I'm writing this post to explain to Spiral Knights' developers my perspective of what's really behind all the recent fan rage, and to recommend steps for turning their ship around while they still can.
Who am I? I'm Gametrekker, a longtime fan of the game. I have well over a thousand hours of gametime logged, and I'm a Guild Master in a very active guild. I have also been studying game design intensely for two decades. I'm here on these forums to point out what others may not be seeing, and to show those at OOO how I can further lend them my aid.
Right now, I am seeing an unprecedented number of Spiral Knights fans giving up on the game. At the same time, I have been seeing a massive backlash occurring on these forums (and elsewhere) that's directed at OOO in response to changes to the game's user interface.
Why is this happening?
To find the answer, we must first consider why Spiral Knights has a fan base in the first place.
Spiral Knights is the first significantly successful game of its kind: a free-to-play arcade-MMO. Its fan base manifested based on what the game did that other games did not. The biggest example of this was its challenging yet rewarding skill-based combat, also known as arcade gameplay. No other MMO plays like Spiral Knights. In fact, precious few games that have been released in the past decade play like Spiral Knights, especially if you only consider games that have multiplayer. The market was craving a game like this, and OOO delivered… for a while.
For reasons unknown to us fans, this is no longer the case. OOO has now been making many changes to the game that have been progressively turning it into something else, something it wasn't designed to be. Based on the changes I've seen so far, it seems to me that this new direction is designed to turn Spiral Knights into a more casual game that appeals to a younger audience.
This is exactly the opposite of what Spiral Knights needs to maximize its profits.
Spiral Knights needs to remain true to itself in order to succeed. Its design is not compatible with casual gaming. Even if it were, the casual market is extremely highly saturated at the moment. Also, a younger audience has less money to spend on a free-to-play game than an older audience. Continuing on its current track, OOO will end up competing for fewer paying customers.
Spiral Knights needs to remain true to itself in order to succeed. Its original design was deeply in touch with the fundamentals of arcade and multiplayer game design. It was a very unique product, and attracted an audience very willing to pay for the experience. This audience has been very loyal as well, holding out hope for over a year that OOO will finally wake up to what's best for the game. Getting back on its original track, OOO would be claiming an empty market that contains a higher percentage of paying customers.
In other words, we played Spiral Knights not because we wanted it to change, but because we liked it the way it was. This is the case for all fan bases. Fans don't want the product they love to become something different; they want their current experience to be enhanced and expanded. We want more levels. We want more weapons. We want balance. We want to see more of the awesome world that OOO has created.
So why has the new HUD resulted in such a negative reaction? The reality is that the HUD itself is only a part of the reason for the ire. The HUD is actually more along the lines of the straw that broke the camel's back. Even if we may not have fully realized what was going on, a huge portion of Spiral Knights' fan base has been semi-aware for a while now that something isn't right with the changes to the game. With these latest updates, an increasing number of us are waking up to what's happening.
Missions eliminated the game's sense of exploration. Nerfing the enemies so much eliminated the game's challenge. Failing to properly balance the weapons after two years is another signal to us fans to not expect the game to improve. Not balancing Arcade Mode against Mission Mode, particularly regarding the boss areas (especially FSC), has resulted in the game becoming a grind fest. The Black Kat event infuriated many of us for many reasons. We were once excited for every update to the game. Now we try not to care so we aren't disappointed.
Spiral Knights is no longer the game we loved.
As more and more of us realize this, more and more of us are either leaving or raising our voices in protest.
The backlash on these forums is a small, visible portion of a much larger negative reaction, like the tip of an iceberg. A lot of the older fans among us are used to being dismissed as inconsequential by gaming companies, like Nintendo, who are blind to why people once liked their games. Now these fans see OOO being blind too and they just accept their fate. In other words, a huge portion of Spiral Knights' fan base has learned not to speak up, and is leaving silently. These players are a critical part of the game's audience and will return if OOO gives them a reason to do so!
While some of us are leaving, others are no longer willing to passively accept our fate. We're tired of giving up on franchises that were once awesome. We're tired of seeing wasted potential. We're tired of seeing rare treasures taken from us, particularly when we don't have anywhere else to go. As I said earlier in this post, there is nothing else on the market that's anything like Spiral Knights.
For myself, I care about this game too much to let it go. I'm enthusiastically dedicated to doing everything I can to preserve my game experience. I want Spiral Knights to be a game that I can enjoy playing for many more years. As I see it, Spiral Knights can again be a beacon of hope in these dark times. The Legend of Zelda left this market long ago. Spiral Knights can be the new Zelda, a better Zelda than Zelda ever was. I'd love to see this happen, and I know it's possible.
However, as far as I can tell, this will only be possible through a paradigm shift at OOO. All of the company's next steps must be carefully considered with the customers' interest in mind. As with any paradigm shift, this requires learning to think differently. This isn't always easy, and yet, when in active dialogue, all parties can refine their thinking.
Oh and just so you know, this needs to happen as soon as possible. :)
The iceberg is approaching, but the ship can still be saved. How can OOO escape these treacherous waters?
First, know who we are. We like arcade gameplay. We like our games to reward skill and intelligence. We like our games to be difficult but fair. We like rich universes to explore. Above all, we like quality.
We're the ones holding this intervention. We're the fans who want to support this game and see it return to glory. We bring our friends to the game. We buy Elevator Passes every month. We've stuck with the game through thick and thin. We're the ones who see what's here. We are the ones who care.
We are the engine of Spiral Knights' expansion. Keep us fueled and happy, and the game will prosper!
As it's often said, the first step towards fixing any problem is being aware that it exists. Awareness opens the door to new possibilities. I'm hopeful that the content I have presented here so far has opened OOO's eyes to the situation at hand.
As I see it, OOO, you now have a great opportunity to turn your ship around. What follows are a number of recommendations to support you in doing this, both short-term and long-term.
Before I get to them though, I want to say that there is a lot of nuance to this situation that can't be covered in this post alone. The best way for me to properly convey my perspective and suggestions to you, OOO, is through direct communication and dialogue. I'm available to be an ally for you in resolving these issues.
So, the first step towards regaining our trust is to show us fans how serious you are about giving us back the game we loved. This can be done by implementing an option in Spiral Knights' graphics menu to switch between the new and old HUDs. I'd label them "Shiny" and "Classic" respectively. Certain features of the new HUD that everyone seems to like, such as the new Mission Complete screen, can be applied to the old HUD if you're very aware of which features qualify as this. Your going that extra mile will show us even more that you're both paying attention and putting effort into what you're doing.
The second step is communication. Tell us in a big forum post that you're more deeply considering our feedback and that you're now in the middle of some critical reconsideration of your direction with the game. Also tell us that the option to switch to the old HUD is presented as a demonstration of your seriousness about this. This step is important because, from what I've seen, OOO currently has the reputation of not understanding customer feedback beyond bug reports.
Let me address that last point right there in a bit more detail. There is a big difference between listening to feedback and properly integrating it. It's clear that you do your best to listen, OOO. If you didn't, you wouldn't be reading this post. However, many of us players are currently convinced that you can't comprehend our constructive comments, and it's not for no reason that we think this.
We longtime fans have been trying to tell you what we want for quite a while now, and our experience is that you have been blind to our input. Even when you do seem to take our feedback, you tend to miss why we're giving it. The biggest example of this I can think of is Battle Sprites. The design for them that you unveiled earlier this year is a recipe for disaster if implemented, as I explained in another post on these forums. It completely missed why players had been asking for pets, and threatened to fundamentally change the game in ways most of its user base would greatly dislike. OOO, we would really appreciate it if you would take the time understand us so you can work with us. Part of doing this involves learning to distinguish between feedback that aims to preserve or enhance the game's original vision and feedback that aims to subvert it. I'm available to explain this further through live conversation.
Let's say you go through those two steps I listed, then. Will they recapture your audience? Well, they will to some extent. They'll certainly rekindle our excitement for what's to come. However, a lot of us don't have much to do in Spiral Knights these days. The King of Ashes has become the entire game for many players, and believe us, if we just wanted a game where we could fight zombies all day, we'd have tons of other options of games to play. So what can be done that will keep us playing Spiral Knights?
I could just sit here and say things like "More balance!" and "New weapons!" But fans have been asking for these things for a long time already. There's something more core that needs to be addressed here, something far more important for the long-term.
Understanding its audience is the key to OOO's success.
I've presented quite a bit of pertinent information about Spiral Knights' audience in this post, yet what I've said here doesn't fully cover what it takes to properly understand a user base. It involves learning how to consider what the audience's reaction will be before making each update to the game. It involves learning how to consider the ramifications of possible actions. It involves learning how to be in tune with the wants and needs of the audience every step of the way.
To say this in as simple a way as possible, the solution is that OOO be able to see the game, along with the updates being developed for it, from the perspective of the players. Once the developers can do this, they'll know how to proceed in a way that preserves and enhances the integrity of the product.
Understanding the customer is key in any business. Due to Spiral Knights being continually updated, this key is even more essential for the team behind it. Synergy with the customers' wants and needs is necessary to ensure that the right updates get developed for the game and that they're implemented properly. This key is what OOO ultimately needs to free it from the current turmoil and unlock Spiral Knights' full potential.
I have one last thing to say directly to OOO here: If it is indeed your intent to radically alter the nature of the game of Spiral Knights, we fans want you to be upfront about it with us. You have left us in the dark about the big picture for a year now, and part of why we're speaking up is to bring about more communication and clarity between us and the team. We want to work with you, not against you. This means substantive, back-and-forth dialogue on a regular basis. It's up to you to give us that chance.
In summary: Spiral Knights is being changed into something incompatible with the original vision behind its design. That's the real reason why OOO is getting all this flak and why so many players are abandoning the game. In order to help the game escape mediocrity and/or collapse, we ask the developers to reconsider their strategy regarding their direction with the product. We also ask for a return to the fundamentals of arcade and multiplayer game design. We want them to consistently consider their audience, their actual audience, when making decisions.
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I have great passion for this game and for working to ensure it fulfills its potent and awe-inspiring potential. I'm very available to support OOO in any way that could be helpful. In case it isn't clear, if we were to talk live, I would be able to provide a great deal more detail, nuance and insight regarding everything discussed in this post. [Years-later edit: You know how to reach me.]
Also, while I've put a lot of time and energy into thinking all of this through, there could still be information or context that I'm missing. If anyone reading this has further insights that could deepen my understanding of how to best serve OOO and its customers, feel free to let me know. In fact, I welcome contact from anyone who shares my feelings on this subject, or who just wants to have a chat with me for any reason. I'm GameTrekker on both AIM and Skype, if either of those are the most convenient way for anyone to get in touch with me.
Let's all put our heads together and make this game shine brighter than it ever has before.
In closing, I want to thank you for taking the time to read and consider my ideas. I spend many of my waking hours thinking about game design optimization. I therefore greatly appreciate the opportunity to present my perspectives to those who can make a difference.
For the Spiral Order!
Noah Sablosky
I appreciate your rather long, but informative letter of concern directed at none other than the OOO crew on SK. Endorsement by me.
Though the only 2 suggestions you listed here, no.1 being the option to choose the classic HUD, and no.2 for the OOO crew to be more interactive with the community here, are not really the main focus of your speech, I think that what you say is of great importance and I agree to many of your points.
Though the suggestion of the option to switch to the classic HUD has been repeated several times by many forumers here, I honestly think it is a good idea.
The second being having the OOO crew to be more active. Going back to Zaffy's post on "Is OOO being too secretive now?", I believe that the OOO crew can actually take the initiative to talk to us. They do read, but they don't usually respond.
One more thing that has to be taken into consideration. Sega, publisher of the game, does have the rights to manipulate the game to whatever it envisions it to be. Perhaps it wasn't OOO's fault, but we don't know.
Anyways, appreciate your effort, not sure if it's going to change anything...