As the tag line says, I have something (and I know I am not the only one) that has reached a limit for me.. And I don't mean just in a small amount.. but in a line has been crossed type level after backing since the very beginning of this project. Not only is the lack of basic communication to backers a major issue and concern, but this so called 'content' our subscription supposedly pay for... well.. to put it bluntly, it sucks and it is in no shape or form acceptable. Now sure, I can cancel all my accounts subscriptions.. That's one option. I can just vent and whine and do nothing else but that. BUT I have supported this project from the beginning to a level that would probably shock many. I do NOT want to see this project fail. I even don't want to stop backing... but for a while now, I have not been able to bring myself to support financially, a project that apparently can't find the time to support the backers in even a small and reasonable way. And so, as I said when I vent I also offer suggestions because it seems like CIG can't come up with any of their own that we backers might be interested in.. Take this week for example. Last week was utterly pointless for the weekly ATV or SCL or whatever it is called. This week we get a 7 minute ... what? THAT's what our subscriptions are funding in part? And then today we get what I now call 'bobblegate'. Really? Devs and people at CIG don't have the time to give us a few minutes of REAL information and updates, don't have the time to work on mechanics and ships that have been on hold for years.. But you sure have time to make ... bobbleheads... Someone has their priorities really messed up... at least in my opinion. So I have some legit suggestions.. and I have even talked with other backers about my suggestions, which is how I ended up writing this post. 1) Someone start actually communicating with the backer community for real. EVEN IF you do a simple daily post on the forums along the lines of, 'Today the team is working through a major bug that has been driving us nuts, another part of the team is trying to get a new build ready we hope to get out today or in the next day or so' or 'Today we started design work on the new hop skip and jump mechanic' We are mostly adults out here. WE KNOW that things may not hold to a schedule. And for those that whine because a patch did not make it today, IGNORE THEM. The majority of us understand that if you say "Today we are working on a patch we would like to get out that will fix........", most of us KNOW that you are trying but it may still not happen.. BUT knowing is better than plain flat SILENCE which is what we have otherwise. 2) Or do a daily sit down news segment each afternoon.. You don't have to a high budget multiple hours prep video.. Just sit at a desk in front of a camera and give us the days news.. What you all worked on, what you tried to get done. What you failed to complete due to whatever reason.. A 30 minutes of, here is today's report! 3) As for ATV each week.. You have a READY MADE group of subjects and topics you could be doing GREAT shows on.. and yet you completely ignore your own information... The ROAD MAP. Each week PICK a panel or two if related and do a nice 30 minute segment on those panels.. What they are, how they will work in the game(s). How they relate to other work. What the current process and status? What are the hang ups or problems you are finding now that they are under development? BUT there is more.. For example two upcoming panels are for "New Targeting Methodology" and "High Speed Combat"...... Well that sounds nice...... Someone want to explain to we backers exactly what the hell either of them mean and are? Because I sure don't know. That would be an excellent segment.. Pick panels each week and give us a nice in depth discussion and informative program on what they entail, how and what they will do for the verse and both games, what it takes to design these panels and their status as they are worked on. What do they do and how will they impact backer game play ETC. You see THIS is what the backers crave and want. Most of us are tired of 'artwork', 'modeling' and stuff that we have no real interest in.. Watching someone draw a picture to me is like watching the grass in my front yard grow. And it gives me NO information on what I DO want to know about.. THE GAME and the development of the project I have so heavily backed financially. I have other ideas you could use as well.. and I bet there are a who lot of backers than can add their own ideas and suggestions as well. I don't think CIG realizes that while you may be gaining a nice number of new players, you are alienating A LOT of the backers that have supported this project from way back. We have stood by you.. it would be nice if CIG would start to show us, that you stand by us as well and as promised from day one. I think you can tell, I have reached my limit. We all already know there are many others that already reached theirs and walked away. I don't want to feel this way, I don't like feeling this way and I don't want to give up on this project. When one side gets nothing in return, eventually they throw up their hands and move on. I know I don't want to get to that point... but I don't know what else to do at this fork in the road... CIG needs to step up. STOP treating us like children. Stop playing word games like "we don't want to ruin the surprise" or "we can't give away any information because it would ruin......" bullshit. Enough already. We all know there are things you want to save for release, either of SQ42 or SC.. But it has gotten to the point you are using those lines as excuses for everything. This idea that if you let us know some detail that might be really nice and cool, it will just ruin the whole experience, as I said, is bullshit. You don't need to disclose all the details.. but stop treating every little thing like it is some massive huge secret that if you say anything, it will just destroy all of the project for the backers. And if a segment has something you decide to let us in on, PUT a spoiler alert in so that people can skip past that part if they so choose. Start treating backers like adults. Not children. And so what if you get a segment of backers that just whines all the time about every little thing. You have already shown you can ignore backers easily.. So it should not be too hard to put some effort into the rest of us and keep ignoring those that just whine and complain about stupid little things day in and day out. I hope you will at least consider some of what I have said here. It is supposed to be constructive criticism with some suggestions. But it is also supposed to be a plea to CIG for you to engage the community because, at least for me, you are failing in that big time.. you are failing with that task and milestone, hard. Oh one last point I nearly forgot.. Please do NOT use the excuse again that it takes the devs away from their work. We all know that is nothing but an excuse. If taking an hour out of their time once in a great while to talk on video is such a burden, then perhaps lunch, morning and afternoon breaks and heck, even vacations are also too much of a burden. You have staff to make and edit and produce the videos. That has NO impact on devs time and workload. And a dev giving an hour once or twice a year is not going to alter or change the project by any substantial amount.