Page MenuHomeFeedback Tracker

Consistent Updates Pushed Prematurely Resulting In Wide-Spread Community Map Disasters
Feedback, NormalPublic

Description

This may not be the ideal platform for this feedback, but I hope that sharing this perspective can spark meaningful reflection and better decision-making. I acknowledge the risk of potential repercussions for speaking candidly, but it’s a risk worth taking to advocate for improvement.

The Issue
The ongoing changes purportedly aimed at performance improvements have created unintended consequences for the modding community. Specifically:

  1. Asset Updates:
    • When assets or models are updated for new maps, the changes inadvertently disrupt how these same assets function on existing maps.
    • While fixes are made for your maps, no consideration is given to how these changes affect the work of others who have used these assets differently.
  1. Community Impact:
    • Modders, who invest significant time and energy to enhance the game, are left scrambling to address the fallout from updates they had no control over.
    • This disrupts creative workflows and imposes unnecessary burdens on a community that has consistently supported your game’s growth without reciprocation.

A Simple Solution
Rather than retroactively altering core assets used by the modding community for over a decade, a more considerate approach would be to create new models for updated projects. This would:

  • Prevent breaking existing projects that rely on older assets.
  • Respect the time, effort, and creativity of modders who have built around the original models.

Why This Matters
The modding community has been integral to the success of this game. Their contributions have fueled its longevity and relevance. However, the current approach of rolling out updates that disrupt existing work not only undermines trust but also risks alienating the very people who have kept the game thriving.

Without showing active support and consideration for the modding community, the continued missteps in decision-making will only lead to further disengagement and loss of goodwill. This is not sustainable for a game or a company that owes so much of its success to its community.

A Call for Change
It’s time to make better choices—choices that demonstrate respect for and empowerment of the modding community. Create tools and assets that add value without breaking what already exists. Recognize the importance of dependable resources and stop forcing modders to rebuild around unnecessary disruptions.

By fostering collaboration instead of imposing destructive updates, you can strengthen the community and ensure that the game remains a space for creativity and innovation. Let’s build a future that supports everyone, rather than one that continuously undermines the very foundation on which it stands.

I believe this is a very clear issue, it should be treated as one, and the resolve is to create an open and clear line of communication that connects the development side of the business to the development community without restriction and without bias. Otherwise all you continue to do is push inconsistencies at a community that can not sanely continue to build in your world of ever changing parts.

Close this thread if you like but it is a ticket no less, and deserves the same amount of attention as any of your other tickets. The real question here is will this ticket be treated as important or just be left to fall into the cracks of bulletin board babble?

Details

Severity
None
Resolution
Open
Reproducibility
Always
Operating System
Windows 11 x64
Category
General
Steps To Reproduce

This is evident.

Additional Information

Here are some actionable steps to improve collaboration and bridge the gap between the modding community and the official development team:

  1. Open Communication Channels
  • Dedicated Modding Forums or Portals: Create an official platform where modders can share feedback, report issues, and collaborate with the development team.
  • Regular Q&A Sessions: Host bi-weekly or monthly live Q&A sessions to address concerns, share updates, and gather feedback directly from the community.
  • Community Liaison: Assign a dedicated team member as a liaison between modders and the development team to ensure consistent communication.

While some may say "Here we are, within the solution on this forums in this ticket" and others may reply with "Yes, and they've been around for years but clearly open communication is not the only thing that matters, as this process still yeilds the same results, the same 'improved' objects for core become 'broken' objects for community!"

    1. Provide Clear Documentation
  • Detailed Change Logs: Release comprehensive notes that outline updates to assets, tools, or systems, and specify how these changes might impact existing mods.
  • Modding Guides: Develop thorough, beginner-friendly guides and advanced documentation for using official tools and assets.
  • Pre-Update Notices: Share planned updates well in advance, so modders can prepare for potential impacts on their projects.

Some would possibly say we also have this and we use experimental to ensure functionality before pushing to the public core... but then others will possibly reply with "That's funny, if it was broken in exp why was it even pushed to public, if it's broken in public it would most definitely be broken in exp, no? and if not then what is the difference and how do we test for those breakage in a public env/can before we push to public domain?"

For having made hundreds of millions of dollars and having military contracts as well as military minds in your core team HOW ON EARTH DO YOU NOT ACTUALLY have these fail-safes and processes in place??

I could easily post 90 more steps or methods to improve development and the feedback process but none of it means anything if the core isn't going to change the way it does things that especially impact the community in their progresses.

Event Timeline

Geez changed the task status from New to Feedback.Nov 25 2024, 3:17 PM