(In the interests of promoting conversation towards a resolution to the present issue, perhaps we should reserve a debate over freedom of speech for another time, as it might only distract us here.)
Returning to the matter at hand, it seems to me that the much of the ‘communications issue’ has arisen from misunderstandings of intentions and purposes as to the Forums functions. A fundamental question which remains to be thoroughly resolved is: What is the purpose of these forums? Are they an informal gathering-place for both admirers and developers of
The Witcher Series? Or are they a live, direct, official communications channel between the two? What may we realistically expect here in the way of communication and information from the REDs? What are the Forums? What should they be? What would we
like them to become? However, what can they
actually become? A clear definition and goal for the Forums, as established by CD Projekt and the Community, would improve our common frame of reference appreciably. If a respectful compromise and understanding of the scope and objective of the Forums as a source of information can be reached between the two, then this may go some way in mitigating the present difficulties.
As to what the Forums appear to be at present: From recent comments by @
theta77 , @
Benzenzimmern , and a few others, we've learned that most of them who visit the Forums do so in their spare time, as a form of entertainment, and may, occasionally, volunteer to answer a few questions at their own discretion. They are neither obligated to do so, nor are they paid for handling support issues or assuaging public outcry. From their comments, it seems they would prefer to have fun here, but devote the bulk of their attentions and energies to the creation of their games. Under this model, the Forums remain more causal, less consistent as a means of communication, and thus less reliable as an information source. As it stands, this is the current reality. In contrast to this, however, many community members want CD Projekt RED to be more transparent and open with their fans regarding a wide variety of minute aspects of the development process of their games. In brief, this group would like to be kept abreast of what’s going on ‘behind-the-scenes’. Another section of this group appears to want the Forums to resemble a Facebook page, or a Twitter account with 24 hour updates about patches, technical support, forthcoming releases, and so on. Of these two groups, many have either explicitly or implicitly expressed the opinion that, as paying customers – or perhaps just as fans – they’re entitled to this information, and CD Projekt is obliged to furnish them with it, if they want these customers to buy their games. (I’ll leave this claim of entitlement for our examination, so we may ponder its validity at our own leisure.) If CD Projekt were to adopt the requested model for the forums, it would require additional staff, considerable revisions to the website, and heightened maintenance. Ideally -- and realistically -- all of these would require budgeting allocations, which would in turn reduce available resources for game development. It remains to be seen if the REDs wish to pursue such a course of alterations. However, these two concepts of the Forums – the present reality reflected by the REDs’ attitudes, and the ideals envisioned by the Community – do not coincide. If the former is maintained, relatively minor adjustments can be made to improve the situation; however, if the latter is to be realised, there is considerable work yet to be done.
If the REDs wish to keep this relaxed, informal approach, then a statement to such effect, clearly placed upon all accesses to the Forums, would relieve confusion amongst people who come here expecting an immediate, personal reply. Because I personally doubt they wish to invest the time and money in keeping a large staff assigned to this website, and would rather allow it to continue as it has, I have a proposition, which may help reduces confusion to a degree. To facilitate this, a clear posting and understanding of the rules of the Forums is necessary for all new and existing members. This would caution users that they’re in no way guaranteed, nor entitled to a response from CD Projekt RED on the Forums. The intermittent and informal visiting habits of the REDs would be clearly explained in this statement, which could also directed users with questions to the proper technical support and business inquiries e-mails. Thereby, perhaps we could reduce a certain amount of confusion, anger, and disappointment. This is not, of course, a fool-proof method of resolving any of the problems, nor does it purport to be an ideal solution. But, with concise, thorough guidelines, rules, contact information, and a disclaimer regarding responses, some miscommunications could potentially be reduces, if not eliminated. This information should be kept in front of users’ eyes, both upon entering the Forums, and while browsing the threads. This would serve as a useful resource for both moderators and members alike, as it would be a convenient reference, to which moderators could direct users for common questions or concerns, or in the event of misconduct. Likewise, it could be an authoritative document, to which aggrieved users could hold the Moderators accountable, if they wished to contest their rulings. To this end, a thorough revision of the rules may be necessary, to better reflect the policies and practices here on the Forums. These revisions would require close work between the Web-site and Community Managers, such as @
Marcin Momot , and the Moderators.
Relevant to the subject of reform, as they stand now, the Forums are very disorganised, often redundant, and generally confusing to both newcomers and veterans. Multiple threads in a number of sub-forums contain the same questions, complaints, and discussions. Sometimes these become pushed down the list by new threads, resulting in another being created, only to have the useful information sink out of sight, as good as lost. Sometimes a response, link, or explanation is given in one thread, but is not seen by everyone else; therefore, someone initiates a new thread for the same question(s). Other times, a response can be buried by thanks, comments, or tangents, until only those who have monitored the thread closely know where the actual reply is – and sometimes not even then. Readily locating information thus becomes an issue, and, upon this note, the search tools have recently been repeatedly described as inconclusive, unsuccessful, and thus unhelpful. To improve this situation, I therefore propose that the Forums are eventually due for a redesign, to make them less cluttered, repetitious, and compartmentalised. A cleaner, more direct, and effective format could prove beneficial. (If there are any suggestions from the Community, based upon other efficient web-sites or forums, perhaps another thread could be opened to collect that input?)
While my propositions may not ultimately resolve the issues, or satisfy the desires of all factions, I see them as realistic improvements, which can be implemented at reasonably low cost, and which would improve communication, promote clarity of expectations and function, organisation, and lay the first foundations for possible future improvements.
Addendum:
As a preliminary to these proposed improvements, I shall be compiling further notes on the rules, policies of the Forums, along with the attitudes and opinions of RED Team members regarding responses, with the goal of creating another F.A.Q., for the benefit of all visitors. I welcome any input -- via Private Message, please -- the Community, Moderators, or CD Projekt staff may have towards this end. Thank you.
