Asheras wrote on Oct 13
th, 2015 at 10:54pm:
TMZ will be right back after this with breaking news about an argument between two Kardashians over...nothing.
On the changes, I agree with Dropbear about how things should be handled for changes of this magnitude. The reality is, however, that Turbine is not that kind of development company and the player base is not that kind of end user/customer. What you describe works much better in professional environments. Not the gaming industry. Wish it were otherwise.
If you're looking for consensus, then I agree. Trying to get your gaming customers to make decisions for you could be tricky unless you constrain the decision options.
In the devs position, the way I would approach it is:
The game is too complex for one person to know everything, especially if I am working full time and only able to play it casually.
So why not put controversial ideas out there, and seek feedback. By getting pros and cons, you can form a more comprehensive view and make better weighted decisions. There are players who have more time, more aptitude, more passion than you have - to think otherwise is arrogance.
Sure you have to filter the noise and you need to encourage constructive feedback. Noise gets deleted or ignored and eventually most will pick up on this and only comment if they have something constructive to say. (Exception for Uska who has some drivel to say about everything).
Ultimately the decisions reside with the devs and this should always be the case and be made clear. Whether you explain your decisions is up for debate, as sometimes the decisions will be made for reasons that would displease players (eg. Increase store sales) and I'd rather say nothing than try to bullshit my customers.
Just because the customers are gamers, does not negate their value in providing feedback. It just means you need to be cognisant of that and manage the debate accordingly.
That's my view anyway.