Re: ATTN: FFRevolution
I don't disagree with the premise of this thread- that the staff seem to promise a lot more than they can deliver- but I disagree with some of the conclusions drawn.
Yeah money is an issue. Being non-profit is an issue. But these would be mitigated if the community expectations were in line with what is actually happening.
I'll talk about the dev team and the simfile review process because that's what I know best. There's tons of shit going on behind the scenes. I'm sure you guys know the dev team have big goals- redesigning the homepage, new engine, raw scoring, the list goes on. I'm sure you guys also know that AJ quit being a game manager and left a leadership vacuum that Silvuh is doing his best to fill.
These changes go by slowly because, without throwing money at it, all the staff have other jobs and obligations that take priority over FFR. And so large periods of time go by where it feels like nothing is going on to the average user, but things are in fact actually happening. This is an area that can be improved- I talk a lot about increasing transparency, and I think it's the simplest first step to take and could even be fun for the staff if done well.
The suggestion of changing staff or adding more staff is more complicated than it appears. Throwing more people at the kinds of issues that need to be solved with dedication and care doesn't nessecarily deliver a better product. And replacing "lazy" staff has its own pitfalls. AJ is a great example of what happens when a staff member leaves (note that he certainly wasn't lazy). A gap in the structure like that takes time to fill properly. Cycling new staff constantly is just as disruptive as having lazy staff. With this in mind it's obvious that striking a balance between finding staff with the free time to no-life work on the site out of pure passion versus replacing people too quickly is difficult. It's an issue with the site since its start (Tass aside, he was his own issue) and it's not going to go away so long as we aren't throwing money at it.
In conclusion, maybe the site is doomed to die because of these issues. If there's going to be some super duper revolution I'll be along for the ride because I find the game and the community compelling. But I don't think it's as bad as people want to think it is. Stuff will happen. Slowly, probably, but hey. It's for free and with love.
I don't disagree with the premise of this thread- that the staff seem to promise a lot more than they can deliver- but I disagree with some of the conclusions drawn.
Yeah money is an issue. Being non-profit is an issue. But these would be mitigated if the community expectations were in line with what is actually happening.
I'll talk about the dev team and the simfile review process because that's what I know best. There's tons of shit going on behind the scenes. I'm sure you guys know the dev team have big goals- redesigning the homepage, new engine, raw scoring, the list goes on. I'm sure you guys also know that AJ quit being a game manager and left a leadership vacuum that Silvuh is doing his best to fill.
These changes go by slowly because, without throwing money at it, all the staff have other jobs and obligations that take priority over FFR. And so large periods of time go by where it feels like nothing is going on to the average user, but things are in fact actually happening. This is an area that can be improved- I talk a lot about increasing transparency, and I think it's the simplest first step to take and could even be fun for the staff if done well.
The suggestion of changing staff or adding more staff is more complicated than it appears. Throwing more people at the kinds of issues that need to be solved with dedication and care doesn't nessecarily deliver a better product. And replacing "lazy" staff has its own pitfalls. AJ is a great example of what happens when a staff member leaves (note that he certainly wasn't lazy). A gap in the structure like that takes time to fill properly. Cycling new staff constantly is just as disruptive as having lazy staff. With this in mind it's obvious that striking a balance between finding staff with the free time to no-life work on the site out of pure passion versus replacing people too quickly is difficult. It's an issue with the site since its start (Tass aside, he was his own issue) and it's not going to go away so long as we aren't throwing money at it.
In conclusion, maybe the site is doomed to die because of these issues. If there's going to be some super duper revolution I'll be along for the ride because I find the game and the community compelling. But I don't think it's as bad as people want to think it is. Stuff will happen. Slowly, probably, but hey. It's for free and with love.
- Tosh 2014
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