Take it from an old Marine Corps vet who worked in media. Communication is critical.
And in 2024, expectations for how developers communicate with their player base has changed dramatically from 2008.
Personally, I don't enjoy roadmaps or a player base dictating the meta. Mostly because players are selfish. It's human nature to think about yourself first, so I get it, but most players don't think past that stage. They don't stop and use the full power of their brain to think big picture. Also, the players will never see the code nor any backend stats, so what they want will never truly be "well-informed".
With thousands of players, ANY change is going to have a negative impact on at least a portion of the base. That's the reality of playing games. You, the gamer, agree to those unspoken terms the second you begin playing. This is true for any game. Sometimes a nerf helps you, other times, it doesn't. Oh well. Move on.
It's also why I never chase any meta, ever.
It feels like the BB team (who I think we all appreciate) has taken a position of being mysterious. Letting us ruminate for months/years about what "might be happening" with the game code. I actually like this approach, because if we knew everything, I promise you, the game would become boring and far too homogenous. And a game this slowly paced really needs mystery.
But, there has to be a middle ground in 2024. Especially if the goal is to grow the user base and keep the old guard content (which I bet it is).
If they explained why they did it last minute, AND how they expect it to impact Micro Nations or the Transfer Market, I bet people would be less upset. If this truly was last minute, I am worried. You cannot, I repeat, cannot make impulsive decisions with a game as long-term as this one. It creates unease in the userbase that permeates.
The BB team should really consider having a sit down about their philosophical approach to communication. If you aren't getting new users, and your old users are frustrated, then whatever it is you are doing is NOT working. That is just the cold, hard reality of the matter.
Here's an example:
"more modern" "more passing"
"We believe the GE is the most balanced it's ever been."
2 seasons later...
"We have a plan where we're going but we can't make big jumps with GE, lessons were learned about that years ago."
If it's balanced, then where ARE we going?
Can we have a vague idea about the plan? We are all making plans too.
---In regards to the forums vs Discord, Discord is so damn awesome and ez. I just can't blame anyone for using it over our ancient BB forums. Nearly every game out there has a more active discord than active official-forum.
Also, final zinger...
Why not just make "The Lebron Effect" a lvl 3 H&C bonus??? And announce it'll start next season.
Then, with no major season announcement, they could have provided some statistical insight into how their changes have affected things. Giving the entire user base a smidge more insight, thereby making them a smidge happier.
BOOM.