Message to Valve
Dear Valve,
Have you noticed that Half Life 2 / Counter Strike aren't exactly what you would deem as "problem free"? In case you've missed it, there was pretty major exploit (plus a whole slew of smaller ones) that people have been taking advantage of for a quite a while, and, cheating/hacking in Death Match and Source is slowly but surely getting out of hand. Some would say it's far beyond "out of hand" already.
I'm the first to admit that gamers are a hard group to please. We spend $50 with your company and expect flawless software that never needs updating. The problem is never with how we have configured our computers, it's always with your software...at least that what any gamer with a problem will tell you;-) The gaming community can be difficult, that I concede.
The reality is that holes in your software will be exposed. You're the biggest, and anyone wearing that tag will always be a target. I understand that and can be somewhat sympathetic to your ploy. What I really can't understand though is how you communicate with your customers. I use the term "communicate" lightly because as a company your communication/public relations skills are horrible. They are not just bad - they are absolutely pathetic.
As a company you've managed to sell & distribute your games and subsequent updates to a lot of customers 100% online. I'll give you credit for that - anything that can save me a trip into Best Buy to pick up a game is much appreciated. As a company I think Valve really understands the importance of online delivery and using systems instead of people to deliver your product. That's why is so shocking that your online support and information is about useful as a leash for my goldfish.
Your "News" page is the most out dated piece of garbage I've ever seen. In the age of instant publishing why don't you guys open the checkbook and pay someone to update your news site multiple times a day? I work full time (not on Counter Strike or Half Life either) but manage to update this site more times in 1 week that you do in 1 month. Either that or just take your "news" site down - it's embarrassing and a company who prides themselves in doing things "online" you should be ashamed. It could be a great tool to keep your customers up-to-date on issues surrounding your products.
Your forums...oh man, are they in bad shape. If you can get past all the "Valve you suck" threads and actually find the thread you are looking for (the search feature in your forum is PATHETIC) be prepared to see 3 - 5 decent replies intermixed with 50 off topic replies. It's a joke trying to find anything of any value in your forums - with the exception of the stickies at the top of each section. Maybe you need more moderators, or maybe you just need more good moderators. The team you have in place right now doesn't appear, at least on the surface, to do much moderating at all. Maybe they have too much to do, maybe they just don't care. Either way, your forum has turned into a giant black hole void of any useful information outside of the occasional thread...if you're willing to spend the time looking for it in the mountain of crap posts that accumulate every day.
In the off chance that anyone associated with Valve ever reads this - take it for what it's worth. Rather than just complaining, I'm pointing out two areas that you could improve without much effort or difficulty that would help improve your image and standing in the gaming community. Talk to us Valve, that would go a long way in earning some respect among your customer base. You made the game of the year and made HUGE money. Spend some that money your customers gave you on some good public relations people. We've been loyal despite the issues but that won't last forever if things keep going like they are.
How would you rate Valve as a company? You can rate Valve, and view the results of our "Rate Valve" pole in our Game Forums.
Have you noticed that Half Life 2 / Counter Strike aren't exactly what you would deem as "problem free"? In case you've missed it, there was pretty major exploit (plus a whole slew of smaller ones) that people have been taking advantage of for a quite a while, and, cheating/hacking in Death Match and Source is slowly but surely getting out of hand. Some would say it's far beyond "out of hand" already.
I'm the first to admit that gamers are a hard group to please. We spend $50 with your company and expect flawless software that never needs updating. The problem is never with how we have configured our computers, it's always with your software...at least that what any gamer with a problem will tell you;-) The gaming community can be difficult, that I concede.
The reality is that holes in your software will be exposed. You're the biggest, and anyone wearing that tag will always be a target. I understand that and can be somewhat sympathetic to your ploy. What I really can't understand though is how you communicate with your customers. I use the term "communicate" lightly because as a company your communication/public relations skills are horrible. They are not just bad - they are absolutely pathetic.
As a company you've managed to sell & distribute your games and subsequent updates to a lot of customers 100% online. I'll give you credit for that - anything that can save me a trip into Best Buy to pick up a game is much appreciated. As a company I think Valve really understands the importance of online delivery and using systems instead of people to deliver your product. That's why is so shocking that your online support and information is about useful as a leash for my goldfish.
Your "News" page is the most out dated piece of garbage I've ever seen. In the age of instant publishing why don't you guys open the checkbook and pay someone to update your news site multiple times a day? I work full time (not on Counter Strike or Half Life either) but manage to update this site more times in 1 week that you do in 1 month. Either that or just take your "news" site down - it's embarrassing and a company who prides themselves in doing things "online" you should be ashamed. It could be a great tool to keep your customers up-to-date on issues surrounding your products.
Your forums...oh man, are they in bad shape. If you can get past all the "Valve you suck" threads and actually find the thread you are looking for (the search feature in your forum is PATHETIC) be prepared to see 3 - 5 decent replies intermixed with 50 off topic replies. It's a joke trying to find anything of any value in your forums - with the exception of the stickies at the top of each section. Maybe you need more moderators, or maybe you just need more good moderators. The team you have in place right now doesn't appear, at least on the surface, to do much moderating at all. Maybe they have too much to do, maybe they just don't care. Either way, your forum has turned into a giant black hole void of any useful information outside of the occasional thread...if you're willing to spend the time looking for it in the mountain of crap posts that accumulate every day.
In the off chance that anyone associated with Valve ever reads this - take it for what it's worth. Rather than just complaining, I'm pointing out two areas that you could improve without much effort or difficulty that would help improve your image and standing in the gaming community. Talk to us Valve, that would go a long way in earning some respect among your customer base. You made the game of the year and made HUGE money. Spend some that money your customers gave you on some good public relations people. We've been loyal despite the issues but that won't last forever if things keep going like they are.
How would you rate Valve as a company? You can rate Valve, and view the results of our "Rate Valve" pole in our Game Forums.
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