58 réponses à ce sujet

[Stanley Woo]

Ozai75 wrote...

Stanley, are you allowed to discuss what you think of our opinions and our distaste for the ending of an otherwise brilliant game, and if you are what would it be?

I've already made my opinions known in this thread. Some folks have even quoted it. Search the dev replies and you'll likely find it.

Oh, and slightly off topic..since you use End of Line does that make you Sark and Bioware MCP? Cause you know.. Tron is awesome

It is indeed.

[Stanley Woo]

kbct wrote...

Stanley Woo wrote...

Deltaboy37-1 wrote...

Oh man, that is typical Woo and Priestly style moderating right there. lol

How about a real answer now?

You haven't been listening to us at all, have you?

Can you at least summarize what you want us to take away from this exchange because you don't want to talk about what everyone here wants to talk about - namely the ending.

BioWare listens to all feedback when we release games. Not just those praising our games, and not just those who have issues and concerns with our games. We don't listen only to our community, or only to popular websites. Even if we don't respond immediately or to your satisfaction, BioWare appreciates its fanbase--all of it, even the part of it taking a break from BioWare games--and the feedback it provides. We will not always agree, and you will not always like what we do, but that's not going to stop us from striving to do better in the future. And we hope that, like us or not, you will come along for the ride because, hey, we might make something you'll really like next time. You are always welcome.

[Stanley Woo]

WarBaby2 wrote...

A simple "We cannot say, but we may be able to comment at that soon" sometimes get's you farther than a witty comment.

And this sets up the community to hear "we are going to comment soon," with "comment" meaning "giving you good news" and "soon" meaning "any time now." At least a witty comment makes no promises and sets up no expectations except that I'm a smart aleck.

[Stanley Woo]

Agarcn wrote...

Mr. Woo i have to say i have gained a great amount of respect for you taking all this abuse from people That aside i think the big frustration people are having right now is people wanting clear answers when in a corporate world you can not give one unless you are given permission from the higher ups. Which i assume you have not been given any statement to give at this point in time. Again i say Bravo Mr. Woo bravo.

I've been abused on the forum before. This isn't even close to it. The vast majority of folks here have been very reasonable and have asked good questions. It's this kind of environment that attracts developers to participate in discussions, so the more threads the community creates that are as mature and civil as this one is, the more likely it is that developers (and jerks like me and John Epler) will want to come chat.

[Stanley Woo]

Hunter of Legends wrote...

Yes, we/I understand you will listen but will you respond to the dissent?

I repeat:

Even if we don't respond immediately or to your satisfaction, BioWare
appreciates its fanbase--all of it, even the part of it taking a break
from BioWare games--and the feedback it provides. We will not always
agree, and you will not always like what we do, but that's not going to
stop us from striving to do better in the future.

[Stanley Woo]

TheJiveDJ wrote...

But then that sets the expectation that you're a smart aleck!  What if you cease to be one!!  Then you've let us down and we're all going to go into fan-rage mode and DEMAND that you return to being a smart aleck!!  lol

If you must know, I generally have a volus avatar. He's Paragon Stan. The Death's Hand avatar is Renegade Stan.

[Stanley Woo]

Sky Shadowing wrote...

Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to answer our ravening questions.

Schedule? I should have gone home three hours ago!

[Stanley Woo]

Vijay41086 wrote...

Stanley Woo wrote...

Idiotking wrote...

Mr. Woo, I just ask that you keep in mind the polls that are floating around this site.  They show that it really is a majority of people who do not like the endings.

Thank you, but while they may be an indication of something, they are based on a self-selecting sample of a specific minority of our total player base. Specifically, the ones who feel the strongest about the situation and seek out ways to make their displeasure known. So yes, they are useful in gauging how our community feels, but no, not necessarily as "proof" of how the general public feels.

Exactly when it comes to volultary polls, only those with a strong opinion(Usually a strong negative opinion) will respond so they aren't a good indicator of how your population feels.  Any basic stat class will tell you this.

But once again, that doesn't mean their opinions will be ignored or dismissed out of hand. They are all still community members and have still given their feedback. Like if you don't believe in ghosts, even if 10,000 people tell you there's a ghost in the closet, you'll still be skeptical of a ghost, but you'll likely figure that something is up to cause so many people to beleive it's a ghost. Maybe it's really nothing, maybe it's Old Man Jenkins in a ghost costume, maybe a ghost really does exist.

But all that data still has to figure in your decision-making in some form, however small.

[John Epler]

Sentr0 wrote...

Stanley Woo wrote...

[smilie]../../../images/forum/emoticons/ninja.png[/smilie][Spam post removed. User banned.][smilie]../../../images/forum/emoticons/ninja.png[/smilie]

if i may ask, for how long he was banned? :scaredface:

By and large, unless you're being incredibly offensive, bans are for 24 hours.

Of course, depending on the nature of an offense, they can range anywhere from 24 hours to permanently. Though the latter case happens quite rarely, and tends to be limited to those who show no desire to participate constructively. Keep it civil, and even if you get a 24 hour ban for a lapse in judgment, you'll probably be allowed back soon after.

[Stanley Woo]

Parmida wrote...
(You're starting to grow on me Woo ...)

As I should be, because I'm a fungi (fun guy)!

(i know, I know. I'm very fired.)

[John Epler]

Folks, a reminder that this really isn't the thread (or forum) for spoilers.

[John Epler]

GME_ThorianCreeper wrote...

JohnEpler wrote...

Folks, a reminder that this really isn't the thread (or forum) for spoilers.

Fixed that for ya bud. 

When I respond in a forum context, I tend to respond in a fashion similar to how I speak. Which means that, while I try to respect them, the rules of grammar are not strictly observed.

Spelling, on the other hand - well, there are some things up with which I will not put.

[John Epler]

Nathos wrote...

John and Stanley

How about you spend some time to chat on the area of the forum that spoilers are allowed?

We have coffe and donuts!

I'm trying my hardest to avoid spoilers, because I've yet to have a chance to play through ME3. And, being up on the DA floor, there are large swathes of content that remain blissfully unspoiled for me, with the exception of the endings and a few bits and pieces here and there.

Thus why I can recognize spoilers a mile away.

[John Epler]

If your post has spoilers, it will be edited. So if you have a point you'd like to make, please do so without spoilers or else it's going to be lost.

Thanks for your cooperation.

[Stanley Woo]

Palidane wrote...

Would you say that in this age of low priced tidbits, it is fair for us to ask for changes to the game?

I always say, in both my personal life as well as my professional life: you are always free to ask for something, as long as you can accept that the answer may be "no." The second you stop being able to accept any other answers but the one you want, you're no longer asking. You're demanding, and people deal with demands far differently than they deal with requests.

If developers are willing to work on small scale DLC, then is it fair for us to ask for changes to a game, instead of a new weapon pack, for instance?

You can always ask, but you may not get a response. Or, if you do, not the response you want. As long as you can accept that, then there's really no harm in asking.

[Stanley Woo]

PiEman wrote...

If you know the endings, why bother playing the game at all?

Because the game is still enjoyable. Besides, who's to say that, in the playing of the game, I don't come to really enjoy the ending on my own terms? People still go to see Shakespeare, operas, musicals, and re-watch movies and television shows, and re-read books and re-play games. Why do that if they already know the endings, the character resolutions, the twists, and even all the lines of dialogue?

[John Epler]

PiEman wrote...

JohnEpler wrote...

Nathos wrote...

John and Stanley

How about you spend some time to chat on the area of the forum that spoilers are allowed?

We have coffe and donuts!

I'm trying my hardest to avoid spoilers, because I've yet to have a chance to play through ME3. And, being up on the DA floor, there are large swathes of content that remain blissfully unspoiled for me, with the exception of the endings and a few bits and pieces here and there.

Thus why I can recognize spoilers a mile away.

If you know the endings, why bother playing the game at all?

Because, to me (and I know someone's going to call me out on this - so let's just avoid that and say that, yes, I recognize this is, to a degree, echoing an earlier blog post) it really is about the journey. I know where I'm going to end up, but it's the getting there that I'm looking forward to. ME1 was the first BioWare game that came out after I started working here (in fact, my first day was the ME1 launch party - good times). I was fortunate enough to get to work on ME2 (was still QA at this point), and even got to dabble in Cinematic Design. When the third game was in development, I'd become something of a permanent fixture on the Dragon Age franchise, and so I'm coming into it as a huge fan of the first game (and a huge fan of the second, although working on it did mean I didn't spend nearly as much time with it as a consumer as I might otherwise have done).

So whether or not I know the endings, I'm more concerned about what happens up to that point. And that's why I'll play through ME3, despite having the endings spoiled - I want to know what happens in the leadup.

[Stanley Woo]

Travie wrote...

Didn't he mean if you know how BAD the endings are, why bother playing the game at all?

Thats how I read it anyway, and I agree.

If you know all your hard work is going to end up not mattering, or coming to an unsatisfying conclusion then it really is a de-motivating factor when looking at future playthroughs.

Not mattering to who, though. Unsatisfying to who? Just because a jillion people hated the ending doesn't necessarily mean that I will as well, and that's enough to let me enjoy the game and judge it for myself. YMMV, of course, since I'm an optimist and I'm generally willing to give things a fair shot, even if they are critically panned or universally disliked among my peer group.

But i like JAG, NCIS and My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. i like Love Hina, Azumanga Daioh, and Full Metal Alchemist. I like canned spiced eel, headcheese, KD, and mock chicken loaf. I like Notorious MSG, Steel Panther, Rammstein and Enya. Why would I pass up the chance to experience it for myself, even if I might end up disliking it?

[John Epler]

Lord Costantino wrote...

But the ending invalidates all of your choices. You could have pick anything and gotten the same thing. BOTH the Journey and Destination matter to people in a game where you make the decisions.

To you.

And that's an entirely fair viewpoint to have! I don't want to sound like I'm saying 'no, that's a bad opinion and you should feel bad for having it'.

But that's not something that really concerns me, as a gamer. I've always cared the most about the other, smaller plot threads, and from what I've heard the game does a good job of tying off those loose ends.

As always, though, your mileage may vary, and I understand that we have different opinions on this.

[Stanley Woo]

Kanner wrote...

@Stanley - but do you have to BUY the game, or do you get a free copy from work?

Giving something a fair shot isn't so easy when the asking price is over $50. This is not a great analogy. =/

Did you neglect to read about all the other things I've given a "fair shot" to? You obviously don't know my buying habits and haven't seen my shelves full of movies, TV series, cartoons, sci-fi and fantasy novels, anime, comic books and trade paperbacks, RPGs, board games, miniatures, CDs, and videogames.

Give something a "fair" shot? If anything, I'm understating how I consume media. I paid nearly $300 for a rare, out-of-print Season 1 of Farscape less than 2 years before they released the entire series on DVD. i'd say that's pretty fair.

[John Epler]

spacefiddle wrote...

JohnEpler wrote...

To you.

Do you believe he's in the minority?

I believe he shares his opinion with others, and that's all I'm really going to say.

I'm a guest in these forums - I don't work on ME, and I'm certainly not going to comment on anything like that.

[John Epler]

I'll say that I loved the ending to Dark Tower and found it immensely satisfying, which I've always understood to be a minority opinion. So, you know.

[John Epler]

KombatWombat wrote...

JohnEpler wrote...

Lord Costantino wrote...

But the ending invalidates all of your choices. You could have pick anything and gotten the same thing. BOTH the Journey and Destination matter to people in a game where you make the decisions.

To you.

And that's an entirely fair viewpoint to have! I don't want to sound like I'm saying 'no, that's a bad opinion and you should feel bad for having it'.

But that's not something that really concerns me, as a gamer. I've always cared the most about the other, smaller plot threads, and from what I've heard the game does a good job of tying off those loose ends.

As always, though, your mileage may vary, and I understand that we have different opinions on this.

Forgive me, but this blows my mind here. What you've heard? I hope this means you're talking about feedback received and not the fact that you haven't yourself actually finished the game??

At any rate, the decisions you make throughout the trilogy affect EVERYTHING, up to and including the ending, in a perfect world. The journey is meaningless if the destination is utterly non-sensical and full of descrepancies and "wtf" moments...I LOVED the entire ME3 experience until the end, then it was like...why can't I bring myself to play thru again like I did with the first two games in the series, over and over again?

No, I haven't finished the game. I've been fairly busy lately, and I still have to finish ME1/ME2 in preparation for ME3 (mostly because I'm pretty sure that the only save I have for ME1 is the save where I made the worst possible decisions ever). But I know the ending, inside and out. Partially because, well, if you're moderating these forums it's impossible to miss, and partially because I figured I should know exactly what everyone's talking about.

[Stanley Woo]

Nachtritter76 wrote...

While I do not deny that you can love Enya, I do know that I'd believe you could tell us if you hated ME3, whether you did or not.

Excuse people for having reservations. You are, after all, working for the very studio that made the game. There may be a bias, or there may not be.

Of course I have a bias. Each and every person who plays games has a bias, whether it's a preferred style of play or a certain genre or certain kinds of characters, or the speed of a game, or the difficulty, etc. I happen to know where all my biases are and can articulate most of them. This is partly why I am able to evaluate media irrespective of its critical reception or popularity.

[Stanley Woo]

Heading home, should have gone home 5 hours ago. Thanks for the conversation, everyone.