Railfan Tv March 28th

Discussion in 'TSW General Discussion' started by dhekelian, Mar 25, 2022.

  1. dhekelian

    dhekelian Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Nov 24, 2020
    Messages:
    2,054
    Likes Received:
    2,671
    Just saw Nat post this up. I have been watching less and less of streams of late they just do not hold my attention anymore. I even used to watch the ones with routes I wasn't interested in. They seem to me to be bland and either a glorified advertisement or the need to tell us how wonderful a company DTG is.

    I don't have a problem with them showing off a route coming up but allow some feedback.

    There seems to have been a shift in steering away from questions from the punters about all aspects in the game to what I said above, turns me off tbh.

    Perhaps I'm wrong and the streams are 'super', perhaps it is because Sam is on rarely and so the tough questions are not coming (when they do come) Nat is no Sam imo.

    I think it has something to do with monthly Roadmap, again I don't disagree with putting it monthly if its intention was just to talk about forthcoming DLC but I miss streams where the punters have a say, where we could post questions before the stream was aired and while it was airing with Sam taking up certain points.

    Admittedly very few of the points were actually acted upon but it was nice seeing them squirm for a bit, (jk)

    So DTG let us have a stream where we can have a say, please?
     
    Last edited: Mar 26, 2022
    • Like Like x 5
  2. Redbus

    Redbus Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 8, 2016
    Messages:
    1,012
    Likes Received:
    2,104
    Actually Nat is now starting to ask some of the difficult questions in the Roadmap streams, and has made Matt squirm once or twice. :) However during release streams it’s usually JD, who seems a thoroughly nice chap but definitely toes the company line, and when Rivet are present, everyone’s on best behaviour, so the chat questions are pretty much ignored unless complimentary. I too miss Sam’s frankness but he’s moved on to other tasks unfortunately.
     
    • Like Like x 8
  3. Clumsy Pacer

    Clumsy Pacer Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 10, 2016
    Messages:
    2,956
    Likes Received:
    3,934
    You can tell JD has had a previous job in this sort of role - mainly his way of words, rather than what he's actually saying.
     
    • Like Like x 3
  4. ARuscoe

    ARuscoe Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Apr 9, 2018
    Messages:
    10,832
    Likes Received:
    10,482
    Problem is it doesn't matter what's being said on stream because we now know that the people on stream are only the developers. They don't have much of a say on WHAT is developed, or the time frame of it, or the testing of it, or the release of it, or the fixing of it, or the testing and release of those fixes

    And that's what "the community" want. To know when the problems they're having are going to be fixed, ie when the machine they're playing the game they paid £100s for is going to "work properly"

    None of the streams I've ever watched gives that level of clarity

    With regards to the personalities:
    Matt is a good guy and obviously knows his stuff, but he's been burned in the past by giving out more info than the community could live with (ie they hold him to his words and expect everything he says to become reality)
    Sam is obviously the cantankerous "old guy" who everyone loves because he speaks his mind from a position of "they're not going to fire me anyway...". But again, he doesn't have power to fix anything, only to get those who may know HOW to fix it to say it's been banjaxed in the first place (Which we knew, we played the darn thing)
    Nat is getting there. Started a bit tremulous, getting better at putting Matt and Adam under the spotlight, but again no power to improve the output
    JD is a sales person. I avoid streams where he's leading
    Adam's amiable and likeable, is a total dev nerd and I like his streams, BUT again he is limited in that he doesn't control testing or release dates
     
    • Like Like x 9
  5. solicitr

    solicitr Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jun 20, 2020
    Messages:
    11,736
    Likes Received:
    17,949
    It wouldn't be a bad idea to alternate the monthly roadmap stream with a monthly Q&A stream, so that there is still every other week a stream which isn't just a route preview/release or gameplay vid, but one where information is put out to the community- and especially where feedback is taken and responded to.
     
    • Like Like x 4
  6. ARuscoe

    ARuscoe Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Apr 9, 2018
    Messages:
    10,832
    Likes Received:
    10,482
    By "responded to" this would mean released and people using it... That's the main issue they've had. Fixes taking over a year to be released
     
    • Like Like x 2
  7. dhekelian

    dhekelian Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Nov 24, 2020
    Messages:
    2,054
    Likes Received:
    2,671
    I would like a more frequent Q&A stream that works alongside the roadmap, say every two weeks or say fortnightly (sorry bad joke). If done right the questions could be collected on the forum and if enough notice could be given the relevant person could appear on the stream. I doubt it would happen though as I see the monthly roadmap as a way to keep general feedback to a minimum.

    I agree with your summary of the 'personalities' I think Nat has still a way to go. Sam has a knack of filling in 'silence' and keeping the stream flowing without him there seems to be a lot more gaps. I find JD hard to listen to, I'm not sure he even likes trains and when he talks he over uses the 'ers and ums' to distraction. Saying that I find Jamie to be the worst imo.
     
    • Like Like x 6
  8. tallboy7648

    tallboy7648 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Apr 9, 2020
    Messages:
    6,567
    Likes Received:
    10,793
    I think if we had a biweekly q&a stream it could end up like the roadmap streams in which we get alot of repetition with the same answers being repeated again and again.
     
  9. solicitr

    solicitr Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jun 20, 2020
    Messages:
    11,736
    Likes Received:
    17,949
    Yes, but at least we would be getting heard,
     
    • Like Like x 2
  10. tallboy7648

    tallboy7648 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Apr 9, 2020
    Messages:
    6,567
    Likes Received:
    10,793
    Don't get me wrong, I do like the idea of some sort of biweekly q&a stream to get out questions answered but there are pros and cons.
     
    • Like Like x 1
  11. PegasusLeosRailwayFanatix

    PegasusLeosRailwayFanatix Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jul 7, 2020
    Messages:
    1,473
    Likes Received:
    1,010
    I just hate the fact that they can't answer any of our questions and just keep on sweeping it under the rug, just us the answer already. I don't think they are even listening to us cause if they would they will not keep on saying the same thing, they would have told us the truth
     
    • Like Like x 2
  12. redrev1917

    redrev1917 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jul 22, 2021
    Messages:
    3,502
    Likes Received:
    7,692
    I've slowly found myself watching less and less tbh. Which has a direct correlation to the less updates on the road map.
    I don't think it's anything to do with who fronts them and personally I actually prefer Nats style to Sam's but more with the fact that nothing ever new comes out of them, I can read the roadmap, glance over any announcements made in the forums/on the website and gain nothing from watching the update streams.
    I do still watch the preview streams especially if I'm interested in the route but quite frankly they could be done in silence and I'd be no less knowledgeable about the route. Indeed for Luzern I watched and read the chat with the volume off.

    They are very selective over what questions they answer almost like they have a predetermined list of answers permitted and cherry pick the questions to suit the answers they have.
     
    Last edited: Mar 26, 2022
    • Like Like x 4
  13. TimTri

    TimTri Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Mar 31, 2021
    Messages:
    1,241
    Likes Received:
    2,641
    It’s actually the other way around for me, I’ve been watching the streams more often lately! DTG is trying to mix things up with unique streams, departing from the usual weekly schedule, and I really appreciate that. These days, I often tune into streams covering topics I usually don’t bother with (e.g. freight routes) since it gives me a nice opportunity to learn about aspects of the game (and railways in general) I normally wouldn’t get to see/hear. And hearing the developers talk about their work is always great.
     
    • Like Like x 1
  14. Speedster

    Speedster Active Member

    Joined:
    Apr 4, 2021
    Messages:
    95
    Likes Received:
    152
    The way to get any company to listen is for consumers to stop buying their product. At the moment there are disgruntled players but it clearly isn't impacting revenue enough to warrant change.
     
    • Like Like x 5
  15. tallboy7648

    tallboy7648 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Apr 9, 2020
    Messages:
    6,567
    Likes Received:
    10,793
    I don't get why people pre order or buy day 1 to be honest.
     
    • Like Like x 2
  16. PegasusLeosRailwayFanatix

    PegasusLeosRailwayFanatix Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jul 7, 2020
    Messages:
    1,473
    Likes Received:
    1,010
    It is probably because of many reasons. One reason could be the fact that it's their hometown route.
     
    • Like Like x 2
  17. chieflongshin

    chieflongshin Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jan 4, 2019
    Messages:
    4,369
    Likes Received:
    7,214
    Personally….. I miss the bromance Sam and Matt have. I think Sam is at his absolute best playing “bad cop”. He command attention, nothing sticks to him and key to making him watchable is his satire and the fine line between “I’ll tow the company line but Matts gonna squirm”. Any stream with Sam in the past irrespective of content I’d watch, honestly, now, unless Matts on I take it or leave it.

    I agree JD is the salesman but respectfully is at times pitching a topic he perhaps needs more time to learn the nuances of. Needs to harden up a little more and challenge


    - known as verbal diarrhoea


    I think Nat ,again respectfully, isn’t Sam. I know times and people change but we all like different things , again agree far better and more confident so time will tell and look forward to the moments she does air more to community than DTG.
    Jamie, super passionate but I can’t buy into TS.
    Adam, I enjoy listening to Him, again really passionate.
    Matt, interesting, and the leak legend. Really enjoy.

    Personally, the streams are at times corporate, boring, and too many "ooohs, aaahs, errmms, I love that" piffle. I don’t know if something was changed internally but the best streams are the one where , Matt, Jd, Sam, Nat are given a little more free reign than the "run between these lines only" of DTG JD , DTG Natster work personas (I do appreciate it’s their livelihood though).

    I think too, the streams are sometimes too rigid, you can see people asking the same question (valid ones) 10-15 times in chat , inclusive of at silent periods in them and it can seem at times regardless of the “we’ll answer as many as we can “ that they don’t. It's visible at times to when a contentious one has been spotted but bypassed.

    I do wonder if “we’ll answer as many as we can” really means we will answer anything to showcase a feature for our agenda
     
    Last edited: Mar 27, 2022
    • Like Like x 10
  18. Tanglebones

    Tanglebones Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Aug 21, 2020
    Messages:
    291
    Likes Received:
    636
    Am I the only one who finds some of the comments in this thread to be distasteful and, frankly, rude? Talking about people like you're discussing some inanimate object, knowing full well they're reading but are effectively powerless to reply. Pretending high-level intellectual discussion, but I struggle to see how it isn't passive bullying, tbh.

    All of them are fellow humans doing their best. All bring uniqueness and individuality, all have strengths and weaknesses, and I for one appreciate that we even have streams. Yes they're selling a product, but this isn't a fundamental right and, IMO, not a license to publicly dissect them for perceived flaws . From JD's pub quizzes to the recent 4-Up Challenge that had me laughing outright, I value what they all bring to the TSW2 experience.

    This is not intended as criticism of any one post, BTW, so please don't read it as such. Just an overall impression after an increasingly sour look on my face.
     
    • Like Like x 15
  19. Mattty May

    Mattty May Guest

    Definitely no reason to make anything personal.
     
  20. tallboy7648

    tallboy7648 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Apr 9, 2020
    Messages:
    6,567
    Likes Received:
    10,793
    Seems like you are the only one. First of all, anyone at DTG can reply here if they wanted too. They aren't powerless to reply. They certainly aren't when they lock threads or delete comments.

    Secondly we the customers who happen to spend money on their products which effectively help them get their paychecks are simply speaking our mind as we have seen it on streams. No particular comment has been harsh or rude from what I've seen. Everyone is different in their own way. Not everyone is the same and that's just the reality in life. We as a society point out how people can be all of the time. For example a politician can have a conservative view on something but another may have a more liberal view. My lifestyle can be different than your life style. A person can be open and loves to give speeches but another person may be more shy and quiet. In life people are different and we see that in the tsw streams.

    JD is more of the salesman from what I've seen. Nothing wrong with that. As a business you need someone to sell you the product. He doesn't always ask the hard questions though. Matt is the passionate legend who knows alot of stuff about trains. Adam is very passionate and like Matt seems to know alot about trains and programming. Sam is the guy who would tow the line but speak his mind. When he is driving trains on stream, he makes them entertaining and frankly I expect something to go wrong which makes it more entertaining. But when he asks questions he asks the questions that need to be asked. Nat also asks the questions that needs to be asked and Jamie is passionate but I don't play TS2022 as much anymore.

    Community managers and developers can't just flip a switch and make things better. The job of a community manager is to speak on behalf of the community to the higher ups (CEOs, Executive Producers, Bean Counters etc) and tell them how the players feel and what they want to see in the game. It's ultimately up to the higher ups to approve to make the changes that players want to see. Developers don't want to release buggy products to consumers. The reasons why major bugs can release in any game can be boiled down to self imposed time constraints by executives meaning that a project has to be completed by this timeframe because they know people will buy regardless, improper or lack of QA Quality Control, beta testers not noticing bugs until the last minute when the product has to be released and the list goes on.

    The reason this thread was created is because some players feel like their questions aren't being answered. Nobody has attacked anyone or been rude to anyone. I think your being a bit sensitive and overreacting.
     
    Last edited: Mar 27, 2022
    • Like Like x 6
  21. redrev1917

    redrev1917 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jul 22, 2021
    Messages:
    3,502
    Likes Received:
    7,692
    What would make a really good stream is where they invite one or more of the regular contributors to the forums to ask questions. That/those persons could collate questions from the forums and have a good hard Q&A where DTG have little input on the questions asked.
     
    • Like Like x 4
  22. chieflongshin

    chieflongshin Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jan 4, 2019
    Messages:
    4,369
    Likes Received:
    7,214
    The bear pit
     
    • Like Like x 1
  23. redrev1917

    redrev1917 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jul 22, 2021
    Messages:
    3,502
    Likes Received:
    7,692
    Yep but it would be YouTube gold. Obviously there'd have to be some ground rules like no asking about release dates or about specific routes on wish lists. But questions about long term issues, QA missed bugs and Matt's personal Vision and things he'd like to see added. Could be prerecorded and a face to face interview in Dovetail towers
     
    • Like Like x 1
  24. ARuscoe

    ARuscoe Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Apr 9, 2018
    Messages:
    10,832
    Likes Received:
    10,482
    So basically what the state of the game stream was three months ago?
    Problem is that NOTHING has changed in those three months, or not enough to satisfy a fair amount of people
    What a fair amount of people want to know is WHEN they'll be able to play the game in the manner in which it's expected, so decent timetables, no red light glitches, stations which look like they should etc

    Talking to Matt and Nat doesn't change any of that because they don't control the release schedule.
     
    • Like Like x 4
  25. Clumsy Pacer

    Clumsy Pacer Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 10, 2016
    Messages:
    2,956
    Likes Received:
    3,934
    IT isn't impacting because plenty of people say "this is terrible - avoid at all costs" and then buy it anyway.
     
    • Like Like x 4
  26. dhekelian

    dhekelian Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Nov 24, 2020
    Messages:
    2,054
    Likes Received:
    2,671
    I'm struggling to see what your point is. No-one here has been nasty and shouldn't be either but if representatives of a company is speaking out in public and making views we the CONSUMERS have a right to speak on whether we like it or not regardless if they are 'doing their best'. Everyone buying the product or viewing the videos has a right to be critical.
     
    • Like Like x 1
  27. redrev1917

    redrev1917 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jul 22, 2021
    Messages:
    3,502
    Likes Received:
    7,692
    Just watched the SoS update/recap steam and I have to say Jamie's passion is infectious and he's super knowledgeable (not that Matt isn't knowledgeable). Really hope we see him doing more and more TSW streams.
     
    • Like Like x 4
  28. Clumsy Pacer

    Clumsy Pacer Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 10, 2016
    Messages:
    2,956
    Likes Received:
    3,934
    For those who don't know, he is an existing player of TS1 (and has played it for a long time) and he volunteers on the North Norfolk Railway.
     
    • Helpful Helpful x 1
  29. bakedpotatos.jm

    bakedpotatos.jm Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Nov 10, 2020
    Messages:
    933
    Likes Received:
    1,577
    I still think we are still 3 to 4 months away judging from the stream.

    I've been saying since October it won't come out until the summer and here we are a few months away and we are still waiting to even see an actual loco running on the route.

    Its sad that the roadmap is down to only 2 routes 1 route was supposed to come out late November but has been pushed back almost 4 months now and Steam was announced 1 year ago. So when will we get some more announcements. Or is tge entire team just working on steam and everything else been puy on hold for now.
     
    • Like Like x 1
  30. chieflongshin

    chieflongshin Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jan 4, 2019
    Messages:
    4,369
    Likes Received:
    7,214
    I thought that was the accent. I know a few people from Norwich and he sounds like their neighbour.I’ve seen the trains roll into Sheringham but never really been around it
     
  31. PegasusLeosRailwayFanatix

    PegasusLeosRailwayFanatix Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jul 7, 2020
    Messages:
    1,473
    Likes Received:
    1,010
    Unfortunately that is very hard to say because Jamie only usually do more TSxx than TSW 2, and he doesn't work for TSW 2 only TSxx.
     
  32. PegasusLeosRailwayFanatix

    PegasusLeosRailwayFanatix Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jul 7, 2020
    Messages:
    1,473
    Likes Received:
    1,010
    This is really hard because like I said above if the route is their hometown route, then more likely they would buy it, You just have to buy it, because its your hometown line. I went for Metro-North because it's my hometown route.
     
  33. ARuscoe

    ARuscoe Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Apr 9, 2018
    Messages:
    10,832
    Likes Received:
    10,482
    I think it's more a case of he likes "old" or "heritage" stuff more than the newer routes, and of course TSW2 has been more about new than old to this point
    With Steam coming it seems to fall more into his specialty / interest
     
    • Like Like x 2
  34. OldVern

    OldVern Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Nov 2, 2020
    Messages:
    11,925
    Likes Received:
    23,951
    I still maintain these presentations would seem less staged PR if you had an independent (not necessarily negative) person acting as compere/moderator.
     
    • Like Like x 2
    • Helpful Helpful x 1
  35. redrev1917

    redrev1917 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jul 22, 2021
    Messages:
    3,502
    Likes Received:
    7,692
    Are you volunteering for the gig Oldvern? Personally someone who is respected within the community and impartial is needed as a regular on stream. By impartial I don't mean British Ace or another ambassador for the game. Not saying that they wouldn't be pragmatic and ask difficult questions just they wouldnt seem impartial to some even if they are.
     
    • Like Like x 1
  36. tallboy7648

    tallboy7648 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Apr 9, 2020
    Messages:
    6,567
    Likes Received:
    10,793
    Perhaps you should get the gig. You seem impartial ;)
     
    • Like Like x 1
  37. Calidore266

    Calidore266 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jun 17, 2021
    Messages:
    1,198
    Likes Received:
    1,721
    If DTG wasn't interested in community feedback, they would have all their videos as prerecorded puff pieces rather than live streams with live chat. Nor would they have employees up to the Executive Producer level as regular participants on the forum.

    And I don't see them putting some unknown forum participant on a company livestream on a company channel who is not accountable to the company. That would make no sense.
     
    • Like Like x 1
  38. ARuscoe

    ARuscoe Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Apr 9, 2018
    Messages:
    10,832
    Likes Received:
    10,482
    I think Matt would stream anyway, irrespective of whether it was "company stream" or just him. He's been in and around the train simulation scene for so long he's basically ubiquitous
     
    • Like Like x 2
  39. redrev1917

    redrev1917 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jul 22, 2021
    Messages:
    3,502
    Likes Received:
    7,692
    I have anger management issues and no one needs to watch me scream at DTG for 90mins.
     
    • Like Like x 2
  40. ARuscoe

    ARuscoe Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Apr 9, 2018
    Messages:
    10,832
    Likes Received:
    10,482
    I wouldn't be suitable either, mainly because my first thought to this comment was "It'd be funny though..."...
     
    • Like Like x 3
  41. bpbill96

    bpbill96 New Member

    Joined:
    Sep 24, 2021
    Messages:
    9
    Likes Received:
    9
    I actually watch the streams more these days. But I tend to watch them full screen and get rid of the chat because it generally seems to be the same few people asking the same questions over and over again, knowing they won't get a reply.
     
    • Like Like x 1
  42. frank1116

    frank1116 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Mar 29, 2021
    Messages:
    298
    Likes Received:
    736
    In the meantime i don't get why people order at all. I am watching this drama now for almost one year. I have a couple of DLC´s and each and every one has a certain amount of issues. None of them have been resolved in the recent year.
    I have never seen such an amount of ignorance with other companies. Many people here did not realize: No information in DTG terms means: "forget it, no fix, we dont care". The other theory is that they simply dont know how to do it.
    People love trains and deserve a better product.
     
    • Like Like x 2
  43. Clumsy Pacer

    Clumsy Pacer Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 10, 2016
    Messages:
    2,956
    Likes Received:
    3,934
    Maybe because people like what they see and wish to part with their cash.

    Or everyone has Stockholm Syndrome, take your pick.
     
    • Like Like x 1
  44. Crosstie

    Crosstie Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 8, 2016
    Messages:
    4,530
    Likes Received:
    10,149
    You're not alone. It's cringeworthy. DTG employees are not your friends. Analyzing their personal traits on a forum is very inappropriate.
     
    Last edited: Mar 28, 2022
    • Like Like x 1
  45. DTG JD

    DTG JD Director of Community Staff Member

    Joined:
    Feb 25, 2021
    Messages:
    2,889
    Likes Received:
    11,260
    Hello folks. Trying not to wade into the bear pit here, but thought I'd try to explain why we do what we do, and how we do it.

    As a note before I get into it, thank you for the feedback. Streaming isn't an exact science, and it's certainly not a skill that is easy to master - I'd ask that if you have personal comments, that you keep them to yourselves, because I can testify that everyone involved in RFTV gives their everything to the cause of trying to entertain, inform, and engage all of you at home.

    The schedule

    There are discussions around a monthly 'Town Hall'-style stream, in a slot where a Roadmap used to be. Now, I don't think that's a bad idea, and I do think we need to be held accountable in a lot of ways, but these have to be approached in the right way by players. They're not a 'bear pit', or a chance to list every grievance you have about the game - they should be a forum with which sensible questions are answered and we can provide sensible answers.

    And there will be questions from these that we will not be able to answer. The frustration we were sensing came from us giving the same answers to the same questions. Unfortunately, that is how it is sometimes. Development is not a magic wand where we can summon progress on everything we're currently working on - this is why we moved the roadmap to monthly. A lot of other games companies do yearly, or quarterly roadmaps for this reason. Our move to a monthly check-in allows us to provide more meaningful updates to the projects being worked on. We won't be able to give loads of progress every time, but we can hopefully make it a more interesting read than things not moving in a schedule.

    We'll see how it goes, and assess if we feel like we need that additional check-in mid-month. We'd do a question thread pre-stream, so we could prepare where we need to, but we'd also want to take a selection of live questions too.

    On the other side of the schedule discussion - we do also want to do fun things as well. Let's Plays, quizzes, 4-UP challenges, whilst not everyone's cup of tea, give us the chance to relax and chat to you in a way more intense streams don't, and ultimately, have a bit more fun with you all.

    Preview streams are important to providing you a first look at content before you make the decision to invest time and money into it, our fun streams are important to provide us an opportunity to show you our game in a different or more relaxed setting, and Roadmaps are important at being able to provide information. The balance is a fine one, particularly when we have two Trains titles to cover and not a huge amount of people to cover it, but the mix aims to provide a mix of information, communication, engagement, and entertainment

    Questions


    Please also don't mistake us not answering your individual question as a snub, or that feedback doesn't get raised internally. We do try to cover as much as we can (I know this has been mentioned a couple of times in this thread), and we certainly don't shy away from things. Where we can, we do gather questions in advance, and of course we have some things we want to cover ourselves, but we do take a big proportion of questions from the chat. And if we see regular questions on specific topics we can't answer, we go away and find the answers.

    There will be things we cannot answer - we do our best to call those out, but I can say from personal experience that I tend to not ask questions that aren't relevant to the subject matter at hand. Last night for the Steam check-in we were seeing questions about Horseshoe Curve - it's not an appropriate time to answer them.

    Streaming personalities

    I know I'm personally not everyone's cup of tea, but I'm fine with that. Everyone is different, and I'm not going to apologise for who I am.

    Obviously I'm employed by DTG - and, ultimately, the people we bring onto stream are taking time out of their schedules to be on the stream, so we want to make it comfortable for them. We also have to work with each other on a day-to-day basis. I'm not going to speak for anyone else, but I'd like to talk in a positive or constructive way, whilst addressing the issues in a way which is not 'DTG bad'/'why have you not done this', whilst still ensuring that we understand what any issues may be, and raising them appropriately internally. Bringing people onto a stream to eviscerate them is no fun for anyone, and means that developers (who, we're lucky are happy to be on camera and appear on streams - particularly someone in the position someone like Matt is in) will not want to come onto streams. That is not what we want. So, whilst the idea of watching a roast sounds like it could be fun, or holding someone individually to account, in the long-term, my personal view is it's more valuable to have people wanting to take part and be more visible for you all at home.

    We make mistakes - we're human - and we have discussions behind the scenes around what we can do to solve those issues. Airing that publicly is only appropriate in some instances.

    We also only have a small roster of streaming hosts, so we do have to specialise where we can. I tend to focus on release and preview streams as they're what I've done a lot of in the past - Sam or Nat's personality suits a Roadmap better, and Jamie's great at being able to give a lot of detail and trains insight. Matt is, well, Matt (i.e. good at everything).

    Finally

    What I will say is that you will not find many games companies the size of Dovetail doing 3-4 streams a week, and trying to communicate and engage with you all during those streams. That's not me saying 'we should be celebrated for it', but more to be aware streaming content is a challenge to do and get right all the time.

    Ultimately, we want you to feel entertained, informed, and like your voice is heard. Being able to see the full view of this, internally and externally, I personally think that for a game as fast-moving as TSW2 is, we do a good job. But I'm always open to feedback on how we can improve.
     
    Last edited: Mar 28, 2022
    • Like Like x 20
    • Helpful Helpful x 2
  46. OldVern

    OldVern Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Nov 2, 2020
    Messages:
    11,925
    Likes Received:
    23,951
    I was thinking more they need to get Andrew Marr in, or maybe bring Sean Bean back (when he's not doing Snowpiercer!).
     
    • Like Like x 1
  47. redrev1917

    redrev1917 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jul 22, 2021
    Messages:
    3,502
    Likes Received:
    7,692
    Hi JD,

    Thank you for the detailed response. I don't think anyone was having a dig at anyone in particular and if I said anything which sounded like a dig I apologise profusely. All I (and I think 99% of the comments here) where just trying to say which style we prefer and why, whilst acknowledging Every steamer is different
     
    • Like Like x 2
  48. tallboy7648

    tallboy7648 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Apr 9, 2020
    Messages:
    6,567
    Likes Received:
    10,793
    You don't have to buy a route because it's in your hometown though especially if the route has a ton of bugs.
     
    • Like Like x 1
  49. Calidore266

    Calidore266 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jun 17, 2021
    Messages:
    1,198
    Likes Received:
    1,721
    Well, yeah, but personal streams from Matt P., train enthusiast, on his own channel, are different from official DTG streams by Matt P., DTG executive. As DTG Sam streams are different from Colonel Failure's. Church and state.

    Third this.

    Edit: Excellent post, JD. Very well said.
     
    • Like Like x 1
  50. tallboy7648

    tallboy7648 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Apr 9, 2020
    Messages:
    6,567
    Likes Received:
    10,793
    So I guess anthropologists do things that aren't appropriate then by this logic. Many people analyze a person's traits all the time whether it be politicians, athletes to even famous people etc. It's not "inappropriate" at all. People just say how they see it. It's part of our society frankly whether you like it or not
     
    • Like Like x 1

Share This Page