The problem with asking SE questions...

[Feba]

is that apparently very few people actually have interest in asking SE, and more interests in getting something they want. How many GOOD questions have we seen, that were more than thinly veiled suggestions? Things that would provide interesting answers, and don't try to get something added to the game.

Let's look at the numbers.

GOOD THREADS:
"Is there imbalance between monsters and players?"
"Why DX9 and Windowed mode"
"How does S-E measure FFXI's economy? "
"Could SE tell us a little bit about how their testing team operates?"

And not to toot my own horn, but 2/3 threads I made were good QUESTIONS (note, not suggestions).

This makes a grand total of six GOOD questions, which as far as I can tell and remember is about one per MONTH. This is sad.

So I have a question for everyone making suggestions instead of questions:

Are you that uncreative, or are you just trying to further your own agenda?

I mean hell, I have more respect for the guy that asked if mithra have smooth skin or fur at fan fest than most of the questions in that forum.

[Kailea]

hey I forgot.... what was the answer to that question anyway.... about Mithra's skin/fur? ;p

[Feba]

It's whatever you want it to be.

[Richie]

The problem with asking SE questions:

Q: When balancing together 20 jobs, didn't you consider the shortage of tank jobs?
A: We don't have much to say about that at this time.


They sound like a Vietnam vet that's done talking about all his dead buddies.

[Kailea]

It's whatever you want it to be.

..... ok light coat of fur it is! ^.^

[Armando]

They sound like a Vietnam vet that's done talking about all his dead buddies.Um...S-E was pretty generous answering questions at the fanfest. They explained TREASURE HUNTER for Christ's sake.

They answer 2 questions with "we're not allowed to say anything on the subject right now" and everyone goes "LAWL STUPID SE ALWAYS DOES THIS TO US."

[IfritnoItazura]

Um...S-E was pretty generous answering questions at the fanfest. They explained TREASURE HUNTER for Christ's sake.
I wouldn't go as far as "generous", but they were hardily taciturn at the event. And, yes, I'm very happy to know how Treasure Hunter works, at last

Though, not sure if the THFs are happy that Dynamis runs now only need one THF, and all he has to do is go as THF/WHM and cast Dia on every critter before it dies, or toss out a Cure I on tank during every battle. Just one THF/WHM; the rest can sit in the Mog House or level a useful job instead.

Free lot on every THF Relic gear, since the rest of THFs are at home crying to their Moogles.

* * *

Now, how nice it would be they would engage with NA player community like that on a regular basis... Not once a year or once a day, and no need to turn it into a festival, but a once a month or two for a Q&A would be so nice and ...

Oh wait, why does that sound familiar, I wonder?

[Malacite]

Now, how nice it would be they would engage with NA player community like that on a regular basis... Not once a year or once a day, and no need to turn it into a festival, but a once a month or two for a Q&A would be so nice and ...

No kidding. Why the cold shoulder SE?

[Ziero]

I thought the 'what was your vision for Rdm' question was pretty good, and by good I mean it was an actual question that wasn't a suggestion in disguise.

[Yellow Mage]

Maybe it has something to do with Feba's original point of the lack of actual questions . . .

I know I've been guilty of the crime in question before (pun unintended), but I abstained from all suggestioning when I asked my lastest question. All my future questions will be suggestion free, as well.

In fact, I made sure I wasn't making any suggestions in disguise far before Feba made any mention of it, because I noticed it, too.

[Malacite]

I still maintain that the questions are mostly all good.

There's nothing wrong with attached opinions. If you want to keep it simple, stick simply to the question asked and leave out any comments/suggestions by the poster when posing them to SE. Problem solved.

Besides that, SE gets a crap tonne of suggestions sent to them each day and I seriously doubt they go through them all. This further legitimizes any suggestions, since they will likely otherwise go unheard.

The key is being brief and direct.

[LyonheartLakshmi]

I know how much Feba hates suggestions, but here's one: don't read the "Ask SE" forum.

Post your own creative questions. Wait until DiV reports the answers SE gave. Use the time in between to do something other than complain about threads you don't like.

[Armando]

Post your own creative questions. Wait until DiV reports the answers SE gave. Use the time in between to do something other than complain about threads you don't like.Feba isn't bitching for the sake of bitching, he's bitching because this is the only chance we'll have in God knows how long to ask S-E ten questions. I'm sure everyone here wants those questions to be good ones.

I mean, if you had the chance to ask God anything, you wouldn't blow it on something stupid like "what are eggshells made of?" The rest of humanity would have every right to be pissed at you.

I'm not passing judgment on the quality of the questions. Don't want to touch that with a fifty foot pole. I'm just saying what's most likely the motive driving Feba to bitch.

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

"Is there imbalance between monsters and players?"

They adressed this at E3. Check out Pikko's report, its in there. They're aware of it.

"Why DX9 and Windowed mode"

You're basically asking "Why can't we have what other PC MMOs have?"

Because then 360 users would want it and they couldn't give it to PS2 users. It would cost extra money and they do not wish to reversion the code. FFXI is not a purely PC MMO.

"How does S-E measure FFXI's economy? "

In gil, obviously.

"Could SE tell us a little bit about how their testing team operates?"

They'd tell you the same thing any tester would tell you about an online game. You can test something for hundreds and hundreds of hours and until its let loose in the online realm where community trends take hold, they won't have a 100% picture of what you've created. They made Ninja a DD, we made it a blink-tank. They made BRD a support class, the community has made it a pull monkey that doesn't know how to buff anymore. They made PUP, BLM and BST DDs, the community has made them soloists. They made RDM versatile, we only invite them to heal.

They observe this and try to modify the roles to be more friendly to these trends or, if they disagree with them, they find ways to discourage it.

I don't think they wanted SMNs out there main healing all the damn time, throwing two new classes with healer potential in - not to mention PUP's newfound healer potential - would probably help liberate a SMN and RDM from the fate of being the bitch healer.

So now the questions have been answered and they're every bit as inane as the ones you're taking issue with. Have a nice day.

[Gentoo]

I honestly can't figure out why anyone would get their panties in a twist because the poster tries to clarify the gist of a question by offering an example (a.k.a. suggestion) on how the subject of the question might work.

It might be useful to be reminded that a moderator of this site said:
It's not that we don't want people to post suggestions - there are certainly some instances where suggestions might be warranted.While offering an explanation how a particular mechanic on the game could work might kill brevity, it can be good communication by trying to give the question depth.

If you don't like the question, thats one thing; try making an argument on why the question itself is bad. If you don't like the way question was asked, help hone it (as was done in the "Why DX9 and Windowed mode" thread).
However, if you just don't like other people posting questions, setup your own web forums on 127.0.0.1 and stay there.

[Sabaron]

I appear to have spawned a bonafide "Rant" thread with my "straw that broke the camel's back" Ask SE Questions post.

Let us therefore take a look at the "rules" (which were not written by Feba).

* All thread headers MUST be in the form of a question, and the details of the question in the body of the post (if the question needs to be explained in detail the situation). If it is not even in the form of a question, your "question" may not even be selected and maybe deleted or removed.

I don't see any non-question named threads that haven't been moved.

* One question per thread, any questions not at the first post of the thread will not be considered. If the questions are inter-related you may include them together. For example: Are you going to do anything about RMT? If so, what would you do?

Each question appears to be in its own post.

* The Moderation and Administration Team of FFXIOnline.com at the end of each month will lock all threads for that month and archive it into the archive sub-forum.

This is not really a guideline per-se.

* The Moderation and Administration Team of FFXIOnline.com will select 9 questions to be compiled on to a list. The last remaining one is reserved for the moderation and administration team.


Here we go... Forum Moderators (e.g. not Feba) pick [up to] 9 questions to submit.

* The list will be compiled and submitted to the FFXI Community Relations Team, and the submitted list will also be posted on the news section for discussion, and if the FFXIOnline.com team find later that we missed any questions, we will tack it onto the next month's list.


Again not a guideline.

* If you feel that a question should have been included on the list but was not, it is likely that you did not follow the formatting guidelines and/or it did not receive the appropriate support from other members.


A method for handling disputes not a guideline.

{Please note out of order} * Questions that are rude, offensive, full of profanity, or in bad taste will not only be omitted, but will be deleted and infraction points handed out as appropriate.


None of the questions appear to contain rude or offensive language.

* Inane questions, questions with obvious answers, questions with little thought, questions that are not legible, or questions that are not understandable, are unlikely to be included. Please make sure that you spell correctly and that your grammar is correct. Please take your time in posting your questions.


Now this boils down to these simple rules:

1. Can I understand what the author is saying?
2. Has the author exercised proper use of their chosen language's grammar?
3. Can a 12 year old answer the question without reference material?

Inanity is subjective, but here's our definition from Dictionary.com
1. lacking sense, significance, or ideas; silly: inane questions.
2. empty; void.

Do you really think any of the questions asked, no matter what you think of the content qualify under these guidelines as "rejectable"?

Also you will notice the last guideline states "unlikely" not that such questions are definably inappropriate. I believe that pretty much everyone who has posted questions (recently) has met all of the criteria. You might think your question is somehow "better" but that is handled by the moderator selection process not by Feba*.

* - Feba doesn't select questions, but he gets to voice his opinion on whether or not he likes said question (by responding to the post). Therefore, Feba (and anyone) is entitled to their own opinion on any question and said opinions can be taken into account by forum moderators when determining which questions are submitted. Therefore, in a way Feba does in fact have a hand in determining whether or not your question gets through, he just doesn't get to decide himself.

[Feba]

There's nothing wrong with attached opinions.
Yes, there is.

It means the question will only appeal to a certain group of people, that there's a stronger chance it will be ignored, not to mention it will just be "ok, we'll look into that" nine times out of ten.

And some of you people don't get it, it's not the suggestion of how something might work, it's the suggestion at all. There is no reason SE should be asked to make blue mages fancy hats, be it "Are you going to make fancy hats for Blue Mage?" or "I want fancy hats for Blue Mage!", it's the same thing.


bbq:
They adressed this at E3. Check out Pikko's report, its in there. They're aware of it.

That does not make it less of a good question, and there could still be interesting replies from it. Even if it is already answered, it is still a good question.

You're basically asking "Why can't we have what other PC MMOs have?"
I suppose if you completely ignore the actual subject of the post, yes, maybe. Those of us who bother reading realize it's a very interesting question, though.

Because then 360 users would want it and they couldn't give it to PS2 users. It would cost extra money and they do not wish to reversion the code. FFXI is not a purely PC MMO.

Except they already announced they are adding it around the time WOTG comes out. Way to not only completely ignore the thread, but ignore FFXI too.

In gil, obviously.
Cute. That does not address the actual subject of the post, though.

They observe this and try to modify the roles to be more friendly to these trends or, if they disagree with them, they find ways to discourage it.
If you were talking about the dev team, this might be a good answer. Unfortunately we're not, and you just look like an idiot.

So now the questions have been answered
If answers from someone who has no idea what the hell they were talking about and did not work for SE qualified as answering, there would be no need to ask SE.
------------------------------------------
I appear to have spawned a bonafide "Rant" thread with my "straw that broke the camel's back" Ask SE Questions post.
please don't flatter yourself.
------------------------------------------
Do you really think any of the questions asked, no matter what you think of the content qualify under these guidelines as "rejectable"?

Yes.

I did not see the word "suggestions" in there once. It is a place to ask SE questions, not suggest things, we can do that enough in other ways.

[Sabaron]

please don't flatter yourself.


My Question thread:
Does SE have any plans to make the rollout of WoG less painful than ToAU? (http://www.ffxionline.com/forums/ask-squareenix-questions/69022-does-se-have-any-plans-make-rollout-wog-less-painful-than-toau.html)

has no less than three directly related responses from Feba in it:

Also, this is not the suggestions forum. And if you were going to make a suggestion, suggesting SE just let us download the game would've been a much better option.

it doesn't matter. you're still suggesting that SE do such and such a thing. That is your motive, what it produces is still going to suck.

No direct suggestion, perhaps, but it's still painfully obvious that there is a suggestion in it. Just like about 4/5 threads in this forum. It's sad really.

and I never said "completely responsible". My thread just happens to be chronologically latest in the order of threads Feba has scoffed at, thus the language "straw that broke the camel's back" indicating that it simply is the last in a series of perceived offenses against Feba that resulted in the creation of this thread.

[Feba]

Your thread has very little to do with it. It's the entire thread.

It is certainly not the straw that broke the camel's back.

[BurningPanther]

I mean, if you had the chance to ask God anything, you wouldn't blow it on something stupid like "what are eggshells made of?" The rest of humanity would have every right to be pissed at you. Well then, sucks to be the rest of humanity. If I'm burning to know the composition of egshells, then that's what I'll burn my question on, as would anybody. They ask questions pertaining to their interests, not everything has to keep a grand scheme in mind.

But, good thing I don't need the divine presence to know the composition of eggshells, and good thing S-E's horse isn't so high up that they'll only grant one question. Their horse sits about six inches lower, so they deem only to grant us ten.

Feba's points are somewhat valid, but there doesn't seem to be much that doesn't get put sand in his panties, so it's good to take it all with a grain of salt.

However!

I DO have a question: Why does this seem to be the only forum that restricts feedback to S-E to questions only, discouraging suggestions, and again with limited submission of said questions? Of the forums I've visited, this alone has the most stifling restrictions.

[LyonheartLakshmi]

Feba isn't bitching for the sake of bitching, he's bitching because this is the only chance we'll have in God knows how long to ask S-E ten questions. I'm sure everyone here wants those questions to be good ones.

I mean, if you had the chance to ask God anything, you wouldn't blow it on something stupid like "what are eggshells made of?" The rest of humanity would have every right to be pissed at you.

I'm not passing judgment on the quality of the questions. Don't want to touch that with a fifty foot pole. I'm just saying what's most likely the motive driving Feba to bitch.
The crappy questions being posted aren't going to stop the "good" questions from being submitted to SE. Feba already posts quite often in the threads he doesn't like. And now he's spawned two completely new threads complaining about Ask SE thread quality. His rants aren't going to improve the "quality" of posted questions.

While I get your point about "Ask God", a situation like that would be an order of magnitudes different from Ask SE. If I knew I could ask God any one question and be guaranteed an answer to it, I wouldn't be worried about exercising my creative juices. I wouldn't be worrying about formulating a question whose answer would help entertain the masses. The question would be born out of need.

And believe you me, I would care even less about what Feba thought about the question I ask God than about his opinion on posted threads.

[Malacite]

Speaking of which, on the off chance either of mine gets picked (Not really betting on either to be honest, and failing that I can always ask my LS buddies who are attending ^^ but still it would be nice...) I'd really care more about the possibility of a Mystic Knight vs Higher Tier Enspells over Armor types.

^^; just wanted to make that clear. It's not my choice, it's the mods and as such I respect their decisions (as we all should) but I've been hoping for spellblade since I first heard of FFXI 5+ years ago and by god I'm gonna get answer out of SE 1 way or another >_ >