A couple of weeks ago, we were approached by AbleGamers to make a unique in-game item in any of our games we found appropriate. The decision to do this was a no-brainer. Able is a fantastic charity with a great goal. Of course we want to support that in any way that we can.



Pretty soon, we decided that this item should be in Planetary Annihilation. From there, it was obvious that it should be a Commander. But, what kind of Commander should we do? How long can we spend on it? What can we offer that will be cool and exciting and help get the word out about AbleGamers?



You may or may not know this, but we're pushing really hard on Planetary Annihilation's 1.0 release right now. Our entire production pipeline is crammed with new features, new mechanics, and tons of polish work. The goal with 1.0 is to deliver a much more refined and streamlined experience, and that means we need to buckle down and start working out all of the technical debt we've created getting the game to this point so fast, as well as fixing the issues and bugs you guys report. I wish I could talk about these features but now's not the best time. The point, though? Everyone's time is limited.



So, limitations informed part of the creative process. We didn't have infinite time and resources from a production standpoint to make a 100-percent, all-new Commander. So, we decided to go with a rig. The rig was a fan-favorite, in fact: the Progenitor.



Creatively, we wanted to do two things. One, we wanted to make sure this new Commander looked inspired by the Progenitor. But two, we also wanted him to do his own thing, to feel different tonally and artistically.



Obviously from the response we've seen thus far, we didn't go far enough in the latter direction. It's unfortunate. I'm definitely bummed it's not enough. It'd be helpful to us, actually, if you guys articulated why he makes you uncomfortable -- specific parts of him that you'd like to see changed or re-focused to make him feel more distinct. We would love that feedback. It's a little more constructive than hate mail.



I want to add that, during the entire experience, we knew what we promised with the KS and how much folks love their Progenitors. We still feel like he's an exclusive. He is still in a select group of peoples' Armories waiting to blow more stuff up.



This isn't the end of the discussion, by the way. Just a new starting point.



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A Couple Of Notes About "Censorship"



We've had a couple of people mention "censorship" and asking why posts get deleted and threads get locked. I want to talk about that in here, too.



I've been around the block a little bit, and I'm guessing most of you have as well. As a result of this perspective, there are places I've learned to just stay away from. Places that I used to like, but just turned into cesspools where every thread is often derailed by some form of disgust or other nasty things that, frankly, I just don't want to read.



The communities I like the best are the ones like this one. Where you can walk into just about any thread and learn something new about the game or brand you love. Here, you can easily relate to others. You can share opinions. You can give feedback. You can take the time to create new content like, say, a balance mod. You know how sophisticated that is? It's a positively awesome endeavor, and I'm absolutely stoked people have the initiative and the ability to do it -- and then share it with us. Amazing stuff, really.



Whenever I say this, someone always says, "Where do I put my criticism?" I want it to be clear that we're always up for criticism. Criticism is vital to creative endeavors. More importantly, there's not a single person at Uber making games without thinking about you and what you want. Sometimes, we get it wrong. With the Able Commander, we obviously hit a nerve. But, we do hear you and we want that discussion.



It's OK to be mad. But, what we aren't going to allow is raw, unfiltered intensity to derail what has the potential to be constructive. We don't allow multiple threads on a single topic, for example, which is why you're seeing some of those Commander threads with a lock on them. We also won't let a single post kill a thread. We delete posts so those posts don't become a part of the discussion. The criteria for a deleting a post? Check out our rules. But, in general, we delete a post if it's baiting others, has no value to the current discussion, or is just plain bad.



Purposefully trying to enrage someone is definitely one of my personal no-nos. That's why I'm so hard on subject lines in particular. Threads with subjects designed to offend or anger or enrage rarely lead to anything useful. We will delete those threads or, in the case that a minor tweak can actually help, alter the subject of the thread to better reflect its content.



Am I going to get something wrong occasionally? I'm sure. Most of the time, though? I'll get it right. If you're unsure why a post went missing, just hit me up. Send me a PM. Let's chat. I'm not hard to get hold of.

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