Thank you for your reply Mika.
That is exactly the kind of constructive criticism we look forward to. Ways to improve communications and interactions between us all. I fear though that "text" is hardly the best medium for those discussions, it is too easy to misinterpret bits here and there. But it is what we have, so must make do with it.
I take exception to the notion that this was a unilateral decision, without any regards to players feedback. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Feedbacks are not ignored at all. Most of the things implemented in game actually come from player suggestions. Feedbacks about nerfed items or processes, are actually a very minor part of all the retroaction we receive. They do tend however to be the most passionate and emotional of replies and therefore are the ones you see the most. Whereas new additions are taken for granted and not seen as the result of feedbacks (as they often are). It is unfortunate if some players leave because they think their voice is not heard, but nothing could be further from the truth. Yes, it is very hard to overturn a Dev team decision to nerf an item. But guys, that's the Dev team duty to assess the need for such action and we take that very seriously. And when doing so, we do monitor the impact of our decisions, read your feedbacks and discuss them, and readjust our course of action if need be. We don't feel there is a need for that in the current situation. We can't submit every decision made to the whole player base either, we'd be mired in endless debates. A line has to be drawn somewhere, that's why the groups duties are clearly outlined. Speaking of which, if you feel you can make a positive contribution to the module, do apply for the Dev, Community Council or DM teams yourself.
Also why is that no one sees the problem for the in-game issue that it is? I never said that everyone with such cloak obtained it by buying it, but the fact remain that a major point of contention concerning the change is about the price one bought such item to another player. Of course I understand that they may be disappointed, it's normal, I'm not saying they should not be. I also understand that those players would like a compensation. But they are turning to Devs and DMs for something outside either groups control, seeking an OOC solution to an in-game problem. We do not police in-game transactions between players. There is no reason why we should ever do so. So, why not try an in-game approach regarding that particular point? You might be able to recover some of the gold by tracking back the vendor and ask for compensation as it's not working as advertised. Chances of success are slim, I know, many vendors may not be active anymore and those alive may flatly refuse you. But at least it's an in-game approach to an in-game problem, that may lead to interesting roleplay. Worst case scenario, you can still sell it back to other players for a fair amount of gold. For those whom obtained it through loot or were given one. The problem should not even be of major consequences with all the alternative options available. Selling the belt even becomes a net gain.
Now, can a better effort of communication between the player base and the dev team can be done? Most certainly, there is always room for improvement and we will strive to avoid similar issues in the future. But please, a measure of trust in your PotM staff is required. Things may not always turn out the way you'd like, but your feedbacks do impact the module all over. To think otherwise is a mistake.
