Don't Kill Me For This

[iCharlez]

I completely agree with you on this one.

All people do on FeralHeart is argue, pick a fight, or make fun of others.
But so is the world around us, reality.

Both are actually very upsetting.

[SteampunkWolfdog]

Alrighty then

I'm going to skip the part about how FeralHeart was back in the day; we can all agree it was quite different to what it is now for various reasons.

As for the bit about staff...I can only speak for myself. If the others wish to chip in here, they will do so.
It kind of hurts a bit to see people say that they feel intimidated by us or feel that they can't approach us. That's not something I want people to feeling about me - or us - especially when everything we do here is to help people and keep the community a friendly place for people to be in. I apologise if I personally have ever come across that way - it's not my intent.
As you're all aware we are real people, with personalities and human needs. I believe we staff members are all decent people, but some of us are more outgoing than others. I myself am quite introverted and can be withdrawn - I too feel a bit shy about striking up a conversation with someone. Did you know that one time it took me 20 minutes to get up the courage to ask to join a roleplay? Don't mistake my shyness or tiredness for being aloof, arrogant or up my own backside. That goes without saying for the other staff too.

In regards to locking threads and discussions...ya know, there isn't a rule book given to us to tell us how to do our job. Everything we do requires a lot of thought and experience, which we gain over time, about how to handle a situation and the ways to go about dealing with it. We use our best judgment. And as we our only human, we're not going to be perfect, we will sometimes make mistakes. But at the end of the day, we do what we do with the community in mind. To my knowledge, none of the current staff members have ever used their staff privileges for the wrong reasons, be it personal gain or whatever.

There are a lot of you, and while we try to do what we think is in the best interests for the majority, we won't please everyone. That's just not possible. There will always be people that get upset. And honestly, feedback is good. If you think any of us are at fault, I'd encourage you to address it in a calm and polite manner.

Speaking of being calm and polite, thanks for writing this in a way that doesn't sound like an adolescent rage. It's much appreciated. 

[Kynvuu]

After reading through this post and the things that other's have said, I've come to form a thesis here that the issue isn't really with the game itself or with its staff, but rather it's with what seems to be something I can no better described than the current "public opinion".

Opinion is a very powerful thing. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. And for those of you who think opinion is fact, then some clarification has to be made. Opinion is a basis of belief formed on observations of the current status or condition of something. Humans observe the same thing in many different ways. The problem is, whether the game is "not as colorful" or "dead" or if the staff are "not too friendly", etc. It's all subjunctive. This means that no matter what the issue or thing at debate is, everyone is going to see it or think of it how they want to.

It is impossible to please every single person. So parading around preaching this idea that the "old" Feral Heart was the best Feral Heart for everyone is completely false. The majority might have believed this was true, but there were plenty who did not hold the same opinion. In fact, it's almost ironic, (and I think I've mentioned this in a previous thread) that there were so many people crusading for change in this game, and as soon as it comes they fall to hypocrisy. Here's the verdict: Just because you and a few collectives think it is best does not mean it is 1) the best for everyone or 2)best for the game. Don't misunderstand what I'm trying to prove here. I'm not bashing anyone who misses the old Feral Heart. I miss it too. But you cannot satisfy every single person.

Yes, I will agree that not only has the game physically changed with the update, but it also has changed in mood. Again, whether this change is good or bad is all formed off of public or popular opinion. It too is subjunctive. But the thing is, we as humans find something that we, collectively, really like, and seem to bend that out of proportion.

For example, I have seen many of you posting above concerning the literacy of role-plays in the past and today. The current opinion seems to be that "literate and mature" Role-plays are the only ones around nowadays. If you were quite pervasive in your role-plays in the past as well, you would have remembered that there were a lot of literate and mature role-plays around. Red Ravage was quite a literate and mature role-play, and if I recall, at the time that was a very large and popular local pack. There was also a large mix of semi-literate role-plays back then too. As there is now as well.

Things such as literacy, decline in role-plays, and colorful characters have nothing to do with the current state of the game or with how the staff run it. The real reason is because things like these fluctuate with time. And it only takes one person to notice there is perhaps a flux of literate role-plays to say "Hey this is the only type of role-play around". This message spreads and others adopt this opinion and focus in on it, forgetting about the tons of other semi-literate role-plays out there. It may seem like this is the only type of role-play around because this is only what attention is focused on currently.

Regarding the comments about the staff; they are people just like everyone else on this game. They are humans and not miracle workers. They too make mistakes. It is unfair to them to bash their work when they are doing the best they can. The staff are not paid for what they do. They took on this job voluntarily because they love and care for this game. They were asked to become staff by other capable people. The staff do what they need to do to keep this game fun, safe, and up and running.

Sure, they may not talk to you in game or recognize every single player, but this does not mean that they are not friendly. I have meet and talked to a lot of staff members, and I've even gotten the opportunity to become friends with some of them. From my experiences, they are no different from other players. Sure they have a lot more authority, but this does not put them on a pedestal. In fact, they are humble. Not once have I heard a staff brag about their position or put another down. They're not out for glory like some may think. This facade is put up by again, the "popular opinion" or "popular belief". If malice through their actions were their intent, then they wouldn't be staff, simply put.

I hope this made at least a little sense to some people. I apologize if anyone took offense to any of my words, I obviously did not mean them to offend but rather to educate and share my personal beliefs.

[Edolicious]

I can agree with a few of the points you've got here, and have a few comments for the others.

I've been around since 2012 as well, and you're right when you say the game has changed, in views of different players' behavior type. Yes, there may not be as many people talking around the game that there used to be, but there's a few things you have to remember.

It's nearing the end of 2016 now. Someone who was 12 years old in 2012 is now 16. It may or may not seem like much of an age difference, but behavior-wise, it's a fairly large gap. I used to know quite a few people that, in the 'glory days', would run up to anyone with a cool character they saw, and start up a conversation. The older we get, the less we tend to just run up to any one person in a map to talk about cupcakes and whatnot.

So the userbase from the old days is growing up. Not only does that mean we're all maturing, but also getting busier and busier. Not to mention, lots of people have been busy with school or prepping for school the past month or so, which is bound to take up time usually spent FHing with more important things. Thus, less people online.

Even take me for example. Over the summer I tried to be super active, help out where I could, attend parties, etc etc. Now? School has me busy enough that I rarely post once a month.

But when the game updated, we had a record breaking amount of users online (which was fun!). So the update did amp up activity a bit, which was much needed.

Onto the staffers, though.

For my first three years on the game, the staff intimidated and scared me. Then a year or two ago, I joined a roleplay called Unchained, whose leader absolutely adored the staff. The group would draw things for them sometimes, write ridiculously hilarious stories about some of the characters, and so on. I finally worked up the courage to talk to a few of the staff members.

And they were so much fun once I got to know them a bit more. I ended up wanting to be good friends with them.

(Literally just ask Sura about some kpop recommendations and you'll have hours of conversation lmao)

One thing to remember is that not all people prefer to be super outgoing in the way they type, in all caps and purposeful misspells. That doesn't mean they're some type of emotionless robot. A lot of people stay in a serious attitude when they don't know you very well, but once you get closer, they warm up to you and can turn out to be the funniest or craziest person you've ever met.

With the whole, "locking topics" ordeal, there's other things to keep in mind.

Almost all locked topics negatively regarding the update ended up going down a hostile path. Even if it wasn't the author's intention, and they were trying to have a reasonable conversation, other users came in and threw down much more nasty words.

It's less about shutting out negative feedback, and more about shutting out the harsh, unnecessarily hostile comments thrown around, I believe.

As you said, the staff should be treated as people. They are not perfect gods who never make mistakes.

Just like the game, everyone has room for improvement.

It certainly did make it easy to respond with your polite way of going about things. Really helped prove your point, and it's much nicer to see a good, polite, well built argument then a flaring one.

[Morgra]

[Ruby1234]

This seems partially about the update, so I suppose I'll have something to say here.

First of all, I think we all may be missing a little bit of perspective here.
Big cat and wolf indie game. Basically a glorified chat room. Couple of extras, but for core gameplay, mostly that's it.
The forum has... we'll say ~100 registered visitors per day?

With a community this small, it's hard for me to really get involved in "big" issues, since they just seem so blown out of proportion.
The staff aren't people with past experience at managing a community. Currently, all of the active ones were legitimately just members of the community who demonstrated x, y, and z, and then conga-rats, you get to help watch the kiddies. They're going to make mistakes. And yes, it is absolutely 100% a good idea to catch them on that and say, "Hey, I don't think this is right!" But passive-aggressive little digs like, "Go ahead, ban me and prove my point," really get under my skin, and I'm sure they get under theirs. That's just my experience from managing other communities.

The update was a community update, and while it was a staff decision, they were not the only contributors. Other members, myself included, wanted to provide the core game with more content, since it has been the same for YEARS now. Any other successful MMO doesn't just remain the same forever. World of Warcraft, Guild Wars 2, you name it. They all receive updates and expansions. Sometimes parts of the core game change. That's just how things move along and stay up-to-date. The FeralHeart of 2011/2012 is long gone, we all know that, so desperately clinging to all the crap from that time is just a waste. A waste of everyone's time. Why hold back when you can move forward and create something new and exciting?

I recall a specific time when a map in Guild Wars 2 was completely redone. Lions Arch. It was a hub map, a map that you had to go through if you wanted to get anywhere else very quickly. I didn't much like the new design, and preferred the old. But the thing is, it doesn't really matter. It's not my decision, and I'm not going to die because it was changed. It was a tolerable change beyond my control.

However, that is a larger scale game. The benefit of a smaller community is that it is easier for your voice to be heard, yes? And I hear people on this.
I don't necessarily understand the attachment to the old maps, since most were just a heightmap scaled to 10000x10000 with a cluster of 4 objects here and there (not exactly riveting and exciting design), but I can relate to the idea. But when you have people threatening to "hack," "take down," or otherwise violate the terms to which they agreed upon when joining this community, there's a problem. You just cannot always have what you want, and a large part of the community has been hugely immature in going about trying to get their way. Thankfully, you are not being so, which I can, and will commend you for. (+Floof)

I feel as though this is where the subject became touchy. There was already so much negativity and threats surrounding this single decision; there's just a breaking point. A point where everyone's had enough. People don't check when they make a thread, so seeing thread after thread of the same "I disagree you're all wrong and you suck give me what I want." ...Yeah, I can see why someone would lock those. I would.

If the community would have pursued a much less... ostentatious approach, perhaps organised a poll/vote, or otherwise promoted their idea as a positive change, maybe things would not have turned out this way. And there's still a chance to do this. Integration of the old maps would not be a terrible chore, I think the opposition lies in the sort of "style clash" that would result.
You may not know or care, but we spent YEARS on that update. Granted, we weren't working our butts off every hour for that whole time, but that's just the point. Staff, member, everyone in this community is here voluntarily, and we work as a collective mind to make this a better, more enjoyable place for us all, in our free time.

I just refuse to believe that anyone (save a few bad apples here and there) truly has such malicious intent as others would have you believe. We're all here because we want to be, not because we have to be.

Anyway, that's my two cents. Take it or leave it, two cents is two cents, but it won't buy you much nowadays, yeah?

-

TL;DR: You're not wrong, but there's so much more to it than that.

[kiaz1st]

I would like to put in that my detachment from the game, community, and staff has nothing to do with the game, community or staff. It is a problem of myself, and I would like to wonder if that is the case for others.

I love this game. I love this community, and I look up to the staff. Like I have mentioned before, this game gave me a place to belong, and that's not something I take lightly. While I have not been in touch with this community much recently, it still holds a dear place in my heart. I feel like this could be what others may be experiencing. They still hold onto the intense connection with the game they love, but they have become... Used to it all. There isn't much excitement left, wonder or liveliness. But they still grasp onto this memory of 'the old days'.

And I do. I hold onto those memories because they are important to me. But that doesn't mean I want that back. This community needed an update. It has helped much more than it has hurt. We need change, everything needs change, the game was just going to become bland and boring otherwise.

I think the staff are brilliant people, like I said. They are doing a tough job, they are handling difficult situations and making the best decisions they can with their judgments. When I said that I didn't talk to them, it has nothing to do with how they are projected to me. I would happily, have happily, chatted and joked with them. It is me that is making the distance, and I would wonder if it is the same for others?

But of course, I can't really talk much about it, I doubt I know much.

[Wyldercat]

I strongly second ye, Kiaz. I just feel myself being detached.

This part is my own divergence, but on a similar claim. I do not believe or view the staff themselves as dauntin' figures, but rather the act of socializin' with them or even other members with greater seniority that holds a feelin' of intimidation in my mind.

I'm not goin' to repeat myself about how I believe they are still wonderful people too much, but, I DO feel like some decisions weren't so necessary yet. I agree with Arctic in that, sadly, some people have to get all toxic and immature over a discussion, and even if a thread is harmless in its current state; it may be locked due to speculation of drama. This is certainly a safe decision, but I feel as if certain topics should have more of a warnin' (many staff interventions do come with a warnin' first, I am aware of that), or just an indication that the topic may be gettin' risky and will be monitored and locked if conflict does ensue. This is just my idea of an ideal scenario, however. I greatly appreciate how the staff have the hold that they do over trouble in the community, as well as all the work put into revivin' the game, despite public distaste. I truly do. I don't think any other group of people could achieve such a feat given the restrictions and limited materials. Nothin's perfect, however. I understand that all too well from personal experience and common sense alike. I suppose I'm just a tad biased as some old favorite discussions or games were locked due to unnecessary conflict.

But hey, that's what happens in a dominantly youth-driven community.

[wolfdog01]

Daaanag dude, there is some deep talk going down on this thread o.o
Jeez lol

But I guess I'll give my shout out too.
First off, I love the update, even though the old maps were near and dear to my heart, I have screenshots so they will never be forgotten <3 I think the major thing I am not a huge fan of is the lack of different environments. And although I do love how smoothly each map runs together, it was kinda neat having a snowy area and sky area. but that's what custom maps are for right?
As for the lack of members and activity and such, I do think it has dropped. Who knows the reason for it. Whether it be from the login, update, or what have you, I know the cluster of randoms we had in the game has dropped if not wiped out. I know I don't go in game a ton anymore just cause it kinda feels like a chore ya know? Like the login thing? And I get that's cause of hacking and such so I'm not too bothered by it, I still got the forums to keep me happy. But the game has lost it's flare and color since all of the random neons are gone lol
And the staff...well..even though I try to PM them and talk to them...I too feel intimidated by them ;~; I feel like a mortal talking to like Zeus or something so I'm always like avoiding stepping on glass to trigger them. And I do love them all and I know they're doing what's best for the community but it does get a little scary lol SO MUCH POWER. And lets face it, we're kinda like a bunch of toddlers looking for a new toy but when one is given to us it's not the RIGHT kinda toy, ya know what I'm sayin? And then the mods and admins and all are the frustrated parents who just wanna do right by us but feel like giving up sometimes. I dunno though. I'm not a mod lol so I could be wrong on all that.
Honestly I think it is just hard for us old timers who are used to simpler days. We're gonna be telling all these newbies the whole, "BACK IN MY DAY...". But times do change and we're maybe just not fully prepared for it. The new kids will see this and figure it out and be used to it like it never was any different ya know? We're just a bunch of old toddlers.

Yep that about sums up my opinion lol.

[Kerriki]