What do we care about?

[The Beatles]

What's important? Is it features or is it gameplay tweaks? Is most development pointless? Will we never get it right with the gameplay and doom ourselves to a position of obscurity with great features but unpopular gameplay? Can we ever please all the users? Do the users still care?

[Freenhult]

Hrm...that's a hard question to answer. Features make the game worth playing...but the gameplay is directly connected to the features that it has...

This almost forms a paradox in my mind. Gahhhhhh

I wouldn't play most games if the features failed; but if the gameplay was horrible, and you would get lots of stuff and not be able to use it... its the same.

[windhound]

gameplay
RWL is a living example
1/2 its features are currently broken, but its still got a healthy amount of players

if the game doesnt look nice, doesnt flow (regaurdless of how nifty it is) then it wont keep the players

[The Beatles]

RWL also has a history, which makes it a bit of a special case.

Still, I'm overall in agreement with you.

[Zephyrus]

Features are nice, but it annoys people if game balance is shot. And we rank fixing stuff over adding new stuff. I'd like new features, but bring back the dev server.

[Gen. Volkov]

Gameplay. The features are cool, but the game has to play well.

[Turock]

I tend to agree with Zephyrus. Balance is very important in order to make for a level playing field. Then comes features and gameplay tweeks to keep that balance. I also feel that there is much room in the game for development and improvment so it would be sad to see things stop. The FAF codebase is SO much better than the original.

I would like a dev server as well and I can supply the hosting if needed. Just let me know

[Ruddertail]

Gameplay. Definately. Features are nice, but I'd rather play with a minimum of features and good gameplay then with poor gameplay and a pile of features. The idea of features is to enhance the gameplay, not the gameplay to enhance the features.

[Clasher]

Well that should answer your question about who cares. Basicly all the people who had a say in the above discussion.

[The Beatles]

I wonder who voted Features. (I nulled.)

BTW, nice to see you joined the forums, Clasher.

Still, this raises the inevitable question then. Does anyone care that I develop? Why should I keep developing? Shouldn't we rather just let some admins/mods twiddle with the gameplay? Why not just shut the whole site down and try to improve ME or RWL?

[Devari]

Features, but only 'cause I like new stuff so much.

In reality, both are very important. But new features can be used to balance gameplay.

In many ways, the old days of eternal beta were nice.

[Ruddertail]

Yes, we care that you develope. Like I said, features enhance gameplay. Gameplay is the most important, but features are very nice, as well. Gameplay, as it is, is fairly balanced right now. The trick is to enhance that gameplay through features without upsetting the balance. That's why we need you here developing, adding, working. That and the fact that you almost are FAF, rather then just leading it.

Why not just develope ME or RWL? Because we are FAF. We have our own distinct community, our own identity, and we cannot, will not, be obsorbed into another game. ME is a spinoff from us, I believe, so it makes little sense that we would be obsorbed into them. They might be obsorbed into us, but not the other way around.

[bjornredtail]

Gameplay... Though I am not playing FAF right now, so I wouldn't know what should be done to gameplay to enhance it.

[Kraken]

gahhh!!!

stinky cheese and bad karma is all i care about!!!!!

[Ruddertail]

*Gives Kraken bad Karma and clobbers him with a peice of stinky cheese.* There. Now be quiet, before I make Kraken squid sushi out of you.