Yeahhhh I think this may have been misreadOriginally Posted by Keilyn
It was an affectionate greeting -- "wayward" because the official forums are down and that's where I'm used to communicating with PSU players. An acknowledgment that our boards & site are down, that it kinda sucks, and that it had been a while since we'd all spoken.
This is some Psych 101 but: The truth of the matter is if people are responding aggressively to that one word there's an undercurrent of hostility that has nothing to do with my vocab choice. Either it's because you don't like me (fair enough), you don't like the news I'm bringing (okay), or it's just fun to trash someone from SEGA because they're the messenger and they're talking to you somewhere where they can't ban you for your actions (probably). Or it's likely some combination of those!
So just so we're on the same page -- you're upset because you don't like not being told exactly what's coming / when it's coming; you don't like seeing different/reused weapon skins on new weapons here; you don't like that we're different from the JP version in general. And I'm guessing no one is happy about the PSU site & forums being down (and that includes me). I'm sure there's more but is that enough to be going on with?
I'm happy to be the community rep for PSU. I know where there's been problems & I know where there's been successes. Some of you can keep this in perspective while still discussing the issues the game has; some can't. That's how all community management is. I don't have the power to make things how you want them but I'll do my best to explain the way things are. If there's something I'm not saying, its not just that I'm withholding information I could tell you; it's that I'm limited in what I can talk about. That's just how most games are.
Deservedly so! Gamers are a pretty entitled bunch and to actually discuss real game issues both company & customer have to be able to cut through that garbage. Saying that this represents an "uncensored" dialogue is pretty hilarious considering the number of people posting mindlessly aggressive stuff, and considering some of the trolling that people have gotten away with for years on the PSU official forums (yourself included). Go search the forums -- or you know, search them if they were up-- but there is no shortage of criticism. I never "censored" criticism so long as it wasn't an attack.
If you want to have a dialogue about this stuff, I'm happy to. But forums do not always represent a perfect dialogue -- they represent (at their worst) group think and reactionary opinions about things that don't actually matter as much as the emotions people put into them. Go ahead and tell me that's not how the internet works sometimes
At their best, forums are a great way for a company to connect to the people who actually play -- and pay for -- their games; a chance to learn about issues & customer experience. For my part I make sure Japan is aware that our Western PSU audience is fanatically devoted to the game but is extremely dissatisfied when they feel like they're "second-class" citizens -- that even small differences will always be noticed and that this is a group of players who have supported their games for over a decade (or more).
That's the big picture, that's what I've been imparting to them for as long as I've been here, and I believe there's good people there who I work with who see and understand just how much success of Phantasy Star has come from the West. That doesn't mean everything with PSU will happen just the way you want it, but it does mean that there's every chance to improve the way we deal with this game -- and future games. I love this community and this franchise and I feel personally responsible for making sure these concerns get to Japan and this game (and future games) are improved. I'll keep working for that regardless of how my use of "wayward" gets misconstrued. :P
Reply With Quote
I can always go play some FFXIV... which is still free-to-play, btw, because Square-Enix realized that their original dev team screwed up. Perhaps you guys could learn from them. 
Connect With Us