Posted by rsvphr on 2/19/2013 6:24:00 PM (view original):
I must say that I also doubt that stupidity is an issue. I think most of what they have done with this game is pretty impressive. The inattention and the woeful lack of marketing the game are like the chicken and the egg. But the core game is not in decline, it's stagnant. Which for the optimist in me means it needs innovation, not mouth to mouth resuscitation.
i think tarek had a pretty impressive vision, although i couldn't stand his admin style. i think seble does a much better job of listening to users, it really went a long way in saving the game after the initial round of potential, which was borderline catastrophic. but its also his weakness - he lacks the vision, and i honestly think he has no idea what it is like to coach at a high level, which is not all you build around, but its important to understand how things feel to veterans who have spent many years building a feel for the game. and its important to keep things balanced and fair at the high end - those issues are much less important in mid level play, where coaching mistakes and misconceptions can dramatically outweigh things like, slight imbalances in the effectiveness of particular sets or strategies. and anyway, without that vision, i feel like seble listens too much to complainers and doesnt do that all-important step - successful companies listen to customer complains, but they dont just take their suggestions. they know their product and services better than the customer, and they look at where the pain is, and figure out ways to resolve that pain - which they should be able to do much better than a customer, for whom this product or service is NOT their core business (and usually not even close). seble is at the level that he can listen to customers to identify problems, but its his core business, he should be better at solving the problems - and when it comes to architecting solutions and maintaining a subtle balance, he is pretty weak, IMO. case in point, d1 recruit generation - total disaster, shed a third of all d1 coaches, but i dont feel like he understands the problem, let alone, how to fix it.
but by far the biggest problem, IMO, is not seble. its like big shots at fox dont even know wis exists - its not even big enough to make a line item on a balance sheet. and it seems that whoever they put in charge is damn near brain dead (or else, is busy with other stuff, and doesnt know how to delegate). i think these products have great potential, but that the teams for the games dont have the resources they need to get the job done. so, i cant really give seble the majority of the blame, its like blaming a waitress for slow service when there are only 2 people working a busy lunch shift, and one is manning the bar, doing nothing. although i definitely think there are a number of things he could do better, but on the whole, at least hes friendly and TRIES to listen. i really do think he tries, i just dont think hes setup for success, and i dont think he has the vision to do it all himself, even if he was given the time and testing resources.