I grow weary from all the negativity.

[trancejeremy]

I haven't been here from the beginning, but when I started playing people seemed content enough.

I think people are upset now by 3 things

1) Lack of new content

For whatever reason, this game adds new content at a snail's pace since Moria. People will always consume content quicker than devs can make it, but I honestly haven't seen a slower game than LOTRO in adding new stuff.

2) Constant change, usually for the worse.

LOTRO seems to be constantly tweaked and reinvented for people who don't like LOTRO, presumably trying to capture ex WoW people or something.

Things never seem to be actually improved (despite a lot of things that need fixing). Things get taken away or nerfed, or at best, it's a neutral switch.

3) Increased focus on monetization, not fun

Hobbit slots is a prime example of this. This is not happening out of Turbine's desire to give people free stuff, it's designed to trigger a dopamine release in the player's brain, causing people spend more money to keep the dopamine flowing.

[Eartholloth]

And what I hinted at was that for an apparently increasing number of posters, the time for attempts at constructive has long passed, due to constant lack of any kind of communication here.

The same people that are unwilling to share relevant information on their own site, reply with snarky comments, if at all, etc. constantly demand constructive criticism and when it is given, ignore it. Then they complain about the resulting negative vibe.

SNy

I have seen Turbine answer questions & not give snarky comments like you claim & guess what happens, people get just rude towards the person who answered the question because they did not like the answer.

[zagreb000]

It's also true that many of the negative comments are that we did not answer at all when in truth they seem to be complaining that we did not answer in the way they want. In fact, we regularly see claims that we have 'never answered' something that we've answered countless times (PvMP maps is a good example). The problem really appears to be either A) the person was unwilling to read the answers given or B) did not like the answer so they discount it (I didn't like it so it doesn't count as an answer) and ask again until the answer changes. At some point we do absolutely stop answering those questions entirely as the answer was given and not changing. There is no point in responding to those as the answers will simply be ignored again.

Dont pull out the PvMP map card. Those threads asking for a new map are answered numerous times by players quoting you or the RoI press release. First to clear it up that we arent getting one then to pint out the broken promise.
As for being active on forums... I would like to see you take a LM and visit the guardian forums to burn down the spider webbing that accumulated there over the years due to neglect by "the dev that shall not be named or appreciated ever again"...
You are fully aware, even if you arent at liberty to say, that some parts of the game have been rudely over looked.

Also i would appreciate if you said anything about that kinship revamp thread that blew everyone's mind and is around 2 years old. If you guys gave any feedback on it im sure a lot of players would take a step back from all the negativity. Till then, deal with the negative rep and bad word of mouth that spills to youtube, other forums, and Turbines other projects........

[dannypl]

Totally agree with the OP.

People are too spoiled

Oh yes, we're so spoiled to expect a company to deliver content that WE ALREADY PAYED FOR in a timely fashion... We're spoiled to expect more than solo quests from an expansion that cost 80$... You're entitled to your opinion, but every expansion turbine has released since moria has included less and less content, and every time some one like you or the OP pat them on the back and say 'good job on the three 1 boss raids!' it just gives them a better reason to squeeze the quality out of LOTRO...

[Minquinn]

I have only been frequenting these forums recently because my enjoyment of the game has hit an all time low. Before when I posted it was asking quest questions of looking up a tip or hint to finish a quest. Now it seems like I'm here either lobbying or at times fighting to keep some of the key features in the game. I try very hard not to be too negative but on paper it all comes out wrong sometimes. You know I also started a thread long ago about get the community back to what is was previously. I think we are far beyond that.

The truth is that I talk to a lot of players. As an ex-wow player, DDO and other games I can say I know quite a few players. There is more negativity off the forums than on trust me. Many people do not feel the forums are a just place to voice their concerns. Even more so if you played WOW.

My focus because I'm stubborn is to stick with a game I know and love. A game which over the last 3 years has just captured me to the point of playing almost no other games. To me that says something. I gave the developers my money for 39 months. I felt much of it was well spent. When the money does not feel well spent then I get concerned. Then when the concerns are not addressed (avoided) I get upset.

The point is there are people on these forums that are just here to make trouble. The problem we are having on the forums lately is good people have chosen to humor these posts with responses. The ones that had meaning posts on page one are in an all out flame war by page 4. Which in turn creates a lot of negativity. Which in turn creates a thread derailment or worse a flame war.

Me personally I want HD to be a huge success and draw in more players and in turn give it more money. Not at the cost of eliminating key features of the game. I know the devs can possibly win me back as a vip

[Rubriel]

(This is my first post on the forums, as I prefer to spend my free time playing rather than typing. However I felt compelled to speak my mind about this.)

Good on you. Thank you for your common sense! It's a breath of fresh air.

[mr_toad]

What this boils down for me is to two things: 1) is acting like a jerk a valid way to communicate and get things done and 2) is hyperbole/extremism a valid arguing tool

Some people in the workforce think it's ok to bully, raise your tone of voice, and aggressively boss around someone else in order to get the job done. There are a lot of very successful people who use this technique to "motivate with fear." But when you act like a jerk on the forums, in my opinion, it's like screaming at someone whom you disagree with. It's counterproductive. It makes me ignore whatever truth might be in your message and discount it. I think for some forum posters, acting negatively has gotten things they wanted out of life. So they bring this shrill, edgy, sarcastic attitude to the forums in a twisted attempt to further their agenda. I think that they don't realize is that Turbine employees are not going to be motivated out of fear or because someone is a really big "forum jerk." In fact, your message is going to get ignored and you're going to look like someone who's gotten things your whole life because you "cried the loudest." Having said that, there are TONS of posters who post legitimate criticism in mature and thoughtful ways. In fact, this thread has inspired me to, at a later date, post on the suggestion forums all the ways I think LOTRO could be improved.

Second, there is some extremist rhetoric that takes the form of “all or nothing” that I personally think is ridiculous. It's like being in a relationship and when you don't like something the other person is doing, you attack their entire person instead of focusing on the specific things that need to be addressed. Comments like "Turbine does nothing for raiders" or "all of Wildemore is complete garbage content" are very extremist, one-sided statements that, I'm guessing, are going to get mostly ignored.

Turbine is far from the only online gaming or MMO to have to deal with this. I've personally read the forums of Neverwinter (the MMO), Rift and Diablo 3 this past weekend and there definitely exists this type of extremist negativity on those forums too. A poster above pointed out that Bethesda deals with it in their games as well. So don't distort matters and say that Turbine is the only one who encounters this negativity on their forums.

[Eartholloth]

What this boils down for me is to two things: 1) is acting like a jerk a valid way to communicate and get things done and 2) is hyperbole/extremism a valid arguing tool

Some people in the workforce think it's ok to bully, raise your tone of voice, and aggressively boss around someone else in order to get the job done. There are a lot of very successful people who use this technique to "motivate with fear." But when you act like a jerk on the forums, in my opinion, it's like screaming at someone whom you disagree with. It's counterproductive. It makes me ignore whatever truth might be in your message and discount it. I think for some forum posters, acting negatively has gotten things they wanted out of life. So they bring this shrill, edgy, sarcastic attitude to the forums in a twisted attempt to further their agenda. I think that they don't realize is that Turbine employees are not going to be motivated out of fear or because someone is a really big "forum jerk." In fact, your message is going to get ignored and you're going to look like someone who's gotten things your whole life because you "cried the loudest." Having said that, there are TONS of posters who post legitimate criticism in mature and thoughtful ways. In fact, this thread has inspired me to, at a later date, post on the suggestion forums all the ways I think LOTRO could be improved.

Second, there is some extremist rhetoric that takes the form of “all or nothing” that I personally think is ridiculous. It's like being in a relationship and when you don't like something the other person is doing, you attack their entire person instead of focusing on the specific things that need to be addressed. Comments like "Turbine does nothing for raiders" or "all of Wildemore is complete garbage content" are very extremist, one-sided statements that, I'm guessing, are going to get mostly ignored.

Turbine is far from the only online gaming or MMO to have to deal with this. I've personally read the forums of Neverwinter (the MMO), Rift and Diablo 3 this past weekend and there definitely exists this type of extremist negativity on those forums too. A poster above pointed out that Bethesda deals with it in their games as well. So don't distort matters and say that Turbine is the only one who encounters this negativity on their forums.

Great post

[MoonwalkIntoMordor]

Positive energy (?) tends to fuel positive results

I'm not big into metaphysics, sorry. I do not believe tones or moods have more power than the reality of the situation.

I value honest feedback. Positive, negative, doesn't matter. As far as I have experienced, honesty fuels confidence. Confidence fuels determination. Determination fuels positive results.

This is all going off the tracks, though my point that you quoted stands. We just have a different view on life. I don't see any inherent value in "undiluted" positivity or negativity. The important part is how you act on it.

Let me explain with an example:

The one thing about analogies is that they are almost always flawed. The person constructing the analogy usually makes the flaw because they are biased about the message they are trying to convey. They skip important details crucial to the parallel.

In your case, with the restaurant analogy, you constructed an event taking place in a single night. A single table wrongly served.

A single night. A single table.

The restaurant called LoTRO has been here for over six years. Over the years there have been many nights. Many tables. Many good times. Many bad times. Six years.

You can expect someone to ignore or tolerate displeasure once. Twice. Thrice. How far do you expect someone to go? Tolerance, just for the sake of being positive? Tolerance is only a virtue until it starts enabling more mistakes and/or displeasure. Like negativity can lead into hatred, insult, so on; positivity can also lead into things undesirable.

Again, possibly went a bit off the tracks here, but hey, your analogy started it.

[Sapience]

Also i would appreciate if you said anything about that kinship revamp thread that blew everyone's mind and is around 2 years old. If you guys gave any feedback on it im sure a lot of players would take a step back from all the negativity.

Thank you for so perfectly, though I'm sure unintentionally, illustrating my point.

Twitter Developer chat Transcript from January 24
http://forums.lotro.com/showthread.p...day-January-24

Q11 Zalladi - Will Galuhad's Kinship proposal ever be considered? #LOTRO
A11 HoarseDev – That’s a tall order (and a great proposal). Kins need a lot of work. Presently, that work sits behind the class work and housing. #LOTRO
A11 HoarseDev – After we bang those things out, if I’m not summarily executed, I would like to get Kins to where they ought to be. #LOTRO

There is even a comment from a player about the acknowledgement in the revamp thread itself.
http://forums.lotro.com/showthread.p...33#post6672133


Shall you be stepping back from your negativity now?

[commodore1]

Dont pull out the PvMP map card. Those threads asking for a new map are answered numerous times by players quoting you or the RoI press release. First to clear it up that we arent getting one then to pint out the broken promise.
As for being active on forums... I would like to see you take a LM and visit the guardian forums to burn down the spider webbing that accumulated there over the years due to neglect by "the dev that shall not be named or appreciated ever again"...
You are fully aware, even if you arent at liberty to say, that some parts of the game have been rudely over looked.

Also i would appreciate if you said anything about that kinship revamp thread that blew everyone's mind and is around 2 years old. If you guys gave any feedback on it im sure a lot of players would take a step back from all the negativity. Till then, deal with the negative rep and bad word of mouth that spills to youtube, other forums, and Turbines other projects........

They want respect but did they forget respect is earned not just given. The last two expac's and qp didn't measure up to garner my respect. For me, quality equals respect, and when they stopped putting out quality they stopped respecting me. So why should a company that doesn't respect its clients/customers get any respect? I do believe that this will be my last Turbine game.

Oh and by the way +1 rep it logged me off while trying to do that. Another reason to hold back respect... Fix your forums for crying out loud!

[NukeTheLag]

Its true there are questions we cannot answer for a host of reasons that ultimately don't matter much to those asking the question.

Actually the reasons for not answering the question can matter a lot.

To take one example: When FAs were dropping from t1 raids --- When this was finally fixed, it was announced that it was a bug. To compound matters this announcement was made in a "nothing to see here folks," manner which didn't exactly help matters.

But even setting that aside, if it was simply a bug, why couldn't this have been posted in the known issues thread or explained in the numerous threads asking what was going on with the crazy loot situation? I can understand getting tired of being asked the same question about a new PvMP zone. I can understand not showing all the cards on an upcoming expansion. I cannot see what harm to Turbine's corporate interests there would have been in saying that FA dropping in t1 raids was a bug that would soon be fixed. Nor, since it was new problem can it be compared to a question the keeps getting asked ad nauseum.

Related to this is the question of why this keeps happening (Horse-lord farming, Durchest, etc.). If it is truly a bug then at some point it is a legitimate question, (i.e. not "negativity"), to ask why this bug keeps occurring and what is going on with quality control. It is also legitimate to ask if in fact it is not a bug but part of some plan (e.g. to manipulate the store, temporarily increase login numbers or test out a new loot system).

If in fact it is due to a decision not to invest in quality control or some scheme to manipulate things then I can see the logic in not answering these questions. Turbine could rationally conclude that giving a straight answer would be more harmful from the fallout over leaving its customers in the dark. However, if it is truly a inadvertent bug that is going to be fixed in a week anyway, the logic isn't very clear.

(And I also cannot see the logic in putting things like arm animations in the known issues thread while ignoring the situation that existed with FAs. It is inconceivable that anyone would think "the players could give a hoot about FAs falling from the sky, but they'll riot in the streets if we don't keep them in the loop about fishing animations." Quite obviously the #1 question on people's minds at the time was what going on with FA, so it's not an answer to say that we just accidently left this out. In any event an answer could have been provided in the numerous threads specifically asking these questions at the time).

In short, it is hard to see what was going on with all of this unless there was something going on that Turbine didn't want us to know about and most likely is still going on. That is simply the logical conclusion to be reached by examining the available evidence. If there is evidence to suggest otherwise, then Turbine can make it available.

At a minimum, whatever Turbine's reasons for not answering these questions, it is perfectly rational on the consumers' end to wonder just what is going on. The lack of meaningful communication only contributes to their concerns. And thus the reason for not answering the question becomes just as important as the original question.

[Sapience]

To take one example: When FAs were dropping from t1 raids --- When this was finally fixed, it was announced that it was a bug. To compound matters this announcement was made in a "nothing to see here folks," manner which didn't exactly help matters.

Because the simple truth is... it was a bug. Fact. Simple. No grand explanations needed. Really as simple as that. I know many would like to see us address the conspiracy theories around it, but why? Why give them any credibility when they are pure flights of fancy. Also, or the most part, it wouldn't matter. Those who have decided that the conspiracy theories are the truth aren't interested in the facts or truth. They don't want to hear anything else. So any answer other than one that matches their opinion is going to be shouted down.

Simple truth. It was a bug. We fixed it. Done. The rest is just noise.

[bohbashum]

"road rage" works very much the same as what people get when there on the computer. they feel extremely safe behind there screen and have little fear to express there opinion to other people.

however sometimes it's good to get extremely honest feedback. there were times when I was practicing music at home and asked my friends/family if it was good, they weren't honest and it just hurt more when I got negative feedback for the first time at college. I made a minecraft texture pack, and the first response was "it's &&&&, the colours just seem random" I went back and made a pallet of colours and made sure each biome fitted with these. I could of had the knee-jerk response like many have "well it's just not your thing then" buts terrible at ignoring the first real feedback of a random person who tested it for me.

it's up to us as a community to promote constructive feedback, for example: "I hate x because of y". even if that means asking just asking "why?" do they hate elements/mechanics of the game. just ignore obvious trolls too, shouldn't need to be reminded.

ofc, it could just be "grumpy old man syndrome"...

[tanlis]

Its true there are questions we cannot answer for a host of reasons that ultimately don't matter much to those asking the question.

So what is the reason for not answering the question about when problems will be fixed in the Mac client?

[Beaniemooch]

Because the simple truth is... it was a bug. Fact. Simple. No grand explanations needed.

Sapience, I appreciate this and understand it was no big deal for you guys. But it was allowed to go on for a couple weeks without an announcement from Turbine that "This is a bug and will be fixed in a future patch." Simple, doesn't make a big deal of it, but it would've informed rather than surprised. I don't think it would've increased the farming any more than we were already doing but it would've let people know. Because it wasn't announced as such a lot of folks thought it was WAI. My kin and circle of friends treated it like a bug and a short time opportunity because we were pretty sure it was not going to last, having lived through the Durchest incident.

And I don't believe in conspiracy theories, because they're way too much trouble to carry out.

[Mar-Evayave]

The developers here need to take note of other successful FtP models such as SWtOR, which offers up 98% of the content for free, with one recent expansion that raises the level cap by 5.

A whole group of kinnies here on LOTRO started playing SWTOR because we needed a change of pace. Basically, we were all strangled by all of the restrictions and quickly moved on. The game has had some serious issues since it launched. That's why it is "F2P" now anyway -- because once it released as P2P it almost died very quickly because the game is just that bad. That's the only reason (at least, the only one I'm aware of) they turned it into a "F2P" game.

Furthermore, even as a "F2P" game, I would not at all be surprised if SWTOR goes under. I did like that the lvl 0-50 content is free, but I believe the reason why the game lost so many people during P2P is because that content sucked so badly.

Keep in mind I did not play in that initial phase. I only entered the scene after the game went F2P. I even went VIP for a short while and ended up getting the recent expansion as well. Unfortunately, the expansion was so boring and slow (in my personal opinion) that I didn't even reach the new lvl cap of 55 before I just left. Of course, I know what interests me won't interest everyone. It's merely my own thoughts on the matter.

As others have mentioned, many things can be unlocked if you have enough in-game credits because people can sell unlocks for stuff like inventory, cargo bays, character slots, cosmetic- and title-related things, artifact gear, etc. Unfortunately for my group of kinnies, none of us realized that until after almost all of us had left (I was the only one still there but it was just too late -- I eagerly told them all, but they'd already been burnt to a crisp and had no inclination to return).

I like that SWTOR offers most content free. I like that you can (to some degree, since there are restrictions on how many credits non-VIPers can have) buy game unlocks on the Galactic Trade Network. But as for the content... I liked it in the early areas but as I've already mentioned, it got boring for me and I couldn't reach the end.

[Sapience]

So what is the reason for not answering the question about when problems will be fixed in the Mac client?

Because I have no answer to give. As with nearly all bugs reported we don't publish a timeline of what will be fixed when. Usually because it's based entirely on severity of bug and priotiy assigned to the fix.

The only exception to this is when a branch is close to being locked down. Then I can sometimes go in before release notes get sorted out and look to see what possible fixes are coming. Usually the major game breaking ones (not client side, server side).

[Sapience]

And I don't believe in conspiracy theories, because they're way too much trouble to carry out.

To put it as simply as possible; occam's razor.

[TheCrossbow]

Because I have no answer to give. As with nearly all bugs reported we don't publish a timeline of what will be fixed when. Usually because it's based entirely on severity of bug and priotiy assigned to the fix.

The only exception to this is when a branch is close to being locked down. Then I can sometimes go in before release notes get sorted out and look to see what possible fixes are coming. Usually the major game breaking ones (not client side, server side).

If I may, Sapience, put some comments some people have made in a different way (and filter out the attitudes behind them)...

I think what people might appreciate is to hear a more consistent response from various members of the development team. At the very least, maybe more interaction from various people in Turbine to let us know our voices have been heard on things that we think are important.

IMHO, the idea behind that 20 Questions is a good way to go with communication from various people within Turbine. It lets people know what is going on behind the scenes without divulging anything excessive. You should definitely keep doing these at least 1/week.

Though, I can see your point about people hearing and ignoring any "official responses" they don't like. There will always be people who are never satisfied.

[tanlis]

Because I have no answer to give. As with nearly all bugs reported we don't publish a timeline of what will be fixed when. Usually because it's based entirely on severity of bug and priotiy assigned to the fix.

The only exception to this is when a branch is close to being locked down. Then I can sometimes go in before release notes get sorted out and look to see what possible fixes are coming. Usually the major game breaking ones (not client side, server side).

Thank you. And despite that not being a specific answer, it is still an answer.

I realize you can't answer everything and it gets redundant. Perhaps bugs and priority could be communicated.

[NukeTheLag]

Because the simple truth is... it was a bug. Fact. Simple. No grand explanations needed. Really as simple as that. I know many would like to see us address the conspiracy theories around it, but why? Why give them any credibility when they are pure flights of fancy. Also, or the most part, it wouldn't matter. Those who have decided that the conspiracy theories are the truth aren't interested in the facts or truth. They don't want to hear anything else. So any answer other than one that matches their opinion is going to be shouted down.

Simple truth. It was a bug. We fixed it. Done. The rest is just noise.

Fair enough. So then why couldn't this information have been provided in the known issues prior to the patch when everyone was asking what was going on with this? And why do similar bugs seem to keep happening (with again, no meaningful communication). In other words, when the Withshaws instance has the fourth go-round of this nonsense, it calls into question whether the bug was in fact fixed or whether it was in fact a bug. These are perfect logical questions to ask given the available evidence. At a minimum it raises legitimate questions about quality control, whether content is getting rushed out too quickly or whether the game is running out of resources. I don't see how dismissing valid concerns as "conspiracy theories" helps customer relations.

(Also, it worth noting that the FA issue was almost certainly not a bug in the proper sense of some glitch buried in some subroutine. It was quite obviously sloppiness in improperly putting a loot item in the wrong table. Even if Turbine messed everything else up and only got it right with one item, quite obviously FA symbols were that item). So again, how do minor animation glitches make the known issues lists but not an issue of this magnitude?

If it was that simple and required no grand explanation then why couldn't this simple, non-grand explanation have been provided to the player base in a timely fashion? That is a legitimate question. It is not noise. Nor is it shouting anyone down. Again, this can not be spun as a question that has been asked and answered numerous times. Nor when the fix for the bug is coming out in a week can this be seen as a question about trade secrets or the like such as details about HD.

Furthermore, the lack of what you concede is a simple explanation being provided is the basis for "conspiracy theories" especially in conjunction any number of other issues. As I said, the lack of information on FAs in T1 raids was but one example. If Turbine has information that would dispel "conspiracy theories" then Turbine should provide said information. If it chooses not to provide information then the perfectly forseeable result is going to be "conspiracy theories." For the very reasons you state, this is precisely the sort of thing that if its just a bug, people reasonably expect some communication saying "it's just a bug." When such communication does not occur, the mind naturally wonders why this could be.

(I would also point out that any decision made by Turbine is going to be the result of two or more people reaching an agreement on a plan of action. By definition virtually any corporate decision is a "conspiracy.")

The overarching point is that we are interested in the "facts and the truth" and it is the lack of communication that prevent us from getting them. The lack of simple answer to a simple question, prior to the fix, with regards to the FA situation is a perfect example of this.

[zagreb000]

Shall you be stepping back from your negativity now?

Well that wasnt hard was it? But in my defence, not that it matters really, it is not as easy to come across info on the kinship revamp as it is on the new PvMP map. I do like to see my comments as constructive criticism, but yes, on the topic of the kinship revamp i will "be stepping back" even though i am a huge fan of Galuhads work. I cant promise that about other parts of the game.

Even if it might be hard work, the more comments you tackle like you did mine, the better it is for you guys.......

Edit: You need to understand that you need us. You need even the biggest trash talkers to keep you on your toes and working at your best at all times. One negative comment might not effect you, but an accumulation of them surely can........ What happens when the comments stop? When people stop caring? Thats the time when you should start to worry.....

[Sapience]

If I may, Sapience, put some comments some people have made in a different way (and filter out the attitudes behind them)...

I think what people might appreciate is to hear a more consistent response from various members of the development team. At the very least, maybe more interaction from various people in Turbine to let us know our voices have been heard on things that we think are important.

IMHO, the idea behind that 20 Questions is a good way to go with communication from various people within Turbine. It lets people know what is going on behind the scenes without divulging anything excessive. You should definitely keep doing these at least 1/week.

Once a week is probably too often if I'm being honest. Frankly when we've done similar things on a weekly basis it quickly turns into the same small group of people and questions and then we get the "you only answer the same questions" complaints and something good becomes something bad. Once or twice a month seems to work out much better. For the record I'm already at work on the next 20 (at about 15 currently I think)

At the end of the day Turbine does not require any member of the dev team to post or even have a forum account. I think some devs would probably quit outright if we did. These people are hired to make games not be public speakers. So the only person on the LOTRO Team actually required to post on a regular basis, or really at all, is me. So that's why a lot of information is passed through me and not directly posted.

That doesn't mean they don't read. I can walk through the dev pit and there are very few devs who aren't reading the forums or have it open in a tab, or otherwise keeping an eye on your comments at some point during their day. If they're looking for something specific they'll usually ask me to point to a thread or reach out to someone directly. Sometimes I post things on their behalf. It all depends on the day and the dev.

In fact, when we created the player council nearly every member of the team and also QA and eCommerce asked for a forum account so they could read the council forums (because the feedback there is really good and very high quality - at least that's what the team keeps telling me ).

So yes, you're being heard. Probably more than you think. But being heard and "doing what I told you" aren't the same thing. Some think they're supposed to be.

[Khafar]

At the end of the day Turbine does not require any member of the dev team to post or even have a forum account. I think some devs would probably quit outright if we did.

Yep, and I'm one of those who would polish up my resume that afternoon if my company ever tried to force me into being a "public voice" for them. That's not my skill set, and it's most definitely not my interest. Doing a customer call maybe once or twice a month and getting out to a customer site maybe once a year is about as much as I have any interest in. My job enjoyment comes from working on a great team to design cool products.

Thankfully, my company -- like you guys -- have people who do "customer interaction" for a living: sales, customer support, product planners, public relations. Those are all quite important. But I'd pretty much rather have dental surgery than do any of them. No offense .

Khafar