devtrackers.gg
Apologies for the wall of text.
TL;DR
PCF needs to follow EA's example by communicating better with the playerbase, preferably with a Community Manager much like /u/F8RGE. Be candid about the issues, address our concerns with more than "We're working on it" and provide concrete roadmaps of what's being updated, when, and why. Elsewise their future releases will not be big as too many people will just pass or at least wait awhile to see if it's worth it.
Outriders is currently a bug-filled trainwreck, and the "attempts" at patching the issues have gone horribly, horribly awry. The game should never have been shipped in this condition, it was not ready at all, with testing results being just ignored in the boardroom. Any way you look at it, we got screwed into paying AAA price for a B+ game. The outrage is real, and deserved.
Problem is: Outriders has potential. Pre-patch, if you could get logged in and if your inventory hadn't been wiped, you could play the game and enjoy yourself. It was fun. The Acari Spider fight is a blast (wish Outriders had more bosses/mini-bosses like that one, actually), and I actually enjoy doing the Wanted & Hunts repeatedly, it lets me try out new builds and weapons in a fun environment. Even the Expeditions were fun. Sure, you may have to run 20 or so to get that perfect loot piece you were looking for, but at least you'd accomplish it. Not a lot of content, but it was there.
In a perfect scenario, the lack of content would be rectified by new modes and activities added by DLCs. If things had gone well, Outriders: the Definitive Edition could've been a worthy addition to any library.
But it's not a perfect scenario, is it? The current status is best summed up as "dumpster fire", IMHO. However, if PCF is willing to put in some elbow grease and eat a bit of humble pie, they can still turn it around. And I'll use Star Wars Battlefront II (2017) as an example.
Even though I'm sure we're all aware of the debacle that was the BFII launch, I'll sum it up for those who aren't. When EA/Dice released BFII, there were bug issues, balance issues, and most infamously, progress was tied to random lootboxes, which you could earn in-game, but it was far far easier and quicker to just buy a bunch and gamble on what you got. It was seen as pay-to-win, and really sparked controversy of whether it was legitimately gambling being marketed to kids. The backlash was immediate, intense, and got media coverage. I'm sure Disney stepped in at some point and said "Listen, this is our IP you're f*cking up, so...fix it or we get our lawyers involved." And their lawyers are probably more numerous and better-paid than EA's.
Now, keep in mind that BFII was supposed to be a GaaS setup. They intended to get residuals from the lootbox sales, and probably expansions (Buy The Force Awakens DLC and play on 2 new maps, with new characters!) Instead, they canned all plans of that, made progression much better by having you earn new abilities through milestones and kills, and cleared up most of the worst bugs ASAP. Essentially turning it into what Outriders was supposed to be, a non-GaaS game, albeit focused on multi-player vs solo play.
The thing is, that wasn't what saved BFII. By the time they'd managed to do that, they had lost a HUGE amount of their players already. And yet, four years later, BFII still thrives. And that was due in no small part to the one thing that PCF needs right now: A good Community Manager.
When EA made Ben Walke (/u/F8RGE) the community manager, he and his team managed to bring a toxic, EA-hating community back into the fold. He did that by communicating with the fanbase. Of course lots of times he could not go into detail, but even then, he made us feel like he (and by extension, the company) at least understood why we were upset, that our concerns mattered, and that they would be addressed. Which for the most part, they did. Over time, the game improved, Dice fixed the most glaring bugs, and added new content (all for free!). Possibly the only "cash grab" after that was the release of a version w/almost all the skins already unlocked. And that happened because...the playerbase was growing again.
As of the beginning of 2021, the BFII playerbase had grown so much that EA increased the number of servers to keep up. A four-year old game, one whose release had possibly the worst public backlash, and from the company that has, to date, the most downvoted comment on Reddit. How did that happen?
Because once they began communicating properly with the players, they made a fun game that did what it was originally advertised to do. The remaining loyal players were having so much fun, their non-playing friends decided to check it out again, and stayed.
If PCF truly wants to succeed here, they should follow suit. Have a "face" for us to talk to, a go-between that understands what the players want, but also knows the corporate landscape. One who could "translate" between us so that we're in the loop on what is going to be fixed/added/changed, and to get our opinions on what should be addressed first. Monthly "Community Transmissions" on the status of things and a roadmap of upcoming changes, Q&A sessions to get more information flowing back and forth, etc. And explicitly acknowledging that the current state of things is wrong, and following through with promises made.
If they do that, I feel that Outriders could become the game that was advertised. And if PCF learns from this experience, other PCF releases could actually have a real future with people willing to believe that PCF can deliver their promises. We all stumble now and then, the real integrity here would be to acknowledge the mistakes, provide clear information on the timeline to get it fixed, and be open about the problems they're having. Right now all we have is the fallout of unknown changes to the game, and no information on why it seems they can't get it together and instead are making things worse. Until that changes, I don't care if it's PCF Poland or PCF Chicago, or PCF , I won't buy another of their games until well after release to make sure it's not another sub-par job.
Thank you for your time
External link →