So, having spent a few days pushing most of the buttons in the new interface and now having rang the recruiting bells for a few hours, I think its more than obvious, in my humble opinion, this thing is much more of a "marketing" upgrade that just so happens to be masquerading as a "product" update. Does it look a hell of a lot slicker and will it function more seamlessly once the bugs get worked out...I think the answer to both of those is absolutely, and even more so should they heed the users' suggestions. Which I think is backed-up by the fact that the majority of the feedback deals not with new features but old ones that people would like to see integrated better.
I think its noteworthy to point-out that the only tab which is aesthetically different from all of the other ones are the new functions within recruiting itself. They are much less generic and much more graphics based than all the others. The same general type of features that, which I'm sure everyone has also noticed, have been used to remake almost every facet of WIS website over the past 8 to 12 months. So, in reality, it was only a matter of time before it was to be extended into the games as well, but this fact alone is quite understandable and, as far as functionality goes, can be a good thing.
However, can a link be drawn between the eventuality of the upgrade which everyone is now consciously (if not subconsciously for a long time) aware of and the complete overhaul of recruiting that we have been presented??? I think the answer is yes...but it is too simplistic to say this must be the case since they were rolled-out together, although rather telling, and too speculative to claim the recruiting update is a Freudian manifestation brought about both in response to and by a process that was itself motivated by the exact same insecurities, although not entirely unfounded I think. But, given the previously made points along with the fact that these aesthetic changes aren't needed in order to facilitate the recruiting update, I don't think it is a stretch in the least to say that these upgrades are the primary factor for the update to HD rather than recruiting. However, I think possibly the more relevant and insightful question is whether these factors are in any way responsible for influencing the nature or outcome of the proposed recruiting update. A link of this type, whose effect might have far ranging implications, is also a much more difficult one to establish, especially since I have absolutely zero knowledge of the inner workings of WIS.
I'll be the first to admit that high-level conspiracies with serious consequences probably take place much more frequently than we would like to imagine. But "conspiracy theories", as they are popularly understood, hold so much sway because of their ability to provide an explanation for individual powerlessness as well as justification for the resulting disenfranchisement, which is typically engendered through general inaction or radical actions. And, where one person sees the illuminati or vast jewish conpiracy another sees Simon Cowell as an inter-dimensional reptilian overload whose plan it is to destroy humanity one terrible TV program at a time...and usually they are a combination of both, because why the hell not. Needless to say, its much easier to direct that energy towards an individual rather than a diffuse unknown many.
With all these things in mind let me layout my positions on the current update(s) then contrast them with a counter, and sometimes much louder, position on the matter. Based on a very wide swath of information, from seble's own words to my views to the extensive opinions of HD users on a variety of topics, I think the proposed (and most likely not to change) recruiting update is a very very very bad idea. The reason I started playing this game and many active veteran users in the community, as well as the majority of those who don't post, have echoed in some form that the large reason they love HD is because its a strategy based game. And this update fundamentally undermines this most basic aspect because the information that is needed on which to actually form a strategy is, for all intents and purposes, basically purged from the game - not to mention further compounded by the need for exceedingly fragmented and tedious decisions based on the vaguest and most unrelated of information. It defeats itself on sooooo many levels that getting into specifics, either theoretically or how it is manifested during the recruiting process, would make this thread even more unbearable than it already is. However, this question of how anuninvited stranger (instead of everybody's favorite drunk auntie, kinda like colonels faded on two bottles of Moet) now lives in your living room and eats breakfast naked each morning is the most pressing issue.
Despite the fact that whenever discussing this update seble always talks in the first person, I'm of the opinion that he's either (a) been told explicitly or suggested in the most aggressive possible fashion to produce something that highlights the newly implemented aesthetics of WIS's, or (b) feels this update is a great time to implement changes that coincide with the goals or current direction of the company. With option (a) there isn't much choice, it is what it is and a player has to grind on them fools, but (b) kinda scares the **** out of me the most because there is nothing more destructive than somebody attempting to "interpreting the will" of somebody and/or something else. As for the other and often loudest opinions on this matter, seble is a complete imbecile that either couldn't tie his shoes or doesn't care about the opinion of the individuals who make his job relevant. I would be outraged and quit HD immediately if i ever found out that one of those options were in deed the case - but for real though, this recruiting update is so bad that it invites these suspicions...and I wouldn't be terribly surprised if it one of them had to be the case.
So, where does the truth of this situation intersect with reality...the answer to which could save us all POUNDS of money and TONS of time??? Although the answer is exceedingly important, it is equally if not more so obscured, and probably for that reason. Hopefully we'll find out sooner than later, because this place and (I'm convinced more so every day) the people here have something special going on. Fairly recently when I took a 4 month hiatus, I rarely logged-in here, but I talked to the gangsters at WIS chat on a weekly if not daily basis. Which gets to the crux of the argument, theOnly way to disenfranchise people is to completely ignore them...whether this is the WIS overloads pulling strings from afar or is purely seble's vision for the future of HD, I can almost assure that it will lead to the figurative decimation of HD if it continues down the same path.
...however, it won't be the literal decimation because zorzii, dac, ars, and benis (but NOT llama because he's a proud man) will still be here balling out yo.
5/31/2016 10:36 AM (edited)