I agree..More people should read this.

bluba4 on Aug 25, 2014 wrote:

I wanted to post this because both Ratbeard's decision-making skills and his character have come upon heavy assault lately.

First of all, I'm glad this new update is in test right now. Pirates needed this.

The Nefarious tower is great. There are auctionable items with ability cards, so casual players don't have to farm for those things. For the elite, every class gets 2 new awesome weapons (although bucc version of Moo's wand is agility based?), and level 55, 60, and 65 gear with 2 perks each.

There are also new pets, new gear, and new eyepatches all over the spiral.

Hidden finally works the way it was supposed to.

And what happens? Everybody is mad? Upset? Angry?

Not only is this update great, but the devs, especially Ratbeard, have been listening very closely to our feedback! Not long after Fin's Goggles were discovered, there were complaints about scent, that it was a "broken" counter. As a result, Ratbeard got rid of scent. Ratbeard also left all items stitch-able as a response to feedback, and updated the tower gear. Walk in fog is once again a swashbuckler only ability, as is assassin's shroud, and charm is once again a witchdoctor only ability. That's good news!

For every PvP player whining about the hidden update, I recommend handling it the way the AI does. When all players are hidden in the Friar Sand instance, what does Friar Sand do? He uses Levi Call, which all classes have available in gear. Levi effectively cancels out the +100% weapon power of hidden abilities for 5 turns, the longest a hidden ability lasts. I think players are too accustomed to a particular strategy that might just have to be adjusted after this update hits live, but as a level 65 buccaneer, I will still face a swash any day.

Getting back to my point, thank you Ratbeard and the rest of KI, for listening to our feedback so intently.

I heartedly Yarr this one. Ratbeard has worked his tushy off and then has to defend his hard work to those that think it's all a mistake. We need to remember more often the amazing brain that Ratbeard has and all the forethought that goes into every decision he makes. We all don't have to like everything but we should at least ask about it first so we understand it before trying to shoot it down.
On top of all that technical brilliance Ratbeard has a sense of humor that is truly delightful in always catching me off guard and making my days much brighter when he inserts his antics into our Marauding boards.
*Lifts a mug of yum in Ratbeard's honor* Thank you Ratbeard, you are mightily appreciated.

Ratbeard seems to be a great guy-- the one in the game & the developer. Ruffle his whiskers & you may get a peg upside the head. Tug on his beard- you just might get the hook. Joke around with him & you just may end up rolling around on the floor, snorting from the hysterics. Ask for knowledge & specifics about the game & he will willingly share his wisdom & programming insight.....just don't ask him to reveal 'secrets' & easily acquired info in which the answer can be found, through some good old fashioned work. Need a laugh & he delivers...need a mind-blowing answer & he comes through...want to make a suggestion, he opens his ears & his eye...need an extra bowling pin & he would kindly hand over his peg.

Unfortunately, he sometimes bears the brunt of player disapproval, which is a shame because this is just a game & he (as well as the other developers at KI) are just trying to provide the best gaming experience possible. It isn't one singular person's fault if the game isn't 'perfect' in an infinite amount of ways in order to meet the expectations of each & every single, different player out there. Ratbeard & KI do the best they can & it just happens to be pretty darn amazing. When mistakes are made, they are accounted for & corrected. When a player stumbles upon a suggestion that just may make sense, they are taken seriously & their suggestion is explored. When players yearn for certain new aspects of the game, many of them are considered & even implemented.

The harshness that has, at times, been directed towards Ratbeard & KI, is in my opinion unjustified and players should always try to remember that this is just a game (a glorious one at that) & is meant to be fun, entertaining & to offer a way to ease & escape the burdens of every day, real-life drama. Those on the developing side of it are, after all, players & people too & deserve respect for the hard-work, brain power, time & exhaustive efforts & energy, that they put into it.

You have my respect KI!

Seadog Swampy on Sep 2, 2014 wrote:

Don't try to silence the criticism. That doesn't help the developers know what needs to be improved or worked on. If anything, you're just telling them "everything is fine the way it is" when there may actually be problems that require their attention.

But you should definitely thank Ratbeard for handling the criticism well and listening to the players' responses while also staying active on the forums. That is no certainly not easy to do.

I don't think the criticism should be silenced, but if you disagree with it, definitely counter it.

Max DeGroot on Sep 2, 2014 wrote:

I don't think the criticism should be silenced, but if you disagree with it, definitely counter it.

No don't silence it, just be more constructive with it and not quite so harsh in the wording. It's all in how you say it. Spoon full of sugar and all that.

Darth JT on Sep 2, 2014 wrote:

Not everything has to be sugar coated, sometimes the direct approach is the best approach. Some of you get the wrong impression when you sugar coat things, so it's usually best to be straight, honest, and to the point.

I do agree with being constructive, if you are going to say something is wrong, state why and give an idea or two on how to fix it, rather than just whining or complaining about something.

DarthJT

And equally can be said that some of you get the wrong impression when you are straight, honest and to the point with equal amounts of rudeness and disrespect thrown in there. Chrissy's point is that you can present the same exact argument, the same necessary feedback, the same helpful criticism, the same vital critiques...all without resorting to presenting through rudeness and/or bashing-- which many have done. I don't think she means (and I apologize Chrissy if I am wrong) that you always have to sugar coat everything, you just don't have to be disrespectful, whiny, inconsiderate of others and bashing or ranting in nature to present a legitimate issue or concern to KI....or anyone for that matter.

Because we are players and sit back and wait for things to happen, many of us have become spoiled with how KI interacts with, responds and listens to us. So- many whine, rip, rant and have 'verbal tantrums' thinking that will allow them to get what they want. Society as a whole has gotten use to throwing fits in attempts to force others to give us what we moan and gripe for.

But yes, you can be straight, honest and to the point and, YES even still polite and respectful, all while providing important feedback, suggestions, legitimate concerns, critique and necessary criticism . I have seen and witness KI and staff respond to that as well. They remain respectful to us when communicating with us, don't we at least owe it to them the same considerations and respect...especially when we are just talking about a game and virtual world here?

ValkoorTheVictorio... on Sep 3, 2014 wrote:

And equally can be said that some of you get the wrong impression when you are straight, honest and to the point with equal amounts of rudeness and disrespect thrown in there. Chrissy's point is that you can present the same exact argument, the same necessary feedback, the same helpful criticism, the same vital critiques...all without resorting to presenting through rudeness and/or bashing-- which many have done. I don't think she means (and I apologize Chrissy if I am wrong) that you always have to sugar coat everything, you just don't have to be disrespectful, whiny, inconsiderate of others and bashing or ranting in nature to present a legitimate issue or concern to KI....or anyone for that matter.

Because we are players and sit back and wait for things to happen, many of us have become spoiled with how KI interacts with, responds and listens to us. So- many whine, rip, rant and have 'verbal tantrums' thinking that will allow them to get what they want. Society as a whole has gotten use to throwing fits in attempts to force others to give us what we moan and gripe for.

But yes, you can be straight, honest and to the point and, YES even still polite and respectful, all while providing important feedback, suggestions, legitimate concerns, critique and necessary criticism . I have seen and witness KI and staff respond to that as well. They remain respectful to us when communicating with us, don't we at least owe it to them the same considerations and respect...especially when we are just talking about a game and virtual world here?

You are totally correct Valkoor. I do not mean to imply that sugar coating is necessary. Just being considerate with what you want to say can to the job quite nicely and a little sugar once in a while in the form of tactful direction of stating what is wanted can go a long way. If I could yar that more than one way I would.

anecorbie on Sep 4, 2014 wrote:

Well, I've done two Tower of Moo Manchu, and I can only say: "Ratbeard, I'm truly impressed!" Many times I was sweating bullets thru most of the battles. And Moo's "Nefarious Defense?" It had me cheering! What mind you have! Thanks for the fun! I'm officially not bored at all! Can't wait to take my other pirates thru!

I can echo this one totally. I have never been in a nefarious 5 fight that was such a dramatic turn around. We were all charmed at one point with only our companions (well some of them) keeping the fight going. We got charmed so much and beat each other so much it was wildly confusing. We were apologizing to each other so often for smacking each other back down it was bizarre. We had two out of three of us at bobble head stage more than 3 times and a couple of times it was me, the healer. This was all in a fight where no one drank the elixir but we were down a player as he got pulled in to the fight while I was back in Skull Island clearing out a full backpack. He fled, forgetting about the flee loophole being fixed and thus could not finish with us. I rushed back as quick as I could but running up all those floors takes time and they were in desperate shape by the time I got there. It was SO close to being over several times but we kept throwing out doubloon minions to keep them distracted, well until they charmed them against us. But finally when we were all three, once again charmed, they healed us all up and the charm wore off. We converged on the privateer and FINALLY put a stop to the charming and the rest was history.
THEN we discovered that Moo is immune to defeat if there are still minions going. We had to leave him alone and finish off the minions and then at least three times, we got almost to him and he teleported us to the back of the class again.
We finally prevailed to one of the sweetest tower victories I have felt to this date.

You outdid yourself Ratbeard. The tower has fulfilled it's mission that we MUST team up and work completely together or we will not succeed. I had done two tower runs, back to back and I was completely exhausted but beyond victorious. We were stretched in ways we never considered and we managed to rally and knock that bull on his red robed tush.

That tower and all the wonderful things that were added to the game to assist us have put this game into fun overdrive. All of you at KingsIsle should be massively proud of yourselves. This is one happy, tired yet victorious player and my team is yarring right along with me. Kudos to all of you and to you Ratbeard. You fulfilled your mission and I am beyond grateful.