Not posting replies in suggestion threads shouldn't be confused with not reading them.
If a member of the dev team (regardless of their actual job at Tripwire) were to pop into a suggestion thread and say "Wow, I/we really like this idea" that would cause two problems, immediately:
1. People would take that as official word from tripwire that the proposed feature/fix will definitely be part of the game, and if even ONE feature a dev says they like or are interested in doesn't make the final cut, people will be OUTRAGED, calling the game "unfinished" and "abandonware" even if it has 99% of the things it was planned to get (and 100% of the things actually promised). But you'd have to be crazy to hold such an innocuous statement as an official promise of game content, right? Well, apparently there's a lot of crazy gamers out there, because I've seen this kind of irrational backlash and entitlement ruin other early access games.
Devs basically cannot even HINT at possible game content until they are 100% certain it will make it into the game.
2. If some peoples' threads get commented on, then anyone whose suggestion doesn't get commented on will feel rejected, convinced that silence is a "definite no". Because again, some people are irrational, over-sensitive, and prone to jumping to conclusions.
They might even be so self-centered that if they think they definitely won't get what they want, they have no reason to play the game at all. Or need to beg more incessantly. Or go around telling people that Tripwire doesn't listen to its players, or other nonsense like that.
So it's a choice between not commenting on ANY suggestion threads, or becoming obligated to go around patronizing everyone. Given the conflict with point 1., I think that accurately sums up the lack of comments.
This is all my assumption, at any rate. I've never developed a game, I just participate in a lot of EAs and Betas.
If a member of the dev team (regardless of their actual job at Tripwire) were to pop into a suggestion thread and say "Wow, I/we really like this idea" that would cause two problems, immediately:
1. People would take that as official word from tripwire that the proposed feature/fix will definitely be part of the game, and if even ONE feature a dev says they like or are interested in doesn't make the final cut, people will be OUTRAGED, calling the game "unfinished" and "abandonware" even if it has 99% of the things it was planned to get (and 100% of the things actually promised). But you'd have to be crazy to hold such an innocuous statement as an official promise of game content, right? Well, apparently there's a lot of crazy gamers out there, because I've seen this kind of irrational backlash and entitlement ruin other early access games.
Devs basically cannot even HINT at possible game content until they are 100% certain it will make it into the game.
2. If some peoples' threads get commented on, then anyone whose suggestion doesn't get commented on will feel rejected, convinced that silence is a "definite no". Because again, some people are irrational, over-sensitive, and prone to jumping to conclusions.
They might even be so self-centered that if they think they definitely won't get what they want, they have no reason to play the game at all. Or need to beg more incessantly. Or go around telling people that Tripwire doesn't listen to its players, or other nonsense like that.
So it's a choice between not commenting on ANY suggestion threads, or becoming obligated to go around patronizing everyone. Given the conflict with point 1., I think that accurately sums up the lack of comments.
This is all my assumption, at any rate. I've never developed a game, I just participate in a lot of EAs and Betas.
