In this episode forum troopers storm Jeff Freeman…

Only too end in sacrificing his now mythical blog for an invulnerability shield.

Refresh… Refresh. It’s gone, and the playerbase is at fault. Sadness, something like this was bound to happen. Jeff Freeman has banned his own blog given a recent outburst seen on the Star Wars Galaxies forums where a handful of cockslogging players have taken out their frustrations by using one of Freeman’s recent blog posts on arcane rules inciting and twisting his words out of context thus escalating emo wookie angst among assisting forum trolls. It’s not the first time a developer has been penalized by the playerbase for posting thoughts on a non-official channel and it certainly wont be the last. Freeman’s initial SWG forum response:

I don’t speak about SWG on my blog. I may speak about game design in general, or high level design concept sorts of things that aren’t appropriate for discussion here. But to speak about SWG specifically: well I’d do that on these forums.

Certainly when I was a younger man, I was willing to devote a great deal of time to mastering arcane rules just to be able to play a game. But those days are long gone. SWG needed to be a lot more accessible. It also needed to be a lot more maintainable.

SWG needs depth and complexity too, but it can’t be the thing that greets new players at the door. That complexity needs to be built on a solid foundation; and the game itself needed to be easier to get into and more directed.

A very outstanding response and something I can attest too, he abided by the rules of his company and those he set himself. I’ve been reading Freeman’s blog the last several years, but eventually he must have thought to himself enough is enough, pulling the plug on it all. Ultimately, this means we all lose. Jeff Freeman went out of his way too discuss design topics every so often, many being brilliantly insightful topics which those enthusiasts following his teachings will no longer have the privilege anymore. Developers can’t normally post random design topics on an official medium because players perceive this as a change or consideration that they suppose is coming to the game and will remain confused on the matter thus any topics discussed on experimental design usually remain in private channels. Closing these channels off is only a step back and only further hinders other developers from doing the same.

It must be a seriously stressful time for any SWG developer, trying to correct all the mistakes, fix the disjointed design, having to deal with the incompetent bureaucrat fucksticks behind the scenes only to be constantly attacked on the other end by mongrels who are in a state of bedlam. SWG players do have the right to be furious, but this is definitely a sad state of fucking affairs, Freeman ends up being an unnecessary causality. A developer stuck in the middle who is not at fault, I’m not saying he hasn’t made mistakes on SWG, but I’m sure all he wants to accomplish is to develop an enjoyable playing experience for all players to the best of his abilities. Unfortunately with all the limitations, and deadlines, so forth, in a sense I wouldn’t be shocked if he felt as if he was failing the players and himself and feeling hopeless. What the genre is witnessing with Star Wars Galaxies is possibly the largest grandiose shitstorm in history which all persons involved have and are experiencing first hand. I’m sure succumbed with this type of stress, if I were Freeman, I don’t think I would have taken action any differently.

Those game developers who display their thoughts in the public limelight put themselves at high risks, even if they are one of the good guys and want to express their own opinions that don’t directly relate to their employer’s projects or competitors. You definitely need a callous skin. It’s like a requirement or you won’t be able to sift through the shit in order to delve into the more constructive responses.
Dundee, thanks a lot for all the great reading and brooding materal. I shal miss reading your thoughts, everything from humor to game design. Perhaps someday you will join the fray once again.

I highly recommend gleaning Scott Jenning’s opinion as he can relate more to the matter being an astute and celebrity, (haha) blogger and of course working for Mythic Entertainment on the side.

Should game developers have the right to speak their mind and share their opinions on generalized design topics on non-official outlets? I think so, and I believe the playerbase needs to do a better job of supporting the developers that do. Of course this will never happen, unless we have a mmo with a small group of people, say like 10 at the most. Okay, I think I’ll go attack Raph on his blog now for not implementing an end game scenario of throwing him down the core off the Death Star completing the final quest to become a Masterous Jedi.