LOL, save some money and do it over skype, otherwise call it "Austin Area Guild Q&A".

 

GUILD BANK

GUILD TAB/CALENDAR

 

Increased incenties to help others besides Social Points or better Social Points stuff. I've run Esseles about 600 times. Give us Social Points for helping lowbies at other campaigns. I think the Mando one gave me 2.

Good idea in theory, I suppose.

 

But there are reasons I have not joined a guild.

 

People sending blind invites that do not know me, thus clearly think that quantity of members matters more than quality of members.

 

Guild politics where the guild leaders pick favorites.

 

Would-be dictators telling members that they must take certain crew skills (biochem, for example), use certain builds, or fulfill certain roles (so if you were tired of tanking or healing and wanted to spec into DPS and try that out, it becomes a drama-fest).

 

 

Are these the sort of people that I think represent me?

 

 

I know that they have to start somewhere, and I know that there are some good guilds out there, and I know that guilds are an important part of the social part of the game.

 

But I am feeling a little cut-off right now. I have thoughts on the game. I see things that I would like to have explained.

 

But because I am just me and do not claim to represent anyone but myself, Bioware isn't interested.

 

 

I would have rather seen them inviting specific players, guild member or not, and letting players, not just guild leaders, participate here, and then letting players submit their names for consideration, not just guild leaders or their appointed representatives.

 

I would also like to know that videos of every 'session' will be available, along with transcripts.

I would like to see what is being discussed as it happens, or at least as it happened.

 

And those previews? Why are only guild leaders allowed to see them first-hand? If they are ready to be shown, then why not show them to everyone on the site here?

I truely hope your wrong about that. But with the previous post about bugs and exploits, and alot of ranting by customers..... I am against the fence on this on agreeing or disagreeing...

 

None the less, atleast its an effort thus far... but actions are what are need more so now than ever.

 

It is PR. They're not even bothering to fly in "leading guilds" or something. There's just going to be some Austin Area guilds. Maybe you'll get a free cup of coffee.

Good idea in theory, I suppose.

 

But there are reasons I have not joined a guild.

 

People sending blind invites that do not know me, thus clearly think that quantity of members matters more than quality of members.

 

Guild politics where the guild leaders pick favorites.

 

Would-be dictators telling members that they must take certain crew skills (biochem, for example), use certain builds, or fulfill certain roles (so if you were tired of tanking or healing and wanted to spec into DPS and try that out, it becomes a drama-fest).

 

 

Are these the sort of people that I think represent me?

 

 

I know that they have to start somewhere, and I know that there are some good guilds out there, and I know that guilds are an important part of the social part of the game.

 

But I am feeling a little cut-off right now. I have thoughts on the game. I see things that I would like to have explained.

 

But because I am just me and do not claim to represent anyone but myself, Bioware isn't interested.

 

 

I would have rather seen them inviting specific players, guild member or not, and letting players, not just guild leaders, participate here, and then letting players submit their names for consideration, not just guild leaders or their appointed representatives.

 

I would also like to know that videos of every 'session' will be available, along with transcripts.

I would like to see what is being discussed as it happens, or at least as it happened.

 

And those previews? Why are only guild leaders allowed to see them first-hand? If they are ready to be shown, then why not show them to everyone on the site here?

 

Then join a social guild, bro. What server?

 

TBF, it says "You pay for everything" in the fine print. Only Austin area guilds will go.

 

I think they're just using this as an excuse to say "We listen to the fans" before they release the guild upgrades they were going to do anyway.

 

I like the game, I just know how middle management works.

Edited February 1, 2012 by cioran

Taking the Repub approach, the top 1%

Let's hope it's not cherry picked guild leaders who basically praise Bioware the whole time.

 

"The games perfect!"

 

"Don't change anything!"

 

"Bugs? what bugs?"

 

Etc...

 

Besides, they didn't listen to the beta testers when they pointed it numerous issues. Why would they listen now?

 

I don't hate the game, you can see that by my join date, I am just aggravated at how it's turning out.

Edited February 1, 2012 by Liberate

Wow I just applied. Then I went back and read we have to pay for everything.

 

Bwahahaha.

 

No thanks.

Edited February 1, 2012 by Darth_Eclipses

It is PR. They're not even bothering to fly in "leading guilds" or something. There's just going to be some Austin Area guilds. Maybe you'll get a free cup of coffee.

 

I heard the experience and offices are pretty cool. You can go back and look at the two fansite summits that BioWare has held before. You get a tour, some play time, interview/Q&A time, and even a night out for dinner/party.

 

I would rather see BioWare pay for at least part of the trip, as people flying in from more remote areas of the US are going to be paying a hefty price. An all expenses paid visit would be great and other companies have done it before, but at least some compensation would be nice.

 

As for the event, I doubt we will see anything come from it. BioWare boasts about their metric system and how much data they can pull from various channels, yet some bugs in raid content continue to exist. BioWare knows the popular features that people want, they know some of the more major bugs and what needs to get prioritized.

 

What can this event really bring in terms of new ideas and feedback that has already not been talked about?

 

Wow I just applied. Then I went back and read we have to pay for everything.

 

Bwahahaha.

 

No thanks.

 

EA does not have the funds to cover such an expense. They need to fund other projects and since budgets are so tight, it would break the bank for them....oh wait.

Edited February 1, 2012 by engrey

I honestly don't know if I should be excited or worried about this event.

OHHH.. you mean the ones where the only questions that are "answered" are those that have been asked and answered 3412139418 times via forums, official posts, videos, etc...

 

This is actually one of the major reasons I've been pushing to do something like this for a long time. The events you're referring to are public conventions, where you get an audience of people who don't play the game, and aren't aware of the community and the information that's out there already. At those events, we always want to answer any questions, regardless of whether or not they've been answered before. Your audience at a gaming convention tends to be much more "all-around gamer" and less "hardcore SW:TOR fan", and therefore we cater our plans towards that.

 

In this case, we're specifically inviting guild leaders who are actively playing the game. While we're inviting guilds from all walks of life, the application process is there because we want to be able to raise the level of discourse we hold with the leaders, and so we can have serious, in-depth discussions about the state of the game. This event isn't just a Q&A like we've done previously, this is a two-way conversation between the people making the game and the people playing the game, and I think that makes a huge difference with this event vs. conventions we've visited in the past.

i think, that a guild need have level as a character, in other mmos the guilds have levels,

level 1-50 of guild maybe or more

This is actually one of the major reasons I've been pushing to do something like this for a long time. The events you're referring to are public conventions, where you get an audience of people who don't play the game, and aren't aware of the community and the information that's out there already. At those events, we always want to answer any questions, regardless of whether or not they've been answered before. Your audience at a gaming convention tends to be much more "all-around gamer" and less "hardcore SW:TOR fan", and therefore we cater our plans towards that.

 

In this case, we're specifically inviting guild leaders who are actively playing the game. While we're inviting guilds from all walks of life, the application process is there because we want to be able to raise the level of discourse we hold with the leaders, and so we can have serious, in-depth discussions about the state of the game. This event isn't just a Q&A like we've done previously, this is a two-way conversation between the people making the game and the people playing the game, and I think that makes a huge difference with this event vs. conventions we've visited in the past.

 

 

I think many of the people fussing around here have never been to a 'real' dev meet-up. These were common in Ultima Online when it was run here in Austin- and the relationships we made with the developers there were lifelong. I still talk to some of those guys, even though they've moved on to dev for different MMO's.

 

I'm ultra excited about this, and even if I'm not chosen, I told my husband I'd love to hang out with some of the guildmaster's of other guilds, after the events are over.

If you're really serious about getting information from the best guilds, you should have a web conference for those people who can't make it. You know, that crazy modern technology thing that lets us communicate over vast distances.

 

What makes it more difficult is that it's on a Sun-Mon-Tues. You know, some of us who might have attended have jobs, families, etc.

Edited February 1, 2012 by Maglen

This is actually one of the major reasons I've been pushing to do something like this for a long time. The events you're referring to are public conventions, where you get an audience of people who don't play the game, and aren't aware of the community and the information that's out there already. At those events, we always want to answer any questions, regardless of whether or not they've been answered before. Your audience at a gaming convention tends to be much more "all-around gamer" and less "hardcore SW:TOR fan", and therefore we cater our plans towards that.

 

In this case, we're specifically inviting guild leaders who are actively playing the game. While we're inviting guilds from all walks of life, the application process is there because we want to be able to raise the level of discourse we hold with the leaders, and so we can have serious, in-depth discussions about the state of the game. This event isn't just a Q&A like we've done previously, this is a two-way conversation between the people making the game and the people playing the game, and I think that makes a huge difference with this event vs. conventions we've visited in the past.

 

Why not have a Q&A right here on the forums? Open a thread up and allow folks to post questions. And you guys group similar questions together. Then you answer the questions in one large swoop on the forums.

LOL so let me get this straight, Bioware is making this sound like some kind of exclusive trip, like limited supply of space and were inviting chosen guild leaders blah blah, oh btw you have to pay for everything, like we aren't providing anything for you. Oh and btw the reason for this trip is so that you guys can tell us how to make our own game better, but we aren't even going to help out you guys out for helping us out by at least paying for hotel or anything. It is like Bioware wants us to pay every month to beta test their game (the game is so buggy we are pretty much just paying for a beta test) now they pull some PR stunt like this and want guild leaders to tell them how to make their own game better but won't even provide any compensation for the trip itself. LOL Bioware, what a joke.

This will just be some PR nonsense.

 

Regardless, how about a casual gamer summit BW? You know, the vast majority of us who are time limited, perhaps solo gamers & probably make you your largest margins...?

 

I may be in a guild, but mostly for the social aspects. Last thing I want is a vocal minority of career addicts making critical decisions about MY game or channeling all of BW's efforts into crap I never use, as I could care less about pvp, most high-end raid content & grinding/racing to top level. What I do care about are things like uptime, storyline, exploration & you know, the things that actually make for basic playability & FUN factor.

This is actually one of the major reasons I've been pushing to do something like this for a long time. The events you're referring to are public conventions, where you get an audience of people who don't play the game, and aren't aware of the community and the information that's out there already. At those events, we always want to answer any questions, regardless of whether or not they've been answered before. Your audience at a gaming convention tends to be much more "all-around gamer" and less "hardcore SW:TOR fan", and therefore we cater our plans towards that.

 

In this case, we're specifically inviting guild leaders who are actively playing the game. While we're inviting guilds from all walks of life, the application process is there because we want to be able to raise the level of discourse we hold with the leaders, and so we can have serious, in-depth discussions about the state of the game. This event isn't just a Q&A like we've done previously, this is a two-way conversation between the people making the game and the people playing the game, and I think that makes a huge difference with this event vs. conventions we've visited in the past.

 

 

Why limit it to guild leaders/officers? Not everyone wants to join a guild, or lead one. That doesn't mean their interest/commitment to the game is any less. Many people, myself included, play this game with friends and family. Am I any less important because I prefer to duo with my fiance rather than lead a guild?

Would totally sign up for this.. but not in the budget to fly, pay for hotel, and meals.

You could start off first by listening to the previous guildleader summit that was made for an MMO at GDC in Austin in 2009 I think?

 

Start by taking the advice given there and you wouldn't have had to call for this one to make a cheap publicity stunt.

Good idea in theory, I suppose.

 

But there are reasons I have not joined a guild.

 

People sending blind invites that do not know me, thus clearly think that quantity of members matters more than quality of members.

 

Guild politics where the guild leaders pick favorites.

 

Would-be dictators telling members that they must take certain crew skills (biochem, for example), use certain builds, or fulfill certain roles (so if you were tired of tanking or healing and wanted to spec into DPS and try that out, it becomes a drama-fest).

 

 

Are these the sort of people that I think represent me?

 

 

I know that they have to start somewhere, and I know that there are some good guilds out there, and I know that guilds are an important part of the social part of the game.

 

But I am feeling a little cut-off right now. I have thoughts on the game. I see things that I would like to have explained.

 

But because I am just me and do not claim to represent anyone but myself, Bioware isn't interested.

 

 

I would have rather seen them inviting specific players, guild member or not, and letting players, not just guild leaders, participate here, and then letting players submit their names for consideration, not just guild leaders or their appointed representatives.

 

I would also like to know that videos of every 'session' will be available, along with transcripts.

I would like to see what is being discussed as it happens, or at least as it happened.

 

And those previews? Why are only guild leaders allowed to see them first-hand? If they are ready to be shown, then why not show them to everyone on the site here?

 

Agreed on this 100%

 

It's good that BW are communicating, but it should include everyone, and in this day and age, there is such thing as video conferencing. So alot more people could be involved then just guild leaders, you know the community as a whole, not just a part. And also make it live streaming so everyone can see whats being said and seen, involve the community please. Thats everyone!

Edited February 1, 2012 by Tronics

guild metrics online OR ingame for event planning

 

 

y-axis -- # of players by class/role

x-axis -- time of day/day of week

 

basically, give us a heat map of when the most opportune time to run a full guild event based on 4-man, 8-man, etc.. Eventually work in gear rating and valor rating for higher end PvE and PvP events.

 

 

Please!

I know some very serious gamers who have not joined guilds yet because they have been waiting to see which ones will be around for the long run. No offense to anyone but a lot of the guilds I've seen on my server have ridiculous names, some violate the terms & conditions of play, and some are downright offensive. Their behavior is not much better in game. How can you ignore the vast majority of players who are not in guilds?

 

Why not create a forum made up of players that have been chosen based on a brief questionnaire like the beta testing application, and give those players a pass code to log on to that forum and comment on different issues? They would be able to include players from around the world. It would allow a dialog between devs and players and limit the posts so that they could more easily read them.

 

I have been playing since beta and love the game. I've made excuses to myself and others whenever I've encountered bugs or there have been some inconvenient times they brought the servers down, but lately, I'm becoming concerned with the decisions Bioware is making with regard to it's player base.

Some very active guilds I'm sure may not be in a position to travel to such a convention.

 

 

Would it be possible to arrange a video conference? I understand trying to coordinate a large skype of something like this might not be possible, but how about a middle ground?

 

Open an IRC or google chat or twitter feed or something similar that registered attendees can log into and join in the discussion. Have a video/audio feed of the conference and maintain a few warm bodies to share and digest any chat communication back to the group.

 

It's not the same as being there, but at least cash/time-strapped guilds will have the opportunity to provide input for serious consideration

Why not have a Q&A right here on the forums? Open a thread up and allow folks to post questions. And you guys group similar questions together. Then you answer the questions in one large swoop on the forums.

 

 

Have you read these forums lately? Anonymity allows only for the basest form of conversation.

Regardless of the outcome - I think this will be a good thing