Well then why don't they comment? It seems like the best way to get a GM to say something is to make some random topic in gremlin chatter or to make fun of chris. (That was for you jim-dale).
On a side note, antigua and sentenza are getting changes.

You act as if the developers are only capable of doing one thing at a time and that this survey will miraculously spawn several new weapons before a balancing patch occurs (which has already been announced..).

Would it make sense for them to ask what gear needs balancing in their survey? No. They've heard it from the forums, and they are in the process of addressing these balance issues. Obviously balancing is not the easiest thing; It's gonna take a bit of time.

Aside from the occasional post from Nick, the devs can't and/or won't talk about what they're doing. They have a policy about it. I'm pretty sure they read a lot of what we say, although whether or not they actually care about our best arguments is a different story. It would be very nice if they'd tell us what was up with some of the equipment in the game that is just inferior, like the Chaos set, like a "this is what we were thinking when we made this." It would be nice if they'd directly tell us that they're considering our suggestions, rather than a vague "changes to handguns are coming at some point" which could mean nearly anything, including the AP/Sentenza change and nothing more.

So yeah I'd like more gear, but the current manifestation of the game renders most gear nonviable due to being outclassed by other gear. Above all, I'd like to know whether OOO is considering the changes and testing them out, or if they think that gear is balanced as it is. I'd really just like to know what they're thinking when it comes to gear balance in a game where the gear is pretty heavily not balanced.

What people like to see from their game developers is some indication of what's coming next, spelled out exactly. The devs did this with AP/Sentenza changes (though we haven't seen those yet). They've told us what they're working on in January, but they're not keeping us posted or giving us more details. They gave us the dragon wings preview, but we want to see legitimate gameplay changes, when the last thing that's happened in that regard since October were new Brandish charges. Basically, we have no idea when things are coming, what things are coming, or anything. Every update OOO makes is a complete surprise.

Basically, change your policy of "we can't say anything related to the game." Telling us a couple of things here and there prompts player interest, doesn't reduce your sales, and is fun for you guys, too. I KNOW you guys enjoy designing your game. Let us in on the fun; you don't have to listen to what we say, but we're certainly going to listen to what you say and talk about it. The complete lack of transparency makes us have to try and discern what you're working on through the polls, and we're not getting a very good impression. You don't have to spoil the big surprises, but an art update here and there and maybe a balance move on an item or two? Telling us that kind of thing in advance isn't going to ruin anyone's fun. And one person taking half an hour every week or so to type up something is hardly a huge time commitment. "Developer's Game Design Corner Blog" if you have to.

I'm pretty sure their terms and conditions cover the fact that if you submit ideas to them via the forums then you can't claim copyright over said ideas if they make it into the game. At any rate, talking about what they're working on is certainly not going to have copyright issues. It would be like being unable to show a movie preview because of copyright issues. That doesn't really make any sense.

I don't think it's copyright you're looking for there. It's more along the lines of corporate propriety and PR.

The problem is that it's a game, and game development really shouldn't be like other businesses. The game developers that are most appreciated by their communities are those that don't feel like a faceless corporation and actually feel like individual, cool people, all working on facets of the game. With OOO, I don't even know how many employees they have, how many programmers, how many artists, or what. I don't know who has a say in game content and who doesn't. I don't really know anything. OOO feels like a faceless corporation.

So yeah, I understand the feeling that there is a need to tread lightly, but that's the sort of thing that makes people hate capitalism and lawyers. It's really not that hard to avoid telling us exactly what's coming. I'd be perfectly happy with occasional interesting tidbits about how certain things in the game now were designed. Like how'd they come up with snipes? Where'd they get the idea for weapon x or armor y, what were they thinking when they designed Aurora Isles, etc. I just want to know that OOO is a group of people who love their game rather than a faceless entity I know nothing about. And maybe occasional feedback to us on the forums, if they even read anything we say. Maybe they don't. I have no idea.

And while I'm ranting, might as well suggest having a Q&A event. If the community could borrow Nick for a few hours every month, it'd be nice to have a thread, made by Nick, that basically says "ask questions and I shall answer," wherein we ask him questions and he answers. Everything from "Snipe wings - how do they work?" to "When are we going to fight King Tinkinzar" is fair game, and he doesn't have to answer the questions he feels are spoilers or would ruin the surprise. I figure if anyone knows what he can and can't say, it's Nick.

Basically, there are certain things we want to know, like what's up with the Chaos set and when are they actually going to get around to adjusting the damage types on AP/Sentenza, and if we had a chance to ask these questions at a time when we know we're going to be heard I think there'd be a lot less complaints on this forum about how the devs don't care about us. Sure there are going to be some stupid questions, too, but this forum community is honestly pretty excellent, so that would be minimal. A line or two to answer any given question is not exactly difficult, either.

I just gotta say we need new playable content fast.

After the Dragon wings, I dont want to see any new accessories or costumes for at least 3 months UNLESS the devs finally release new monsters or better a new boss stratum.
Freakin' open the Core for all I care, just hurry up!

LOL @ this thread. Particularly at OP.

--> Thinking Survey Questions is NOT simply a way to make up for the fact that a large number of the game's players don't actually touch the forums (and I'm fairly certain of this).

--> Thinking the Survey Questions actually refers to things Devs are going to put in the game soon rather than generic data-gathering.

--> Forum moderators and Game Masters and the Development team are the same people

--> Ad Hominem and stereotyping against anyone who prefers using a sword to a gun

--> Oh my, do I spot a little... TRANSPHOBIA? Oh lord

--> General self-entitledment because the Devs seemingly can't be bothered to repaint a hat. Excuuuuse me, Princess, but I'm fairly certain putting "make something REALLY special for CNY and appeal to both furries and Asians (WHO MAY EVEN INCLUDE THEIR OWN BUSINESS PARTNERS) playing the game" and "making a new animated model and making sure it doesn't spill it's polygons all over the place" as well as their usual "deal with corporate B.S." over "changing a bunch of numbers and repainting a hat a couple times" IS "prioritizing", you silly nit.

I CAN'T STOP LAUGHING.

say, consider that maybe instead of simply retexturing the hats they're actually working new models for them? Wiki suggests a Chapeau and a Stetson are two entirely different-looking hats.

I actually like having a good swordsman in the party, IMO. I'm a gunner, and I think that swordsmen help things go a little smoothly and add more balance. Each one can specialize in something that helps the party.

I tend to think of swordies as the tanks and DPS at the same time. They are taking the most damage up front in combat and keeping monsters at bay. At the same time they are dealing out the most damage and making things go a little faster. Gunners can snipe though and add an extra punch to the swing as they fire and pick at the enemies, and a lot of gunners have something that can cause a status affect to monsters, further debuffing them in combat.

As far as playing a bomber goes I like that too but I feel seriously crippled without a good party. I don't think this can be fixed. Bombs are made for crowd control, and without a crowd, it's just better to handle everything else with a sword. Thus the utility of bombers is sort of situational, but when the time is right they really shine.

A really good party can have a mix of these three working together, helping to cover every weakness of the rest of the party. I noticed for one, since I snipe from the back, I tend to not get hurt which makes me a perfect candidate for reviving the swordsmen because they're taking the most damage. Thus I manage to contribute in my own little special way.

"I'd rather finish Vana in 30 minutes than take a gunner and have it finish in an hour and a half..." Rawrcake, who the heck said that? I'd really like to know.

BLITZ NEEDLE IS A GUN, AND SO IS ARGENT PEACEMAKER

"So what if I feel like running around as a cowboy with a sword?"

That'd certainly be an interesting way to herd cows!

Anyways, there's another reason I liked gunning over playing with the swords and I think it was more because I could make an alternate setup and not have to focus on clicking or pressing an attack button as often. There was a time when I used only the keyboard setup and a cutter-series weapon and my fingers HURT from it. The gun setup feels much more relaxed for my hands, though if anyone can suggest an ergonomic design for some other weapon setups I'm all ears.

Yes, control layout. It's hard to explain what ergonomics is, but it's sort of like the design of something like a chair or a keyboard that fits the use for our body parts best in a way that makes us comfortable.

The chair was an example of something included in ergonomics. Then again -everything- would be designed for ergonomics including someone's desk.

My friend is going to try and play with a gaming controller and I do wonder how well that will work since game controllers are designed pretty damn well for, well, gaming.