May 2017 Player/Staff Meeting Discussion

[Nergal]

Now that the log is fully up here (http://gdb.armageddon.org/index.php/topic,52472.0.html), we can talk about the player/staff meeting.

Note that this thread is for discussing the meeting as an event, not for rehashing game-related issues already discussed (although asking for clarification on anything that's unclear is okay).

What was good about the meeting? What can we do better? Did you like the Q&A portion or the general discussion better?
Should we do more meetings in the future? Let us know.

[Miradus]

I liked the moderated format of the Q&A.

The general discussion started out fine but pretty quickly degenerated into the rehashing of old issues and the cavalry charge of individual hobby horses. It's part of why I feel the general forum here has lost value and I can see now that it's going to carry over into any medium you set up.

[Delirium]

I feel like a lot of the questions were suggestions in disguise. "You should do this. Will you consider it?"

All that does is put staff in an awkward spot.

[Synthesis]

If you can't provide suggestions, what is the point of communicating with Staff?

Saying "no" is not awkward, unless you aren't used to saying it (or hearing it).

[chrisdcoulombe]

I was there, I thought it was open and informative.  This along with the discord has really helped to smash barriers.   It didn't seem awkward at all.   There are definitely people still stuck on certain issues, but having open communication really helps with addressing those issues.

There are issues from the past that got addressed after the Q&A and after the log got cut off.  That stuff is hard to deal with because there is alot of personal opinion and privacy issues.  Even that stuff was addressed in a comfortable way (after weeding through spam).

[Bushranger]

Considering the topic of the meeting was plans and plots I thought that asking if the staff had any plans for this or that, or if they thought of this or that for what they had planned or were planning was fine? As Synthesis says Saying no isn't awkward.

[Riev]

I feel like a lot of the questions were suggestions in disguise. "You should do this. Will you consider it?"

All that does is put staff in an awkward spot.

Most times, when someone on the GDB "complains", they are told to "stop complaining unless you have an idea to fix it".

Now people are making suggestions and wondering if they'll see any play with the current administration, and its the players putting staff in awkward positions?

I think it was good this happened, though they happen far too infrequently and don't ever answer any actual questions. They are, however, good for a roundup of "We can't talk about that" and "There's honestly no way we're ready for that at this point in time" style questions.

I'm glad staff take the time, I just don't feel like much... comes from it. You know?

[Delirium]

It's probably just my own "hatred of saying no" bleeding through, but I guess I view a Q&A as being more literally that.

I don't think there's anything wrong with making suggestions, I just didn't think that was the time & place for it.

Maybe I'm wrong, but that's still the impression I got when reading through the log!

[Mazy]

I liked the Q&A all together. It was civil, and only good things can come these as long as we're trying to be cordial, constructive, and sincere to each other.

I realize at this point I might've come across as beating a dead horse, but I did leave feeling like I was earnestly heard out.

[dravage]

Breaking down the wall (at least in some respects) between players and staff is already having positive results, and the meeting in particular has helped to provide a more interactive method of discussion which seemed to work very well. Super productive.

I for one already notice a shift in the staff's approach to communicating with the playerbase (more of it, more transparency) and I think this is wonderful for the game as a whole.

[Molten Heart]

.

[Melkor]

I think the discussion was great, and wish I could have attended.