A note on feedback and overall attitude

[Jirato]

There seems to have been an increase in what I'd call "unpleasant" attitude and feedback. I'm in no means trying to bash the person(s) who have been doing this, but I'd just like to take a moment and remind everyone that the way they present information, requests, and feedback can greatly influence the atmosphere of the community and the attitude of both your fellow players and the GM team who is working to improve things for you.

It can be extremely discouraging to us to see comments like, "Well, this sucks.", "Why is this so dumb?". "That's stupid.", "I hate this!", and so on. These types of comments set a very negative atmosphere and are not constructive to the betterment of the game at all. They leave an impression that the only reason why you're playing the game is to bash it. They just need to stop, period. If those are your thoughts on CLOK, and you're not willing to politely and maturely share your concerns and feedback, then perhaps this is not the MUD for you.

Then there are some more seemingly innocent comments, such as "X needs to happen" or "They need to do Y", "Z must be coming soon", and so on. We love when people make suggestions for CLOK, however, please keep in mind that there is a right and wrong way to ask for changes. First off, as much as we like socialize with the players and occasionally help out when there's not a mentor around, it should be remembered that neither CHAT or QUESTION are considered "official" communication channels, and are not the appropriate place to make requests to the GMs. Any official feedback or suggestions for the game should be shared on our BBS in the Feature Requests and Suggestions forum or the appropriate subforum for the system in question.

Aside from the fact that CHAT and QUESTION are not the appropriate mediums to share feedback and suggestions with the CLOK team, it also comes across very harsh when worded like the above. Rather than demanding something being added or assuming it's such a given that it must be added, it comes across much more nicely if you can tell us why a feature has your interest and suggestions on how said feature would work. Consider the two following statements: "They need to hurry up and release alchemy!" and "As a Rook, I look forward to the possibility of making potions via alchemy.". Statement A seems much more demanding and needy, while statement B shows enthusiasm and encouragement to the GM team to work on a feature.

Now, please understand that we have tons of cool ideas and plans, and for every documented plan we have on our public Trello board, we've probably got another dozen or so being tossed around and discussed internally by the GM Team. CLOK is a massive project, being worked on by a small team. I am truly grateful for the assistance that the every member of the team has provided, and even the legendary Rias occasionally stepping in and helping with awesome events and area designs. However, CLOK only has one developer, and one coder. This is intentional, and is not going to change. It is a closed-source project and we are content with privately working on the MUD code. CLOK is an older MUD that has been in operation for many years, and one lesson we've learned early on is too many hands in the pot make for a messy kitchen. Code work is slow, and new features take time, but we are committed to bringing you quality content and improving the game.

Every member of the team is balancing their CLOK time with their jobs, family, education, and such. Our motivation waxes and wanes with the overall atmosphere and attitude of the community. We're glad to see people enthusiastic about CLOK and plan to support it for many years to come, but ask that you please try to remain positive and mindful of our busy lives as we work on furthering what is essentially a volunteer hobby project.