The Community Deficit – Why People are Important (Part 2) #AC_Talks #ArmoredCore

So why is the fact that we don't get along important? Why does it matter?



Because it's the only possible way that Armored Core can succeed without a miracle.

A lot of issues that the community has bemoaned have been common from game to game. Lack of marketing, lack of support, lack of balance; the interesting thing here however, is that these have remained consistent over time. What HAS changed however is how the community has reacted and adapted around it.



That is to say, we haven't. This is a huge step back from the older community, and probably one reason why we've faltered so hard. With From Software being pushed into the spotlight with the success of Demons/Dark Souls and Bloodbourne, this means that Armored Core's lack therof in the US means it holds a lower priority. And that's a reality we have to accept (for now).



But instead of working around it, we as a community have chosen instead to complain and bemoan it, despite the fact that, for the most part, we have do nothing to change the situation. Most would then argue that the onus is on the developer and publisher to provide the proper support and infrastructure for a game in order for it to succeed. This is true, but does not mean it always happen. And guess what? There's nothing we can do to change that. The community at this juncture in time and space has no power to influence or meaningfully require or force either of these entities to do anything.



External factors aside, internal factors also play an important role in a game’s success, and this is where we play a part. Over time Developers have realized the importance of community in a game; this is because these communities are often made up of dedicate players, who play the game frequently are willing to pay more (merchandising, peripherals, etc.), and gives them a dedicated base of consumers who they KNOW will buy their game and support the series with a constant cash flow. This is why positions like Community Manager have become more prevalent and important in the past 6-8 years as companies try to build confidence, good-will, and strong relationships with their players.



But there are downside to this. Players are fickle; if they bought x game and y game is released 2 years later and feels different, they may choose to not buy it or make future purchases. They may criticize and insult any attempts by the developer to either profit on the game (DLC, merchandise, toys, etc.) or fix it (patches, updates, etc.). Worse, if you are part of a game or community that is small, you always have the risk of running yourself into irrelevancy as sales and player base dwindle.



And that is what the current Armored Core community represents at the moment, and why we have failed for the past ten years to garner any meaningful support or change our situation. We play a game that has been on the fringes of the industry, which hasn’t really sold well in over decade and yet we still are stuck up fools who refuse to acknowledge the truth that is in front us.



The burden is upon us to prove that we are worth the time of From Software, Bandai Namco, Ubisoft or whatever company that holds the current license to Armored Core.

We need to find ways to keep our current player base interested, attract new players, and get the word out on our existence. And in those regards, there is a lot we can do:



-Content Creation: The cornerstone of any community, this is creating Armored Core related stuff that would be interesting for both players and new persons alike including videos, artwork, and things on lore, characters, weapons, and things of those nature.



A great example is Buster TBM’s Your AC in LR and Pokemon to AC series (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUgvEoHEPIQ) where he takes user suggested builds and tries to make them work.

I have an entire hastag on twitter dedicated to ideas that could be used at #AC_Project



-Event/Tournament Organizing: A community, these are events which are contest of skill (playing, art/aesthetics) or events purely for fun. They are a great way to revitalize and keep a community active as they are a strong indicator of an active community, which in turn generates more people who want to participate and host.



-Streaming: A subset of Content Creator of sorts, this is more on the side of getting the word out by exposing Armored Core to people who have never seen or played it before. Currently speaking this territory is unexplored as very few have had the technology or interest to conduct it on a daily basis.



-Database/Wiki Management and Building: One thing new players rarely have enough of is information; thus, it is very important that there be a reliable way for them to find info and guides.



What the community needs to understand is in order to achieve anything, that the steps that need to be taken are long term endeavors. Most content produced will not get hundreds of views or likes, or lots of praise or front page on any major site, but with time our efforts will grow and bear fruit.



And now back to my original point; it’s important that we get along so that we can do stuff like this. To fix this problem we need to look within and find a way to compromise and cooperate. Because if we don’t, this situation will just keep repeating itself. Armored Core games will keep getting release, they will get little to no support, and the player base will dwindle away.



It's a sad story that will always have a bitter end. It's up to us to change that.











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