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[Han Shot First]

When I first heard that the forums were closing, I assumed this was a money decision. Twitter has much greater marketing reach and it is free, so Bioware decided it was no longer worth the cost of supporting the forums.

Yet in this thread Conal Pierce stated it wasn't a money decision, and Chris Priestly revealed that there were certain unnamed higher ups that wanted to shut this place down in 2012 in the wake of the ME3 ending controversy. That makes it sound as if the decision to shutter the forums has more to do with those unnamed higher ups finally getting their way, and Bioware attempting to shield themselves from fan criticism by nuking any central hub for fan discussions.

Am I the only one who would find the latter a bigger example of a giant corporate middle finger to fans?

It also raises questions about Andromeda, which already had some possible warning signs of a rocky development. Is this a preemptive move because Bioware is not confident in the game, and fears a backlash similar to the reaction to DA2 or ME3? I hope the game turns out to be great, but it is a bit worrying.

[Rifneno]

Am I the only one who would find the latter a bigger example of a giant corporate middle finger to fans?

That has been the general consensus of the past 141 pages, yes.

Although personally, I don't believe either one of them. I think it is a monetary decision, and I don't believe Priestly on anything ever for any reason.

[CHRrOME]

You're not the only one being puzzled by Twitter.

I have an account I've never used.It's like text messaging people you don't know about stuff they shouldn't care about.Weird.

 

Yeah the platform is so strange and I never truly understood which exactly was the purpose. The way I see it it's like a facebook but more "instantly" or "fast" : like you're supposed to tweet when you go to work, when you come back (so I can know when to visit and steal your sh1t), what did you eat, when you go to the bathroom. Geez...

 

I do have an account, created it a while ago mainly to follow a bunch of youtubers so I'll know when they'd start streaming (that was before I figured I could just create an account on twitch to follow who I wanted). But now every time I log in is just publicity if you follow companies and promotional stuff from youtubers.

I think twitter works better or is aim rather for mobile phone users, if they absolutely must know what is happening in social media at all times.

[ModernAcademic]

EA doesn't want Bioware fans criticizing Andromeda, since it will look even less like a typical Bioware game due to EA's huge interference in the creative process (directly responsible for the crap dialog in ME 3) and because many writers jumped off EA's boat, including the creator of ME, Casey Hudson.

[LPPrince]

No dev posts since the 29th. Sure they don't need to, but what with the last month and the reason being that they don't post here, you'd figure now would be the time.

 

Ah well.

[Rifneno]

the creator of ME, Casey Hudson.

Drew Karpyshyn.

[Han Shot First]

EA doesn't want Bioware fans criticizing Andromeda, since it will look even less like a typical Bioware game due to EA's huge interference in the creative process (directly responsible for the crap dialog in ME 3) and because many writers jumped off EA's boat, including the creator of ME, Casey Hudson.

I don't think it is EA. None of EA's other games are losing their official forums, including SWTOR, which is a Bioware game. This decision appears to have been made from the studio that runs this forum. (Edmonton?)

SWTOR is Austin.

[N7M]

Well, an empty house except for the crazy cat persons who live in the basement and can't differentiate house cats from other animals. Then thinks people steal their "pets" when they go back to the woods.

 

"Genevieve! Lorne! Mittens isn't a cat!"

"Really, smart guy? You're just trollin'"

"**** it, you're right. Yeah, it's a cat. Just keep it and yourself away from me for the next 3 weeks or so."

[CHRrOME]

Who would be willing to sign a Petition requesting the board be allowed to continue...

 

I'll have to bring my pragmatic side here, a online petition would be as useful as yelling at the void.

First we're not gonna get that many signatures. And second if all the reasons we gave them here are not enough because either they don't care or don't read, I doubt a online petition will achieve much more.

[Han Shot First]

Drew Karpyshyn.

Casey Hudson was the series' creator. He's the one that first pitched the idea to the DRs. Drew was one of the lead writers, but ME wasn't his baby. To use a Star Wars comparison, Drew was Lawrence Kasdan to Casey Hudson's George Lucas.

[Seraphim24]

When I first heard that the forums were closing, I assumed this was a money decision. Twitter has much greater marketing reach and it is free, so Bioware decided it was no longer worth the cost of supporting the forums.

Yet in this thread Conal Pierce stated it wasn't a money decision, and Chris Priestly revealed that there were certain unnamed higher ups that wanted to shut this place down in 2012 in the wake of the ME3 ending controversy. That makes it sound as if the decision to shutter the forums has more to do with those unnamed higher ups finally getting their way, and Bioware attempting to shield themselves from fan criticism by nuking any central hub for fan discussions.

Am I the only one who would find the latter a bigger example of a giant corporate middle finger to fans?

It also raises questions about Andromeda, which already had some possible warning signs of a rocky development. Is this a preemptive move because Bioware is not confident in the game, and fears a backlash similar to the reaction to DA2 or ME3? I hope the game turns out to be great, but it is a bit worrying.

 

That's really odd that you would shift blame from a bunch of sociopathic miscreants who destroy and ruin people's lives (the trolls) to Bioware themselves for having the absolute gall to respond to that in any other way than "Yes Master" (Or Yes Mistress, as the case may be)

 

The only middle finger here was from them to Bioware the whole time. 

[The RPGenius]

That has been the general consensus of the past 141 pages, yes.

Although personally, I don't believe either one of them. I think it is a monetary decision, and I don't believe Priestly on anything ever for any reason.

 

If it's a money decision, then Bioware's in some pretty desperate financial straits.  The cost of maintaining a forum - even a large and active one - is considerable from the perspective of a single individual, but to a company, it's utterly negligible.  The yearly cost of maintaining this community probably amounts to Bioware's office supply budget for 1 - 3 months.  Consider the returns of an active forum community: theoretical returns like extra micro-transactions when you pump them up for an online weekend event and attachment to community keeping several fans loyal consumers to the company longer than they would have been otherwise, and actual, hard returns like actively using your fan community's ideas and in-jokes to create a product for them to buy (such as ME3's Citadel DLC).  These are profit opportunities that can only be lightly touched on using social media and Youtube venues, and Bioware's not even very dedicated to those platforms to begin with.  Long-term, even medium-term, a fan community with as much of a history and presence as this creates far more income than it costs to maintain.  The only way this could be a monetary decision would be if Bioware was so desperate that they can't survive in the short-term, and have to sacrifice the much greater benefits of the forum for quick cash.  It'd be like...being so close to death from starvation that you had to sell your fishing pole for a meal, because even though the pole represents endless future meals, you don't have enough time left to spend catching a fish.  Unless Bioware's on a real, actual verge of bankruptcy, the decision to close this forum costs them money, not saves it.

 

No, this is a situation with the distinct odor of someone important in the company (or EA, though I think we're a little too trigger-happy to blame the corrupt overlords when the underlings are just as corrupt) seeing the fan community as a threat to his or her ego.

[Han Shot First]

That's really odd that you would shift blame from a bunch of sociopathic miscreants who destroy and ruin people's lives (the trolls) to Bioware themselves for having the absolute gall to respond to that in any other way than "Yes Master" (Or Yes Mistress, as the case may be)
 
The only middle finger here was from them to Bioware the whole time.

There isn't a website in existence on the internet that allows for any sort of user commentary, that doesn't have its share of trolls. No other gaming company is shutting down their official forums because they aren't a hug box, all the time.

Not all negative feedback is of the trollish sort either.

[Seraphim24]

There isn't a website in existence on the internet that allows for any sort of user commentary, that doesn't have its share of trolls. No other gaming company is shutting down their official forums because they aren't a hug box, all the time.

Not all negative feedback is of the trollish sort either.

 

Did not answer my point. 

[Dio Demon]

Yeah, but between Australians and New Zealanders, what's even the difference. You both talk funny and spread weird things on bread.

 

Do not compare us glorious Aussies to those New Zealand peasants!

[Seraphim24]

Besides, what about the Democratic Party, what about Barack Obama, what about all the people who actually deserve criticism? 

 

Show me a single corporate office, corporate employer, of some standing (like NY, LA) where the abuse leveled at Bioware would be accepted and considered normal. 

 

At the end of the day, you are just a hypocrite. 

 

Or what about the US armed forces? Or other such things? I think I tittered slightly in the direction and it was like I had committed original sin, apply your made up rules about the world consistently at least and then we can have a discussion. 

[Han Shot First]

Did not answer my point.

You didn't make one.

[Seraphim24]

You didn't make one.

 

I made like 6 points. 

[Rifneno]

Casey Hudson was the series' creator. He's the one that first pitched the idea to the DRs. Drew was one of the lead writers, but ME wasn't his baby. To use a Star Wars comparison, Drew was Lawrence Kasdan to Casey Hudson's George Lucas.

I've been on Mass Effect forums since 2 hit the shelves and this is literally the first time I've heard Hudson put forth as the creator. People always either credited the trio, or Drew alone. Maybe he just "appears" to be the creator because he was the lead writer (THE lead writer, not A lead writer), he wrote the books, and everything turned to crap once he left.

From what I've heard, the bunch of them wanted to do another sci-fi RPG after doing KOTOR, so I doubt any single one of the original group can be called the sole creator. But I maintain, regardless of who made the pitch (maybe Hudson is just better at doing pitches), that Karpyshyn is the most... influential(?) one. It's a story-based RPG (Christ knows it didn't win people over with awesome gameplay, at least in 1) and he was the lead writer. He wrote the Mass Effect books like Gaider wrote the Dragon Age books. And again, things went down the crapper when he left. Under Karpyshyn's watch, scientists were praising Mass Effect's adherence to real science and in 3 you can jump in a big green beam to make everyone in the galaxy an abomination.

[Han Shot First]

No, you rambled and posted a bunch of nonsensical gobbledygook like you usually do.

[The RPGenius]

You didn't make one.

Han, just gonna point something out...if you'll notice, for the last couple pages, we've all been studiously ignoring this person.  Well, that, or no one can parse out what he/she is saying well enough to respond; I'm not too proud to admit that I myself am only picking up bits and pieces of gist out of the crazy.  Anyway...it's your choice if you want to engage, but I wanted to at least point out that it's probably not gonna wind up being especially worth the time and effort for you.

[Mir Aven]

They said we could use twitter. Hmmm. I decided to test this and tweeted one of my posts, it was from a DA4 thread. https://forum.biowar...-iv/?p=20377284

 

I sent it/them to @bioware. That account is under the name I use for most gaming related stuff, Norstaera. I have tweeted a total of 24 times, 18 of them were used to tweet this post. Twice a single sentence had to be continued into the next tweet.

 

I finished about two hours ago.

 

So far, no response. My guess is I won't get one.

 

I deliberately opted for a previous post unrelated to the closed forums announcement. It was one of my shorter posts. My purpose was to highlight how ridiculous? unhelpful? limiting? twitter is for many of us. Dunno, maybe it just comes off as passive/aggressive. Or maybe it just shows that I'm old. *sigh* In either case, it's done now.

 

 

The're probably not used to getting so many tweets from one user at a time so it'll probably take some time for them to answer.....and then they probaby block you for spamming (because 18 tweets).

[o Ventus]

It also raises questions about Andromeda, which already had some possible warning signs of a rocky development. Is this a preemptive move because Bioware is not confident in the game, and fears a backlash similar to the reaction to DA2 or ME3? I hope the game turns out to be great, but it is a bit worrying.

 

The backlash will just manifest itself on other sites.

[Cyberpunk]

I think this is a huge mistake. Is the cost really that prohibitive? Even if you don't have time to come engage us, at least know that this place is a forum that fans enjoy? 

[Rifneno]

If it's a money decision, then Bioware's in some pretty desperate financial straits.  The cost of maintaining a forum - even a large and active one - is considerable from the perspective of a single individual, but to a company, it's utterly negligible.

I agree. I have a sneaking suspicion that they are are in some pretty desperate financial straits.