You like that, don't ya?
I do not like it and I do not want it. Lots of people do not want it. So many of us have been saying this for so long, for over a year considering its prior version and its been forced on us anyway. There are a large number of suggestions from a wide variety of players all up and down both sides of the issues where little tweaks or even complete overhauls or replacements could be made and it appears that none of that was consulted. It feels bad that in a game that relies on player support and that acknowledges issues with the pre-existing vip program and player dissatisfaction - that those very same players were largely ignored during development. I have to assume this is the case because 1) the staff has gone radio silent, 2) I don't see a single thing on the VIPLP that players were scrambling about asking for and 3) all the things that players actually were asking for are absent. Some of us players can probably pick through this pile of stuff and say "Oh this one here, this one isn't too bad. This can be good eventually. I can envision a scenario where maybe I can benefit from this one thing, etc" That is not what the purpose was supposed to be nor was that the expectation. We were led to believe we were getting a robust replacement or enhanced VIP system and we did not. At the end of the day, what we got was simply what they calculated was financially okay for them to give us while meeting all the metrics needed to try to lock people into a cycle of login checks and engagement. This is why player ideas weren't consulted, because it is not a program to address player needs, but to drive financial support.
Swear to me.
With your money and your time. I don't have a problem with financial support. Most people here do not. We want to support continual development of a game that we enjoy. I don't think its appropriate to say we need to be "rewarded" for doing so...but we do need to be "valued" for doing so. If I am already buying your yearly/bi-yearly expansions and I decide that I am going to further support you on a regular, monthly basis then I can, I think, reasonably expect that as a trade I get in return improvements that make my experience in your game smoother. The, it seems, forbidden words: Quality of Life. Decades in and its all people have ever wanted, its what people will continue to want and it is perpetually at the forefront of what people will say they want. Most of every player suggestion list you can find are full of qol suggestions. SSG you know this is what people want, you know this is what people will be satisfied spending their real world dollars for. So then, where is the disconnect? It is not a binary thing where one side has to lose for the other side to win. Trust me, there is a scenario where SSG can implement a program that players will be happy to pay monthly for but would ALSO maintain a steady revenue stream for the company and increase engagement. A scenario where mutual loyalty is established.
Eat it.
We didn't get that and our voice does in fact not matter. Why should I or anyone think it does? Ever since its announcement we have been here on the forums, daily, in heated back and forth debates about the merits and value of this and that part of the VIPLP. Giving feedback, giving suggestions, giving thanks where we think the program hits the mark and criticisms where we think it falls short. Hot debates, yes, because many like myself are very, very invested into this game currently and are likewise concerned and invested in what the future of this game will look like. We talk among ourselves and sometimes we even come to a consensus on an issue or two but..
Where is the staff engagement?
This is what does it for me and I suspect that this is what does it for many players. Sure you can unilaterally create this program, ignoring player suggestions. You can force it onto players on X date while allowing little to no opportunity for change. But you should not be able to do so without accountability to the community whom you are simultaneously asking for regular support. That is not right. Defend the program; comment on why each months inclusion was made and thought processes that led to each value assessment. Describe the detrimental loss of value to prior vip with the free code giveaways and where in the VIPLP this value is recovered. Take the staffer who is most familiar with the new program or assign someone and give them the talking points to come here and engage with players on the points we raise. I as a player want to know why "X" is in fact good. We can talk about it among ourselves as we have been, but is it unreasonable to expect the people implementing this to go over the aspects of this program in a detailed manner? Or to do a meaningful Q and A with relevant persons answering player questions about it. Or to at least come on the forums and direct reply to player concerns about the program. RADIO SILENCE.
Decisions.
It seems radio silence was a collective decision after all. Don't talk about it, don't address it, don't add fuel to the fire and players will eventually accept it begrudgingly and we can all move forward to the next thing. Okay, yes that will probably happen. However, this is not behavior indicative of the team I thought I was supporting all these years but sure, its effective. People have short memories. But decisions lead to other decisions. Today I logged on to advance my obliss steps and seeing that my vip had expired on both my accounts, I decided not to renew either. That was my decision. I don't not love the game after this and I do want to help its further development, but that contrasts heavily with my desire to not want to support this program as it currently is in particular. I would prefer the option to separate my support for the overall game from my support from this one aspect of the game but SSG has successfully tied the two together. Inextricably tied - with a monthly, convoluted check-in where it did not exist prior to boot. I have decided that the vip benefits -both prior and new- do not outweigh my disdain for the way this was handled. Does SSG understand? I could have accepted this if only they had the courage to defend their actions and ideas. I would have appreciated the honesty and if it in fact all came down to just numbers, then I would've appreciated the transparency. But I cannot give you my money in this way.
I cannot bitterly swipe my card or have it auto-renewed; bitterly track down and check-in with my in-game CO; bitterly collect a "reward" I didn't want in the first place but would feel obligated to take because I'm backed into a corner and its either that or nothing; bitterly debate with myself whether the over priced month to month subscription is better for me than the objectively better priced 3-6-12 month subscription when the latter despite its great financial investment in the game does not in fact guarantee that I will comfortably get the 'rewards' that SSG told me I am due; bitterly come to terms with the reality that If I don't meet this arbitrary check-in for a month, that while I will still get that months reward the next month (or the next month that I subscribe/am subscribed), the month that I did not collect is in essence a month that I paid irl money for and did not get a reward for. Yes, the track resumes the next time I am subscribed and the reward is gained the next month I am subscribed but those two things require an additional irl subscription of at least one more month to pick that back up meaning I simply lose out on the additional reward for the month I did not collect. I am not behind on the track, I get the reward eventually, but a month not collected still equals a month I paid and got nothing. Therefore, bitterly recalling every single forum post that pointed this out, that asked for an auto-grant, that pleaded for a reward cache, that begged for some way to bank or retrieve missed albeit paid for rewards. To bitterly remember that not only were these suggestions ignored they were not even deemed worthy to respond to.
Engage this.
SSG did not engage with us on the creation or implementation of the VIPLP so I am not going to engage with said program. Ordinarily an easy decision for a man who works 14/hrs a day; but fortunately/unfortunately I am currently in a position to engage more than ever. I am stuck at home on medical leave for what was supposed to be a few weeks, for what turned into 2 months, for what will now be into at least mid-summer. With all this time at my disposal, I have been able to follow these forums like never before; to potentially invest hours into this game like never before. DDO right now could be a meaningful escape from irl issues and a bright spot for the next bit while irl things pan out. But this has left such a bad taste in my mouth. At a critical time where I am accessing in my life where valuable time is and isn't spent, I would like to take comfort in knowing that I'm able to log onto one of my favorite games and pass the time in a peaceful, fun manner. For the most part I still can. But, I will now always be thinking about what could have been. I am going to notice when I don't have that vip movement speed increase; I am going to notice when I don't have that vip xp boost; I am going to actively remember, as a result, why I am not supporting the vip program anymore.
Each time that I do, something in the back of my mind is going to cross reference what value I get from continuing to invest in this game with the value of the time gained from logging off and doing something else.
