PatrickB wrote:Game development takes time. Thanks everybody for being supportive.
*chuckles quietly*
Just a wee bit of an understatement, PatrickB.
*...Now comes some terribly biased opinionating...*When it comes to communication, the folks at Runic have been outperforming themselves recently. Seriously. A+ for both effort and content. Folks may complain frequently about this and that and the other thing, and that's fine - they're entitled to their opinion, I suppose - but I do wish they'd exercise a bit more tact and understand that the forums belong to Runic, and that offering unsolicited negativity (perhaps thinking it's valid criticism or helpful advice) is simply rude, and there's no reason why anyone at Runic should ever have to tolerate that sort of silliness. This, friends and neighbors, is Runic's Home... and we're simply guests, and so it's in our best interest to remember this
always.
Runic owes us
nothing. Not one thing beyond basic, requisite professionalism. Again, it's in our best interest to remember this too.
Always. Has Runic met this criteria? Constantly, and in so many ways I've not bothered to keep track of the extraordinary ways they've reached out to their customers and to their fans.
I know this because I see it daily. JBeck, BrianW, and PatrickB really don't
need to cruise these forums on the weekend, but they do (and are here right now). Why? Because they're interested in reading what's being said. They (mostly) appreciate our feedback, and take an interest in our concerns and comments. But again, this is an indication of their exceptional professionalism, not to mention their pride in the product they're producing. They're not really being paid to do this; they do so as they're part of the community.
This written, I would dare anyone to find another game developer that offers a forum that exceeds that of Runic's. Such a thing may exist. But if it does exist, I've not heard of it (not that I've bothered visiting too many developers' forums... but the two dozen or so that I have visited, they're no where near as well-managed as this one is).
Now, on the other side of the scale, as I'm not an employee of Runic, I'm pretty much free to opine anything I wish provided I do so responsibly, thoughtfully, tactfully and tastefully. I like to think I do so. And while I'm happy to declare myself a fan of Runic's, I also like to think my support of Runic is objective rather than subjective. It's my way of saying thanks to all the good people at Runic - $20 is no where near the compensation I think they deserve for all their efforts. Others are likely to see things a bit differently, and that's fine too - again, folks are entitled to their opinions. But that
entitlement doesn't confer a right for anyone to post their opinions on these boards, I feel.
Now, I'm not out to incite anyone, and it's certainly not my intention to troll or institute a bit of flaming - that sort of thing doesn't interest me at all, and I'll not respond to it either... unless it comes from my pal Deadalon (whom I have a tender spot for, strangely enough)... but for everyone else, nope - no mercy.
So, I'm hoping the good folks at Runic see the silliness for what it is, and bear with it with their usual panache, and not (for any reason) feel slighted or insulted by anyone who's exercised their privileges to post on this board. Conversely, I hope the folks who do post on these boards know that the privilege of posting is a responsibility too... one that folks really ought not test the boundaries of.
*biased opinionating mode off*
- P.
EDIT: *biased opinionating mode back on for a second or two*
Of course, when it comes to the subject of posting creative and/or fan fiction I feel completely differently!
*biased opinionating mode off*