Let's get this straight

[V-Wifey]

I'm seeing some patterns developing of impatience or ingratitude for the progress being made in the game right now.
First: I am not a Dev. I am not in The Proving Grounds Forum. I do not have a full list of who is in there. I have not needed this impertinent information to move forward.

Aekom -
"I want to be able to see where the game is headed. Why should things be kept in the dark for the rest of us? We're all fans and players of this game.
...
These people (the ones who don't already have access) are stuck in limbo, so to speak, and are being kept out of the loop."

I'm sure there are many others that feel like this. So I wanted to address the concerns as a normal "unprivileged" member of the AC community.

Unfounded

If you have been carefully reading the forums you will see the devs have made a few of the new features completely transparent
1) T-shirts will probably be sold within this year, based off this idea.
2) ac_avenue has been added to the map pack
3)Dust2 is not on option to be added.
4) There will be a new clan master mode timer implemented in the new release.
5) A "AC council" has been requested since the dawn of time, and has now been implemented as the people have requested (one example of a request from 2011).
6) Two new devs have been added to the mix and RK has returned.
7) There are balance discussions taking place right now
8) There are exploit discussions taking place now
9) There has been another map survey made and will be released soon.
10) Some graphic limitations have been discovered due to the old cube engine we use for the game.

SKB, Xenon and a few others have gone out of their way to do some testing that has been accepted and reviewed by the devs, and it's making a difference.

All of these references have links. We all have a purpose. Teams are compiling information right now and giving you the end results that will affect each of us as players without all the discussion and re-discussion from the community that went into forming those decisions. But things are still transparent in the time that they apply to us because most of the devs care about the community and making sure every voice is heard.

The AC forum has had private sections since the beginning that have not applied to us, so we have not been able to view them or comment on them.
1) Private dev forum
2) Private mod forums
3) now the proving grounds forum

As V-Man already said, The Proving grounds forum is not making the decisions, we have devs for that. Because when everything is said and done they understand how the code works to actually implement everyone's idea (as it should be) because we are in good hands. The new forum is just an experiment to give a more personal communication line with the people that know how to give us what we need.

Why don't we stop twisting this as "excluding" people from the community and start using it to our advantage realizing there are MORE community members that represent our opinions and can really get their foot in the door with the devs.
Maybe after the time pressed release, there can be discussion about voting in members to this forum, or some outlines the community would like to see to make it workable for everyone. The time for that is NOT now, because the we have demanded for the attention to be placed on the release, and the new forum/ grouping together a small bunch of testers was something the devs thought need to happen to accelerate the release WE have requested. Please support the steps they are taking to make it happen for you.

I'm afraid that we're on a path of asking so many impertinent questions, or complaining about things that are not factual. It will take up too much of the devs time to answer all these silly questions when the answers have already been provided to us.

All of the things listed above were already in the collaboration process before someone else raised their hand to say "I want a solution to the map imbalances!" Dev says: "actually.... Great, already been done with three ideas in the works. NEXT"
I think when we really stand back we realize the devs were supporting and implementing our ideas all long.

I would like to see a change of tradition. Instead of fighting more before a release, let's make a calm quiet atmosphere that will help contributors focus on the difficulties at hand. Let's ask questions about what can be done on our end, instead of assuming the devs don't know what is right from wrong for the game.

I suggest we stop making it about ourselves and start offering these individuals help, ask how we can be of use to help them save time on time intensive tasks (like compiling new potential maps and making a survey out of them, or testing, or finding exploits) so the devs can focus on presenting fact to the people, coding, and releasing.

It's our top priority, and it's their top priority too.

[paulmuaddibKA]

Awesome post!
Too bad that when the word gema is said, none of the above applies (example), but being as I am an AC player, I like to see that finally things are moving forward.
For a long bright future of AC!

[Nightmare]

Yay.

One thing I'd like to see now is less post deletion & closed threads & wall of text defensive statements from the devs side of things. This post, aerkefiende's answer in his interview, and several other dev posts are enough to get your point across. Makes it seem like a police state, and angers players that are already mad about not being in the VIP club. And of course, more peaceful ways from the angry people instead of 'elite' threads. xD

[Felix-The-Ghost]

I think it's known to most that the people here will find something to be mad about anyway, whether it genuinely warrants anger or not :)

[Cemer]

leave threads open

stop deleting posts unless in the blacklist threads

otherwise v wifey has the right idea gj

[Ronald_Reagan]

V-Wifey has hit it spot on. Also, all with information that is public knowledge.

I'm actually sad that people have such an averse reaction to the private forums. A good sample of people have been found to supply enough discussion to make good decisions. If you think about it and review the public discussions, you will realize that not everyone brings new ideas. People generally say what they like, modify a idea a slight bit, and do such things. In the end, we don't need as many people contributing to the discussion. If we didn't have these forums, we wouldn't have made the knife ignore armor as this idea gets covered up with reiterations of what someone said before. You complain about gemas, but you need to realize that what you know as gema will never be included into the official AC. That is why we don't need your voice about gema's.

The whole reason this forum is working right now is because it "excludes" people from the process. It can only help btw. Instead of just dev's making decisions, its devs+some of the community. Lets face it, the big balance and ideas threads are rarely looked at and given enough consideration.

No system is perfect, but at least you can try to support it and help make it succeed rather than fight it.

[Nightmare]

If we didn't have these forums, we wouldn't have made the knife ignore armor.

[V-Wifey]

I included the hundreds of links to condense the good news into one readable place and make the point that there has been a lot of good going around, but I feel like it's monstrously been covered over by the poop mouths, mud slinging and whiners. And for the record, the opening statement of the maps thread made it clear that every post would be subject to review or deletion to keep the focused discussion concise. There are stronger rules about this being implemented in the new forum (yes, I only know this because I was acting as a support for V-man as he bounced some ideas off me in the beginning) and I support that type of moderation in a thread that actually counts. We run our mouths all day with off topic humor, it brings us closer together as a community. But there is a time and a place for everything, and good ideas are highly sought for right now and we should all be participating.

[Woolly]

tl;dr

[Link]

no.

[Xenon]

Best thread in a while, really makes aC look good, GJ.

[titiPT]

This is a great post, no idea what some users that have posted here are trying to achieve though.

[Undead]

ill buy it if its a badman hoodie.

[Oracle]

(Ironic that my post got deleted. Oh well lol.)
I'm glad somebody actually made a semi-complete list of what's been added.
* Oracle feels just a bit closer to the loop now.

[Jesse]

Thanks a lot for this post V-Wifey!

[Medusa]

My post i deleted also..

Apparently i quoted something that's considered a personal attack.
I quoted that because that's how it felt at the time but now i know i was wrong so i wanna use this opportunity to say sorry to the person i attacked, it was vicious and mean and i shouldn't have quoted it like that, sorry!

[["sm"]Gael]

Yeah we are on good hands but i think every one to can help must help that is my ideology because that will be a good comunity...(I love AC for that)...
I think you are really conservative that can be good or can be bad...

[Noobicus]

As long as progress is being made (which sounds like it is) and we can be kept up to date (which we just were) then I am a happy noob. Thank you for the post V-Wifey.

[Boomhauer]

I couldn't read all of that enormous post, though it looks like you really worked hard on it with all the hyperlinks and stuff, so good job. I am too ADD. I don't even know whats going on. Someone is mad about stuff and some other things happened. I like Ice Cream. Wait, ...what?

[MorganKell]

Yea umm... I refuse to give up the right to kick ass and take names when and wherever I so choose. I hold this right to solely be mine because I can drink every single one of you under the table. This right is mine because I will play AC till the day I die or my liver gives out... Vegas has already begun placing bets. If yall want to bitch about elitists you missed it by about a good year an a half or so. Been there, threw down on that, so let's get back to the business at hand. That of making AC fking AWWWWESOME. Bringing it back up from 1.1 (no offense-mo) and into the dripping 'gasmic that was and always has been AssaultCube.

By the way, anyone who isn't in these private forums, why don't you do what I do... make well-thought out badass epic posts that aren't too inflammatory unless they have to be, and only then if it's a minor part of the post, and grow your street cred that way. It doesn't matter if noone listens to you right away. It matters that you made the post. Someone will read it down the line, and if it's chock full of good shit to read and suggestions that are ridiculously epic, then you'll be on the right to being a Throwdown Artist. I hit a couple of roadbumps on my path to Forum Awesomeness i.e. a whole LOT of beer, and wouldn't exactly recommend that path, but to each their own.

Now I have 2 days off work, two cases of beer (30 of MGD, and 24 of Lionshead), and a bottle of Calico Jack Rum. Awww yeah! So if yall can just STFU for a day or so I might not have to go Badass Awesome Mode...

[Marti]

why don't you do what I do... make well-thought out badass epic posts that aren't too inflammatory unless they have to be,

No one but you is able to create such posts

[Nightmare]

why don't you do what I do... make well-thought out badass epic posts that aren't too inflammatory unless they have to be,

No one but you is able to understand such posts

[Bukz]

I hold this right to solely be mine because I can drink every single one of you under the table.

Challenge accepted.

But yeah, this is one of the only constructive threads I've seen on this forum this year, nice one wifey. :)

[1Cap]

I start with a phrase: "If you do not know where you will go, anywhere is good for you." The AC knows where he is going?
I work with creation and all the time I need to ask: Am I doing it for myself or others?
Maybe the AC is on its way already determined. Maybe we're just players who do not know it. We were giving opinion about things that have already been decided by the game developers.
Often I see that they are just giving "half answer" and stalling.
I do AC Game 5 years, maybe more ... I remember a time where there were more variety of maps. When the clans were really strong. I do not know, maybe I'm being nostalgic. The fact is, I wonder if, really, this game is for the players or are we just serving as guinea pigs for a gaming company.
I see this: The community telling where the game should go. The developers say whether it is possible or not.
My opinion is that developers serve the community. That's because the AssaultCube is for the enjoyment of players. We need a board of players, with voting open and that this representative group, is well chosen.

[pweaks]

I stopped reading after the t-shirt part. I want one.

[Oracle]

1Cap.
He's a no-nonsense kinda guy.

[DrauL]

When did this community break into separate factions willing to be heard.

BRING BACK VANILLA ALL WAS HAPPY.

HUZZUH.

But seriously, did I miss the memo where we had to pick a side. A lot of people I used to know here just whinge and whine.

[jAcKRoCk*]

The way I see it, is that this isn't really "our" game, and we as a community are very lucky to even have a voice on what things can or not be implemented in the game.


I want my T-Shirt L please :)

[RandumKiwi]

BRING BACK VANILLA ALL WAS HAPPY.

Little did you know, that within hours of setting up the *very* first vanilla forum, there were inflammatory posts directed towards the developers of the game.

History is not your issue here :P

[MykeGregory]

The way I see it, is that this isn't really "our" game, and we as a community are very lucky to even have a voice on what things can or not be implemented in the game.


I want my T-Shirt L please :)

True.
And have T-Shirt designs been made yet?