with any sliver of selfrespect let, for example, the minigame bug stay on for such a long period of time? (Sil...)

Im with Kurt2013, why are you unable to make minor changes, or do bugfixes? There are so many things still horribly wrong, Im sorry to say Joel. Can you please wake up!

[kinlock]

I hear people say Joel this, Joel that, Devs this and Devs that.
I'm telling you people, sewage flows downhill. It's the toilets up top that are pooping on this game and it's subscribers.

I'm sure Joel and the Devs have great ideas and ambition but when the toilets up top keep saying "no", well, you get AoC. (Let's not forget that it was one Dev that put that awesome 5 year anniversary on for us, and even that had to get the "ok" from the toilets up top.)

I say FC needs new CEO's. ONE example why: Business is struggling and not a lot of funds. So what do ya do? Start another project that requires funds!!!! Lego!

Time to go play some World of Tanks. Let me know when AoC produces some new and worthy content.

[Lord-Mouser]

: Business is struggling and not a lot of funds. So what do ya do? Start another project that requires funds!!!! Lego!

Lol Funcom is a master at this.

AoC struggling, go and make TSW, TSW is struggling, go and make lego mmo.

[FirepowahQQ]

I hear people say Joel this, Joel that, Devs this and Devs that.
I'm telling you people, sewage flows downhill. It's the toilets up top that are pooping on this game and it's subscribers.

I'm sure Joel and the Devs have great ideas and ambition but when the toilets up top keep saying "no", well, you get AoC. (Let's not forget that it was one Dev that put that awesome 5 year anniversary on for us, and even that had to get the "ok" from the toilets up top.)

I say FC needs new CEO's. ONE example why: Business is struggling and not a lot of funds. So what do ya do? Start another project that requires funds!!!! Lego!

Time to go play some World of Tanks. Let me know when AoC produces some new and worthy content.

Funcom got new CEO recently, too bad he is same like the old one

[Melekaiah]

Ceo's are only interested in profits nowadays, and funcom CEO's i question, their marketing decisions have been... sad for years. i wonder if all of the money acutally goes into the game itself, or if they are spread out in bonuses, for ceo's. because year after year ive seen some VERY stupid decisions being made in regards to this game and engine.

and i cant even blame the devs for it. and honestly. they cant ever talk about their higher ups, cause if they did theyd get fired. so we would never hear them say anything bad about them. which i totally get.

but its clear that joel and those working on the game, still have to answer the call of the higher ups, which makes things stupidly hard. however... the subscribers do deservea freaking buttload of love. cause we have been promised big revcamps and stuff for the last 2 years. and hoonestly most of the big stuff, is engine updates. with a serious lack of contant over the 5 years this game has been alive.

we should have really had by this point 3 updates the size of khitai. we have been promised content for years. and even dungeon revamps, dont need that much since the artwork is already there. but i very very very much welcome dungeon revamps. hopefully bringing all areas and dungeons into the level 80 world eventually

[Legionx]

put back paid server xfers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Nusquam]

TSW, GAME DIRECTOR LETTER – JULY 2013
http://www.thesecretworld.com/news/g...tter_july_2013



AOC, Game Director Letter – July 2013
http://www.ageofconan.com/news/game_...tter_july_2013



Now, I want to be civil about this so I will keep this "short and sweet":

which one is it Mr. Bylos? The team is back or off to vacations??
Sounds like a weak excuse to give all the focus to TSW.

Lol, the team was back on the 5th...so kinda in between I guess. Keep in mind I actually wrote those a week or two apart (while on holidays myself)