Letter From Hal Richman

Cheer, cheer for Old Notre Dame
Wake up.........



Oh wait.......wrong church and wrong pew.

Good yob mang!

Perhaps we should get the word out to our fellow gamers, who already left us because of their frustrations?

Hey guys come back in the water is fine, it's much clearer now!!!

I posted about a hasty exit too, now I have won a free credit with a rare playoff win and Strat O sends a french kiss my way too... I'm hooked again, only 2 weeks in rehab and we are back on the hard stuff...

I am stunned!!!
I believe the letter from Hal, which I did receive in my email, is a tremendous step in the right direction, and I'm not even talking about the sale or the free credit.
I'm disappointed that it took THIS long for such a response from him, but I am glad that it finally came. It sounded totally sincere, with plenty of thought behind it. There was a little more transparency provided, which is important. A little more understanding about their transition (no matter how ill-prepared they may have been) goes a long way for me to be patient as they fix the game.
I am beyond pleased by the importance Hal seems to be placing on the game, in terms of growing the consumer base and the brand.
I am also surprised by the extent of the pricing, sale, future prizes, and such that Hal explained. The lower price point will lead to leagues filling faster and to more leagues in general. The extra prizes and lottery stuff sounds like an increased interaction with the community, in some fashion, which I wholly endorse. I don't care if the prize is simply $1 off a purchase (though that would be cheap), it's the interaction that is vital.
I am very pleased to see that a rep has been assigned to monitor the boards and our concerns. Welcome John Garcia. We won't always be easy, but we all want the same thing--a great game and gaming experience.
As long as this letter is not just smoke up my arse, I am temporarily satisfied.

I am not looking to receive any credit for this fairly sudden shift from SOM, because it was a group effort. Thank you Salty, bkeat, dhamabums, visick, Salty, nev, PetroDruid, PJ, Valen, and the rest of the community that criticized vehemently alongside me, those who quiety agreed, and those who put up with it. We were dissenting for all. And we were heard.

Bravo Hal. That first step was the easy one. Maintaining this direction and adhering to all you put forth is the hard part.

Bill

The letter shows a step in the right direction.

The letter is a step in the right direction. I would have done more than just one free credit. That may help compensate players like myself who were lucky enough to have held off on new teams the last month on TSN and thus less than half a dozen teams impacted by transition. But what about guys like Nev who probably had more teams going than there are crooked politicians? Still it shows an effort and credit is given where it is due. (pun intended)

More promising is the prospect of someone on the boards with a regular Q&A.

What a big step in the right direction.

I'm happy to receive the free credit... and very very happy with a true "super sale". The price is excellent, the length of the sale is plenty and the fact that there is a specific end date seems simple but is a professional bow that wraps it all up. Monthly prizes and potentially lower prices moving forward sounds good also. This was more than generous.

But what I'm most happily optimistic about is the attention Hal speaks of giving to us and our game. This is so much more than just "making things right" but a true commitment to moving this game forward. As a community we'll never be one voice, but this talk of open, regular communication, gives all our voices a chance to be heard...without escalating to the frustrated tones it so often took... Questions asked by one gets answered for the benefit of the whole.

While it remains to be seen how things actually do unfold, this seems sincere and worthy of giving it the benefit of our doubt, I know I certainly will.

Thank You Hal.

very well put Nev. I echo his sentiments exactly.

16 comments all positive, you know strat did a good job with this one because all of us would definitely have found something to complain about thank you again Hal

Color me impressed

I have always been optimistic that the game would change for the better. Now, I'm much more optimistic, particularly after reading the gracious comments above from Salty, Nev, dharmabums, manofsteel, palanion, bkeat, etc. -- all of them competitors whom I admire.