ROADMAP, yes or no?

[crude spade]

I know the Studio likes to remain secretive about future content, but I think it's time to change its policy and present a roadmap (only for next year)..

Times have changed, CotW is no longer the only competitor on the podium. With an active competitor and two more on the way with NexGen technology, I believe there will be no room for unsatisfactory or incomplete releases, something that costs the game part of its market share.
This is why I think they should present the Roadmap and allow the community to collaborate, contribute, and show what they hope to receive from that future content.

Yes, we currently have proposal threads for new maps, but only those genuinely interested work on them and contribute, not the entire community. A Roadmap would allow us all to focus on contributing our part so that THIS new release is great and something that will be well-received, something we all look forward to.

[fresh wing]

Yes

[crude spade]

Bump

[crude spade]

Bump

[crude spade]

bump

[dapper marsh]

“…but only those genuinely interested work on them and contribute…”

That’s the same for anything. Not to be harsh but even if I went “yeah sure” on this point why would I WANT people who don’t care to decide how the game goes forward?

Roadmaps in general are rarely done well, really, most are done incredibly poorly. They’re usually just used to give the illusion that stuff is actually being worked on, with most failing to meet deadlines and usually put unneeded strain on both developer and consumer.

If you want a roadmap just so you know what’s coming next, sure, I get it, but everything else doesn’t make much sense. The community isn’t always right nor do they always provide the best answers, popularity bias on top of the average person not really knowing how game development works can lead to poor outcomes. As well as the community often having conflicting wants or needs, you seem to be insinuating that everyone will be happy with updates if EW does this because somehow EW is able to listen to everyone, when that’s just not how it works.

Sorry that this is kinda long and pretty blunt, I get the appeal of knowing what’s coming next but anything after that it falls flat. Roadmaps generally in my gaming experience just have never worked besides once, and that’s because it’s straight up just them going “this is what we’re working on with no set release date” with them having a feedback and suggestion system much like COTW currently has. Using it to try and shoehorn in what the community wants I can just never imagine going well.

[crude spade]

“…but only those genuinely interested work on them and contribute…”
By that I meant the specific map threads. I personally don't participate in map threads that don't interest me, but if we had a thread about a map that will actually come out in the future, then I would participate and contribute ideas, and I think everyone would.
In Nepal's case, we never had a thread; it was created after the Sundar Patan teaser came out, so no one had previously contributed ideas.

[dapper marsh]

I don’t think they need specific map threads to still get feed back on upcoming maps, they can take general ideas and wants from the community and still put it in a map. I came from the polar bear thread and I disagree that “the community” needs to have their fingers in each pretty hyper-specific pie for EW to be counted as “listening” to us.

And even then that’s probably the least of this suggestions worries with everything else laid out that’s a lot worse.

I’d be pretty neutral about the idea of a roadmap if it was just them telling us what they’re working on, with no release date. But I don’t mind the current “surprise” release way they do things, especially since I’m sure it drums up hype for them and it’s pretty fun trying to find out what animals are going to be there

Don’t get me wrong also I got critiques, I’ve been waiting on a new lodge and lodge rework and I’d honestly rather get that then just about any new map they could hand me, but I don’t think it’s good for the game, us, or the devs to approach it this way.

[long vector]

I think it's better approach, instead of misleading players about an arctic map for 6 months.

[crude spade]

Bump