Is there a reason for Nintendo not working on issues people have with the game?

[Starboard]

I have no idea how game development works, but I'm actually curious as to why after so many months people are still struggling with issues the devs could have very easily patched in the first update. I'm mainly thinking things like being able to store DIYs and other easy fixes, but it also applies to QOL features that could be greatly improved upon that people have been begging for from day one (like the annoying Able Sisters shopping experience).

I kind of feel bad going on the rant thread and complaining about some of this stuff not knowing if they're purposely ignoring feedback, or if they might be encountering problems in coding or don't have the time or whatever. I guess I respect their choice to keep their game how they want it but, I don't really understand why they're so ok with their fanbase constantly complaining about such easily fixed issues lol.

What do you guys think? I know they've made a few improvements before on things so it's not like it's out of the question, it just seems like they pick and choose what to fix. It makes me wonder.

 

[Chris]

The developers will have their own list of things they wish to change/fix/implement and will prioritise those in the way that they see fit. Many things that the community wish to see likely won't ever be introduced simply because they don't agree with the suggestions or don't feel the need to change it.

 

[JKDOS]

I'm sure while programming the game, Nintendo didn't accidentally make DIYs unstoreable. They indented them to be that way, and as such, they likely have no intention at all of making it happen.

I don't know if COVID-19 changed anything with development this year, but it's likely Nintendo had a roadmap they wanted to follow, and put all focus on the seasonal updates/events. As this year wraps up, 2021 will likely be our year for QOL updates.

 

[TheSillyPuppy]

I work in software development (not exactly the same, but close enough I suppose), so here are my two cents:

• The developers have their own roadmap to work against (that is, their own idea of how the game should work and how it is intended to be played), and there is only so much external feedback that aligns with their vision and can fit into their targeted milestones (releases).
• Things that look "easy to fix" may, in fact, be more complex to change in the backend and/or codebase than they look in the user interfaces.
• Limited resources (time, number of developers) is another huge factor into the scope of what features/fixes can be accomplished.

They are listening to us, I think, with the most recent update (more hairstyles and the storage expansion). Maybe they are prioritizing releasing new things (features, events, etc.) in the game's first year and will shift their gears towards focusing on QoL updates afterwards.

 

[MayorofMapleton]

t is fundamentally impossible to "listen to the fans" once you get past a certain size. They are all screaming a thousand contradictory things, all convinced that is what "the fans" want. The only thing you can trust is metrics, the only thing that is consistent is metrics, so that is what content creators in general - gamedevs included - have to do.

At the end of the day, the developers are the developers and the fans are the fans. Many good developers take input from their fans, but honestly they should never take direction from the fans. We all love to rag on developers for doing the same stuff over and over again, I know I've done it, but at the end of the day, true innovation is hard. For many games, half the fanbase actually wants all the sequels to be the same as the previous game "except better," and the other half comes up with hundreds of "new" ideas, virtually none of which are either feasible or anywhere near as good as they sound in the person's head.

Also fans are fans, you aren't paying them work wise, Nintendo is, the development team work with Nintendo to create features that follow the teams and Nintendo's wishes first and foremost.

“If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.”

— Henry Ford

“It's really hard to design products by focus groups. A lot of times, people don't know what they want until you show it to them.”

— Steve Jobs

“Why do we want to ask what our audience thinks? We don’t care what they think. How can people tell you what they want if they haven’t seen it before? If we ask them what they want, we’ll end up doing Swan Lake every year!”

— Mario D’Amico, Cirque du Soleil