A Tidy Bit Frustrating and Unequal [aimed at the staff team]

[blaiblou]

So both my brother and I have been playing don't starve since the early beta when the game was still an infant. We've both largely enjoyed it from the beggining and I feel we've both been part of the community since it was really small.

Now my point here is, because I'm not a forum rat and I usually actively avoid forums in general ( I really dislike forums ) it seems I'm not given the same value as a player. For a recent example, because he writes in the forums, he's got two samples keys of Don't Starve Together beta for him to play with a friend while I, because I don't write in the forums, got none.

I feel this is highly unfair and extremely frustrating as we've both played Don't Starve since it's begginings. I like to spend more time enjoying the game than writing about it in some language I'm not too familiar with [english is not our main tongue], is that so wrong?

 

My brother and I have usually played Don't Starve together [not DST, just regular DS] in the past even though we couldn't really play together on the same world. Right now he's playing DST with a friend of his and I wish me and a friend of mine could join them, but we can't.

What I'd like to ask here is fairness with non-forums-users, people like me who enjoy the game just as much as people who spend time here talking with other people about it.

Hopefully my english was able to make at least some sense. Forgive mistakes in grammar and general phrase constructing. Thank you for reading.

[Quiet]

The developers mainly chose forum members because they felt that, as active members of the community, we would be more likely to post bugs, experiences, and feedback for DST.  It will be available to everyone soon enough; you will simply have to be patient.

[blaiblou]

The developers mainly chose forum members because they felt that, as active members of the community, we would be more likely to post bugs, experiences, and feedback for DST.  It will be available to everyone soon enough; you will simply have to be patient.

 

I'm an active member of the community. That doesn't mean I'm a forums user. They could have implemented in game feedback mechanics as I've seen in other games. It works wonders.

DST "being available to everyone soon enough" is irrelevant to the topic. The topic is about inequality of treatment between Players and Forum Users.

Also, if I had two cents for every time a person tells another to be patient, I'd be rich, really.

[xSadoro]

Awww I feel so sorry for you I wished you and your bro would have gotten in! Maybe they'll read this and give you and your friend a key? Maybe they will not care? Maybe you're lying? The possibilities are too many I guess... We'll have to wait for time and...maybe fate to tell us haha so dramatic, I know.

[Pyromailmann]

Well, Klei can get in contact easier than someone active and just plays on Steam but doesn't go on the forum.  The can get in contact by adding you on Steam but it'd be easier to just send a message through the Forums rather than through Steam.

[f1r5tblood]

You didn't have to be a "forum rat" to receive the keys, you just had to sign up for the beta on their website and you would have been given two keys already. I have an extra key if you want one, however I'm not sure if there is a messaging system on these forums as I mainly just lurk.

 

[blaiblou]

Thank you for your sympathy, Sadoro.

I just wish they'd stop ignoring people like me who really dislikes spending time in forums. And it's not just now, it's not about getting a DST key, I've experienced this extensively and I wish it'd change.

[Rosten]

It's actually quite simple really. There are hundreds, if not thousands of people who play Don't Starve on a daily basis. Klei has no way of noticing one person out of the other, so being an upstanding member of their forums would make you stand out to them, and they would know that you would be willing to discuss bugs and balance with other players instead of keeping your opinions to yourself. If you don't want to be a part of the community, then don't, but don't expect anything special to happen just because you play the game a lot.

[Habberdash]

Forum members are chosen because they are considered active and trustworthy members of the community who are willing to give Klei valuable feedback,that's why the more active well-known forum members got in first. It isn't because anybody is un-equal,its more because they were pulled in just for the first wave because its easier to deal with a handful of people who have been on the forums for awhile then it is a bunch of random people. Besides,after the first wave was done,everybody had an equal chance to get keys. Everyone. Klei never singled anyone out,ever.

 

Besides,that part of the Beta is over. Early Access is now the place to get keys,so I don't even know why you're complaining about this anymore in the first place. Its irrelevant. I'm sorry that you feel this way but there's really no need to get upset. Klei likes all of their fans and nobody is being singled out or targeted. Crying wolf is not going to help anyone,and again,I'm terribly sorry that you have been inconvenienced but this will not help.

 

I apologize this seems a little harsh,its not intended to be anything of the sort. Just trying to be as informative as possible and make things crystal clear. Good luck and hope you get your keys soon.

[Quiet]

I'm an active member of the community. That doesn't mean I'm a forums user. They could have implemented in game feedback mechanics as I've seen in other games. It works wonders.

 

When I say "active member of the community", I mean what you call "forum rats" (which isn't really a nice term to use).  There's a difference between playing the game and actually participating in the community, by giving feedback and submitting bugs.  What Klei needs for the beta is that kind of person, who can help them make the game what it really needs to be.  While I see your point about an in-game feedback mechanic, Klei just doesn't have the time right now.  DST has required a complete recode of the game.

 

 

Also, if I had two cents for every time a person tells another to be patient, I'd be rich, really.

And if I had the same for every time someone isn't patient, I'd be able to buy Canada.  That's irrelevant to the conversation.

[DevilsSlide]

It's sort of the way many games work.  While people may play and log a lot of hours into the game, it's generally the more vocal ones whose opinions/ideas get heard as those are the people that the developers know are actively playing and commenting on the game.

 

I've been a mod on a forum for an old game that still gets a lot of fan made maps created for it.  While many people download it, only the ideas of those who posted on the forum go into any changes between a beta and a released version of the map.  Many people think that community is dying because the forums are rather slow now, but in reality the downloads for the maps are still quite high.  Had all those downloaders been talking on the forum, who knows the community may be much more active with new maps/mods being created at a greater pace.

 

Essentially, if you aren't active in the public aspect of the community (the forum) it's hard for people to know that person is around.  And more importantly, if that person would be vocal in making comments about issues they've encountered in the beta.

 

As Munixical has said the beta is available on Steam now through the Frontier Pack. 

[blaiblou]

It's actually quite simple really. There are hundreds, if not thousands of people who play Don't Starve on a daily basis. Klei has no way of noticing one person out of the other, so being an upstanding member of their forums would make you stand out to them, and they would know that you would be willing to discuss bugs and balance with other players instead of keeping your opinions to yourself. If you don't want to be a part of the community, then don't, but don't expect anything special to happen just because you play the game a lot.

 

That is overtly judgemental of you. I am a part of the community, and an active one at that, just not like you.

 

 

"Besides,that part of the Beta is over. Early Access is now the place to get keys,so I don't even know why you're complaining about this anymore in the first place. Its irrelevant. I'm sorry that you feel this way but there's really no need to get upset. Klei likes all of their fans and nobody is being singled out or targeted. Crying wolf is not going to help anyone,and again,I'm terribly sorry that you have been inconvenienced but this will not help.

 

I apologize this seems a little harsh,its not intended to be anything of the sort. Just trying to be as informative as possible and make things crystal clear. Good luck and hope you get your keys soon."

I'm not complaining about whatever you meant by 'this'. I guess I'm trying to get something changed for the better. I am also NOT here to get myself a DST key. I wish I had a key to play with my brother, yes, and that's one of the points of this post, but I'm not here to get one.

Also, as expected, people are completely disregarding that english is not my main language. I am not well equipped to develop a good dialogue on this with every forum rat that comes here. I never understood why english speakers seem to expect anyone to be able to discuss with them on their own language.

As a note, I didn't mean forum rat as an offensive term. I've read that term before and just decided to use it for the meaning it has.

Also as a final note, I'd like to thank the people who've read and repplied to this. I am leaving this here now and I hope a member of the Don't Starve Staff Team reads this and takes it into consideration. I might come here tomorrow or some other day to reply to anyone who might ask for a reply of mine on the topic. Thanks again and good day for all.

[imsomony]

@blaiblou, I was just wondering if you could clarify, in case other people are confused (as I am) about the timeline of your brother receiving keys. That may help us as well as the devs understand why you feel it's unfair and/or help us clear up any misunderstandings.

 

• Did he receive keys during closed beta, within a week or two of closed beta beginning? AKA during the "Friends and Family" period?
• Did he receive keys during closed beta, after the Friends and Family period, but as a result of signing up for closed beta?
• Did he receive keys during closed beta, as the result of watching the Twitch streams continuously and winning 1-or-more in giveaways?
• Or did he receive keys randomly given to him, and not tied to any of the above options?

[ryouryou]

You didn't need to be a member of the forums to get a key from the sign-up. I wasn't when I signed up. Neither were either of the friends I played with, and they got keys. I got my keys and then came onto the forums to give away our extra. 

If you were "active in the community," which here doesn't mean playing the game a lot, it means participating in discussions and activities outside of the gameplay itself, you'd have seen that the signups were going up, you'd have signed up, and you'd have had a key by now. Simple as that. 

The free keys aren't a prize anyways, they're not a smiley face sticker that teacher only gave to the other kids and not you. They existed for the sole purpose of testing and receiving feedback, before releasing this to a wider audience. That's why any of them were free. It's not about "fairness," (though to be "fair" you did have an equal chance to sign up as everyone else). The developers can't check everywhere for feedback, so they picked one place: their own website. This makes sense anyways, as if all the feedback is in one place, it's so much easier not to miss it. Oh, and they're busy doing that other pesky thing.. developing a game, I think it was? 

Maybe English speakers seem to expect you to discuss with them in their own language because you came onto an English-speaking forum, posted in English, and forums are for discussion? Nah, that couldn't be it.

[knight]

I'm in the same sort of position the only difference is that I was part of the forms for a bit, I got the game when you needed science points to craft stuff played it for a long time but a few months after the games full release I stopped playing. a wile after R.O.G was release I got back into the game exploring all the new content and got back into the forms only when I came back I was to late for the beta key

it doesn't bother me to much but I understand why your frustrated

[Flare2V]

For a recent example, because he writes in the forums, he's got two samples keys of Don't Starve Together beta for him to play with a friend while I, because I don't write in the forums, got none.

Sounds like you should be taking this up with your brother and not us.

[RalphKastro]

I woulldn't say it's because you're being ignored, it's more like you're not making yourself heard. There's no way you'd get privileges if people don't hear about you. Sorry, but that's how the world works(and why I hate it).

Edit:

Also, as expected, people are completely disregarding that english is not my main language. I am not well equipped to develop a good dialogue on this with every forum rat that comes here. I never understood why english speakers seem to expect anyone to be able to discuss with them on their own language.

 
Well, the server is made by a Canadian company, with Canadian or American(as far as I know, at least) staff, and is mostly composed by English speakers. What would you expect?
I definitely would have trouble if I made a forum for my games company in Portuguese, and had people speaking Russian or German in it. Would you like something like that?

Also, your English is fine, you don't need to worry that much about fancy vocabulary or whatever. You communicate just fine to me.

[Shenny]

What do you do to be active in the community? Simply playing the game is not a community effort.

[J192]

"Klei requires feedback for their closed beta, but Klei only chooses those who are highly likely to give feedback. I am highly unlikely to give feedback, so why on earth did they not choose me?"

 

Screw sympathy, you're not special.

The situation is not "Klei is unfair to their players.", but rather "I ignored Klei, so Klei ignored me."

[simplex]

I don't understand this thread. First of all, it'd make perfect sense if Klei favoured forum members in earlier stages of beta due to closer interaction with the devs, allowing for more extensive and more interactive feedback. But, even then, as far as I know, there was no preference towards forum members. There was an open registration for beta, which closed fast due to the unexpectedly large registration rate; since it closed so fast and forum members were more likely to see it in time, a logical consequence was a stronger presence of forum members as key receivers, but this was just a matter of happenstance, not preference. And either way, the beta is now open via the Frontier Pack, so I really don't understand what you're saying.

[JoeW]

The only preference toward forum members was the first few hundred who helped us test the login and registration servers for everybody else. The beta registration was announced everywhere at the same time, including in the game. 

 

 

[Fellow]

The developers mainly chose forum members because they felt that, as active members of the community, we would be more likely to post bugs, experiences, and feedback for DST.  It will be available to everyone soon enough; you will simply have to be patient.

I still wonder how few forum members it is they chose, considering multiple of my friends who did not even own DS got keys, which they sold of course, while not 1 friend I know from the forums got a key without buying it.

[bensonlw]

I wasn't a member of the forum until I received the key, so I can vouch that the claims above are irrelevant. All you've to do is sign up for the beta keys and let your luck do the magic for you. Or maybe because I bought 7 copies of Don't Starve + RoG to support Klei? Hahaha

[CometChaserPleinair]

ooo, I wasn't a forum rat when I got my keys @_@ does this mean I am PRIVELDGED? hohoho~

[MizYin]

First of all...your English is fine. Better than many native-English speakers I have read online. In fact, I'd go as far as to say it's very good. The time you've put into your posts shows. I would guess many other people replying here feel the same, however, since it is so good, they probably do not even bother to comment on it, I doubt they are just ignoring the fact you said it. Trust me, your English is better than my brother's, and he has lived in the USA his entire life, haha! I would never have guessed it was not your first language. The only reason English is expected in these forums is because of where the company is situated. They company is based in Canada, and as a result, most of the staff speaks English as a first language, I would imagine. (Perhaps French as well, as it is Canada, but I couldn't say for sure!) As a result...if suggestions and feedback and discussion came in another language, they would have great difficulty implementing it or even understanding the feedback. This is why they expect the discussions to be in English. The effort you are expending in posting in English is GREATLY appreciated!

 

From what it sounds like, you are an active PLAYER of the game, that is for sure. I'm sure that's true. However, community implies that there's discussion/interaction with a group of people. Therefore, you would be an active player of the game, but not an active member of the online community. That is, unless you're referring to other community locations, such as the Steam group, forums in other languages/not the official forums, or perhaps Tumblr, etc.

 

The beta key signups were available to everybody, and were announced in-game, all you would have had to do was click it, see the signups page, put your information in, and you would have received a key by the 15th of this month, three days ago. Everyone who signed up through that was provided at least two keys. While friends and family, then prominent and vocal forum users, and then some specific others were the FIRST to get keys, they were not the only ones. They did not send out keys randomly, either. The friends who did not own Don't Starve who got keys would have had to sign up via the beta key signups I mentioned before. The signups were not limited to just people who owned the game. They were announced on Twitter, Facebook, and the game itself. Many people who had not purchased Don't Starve at the time saw the signup page.

 

They have not been just picking forum "favorites" or "forum rats" for these keys, I can promise you, or my husband would have never gotten a key. While English is his first language, when it comes to typing it, he is very slow and as a result, doesn't even join forums. He put in for the beta key signups, right when they were announced, and around...December 5th, I believe? he was provided his two keys. I was very active prior to the first wave of keys being released, and as a result was picked to get some keys before the beta key signups were sent out. They were looking for a small handful of people to vigorously bug-test the game, and not just to play it, but to then come to the forums and tell them what issues had come up. If you were not an active forum user, you would not be useful in such a test. They needed people who they knew used the forums to help prepare the game for the people who would be getting keys soon.

 

Now that the game is in Early Access, they are less concerned about people coming to the forums to bug test. and as a result, keys are purchasable via Steam now. If you are unable to locate a key via the forum for trading here, or if nobody provides you one from this thread, you can go to Steam and get one directly, and the money will help support development as well.

 

Lastly...the term "forum rat" is one I had not seen used around here, though I'm sure it has been used. I think part of the reason that some people here took issue with the term is because rats are often considered pests or vermin, and "forum rat" could be used to imply something like "forum pests," or something like that, considering you seemed upset or let down that people from the forums got keys first. It sounds like it is meant with a degree of disgust due to the word "rat," I believe. I'm sure you didn't mean it that way.

 

Forgive the length of my post, I just wanted to make sure you understood that people WERE reading your post in its entirety, and wanted to make sure that I was thorough about explaining the answers I had. Feel free to ask any further questions about the beta if you have any, the people here on the forums are generally very knowledgeable and fairly quick to answer!