ArenaNet Forum Chats Coming!

[Gaile Gray.6029]

Here's an update for you on the ArenaNet Forum Chats. As you can see ~glances at calendar~ it's now the end of February, but don't worry -- we have not forgotten this concept, and we intend to start the series very soon! In fact, I think the reason for the adjustment in the inaugural chat will be apparent when you read on...

What's in store? I'm glad you asked. :D

We've been talking internally, and reading your thoughts specifically about the AFCs coupled with your general feedback, as well. This has led us to a few ideas:

• It would be great if the first ArenaNet Forum Chat focuses on Living World Season 4, Episode 2. This would fulfill a pretty broadly expressed request, that in addition to the wonderful Dev Celebrations on the day of an episode's release, we also have another conversation opportunity a bit later, after you've had a chance to play the episode and come up with feedback, questions, ideas, and such. I'll reach out to the Ep 2 Team tomorrow and see who's on board, then fill you in later on who will be participating.
• The series will take place about monthly, as opposed to bi-weekly, because we agree with what some of you shared: A monthly cadence will fit better in the developer schedule and will be more productive and meaningful. (I already have a nice idea for the topic of April's chat. :) )
• We'll kick off the AFC series on Thursday, March 15. We're thinking that it may be good to have a focused hour or two of conversation -- that is, responding to forum posts -- over a couple of days, rather than one chat on a single day. This will depend on the developers' schedules, of course, but it sounds as if this is a solid option that may even offer the ability to get back to a question the second day, if a dev wants to check into something in order to respond or if someone is available only on one of the two days.
• We'll have a way to gather questions, so that if you cannot attend during the AFC, you still may be able to post your comment or question. The chat will have a solid end time, of course, but we'll be sure to preserve all questions and answers afterwards.

The logistics -- where, who, when, that sort of thing -- will come later, but for now, I hope you find this information of interest, and I look forward to seeing a whole bunch of you during the chat.

[Inculpatus cedo.9234]

We will see how it goes...in two more weeks. And then, a month after that. I hope it fares better than the Dolyak Express, which I enjoyed.

Good luck.

[Bladestrom.6425]

truely awesome that Anet are willing to invest time and money engaging more with the forums (a tricky job that can be thankless), shows their heart is in the right place imo.

[costepj.5120]

Will there also be an NCSoft Forum Chat (NFC) and will the winners of each forum chat meet in a Superbowl match? :)

[crashburntoo.7431]

@Gaile Gray.6029 said:

We've been talking internally, and reading your thoughts...

Now I know more about the AFC and why there's been a strange tingling sensation in my head. Apologies for the less than coherent thoughts... I hope you've got a filter on your end.

Thanks for the update; I look forward to the launch on March 15th.

[Red Haired Savage.5430]

@crashburntoo.7431 said:

@Gaile Gray.6029 said:

We've been talking internally, and reading your thoughts...

Now I know more about the AFC and why there's been a strange tingling sensation in my head. Apologies for the less than coherent thoughts... I hope you've got a filter on your end.

Thanks for the update; I look forward to the launch on March 15th.

Hope you're wearing your tin foil hat. :lol:

[Gaile Gray.6029]

@costepj.5120 said:Will there also be an NCSoft Forum Chat (NFC) and will the winners of each forum chat meet in a Superbowl match? :)

I wondered if someone was going to notice the AFC thing. ;) Ok, ok, I confess it. I got a smile on my face when I named the concept, being an AFC fan for many years. My favorite team (go orange and blue!) is AFC, was actually AFL back in the day long ago. And hey, I think the acronym works nicely for our project as well as the NCL. :D

[costepj.5120]

AFC here too (UK based Dolfan) :)

[OriOri.8724]

@Gaile Gray.6029 said:Here's an update for you on the ArenaNet Forum Chats. As you can see ~glances at calendar~ it's now the end of February, but don't worry -- we have not forgotten this concept, and we intend to start the series very soon! In fact, I think the reason for the adjustment in the inaugural chat will be apparent when you read on...

What's in store? I'm glad you asked. :D

We've been talking internally, and reading your thoughts specifically about the AFCs coupled with your general feedback, as well. This has led us to a few ideas:

• It would be great if the first ArenaNet Forum Chat focuses on Living World Season 4, Episode 2. This would fulfill a pretty broadly expressed request, that in addition to the wonderful Dev Celebrations on the day of an episode's release, we also have another conversation opportunity a bit later, after you've had a chance to play the episode and come up with feedback, questions, ideas, and such. I'll reach out to the Ep 2 Team tomorrow and see who's on board, then fill you in later on who will be participating.
• The series will take place about monthly, as opposed to bi-weekly, because we agree with what some of you shared: A monthly cadence will fit better in the developer schedule and will be more productive and meaningful. (I already have a nice idea for the topic of April's chat. :) )
• We'll kick off the AFC series on Thursday, March 15. We're thinking that it may be good to have a focused hour or two of conversation -- that is, responding to forum posts -- over a couple of days, rather than one chat on a single day. This will depend on the developers' schedules, of course, but it sounds as if this is a solid option that may even offer the ability to get back to a question the second day, if a dev wants to check into something in order to respond or if someone is available only on one of the two days.
• We'll have a way to gather questions, so that if you cannot attend during the AFC, you still may be able to post your comment or question. The chat will have a solid end time, of course, but we'll be sure to preserve all questions and answers afterwards.

The logistics -- where, who, when, that sort of thing -- will come later, but for now, I hope you find this information of interest, and I look forward to seeing a whole bunch of you during the chat.

As long as you don't cancel the episode AMA on reddit.

As much as people, for no good reason, like to complain about those AMAs being on reddit, reddit is an exponentially better platform for AMAs, since you can collapse entire comment threads, and go straight to the areas of the conversation that are relevant to what you want to know. This forum simply is not capable of that, and is exponentially worse at AMAs than reddit is.

[EnderzShadow.2506]

Who is the person that does PvP arenas and WvW maps?Cause while balance is important, I am all for some more FUN being put into this game.It's just too serious and repetitive at the moment.

I played DAOC's realm vs realm without caring about a "rating"and I did the same in WoW's battlegrounds and Alterac Valley and other maps they had.They were FUN, they were a blast!

[Gaile Gray.6029]

@OriOri.8724 said:

@Gaile Gray.6029 said:Here's an update for you on the ArenaNet Forum Chats. As you can see ~glances at calendar~ it's now the end of February, but don't worry -- we have not forgotten this concept, and we intend to start the series very soon! In fact, I think the reason for the adjustment in the inaugural chat will be apparent when you read on...

What's in store? I'm glad you asked. :D

We've been talking internally, and reading your thoughts specifically about the AFCs coupled with your general feedback, as well. This has led us to a few ideas:

• It would be great if the first ArenaNet Forum Chat focuses on Living World Season 4, Episode 2. This would fulfill a pretty broadly expressed request, that in addition to the wonderful Dev Celebrations on the day of an episode's release, we also have another conversation opportunity a bit later, after you've had a chance to play the episode and come up with feedback, questions, ideas, and such. I'll reach out to the Ep 2 Team tomorrow and see who's on board, then fill you in later on who will be participating.
• The series will take place about monthly, as opposed to bi-weekly, because we agree with what some of you shared: A monthly cadence will fit better in the developer schedule and will be more productive and meaningful. (I already have a nice idea for the topic of April's chat. :) )
• We'll kick off the AFC series on Thursday, March 15. We're thinking that it may be good to have a focused hour or two of conversation -- that is, responding to forum posts -- over a couple of days, rather than one chat on a single day. This will depend on the developers' schedules, of course, but it sounds as if this is a solid option that may even offer the ability to get back to a question the second day, if a dev wants to check into something in order to respond or if someone is available only on one of the two days.
• We'll have a way to gather questions, so that if you cannot attend during the AFC, you still may be able to post your comment or question. The chat will have a solid end time, of course, but we'll be sure to preserve all questions and answers afterwards.

The logistics -- where, who, when, that sort of thing -- will come later, but for now, I hope you find this information of interest, and I look forward to seeing a whole bunch of you during the chat.

As long as you don't cancel the episode AMA on reddit.

As much as people, for no good reason, like to complain about those AMAs being on reddit, reddit is an exponentially better platform for AMAs, since you can collapse entire comment threads, and go straight to the areas of the conversation that are relevant to what you want to know. This forum simply is not capable of that, and is exponentially worse at AMAs than reddit is.

The Reddit Dev Celebration will take place, as always. I've already been in touch with the excellent crew at Reddit, and they're aware we'll be visiting there on March 6th. Thanks for asking, though, I think that needed to be clarified.

I mean, a Dev Celebration is good. Having a Forum Chat a week-ish later is extra good, as they both fulfill different purposes and enhance our opportunities to hang out with players. :)

[Red Haired Savage.5430]

@Gaile Gray.6029 said:

I mean, a Dev Celebration is good. Having a Forum Chat a week-ish later is extra good, as they both fulfill different purposes and enhance our opportunities to hang out with players. :)

Will there be cake, party hats, and pin the tail on the dolyak?

[Gaile Gray.6029]

@Red Haired Savage.5430 said:

@Gaile Gray.6029 said:

I mean, a Dev Celebration is good. Having a Forum Chat a week-ish later is

extra

good, as they both fulfill different purposes and enhance our opportunities to hang out with players. :)

Will there be cake, party hats, and pin the tail on the dolyak?

Shhh, don't tell the team, but I was thinking of at least bringing baked goods!

Building Management forbids animals, so the dolyak pinning must take place off campus. :D

[Walhalla.5473]

Different AFCs with different teams? Sounds nice. I hope that someday in the future we can talk with the balance team and have a constructive discussion with them. :)

[KitTheTraveler.6193]

wooooooooooo<3 My Reaction :D

[Dukotje.4382]

@Gaile Gray.6029 said:

@Red Haired Savage.5430 said:

@Gaile Gray.6029 said:

I mean, a Dev Celebration is good. Having a Forum Chat a week-ish later is

extra

good, as they both fulfill different purposes and enhance our opportunities to hang out with players. :)

Will there be cake, party hats, and pin the tail on the dolyak?

Shhh, don't tell the team, but I

was

thinking of at least bringing baked goods!

Building Management forbids animals, so the dolyak pinning must take place off campus. :D

poor dolyak o.o

[Zedek.8932]

@"OriOri.8724" said:As long as you don't cancel the episode AMA on reddit.

As much as people, for no good reason, like to complain about those AMAs being on reddit, reddit is an exponentially better platform for AMAs, since you can collapse entire comment threads, and go straight to the areas of the conversation that are relevant to what you want to know. This forum simply is not capable of that, and is exponentially worse at AMAs than reddit is.

I think an AMA should be about asking ONE question, and get ONE answer. Something like a FAQ or so, THEN you can create little discussions out of it - if necessary at all. When I see reddit - a, in my opinion, horrible place in many aspects - there is so much nonsense to collapse that it works not better or worse than any other bulletin board style of boards. If it's a following question on something already answered, then it could be done using the regular quote feature. But every person adding one-liners, such as "+1", "yeah me too" and "KAPPA" is not something I want to have to collapse in the first place.

Excelsior.

[Ardid.7203]

@Zedek.8932 said:

@"OriOri.8724" said:As long as you don't cancel the episode AMA on reddit.

As much as people, for no good reason, like to complain about those AMAs being on reddit, reddit is an exponentially better platform for AMAs, since you can collapse entire comment threads, and go straight to the areas of the conversation that are relevant to what you want to know. This forum simply is not capable of that, and is exponentially worse at AMAs than reddit is.

I think an AMA should be about asking ONE question, and get ONE answer. Something like a FAQ or so, THEN you can create little discussions out of it - if necessary at all. When I see reddit - a, in my opinion, horrible place in many aspects - there is so much nonsense to collapse that it works not better or worse than any other bulletin board style of boards. If it's a following question on something already answered, then it could be done using the regular quote feature. But every person adding one-liners, such as "+1", "yeah me too" and "KAPPA" is not something I want to have to collapse in the first place.

Excelsior.

Deeply agree.

[OriOri.8724]

@Zedek.8932 said:

@"OriOri.8724" said:As long as you don't cancel the episode AMA on reddit.

As much as people, for no good reason, like to complain about those AMAs being on reddit, reddit is an exponentially better platform for AMAs, since you can collapse entire comment threads, and go straight to the areas of the conversation that are relevant to what you want to know. This forum simply is not capable of that, and is exponentially worse at AMAs than reddit is.

I think an AMA should be about asking ONE question, and get ONE answer. Something like a FAQ or so, THEN you can create little discussions out of it - if necessary at all. When I see reddit - a, in my opinion, horrible place in many aspects - there is so much nonsense to collapse that it works not better or worse than any other bulletin board style of boards. If it's a following question on something already answered, then it could be done using the regular quote feature. But every person adding one-liners, such as "+1", "yeah me too" and "KAPPA" is not something I want to have to collapse in the first place.

Excelsior.

But you can collapse it, even if you don't feel like you should have to. You cannot do that here, its just scrolling indefinitely, hoping to see an answer to the question that might appear 5+ pages later. There is no rational argument for this system being better.

[Inculpatus cedo.9234]

If you are looking for an answer from a Dev (in an AFC), why not use the 'next ArenaNet post' feature? No need to scroll through 5+ pages, then. /shrug

[Gaile Gray.6029]

Hey there,

Here's an update about the upcoming ArenaNet Forum Chat:

• Our first chat will take place this week, on Thursday and Friday, March 15 and 16.
• The topic will be Living World Season 4, Episode 2.
• Guests will include members of the Dev and Narrative Teams. I'll post intros when we start, but others may join in, as well.
• We'll have a dedicated sub-forum for each AFC, in the Game Discussion category, after Professions.
• Each chat will be a separate subforum or "child forum" as they're called, just Ranger, Necromancer, etc., are each a child forum of the category called Professions. The purpose of this format is to retain the archive intact, as a moment in time, and it will make finding comments or answers on a particular subject easier than looking through a larger forum.
• We will open the subforum on Thursday morning a bit in advance of the time the devs will be joining in, to allow you to post your questions. So feel free to think of your questions, feedback, and comments about LW24E2 now, and be ready to post!
• Friday afternoon, we'll close the sub-forum and it will become an archive of the chat. We'll open a new one for the next chat, which will take place in April.
• Normal forum rules apply, and if you note a post or comment of concern, we encourage you to please report it using the Report flag below the comments to allow a moderator can review and handle, as appropriate.

If you have any questions, let me know!

[Keriana.9635]

@"Gaile Gray.6029" said:Hey there,

Here's an update about the upcoming ArenaNet Forum Chat:

• Our first chat will take place this week, on Thursday and Friday, March 15 and 16.
• The topic will be Living World Season 4, Episode 2.
• Guests will include members of the Dev and Narrative Teams. I'll post intros when we start, but others may join in, as well.
• We'll have a dedicated sub-forum for each AFC, in the Game Discussion category, after Professions.
• Each chat will be a separate subforum or "child forum" as they're called, just Ranger, Necromancer, etc., are each a child forum of the category called Professions. The purpose of this format is to retain the archive intact, as a moment in time, and it will make finding comments or answers on a particular subject easier than looking through a larger forum.
• We will open the subforum on Thursday morning a bit in advance of the time the devs will be joining in, to allow you to post your questions. So feel free to think of your questions, feedback, and comments about LW24E2 now, and be ready to post!
• Friday afternoon, we'll close the sub-forum and it will become an archive of the chat. We'll open a new one for the next chat, which will take place in April.
• Normal forum rules apply, and if you note a post or comment of concern, we encourage you to please report it using the Report flag below the comments to allow a moderator can review and handle, as appropriate.

If you have any questions, let me know!I won't be available to post during the day on Thursday. Would it work to post a question Thursday night to potentially be answered during the Friday session? Or, is there another way to submit questions? Thanks!

[Gaile Gray.6029]

@Keriana.9635 said:I won't be available to post during the day on Thursday. Would it work to post a question Thursday night to potentially be answered during the Friday session? Or, is there another way to submit questions? Thanks!

Yes, that absolutely works. I think having the subforum open for posting will allow our global community to post at a time of their convenience, and the devs then can answer a question or respond to a comment when they are active in the subforum. Thanks for asking -- I'm sure this question applies to others, too!

[Zlater.6789]

@Gaile Gray.6029 didnt we just have a Q&A on reddit about LWS4E2? Why do it again instead of a different topic?

I mean I don't wanna sound like I'm ungrateful, but it seems a little redundant :tongue:

[OriOri.8724]

@Gaile Gray.6029 said:

@Keriana.9635 said:I won't be available to post during the day on Thursday. Would it work to post a question Thursday night to potentially be answered during the Friday session? Or, is there another way to submit questions? Thanks!

Yes, that absolutely works. I think having the subforum open for posting will allow our global community to post at a time of their convenience, and the devs then can answer a question or respond to a comment when they are active in the subforum. Thanks for asking -- I'm sure this question applies to others, too!

Kind of expanding on this, but would you guys consider posting the introduction to each forum chat sometime on Wednesday, and allow players to post questions before it officially starts on Thursday morning? This way, some people can get questions posted on time even if they have work on Thursday, it gives the ANet employees some more insight into what kind of questions to expect as well. I find this important, because even if someone posts Thursday night, depending on the popularity of the chat, an ANet employee might not see it and have time to answer it before the entire discussion is archived.