9972 réponses à ce sujet

[Marcin K]

LeoSpike wrote...

PKchu wrote...

We need ATGHunter to parse the latest statement.

"When you are six hours into playing Battlefield and you run out of ammo in your clip and we ask you for a dollar to reload, you're really not very price-sensitive at this point in time"

Ladies and gentlemen, the CEO of an "art" company.

Heh. I'll point this out. BioWare was not absorbed by EA. Bioware allowed itself to become a business under the EA unbrella. The two doctors (co-founders of said company) became Vice Presidents under the EA corporate structure. A Vice President (I used to be one of a small company some time ago) gets that title primarily by bringing in revenue streams, and is responsible for keeping revenue coming in. Dr. Ray speaking up means - at least to me - that EA has called him in and said, "The revenue stream you promised when we took BioWare in is in jeopardy. You're responsible, you've got to do something about it."

EA is interested in that revenue and that's all. They're concerned with keeping all their divisions products within the annual operating budget and expect to see the revenue that was promised. EA sees that this promise might not be fulfilled and they have gone to the Vice Preseident, who felt it necessary to personally say something.

Well done, everyone. We got the attention of someone who can make things happen just by saying, "Fix it." Whether EA gives a budget for the fix is another thing altogether. I think that is is the issue that will be the delay in us seeing anything in the near future.

Dr. Muzyka has to say something public that supports his staff, reassures the EA suits, and gives the unhappy people some hope that things will at least be looked at in a serious manner. This keeps the promised revenue stream alive, for now.

That statement from the CEO doesn't surprise me in the least. He's not a video game player, not interested in "art" or any other form of media that the sub-companies put out, although he might be a small consumer. I doubt he has to purchase any ME game if he wanted to play them.  So, for those at the top, revenue is what matters. For a Vice President, revenue and continued support of the product is what matters.

We are threatening the CEO's goal for microtransactions and EA doesn't like that.

It's all good.

Let them act condescending. We won't be distracted because we know that without our sales they will cease to exist.

Let them promise for the future. We won't be distracted because we know that the problems exist right now.

Let them call us a minority. We won't be distracted because the poll numbers and threads like this tell us otherwise.

They have tried to dismiss, insult and ridicule us, but we haven't gone away. Now they have to deal with us, and they take it so seriously that the co-founder of BioWare and Vice Presedent of EA Games has to take time out to speak.

Keep your resolve. Don't give up in anger. Most of all, don't go away. That's what they want. Stay the course, put your grievances with the product out there, repeat them and stay on topic. This is precisely what they don't want.

I'm all smiles after Dr. Ray's blog post. He didn't want to do this and wanted to delegate this issue to someone else but he has been forced to deal with us.  I love it.

To Dr Muzyka - my opinion only:  Mass Effect 3 has major issues that affect the core gameplay that need to be addressed. These issues are well documented in various threads on this forum and others that validate our concerns. Please take time to find out about them and let us know in concise terms how you think these issues should be addressed, because they need to be addressed. A very important revenue stream is at risk, and a group of your customers have various levels of distrust right now. We'd like to see your company present us with a positive way forward, in real concrete terms. Thank you for listening with an open mind.

<End of opinion piece>

very well done post LeoSpike 
from myself i'll add i will keep holding the line until instead of words i'll see results and i strongly encourage you all to do the same and of course stay civil at all times

[LegendaryBlade]

OriginalTibs wrote...

What is (are?) 'Marauder Shields'?

The hero who gave is life to try to save you from the ending

[Syrellaris]

[quote]Jessica Merizan wrote...

Hey guys,
I just wanted to clarify a few things.

1)
The twitter account is my personal one. No one is paying me to tweet on
it and considering how much people are trying to extrapolate from
replies I make that are meant for certain people (Twitter operates in a
way that it's assume that while replies are public, people don't see
them on their feed unless they follow both individuals -- or unless they
camp on someone's profile which is what people are currently doing on
mine). There's not a script I'm following and I'm not being "told"
anything by PR. PR actually has very little to do with this situation,
but I doubt you will believe that.

2) I was speaking to a person
who enjoyed the ending (which is very much a personal opinion that I
respect just as I respect someone else's opinion that they did not like
the endings or even that the endings ruined their ME experience. All
opinions are valid.) and I indicated that people who like things do not
talk about it enough. People took this to mean that I was indicating
that people don't talk about things when they're happy or that word of
mouth isn't discussing things. That was not my intention.

2A)
Twitter is terrible about having forum like conversations but currently
I'm finding that's how people are trying to use it. After sending
thousands of tweets this week (no small feat, try it) yes I get fatigued
and don't always say exactly what I mean. But it's worse when I know
that everyone is camped out on my feed just waiting to pick apart
something I've said and prove me to be a liar or the harbinger of hope.
Neither of which I am. I am a community manager who is a trained
anthropologist and I feel that at times like this having a dialogue is
more important than ever. It would certainly be easier if I didn't say
anything at all, but I don't think that's the right thing to do.

2B)
My intention to that person was to say that more people need to
vocalize their opinion, positive or negative. When we insulate ourselves
in tight-knit communities, it's harder to see that most people aren't
doing that. Not the same most people however, just most people in
different situations. An example I used is the 90-9-1 principle or the
1% rule (which is all over the internet and I studied it during my
master's coursework in media consumption at University College London,
namedrop intentional as people have recently accused me of being unable
to read and interpret statistics or data, something I'm very good at and
pride myself on).

3) The above rule is quite simple. 90% of
consumers will passively engage in the product through consumption (such
as playing a video game). They might lurk on forums or read articles.
9% of these people will take it a step further and actively engage in
discussions and talk. These are the people that you rely on for WOM
sales (word of mouth). They'll "like" a post on Facebook, share it to
their wall, reply to a forum thread, RT or reply to something on
Twitter. Then you have people who take it one step further and create
content based on the original product. These are your fan artists,
cosplayers, and even as simple as someone who starts a forum thread or
makes a youtube video.

3A) An example I gave of this on Twitter
is 3 products that I enjoy: Dominos pizza, the television show The
Venture Brothers, and the Mass Effect Franchise. While I spend an
embarrassing amount of money on Dominos every month, I don't discuss my
purchase online with my friends. I haven't "Liked" their page on
Facebook and I'm not a member of their community. I'm still an important
consumer and I vote with my wallet. However I'm in that 90% that
Dominos is constantly trying to engage with pizza ordering widgets to
share on my Facebook wall etc. But I'm not biting. On the other hand,
I'm a much more vocal consumer of the Venture Brothers. I'm in the 9%
there. I've been a member of several fan sites, tuned into their
livestreams and donated money during their charity drives, I tweet
quotes from the show and am involved in discussions with other fans I
met online. And finally, long before I worked for BioWare, I was in the
1% of this community. Even though I didn't go on the forums much (other
than lurk), I created costumes, spread my love of their games at
conventions, actively participated in their facebook initiatives etc.

3B)
This doesn't just apply to people who like something. This applies to
consumption as a whole. The 9% vocal minority isn't a bunch of
naysayers. It's literally just the vocal bunch out of the entire group.
It includes people who like, dislike, and are neutral. The media has
just latched onto "vocal minority" as if it's a bad thing. It's not.
It's just the way consumption works. Go look at any Facebook page,
specifically their "People Talking About This" (PTAT). We consider 10% a
great number. 20% is off the charts. But it rarely goes above that.
It's just the way things work.

4) Honestly, if you want people
to communicate more, you have to stop ripping apart everything. I'm
speaking in generals here, most people don't do this but we remember
those people who do the most. I have devs who don't want to write blogs
for me because they don't want to lovingly craft a nice post and then
watch it get picked apart and analyzed to death. There have been
countless times this week that I wanted to stop talking because people
were misinterpreting things I said such as my tweet in reply to one
specific person that was taken out of context. One tweet that I made
when I was tired and it was poorly worded. And seeing people rip it
apart in the forums made me want to stop tweeting for good. Make my
account private and just use my public one for generic information and
boring updates. But I didn't because I know that it's awful when a few
people ruin it for everyone.

I respect that even if I personally
disagree with the end goal of RetakeME, their means to be heard are
noble. Even if they have a demand, they aren't coming across as
demanding. They try to be polite and fight stereotypes about fandom. And
as their community manager, I'm advocating for their opinions to be
heard. But this BioWare PR damage control stuff is ridiculous. How can
we expect to have a conversation about this when people are slinging
around jargon that frankly none of our PR professionals have ever even
heard of. You're making yourselves paranoid and rejecting anything we
have to say. It's one thing to be skeptical (as a consumer, it's smart
to be an informed buyer) but it's another thing to lead yourself to
believe that someone is actively trying to pull the wool over your eyes.
We aren't. I'm not. I'm losing sleep over this and regardless of what
you may think I'm not getting paid to sit and type this out. And any PR
person would tell you this entire post is a mistake to write and
publish.

Thanks.

P.S. Since I'm trying to be informative, a
disclaimer about "this is my personal Twitter. Opinions are my own."
don't actually hold up or keep someone out of hot water, so it's a waste
of precious characters to have that in your description.

P.P.S.
Yes, as someone previously mentioned we are actively monitoring how
many people are finishing the game and comparing it to ME2 as a
standard. This is the primary reason that we have held off on discussing
the endings, for better or worse. You can expect fuller details later,
but when I ask you to be patient it's not because I hate you or am
scrambling to find the right words to say. I will tell you that I'm
really encouraged by the feedback I'm getting and what I'm hearing from
the team and I look forward to when that can be shared. Also,
multiplayer numbers are a completely separate metric so you don't need
to worry about us conflating the two. [/quote]

I don't understand the
point of you even bothering to disagree with the goal of retake ME.  If
the fans get what they want then you still have the ending younliked
[/quote]

I think she has a point.  We do nitpick.  We tear everything into pieces and analyze the heck out of it.  I for one am going to take her advice.  I am not paranoid by nature -- rather I tend towards optimism.  I think a little optimism is not untoward right now, yes?  

We all need to think positively.  BioWare isn't our enemy to be conquered.  They gave us two awesome Mass Effect game and for the most part a third awesome game that needs the ending rewritten.  I don't hate BioWare... I don't want to hate BioWare!  I want to support them.  I want them to give me the same awesomeness I got with ME1 and 2!  And I want them to do it for many, many, many more years.  

I don't want this to be the end of Mass Effect even though it is the end of Shepard.  But neither do I want the end of Shepard to be so dreary, dismal, disappointing, sad and such a pessimistic opposite of what the entire series represented.  But still?  I love BioWare and I want them to succeed!  I want ME3 to be the crowning glory of one of the BEST GAME series EVER!!!  Because that's what it deserves to be!

So...  Maybe we should build up the hope?

Hold the LINE!  There is LIGHT at the end of this long, dark tunnel!

Lan

[/quote]

Thats what I have been saying in threads quite a few times, that people need to stop picking at every little thing "Bioware or EA does as a "distraction to our cause! ". Regardless of How I feel about it or if I am right or wrong, I get attacked for it.  Some people remain civil (mainly in this thread) but the large majority pretty much calls me a fanboy, a idiot, a troll or sometimes worse.

Yes I am a fan, I am a fan of Bioware, I am a fan of Dice but I am also a fan of the Old Blizzard (not the fusion of activision) and plenty of others. Like the team behind the Witcher. That is what a gamer is.

So yes, she is right. People need to ceise analyzing things to death as if it was part of Bioware.

[quote]

From DR. Ray Muzyka
[snip]
Building on their research, Exec
Producer Casey Hudson and the team are hard at work on a number of game
content initiatives that will help answer the questions, providing more
clarity for those seeking further closure to their journey. You’ll hear
more on this in April.  We’re working hard to maintain the right balance
between the artistic integrity of the original story while addressing
the fan feedback we’ve received.  This is in addition to our existing
plan to continue providing new Mass Effect content and new full games,
so rest assured that your journey in the Mass Effect universe can, and
will, continue.
The reaction to the release of Mass
Effect 3 has been unprecedented. On one hand, some of our loyal fans are
passionately expressing their displeasure about how their game
concluded; we care about this feedback, and we’re planning to directly
address it. However, most folks appear to agree that the game as a whole
is exceptional, with more than 75 critics giving it a perfect review
score and a review average in the mid-90s. Net, I’m proud of the team,
but we can and must always strive to do better.
Some of the criticism that has been
delivered in the heat of passion by our most ardent fans, even if
founded on valid principles, such as seeking more clarity to questions
or looking for more closure, for example – has unfortunately become
destructive rather than constructive. We listen and will respond to
constructive criticism, but much as we will not tolerate individual
attacks on our team members, we will not support or respond to
destructive commentary.

[snip]

[/quote]

I would like people to remember that little bolded line. He speaks truth in that, and his reply was fair and honest. Our journey isnt done and they are taking action. Respect them for that.

[DoctorCrowtgamer]

Please we did not win today it was just more spin to get the sales of the game DLC up before the end of the month. Also the only thing they are even talking about is extending the endings we have. i know it's tempting to stop fighting now but we can't. please rember the problem with the endings we have is that they don't reflect what the Shepard we created would do and extending them will not fix that. Bioware may very well release this but please don't buy it. if we just hold on for anyother month or two they will have to give us more endings that reflect our choices and not jusrt extended versions of the depressing nonsense endings we have now. Please this does prove we are close so just hold on a while longer so we can get the content that should have come with the game in the first place. Please please please don't give up now.

http://social.biowar.../index/10056886

Please remember the lies and keep holding on until we get endings that reflect our choices. thank you.

Please check out this group and join in.

http://social.bioware.com/group/7102/

Thank you for your time.

[LdyBelial]

VigilancePress wrote...

opheliac_x wrote...

Delurking for a quick minute just to express my appreciation for this post (and others). I have been following these forums like a hawk pretty much the second I finished the game and, in a haze of confusion and a little bit of anger, wondered if any one else felt like I did.
I have sympathy for the ME team. If I put innumerable hours of labor into something like this game, I would certainly be hurt that there is such a reaction to it as this. But the moment you release your work into the wild, you have to accept that they are going to say whatever they want to about it.
But I am so happy that there are so many people coming together in such civil discourse over the matter. Makes me hopeful.

Bottom line: I don't want to be unhappy with the ending. I have been playing the series for ages, and haven't had an issue until now. I trusted BioWare, and I WANT to keep trusting them. But, just as they've given me the hard decisions to make in game, I am making the difficult decision right now on whether I will be able to trust them again. I am wary, to say the least.

tl;dr- Thank you, guys, for being here.

Gonna relurk and read.

Welcome aboard! 

Thank you for reading, and giving our discourse meaning beyond our own personal satisfaction at venting our frustrations. The knowledge that others are hearing and understanding the debate is vital to the ongoing success of our cause.

Cheers!

Ditto!!  Welcome to the LINE!! 

[Vap0ur_Snake]

Hey all.... Ok, rather than read through like 60+ pages Id rather get involved in what's being discussed now. Is there anything major that's been discussed that I may have missed? I've been away for about 15 hours.

[Capeo]

Reidbynature wrote...

I'm with Forbes on this, Clarity is hardly promising more options, rather it seems to be more along the line of "we'll explain it to you". I don't care if it's new content along the same lines, what actually happens is awful. Even if you disregard the exploding Relays, everyone stranded etc or the one cutscene/3 colours, the ABC endings ramifications are quite bad in themselves and part of the problem in my opinion.

I find Forbes arguments about taking any kind of criticism seriously fascinating, my problem is the Bioware statement and how it depicts 'destructive criticism' and I'm worried that it is, in a sly way, trying to tar us with the same brush and essentially label us 'trolls'.

Though the apology does mean that something is on the horizon, I guess we just have to hope it actually addresses the majority of player's concerns. Though if it's merely a 'this is what we meant' or puting a simple bandage on the plot holes and largely leaving what happened intact then I will probably say goodbye to Mass Effect 3 and the franchise.

From Ray's words I can't see them doing anything but "clarifying" (i.e better explaining the endings) and maybe, if we're lucky, tacking on some epilogues.  They aren't going to retcon the endings.  It's clear they're standing behind them as they are now.

[tariq071]

JustinS1985 wrote...

Takibanazaki wrote...

Just a quick note, check http://investor.ea.com/stockquote.cfm the end should clarify why Mr Muzyka had to adress the situation.

It's been in a slump since at least December, doubt that had much to do with his announcement.

It does because positive reviews , positive sales and positive feedback would raise their share values for end of this period, which is end of March and thus shareholders would make profit from it.

.Why do you think they released DA II and ME 3 around this time in last 2 years.

Modifié par tariq071, 21 mars 2012 - 07:00 .

[Hobbs1975]

The reactions make me think Bioware just won. Yeah, he gave a little, but it's still incredibly vague in content and time-frame.

They don't have to deliver a new ending. They don't have to deliver much more than a few placards at some vague point next month. He promised nothing specific at all.

For that concession he got a gigantic release valve on the pressure building. He gets a huge PR push from a billion different gaming sites stating how much Bioware cares. Those new articles push the bad ones out. Win for Bioware! He gets a good amount of the people pushing for a fix to lay off either a lot or a little. This allows all the other PR pushes to cut through the bad and start selling the game at the most important juncture for sales. Win! He changed the narrative entirely.

Don't be rude or attack personally, but don't be mollified until they get very specific. They brought in the big gun to make the big push to get this to blow over. Don't let it.

[Lil One]

Vap0ur_Snake wrote...

Hey all.... Ok, rather than read
through like 60+ pages Id rather get involved in what's being discussed
now. Is there anything major that's been discussed that I may have
missed? I've been away for about 15 hours.

Well, this, and before that Jessica dropped by, with various reactions to that.

Modifié par Lil One, 21 mars 2012 - 07:05 .

[LdyBelial]

Syrellaris wrote...
Thats what I have been saying in threads quite a few times, that people need to stop picking at every little thing "Bioware or EA does as a "distraction to our cause! ". Regardless of How I feel about it or if I am right or wrong, I get attacked for it.  Some people remain civil (mainly in this thread) but the large majority pretty much calls me a fanboy, a idiot, a troll or sometimes worse.

Yes I am a fan, I am a fan of Bioware, I am a fan of Dice but I am also a fan of the Old Blizzard (not the fusion of activision) and plenty of others. Like the team behind the Witcher. That is what a gamer is.

So yes, she is right. People need to ceise analyzing things to death as if it was part of Bioware.

From DR. Ray Muzyka
[snip]
Building on their research, Exec
Producer Casey Hudson and the team are hard at work on a number of game
content initiatives that will help answer the questions, providing more
clarity for those seeking further closure to their journey. You’ll hear
more on this in April.  We’re working hard to maintain the right balance
between the artistic integrity of the original story while addressing
the fan feedback we’ve received.  This is in addition to our existing
plan to continue providing new Mass Effect content and new full games,
so rest assured that your journey in the Mass Effect universe can, and
will, continue.
The reaction to the release of Mass
Effect 3 has been unprecedented. On one hand, some of our loyal fans are
passionately expressing their displeasure about how their game
concluded; we care about this feedback, and we’re planning to directly
address it. However, most folks appear to agree that the game as a whole
is exceptional, with more than 75 critics giving it a perfect review
score and a review average in the mid-90s. Net, I’m proud of the team,
but we can and must always strive to do better.
Some of the criticism that has been
delivered in the heat of passion by our most ardent fans, even if
founded on valid principles, such as seeking more clarity to questions
or looking for more closure, for example – has unfortunately become
destructive rather than constructive. We listen and will respond to
constructive criticism, but much as we will not tolerate individual
attacks on our team members, we will not support or respond to
destructive commentary.

[snip]

I would like people to remember that little bolded line. He speaks truth in that, and his reply was fair and honest. Our journey isnt done and they are taking action. Respect them for that.

Thanks for the support!  And I agree.  Until they prove otherwise...  Why not give them a chance?  I honestly don't think BioWare DID THIS TO US ON PURPOSE.  No matter how hurt and angry we get this wasn't personal... they weren't attacking us.  In fact, I think they thought we'd would all be like "WOW, WHAT A SURPRISING TWIST!"  And instead they got hit in the gut with "WT_???? You gotta be kidding me?!" instead.  

I feel bad for them.  That doesn't change that I want multiple endings that reflect my choices though... 

Lan

[humes spork]

Mallissin wrote...

Stock price being down over 30% since the start of the year doesn't say much?

No, not really. The context here is the lowered quotes are in all likelihood the result of short-term trading following the relase of EA's holiday 2011 triple-A titles, coupled with the lukewarm reception for SWTOR and KoA dissuading investors from going medium- to long-term. That, and the fact EA has no major releases for summer or holiday 2012 yet sparing their annual sports titles.

Since ME3's release it's fluctuated, but held relatively steady (within a dollar per share), so I wouldn't go crying ME3's poor reception of the ending has caused EA stock to tank.

[Jade5233]

Zebra3 wrote...

I absolutely love this thread. It's one of the most insightful on the boards. As for the word from Ray Muzyka, I posted this on another board I visit:

The only thing that surprises me about the Dr.'s post is that... they're surprised at the reaction they're getting from their most loyal fans. I'm just ASTONISHED that Bioware, a company that's always seemed to be in touch with its fan base fairly well (they did promise to fix the problems in Deception with a reprint), wouldn't see this coming. I cannot fathom what was going through their minds. They obviously knew they had created a universe and characters that everybody loved.

Did they REALLY think we'd be satisfied with an abstract montage from Shepard's perspective, Mass Relays being destroyed (along with everything that means), and the Normandy crashing on some random planet somewhere likely never to be seen again. And what about that patronizing scene between the grandfather and grandson? Do they consider us to be children they're telling stories to? To say nothing of that crass plug for DLC at the very end. That's just rubbing salt in the wound.

First, this thread has been very helpful.  And I'm trying to get the word out in my little circle of friends here to "go dark"--meaning let BW see that ME3 usage is going down--by either stopping playing or going offline.  Hopefully more people do this and BW notices from actions rather than just by words alone.

Second, it astounds me that the BW staff/creators can claim that they were surprised.
Casey Hudson made a statement about a week before launch that people were going to be upset by the ending.
And Mac Walters put out his blog prior to launch about how we should focus on the journey rather than the destination.
They knew.  Perhaps they didn't know to what extent, but they knew that we were going to be disturbed and upset by this ending.  And the amazing thing to me is that they knowingly did it anyways.

[Lil One]

LdyBelial wrote...

<trim>

I honestly don't think BioWare DID THIS TO US ON PURPOSE.  No matter how hurt and angry we get this wasn't personal... they weren't attacking us.  In fact, I think they thought we'd would all be like "WOW, WHAT A SURPRISING TWIST!"  And instead they got hit in the gut with "WT_???? You gotta be kidding me?!" instead.  

I feel bad for them.  That doesn't change that I want multiple endings that reflect my choices though... 

Lan

Hear, hear.  That is what I am here for too.

Modifié par Lil One, 21 mars 2012 - 07:07 .

[Luiginius]

My caring level is getting lower every time i see the word art. When you make a product for mass market, sold to millions, plural, that isn't art. No way.

Further reading that statement. They had no ideas on how to continue. Any planned dlc would really have been prequels. How did they expect anyone to care about omega or anything else with an ending like that.
By going with the indoctrination route, the story concludes in Cmdr Shepard sleeping in a concrete rubble pile in downtown London. Sure, prior to that he may have won the mind game, but I can't just shake the image from my head. Shepard napping for few minutes-> the end. That's the stuff of legends, I feel inspired. Okay, sorry that was maybe too sarcastic but that's how I feel.

I'll sum up with a movie experience I had this evening. Went to see John Carter. I know I know bare with me. Whatever you might think of it, it was nice to see basic adventure film that had a beginning a middle and an end. All I could think of was, jesus is the hollywood decision making process really my friend now. No studio exec would have greenlit me3 with that conclusion.

[Hicks233]

Hobbs1975 wrote...

The reactions make me think Bioware just won. Yeah, he gave a little, but it's still incredibly vague in content and time-frame.

They don't have to deliver a new ending. They don't have to deliver much more than a few placards at some vague point next month. He promised nothing specific at all.

For that concession he got a gigantic release valve on the pressure building. He gets a huge PR push from a billion different gaming sites stating how much Bioware cares. Those new articles push the bad ones out. Win for Bioware! He gets a good amount of the people pushing for a fix to lay off either a lot or a little. This allows all the other PR pushes to cut through the bad and start selling the game at the most important juncture for sales. Win! He changed the narrative entirely.

Don't be rude or attack personally, but don't be mollified until they get very specific. They brought in the big gun to make the big push to get this to blow over. Don't let it.

If the clarification/fix that they're considering is seen as another failure or more broken promises then I can only wonder what the backlash would be.

Some plainly worded statements of intent without pr fluff would be great. Unlikely that we would get them though.

For Bioware, EA and yes us the Customers - actions really are going to speak louder than any amount of words.

Hold the Line - with civility.

[LdyBelial]

Jade5233 wrote...

Zebra3 wrote...

I absolutely love this thread. It's one of the most insightful on the boards. As for the word from Ray Muzyka, I posted this on another board I visit:

The only thing that surprises me about the Dr.'s post is that... they're surprised at the reaction they're getting from their most loyal fans. I'm just ASTONISHED that Bioware, a company that's always seemed to be in touch with its fan base fairly well (they did promise to fix the problems in Deception with a reprint), wouldn't see this coming. I cannot fathom what was going through their minds. They obviously knew they had created a universe and characters that everybody loved.

Did they REALLY think we'd be satisfied with an abstract montage from Shepard's perspective, Mass Relays being destroyed (along with everything that means), and the Normandy crashing on some random planet somewhere likely never to be seen again. And what about that patronizing scene between the grandfather and grandson? Do they consider us to be children they're telling stories to? To say nothing of that crass plug for DLC at the very end. That's just rubbing salt in the wound.

First, this thread has been very helpful.  And I'm trying to get the word out in my little circle of friends here to "go dark"--meaning let BW see that ME3 usage is going down--by either stopping playing or going offline.  Hopefully more people do this and BW notices from actions rather than just by words alone.

Second, it astounds me that the BW staff/creators can claim that they were surprised.
Casey Hudson made a statement about a week before launch that people were going to be upset by the ending.
And Mac Walters put out his blog prior to launch about how we should focus on the journey rather than the destination.
They knew.  Perhaps they didn't know to what extent, but they knew that we were going to be disturbed and upset by this ending.  And the amazing thing to me is that they knowingly did it anyways.

Wow?  I totally missed both of those...  And I have to say that shines a new light on things...  I really do wonder how they thought the ending they gave us was appropriate in any way? 

But I can't let that get to me...  I gotta hold on the to hope, folks...  I really need it right now.  I can't stand the idea that Mass Effect will become MASSIVE FAIL instead...  I have to believe in BioWare. 

[Hazzel42]

I'm continually impressed with all the insightful and well written responses in this thread. It makes it a wee bit intimidating to put up my own opinion here! :-)

It's nice to see that we've managed to get a more senior person's response on the issue of the ending. I still feel it doesn't deliver much more to the earlier promises, other than a vague something possibly happening in April.

It's a shame that such a wonderful series filled with some great storytelling is being so badly tarnished by the completely disjointed ending. I had been holding my breath for an incredible climactic ending to the series and was bitterly disappointed by the surreal, illogical and ill fitting ending sequence. I don't think anything short of some game altering DLC will fix this. An epilogue or comic or forum post won't be enough to help everyone get their heads around what the whole ending was actually supposed to mean.

I'm hoping that BioWare will step up to the plate and do the right thing by offering everyone a decent solution. Then all of us can go back to enjoying the games they make so well and continue to patronize their business.

[LdyBelial]

Lil One wrote...

LdyBelial wrote...

<trim>

I honestly don't think BioWare DID THIS TO US ON PURPOSE.  No matter how hurt and angry we get this wasn't personal... they weren't attacking us.  In fact, I think they thought we'd would all be like "WOW, WHAT A SURPRISING TWIST!"  And instead they got hit in the gut with "WT_???? You gotta be kidding me?!" instead.  

I feel bad for them.  That doesn't change that I want multiple endings that reflect my choices though... 

Lan

Hear, hear.  That is what I am here for too.

Thanks Lil One! 

[Vap0ur_Snake]

Lil One wrote...

Vap0ur_Snake wrote...

Hey all.... Ok, rather than read
through like 60+ pages Id rather get involved in what's being discussed
now. Is there anything major that's been discussed that I may have
missed? I've been away for about 15 hours.

Well, this, and before that Jessica dropped by, with various reactions to that.

Thanks... I just read what Jessica had to say but I haven't read the blog yet. I'll check that out now. 

Danke (I know that's German but is it used in dutch too? Lol)


EDIT: you aren't even Dutch are you? Sorry

Modifié par Vap0ur_Snake, 21 mars 2012 - 07:14 .

[LdyBelial]

Hazzel42 wrote...

I'm continually impressed with all the insightful and well written responses in this thread. It makes it a wee bit intimidating to put up my own opinion here! :-)

It's nice to see that we've managed to get a more senior person's response on the issue of the ending. I still feel it doesn't deliver much more to the earlier promises, other than a vague something possibly happening in April.

It's a shame that such a wonderful series filled with some great storytelling is being so badly tarnished by the completely disjointed ending. I had been holding my breath for an incredible climactic ending to the series and was bitterly disappointed by the surreal, illogical and ill fitting ending sequence. I don't think anything short of some game altering DLC will fix this. An epilogue or comic or forum post won't be enough to help everyone get their heads around what the whole ending was actually supposed to mean.

I'm hoping that BioWare will step up to the plate and do the right thing by offering everyone a decent solution. Then all of us can go back to enjoying the games they make so well and continue to patronize their business.(emphasis added by LdyBelial)

From your lips to BioWare's ears! 

[Peete]

Hobbs1975 wrote...

The reactions make me think Bioware just won. Yeah, he gave a little, but it's still incredibly vague in content and time-frame.

They don't have to deliver a new ending. They don't have to deliver much more than a few placards at some vague point next month. He promised nothing specific at all.

For that concession he got a gigantic release valve on the pressure building. He gets a huge PR push from a billion different gaming sites stating how much Bioware cares. Those new articles push the bad ones out. Win for Bioware! He gets a good amount of the people pushing for a fix to lay off either a lot or a little. This allows all the other PR pushes to cut through the bad and start selling the game at the most important juncture for sales. Win! He changed the narrative entirely.

Don't be rude or attack personally, but don't be mollified until they get very specific. They brought in the big gun to make the big push to get this to blow over. Don't let it.

It ain't over yet.

Hold the line.

[1490]

Can't wait to see if atghunter has another great analysis for Dr. Muzyka's statement!

[ericjdev]

Jessica Merizan wrote...

Hey guys,
I just wanted to clarify a few things.

1) The twitter account is my personal one. No one is paying me to tweet on it and considering how much people are trying to extrapolate from replies I make that are meant for certain people (Twitter operates in a way that it's assume that while replies are public, people don't see them on their feed unless they follow both individuals -- or unless they camp on someone's profile which is what people are currently doing on mine). There's not a script I'm following and I'm not being "told" anything by PR. PR actually has very little to do with this situation, but I doubt you will believe that.

2) I was speaking to a person who enjoyed the ending (which is very much a personal opinion that I respect just as I respect someone else's opinion that they did not like the endings or even that the endings ruined their ME experience. All opinions are valid.) and I indicated that people who like things do not talk about it enough. People took this to mean that I was indicating that people don't talk about things when they're happy or that word of mouth isn't discussing things. That was not my intention.

2A) Twitter is terrible about having forum like conversations but currently I'm finding that's how people are trying to use it. After sending thousands of tweets this week (no small feat, try it) yes I get fatigued and don't always say exactly what I mean. But it's worse when I know that everyone is camped out on my feed just waiting to pick apart something I've said and prove me to be a liar or the harbinger of hope. Neither of which I am. I am a community manager who is a trained anthropologist and I feel that at times like this having a dialogue is more important than ever. It would certainly be easier if I didn't say anything at all, but I don't think that's the right thing to do.

2B) My intention to that person was to say that more people need to vocalize their opinion, positive or negative. When we insulate ourselves in tight-knit communities, it's harder to see that most people aren't doing that. Not the same most people however, just most people in different situations. An example I used is the 90-9-1 principle or the 1% rule (which is all over the internet and I studied it during my master's coursework in media consumption at University College London, namedrop intentional as people have recently accused me of being unable to read and interpret statistics or data, something I'm very good at and pride myself on).

3) The above rule is quite simple. 90% of consumers will passively engage in the product through consumption (such as playing a video game). They might lurk on forums or read articles. 9% of these people will take it a step further and actively engage in discussions and talk. These are the people that you rely on for WOM sales (word of mouth). They'll "like" a post on Facebook, share it to their wall, reply to a forum thread, RT or reply to something on Twitter. Then you have people who take it one step further and create content based on the original product. These are your fan artists, cosplayers, and even as simple as someone who starts a forum thread or makes a youtube video.

3A) An example I gave of this on Twitter is 3 products that I enjoy: Dominos pizza, the television show The Venture Brothers, and the Mass Effect Franchise. While I spend an embarrassing amount of money on Dominos every month, I don't discuss my purchase online with my friends. I haven't "Liked" their page on Facebook and I'm not a member of their community. I'm still an important consumer and I vote with my wallet. However I'm in that 90% that Dominos is constantly trying to engage with pizza ordering widgets to share on my Facebook wall etc. But I'm not biting. On the other hand, I'm a much more vocal consumer of the Venture Brothers. I'm in the 9% there. I've been a member of several fan sites, tuned into their livestreams and donated money during their charity drives, I tweet quotes from the show and am involved in discussions with other fans I met online. And finally, long before I worked for BioWare, I was in the 1% of this community. Even though I didn't go on the forums much (other than lurk), I created costumes, spread my love of their games at conventions, actively participated in their facebook initiatives etc.

3B) This doesn't just apply to people who like something. This applies to consumption as a whole. The 9% vocal minority isn't a bunch of naysayers. It's literally just the vocal bunch out of the entire group. It includes people who like, dislike, and are neutral. The media has just latched onto "vocal minority" as if it's a bad thing. It's not. It's just the way consumption works. Go look at any Facebook page, specifically their "People Talking About This" (PTAT). We consider 10% a great number. 20% is off the charts. But it rarely goes above that. It's just the way things work.

4) Honestly, if you want people to communicate more, you have to stop ripping apart everything. I'm speaking in generals here, most people don't do this but we remember those people who do the most. I have devs who don't want to write blogs for me because they don't want to lovingly craft a nice post and then watch it get picked apart and analyzed to death. There have been countless times this week that I wanted to stop talking because people were misinterpreting things I said such as my tweet in reply to one specific person that was taken out of context. One tweet that I made when I was tired and it was poorly worded. And seeing people rip it apart in the forums made me want to stop tweeting for good. Make my account private and just use my public one for generic information and boring updates. But I didn't because I know that it's awful when a few people ruin it for everyone.

I respect that even if I personally disagree with the end goal of RetakeME, their means to be heard are noble. Even if they have a demand, they aren't coming across as demanding. They try to be polite and fight stereotypes about fandom. And as their community manager, I'm advocating for their opinions to be heard. But this BioWare PR damage control stuff is ridiculous. How can we expect to have a conversation about this when people are slinging around jargon that frankly none of our PR professionals have ever even heard of. You're making yourselves paranoid and rejecting anything we have to say. It's one thing to be skeptical (as a consumer, it's smart to be an informed buyer) but it's another thing to lead yourself to believe that someone is actively trying to pull the wool over your eyes. We aren't. I'm not. I'm losing sleep over this and regardless of what you may think I'm not getting paid to sit and type this out. And any PR person would tell you this entire post is a mistake to write and publish.

Thanks.

P.S. Since I'm trying to be informative, a disclaimer about "this is my personal Twitter. Opinions are my own." don't actually hold up or keep someone out of hot water, so it's a waste of precious characters to have that in your description.

P.P.S. Yes, as someone previously mentioned we are actively monitoring how many people are finishing the game and comparing it to ME2 as a standard. This is the primary reason that we have held off on discussing the endings, for better or worse. You can expect fuller details later, but when I ask you to be patient it's not because I hate you or am scrambling to find the right words to say. I will tell you that I'm really encouraged by the feedback I'm getting and what I'm hearing from the team and I look forward to when that can be shared. Also, multiplayer numbers are a completely separate metric so you don't need to worry about us conflating the two.

I really appreciate how patient and fair she has been especially in regards to not throwing out all of our opinions over the agressive and inappropriate responses of a few. She does a good job under challenging conditions and I personally trust her completely. I've been trying all morning to figure out why so many of us are acting so negative and paranoid when we just got the best news we've had since the beginning of all this. I remain very optimistic and hopeful. I also remain convinced that poor treatment of Bioware staff does not advance our goals.

[JPR1964]

As a reminder to people who believed before like me to Bioware...

Don't be soft, remains strong!

Hold the line!

JPR out!