9972 réponses à ce sujet

[KillerJudgement]

Glad to see such an eloquent, realistic observation of the PR minds for EA/Bioware.

One thing I will say is simply that I personally don't care for being kept in the dark about a product that I am dissatisfied with, only to have an attempt to distract me with "jingling keys" marketing (planned or not).

Whether it's unintentional or not, I honestly feel robbed from Bioware. Not financially, but intellectually. The game up until the end is filled with gameplay that is worthy of the $60 I gave, but looking back it honestly has little to no intellectual worth, unlike the first 2 games.

In Mass Effect 1, your intellect was purposed towards the mechanics of the game (inventory, skills, etc.) but also the satisfying aspect of wrapping your head around the concept of millions of millennia old sentient synthetics threatening to wipe out all civilization. Until the Virmire mission, you were were led to believe Saren was the true threat and that he was swindling you, and even before Mass Effect 2 was released I remember being doubtful that the reapers actually did exist. A part of me half expected the whole thing to be a front, like the council suggested. It wasn't until the end of Mass Effect 2 that I 100% believed that an armada of Reapers was on the way.

In Mass Effect 2, your intellect was purposed towards the construction of your team, and little else, but enough to keep you satisfied. It all counted towards the suicide mission, which was the outcome was decided based on many factors, and death was an option. I was a lil' disappointed that ME2 was 100% focused on the collectors, but in hindsight I realize it was a necessity to set up for ME3.

In Mass Effect 3, I didn't really notice my intellect being purposed for anything other than raising the number of your forces, which is done easily by following the most linear story of the three games. To make it worse, that 1 task that you need to complete is reduced by hours of multiplayer, which is limited to players with reasonable internet speeds and in the case of Xbox players, in need of a paid online membership. To make it even worse, the one time that you want to ask questions, the last time that you would ever get your answers, it is all trivialized by the most out-of-left-field ending I couldn't even hope to come up with.

To someone picking up ME3 as their entry to the series, it WOULD be quite the thinker of an ending, but to someone who has spent the last 5 (going on 6) years investing their time and emotions into the biggest video game epic to date to find all the answers, only to have the staff say...

You don't need to know the answers to the mass effect universe. So we intentionally left those out

... is insulting.

Modifié par KillerJudgement, 17 mars 2012 - 06:37 .

[Luiginius]

Sylvara wrote...

I agree, though amusingly enough I was thinking you could write a book on this whole fiasco.

Retake Mass Effect: to hold the line in the war of attrition

Oh they will be writing books. Stuff like this ends up in books as a case study on pr/product development/customer expectation management etc. 

Modifié par Luiginius, 17 mars 2012 - 06:34 .

[BuddhaGeek]

 Military strategy, critical analysis of public relations... <3

I am awestruck and impressed.  Good advice and a good read!

[Sevantha]

Nice topic, I will keep an eye on it as I don't really feel like reading all the stuff bioware is posting atm

[Xivai]

Needs to be seen.

[allyon]

I will hold the line and I shut off origins as well.

[MaleQuariansFTW]

Thank you to atghunter and everyone who's contributing to staying civil and holding the line. We are so fortunate that we have bright and intellectual minds on our side to help us see victory. We CAN do this.

Hold that line comrades!!!

[atghunter]

KovaksCA wrote...

Perhaps what is now needed is a goal, now that they are listening and at least willing to engage on a PR/Damage Control level we can now push this to the next step and politely but firmly ask for a timetable or date when the 'listening' stops and the action or resolution begins. I have not yet heard any commitment whatsoever to provide a resolution, just that they are listening to feedback and while in our minds this implies that something will be done since this is never explicitly stated we need to know that unless more pressure is applied this will never go beyond the 'empathetic PR deflection' stage.

Would an answer on whether or not they plan on 'fixing' the ending by Friday March 30th be a reasonable request? That would provide them with two more weeks of feedback to decide whether or not they will act on this and would provide the fan base that is now holding the line with a solid date.

Based on what I know they will never voluntarily offer such a date (definitely a very bad move in PR since it pins you down to a single course) but perhaps this is now what we need to push them to do, listening is great but our end goal is action so let our expectation on this be heard!

Fair question and remember we're speculating with little hard data, but I'd say no.  Right now, Bioware/EA are still rapidly assessing options and digesting data as it pours in.  Asking them to firmly commit to a set date may have been one of the contributing factors to the current situation.  In PR, ultimatums only have power if they are backed up by a tangible negative outcome of not accepting them. 

Instead, just keep letting your voice be heard,  So much of this is like reading tea leaves, but issuing ultimatums never play well.  Sometimes it is your last card, but look at the impact of such "my-terms" comments from the other side have fared and how that has polarized galvanized many here.

[Joy Sauce]

 Thanks for all the updates, Babelfish doesn't translate corporate double-speak.

[sadako]

redknight38 wrote...
<snip>
You don't need to do anything dramatic but it might be hard. Too hard. Not playing SP and MP is honestly the best way to do it-- they track your playtime so by not playing you are telling them you are unhappy with the current product and will therefore not buy future DLC or anything of the sort. Since they alread have money sunk into your product, one likely response from Bioware is to attempt to find ways of luring you back since that would be easier than making an entirely new game. If you keep emphasizing you would love to be lured back if they meet your demands, even better. Remember that video games are actually cheaper than you think and a lot of their profitability comes from DLC so you do hold some leverage here.

Discouraging others from buying it works as well.
<snip>

Lol, if they track my playtime, they'll probably have a laugh, since I uninstalled ME2 and ME3 at one go already after getting that thing they call an ending.

Good stuff, redknight38

[Sevantha]

Joy Sauce wrote...

 Thanks for all the updates, Babelfish doesn't translate corporate double-speak.

so true
Happy to get some insights

[Goroxx]

Thank you Bachuck, for continuing to edit the front post, helps those us with little time to keep up on a fascinating threat. Also, thank you ATGHunter, for giving us the intel we need to pull back the curtain on what's going on. I hereby nominate you head of Salarian Intelligence Services.

[Ragell]

bump and total agree hold the line..

[iiTzCyAniiDe]

Bump

[MajorUhlan]

I have no idea if this will get read or not, but I suppose that isn't the point now. The point now is to continue growing this thread, and building it up. Launching wave after wave against the 'enemy' that I know so well and love. Part of me wants to believe that they want to help us, and maybe they do, but their hands are tied at a much higher level.

I want changes, I want a better ending - I am both fan and consumer.

I won't be participating in the N7 Goliath Mission much to my detriment. I love the Multiplayer aspect and been craving to play it all weekend. Except there is a problem there. A whisper in my head. The one that reminds me how hurt I felt at the end of the campaign. There was no closure there for me, the ending seemed contrived, there was nothing there that made me feel like I had accomplished my goals - my choices meant nothing except the colour of an explosion. Was it bittersweet Mr. Hudson - it was more bitter than sweet and lacked a sense of finality that I was looking for after being with this franchise since ME1.

It's time to throw my voice in the ring too. Another voice in this turbulent sea and raise a chorus against what we have seen here. We want results, and we won't stop until we get them. The tide grows Bioware, and we are not stopping here.

Here is where we hold the line. Here is where we make our stand. Not an inch until we get what we want.

[wasawsolos]

Hold the Line!!!

[Turtlicious]

Does anyone feel like ATGHunter is retake Mass Effects Commander Shepard? and That retake Mass Effect is Earth? and that EA are the reapers?

And that our letter campaign is the catalyst?

[DragonRageGT]

I bet it was all deliberated. I bet the Indoctrination Theory that states that nothing which happens after the reaper's beam hit the last charge is real. I bet they have the true ending DLC ready since the leaked script surfaced or even before. I bet it was all a plot to cause this whole controversy which I don't remember seeing anything like it in my 48 years, many of which, playing great games. I bet that if it is all a lie, I could kill myself in disappointment, but I won't. I bet I ain't that stupid!

[QwibQwib]

So let me get this straight...by not playing MP or SP ... it's a way of "not giving up"?

[Aslanasadi]

Thanks for posting all this here.

Like most of us I really love the series and I love ME3, but I will never agree with these endings.
They leave a very bitter taste after a fantastic journey...
and sorry for my English, I'm not native English speaking.

Hold the line!

[magikbbg]

Wow, kudos to you guys holding the line. This thread is great I'm going to keep up with it. Let's fight the good fight! I've learned alot reading this thread, instantly I draw connections to US Politics. There seems to be no accountabily - or transparency (though not required for nonshare holders, are any of you shareholders? Can you get some answer?). Bioware/EA in my opinion is really playing us, you guys need to take the advice of the quoted people. Don't let emotions get in the way for better or worse.

Ive been to and seen alot of political protests and the way you lose is by not following what has been said. When were viewed as angry mob, unprofessional, whiney, no real demands, no solutions, we look like losers protesting for a bad reason, though the cause can be Noble (occupy movement) you need to be more organized and hit hard and fast in other sites all together (bomb their threads, comments page). Even if would be good even if 0.05% of us out of 50,000 got together to hit them in focused area while the rest stay unorganized and just keep holding the line. Fundraisers usually get the attention of the media outside of gaming world. We have to keep hitting them hard and be relentless - (just getting ideas from political protests).


We have to make sure we know what we are demanding - we need a comprehensive thread or compilation of what our demands are and get them out there. They've been stonewalling us and we can do just the same by not letting down our guards. I know the feeling, when they respond to us it feels good and you feel bad for them, but don't, they aren't your friends, they are a company and need to be held accountable. (think of mega pharmecutals putting out a drug that they knew would kill your family member but failed to disclose it and tried to make a buck off of you) [extreme case but same principal] lots of false advertisement with a lackluster ending is why people were grabbing pitchforks and torches the first week. I wish I could write more and in an easier way to read but the iPhone sorta sucks for posting bigger posts. Good luck guys I'm with you holding the line Here at work!

[KillerJudgement]

QwibQwib wrote...

So let me get this straight...by not playing MP or SP ... it's a way of "not giving up"?

Yep. Logged hours contributes to EA/Biowares statistics, if people play less they will be more likely to fix the issue to raise game time, and in-turn profits.

[RedNanaki]

Turtlicious wrote...

Does anyone feel like ATGHunter is retake Mass Effects Commander Shepard? and That retake Mass Effect is Earth? and that EA are the reapers?

And that our letter campaign is the catalyst?

Well put.

Keep holding the line.

[Soundsystem]

Amanthor wrote...

Sylvara wrote...

I agree, though amusingly enough I was thinking you could write a book on this whole fiasco.

Retake Mass Effect: to hold the line in the war of attrition

Brilliant, could even have a prequel, Dragon Age 2: The first sighns of Bioware in trouble.

If there was a book I would call it, "And We Held the Line: The War to Retake Mass Effect"

[Arcani117]

Divitiacus wrote...

Arcani117 wrote...

 So, like many of you, I despise the endings. Thats been discussed enough so I won't go into detail.

My concern now is that it is clear that Bioware and EA are just about money. I know they are a business, but I don't think Bioware used to be like this. They had vision and creativity that they employed how they saw fit. Now they have corporate executives calling the shots, and any writer or developer may not be able to put something into a game that they think will be good because EA thinks its risky.

I used to be a small time actor (local, nothing major), and my teacher/director always said that the best perfromances were when the actor took a risk. Playing it safe can only get you so far, and that appears to be what Bioware/EA is doing now. They're going about this PR mess by the book, no risks. 

My question for Bioware now is, what do you think your fans are going to think of you after this scandal, regardless of the outcome. I don't see a company with artistic vision that wants to tell a good story. I see a company following the direction of its corporate masters in the pursuit of as much cash as posible without regards to the consumer.

Sorry Bioware, but my faith is gone. Even if you fix the endings, I'm not coming back. You've lost what made you special. All Bioware is to me now is a brand name owned by EA so they can make a quick buck off your reputation.

Good Luck.

-Arcani117

Companies that are all about money still need to make a quality product. Look at Sierra. Oh they don't exist. What about Midway? Somewhere along the way, cost-cutting measures come back to hit harder. Of course, the real problem is executives usually have incentive systems based on short term gains so the CEO for example won't care about the company's long term future, and the chances of someone piercing the corporate veil and suing him is so minimal due to the business judgment rule and added complexities of derivative suits. It's a joke. This is really just one more sign of consumers getting injured by a corrupt system. Sure this isn't as serious as banks, not even close, but it's all symptomatic of the same disease.

This is kind of my point. They are not looking to make a stellar game anymore, they're just out to make something fairly good so that it will sell. I don't think Bioware is Bioware anymore. Its become a brand name that EA can slap on a game so that people will think its amazing. While Mass Effect 3 was awesome up until the end, look at their other games. Dragon Age 2 was not nearly as good as most hoped it would be. I know theres plenty of people who liked it, but I was bored with it before I finished. I only finished out of determination. Same with SWTOR. Within a month the game had lost all appeal to me. I don't think its terrible, but it isn't great either. Bioware is going downhill, and I blame EA. Either way, future Bioware/EA games aren't going to have me sold pre-release. As someone else said, I will wait for reviews and consumer reaction before I purchase any Bioware or EA games, and I will buy used. I  don't consider myself a fan anymore.