Golden Nugget In GD

I don't read the forums very much, and in particular the General Discussion (GD) area as it just seems to be the same garbage posts, ideas, etc going around and around, quite depressing really.

However!

Every once in a while their is an initial post and response that is worth reading.

When that happens I'll let you know.

...

Right now!  

Da'iel Zehn posted the following the following;

"Hello there my beloved brethren and sisters,
So my question is... why so much secrecy about upcoming content and the direction of EvE? I really hate secrecy as we have to deal with it all the time out-of-pod in RL.

So much redaction in the CSM minutes. Made me a sad bear.

Is because of the "Rabble Rabble Rabble?" Or is it all the "I'm Leaving EvE" threads or something? Is it because the threat of people unsubscribing can become a reality? What happened to the HTFU mentality introduced in that CCP rap song?

I'm curious... things used to be way more open. It gave me something to look forward to. Something to keep me excited about EvE and keep me here (as I get really bored now)."

Only seven minutes after "his" post a response from Katrina Oniseki was unusually thoughtful and well written for GD.

"Because the things talked about in the CSM are subject to change and are more often than not simply vague ideas talked about and thrown around the room without any real development work having gone into them yet. It's called expectation management.
Players as a general demographic are incapable of understanding the concept of "we haven't even started working on it yet", so we run into issues where players rage about stuff they didn't even need to know about. Let's say CCP was talking about designing a new module that does a fancy thing.

Some players will rage about the fancy thing it does and call it OP before any stats are made.

Some players will rage about CCP designing something that isn't part of their gameplay instead of fixing [playstyle], before the final functionality is finished.

Some players will rage at CCP for nerfing their playstyle in favor of [Goons/N3/carebears/pirates], when CCP isn't even sure if they want it to be allowed at all in [game area].

Some players will use the advance information to figure out how best to make trillions off the introduction of it via market games or be perfectly trained for it, spend all their money/time on getting ready for its release, then rage when CCP changes how it will be produced/used.

Finally, when CCP decides they cannot feasibly work out the technical limitations of the module, some players will rage about the half-assed functionality or the cancellation of the whole idea. Because "CCP PROMISED US THIS MODULE".

It's almost always a bad idea to present your ideas to the customers in the MMO biz before you have something tangible and polished to show them."

I was very pleased I'd decided to wade through the murky and usually foetid waters of GD this morning.

I've also passed the four hundred post mark.