ATMOSPHERE OF INCLUSION
Is it meritless to say, that the company men don't appreciate the importance of re-establishing, and maintaining, the goodwill of their customers? If they didn't offend people, or too-quickly take offense without proper warrant, then a positive environment would prevail. The people who get called snipers, or complainers, are often shown how to behave that way. As evidenced by this recent, and many other examples before today. It is only natural for people to feel deeply disatisfied with being insulted, or totally ignored.

Goodwill is critical to improving the company's online performance. Goodwill has a tremendous economic impact on a company's value, not only to itself, and it's investors, but to it's customers who want to remain loyal to their own smaller investments. Even serious problems with policy protocols, and service limitations, could be turned into a positive for the goodwill of the company, if the right public approach was taken.

The latest developments of cooperation with the community has been a positive sign. Establishing limited customer contact, after all this time, with a small clique of veteran players, is not going to entirely solve the problem of re-establishing company goodwill. Even though it is stark in comparison with the past, it was a desperate remedy to the failure to be inclusive in the first place. The result of which, was a firestorm of criticism for Mongol Invasion, instead of the tremendously positive boost it should have been.

Many of the game-features, designed specifically for online play, have repeatedly shown themselves to be inadequate, or counter-productive to developing a strong online market, and have been critisized for years. Equally important is how the company men have interacted with, and responded to, it's customers, and their complaints. This company handles it's somewhat regular physical service lapses, with extremely weak customer service, which has only exacerbated the poor cooperation between EA/CA, if that was the real cause of every serious problem.

A review of physical service, customer service, public relations, and online marketing strategy, is desperately needed prior to the release of MTW. With special emphasis on existing, or new, game features that will improve online play, and increase the number of customers who play online. No matter whether you want to ignore what I say; by calling it unworthy of a response, or a complaint intended only for the purpose of inciting a flame-war, listen to the people who do consider it, and do analyze the merit of it. Maybe you will listen to me second, or third-hand.


P.S.,
Ubertech, very few people here ever read the forum at totalwar.com, so they will be unaware of any referrence we make to the reception you recieved there, and will be forever ignorant regarding the several posts that were edited, or deleted entirely.