Thank you for the response Maeve but letās be absolutely honest here: this post is nothing more than a textbook exercise in shifting blame and dodging accountability.
1. "We do the best we can with the tools available "
While it is true that recruiting is difficult, being a volunteer does not grant a lifetime immunity pass from basic responsibility. If the current team is understaffed, inactive, or lacks the tools to function, that is a structural failure that should have been escalated to Gameforge months, if not years ago. If you accept a role as an administrator, you accept the responsibility that comes with it. If the tools are broken or not enough and the workload is unmanageable, keeping silent and letting tickets rot for weeks is the worst possible approach.
2."Recruiting new team members is far more difficult than it seems"
Letās call this what it is: a myth. How can you complain about a lack of volunteers when there hasn't been a visible, open application phase for Game Administrators in ages? There may be 1-2 posts but somewhere deep in the archive where no one finds or see it. You cannot claim nobody wants to do the job when you aren't even opening the doors or make the approach. There is absolutely no effort made to recruit, no announcements, and zero incentives created to attract new game admins.
2. "Volunteers have families now / Priorities change"
We completely respect everyone's personal life, families, and changing priorities. However, this actually disproves your own point. If an administrator no longer has the time or the passion to dedicate to the game, the correct and honorable move is to step down, like other previous team members did before or were forced to. Holding onto a title and a position while being completely inactive helps absolutely no one it only blocks the path for potential new people and leaves the community stranded and frustrated, because we see you all holding that "title".
3. "Community Managers are overworked and manage multiple games"
This is a corporate excuse, not a player problem. Players pay real money for Rubies and microtransactions in this game. Gameforge is a commercial company, not a charity. The moment a company continues to monetize a game while refusing to staff it properly, it becomes a scam. Defending the CMs by saying "they are busy with other games" is essentially admitting to the community that BattleKnight is being left to die while still collecting our money.
4. "Don't criticize team members who post announcements while support is ignored"
You argue that we shouldn't criticize team members who post announcements because "different roles have different responsibilities." From a playerās perspective, this is just bureaucratic nonsense. When the ship is sinking, it doesn't matter which sailor is responsible for the deck and which for the kitchen everyone needs to grab a bucket.
If the players have problems or issues reported and support tickets are rotting for weeks, having Board Admins happily push event announcements to keep players spending money while Game Admins are completely "missing in action" looks incredibly hypocritical. If the team is as small and desperate as you claim, these strict role separations shouldn't exist anymore. Cross-train your staff, help each other out, and clear the support backlog instead of hiding behind team titles while the community burns.
5. "The solution is a global merge like Gladiatus"
While a global merge is indeed a great technical solution, using it as a future excuse for current support negligence is unacceptable. A merge requires development time and corporate decisions that might take months or may never happen at all. What we need is support now, not a hypothetical 'savior' in the distant future.
Final thoughts: We don't want excuses, we want execution. If Gameforge and the current volunteer team can no longer maintain basic customer service, then be honest and close the servers. But stop taking our money or offer microtransactions while telling us to "be patient" because life got in the way. And please, save yourself the argument that "nobody is forced to spend money." That is a cheap defense. Gameforge runs a commercial business, and BattleKnight is designed to promote microtransactions. The moment you offer a paid service, whether optional or not, you are making a financial deal with the player base. You cannot pocket the money from premium sales while providing zero customer support and letting game-breaking issues rot. Do the job, pressure Gameforge for real support, or step aside.
[Mic drop] š¤
