However, in an act of transparency, a customer service representative addressed these concerns (and other topics of lingering interest) during a Discord voice chat Q&A session.
You can the transcript after the break below!
Q: Is the global version going to skip any banners?
A: We are not skipping any banners. All the banners will be added into the game. You can still get the characters now, but that does not mean the banner will not come. If they are Japan exclusive, we will probably not get them here.
Q: Can we get an earlier notice for when banners are going to be added into the game?
A: They are currently telling me banners that are releasing for Wednesday on Monday morning and even then, sometimes they still don’t know. I don’t even know what’s happening next week at the moment. Sorry, I wish I could tell you. We are going to try improving on getting the information faster like a full week ahead of time to announce.
Q: What can you change about banners?
A: We can make banners that feature different characters.
A: No, we don’t have the authorizations to use the Monster Hunter IP. Most likely not. We can possibly do Devil May Cry because we have the license for that. But I’m not sure about that. No guarantee, that is way out of my league, sorry.
Q: Can you change the pull rate?
A: We can’t really change the fixed pull rates but we can add the pity system to old banners. Whether or not they do it, I don’t know. We will most likely follow Taiwan for focus rates.
Q: Why does the Layer banner not have a pity pull?
A: The Layer banner is more like a “light banner ''. We do not expect people to go all out on it.
Q: Do you know when future events and banners are coming?
A: I wish I knew the exact release schedule for the next 60 days so I can answer all the questions for “when is this coming out”. I hope they fix that for me and give me the information much sooner. I want to be able to tell people that exact time and date. It’s kind of stressful. It’s not like we’re trying to keep it from you guys. That won’t do us any good.
Q: How fast will banners get released?
A: We want to find a perfect middle ground with releasing characters until we’re caught up.
Q: Is it possible to add separate stamina for when 2 events happen at the same time? Currently, we have two separate events that use the same stamina (1 ranked, 1 for resources).
A: For future events that run concurrently with each other, we will make sure they don’t share the same stamina pool. One mistake with the current event is, we felt that it was too hard for new players. We will make sure not to make that mistake again for future events.
Q: Who has the ability to ban?
A: We all have the ability to ban. But there’s currently easy ways around being banned, like making alternate accounts. We are trying our best to ban bots ASAP.
Q: In other versions you can purchase character and weapon patches once per week for $10 USD. However, in the global version those items are missing. What’s going on?
A: More products will be offered in the future. That’s a 100% guarantee. The shop will always be updated weekly/monthly.
Q: Will you be addressing the paid monthly rewards? We will not be able to claim all the rewards because the game was released halfway through the month.
A: I still have to talk to them about that. I will bring it up in our next meeting (Monday). That and I will ask them about the ads.
Q: Can we get more newcomer bonuses comparable to the TW version of the game?
A: We can definitely gift the players however much we want. We will add more rewards in the future to help you guys. We will take note on other versions added. We just got the ability to send mail to individual players as that feature was just added.
Q: Any updates on fixing the bugs like Co-op crashing or some players getting stuck behind doors etc.?
A: Right, we are always fixing bugs as soon as we can. For example, the push notifications, that one has been bothering us and all the crashes and lagging. We just got a batch of phones to test out all these issues on different types of phones.
Q: Can you guys use promotional pictures/videos from the TW version for advertisement to make your guy’s life easier?
A: No we can’t. For example, if the TW X DiVE posted a picture on Facebook, we can’t just copy it, change it into English, and post it on our page. We still have to talk to them and ask if we can use this picture, then they say “Yeah”, and then we have to ask if we can make changes like translating the Taiwanese to English, then they ask “How are you going to change it?”, etc.
We have to make a request for changes and then they have to approve it so we can actually use it.
What we usually do is send in a batch of requests at the end of the month so we can get as many photos as we can for approval at once (instead of sending a bunch of individual requests). But because they are busy with their own game, they are not the fastest to reply.
Q: Do you guys have photoshop editors on demand for promotion art/videos?
A: We do, but we can’t just photoshop whatever. We need permission and then they send us a picture.
Q: Do you have an answer for all the misleading/false advertisements like the 30 free single pulls or “140 free gachas”?
A: I hate those ads haha, they are damaging the community we are building. Every time I confront the marketing team. They always tell me “If the players continue to play the game, they will get those gachas”. They are not saying, “you install the game and then you instantly get 30 free gachas”.
Q: The banner with the free daily pull was just recently removed. What happened?
A: I thought that was a mistake, but it wasn’t. I will ask them to add it back.
Q: Who has control over the official global social media?
A: Most of the time they are telling me what to say, but I'm (Zero-X) the one making the post.
Q: Can the global social media add more than just news updates?
A: We will be posting fanart for posts related to Labor day and other holidays. With permission of course!
Q: Can you guys ban lag switchers?
A: We cannot ban someone for lagging. We need a lot of proof like videos that are showing they’re lag switching. One simple video of a player lagging isn’t enough information.
Q: Popular Mega Man/social media influencers have expressed in the past that Capcom has had little interest in making a global version of the game because they felt most of the NA players were already playing the TW version. How accurate is this?
A: During the Taiwanese release, most players from NA or anywhere outside of Taiwan didn’t see any ads for the game because it wasn’t released to them. They just really love Mega Man and found it that way. For the global release, we can actually add NA promotions so we can reach a wider variety of audience.
Q: Can you make any changes like balance of characters/weapons or add your own events not in other versions of the game?
A: No, we cannot make any changes to the actual gameplay or game. The Taiwan version has to make those changes.
For events, we can make our own (E.g. Event rewards, not actual stage events). We can cater to our own players in each region too. We can release events for Mexico, US, and all those other countries. They will have different variants of events that relate to their regions.
Q: Will you guys be adding the guild feature the TW version has recently added?
A: If the TW version has it, we will definitely have it. One thing we want to have is more player interaction, not just fighting each other or going on co-op missions.
Q: On that topic, will global add features like “current event”, “notice board” or notification dots that let players know they can upgrade certain characters/weapons? All of these features are in the other versions of X DiVE.
A: All of those features you see now in the TW version, will be added into the global version. I just can’t tell you when. We will catch up pretty soon. Maybe in less than a year. We will add whatever they add into the game. We have to make sure there are no more major issues before adding more content.
Q: Can ranked arena matches count towards your character/weapon gallery?
A: We will look into it. But we might have to wait until Taiwan fixes it first.
Q: Can global allow you to skip the tutorial?
A: That depends if Taiwan wants to add it.
Q: Can you make it easier to switch your account between devices? Currently if you sign up on iOS Game Sharing you cannot switch that account to Android.
A: If you use Facebook, you can. Currently there’s no way to do it otherwise. But we will add a way to link all of the options together. We will add more ways to link your account later.
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| Capcom Taiwan allows players to download the APK directly from the Official Site. |
Q: Will you guys be adding an APK file?
A: There are plenty of APK files out there already but they are not official. We will not be making an official APK file because the payment system doesn’t work. We don’t really cater to APK’s because people will start using them and will have more bugs for us to fix.
Q: Can global fix the in-game chat character limit?
A: I don’t know. They are currently fixing other stuff like crashes, lag and push notification.
Q: A lot of players are skeptical about the global version being abandoned within a year. Any comments on that?
A: We will make it more than a full year. Don’t worry about that, hahaha. I can’t say for 5 years, but we will be fine.
Q: Will Latin America and other regions get more servers?
A: It depends. For example, if the US version gets too crowded with users located in Latin America. We will have to make a server dedicated to the Latin American region.
Q: When will the Latin America version be released?
A: Mega Man X DiVE will be coming at the latest, in late October. This applies to all of South America and Mexico. We are also making the French version too.
Q: Will the ROG buster get added into the game?
A: Yes, it will come but I don’t know the exact date.
Q: What was up with the IP address issue?
A: We apologize for that happening, it never should have to begin with. That caused us a lot of controversy. Nonetheless, we only got 1 or 2 IP’s and then we rejected the rest of them because we only needed 1 to fix the issue.
Thanks to Haze for providing the transcription of the chat.
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The discssion certainly clears up some concerns players have and brings to light why the game has struggled out of the game. However, the situation is better than when it launched two weeks ago.
The main take away from this Q&A, the way I interpret it, is that the three parties involved -- Capcom Taiwan, NebulaJoy and the team handling social media/support service -- are not working in harmony. The lack of proper and fast communication is hurting the game.
For a title that is, in a sense, a living creature being updated every week, with people playing online at all times... all cogs in the machine need to be running smoothly. Capcom Taiwan led by example in the early days of the game. It's unfortunate that they aren't able to provide that kind of support for NebulaJoy. They've more or less put NebulaJoy on hold, so to speak.
All in all, the Global Version needs to improve quickly. Moreso now with the Taiwan Version's Steam release getting closer each passing day. Indeed, it's a big undertaking; handling a game not directly developed by anyone involved; dealing with more than a year's worth of content. It's something that can't be underestimated but this was the name of the game from day one.
Further, there's one thing that has to be said about the social media team. Although they have made mistakes, it's important to recognize that they've been placed between a rock and a hard place. They haven't been able to communicate to players or run their social media efficently because they are not getting all the info they need from NebulaJoy and Capcom.
Again, it goes back to all parties not being on the same page. And to the social media team's credit, this level of communication and transparency with players is something that we haven't seen since the golden days of Capcom Unity, with Christian Svensson at the helm. That alone deserves some praise.
To end this post on a positive note, though, the global version is extending to Lating America in late October... or at least that's the plan. I'm sure Latin American fans can't wait to play a localized version of the game!
This lad, a brave soul, confronting the Marketing Team. www
ReplyDeleteIn agreement there, no communication is not better than miscommunication, so to speak
I think ProtoDude is a bit too negative on the global version. Social media doesn't really concern me. The ads are...embarassing, but they don't affect the game. Bugs? Taiwan is FULL of bugs. Yes, the U.S. version has a few specific to it, such as an event not registering a score, but they have been fixed promptly and NebulaJoy has given extra EMs (often a thousand at a time) as compensation, which is more than Taiwan ever did. The sheer length of time that players were getting stuck in boss doors, particularly against Drill Man, or that bosses would die without the stage actually ending, or that an Arena match would start without an actual opponent, is completely inexcusable on Taiwan's part; those are basic and vital game mechanics that were clearly given low priority. It sounds to me like NebulaJoy is doing impressive work given the heavy restraints they are under, they just need to get their marketing and PR ducks in a row.
ReplyDeleteI was playing Taiwan since their beta, and I have been more than happy with less laggy and more reliable servers of an official U.S. release. I sincerely hope it does keep going, but that depends on the userbase as much as it does the devs. And...honestly, DiVE is a hard sell to non-Mega Man fans; the pull odds are not good relative to the in-game summoning materials available. A game like Fire Emblem Heroes has much better odds, while a game like Dragalia Lost gives many more free resources. DiVE is the worst of both, and with no foresight as to new banners and events, it has always been very difficult to recommend to a general mobile gamer as opposed to a Mega Man fan.
I don't think Protodude has an opinion, but I know Reploid 21XX – who's done most of the coverage of the game, here – certainly looks down on the global release. I don't blame him, particularly? It's a mess in more ways than one. But, to be fair… he's been playing on the Taiwan servers since they existed, almost, so he has no reason to pay attention to the US version. All he's hearing is "bugs" this and "robbery" that, "bad ads", "scammers", "no bonus content", et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.
DeleteWord-of-mouth, alone, and make-or-break a product, and with all this negativity abuzz with very little positivity to counter it… it's little wonder he seems extra-harsh on this version.
(And just so cover my flank here, I'm not saying Reploid 21XX is "being mean" or anything like that.
I'm just sayin'… he isn't paying enough attention to know that it's not all a big train wreck.)
No idea how can you draw that conclusion about me from reading this article. I don't play the game first because I have invested hundreds of hours in the TW version and last, because I don't have time to play both versions. But, I'm in contact with people that play the Global Version and I check the official Discord channel every day. I know what's going on.
DeleteThis interview highlights some serious problems and my opinion in this article is based on that. Nothing will make me more happy than to report this version it is flawless and a success, but it is not right now and that has to be said.
It's interesting to see people complain about DLC's during the DLC era of gaming, and then the whole discussion ended in "huh not bad as expected lolz" until it became normalized.
ReplyDeleteWhen the concept of Gacha appeared a lot of people complained about how it would ruin the overall quality of the industry and "gamers" called us crazy.
Now look at what happened to my franchise.
Just a gacha franchise like most other old franchises.
This toxic trend just stop and people just stop defending it.
That's one gacha game, with another possibly in the works.
DeleteMeanwhile a game is in development.
That's hardly "just a gacha franchise". Just a gacha in a popular franchise.
I'm not going to defend anything, but that's just inexact.
I can assure you the next title will have abusive microtransactions or probably be a shitty mmo...
Deleteor even worse, it can cling to the Battle Royale formula that the mass loves so much.
Capcom is literally collabing with Fortnite right now, so they already went that low.
Now I expect a Devil May Cry collab...
ReplyDeleteBut really though, despite the problems I'm really enjoying the game so far.
Here's a question they should've asked:
ReplyDelete"Is there any chance you're going to blacklist certain usernames, like 'ADMIN'?" or "Are you going to look into the 'Free Metals' scammers?"
Anyway… I'm legitimately worried for the future of the US/Global version of this game. I'm serious. When someone like me, who hasn't been able to make any forward progression in a week, hovers between Rank 200 and 500 on the leaderboard for my server, I can't help but feel that there aren't that many people playing. Plus, with this version being based on older software, I know there's going to be a ton of bugs that they're going to need to re-squash. Case in point, invisible spikes and a Rush Jet that refuses to go upward, in the "Black Assassin" event. Those have long been fixed in the Taiwan version – if they existed there to begin with.
I guess I don't blame the community for not being 100% behind this vastly-inferior – and much more greedy – derivative of the "main" product. Once players hit World 8, "pay to win" seems less like an optional thing and more required to keep pace. We're also getting over a year of content being forced through a narrow tube, leading to a sporadic trickle that leaves a lot of players wanting far more… especially players who came from – or concurrently play – the Taiwan release.
I don't want the US version of the game to die an early, miserable death… I'm really afraid that's what the future holds, though.
Kinda glad I am avoiding this game. As tempting as it is to play, just cause I like the X series, I can't get past the predatory business model. I don't care how you spin it, there will never be a justification for that.
ReplyDeleteAnd what's more, I just don't trust these folks.
Yeah, I'm tired of it. Is there no expiration date? 2 years is way too long for this nonsense to continue, and I'm not tempted to play it at all.
DeleteAh, there might be. If Gacha games don't meet the monetary expectations, it'll get canned; possibly with barely any warning.
DeleteInterested in seeing how the French translation will turns out, but i'm certainly not going to invest all the necessary time playing it.
ReplyDeleteI'm just waiting on 30XX to move further along in development.
ReplyDeleteI really thought there'd be more teamwork involved, but it looks like a mess if this is anything to go by. I hope the team becomes more focused and on the same page. It seems like everyone has their own idea and nobody's working together.
ReplyDeleteOne of my biggest issues with the game is that I can't seem to flip the screen over so I keep hitting the home button when I'm trying to air dash.
ReplyDeleteOh so I can flip it while loading the game but not after and when I flipped it, my left hand gets on the screen and messes with the controls... This game was NOT made for large hands on small phones... Seems like the only recourse for me is to wait for the steam release of the US version so I can use my PS4 controller because controller mounts clamp the Pixel 5's volume button....
DeleteHi I want to restart my x dive game from the beginning is there a way to delete my mega man x dive save data from your service?
Delete