How to create a FORMAL and APPEALING suggestion!

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How to create a FORMAL and APPEALING suggestion!

Postby PFH » Tue Apr 23, 2019 4:40 pm

Hello, future developer (or just someone who wants to suggest something!)

I am writing you this letter for a few reasons, all of which are to help you make YOUR suggestions more ORGANIZED, FORMAL, WELL THOUGHT-OUT, and more APPEALING!

So what makes a good suggestion?

A few key points are:

ORGANIZATION: how can we understand your suggestion if its a jumbled mess of a brainstorm?

FORMAL: this goes with organization. Keep it professional and don’t justify excessively. Fix your errors and think outside the box.

WELL THOUGHT-OUT: talk with your guildmates and see what they think of the suggestion. Message different players for advice. Give your suggestion about a week or two of thought and add as you go. A brainstorm won’t hurt anything :)

APPEALING: think about the community in this part. Would it just be nice to have, or would it be good for the game? Maybe both? Know that difference, and suggest based on that. Additionally, following the other criteria makes the suggestion more appealing.



What else do you need to know about your future suggestions?

1.) Utilizing General Discussion for your future suggestions will really help you to make a great suggestion, and will help improve your judgement in reading other suggestions.

2.) Read past and disapproved suggestions. Get a feel for the community and base your suggestions on what the community may like or may need. Not all bad feedback on certain suggestions reflect on the good for the game. What I mean is that even if the community as a whole may not like it, it may be necessary for the game. Skirmishes are a good example of something like this. Additionally, officers were another mechanic not well liked, and Kaptain’s day is celebrated annually for a reason related to such.

3.) think to yourself “Does this path of gameplay already have a dose of mechanics presiding over all others?” This overall means “are there too many mechanics for this part of the game and not enough for the others to compete?” Think of this before making a suggestion, as balance of paths is a real key, as well as specialization.

4.) Make your suggestion UNIQUE! Make it not a knock-off of past suggestions or at least try to make citation of inspired suggestions or comments. Looks better on your part :)

What are examples of poorly presented suggestions?

Note: not all suggestions that are disapproved or have no feedback aren’t bad. It is possible the content was just poorly presented, which leads to bad feedback or even derailment.

In this post, the suggestion wasn’t directly made, but was implied. Additionally, nothing with a foundation was even recommended. In this suggestion, it makes the OP look more comical than like a real suggestion. Here is the post:
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=4858#p84110

In this post, the suggestion was made, but wasn’t well thought out. From the appearance and structure of the post, it appears as a brainstorm or a quickly made thought. Even though this suggestion was disapproved, the suggestion style wasn’t appealing, and therefore led to slight confusion of the interpretation. Additionally, the writer did not think far outside of the box, as the issues with the suggestion were not addressed in the OP. Here is the post:
viewtopic.php?f=20&t=1547#p17461

In this post, the suggestion was made and was approved, but the title was a continuation of the suggestion, and this doesn’t appear organized or formal. Additionally, the suggestion wasn’t made, but was asked. This isn’t a bad thing, but could have been improved into a more professional setting. Here is the post:
viewtopic.php?f=34&t=1014#p9583

What are some nicely created examples of suggestions?

Note: not all formal and organized suggestions are an automatic approve. It may just not reflect on what the community may need for the game.

In this post, the OP was well organized, and was straight to the point. Additionally, the OP addressed the problem that the suggestion was to fix. The OP even had mechanics of how the suggestion was detailed. Here is the post:
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=1927#p22488

In this post, the suggestion was very detailed and organized. Additionally, described how mechanics for the suggestion and how they would work, and explained the problem that the suggestion was attempted to fix. The suggest got mostly disapproval, but still presented professionally and well thought out. Here is the post:
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=3985&p=60149&hilit=Witch+doctor+gameplay#p60097

Finally for this guide, in this post, the suggestion was approved and was clear in descriptions. Additionally, the OP made considerations for other parties, and thought about other perceptions for the post. The OP is formal, organized, and is overall appealing to the reader. Here is the post:
viewtopic.php?f=34&t=707#p5967
Evil Teddy Bear :P
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Re: How to create a FORMAL and APPEALING suggestion!

Postby Shadowood » Tue Apr 23, 2019 5:20 pm

or

D) Don't have the name - SMOG, CLOCKWORK, SUZYQ, Etc...

This will ensure your post gets good responses and not trolled by the masses.
I don't fear death. I look forward to it with great anticipation. For then I will met God face to face and let him know that I stole his Man of War!!!
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Re: How to create a FORMAL and APPEALING suggestion!

Postby Banger » Tue Apr 23, 2019 6:12 pm

Shadowood wrote:or

D) Don't have the name - SMOG, CLOCKWORK, SUZYQ, Etc...

This will ensure your post gets good responses and not trolled by the masses.


+1
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Re: How to create a FORMAL and APPEALING suggestion!

Postby DezNutz » Tue Apr 23, 2019 6:31 pm

Shadowood wrote:or

D) Don't have the name - SMOG, CLOCKWORK, SUZYQ, Etc...

This will ensure your post gets good responses and not trolled by the masses.



While funny this isn't the place.


And while Clockwork/Smog/etc. is a member of the Player Dev Team, this is his own guide and not an official Dev Guide.
I'm only here for Game Development and Forum Moderation.

If you see a forum rule violation, report the post.
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