[2021] What a f*cking pity…

Originally posted by NGRU_Storm

u/thearcan, if insulting you was my goal, my comments directed at you would have been much more caustic. I was simply echoing thoughts presented by a game reviewer whose views are in line with my own. Please, allow me to explain:

When you word a post to update the Outriders community on information you’ve been presented to read and disseminate, “tl;dr” IS NOT something we should see in your posts. That acronym (which means “too long; did’t read”) speaks deleterious volumes to discerning readers. “tl;dr” says, “I couldn’t be bothered to read all information presented by PCF for community circulation”. It also places you firmly in the CSR category (quite effectively), but not irreversibly.

As our community manager (our direct line of information from PCF Devs) we literally hang on your every word. I personally, appreciate just how difficult your job can be, considering my many years of experience in regional management. I can assure you though, without any doubt, updates to those I managed didn’t include “tl;dr” concerning policy changes or information which were vital to employees.

You are in a tough spot, just as I was as Regional Manager. You’re playing a never ending game of “Monkey in the Middle” between SquareEnix/PCF and paying customers. Making things worse, you‘re doing so with a community that is dwindling due in large part to player disgust with the current state of affairs which PCF has created for Outriders. I fully realize that you’re in no position to “light a fire” under the asses of PCF Devs. I can only pray that they are reading the posts in this forum and realizing just how badly they’re “screwing the pooch”.

Honestly, I love this game. Outriders has become a “daily play” for me, considering my semi-retired status. PCF has created a gem of a PVE “looter/shooter” with Outriders. I’ve gone as far as purchasing Outriders for a fellow gamer, who like me, enjoys this game genre. Despite the sad state of affairs in game, Outriders still has ardent supporters (and I count myself among those). I am not however, of the “fanboi“ camp who will defend PCF to the bitter end, regardless of their lack luster performance and initial promises of “we’re here for you”.

Allow me to leave you with two thoughts to consider, ending this lengthy reply to your query:

”A friend is someone you know really well, but you like ‘em anyway.”

”A true friend will let you know that your breath smells like dogsh*t, so that you don’t embarrass yourself in public”.

Originally posted by NGRU_Storm

I quite vehemently disagree with your stance on "tl;dr" usage. Best practice? I think not. SquareEnix/PCF provides you with detailed information to present to the community, which you then paraphrase into a tidy bullet point presentation. This presentation is targeted at individuals (which you and others claim) have an attention span less than that of a goldfish.

I'm a very discerning reader and I strongly believe there are those in this community who are the same. In fact, I would wager that the majority of this forum's members are not 9-13 year old gamers who (perhaps) have shorter attention spans. For this age group, a condensed version of detailed information is (again, perhaps) a better course of action. Older and more mature SquareEnix/PCF Outriders gaming aficionados carefully read the information you purvey in a decidedly different manner. We (the older gamers) seek more detailed information in an effort to help better the game, through ideas and suggestions we present. An older, more mature gamer sees nuances that our younger forum members fail to see.

Allow me to present an apt example:

Legendary (both armor and weapon) duplicate drops have become a sore spot with this community. Numerous posts concerning this issue have appeared; some positive and others most acerbic. The current anti-dupe system, although far from perfect, does (in fact) grant Outriders players a boon. Gold completion times on CT15 runs grant 4 x 50% legendary drops. With the current anti-dupe system in place, the nuance most fail to see is that the equation changes to (2)4 x 50% on the first four drops. Effectively, this gives the Outriders player a total of eight chances (as opposed to four) to receive a unique legendary drop (one they've not received before). I've not once complained about this, although I'll admit, the legendary Acari set chest piece and the legendary Plague Sower's set helm continue to elude me.

Yes, some of your posts ARE long. But I'm a firm believer that you'd be most surprised at the amount of time most of your readers spend, going through them "with a fine toothed comb". The gaming community (as a whole) are literally generations past the first Atari gaming consoles and Commodore 16 computers. Gaming consoles and PC builds today are truly insane machines, all things considered. Those of us who remember the older system offerings are the ones who (as I stated in a previous post) "hang on your every word", i.e. the discerning readers. Making the mistake of lumping us all in to the low attention span "ball of wax" is in poor taste and (quite frankly) insulting.

You posit catering to a larger audience than simply Outriders Reddit members. This sir, is a given. During my tenure as a Regional Manager, all my communiqués were addressed to BOTH the managers and employees working for them. I'm fully aware of this dynamic and how it works. Yet, I steadfastly feel that what you (and others) refer to as "best practices" could do with serious and considered revision.

Another example for your esteemed consideration:

In a past post, a member of this forum felt "dread" at the changes SquareEnix/PCF were about to make in a patch to legendary drop rates. Obviously you felt the need to reply and clarify. Although I appreciate the effort you showed in making that post, I would say (in confidence) over 50% of your readers came away feeling as though you were blaming them for their lack of understanding, in terms of game mechanics. This single post could credibly be linked to another massive out flow of active Outriders gamers.

Ardent supporters of Outriders and YouTube contributors "Cloud Plays" and "LtBuzzLitebeer" read the post in question and came away with the same conclusion. Granted, it could be said that YouTube game reviewers create content for the fickle masses. Not so in either of their cases, especially in the case of "LtBuzzLitebeer". Buzz (to shorten his name) has in most every upload given SquareEnix/PCF the benefit of the doubt. Buzz has further created an amazing Discord community staffed with helpful and considerate Outriders gamers. This, thearcan, is the kind of support this dwindling community needs. This, as opposed to posts which (in veiled manner) blame gamers for a lack of understanding or agglomerating them into a low attention span group, is what this quickly shrinking community most needs.

As the community manager for SquareEnix/PCF Outriders Reddit, you've been given a position based (I would think) on experience and prior performance as a CM. I say this because I realize my placement as a Regional Manager was based on the same criteria. I constantly reevaluated my performance and never failed to question (what some considered) best practices, in a concentrated effort to better myself and help better those who worked with me. I did not (and do not to this day) believe that challenging the paradigm of the "hive mind" is either out of place, or unnecessary in ANY situation.

In regards to your post script, I refer you to the second of the two thoughts I left you with in the post you replied to:

”A true friend will let you know that your breath smells like dogsh*t, so that you don’t embarrass yourself in public”.

Originally posted by NGRU_Storm

Yes thearcan, you ARE confused. I'm obviously beating my head against the paradigm wall here. You sir, would not have lasted long as either a manager or employee under my tenure.

I digress (shaking my head).

Originally posted by NGRU_Storm

Yes thearcan, you ARE confused. I'm obviously beating my head against the paradigm wall here. You sir, would not have lasted long as either a manager or employee under my tenure.

I digress (shaking my head).