Players Suggesting Features

[vitinho444]

Hey guys, I don't know if I've talked about it here, but I'm developing my first ever Multiplayer Game. As I lack some creativity, I decided to take a friends idea (not original either) and create a sort of Survival Game. (Like DayZ but I never played it and I want mine to be better)

Ok so, I've got already the Networking in place, chatting, killing, surviving is all done. What's there to create is just the map (gotta be huge), all the items in the game (gotta be lots of them) and the details of the game ofc.

Done the introduction, I was thinking on doing something like the following:
Once I release the game, that will be 100% played, What you see is what you get, no early-alpha non-sense (i hate those guys), basically everything IN-GAME is working at 100% (at least when tested by me and my friends, ofc there could be some minor bugs from time to time, but I mean that it will work!), but it won't be at it's full potential. So what I was thinking was to create a section on the official website, for players (everyone) to suggest features/items and additions to the game. These features/items/additions would be then voted by other players (everyone again), and at the end of each week, I would hand pick some of the ones I liked and the most voted ones.

Do you guys think this is a good practice? Can it work, i mean, put the players "in-charge" of features?

Thanks.

[Jackolantern]

Just be sure to make sure you are the ultimate authority of what gets added. Don't add polls or any other way for the players to decide what gets added themselves. This is because the players have no idea how difficult it can be to add a specific feature, and also most of them don't consider game balance. Just make it an unstructured feature suggestion section, and that should work fine.

[vitinho444]

Hum, I see and you're right. Then I think I will do it maybe like everyone can post their suggestions, vote for the best ones and stuff, and then I'll pick the ones I think are doable and make the game better. It kinda sucks, because the purpose of this was supposed to be for players to like the game they want, what if like 90% of the players like a feature that is not doable? :/ I guess I can't please everyone right?

[Xaos]

You could always host polls. Have all features you know are going to be implemented, just let people vote and make them think they're having a huge impact.

I also second the 'suggestions' forum.

[Jackolantern]

You could always host polls. Have all features you know are going to be implemented, just let people vote and make them think they're having a huge impact.

I also second the 'suggestions' forum.

Yes, that works, too. As long as you are the one who puts the options on there.

[vitinho444]

Wow that actually works better :O

The suggestion forum would kill the "you must put this". It's a suggestion, I can say no

Hum, then what about being suggestion submissions, then I hand picked some and putted them in polls for everyone to vote?

[Jackolantern]

The best way to handle a suggestion forum from the games I have seen is to rarely if ever post replies. Things that don't fit or are impossible, just ignore them. But replying to say no and explain why not is generally not a good idea.

[vitinho444]

That's why I won't make it in a forum, I will just make a mysql db with the submissions and have it displayed on the website. A forum relies on community, and answering is almost mandatory, so a one-way submission should be better

[Xaos]

I'd suggest a form over that. Someone has to manage through all of that crap. The admins/mods can never go to the suggestions forums, but the users will be able to moderate it. Good suggestions will stay at the top, bad ones will filter out.

[Jackolantern]

That's why I won't make it in a forum, I will just make a mysql db with the submissions and have it displayed on the website. A forum relies on community, and answering is almost mandatory, so a one-way submission should be better

But it will allow the players to discuss and hash out suggestions amongst themselves. Oftentimes a bad suggestion will eventually be self-regulated by the community. In other cases you can judge the community's interest in an idea based on their discussions. It is still valuable to make it an open discussion for players. Just don't involve yourself in it unless it is an idea you are bringing on board for an update.