Why boosting your customer satisfaction is important...

[XghostzX]

Hey guys,

I found a really cool article on customer satisfaction in the gaming industry. Take a look here: http://venturebeat.com/2013/02/18/why-you-need-to-boost-your-customer-service-game/

I have a few questions that I would love to hear you guys answer in this thread:

1.) What are your thoughts on the article?

2.) In the eyes of a player, do you agree to what this article is arguing for? In the eyes of a game studio/development team, do you agree with this?

3.) How can STS find a good balance between good customer satisfaction, as well as maintaining 5 different games?

4.) Would focusing on one game go a longer way that has lots of attention than creating multiple games with little attention to each? (Or vice versa)

Thanks.

I guess in my own quick opinion, the article talks about how studios have rare opportunities to maximize in profits and something they love - that is as long as they have a strong community. PL is the best community I have ever been apart of when it comes to gaming.

[Spyce]

STG should just update there games more often.

[Suentous PO]

Nice bro,

1: I don't know anyone who plays pl sl or dl who wouldn't agree.
2: yes but see answer 4
3: additional or more dedicated attention
4: as a player I lean towards one game being perfected. However I trust the reason that they are expanding is because it is better for them at this time financially.
Yet my spending in this one game is directly linked to how much I feel valued as a customer.

[Actona679]

"During the startup phase, game development is the main focus – it’s all about the release of the game, the company’s core business and raison d’etre. Player support is often a secondary concern, edged out in favor of the frantic pace of design and launch of new games."

Yes. I would say that is exactly what we are experiencing and, unfortunately, it's a bit disappointing for many of us who liked being the sole focus of the STS love. Hard to share and let go of bygone days. I do wish, however, that STS would read this and remember that you won't keep customers loving you if you don't love them back. ALL of them. A little more communication with the older games, even if it is a repetitive "we hear you; we're listening, we haven't forgotten you" type of communication, would go a long way to keeping us happy and hopeful that they still think of us occasionally.

Even I know you can't just say this once and expect people to be happy. Repetition does wonders.

Edit: sorry, didn't really answer questions.

[XghostzX]

(null)

Your feedback is appreciated :)

[xcainnblecterx]

Well I say by now with how much money they made off of al alone, they can get enough staff to seperate into groups for each individual game. Sure it'd be hard finding the staff and showing em what's already been done etc. But it could go a long way for all 5 of their games

[Sryyoulose]

Well I say by now with how much money they made off of al alone, they can get enough staff to seperate into groups for each individual game. Sure it'd be hard finding the staff and showing em what's already been done etc. But it could go a long way for all 5 of their games

Which is why they focus on al.

[XghostzX]

Which is why they focus on al.

I think his point being that they could have a great balance between profit and making each game to the best of their ability. Not just one.

[xbabybugszx]

Which is why they focus on al.

I think his point being that they could have a great balance between profit and making each game to the best of their ability. Not just one.

They'll just suck the money out of al until It's dry, then move their attention to something new or return to their older games, It's the cycle.

[NotYoCookiez]

Honestly I don't mind with 5 different games but sts is needs to hire more people... With more devs/mods, games such as DL,SL and PL won't be neglected and receive "income" from these games...

But right now STG is putting more weight on their shoulder... But let's be honest, this is all sts plan. More people they hire=more money they need to pay in salary... So they just keep the company small and make different games. Usually during the start it gets famous and then after it dies... BAM new game more money for them and rest of the games are left to die except for the occasional plat sale, double damage, double exp, and vanities that cost so much but anyways that's only to leech out money from loyal players/customers.

[xcainnblecterx]

They'll just suck the money out of al until It's dry, then move their attention to something new or return to their older games, It's the cycle.

Seems to be. Already got another game and its a RTS game

[The Happiness]

1. Very interesting article xGhostzx. Thanks for sharing.

2. Yes, as a player and a customer, I agree with the sentiment.

3. I am going to stick my neck out here and risk the wrath of the PL Community, but I actually think STS do a pretty good job of balancing customer satisfaction and maintaining 5 games. I understand completely where a small team of developers must put their time and energy. I have tried all but the latest of their games but my heart (and money) lie in PL. This is the first of their games and is the one that I identify the most with. It appeals to me personally. The fantasy element, the quests, the UI, the whole. Yes it was better before elixirs, better before platinum ruined the economy and game play but, for a business, it was unsustainable without platinum and I can see why it moved in that direction. The introduction of the daily blessings and x3 combos has done wonders in evening out the differences between players with and without platinum. It is easy to complain about games evolving in a way that doesn't suit everyone but not everyone in the world has to play pl. There are other games. There are other games even that STS have created. Some of my friends left pl for SL, some for DL and some for AL. Some have returned to pl, some have not. Everyone wants something different to fill their recreational time and no one game/gaming company can fulfill that. Obviously it pains me to see my favourite game left with no update and no word of one, but I can see why STS are concentrating their resources on other games. Technology has moved on since the introduction of PL. Investment will be given to developing newer games based on the success of the predecessors. Although I feel we are not a massive priority in PL, I don't feel neglected completely. The devs are still here, still dealing with issues, still stalking the forums. But there is only so much a small company can attend to at a given time. I don't think customer service is poor. It is adequate but with all things it could be improved.

4. We are going through hard times financially. Technology and new games and apps are the future. Any company that sits on its laurels and does not keep up with the demand is a dead one. Developing one game like PL is just not viable. Much as I would love STS to just infuse PL with resources, it is not sustainable. The future requires businesses to be one step ahead. I think STS have tried to keep apace with that. In an ideal world, the company would grow and new people would be brought in for new game developments. Unfortunately talented people are exceedingly expensive. The overheads and taxes involved are tremendous expenses a small company in financially tight times has to consider....and there's only so much platinum I can afford despite the fact I feel like I am paying for two developer salaries ;P

[billybob1]

the sad part is....all sts needs to do is give us some kinda word about pl. its not like that is asking for much,and it will some people happy. from the game that made them, helped them make other games i think we at least deserve to know a little sumthng of what is happening

[XghostzX]

1. Very interesting article xGhostzx. Thanks for sharing.

2. Yes, as a player and a customer, I agree with the sentiment.

3. I am going to stick my neck out here and risk the wrath of the PL Community, but I actually think STS do a pretty good job of balancing customer satisfaction and maintaining 5 games. I understand completely where a small team of developers must put their time and energy. I have tried all but the latest of their games but my heart (and money) lie in PL. This is the first of their games and is the one that I identify the most with. It appeals to me personally. The fantasy element, the quests, the UI, the whole. Yes it was better before elixirs, better before platinum ruined the economy and game play but, for a business, it was unsustainable without platinum and I can see why it moved in that direction. The introduction of the daily blessings and x3 combos has done wonders in evening out the differences between players with and without platinum. It is easy to complain about games evolving in a way that doesn't suit everyone but not everyone in the world has to play pl. There are other games. There are other games even that STS have created. Some of my friends left pl for SL, some for DL and some for AL. Some have returned to pl, some have not. Everyone wants something different to fill their recreational time and no one game/gaming company can fulfill that. Obviously it pains me to see my favourite game left with no update and no word of one, but I can see why STS are concentrating their resources on other games. Technology has moved on since the introduction of PL. Investment will be given to developing newer games based on the success of the predecessors. Although I feel we are not a massive priority in PL, I don't feel neglected completely. The devs are still here, still dealing with issues, still stalking the forums. But there is only so much a small company can attend to at a given time. I don't think customer service is poor. It is adequate but with all things it could be improved.

4. We are going through hard times financially. Technology and new games and apps are the future. Any company that sits on its laurels and does not keep up with the demand is a dead one. Developing one game like PL is just not viable. Much as I would love STS to just infuse PL with resources, it is not sustainable. The future requires businesses to be one step ahead. I think STS have tried to keep apace with that. In an ideal world, the company would grow and new people would be brought in for new game developments. Unfortunately talented people are exceedingly expensive. The overheads and taxes involved are tremendous expenses a small company in financially tight times has to consider....and there's only so much platinum I can afford despite the fact I feel like I am paying for two developer salaries ;P

Thanks for the response Happiness, I appreciate it. I do agree with many of your claims, as it's safe to say that money rules everything and everyone. Yes, we are in times of financial issues and STS needs to keep up with the pace in order to keep those salaries rolling in. They have a life too!

On another note, Happiness, I'm very upset that STS made a promise to us loyal players. They promised updates that would eventually lead a campaign to level cap 101. That promise hasn't really been fulfilled considering we haven't received even one word on our next cap, and not to mention this has been the longest time without a new cap. There's a certain point where a studio needs to come to a balance between it's players and $$$. This is where my opinion may differ from yours. You stated that you do not feel completely neglected, whereas I do feel completely neglected. I always see the the devs trying to comfort us on forums saying "we haven't forgotten about our true love," however with no significant changes to PL and with no changes to what us players have continuously asked for through detailed threads, it's impossible for me to not feel neglected. So this is where our to opinions differentiate, and it's just a matter of what we believe - statistics and facts can't really support our arguments.

In the article I shared, it talks about how gaming companies need to take advantage of their close/strong communities and get to a closer & more emotional level with their players. It's extremely difficult to please every single player - excuse me, it's impossible. But players are able to tell when developers start ignoring them more.

So put this into another perspective:

PL was in it's prime at one point. SL came along, and we start going down hill.

DL was made, now SL feels neglected.

AL was made - all 3 games feel neglected (with PL feeling most neglected because AL has the same theme).

Now Battle Dragons was made. This means less attention to AL, and more gradually AL players will realize the closer you get to end game, the more Plat based the game is.

At some point you will have a a pile of random players - not a strong community. PL contained the core base of loyal players, and that has come to a complete loss. Why? It's what I previously stated. SL, DL, & soon to be AL players will be falling apart.

The cycle continues, and STS feels the need to create another game, another MMO, another way out to earn money. However, evolution proves that when massive groups of people are not satisfied, the overall government or ruler can fall apart (I'm not trying to make this political, just trying to prove my point.).

Sorry if this is wordy, I'm just trying to share my thoughts to the best of my ability. Thanks for all of your responses.

[NECROREAPER]

I can see where everyone incoming from, as I've *certainely* seen how much the devs/player and 'customer service' has declined since the earlier days of the game, but here's a different perspective to look at:

STS's games have a rapid succession rate then a massive declination in players (sans PL). Because of this STS is only getting quick bursts of money rather than a steady income, meaning they can't sustain themselves which pushes them to make a new product to generate more income. STS can't depend solely on one game, no matter how much it may be their crown jewel, and it is the reason why they need to expand their business which in time will lead to a better experience for the customers. Every company goes through this, STS is just in the expansion phase and will likely get out of it soon meaning a better experience for us all.

[The Happiness]

the sad part is....all sts needs to do is give us some kinda word about pl. its not like that is asking for much,and it will some people happy. from the game that made them, helped them make other games i think we at least deserve to know a little sumthng of what is happening

I couldn't agree more but....consider this ....what if they have no intention of making any more updates? If they announced that this is as far as the journey goes....would you buy more platinum? Would I? No, we would pack our bags and move onto something else because it is the promise of good things to come that keeps us here. We're not quite ready to give it all up. And while there is hope, there is platinum spending ;p

[The Happiness]

@xghostzx I won't quote you....cos it was looong :)

I think the bottom line is STS is a company who's ultimate goal is build a successful company. Successful nearly always means financially successful. Where they may have lured people in with the concept of free to play, to make money, players have to pay money. With PL it was certainly a learning platform. It takes time to get the balance right. Maybe they are trying their way to perfect this with the introduction of new games/genres. In any business, not every thing you attempt is successful.

AL is similar to PL but the technology behind it has evolved somewhat. Why put money and resources into a "old" game built on "old" technologies? If they have investors, maybe these are people who are heavily involved in direction of the company. There are so many factors to consider.

But I do understand your point. I would love STS to bring us a super duper update more than anything. I am just realistic and can see how dissatisfaction occurs on both the developers and customers sides. You cannot please all the people all of the time! (And I don't mean just the pl community)

[NotYoCookiez]

the sad part is....all sts needs to do is give us some kinda word about pl. its not like that is asking for much,and it will some people happy. from the game that made them, helped them make other games i think we at least deserve to know a little sumthng of what is happening

You are right but think about it, we all know the word would be "PL won't be updated anytime soon" an that would make people quit/ lose hope so they lose money. With them being quite it makes people still play and make them think it's all fine so they continue to play

[CrimsonTider]

Here's the thing, as constructive as this thread is, and as much truth which lies within, I would not waste the time to continue to post as I see it being deleted just as Noodle's was. Fact is, this is not the same STS we use to know. All of the things that drove people away from Gameloft, Zinga, Glu, etc., and what we use to praise STS for not doing, they now are.

And regardless of what anyone tells you, if PL had received all of their attention, they very easily could have expanded on a product that would be light years ahead of SL, DL, and AL. To quote an old Metallica song:

"For whom the bell tolls, time marches on."

[Caiahar]

I agree with alot (alot? Might as well say everything) here, but there's one thing for sure.
StG needs to update their old games more.
I'm certain, if StG was compared to other MMO's/whatever games company, StG wouldn't be too far at the bottom for updating PL.
PL contains most oldies, and more mature people than I have seen in other StG games. Even in game, there are mature people, forums as well.
However, if you venture into AL, many in gamers don't know many stuff, and AL forums is another thing together, it's nothing like PL forums.
What Devs do, is lock threads here.
And in support, sometimes they never reply.
And they don't ban the people who shout out plat websites that are scams.

I remember, I clearly remember a dev saying something about 81 cap, that something about 81 cap vanity.
And Im not too sure, but kind of sure, that a dev said something about 101 cap.
All of the 81/101 cap info were at the beginning of BSM cap, or the announcement about elite rings, dragon rings, elite eye, fallen prince, etc.
That is all that I can think of.

[XghostzX]

if PL had received all of their attention, they very easily could have expanded on a product that would be light years ahead of SL, DL, and AL. To quote an old Metallica song:

"For whom the bell tolls, time marches on."

Is it possible to fully enhance/upgrade the graphics of a game? Or is it the type of engine the game is run on depend on its graphics/content?

Sometimes I don't understand the concept of "running out of space". I feel as if anything is possible in the cyber world - that really when STS says this, it's just because they want to focus their time on a different product. If I'm wrong, someone please tell me. I'm not a whizz at this stuff.

[Suentous PO]

If this caveman understands "space" refers to the bandwidth available and how much can travel back and forth ( correct me if not).
So it is a limited amount.

As to two others points;
Would I spend if I knew there was no other content? Prolly not, BUT, as it is I've barely spent anything on this content since al was introduced because I sometimes wory pl is intentionally not developed , and old bugs aren't fixed.

I remember they toyed with the idea of subscriptions once, and I would have done that providing Capitol to fix or expand pl. Seems that idea was dropped.


One last thing, customer service doesnt always cost money. How? Look at the al forums, one HUGE difference is that the devs/ mods INTERACT with them. Something as simple as answering a question goes a long way to fight the "neglected" responce players have. Pl only sees devs lock threads, at least in the near past Techno Email was a colorfull presence. Now we mostly only hear responces like "just report" or "thread closed".
I still have a thread saved where Sam rickrolled us for no good reason other than the belly laugh we had. Now folks don't know which dev Gary is!

Edit- we got JustG on a thread tonight, made me smile.

[iiirootzz]

Here's my two sense, and at the risk of sounding like a broken record, it's sonewhat unique. I would very much like to see sts reply to this thread. Seriously, give us ANYTHING to go on. I'm sure that if you looked at the decline of players recently, it would be appalling. All those paying customers being lost, and yet sts remains stoic. I am severly disappointed in sts as of late .

[Oldcoot]

Don't hold your breath

[XghostzX]

@Root - I'm not really looking for a dev response, more so feedback from us players.

[Fusionstrike]

This article had some interesting things to think about. Here's what stuck out for me.

First, the article is definitely correct when it says that customer service can be a great differentiator for a game developer. It's a crowded space out there, with many games competing for users' time and attention. Having better customer service than the norm is a powerful answer to the question "Why play OUR game?". And in this context, customer service is much more than help getting past a problem. I'd really call it "community interaction", which covers everything from help logging in and other "traditional" service issues to talking with the community about what's going well and not so well, what the future plans for the game are, etc. STS used to be extremely responsive in this area, which was a great point in retaining players. Even if what they announced was something you were against, you would still appreciate knowing where they're coming from and that they do listen and want the community to have a good time with the game.

Second, the part about capitalizing on player feedback really resonated with me. The great benefit of building a strong community is that you can get a partnership between game developers and players. This is extremely valuable. There will always be players who complain or offer unworkable or simplistic advice, but there are also those who are really insightful about what's good, where the problems are, and most importantly, how things can be made better. Sure it costs time to do this, but what could be better than finding out exactly what your customers are hungry for and acting on it? Most industries spend countless money and time trying to figure this out because they CAN'T just ask the consumers what they want. This is the number one advantage of a strong community like PL has.

Third, the "newest technology" comments people have been making I think are missing the mark. Personally, I don't really get excited about the newest graphics and best rendering engines. I rarely ever pick a game based on things like this. It's the gameplay, content and challenge that really matters, followed by willingness of development team to get in there and make changes to improve the experience. So PL has cartoony graphics. So what? I actually like the feel of the game, and it's because I've had good experiences with playing it. I actually appreciate this style aspect more because of the enjoyment I've gotten with it.

My first experience with online gaming came on a small, text-based game back when having an internet connection was still new. This game had literally no graphics at all, but provided a great play experience, tons of challenge, and had a great mix of players to experience it with. The development was done completely by volunteer staff, and players and staff always had open communication. The debates were spirited, and sometimes people got heated, but this because everyone was so involved in the game and its success. Both players and staff came and went, but there was always a core of those devoted to the game and its improvement. The game is now 25 years old and is still going. And it's still just a bunch of text on a screen as its "technology". But the community (which includes developers and players both) is passionately devoted to the game they love, and that's really what determines the success of any MMO.

So chasing the "latest technology" I think is the wrong focus to have. Build a compelling game, invest honest effort in it, and use your community to help it evolve. The very strong PL community is losing hope, and will someday pass a point of no return where the enthusiasm is lost forever. But it's not too late to turn it around. This thread and others like it prove the community is still here, hoping to engage with you and revive the game they love. The path STS is on right now is as a "serial game developer" where the path to victory is to release new titles to capture new players. But building and then alienating community after community is a hard road to success. STS, you have a captive audience that you can nurture and grow as you once did. Don't relinquish that valuable asset in the false pursuit of making "the next great thing" to the detriment of the success you already have.

[XghostzX]

Thanks for the response Fusion, I appreciate it! I want to chime in on the subject you talked about in your last paragraph. Although I agree with your claim in the perspective of a PL player (whereas, I only want the best for PL), does it make to "chase the latest technology" in STS' position? Keep in mind we're in tough financial era.

[Fusionstrike]

Thanks for the response Fusion, I appreciate it! I want to chime in on the subject you talked about in your last paragraph. Although I agree with your claim in the perspective of a PL player (whereas, I only want the best for PL), does it make to "chase the latest technology" in STS' position? Keep in mind we're in tough financial era.

Well, I see it as a balance. There's always going to be a newer technology to move to starting the day you release the game with what you thought was the latest and greatest. And while it wouldn't make sense NEVER to move, I think they're actually better off being as inclusive as possible and focusing on gameplay experience. One great thing about PL is you can play it on lots of platforms, and plenty are not high-end. (Remember when they ended support for older Android phones and there was a huge cry? Being inclusive at the expense of having the "latest shiny" can actually be an advantage as far as the number of users you can reach.) In other words, the gameplay experience itself is a lot more portable and lasts a lot longer than hanging your hopes on always having the latest graphics or some other purely technical edge.