Community Communications and Engagement - Preferences Feedback Wanted

BasP · December 2024

ZOS_JessicaFolsom wrote: »

For Reddit AMAs, do you prefer when they are focused on specific topic and/or team, or when they are broad and open to all topics?

Similarly, for planned Q&As on the forums, what are everyone’s thoughts on them being a broad “grab bag” style Q&A versus themed around a specific topic such as PVP content? Do you have a preference? (Answering "both" for this question and the one above it is fine, too!)

Generally speaking, I'd prefer themed AMA's and Q&A's as I feel like those would lead to more in-depth answers around specific subjects.

I like the idea Avran_Sylt posted though. Starting with a broad AMA before delving into specifics, based on what the community voted on, sounds good.

Also, when we pull questions from the forums for a written Q&A, how would you all feel about using the forum react system to "vote" on what questions are most important to you? For example, dropping an "Agree" react on the ones you'd most like us to answer.

Hm, I'm not sure about this. On the one hand, it seems reasonable as the biggest number of players would like to get answers to those questions. On the other hand, I feel it's a bit "unfair" to players that ask niche questions that still deserve to be answered but don't get a lot of upvotes however.

On the topic of player satisfaction surveys, what are your thoughts on these being all-encompassing versus a little more focused on specific things each time, based on what is going on at the time?

Both would have its merits. I'm guessing specific surveys could lead to more meaningful results though.

Kallykat · December 2024

For Reddit AMAs, do you prefer when they are focused on specific topic and/or team, or when they are broad and open to all topics?

I avoid Reddit and all social media.

Similarly, for planned Q&As on the forums, what are everyone’s thoughts on them being a broad “grab bag” style Q&A versus themed around a specific topic such as PVP content? Do you have a preference? (Answering "both" for this question and the one above it is fine, too!)

Both. The more-focused ones usually, but a general one once in while.

Also, when we pull questions from the forums for a written Q&A, how would you all feel about using the forum react system to "vote" on what questions are most important to you? For example, dropping an "Agree" react on the ones you'd most like us to answer.

I think you can already get a general sense of this by looking at reacts, and these should be taken into consideration. I'm not sure you should assign ultimate priority to it or make it an official vote though. As mentioned by others, questions posted earlier will probably get more votes by default, and sometimes niche questions have more interesting answers than the community anticipated. The more important factor determining satisfaction with a Q&A is the quality of the answers regardless of which questions are asked. Occasionally it's okay to give an evasive answer in Elder Scrolls fashion, but readers feel like they are wasting time and are let down if there's too little new lore or insight to be gleaned from an article.

On the topic of player satisfaction surveys, what are your thoughts on these being all-encompassing versus a little more focused on specific things each time, based on what is going on at the time?

I don't recall ever seeing one of these.

AtriaKhorist · December 2024

ZOS_JessicaFolsom wrote: »

Hi everyone! As a follow-up to this comment and as we continue planning for next year and beyond, we wanted to ask for your input on a few specific topics related to our communication and engagement opportunities.
For Reddit AMAs, do you prefer when they are focused on specific topic and/or team, or when they are broad and open to all topics?

Similarly, for planned Q&As on the forums, what are everyone’s thoughts on them being a broad “grab bag” style Q&A versus themed around a specific topic such as PVP content? Do you have a preference? (Answering "both" for this question and the one above it is fine, too!)

Also, when we pull questions from the forums for a written Q&A, how would you all feel about using the forum react system to "vote" on what questions are most important to you? For example, dropping an "Agree" react on the ones you'd most like us to answer.

On the topic of player satisfaction surveys, what are your thoughts on these being all-encompassing versus a little more focused on specific things each time, based on what is going on at the time?

Thank you in advance for sharing your input with us, and for being a part of our community. We hope you have a happy and restful holidays in Tamriel and beyond!

I'm happy for any avenue that lets us discuss and ultimately address the Grim Focus problem as outlined over 45 pages over here:
https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/641376/grim-focus-permaglow/p1

Additionally, I would prefer this avenue to be viable without risking the fate of the OP while solving the Grim Focus Problem.

Izanagi.Xiiib16_ESO · December 2024

Whatever method is chosen the most important aspect for me is 'follow up' on responses.

A lot of the time questions are answered in a manor which missed the original point or doesn't really give the explanation players were expecting and so being able to follow up on these types of answer and hear back from the Devs/CM's with additional clarification or points is a lot more useful than just a one off answer.

Also (especially when it comes to pvp) timing of reply is the most important thing. What I mean by this is that if you pull questions for 6 months then answer them the 'important' questions are likely to no longer really be relevant. This is why a shorter Q&A/AMA every 1-2 months would be way better than a bigger one every 6.

WhiteCoatSyndrome · December 2024

ZOS_JessicaFolsom wrote: »

For Reddit AMAs, do you prefer when they are focused on specific topic and/or team, or when they are broad and open to all topics?

ZOS_JessicaFolsom wrote: »

Similarly, for planned Q&As on the forums, what are everyone’s thoughts on them being a broad “grab bag” style Q&A versus themed around a specific topic such as PVP content? Do you have a preference? (Answering "both" for this question and the one above it is fine, too!)

Bearing in mind I’m not on Reddit, and would only be reading through responses there after the fact, I would say both for both at a roughly 2 to 1 ratio of specific to general. Maybe start with the general one to determine what the specific ones will be about if a lot of questions seem to be on a particular topic. Have the Q&As often! At least once a month.

ZOS_JessicaFolsom wrote: »

Also, when we pull questions from the forums for a written Q&A, how would you all feel about using the forum react system to "vote" on what questions are most important to you? For example, dropping an "Agree" react on the ones you'd most like us to answer.

I would like to echo previous posters’ concerns about questions getting diluted responses the farther they get away from the original post.

ZOS_JessicaFolsom wrote: »

On the topic of player satisfaction surveys, what are your thoughts on these being all-encompassing versus a little more focused on specific things each time, based on what is going on at the time?

Do both.

My thought is that any and all surveys should have a general comment box, ‘is there anything you would like us to know that wasn’t covered in the survey’ sort of thing. Also anything that asks for a number rating should have a box for comments to clarify why a score was given if the person filling it out chooses to do so. Also if it’s specific there needs to be an N/A option so for example, if you send out a survey about Battlegrounds but the responder doesn’t PvP, they can indicate that without skewing the results.

Whizzinglane · December 2024

I think focused and theme approaches are ideal.

For Q&A: I think "reactions" and a way to voice our opinions would be cool.

arena25 · December 2024

ZOS_JessicaFolsom wrote: »

Hi everyone! As a follow-up to this comment and as we continue planning for next year and beyond, we wanted to ask for your input on a few specific topics related to our communication and engagement opportunities.

Hi, Jessica. First of all, I am happy to see that Zeni is doing their best to be communicate/engage with the community - both here on the forums and over on Reddit.

I'll answer the below in order:

For Reddit AMAs, do you prefer when they are focused on specific topic and/or team, or when they are broad and open to all topics?

I am not a Reddit user, so N/A.

Similarly, for planned Q&As on the forums, what are everyone’s thoughts on them being a broad “grab bag” style Q&A versus themed around a specific topic such as PVP content? Do you have a preference? (Answering "both" for this question and the one above it is fine, too!)

It would depend on the context and frequency. If you want to do one every quarter/every 6 months - i.e. infrequently - a grab bag style would work. If you want to do one every month or two - i.e. frequently - a specific topic would be okay. Honestly, context is key.

Also, when we pull questions from the forums for a written Q&A, how would you all feel about using the forum react system to "vote" on what questions are most important to you? For example, dropping an "Agree" react on the ones you'd most like us to answer.

Personally, I think having a separate forum react - maybe a "Bookmark" reaction - that shows what's important to that particular user would be better versus having the "Agree" reaction be the official tally - unless there is an internal tool Zeni has that can differentiate regular Agrees from the Agrees that are meant to say "I want this answered by you".

On the topic of player satisfaction surveys, what are your thoughts on these being all-encompassing versus a little more focused on specific things each time, based on what is going on at the time?

Both are good, and they should be given more often.

Over at Blizzard HQ in Irvine, the desire for unbiased, honest player feedback has resulted in the creation of Blizzard Research - whose sole job is to gather feedback regarding its games at least once a month (and sometimes more frequently if circumstances warrant). Their methodology most often (but is in no way limited to) involves sending out pulse surveys that gathers feedback from anyone and everyone - whether they are a Blizzard fanatic, someone who won't touch video games with a ten foot long pole, or somewhere in between. And the Research team is authorized to offer compensation that can include in-game currency, credits to their platform store, and even IRL goodies.

I'm not saying we need to go that extreme, but at a bare minimum I think an all-encompassing survey should be sent out at least once every 6 months and surveys regarding topics that is more narrow/tailored should be sent out at least once every 2-3 months.

Thank you in advance for sharing your input with us, and for being a part of our community. We hope you have a happy and restful holidays in Tamriel and beyond!

And the same to you and the team.

Raz415 · December 2024

ZOS_JessicaFolsom wrote: »

Hi everyone! As a follow-up to this comment and as we continue planning for next year and beyond, we wanted to ask for your input on a few specific topics related to our communication and engagement opportunities.
For Reddit AMAs, do you prefer when they are focused on specific topic and/or team, or when they are broad and open to all topics?

Similarly, for planned Q&As on the forums, what are everyone’s thoughts on them being a broad “grab bag” style Q&A versus themed around a specific topic such as PVP content? Do you have a preference? (Answering "both" for this question and the one above it is fine, too!)

Also, when we pull questions from the forums for a written Q&A, how would you all feel about using the forum react system to "vote" on what questions are most important to you? For example, dropping an "Agree" react on the ones you'd most like us to answer.

On the topic of player satisfaction surveys, what are your thoughts on these being all-encompassing versus a little more focused on specific things each time, based on what is going on at the time?

Thank you in advance for sharing your input with us, and for being a part of our community. We hope you have a happy and restful holidays in Tamriel and beyond!

reddit AMAs: I don't really care; I will never use reddit, but I can read the AMAs there so whatever.

Forum Q&As: If you can't do both, I'd let devs answer questions that they consider important and/or fun. It's more important to get geniune answers than forcing someone to produce text to answer a question. Yes to voting, but I'd allow devs to veto. Questions about cats have an easy time getting reacts, something important that the majority dislikes might be missed if we're only counting votes.

I think the surveys should be focused. What do the devs actually want to know? Which parts of their work would benefit from them knowing what we like and what we want? Ask only meaningfull questions.

LikiLoki · December 2024

Remove surveillance and censorship on the forum. Completely. People are afraid to write. More free communication will reduce the fear of players and open the way to diversity and creativity.

wilykcat · December 2024

LikiLoki wrote: »

Remove surveillance and censorship on the forum. Completely. People are afraid to write. More free communication will reduce the fear of players and open the way to diversity and creativity.

If a few wants a "free speech" platform there are X(twitter) and other social media platforms out there to use 😉.

Also these forums are privately owned by Zenimax, it's their forums their rules. They have every right to censor and block things that go against their rules. I've seen many players here freely expressing their opinions about the game while staying in line with the community guidelines. It's rare when players get moderated here as many are being civil and respectful to each other while having a conversation.

silky_soft · December 2024

Only the forums please.

AtriaKhorist · December 2024

wilykcat wrote: »

LikiLoki wrote: »

Remove surveillance and censorship on the forum. Completely. People are afraid to write. More free communication will reduce the fear of players and open the way to diversity and creativity.

If a few wants a "free speech" platform there are X(twitter) and other social media platforms out there to use 😉.

Also these forums are privately owned by Zenimax, it's their forums their rules. They have every right to censor and block things that go against their rules. I've seen many players here freely expressing their opinions about the game while staying in line with the community guidelines. It's rare when players get moderated here as many are being civil and respectful to each other while having a conversation.

An honest request, since you have spoken of such for years:
Can you please stop dismissing moderation concerns in every topic that others express? I realize you are fine with it. Others are not. Your positive experiences do not mean it is objectively not a problem, and it feels rather belittling to still see you doing this.

Especially in a topic like this, meant for feedback, not discussion.

James-Wayne · December 2024

For Reddit AMAs, do you prefer when they are focused on specific topic and/or team, or when they are broad and open to all topics?
Specific topics are easier to follow and provide feedback but if they are specific you need to have more than one, maybe have a week of topics with different Devs involved each day depending on the topic. I usually cant comment on AMA's because its hosted in the wee hours of the morning in my timezone so typically I dont prefer AMA's as a form of good communication.

Similarly, for planned Q&As on the forums, what are everyone’s thoughts on them being a broad “grab bag” style Q&A versus themed around a specific topic such as PVP content? Do you have a preference? (Answering "both" for this question and the one above it is fine, too!)
As above, specific is better but need to be more of them to cover as much ground as you need. Having a general one is ok but maybe the questions can be grouped so it's easier to consume.

Also, when we pull questions from the forums for a written Q&A, how would you all feel about using the forum react system to "vote" on what questions are most important to you? For example, dropping an "Agree" react on the ones you'd most like us to answer.
The voting system is a good idea, at least try it out and see how it goes for selecting questions... it might not get us the right questions.

On the topic of player satisfaction surveys, what are your thoughts on these being all-encompassing versus a little more focused on specific things each time, based on what is going on at the time?
I'm ok for all-encompassing but you should still include groups of questions in the surveys so you can think about atopic before moving onto another, provide structure in them. Can you also leave them up longer than a few days, usually by the time I see them they have been closed or maybe provide an in-game news post about it so the feedback you're getting is from players playing the game currently.... actually, that's the only feedback that matters.

StihlReign · December 2024

ZOS_JessicaFolsom wrote: »

Hi everyone! As a follow-up to this comment and as we continue planning for next year and beyond, we wanted to ask for your input on a few specific topics related to our communication and engagement opportunities.
For Reddit AMAs, do you prefer when they are focused on specific topic and/or team, or when they are broad and open to all topics?

Similarly, for planned Q&As on the forums, what are everyone’s thoughts on them being a broad “grab bag” style Q&A versus themed around a specific topic such as PVP content? Do you have a preference? (Answering "both" for this question and the one above it is fine, too!)

Also, when we pull questions from the forums for a written Q&A, how would you all feel about using the forum react system to "vote" on what questions are most important to you? For example, dropping an "Agree" react on the ones you'd most like us to answer.

On the topic of player satisfaction surveys, what are your thoughts on these being all-encompassing versus a little more focused on specific things each time, based on what is going on at the time?

Thank you in advance for sharing your input with us, and for being a part of our community. We hope you have a happy and restful holidays in Tamriel and beyond!

For Reddit AMAs, do you prefer when they are focused on specific topic and/or team, or when they are broad and open to all topics?
Specific but culled from all topics. So say everyone can see all topics, there's 10 topics and the five or ten most popular questions in each trending (from hundreds). The team has the flexibility...growing concern or answer something viral that has risen in the moment (which a brief glance at all topics will show).

Similarly, for planned Q&As on the forums, what are everyone’s thoughts on them being a broad “grab bag” style Q&A versus themed around a specific topic such as PVP content? Do you have a preference? (Answering "both" for this question and the one above it is fine, too!)
Both options would be great

Also, when we pull questions from the forums for a written Q&A, how would you all feel about using the forum react system to "vote" on what questions are most important to you? For example, dropping an "Agree" react on the ones you'd most like us to answer.
This would be perfect. A nice clear explanation to go along with a familiar system would be nice.

On the topic of player satisfaction surveys, what are your thoughts on these being all-encompassing versus a little more focused on specific things each time, based on what is going on at the time?
Satisfactions surveys should be narrow and specific and void of assumptions with no more than 4 options (I believe 5 is considered max) to consider per question. This will also enhance tracking over time.

MafiaCat115 · December 2024

ZOS_JessicaFolsom wrote: »

For Reddit AMAs, do you prefer when they are focused on specific topic and/or team, or when they are broad and open to all topics?

Similarly, for planned Q&As on the forums, what are everyone’s thoughts on them being a broad “grab bag” style Q&A versus themed around a specific topic such as PVP content? Do you have a preference? (Answering "both" for this question and the one above it is fine, too!)

Also, when we pull questions from the forums for a written Q&A, how would you all feel about using the forum react system to "vote" on what questions are most important to you? For example, dropping an "Agree" react on the ones you'd most like us to answer.

On the topic of player satisfaction surveys, what are your thoughts on these being all-encompassing versus a little more focused on specific things each time, based on what is going on at the time?

I prefer open to all topics, but I understand that is harder to manage. If it were to mean more focused ones more often, then I would say specific QnA's.
Similar response as to my previous point. My worry with always doing specific is that it would make it so some questions which are hard to categorize, or are in a category which is unlikely to come up, would never be able to be asked.
I like that idea, though it has the risk of having it be that a niche (valid) question would be ignored by being buried in questions that all ask similar things that are all reacted with.
I feel like specific surveys are the way to go since then the team could get a deeper understanding on sentiments on a specific aspect.

Regardless of if you go the route of specific or general QnAs, I request a Lore QnA so questions that do not make for good community articles could get answers. While the Loremaster Archive articles might be more towards the players as a whole, these QnAs could focus on the deeper lore tidbits.

Spiritrush · January 5

Hi @ZOS_JessicaFolsom. A few notes that might be helpful.

Player Satisfaction Surveys:
(a) I think the surveys should be more focused, offer more thoughtful questions relevant to the focused subject matter, and also allow an option for written feedback to share any additional thoughts on the subject matter. If a player is taking the time to answer a survey, it suggests they care about the game and may have something of value to offer.
(b) I also suggest the surveys be available for at least 3-4 weeks in order to maximize feedback. My experience is that they seem to be available for exceptionally short periods of time. I know this takes a little extra effort (and expense), but I definitely would consider adding their availability in the in-game Announcements as well (linking to something similar to Feedback) as other games do, such that you can maximize awareness and feedback.

Forums and Q&A:
(a) I think the Q&A sessions are mostly social in nature; therefore, they should be broad instead of focused, and folks can vote as they see fit.
(b) A related note on Forums here, and maybe you can share this with @ZOS_Kevin. The Forums remake should consider organizing and addressing player feedback in new ways, as most other large developers have already done. As an example, for each Topic or Subtopic on a forum, you might consider 3 distinct functions (or message types), each of which any viewers would have an ability to instantly filter:
i) Developer announcements/responses. This message type should largely be developer responses to the topic or subtopic, including updates, timelines, feedback, etc. regardless of how old it might get - this allows players to understand that an issue has been heard and can see progress (or honest challenges) all in one place, permanently, with history. It also allows the developer to mark and illustrate resolutions and victories, as issues are resolved, which can also be filtered.
ii) General feedback and suggestions from customers. This message type should be your typical forum post feedback section. Some companies have created a system that allows you to organize feedback under subtopic groups, minimizing top-level navigation and allowing folks to dig into a feedback vector if interested. An example might be Housing as the Topic and Items Allowed / Item Cap as the subtopic.
iii) Complaints and criticism from customers. This message type should be encouraged, and ensuring no one 'throws the baby out with the bathwater' as the saying goes. Yes, there should be a few rules (clear ones), but not at the expense of discarding highly valuable feedback from customers who actually care about your product. As above, some companies have created a system that allows folks to organize complaints under subtopic groups, minimizing top-level navigation and allowing folks to dig into a complaint vector if interested. An example would be Housing as the Topic and Items Items Allowed as the subtopic.
Messages could quickly be re-classified as Feedback (Suggestions) or Complaint (Criticism), under the same topic.

I'd consider passing this last suggestion on to @ZOS_MattFiror as well, for the next game.

Thank you and Good Luck!

Lyraen_Skyforge · January 6

To be honest, I’m tired of the constant discussions about communication itself. After 10 years, I feel that should be enough time to figure out the best way to engage with your players.

My preference is simple: be more honest about the current state of the game.

We can see what’s happening. Just be upfront about it. Many of us who’ve left in recent months would consider returning (or wouldn’t have left at all) if we didn’t feel like we were being lied to—or lied to by omission.

For example, the recent mishandling of communications regarding the canceled 10-year event, and the ambiguous end-of-year letter that originally wasn’t even going to be addressed until APRIL, only added to the frustration. Transparency would go a long way.

Bo0137 · January 6

I don't have a specific opinion about these questions. I'm just posting to show contentment. I feel we have actively and consistently been asked about important stuff in this universe that matters the most to us. And it's awesome!
I mean. You could simply not care about how Q&As are handled. It's just a minimal detail. Yet, you do.
I was watching this other discussion where Kevin was tirelessly going back and forth with the team and the players. I have a company of my own and we don't do that. I wish we did that but the usual day of work already drains so much energy.
I can't stress enough. Thank you for caring, specially because I know other companies that explore the MMO market simply don't do that. I came to ESO in 2014 because it was an ES MMO. I stayed because of Zenimax's way of treating the playerbase. I would play a MMO about snails if Zenimax did that. (please don't shut ESO though, ever)
I have no clue how your work environment looks like but I can say the players are definitely on a privileged pedestal.
It goes way beyond forum interactions. I can't think of a single complaint or suggestion that hasn't been heard. It's really impressive and I'm very glad about that!

ChaoticWings3 · January 7

For Reddit AMAs, do you prefer when they are focused on specific topic and/or team, or when they are broad and open to all topics?

Both are fine.

Similarly, for planned Q&As on the forums, what are everyone’s thoughts on them being a broad “grab bag” style Q&A versus themed around a specific topic such as PVP content? Do you have a preference? (Answering "both" for this question and the one above it is fine, too!)

Again, both are fine. I would say bringing up and focusing on a topic that seems to be getting traction is something I would prefer seeing so those thoughts and opinions could be better focused between players and team. Broad ones I would say should be done maybe every 3 to 4 months mostly to help get a better understanding of what the player base is trying to communicate.

I will be 100% honest. If there was a Q&A I was almost never aware of them (except in rare occasions I saw youtube video of someone filling out a survey that had already pass like 3 weeks ago). I just started realizing there were certain topics on here related to some upcoming changes and general news like with the data centers. So if there were some very important Q&As for player feedback I would try to give the player base more of heads up about it.

Also, when we pull questions from the forums for a written Q&A, how would you all feel about using the forum react system to "vote" on what questions are most important to you? For example, dropping an "Agree" react on the ones you'd most like us to answer.

I don't think its a bad idea. I would say though as with my previous statement, I would try to inform the players a little more about feedback requests. Most of us tend to stay on discord with our guilds and don't really look outside of it unless a youtube video comes out or its on the news section on the homepage. Having more players aware of the feedback questions in any way gives better numbers for the data across the board.

On the topic of player satisfaction surveys, what are your thoughts on these being all-encompassing versus a little more focused on specific things each time, based on what is going on at the time?

Both are pretty important. Kind of similar to what I have been saying though I would probably try to get player attention to doing these types of surveys a bit more. I would say some sort of in-game currency like 1,000 endeavors or a crown crate may be a good enough incentive to probably get more players to do them since they are pretty important. Also if I saw that in the news section with a link to the survey I would probably be doing them a lot more.

TinyDragon · January 8

On the topic of player satisfaction surveys, what are your thoughts on these being all-encompassing versus a little more focused on specific things each time, based on what is going on at the time?

I found the last survey I did about the chapter very frustrating. There were multiple things on my mind that I wanted to talk about, like quests not working, or bugs that were impacting my game play, and there was no room for me to contribute what I felt was important. Plus, the questions felt disingenuous- I couldn't see what sort of data you were hoping to collect, or what might come of it. I think it could be done better if you had an area that acknowledged current issues somewhere, like the list included in the director's letter. This way, players know what you are aware of, and don't feel they need to keep repeating it, including in surveys.

More broadly, I think you're missing an opportunity here to engage with feedback about communication about the current change to implementing seasons. I have seen many, many posts about people seeking more information, and I know the speculation is rampant, and not in favour of this being a beneficial change. More clarity would assuage fears, and avoid people losing confidence in the game, including their subscriptions.

Stridig · January 8

I guess the thread title is correct. The only communication, engagement and feedback is coming from the community. Lol

peacenote · January 11

For Reddit AMAs, do you prefer when they are focused on specific topic and/or team, or when they are broad and open to all topics?

I'm not super active on Reddit, so unless it was also linked/highlighted here on the forums, I'm not likely to see it. But regarding the spirit of the question, while I'd like to see a mix of both I think if I had to pick one, focused is better to increase the likelihood of delving deeper into a topic.

Similarly, for planned Q&As on the forums, what are everyone’s thoughts on them being a broad “grab bag” style Q&A versus themed around a specific topic such as PVP content? Do you have a preference? (Answering "both" for this question and the one above it is fine, too!)

Both with a slight preference towards focusing on a specific topic.

Also, when we pull questions from the forums for a written Q&A, how would you all feel about using the forum react system to "vote" on what questions are most important to you? For example, dropping an "Agree" react on the ones you'd most like us to answer.

I think this is fine and potentially good, but only if the base of questions to vote on is as broad and inclusive as possible. If the question list is curated (and is missing potentially difficult questions) it will only serve to further frustrate the community because the request for votes won't feel genuine. In that case you should only release Q&A's with questions you intend to answer and skip having us react to questions.

On the topic of player satisfaction surveys, what are your thoughts on these being all-encompassing versus a little more focused on specific things each time, based on what is going on at the time?

Sorry to be so repetitive but both are important.

I'd also like to add regarding surveys that, similar to Reddit AMAs, it would be helpful if you'd highlight here on the forums if a survey has gone out, and if it went to everyone or a random sampling.

Other

I would just like to say that it has been interesting to watch some of the recent discussions on the forums regarding fallout from U33 and U35, and a general sense of resignation in the wake of another streamer's good-bye video by the community that nothing will truly change. The impact of how things have been historically handled and communicated (or not communicated) has built up to the point that there seems to be a level of collective pessimism I haven't seen before. It is sad, to me.

Therefore, my advice here would be to acknowledge this! Make some kind of statement about previous mis-steps and intention to improve as part of this. Communication and engagement won't really change if the elephant in the room isn't addressed.

Just a suggestion.

Soraka · January 12

Focus/themed.
And for picking I think total reaction overall, as unfortunately about of people glaze over instructions and are likely to just hit whatever reaction they are used to vs targeting to whichever one counts as a "vote".

As a side note: it would be nice if there was a more clear way to inform people in game about things that are going on in the forums. For example, many people I talked to in game had no idea about this elk promotion at all. I only knew because of people on the forum talking about it.

QAs and stuff would possibly get a better scope of feedback from the playerbase if they had any idea this stuff was going on.

I know that sometimes stuff pops up in the launcher, but I really don't even look at the launcher, I'm mashing play as fast as possible 😅😂

sans-culottes · January 30

AtriaKhorist wrote: »

wilykcat wrote: »

LikiLoki wrote: »

Remove surveillance and censorship on the forum. Completely. People are afraid to write. More free communication will reduce the fear of players and open the way to diversity and creativity.

If a few wants a "free speech" platform there are X(twitter) and other social media platforms out there to use 😉.

Also these forums are privately owned by Zenimax, it's their forums their rules. They have every right to censor and block things that go against their rules. I've seen many players here freely expressing their opinions about the game while staying in line with the community guidelines. It's rare when players get moderated here as many are being civil and respectful to each other while having a conversation.

An honest request, since you have spoken of such for years:
Can you please stop dismissing moderation concerns in every topic that others express? I realize you are fine with it. Others are not. Your positive experiences do not mean it is objectively not a problem, and it feels rather belittling to still see you doing this.

Especially in a topic like this, meant for feedback, not discussion.

Well said. A handful of users have a bit of a maximalist attitude toward censoring speech. It’d be nice if people could use “PG-13” language without fear of reprisal.

hamgatan · February 6

Similarly, for planned Q&As on the forums, what are everyone’s thoughts on them being a broad “grab bag” style Q&A versus themed around a specific topic such as PVP content? Do you have a preference? (Answering "both" for this question and the one above it is fine, too!)

Casting a wide drag-net is an awful idea. Ever heard the 'Too Many Cooks in the Kitchen' phrase?

If you are focusing on a specific feedback or information - then you have to go granular. It's the only way to capture the specific information required.

Case in point here I'm going to make -

I have been involved with Addon Development here and there and when I have found bugs in your code that cause issues - I have tried to report them, both with the /bug features in PTS and the Forums all to no avail. They fall on deaf ears.. and Im attributing this to the fact that in PTS testing cycles - it's because you're casting a wide drag net and saying - 'Tell us all the bugs!'.

You need to appoint an Addon Development Community Manager as a point of contact between the internal and external Devs as there's currently almost zero communication there, especially given that you are about to drop Addons for Console - this is even more important now than ever to establish those communication channels as I for one have very little knowledge of when ZOS is deprecating an API, or anything else for that matter. Theres no Wiki, there's no KB. Theres not even a way of asking questions?

I'd love to see an Addon Devs Q&A, but that is once again a granular topic that most don't need to put their $0.02 into. ESOUI is great for Addon Devs to speak to other Dev's.. but what about directly with ZOS?