Letter from Will Harbin about the Future of Battle Pirates

  • themax121
    themax121
    Greenhorn
    Joined Mar 2013 Posts: 1
    YOU DON'T HAVE MUCH TIME TO CHANGE THINGS WE CAN SEE, OR U  CAN PLAY WITH EACH OTHER
  • Teddy Aliff
    Teddy Aliff
    Greenhorn
    Joined Sep 2017 Posts: 1
    you have lied to us for years, promising us things and never delivering. example: over a year ago you promised us new crews......... never happened!!!
    we still have the same old crews, many of which are impossible to get unless you spend tons of uranium rolling, rolling & rolling!
    you slam us with new hulls every frigging week and if that isn't enough you nerf a lot of them as well, that is total bs.
    you create targets with weapons & ships that far out-range & out-power ours.....what's up with that?
    the new player does not stand a chance in this game & if they do make it to level 50 they quickly become farms because any player over level 50 hit them for alliance points. need to put a limit like it used to be, such as 5 up or 5 down.
    the game has stopped being fun and is now more like a job. many of us believe the only reason you are saying what your say now is because you are loosing so many players. if you do what you now say, then you may still save this game...... hope you do!!
    these are just a few things wrong with this game and reasons why so many players are leaving the game.
  • TIGGGGGER
    TIGGGGGER
    Minor Nuisance
    Joined Jul 2012 Posts: 210
    In  my humble opinion I think most players regardless of  there level get frusterated by the extrem swings that have been happening in the development / performance of tech that gets released  example the T7 turret groups I thought it was a good release n a good plan and I understand that they needed to be tuned down.....however when we spend time and sum players $ building 16 turrets .... and i was ok building the halo / vulture = 4 crap turrets to get the buff for the executioners....same with the howies....and both groups are pretty much crap now because of the extrem tune down...(to good and now total crap)  it could have been handeled better like less of a  tune down   EXTREM SWING.....  most players don't mind getting kill'd as long as the fight is fun.... i will be patient because i do enjoy the game kix you have a tough task and i hope that yall slow down ...flooding the game with more  tech @ this stage is not helping "IN MY HUMBLE OPINION"

  • dragoon25
    dragoon25
    Potential Threat
    Joined Jun 2013 Posts: 51
    1. SHIP PARTS - Could be used on everything except latest tier hulls; use existing basepart functionality [less development work for you guys!]; Make them co-op targets with rewards split evenly, or high level players can do solo (sound familiar?). Will engage and benefit experienced players while helping to welcome and retain lower levels at the same time. If needed, incorporate a low level AI fleet that populates for single players or those not in an alliance. They can be difficult, with payouts based on how much they complete in one attack (NOT all-or-nothing). Use the SSRBs you already have built and return the DUBs to address the uranium complaints or vice versa. Maybe they could run during threat yellow, and have 4 corners, one each for the main fleet types so that everyone can use them regardless of the cycle in which they joined). Great job thinking these up, but they're just not worth it now to build new fleets just to get chore resources. This way, the increasingly long build times can be countered by those who really want to catch up or get ahead. It also would remove the need for generic tokens (which are so limited now, it really seems like greed has taken over..) GIVE PLAYERS WHAT THEY NEED TO GET THE FLEETS TO DO BETTER IN RAIDS AND, IN TURN, FUTURE CHORE BASES as described next.



    How about instead of creating a new resource(and potentially a new chore) just use the uranium instead. It would be optional and not mandatory(stares at building upgrades), uranium could be to reduce the 4 basic resources required for the ship build/refit/building upgrade and in the cause of ship building/refitting it reduces the time as well. I would say make it scalable(the more uranium used the bigger the deduction) but that might be asking for to much.

    You(kix) can also reduce the build/refit and repair times of the garrison ships since it looks we might have to keep refitting it every few months and postpone other ship build/refits it order to keep up with the FM which is suppose to be a catch-up mechanic.
  • rrzehr
    rrzehr
    Minor Nuisance
    Joined Jun 2012 Posts: 108
    Hey, Will Harbin, I bet you have a bridge for sale also..................................................................not buying any of this post
    will have to see it to believe it...........................almost too little , too late
  • Total Freak
    Total Freak
    Potential Threat
    Joined Dec 2012 Posts: 71
    Glad to know you realized you messed up but at our cost and now its costing you.You lost tons of players and revenue...  is it too late ? will you do enough fast enough?  Bases are leaving daily or just stop playing.. I dont really think you know how bad you feked up kixeye. 
    Time will tell..     gl  kix
    Total Freak 

  • xHawkx
    xHawkx
    Minor Nuisance
    Joined Dec 2013 Posts: 268
    We have too much CHORES in the game. Examples of FM of every week, uranium, titanium, base parts and much more!
  • bort
    bort
    Unicorn Overlord
    Joined Oct 2011 Posts: 8,257
    mWild said:
    Players first   ya right with 18 hour fleet repairs on manti fleet....start with repair and build times.

    that repair time was quite useful. you could hit 7 or 8 targets, and then just sit your fleet in for repairs and come back hours later for another run.

    low repairs means you need to be sitting there glued to your chair hitting targets way more often. it sucks.
  • Paula_Mermaid
    Paula_Mermaid
    Greenhorn
    Joined Aug 2017 Posts: 2
    Will.
    I have been here since the blackwater days. I have seen alot of changes over the years left for a while, came back, Well after putting some money into this game... You keep changing things so fast, I will not buy your $200 fleets just to have it obsolete in a short time, you changed how to get Uranium etc..... Well I have decided not to play this game anymore. Which is a pity as it is a great place to chat the people around the world, or even local.
    Well sorry too late for me 
  • Pax.1967
    Pax.1967
    Potential Threat
    Joined Feb 2013 Posts: 98
    Same **** Different day.

    Times at kixeye must be hard for Will Harbin to venture out from his ivory tower to plead with the community.  He must have lost some of his bonus.  

    I will continue to play for free until they switch the servers off.  

    A new iteration of an old promise.  More PR bull.
  • kixeyeuser_1419198018177_100004729098382
    kixeyeuser_1419198018177_100004729098382
    Potential Threat
    Joined Feb 2015 Posts: 34
    im an on again off again player and just feel like a game ment for fun is to much of a chore. i dont mind new content but your team moves to fast. let us enjoy the game before you decide to restructure.you may get alot of money from a few but it also cost a large portion of the community. the team needs to come up with a long term goal with battle pirates so the players can have a better idea what to expect from the game. i would like to say i enjoy the idea of having variety. with weapons. ships specials. a lot of our hulls are extinct tho, in game your money isnt an investment you need to spend just to keep up which as i stated makes the "game" feel like a chore. just some random thoughts
  • TheDragonbane
    TheDragonbane
    Potential Threat
    Joined Feb 2013 Posts: 99
    So just to prove my point you put out Loins Mane campaign which unless you coin heavy or have top fleets is impossible to do
    Having fun smushing bases and getting smushed
  • mad d
    mad d
    Potential Threat
    Joined May 2011 Posts: 87
    Well what i want as a playerwho started right at the start of game(doesnt feel like 7 yearsfeels longer lol) can we cut out this monthly raid cycle give us a break and a chance to build our fleets even making the raids every second month would help.
    And as far as the expeditions crapI DO NOT KNOW ANYONE THAT HAS DONE THEM AS THEY ARE FAR TO HARD. 
    Now this ismy opion as a long tome player/coiner and yes you do need to coin to be able to play the game just to keep up.
    And it is not fair on the little players and non coinersbecause they have no chnce of completeing with coiners or kixeye always finding ways for us to spend  and for new fleets the cost of repairs is starting to creep yp again. rant over happy hunting battle pirate peeps
  • Mikeazul
    Mikeazul
    Minor Nuisance
    Joined Feb 2013 Posts: 143

    May 2nd marked the seven year anniversary of Battle Pirates - a game I'm incredibly proud of. Over the years we've seen exciting new factions, incredible player tributes, and tons of emergent gameplay. But if there's one thing I've learned in my tenure, it's this:

    Complacency is death.

    Unfortunately, Battle Pirates has become a bog of complacency. A lack of diligence has allowed balance-breaking bugs to escape and go unnoticed for months. A lack of community engagement has caused us to lose touch with the speed that players can realistically progress. A lack of planning has forced the team to wildly over-tune stats, targets, and events in order to shoehorn value into new content.

    All because of complacency. Well, complacency isn’t going to cut it and it’s time for us to right this ship. So what are we doing to fix this?

    First, I’ve put a new leadership team in place. Our issues don’t stem from the talented individuals working long, difficult hours to execute on the nuts-and-bolts of the game, it’s about how we’re deploying those resources. Heading up that leadership team is our new GM, Michael Rubinelli. A State of the Game post will go up in the next few weeks in which he will discuss the long-term look for Battle Pirates. Additionally, our new Lead Designer WrongThinker will be putting up a post on Wednesday introducing himself, as well as the second part of our correction strategy, which I will now spoil.

    Battle Pirates has adopted a philosophy that dictates everything we do. It’s simple: “Players First.” Content and features will continue to ship, because that’s how the game is supported, but with every new feature, we will always ask: how does this enhance the player experience? How does this make a player’s life better? Easier? More fun? If the only answer to why we’re putting something in the game is money - I don’t want it in the game.

    Finally, we’re tripling down on our community engagement efforts. Expect to see more developer presence, more AMAs, more live streams, more unadulterated proof that the Battle Pirates team is exactly as invested in the continued success and longevity of this game as you are.

    The fact that we’re in this position is no one’s fault but our own. The time of complacency is over. You’ve shown us that you’re here for the long haul, and it’s time for us to show you that we’re here for it too.

    Long live Battle Pirates!

    Will Harbin

    CEO



  • Bob_62
    Bob_62
    Skilled Warrior
    Joined Feb 2016 Posts: 392
    Ok kix..you said your piece.  Now lets see some real action besides a hardware acceleration booster
  • Commodore Clambeard
    Commodore Clambeard
    Strike-force Captain
    Joined Feb 2013 Posts: 734

    May 2nd marked the seven year anniversary of Battle Pirates - a game I'm incredibly proud of. Over the years we've seen exciting new factions, incredible player tributes, and tons of emergent gameplay. But if there's one thing I've learned in my tenure, it's this:

    Complacency is death.

    Unfortunately, Battle Pirates has become a bog of complacency. A lack of diligence has allowed balance-breaking bugs to escape and go unnoticed for months. A lack of community engagement has caused us to lose touch with the speed that players can realistically progress. A lack of planning has forced the team to wildly over-tune stats, targets, and events in order to shoehorn value into new content.

    All because of complacency. Well, complacency isn’t going to cut it and it’s time for us to right this ship. So what are we doing to fix this?

    First, I’ve put a new leadership team in place. Our issues don’t stem from the talented individuals working long, difficult hours to execute on the nuts-and-bolts of the game, it’s about how we’re deploying those resources. Heading up that leadership team is our new GM, Michael Rubinelli. A State of the Game post will go up in the next few weeks in which he will discuss the long-term look for Battle Pirates. Additionally, our new Lead Designer WrongThinker will be putting up a post on Wednesday introducing himself, as well as the second part of our correction strategy, which I will now spoil.

    Battle Pirates has adopted a philosophy that dictates everything we do. It’s simple: “Players First.” Content and features will continue to ship, because that’s how the game is supported, but with every new feature, we will always ask: how does this enhance the player experience? How does this make a player’s life better? Easier? More fun? If the only answer to why we’re putting something in the game is money - I don’t want it in the game.

    Finally, we’re tripling down on our community engagement efforts. Expect to see more developer presence, more AMAs, more live streams, more unadulterated proof that the Battle Pirates team is exactly as invested in the continued success and longevity of this game as you are.

    The fact that we’re in this position is no one’s fault but our own. The time of complacency is over. You’ve shown us that you’re here for the long haul, and it’s time for us to show you that we’re here for it too.

    Long live Battle Pirates!

    Will Harbin

    CEO


    not to make this thread any longer but let me also say that Will speaking through the mouthpiece of rampage was NOT the way to start this conversation. that (to me) clearly shows the continued indifference to players who you claim come "first". a lack of ANY effort put forth on this thread from the CEO himself tells me this is all 100% bullsh**t. if harbin truly gave a f*** he would be here, in the trenches himself. not sending his emissaries to do his bidding. i know first hand speaking to your customers directly gives a semblance of accountability. using someone else as your shield does not!! 

    but, i dont really care. its these poor ethics that have kept me out of forums so i expect nothing less. i had a 94k id so i have seen almost everything questionable thing you, the kixeye collective, have done. i WAS here for the long haul. thats what i think you are missing here. almost all of your diehard fans are gone and probably wont be back. YOU did this, and i dont think you are gonna patch the holes unless you do something decisive and drastic. even though i hold little hope, i still have hope.....
  • Shapu_the_farm
    Shapu_the_farm
    Master Tactician
    Joined Sep 2015 Posts: 2,058
    Must have been a poor turnout for the raid .
    There have been poor turnouts the last three raids.  They tuned up the damage too high to try to make money on coins and overdid it.

    I actually REALLY like this raid format.  It requires driving, can't be consistently autoed, and has a neat and new feel to it.  If the damage were tuned to an appropriate level it would be one of the best raids in the last three or four years.  It's hard to beat the Garrison raids of 2016, but this would be close.

    The issues, as Harbin correctly point out, stem from the failure of the Dev Team to fix problems and, I think, to *test* in the game environment.  Time and time again I and others have pointed out bugs, lags, broken things, and other crap that was shoehorned into the game without being appropriately tested.  How many times in the last two years have we seen "the update has been rolled back" or "such and such a target has been removed"?  More than any good game should.

    As another example, look at the countermeasure fix.  It was long overdue but as soon as it went out players started complaining that their boats weren't performing like they did and they couldn't do as much game work.  That's a reasonable complaint - but one that could have been avoided if the Dev Team had looked at how the new countermeasure rules would affect *actual player fleets*.  They clearly didn't look at that and had to make a fix to the damage output of the targets on the fly in the real game environment.

    And how many changes have been rolled out without fixing the core issue: player loss at level 50?  Going from 49 to 50 is a death sentence for many players these days because the hulls are stronger but the base defenses aren't any easier to get.  The TLCs bring out important and some might say necessary hulls, but the campaigns smaller players can actually do are at this point almost completely worthless.  The Mercury? Vassago's interdictor? Those are collectors' hulls at this point and worthless in the modern meta.  Even a bunch of the hulls in the foundry are now worthless - lookin' at you, hellwraith.  The Campaign system actually sets players up for failure because they spend time and gain levels on garbage.

    The game needs to re-evaluate how it prepares the smaller players to enter the big boy world, and it needs to ditch the level system.  It's time to go to a Tier system where player bases are Tiered, where hulls and fleets are Tiered, where PvP is tier-gated, and where raid targets are tier-gated (or hitdown penalties are applied based on tier rather than base level).  They already have all the data they need to make these changes, they just need to do it. I have made a suggestion in the past which, if I may be so bold, would fix a lot of the current level-based nonsense.

    Player complaints are nothing new, and in the past the team has responded - the build times of new hulls are SIGNIFICANTLY less than they used to be.  Some of you whippersnappers won't remember when hulls took a month - literally - to kit out completely.  Two days' build time for each component was not unheard of, and these were boats with three or (gasp!) four special slots and 6-8 weapon slots.  Today's builds are much shorter.  The use of the hull class system is actually good - it's realistic and while it takes away some flexibility it helps streamline build decisions.  It also helps players understand what is coming up.  I want to believe, because I love this game, that the new team can fix these issues.

    Look, credit where it is due: Harbin is trying to fix his golden goose.  And there's a chance that this could do that.  But the content has to be evaluated, top to bottom, to see where it fits and what is necessary to fix it.  This is going to take time.


    Your a Regular player LOL  You Lost me at the hit down penalty ........  That alone cost this game ten thousand player I bet . 
    My intent is to suggest that having players hit T4 raid targets with top-line builds is a problem.  I don't mind if that's wiped away, but if it is maintained it needs to be based on fleet tier, not on player level.
  • gus.hovey
    gus.hovey
    Skilled Warrior
    Joined May 2013 Posts: 327
    well im a long time player who has been playing just about every day sense Sept. 2011 .. dam near 7 years....  and ive seen it all , but the lies and deceit  have really been so much that i dont know if this is to late or not for most...  all i can say is ill wait and see and hope this just isnt another line of B.S.  ..... prove me wrong or should i say prove us wrong .... the ball is in your hands now dont go and drop it ....
  • Crazy B
    Crazy B
    Greenhorn
    Joined Dec 2011 Posts: 3
    I've watched Kixeye make and break promises for the whole 7 years. My ID is only 6 digits and many friends who are even lower. I've watched players who've repeatedly comment and stated the problems. Just to watch them get slammed or ignored. It's a vicious cycle in this game from creators, support, mods, players and hackers. For me 7 years and the fun is gone. It's become a chore game with little fun left and far to few players left. Last of my gold has been bought and once it's gone, I am too. 
  • Zeus6927
    Zeus6927
    Strike-force Captain
    Joined Nov 2013 Posts: 800
    I have no doubt that the complaining on this thread will be slammed back at members ya know...Anyone notice the mods have gone rather quiet???  Sack them all I say and start a fresh...   A good Moderator on any platform is one that is as much there for its members as it is the forum its self...  Kev 2018
  • Michael Staten
    Michael Staten
    Skilled Warrior
    Joined Jan 2013 Posts: 426
    i can appreciate the thread being left open for comment. it is a side note, that you are interested in reading comments from time to time.

    1st id like to say. this last raid showcase kixeye lazy form. old ships beating new ships should go away. if a ship is able to beat our current tech it better be new or have some dam change in its form. no more old ships beating up our best tech.

    2nd stop putting out tech and then only a few months later crushing its whole purpose. at least have a story behind it and give the player options. the reason why you have lost so many players is because you go to money as being the first option and then player playing game as a 3rd option to get an item. of course you still need the tech which says give me money still.  money should always equal less time. not better tech over the rest.

    3rd have options to gain tech via missions with no timers. use the dang campaign feature for god sake. we still have campaigns like death grip and eye of the storm which have no purpose in the game anymore because the new tech is needed to even keep up with the current missions you plague us with every week. you want players on more then. use the dang systems you have so people can have more avenues to gain tech.  ex i should be able to use my research floating building to gain tech on the big ships. each day/week i feed the building  res and it puts out a bp piece on a ship. this eliminates players having to go out and hit over 1000 targets just to try and hopefully get 50 bp.

    4th you have current systems in place and your new lead team should go over each one you have. what they are doing now and how each system can be improved if it is stagnant. example R/D is useless at this point. you get to 31 and nothing have been done to upgrade it beyond. in all honesty you should have used this platform to bring in the dragon ship. not the raid. that was a misstep on your part. dragon capital is an upgrade ship not a real new ship. basically you are forcing us players to drop the savage kodiak. another force players to play the way kixeye wants us to play. limiting player options. we tried it your way and now we are paying for it again because we have to spend months now refitting our dragons. stop this BS. it is insulting

    5th retrofit lab. cycle out the old ships and put in the new tech. each month should have new ships coming into the lab. we have had to many new ships come out and you guys are just reaching the skyfire ships. you forgot the weapons but hey i hope this new lead team has some focus on what is wrong and how we can improve on the game. you have tons of current systems that are in good shape but you just dont have proper leadership to use them correctly. as a player i only hope this new team can just use the current tech and stop the BS money grab each month.

    in closing money will come into kixeye from battle pirates if you give us players some bone. battle pirates became great because of many choices as a player had to do missions and campaigns lack of choice has had much of your player/money walk away to a certain extent. if you want that money back mere words is not going to cut it. we need long term action and current game mechanics to stop limiting player actions and strats.

    thanks for listening i hope.

    image
  • cripple leg dawg
    cripple leg dawg
    Skilled Warrior
    Joined Apr 2014 Posts: 372
    Zeus6927 said:
    I have no doubt that the complaining on this thread will be slammed back at members ya know...Anyone notice the mods have gone rather quiet???  Sack them all I say and start a fresh...   A good Moderator on any platform is one that is as much there for its members as it is the forum its self...  Kev 2018
    totally unfair mate
    maybe the mods are staying out of this thread because of the nature of it
    mr harbin basically asked for feedback and needs to hear all opinions salty language included

    his letter just proves what a lot of us have been saying for a while now
    the game is very broken,they alone created this beast and they alone have to get it back in the cage

    this beast survives on our coins and obviously it hasnt been well fed these last few months
    this alone is the only reason mr harbin even bothers addressing his sheeple

    as for the mods
    i think the mods we have now are the best we have had in a while
    then again so many players have been banned from forums their job is 
    much easier then it used to be



  • Scott Degenaer
    Scott Degenaer
    Skilled Warrior
    Joined Jun 2011 Posts: 424
    Well after reading alot pages on this, I can very well agree with alot of other players here.    I started this game dang near at the start of the beta release in sector 120.    I have quit the game a few times, one time for a period of 4 yrs.  Started back up again last yr, and coined alot to play catch up.   quit again this yr for a few months again.   And started playing again earlier this month.   I personally am tired of the same routine from Kixeye yr after yr.   Of the Players I started the game with, only one other players regularly and coins his arse off.   Most of the time in the past yr I have posted here in the forums legitimate comments of my opion/concern of the game to be bashed by mods and posts deleted.    Surprised this one thread has not been shut down already for the comments.   I have sent a few feedback tickets into kix about too much too fast.   Slow down on the Events, once every two months is fine!   Let some players catch up doing the Weekly FM (Just a suggestion).   I can understand the company wanting to make money, but driving away the player base by forcing them to coin to keep up has lost you revenue.    I myself will not drop a dime back into this game unless things slow down in order to catch up.    Out of the 30 some people I started this game with 7 yrs ago, basically 1 still plays full time, Myself and 2 others play part time.     Kixeye so basically over the past yr and half, y'all have pretty well killed the game with way too much content changing too fast, as well as always changing and tweeking buffs on stats.     
  • FiremanHawk
    FiremanHawk
    Strike-force Captain
    Joined Nov 2011 Posts: 846
    and i got to say, i dont believe a word from will harbin since he cant even come on the forum and tell us himself. someone else has to post it for him. in my book that just simply says he dosnt have the time to communicate with us lower life forms and that alone tells me he cant be trusted. 
This discussion has been closed.