I'm a little confused...your profile says member and not shepard.
Oh, I am no shepherd, Neurath. "Shepherds don't look after sheep because they like them. They either want to fuck them...fleece them...or eat them.” -Christopher Hitchens
I am highlighting what I deem to be toxic behavior.
I'm not certain the forum is toxic though. We have the same threads and sentiments every few months. It's cyclic. If you are referencing reddit and other places the again bring up the issues there. We are generally mild in terms of toxicity on the forums. We also debate for months on end about anything and nothing. I do not see the shift happen that you hope for.
I'm not certain the forum is toxic though. We have the same threads and sentiments every few months. It's cyclic. If you are referencing reddit and other places the again bring up the issues there. We are generally mild in terms of toxicity on the forums. We also debate for months on end about anything and nothing. I do not see the shift happen that you hope for.
I agree that the majority of the topics on this forum are not toxic at all. I noticed a considerable unfair backlash with the last developer update and I am concerned that it will get worse with every future developer update as the hype builds up.
But the people react that way due to hype. A lot of people remember the backlash from Apoc and do not want a repeat. We are close to A2 relatively speaking and it only harms the potential if the productions lack polish. A lot can be decided in a few seconds and its difficult enough to provide feedback on the tid-bits we are shown and its even harder when the tid-bits are cluttered with dysfunction too. We are grateful the studio listens to feedback and we want the studio to succeed. We can't all be eloquent or patient though.
But the people react that way due to hype. A lot of people remember the backlash from Apoc and do not want a repeat. We are close to A2 relatively speaking and it only harms the potential if the productions lack polish.
We haven't received an Alpha 2 announcement and I think they need at least another year to work toward it. I really hope they will take their time and not yield to pressure to announce the Alpha 2 date. Having said that, I think the moment they shift gears from production to marketing - as partly discussed in the last update video, they will surely adjust the quality of these videos accordingly. Obviously, this is not their priority at the moment, no matter what the pressure is from a fraction of this community. I think these videos are sufficiently developed for a few game developers to record their progress for pre-alpha games. People are really over-hyped up and impatient, falsely expecting more quality with the wrong assumption that we are a few months away from a game release... We are still pre-Alpha 2 for about another year.
A lot can be decided in a few seconds and its difficult enough to provide feedback on the tid-bits we are shown and its even harder when the tid-bits are cluttered with dysfunction too.
Sure, if the game was almost release ready, a few seconds may make or break the sales of the game, but we are years away from that.
I think that a hyped-up, entitled fraction of our community is misled to think this game is almost ready for Alpha 2 and that we are months away from a release, hence they assume anyone else viewing these pre-alpha 2 videos will think the game is garbage. This, in my opinion, is false, that, most "interested" people out there who are not as invested in this game, understand we are years away and are a little less biased as to what they expect from a pre-alpha2 game development update video.
I hope you see the blind spot some of us have here. Overhype causes false expectations at this early stage. Intrepid Studios will have all the time in the world in the next two years to expand and fund their marketing team better, putting out professionally recorded and edited videos showcasing all classes exhaustively with high-quality gameplay. It appears to me that Steven and the team are not there yet for that investment, and I wholeheartedly agree. None of that is required at the moment, and demanding that it should be now, and it should be high quality is unreasonable. We don't even have an alpha 2 announced yet. The majority of MMORPGs in development don't even release videos at this stage.
We are grateful the studio listens to feedback and we want the studio to succeed. We can't all be eloquent or patient though.
That is thoughtful and I agree. That's why I aim to raise some awareness for those of us who are a little too ineloquent and impatient at a somewhat toxic level with their demands at this early stage.
The main issue relates to the people involved in the reveals. We used to be introduced to the devs in a separate portion where the dev is questioned and answers are revealed.
Since these class reveals have happened we are introduced to different devs who play the other toons. There isn't a core gameplay and development demarcation and that is what caused a disconnect and the dysfunction. Sometimes I feel a dev is thrown into the gameplay just to answer questions which used to have a dedicated section.
I'm aware we are months away from A2. I hope launch isn't until 2026 or beyond. There was always going to be hit and miss reactions from Jan livestream because the tank was shown. Luckily we also got a glimpse of the cleric again and we saw the disposition of the group play.
The devs are hyper focused on what they lacked - like potions, but, they didn't notice that what they had was very flawed. Often the flaws are hidden with dev cheats but we saw the dysfunction due to limited cheats being used.
Let's make sure to keep conversations polite and on topic ^_^
We're all on the same side and same team, even if we have different opinions or preferences. We love the MMORPG genre and we can't wait to play Ashes of Creation, right?
The main issue relates to the people involved in the reveals. We used to be introduced to the devs in a separate portion where the dev is questioned and answers are revealed.
Since these class reveals have happened we are introduced to different devs who play the other toons. There isn't a core gameplay and development demarcation and that is what caused a disconnect and the dysfunction. Sometimes I feel a dev is thrown into the gameplay just to answer questions which used to have a dedicated section.
Agreed. I also noticed a transition with the class reveals. It started with the fighter followed by the ranger as solo play - most of us were positively surprised with the amount of progress, overhyped thinking the game is very close to ready. Later, the cleric showcase introduced a somewhat functional party play with synergies, but some dysfunctional aspects of the more advanced features. A fraction of this community reacted negatively, now that the videos fell short of their overhype.
We should take it as what it is, they were NOT trying to show a fully fleshed gameplay from the very beginning but highlighted partly complete features as their progress update, and hear our opinions on their "direction". I am supportive of this and take it as it is. Even if it is half-baked, I enjoyed watching it as the direction they are following.
I imagine that some misled individuals miss the point and took this as a way to criticize how unfleshed these features are, how the team is not playing the game well, or how all the animations and skills are not working properly and as intended yet, etc... The unfair disappointment from the cleric update spilled over to the January update with the further hype through the roof in the past 2 months.
I'm aware we are months away from A2. I hope launch isn't until 2026 or beyond. There was always going to be hit and miss reactions from Jan livestream because the tank was shown. Luckily we also got a glimpse of the cleric again and we saw the disposition of the group play.
The devs are hyper focused on what they lacked - like potions, but, they didn't notice that what they had was very flawed. Often the flaws are hidden with dev cheats but we saw the dysfunction due to limited cheats being used.
My opinion is, as I highlighted above, our sense of dysfunction is somewhat rooted in our misled expectations. These videos are supposed to give us the direction they are following, rather than showing us fully developed, release-ready gameplay. That's why each session has only a few main focuses, as in discussion threads asking for our opinions prior to and after these videos. If anything, these dysfunctions observed should be a clue for how far we are off from the alpha2 rather than how bad this game is going to be, and raise "concerns" and "unjustified demands"...
Yeah I agree with your assessment. My points weren't designed to hide the possibility for flaws or disprove the devs had a fully functional game right now. The problem remains that Tank, Mage and Cleric were in A1 and they were functional.
Since A1 these classes have been changed (haven't seen mage recently though). Hence the backlash is somewhat linked to the functions lost and the functions changed. I fully expect the classes to be different after A2 too which is why I feel there is a push to get a2 sooner rather than later.
What's not needed is the Endless cycle of show, feedback, change, show, feedback, change. Hence why the hype can turn to dismay. If A1 hadn't happened and the reveals were the first seen i doubt there would've been so much backlash. Yet, the changes were made and the people demonstrating the changes struggled with the changes too.
If anything, these dysfunctions observed should be a clue for how far we are off from the alpha2 rather than how bad this game is going to be, and raise "concerns" and "unjustified demands"...
Part of the official feedback request asks everyone to state their concerns about what was shown...
Part of the official feedback request asks everyone to state their concerns about what was shown...
Fair enough, perhaps I should have labeled them as "unjustified concerns"... I'd agree with the validity of these concerns (and not consider them "entitled") if they take into account the true purpose of these videos, how early stage we are in the development of the game, and the qualities and other priorities of the staff preparing them.
Yeah I agree with your assessment. My points weren't designed to hide the possibility for flaws or disprove the devs had a fully functional game right now. The problem remains that Tank, Mage and Cleric were in A1 and they were functional.
Since A1 these classes have been changed (haven't seen mage recently though). Hence the backlash is somewhat linked to the functions lost and the functions changed. I fully expect the classes to be different after A2 too which is why I feel there is a push to get a2 sooner rather than later.
Yes, I agree with the A1 factor. I believe there could have been a little more emphasis from Steven on how skills and classes prepared for A1 were place-holders akin to Apocalypse... Much has changed since A1 and I think for the better.
What's not needed is the Endless cycle of show, feedback, change, show, feedback, change. Hence why the hype can turn to dismay. If A1 hadn't happened and the reveals were the first seen i doubt there would've been so much backlash. Yet, the changes were made and the people demonstrating the changes struggled with the changes too.
That is the nightmare scenario for me and that is why I am concerned with this unjustified hype that is building. That is why it's a possibility that Steven may just decide to pause on showcase videos for a while... That would surely set some more realistic expectations for the "entitled" few, but at what cost?
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FantmxMember, Phoenix Initiative, Royalty, Kickstarter, Alpha One
Expressing an opinion has nothing to do with entitlement.
Expressing an opinion has nothing to do with entitlement.
Agreed, voicing opinions, and suggestions are all fair game, especially (but not limited to) in the direction Steven and other developers are asking our opinions about.
My problem is when a fraction of the community starts demanding things (they are not entitled to) as described in my post.
he feels entitled that your opnions are entitlement. Dont entitlement shame him now!
It is really perplexing to me why it is difficult for some of you to grasp the contrast between voicing opinions (as graciously awarded to you by Intrepid) and making demands (as if Intrepid owes you stuff at this early stage of a game development phase).
I am using the clearest words, reiterating the same statements using the most basic words and statements, yet here we are. Disagree by all means, but at least show me that you understand the point I am trying to make if you will respond to this post - otherwise it's pure clutter.
and you can also look at entitlement with context.
Fair point. Please expand on what you see as the context of these entitlements in my OP so we are on the same page.
I dont see anything wrong with that post nor do I sense it as entitlement.
you have someone in the role of "director of communication" and Marketing/PR
Margaret could be playing these games, but she is not if that's what you are suggesting. The team of game developers and Steve have other higher priorities for sure. It is most definitely not in their job title or description to showcase games to a community. If you are suggesting that they should have a staff of people hired for the purpose of showcasing, recording, editing, and preparing professional videos; I believe it is too early for that. As Steve eluded in this month's update, they will eventually shift more funds towards marketing when the time is right. We can all assume, and I highly agree, that currently, this stage of development is too early for such an expense.
Wouldnt / shouldnt you want to showcase your best? to be clear in direction?
I get that aspect. But if you'd read the past 2 months, the Nov video, people have been asking to be a bit more polish. Don't need to go Corporate Thrones and Liberty polish but prepared and to drop the Dora the explorer persona.
It is a matter of how much time Intrepid is willing to invest in these videos given their priorities are not to market or promote the game but to showcase it to a small community who enjoys getting dev updates.
If they decide it's worth that investment, we will start seeing these more professional videos in the future. By all means, make this suggestion, but do not feel you have a sense of entitlement to these higher-quality videos right now. They have specific goals in each and every update video, most people do stick to those "directions" when they share their opinions as asked by the developers. This is productive. The moment you are "demanding" polish, your unjustified entitlement is speaking. These videos do not necessarily have that purpose.
The updated second video is the best example of the correct suggestions and constructive criticism in effect. They were asking for our opinions on aspects of tank play, we don't necessarily see that in the first video clearly, but the next video addressed those issues. If the "polish" that you are referring to limited to that progress? Yes, please! If the polish requires 2-3 days of advanced preparation for a progress update video this early in the cycle as some people argued here and there in the forums in the past couple of days? I think that is not the goal they set for these videos, yet. We are not entitled to demand that kind of polish. I hope the distinction is clearer.
Pretty much the question is this: CAN THEY DO BETTER? The answer is YES. Does better mean, go full Blizzard, NCsoft, SquareEnix Presentation? Nope.
Of course, they can. Agreed, but better videos come at the expense of these game developers' time from building the game.
Expressing an opinion has nothing to do with entitlement.
Agreed, voicing opinions, and suggestions are all fair game, especially (but not limited to) in the direction Steven and other developers are asking our opinions about.
My problem is when a fraction of the community starts demanding things (they are not entitled to) as described in my post.
Some of your post.
These:
Do you feel the game developers did not put enough time into preparing for a showcase?
Do you hate the creative director's ability (or, inability) to play and genuinely enjoy as he demos the game he is building brick by brick with his own money?
Are fair comments.
If the point of open development is for the community to provide feedback, but if the content on which we are basing our feedback is of poor quality, then we are not be able to provide effective and actionable feedback. That is a fair criticism.
Honestly if a company says they are going to provide something and they fail to provide it, it's entirely reasonable to demand a change or an effort to come through on what that company promised. Intrepid saw the demand for a re-recording of the recent showcase and delivered. No harm no foul. But to call the people demanding that entitled? Nah.
Do they have to do monthly discussions? Nope, they can stop whenever if they feel the need to. But as long as they advertise and promote showcases or discussions, they should be done in a professional manner, and for the most part they have aside from a few exceptions. Without demand for quality, you promote laziness and poor, misleading content.
If the point of open development is for the community to provide feedback, but the content on which we are basing our feedback is of poor quality, then we are not be able to provide effect and actionable feedback. That is a fair criticism.
Agreed. Would you agree that the second video they posted was based on some constructive criticism that they valued, and is on par with what is sufficient given their other responsibilties?
The goal of the video was supposed to be a focused, narrow introduction to some tank skills and use cases, as well as the tank role in a party, and they wanted our opinion about their direction on these topics. It was more difficult to assess them based on the first video compared to the second video. My opinion is that a retake was not necessary, but I get it. I find that fair.
I argue that asking for 2-3 days of preparation, finding other staff to play the game, or hiring a team to prepare higher-quality videos was not the purpose. Demanding that they should spend more time on preparation to provide such videos (as some proposed on this thread and in other threads) is unjustified, it is a form of entitlement.
Honestly if a company says they are going to provide something and they fail to provide it, it's entirely reasonable to demand a change or an effort to come through on what that company promised.
I disagree with the notion that they "failed to provide what they promised" in the first video, or "succeeded in what they promised in the second video".
Steven, indeed, promised a tank showcase. I actually think both videos pretty much accomplished it, just that the second video was more organized and direct. If that's the level of "higher quality" and "professionalism" that you are demanding, I empathize with that.
Intrepid saw the demand for a re-recording of the recent showcase and delivered. No harm no foul. But to call the people demanding that entitled? Nah.
The second video they posted this month is based on some constructive criticism and seemed to me like a fair compromise between effort and quality. Again, both videos offer more or less the same information, it's just the second was better organized.
I would not call that demanding or entitlement, but... I don't recall that they promised a high-quality video that some in the community are insisting on, that they should spend hours or days preparing for it, and that we are entitled to demand a change if it's not done in a professional manner. Some even went as far as saying "we will not settle for less", or that "we should not be ok with it". There is a contrast here, I hope you can see it.
Do they have to do monthly discussions? Nope, they can stop whenever if they feel the need to. But as long as they advertise and promote showcases or discussions, they should be done in a professional manner, and for the most part they have aside from a few exceptions.
"Professional" in the true sense of the word is asking too much because they are not "professional showcase presenters", so, it's a false expectation.
If Steven advertised or promoted a quick ask from 3 developers to join a live stream in which Steven asks them some questions as they are all casually showcasing the content they recently developed - which was the goal of this showcase - they delivered. You are missing the point of these pre-alpha2 developer updates. This content was never meant to be "high quality", or "professional".
Please check with your mental timeline and kindly point to me when you raised your expectations to that level, based on what statement Steven suffered.
Without demand for quality, you promote laziness and poor, misleading content.
You are "demanding quality" and arguing that lack of this "demand" promotes laziness and poor, misleading content. To begin with, that is a false dichotomy. There is a whole scale in between, but I won't diverge further to that topic.
More importantly, a lack of quality in these showcase videos should not be attributed to "laziness". These developers simply have other priorities. I think this distinction may be the root of the sense of entitlement some in the community must feel for better-quality videos.
I am starting to understand that, perhaps, some in our community simply think that the reason why these videos are not on par with their expectations is that the game developers who prepare them are lazy, who otherwise sit on their asses and have nothing better to do. Only if they spent 2 more hours or 2 more days, we would get top-notch videos... as if a high-quality video is what Steven promised us, as if it's in their payroll, and it must be their priority. This is categorically wrong to assume. This assumption may explain the (false) sense of entitlement in your and others' responses.
I will highlight again, that these game developers have a lot of other responsibilities, of which none are related to showcasing the features they are building. Steven may have promised to showcase the abilities of a tank, invited 3 developers to showcase the gameplay, and I think they somewhat delivered on that promise even on the first take. We all could already tell the skills and the gameplay from the first video, including several boss fights that demo them in action. The second video is welcome but was not necessary. The order of things presented was just a little better and more organized. Good, they learned how to organize the format of these class showcases better now.
We were never promised more than that, and neither should we have been. Voice your opinions for better quality videos, by all means, but consider the current stage of the development cycle we are in. Demanding it? Asking for a professional video? Change the person who presents it? "Not settling with it if not received"? Those sentiments carry a lot of sense of entitlement.
Comments
Oh, I am no shepherd, Neurath. "Shepherds don't look after sheep because they like them. They either want to fuck them...fleece them...or eat them.” -Christopher Hitchens
I am highlighting what I deem to be toxic behavior.
I agree that the majority of the topics on this forum are not toxic at all. I noticed a considerable unfair backlash with the last developer update and I am concerned that it will get worse with every future developer update as the hype builds up.
I think that a hyped-up, entitled fraction of our community is misled to think this game is almost ready for Alpha 2 and that we are months away from a release, hence they assume anyone else viewing these pre-alpha 2 videos will think the game is garbage. This, in my opinion, is false, that, most "interested" people out there who are not as invested in this game, understand we are years away and are a little less biased as to what they expect from a pre-alpha2 game development update video.
I hope you see the blind spot some of us have here. Overhype causes false expectations at this early stage. Intrepid Studios will have all the time in the world in the next two years to expand and fund their marketing team better, putting out professionally recorded and edited videos showcasing all classes exhaustively with high-quality gameplay. It appears to me that Steven and the team are not there yet for that investment, and I wholeheartedly agree. None of that is required at the moment, and demanding that it should be now, and it should be high quality is unreasonable. We don't even have an alpha 2 announced yet. The majority of MMORPGs in development don't even release videos at this stage.
That is thoughtful and I agree. That's why I aim to raise some awareness for those of us who are a little too ineloquent and impatient at a somewhat toxic level with their demands at this early stage.
Since these class reveals have happened we are introduced to different devs who play the other toons. There isn't a core gameplay and development demarcation and that is what caused a disconnect and the dysfunction. Sometimes I feel a dev is thrown into the gameplay just to answer questions which used to have a dedicated section.
I'm aware we are months away from A2. I hope launch isn't until 2026 or beyond. There was always going to be hit and miss reactions from Jan livestream because the tank was shown. Luckily we also got a glimpse of the cleric again and we saw the disposition of the group play.
The devs are hyper focused on what they lacked - like potions, but, they didn't notice that what they had was very flawed. Often the flaws are hidden with dev cheats but we saw the dysfunction due to limited cheats being used.
We're all on the same side and same team, even if we have different opinions or preferences. We love the MMORPG genre and we can't wait to play Ashes of Creation, right?
We should take it as what it is, they were NOT trying to show a fully fleshed gameplay from the very beginning but highlighted partly complete features as their progress update, and hear our opinions on their "direction". I am supportive of this and take it as it is. Even if it is half-baked, I enjoyed watching it as the direction they are following.
I imagine that some misled individuals miss the point and took this as a way to criticize how unfleshed these features are, how the team is not playing the game well, or how all the animations and skills are not working properly and as intended yet, etc... The unfair disappointment from the cleric update spilled over to the January update with the further hype through the roof in the past 2 months.
My opinion is, as I highlighted above, our sense of dysfunction is somewhat rooted in our misled expectations. These videos are supposed to give us the direction they are following, rather than showing us fully developed, release-ready gameplay. That's why each session has only a few main focuses, as in discussion threads asking for our opinions prior to and after these videos. If anything, these dysfunctions observed should be a clue for how far we are off from the alpha2 rather than how bad this game is going to be, and raise "concerns" and "unjustified demands"...
Since A1 these classes have been changed (haven't seen mage recently though). Hence the backlash is somewhat linked to the functions lost and the functions changed. I fully expect the classes to be different after A2 too which is why I feel there is a push to get a2 sooner rather than later.
What's not needed is the Endless cycle of show, feedback, change, show, feedback, change. Hence why the hype can turn to dismay. If A1 hadn't happened and the reveals were the first seen i doubt there would've been so much backlash. Yet, the changes were made and the people demonstrating the changes struggled with the changes too.
Part of the official feedback request asks everyone to state their concerns about what was shown...
Fair enough, perhaps I should have labeled them as "unjustified concerns"... I'd agree with the validity of these concerns (and not consider them "entitled") if they take into account the true purpose of these videos, how early stage we are in the development of the game, and the qualities and other priorities of the staff preparing them.
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Agreed, voicing opinions, and suggestions are all fair game, especially (but not limited to) in the direction Steven and other developers are asking our opinions about.
My problem is when a fraction of the community starts demanding things (they are not entitled to) as described in my post.
It is really perplexing to me why it is difficult for some of you to grasp the contrast between voicing opinions (as graciously awarded to you by Intrepid) and making demands (as if Intrepid owes you stuff at this early stage of a game development phase).
I am using the clearest words, reiterating the same statements using the most basic words and statements, yet here we are. Disagree by all means, but at least show me that you understand the point I am trying to make if you will respond to this post - otherwise it's pure clutter.
Fair point. Please expand on what you see as the context of these entitlements in my OP so we are on the same page.
Margaret could be playing these games, but she is not if that's what you are suggesting. The team of game developers and Steve have other higher priorities for sure. It is most definitely not in their job title or description to showcase games to a community. If you are suggesting that they should have a staff of people hired for the purpose of showcasing, recording, editing, and preparing professional videos; I believe it is too early for that. As Steve eluded in this month's update, they will eventually shift more funds towards marketing when the time is right. We can all assume, and I highly agree, that currently, this stage of development is too early for such an expense.
It is a matter of how much time Intrepid is willing to invest in these videos given their priorities are not to market or promote the game but to showcase it to a small community who enjoys getting dev updates.
If they decide it's worth that investment, we will start seeing these more professional videos in the future. By all means, make this suggestion, but do not feel you have a sense of entitlement to these higher-quality videos right now. They have specific goals in each and every update video, most people do stick to those "directions" when they share their opinions as asked by the developers. This is productive. The moment you are "demanding" polish, your unjustified entitlement is speaking. These videos do not necessarily have that purpose.
The updated second video is the best example of the correct suggestions and constructive criticism in effect. They were asking for our opinions on aspects of tank play, we don't necessarily see that in the first video clearly, but the next video addressed those issues. If the "polish" that you are referring to limited to that progress? Yes, please! If the polish requires 2-3 days of advanced preparation for a progress update video this early in the cycle as some people argued here and there in the forums in the past couple of days? I think that is not the goal they set for these videos, yet. We are not entitled to demand that kind of polish. I hope the distinction is clearer. Of course, they can. Agreed, but better videos come at the expense of these game developers' time from building the game.
Again, I'm open to responding to your opinions about the topic in this post. I will not exchange personal attacks.
Some of your post.
These:
Do you feel the game developers did not put enough time into preparing for a showcase?
Do you hate the creative director's ability (or, inability) to play and genuinely enjoy as he demos the game he is building brick by brick with his own money?
Are fair comments.
If the point of open development is for the community to provide feedback, but if the content on which we are basing our feedback is of poor quality, then we are not be able to provide effective and actionable feedback. That is a fair criticism.
Do they have to do monthly discussions? Nope, they can stop whenever if they feel the need to. But as long as they advertise and promote showcases or discussions, they should be done in a professional manner, and for the most part they have aside from a few exceptions. Without demand for quality, you promote laziness and poor, misleading content.
Agreed. Would you agree that the second video they posted was based on some constructive criticism that they valued, and is on par with what is sufficient given their other responsibilties?
The goal of the video was supposed to be a focused, narrow introduction to some tank skills and use cases, as well as the tank role in a party, and they wanted our opinion about their direction on these topics. It was more difficult to assess them based on the first video compared to the second video. My opinion is that a retake was not necessary, but I get it. I find that fair.
I argue that asking for 2-3 days of preparation, finding other staff to play the game, or hiring a team to prepare higher-quality videos was not the purpose. Demanding that they should spend more time on preparation to provide such videos (as some proposed on this thread and in other threads) is unjustified, it is a form of entitlement.
Steven, indeed, promised a tank showcase. I actually think both videos pretty much accomplished it, just that the second video was more organized and direct. If that's the level of "higher quality" and "professionalism" that you are demanding, I empathize with that. The second video they posted this month is based on some constructive criticism and seemed to me like a fair compromise between effort and quality. Again, both videos offer more or less the same information, it's just the second was better organized.
I would not call that demanding or entitlement, but... I don't recall that they promised a high-quality video that some in the community are insisting on, that they should spend hours or days preparing for it, and that we are entitled to demand a change if it's not done in a professional manner. Some even went as far as saying "we will not settle for less", or that "we should not be ok with it". There is a contrast here, I hope you can see it.
"Professional" in the true sense of the word is asking too much because they are not "professional showcase presenters", so, it's a false expectation.
If Steven advertised or promoted a quick ask from 3 developers to join a live stream in which Steven asks them some questions as they are all casually showcasing the content they recently developed - which was the goal of this showcase - they delivered. You are missing the point of these pre-alpha2 developer updates. This content was never meant to be "high quality", or "professional".
Please check with your mental timeline and kindly point to me when you raised your expectations to that level, based on what statement Steven suffered.
You are "demanding quality" and arguing that lack of this "demand" promotes laziness and poor, misleading content. To begin with, that is a false dichotomy. There is a whole scale in between, but I won't diverge further to that topic.
More importantly, a lack of quality in these showcase videos should not be attributed to "laziness". These developers simply have other priorities. I think this distinction may be the root of the sense of entitlement some in the community must feel for better-quality videos.
I am starting to understand that, perhaps, some in our community simply think that the reason why these videos are not on par with their expectations is that the game developers who prepare them are lazy, who otherwise sit on their asses and have nothing better to do. Only if they spent 2 more hours or 2 more days, we would get top-notch videos... as if a high-quality video is what Steven promised us, as if it's in their payroll, and it must be their priority. This is categorically wrong to assume. This assumption may explain the (false) sense of entitlement in your and others' responses.
I will highlight again, that these game developers have a lot of other responsibilities, of which none are related to showcasing the features they are building. Steven may have promised to showcase the abilities of a tank, invited 3 developers to showcase the gameplay, and I think they somewhat delivered on that promise even on the first take. We all could already tell the skills and the gameplay from the first video, including several boss fights that demo them in action. The second video is welcome but was not necessary. The order of things presented was just a little better and more organized. Good, they learned how to organize the format of these class showcases better now.
We were never promised more than that, and neither should we have been. Voice your opinions for better quality videos, by all means, but consider the current stage of the development cycle we are in. Demanding it? Asking for a professional video? Change the person who presents it? "Not settling with it if not received"? Those sentiments carry a lot of sense of entitlement.