IMPORTANT PLEASE READ

I was going to make this wall post last night, but I got caught up with somethings. Either way, let’s get straight to the point! I’m going to be talking about Nuclear_Poptart ’s post and those announcements that were made.

Before I even begin, I would like to apologize.

“But haze? What are you sorry for?! You’re doing amazing?!?!”

Yes, I understand that a lot of community members are supporting me, which I am thankful for, but in my thread regarding the update I was rude and disrespectful. That is unforgivable. Maybe you can look past it, but I simply cannot. We are supposed to be kind to each other and work together. Me being rude didn't help the situation.

“But you made the thread to speak against Mineplex? Don’t you hate Mineplex!??!”

I have no intent to ever spread hate on Mineplex. I only disagree with their decision, but I still support Mineplex and will continue to do what I can so the community members are happy. However, in my thread, I can see why people would assume that I “hate” Mineplex. That was never the case and never will be the case. I’m not the best writer out there, I get it, but I ignored my tone of the message and let it run wild. Even though I did not directly “bash” or “hate” on Mineplex, my statements and overall tone was unfriendly and fueled with anger. I’d like to specifically apologize to Nuclear and to all of the LT involved for the tone of my thread. I know I approached the situation in the right way (not starting a riot and just arguing in lobbies), but my thread still didn’t come off the right way. Was I mad about the update? Of course. A lot of players were, but that is no excuse. I could’ve gotten my point across without sounding like, well, a jerk. I let my frustration get the best of me and that was a mistake. I know apologies don’t just fix things, but actions do. I will do better. That’s a promise that I’m making for myself and for Mineplex as I whole. I will do better for all of you. We’re all human. We all make mistakes. Learn from your mistakes. Do better.

I’m not going to copy and paste Nuclear’s entire message here because I’m pretty sure all of you guys have read it. If not you can read it here. I highly recommend you al check it out. Anyways, back to the point. All of my “quotes” will be from here post, so please check it out.

“Since the start this year, there have only been 4 instances where we’ve had enough CS players to host more than 1 lobby at a time. These were not strictly unique players—many of these were repeats.
Unfortunately, that’s all we’ve gotten. That doesn’t take away from the passion or energy of the community who *does* play, or mean they love the game any less. However, let’s talk business and why this was a reasonable choice.
Host CS has resulted in a net-loss which is very consistent & not ignorable.”

That is true. I can’t argue with statistics and I can’t argue about the net-loss. Even though we do have a large community, it is not as large as SW or CW or any of the mainstream games. I get it. Thank you for acknowledging the CS community (the same can be said for other communities, such as WIZ). This is a minority vs majority and it’s obvious that the majority wins. I do understand that these games will probably have to go and there’s nothing that we can do about it since it’s for the best for the entire server. I get it. At the end of the day, as long as the server is still here and Mineplex is still here I’ll be happy. However, I can’t speak on behalf of other players. As a business decision, I’m all for it. As a consumer, not so much. A community is much more than just numbers and you agree because you said:
“Now, business is not all number-crunching. There are people involved, and you, and your feelings and opinions come into consideration too—they’re not invalid. You have a right to be upset that the game you’re passionate about is put in a position like this.”
I’m glad that we can both agree on this statement because this community is what makes Mineplex the server it is today. The Mineplex community, or any community, is about talking to people, making friendships, having fun with each other, and forming bonds. That’s what made Mineplex special to me and many others. This became a place where I could bond with other and have fun in a friendly environment playing unique games with others. That’s why I love Mineplex. The community makes me stay, not just Castle Siege. I’m sure that can be said for many others as well. However, I do agree with you: we need these numbers and we need to focus on our best selling games. I won’t argue with that statement. If we want Mineplex to succeed that’s what we have to do. I know that a lot of you are upset, but sometimes we have to do what is best for Mineplex, not just ourselves. Try and put yourselves in their shoes. And for those whose who don’t see eye to eye with us, try putting yourselves in our shoes. We all have to be understanding of each other. I know LT is still looking for a solution, so if any of you have suggestions please send them to Nuclear herself or post them here. She’s doing an amazing job looking at all of your ideas and what you all have to say. Make sure to thank her for her amazing work and dedication.

TL:DR
I don’t hate Mineplex. Never have, never will. I only want what’s best for the server and its players. I apologize for my frustration that was displayed on my thread, but I will do better to not make the same mistake again. I understand that many of us are still displeased with the update, but we have to see it from LT’s perspective. We have to see it from a business perspective. I understand your frustration, but please let LT work something out. They’re trying their best and if people are “rioting” it doesn’t make their jobs any easier. Guys, we have to remember that this isn’t just about your favorite game. This is about our server.As I previously stated in a reply on my thread, this isn’t just about CS. This isn’t just about PB or HOG or CA or WIZ or BL or DE or DT or whatever game it may be. This is about us as a whole. Try to look at it from other perspectives. Please. We’re all fighting for the same thing: a better future for Mineplex. We’re fighting for the same goal, but let’s not get distracted by our differences. We can come together to fix this. We are a community. Dividing us up isn't helping anyone. We must work with each other. It's easier said than done, but if we don't every try we will never know what we can do.

To the people who support my thread:
Thank you. Thank you so much. It’s wonderful to see the community coming together as one. However, a lot of you guys are taking this the wrong way. I’m talking about the people who want to “riot” and “start a rebellion”. Guys, I love you all, I really do, but lashing out like that isn’t helping anyone in this situation. I get it, you’re mad. A lot of us are, but we have to take this peacefully. If none of us are civil and can't express our opinions without getting mad and/or lashing out, we aren’t going to get anywhere. Please keep in mind what you say to staff and/or anyone else. They’re human too. They’re doing their best to keep the server up for us, the community. It doesn’t make their job any easier if everyone is spamming or rioting with hateful messages. Please be kind to one another. If you’re going to start a discussion about it, please do so peacefully. I know it’s kind of hypocritical of me to say, but I’m trying to do better and do it the right way.

Other than that there’s not much else I can say until more information is released. I ask that all of you stay calm and we handle this peacefully. Rioting won’t help. Arguing won’t help. We all want Mineplex to succeed. Let’s do better together.

In all seriousness, what you're suggesting for the community is priceless. I hope more people come to appreciate it and wish you the best of luck with hopefully getting it implemented.

LMAOOOOOOOOO

Thanks for speaking out.

Hey at least we’ll still have the castle Sieger titles (((((;

I GIVE ALL MY RESPECT TO YOU.

SHARE THE MESSAGE ON YOUR WALLS PLEASE
I will be turning this into a thread later, but here's for the people who wanted me to make a wall post regarding the situation:

Maybe you know me from CS, from QA, from around the forums, around the server, or maybe you don’t know me at all. Either way, I’m hazeae24 I am here speaking on behalf of all of the players in the Mineplex community that had their favorite games removed.

This thread was originally a document that was forwarded to LT that voiced my concerns over the status of smaller Mineplex communities. Since the issue has not been reverted or changed, I will continue to advocate for that change for the players’ sake. I hope many of you can support me and your fellow players so we can progress as a community.

I understand that the removal of specific gamemodes are happening for one or more the following reasons: said game generally unpopular; said game doesn’t have a steady influx of players to form a strong community or player base; said game isn’t particularly appealing to the average player (the majority of Mineplex’s player base); said game is old and/or outdated; or said game cannot be updated (due to whatever that reason may be). There may be countless of other explanations to why these games are being removed, but these are the reasons that I have heard being discussed during testings and/or is my interpretation of the situation. Although these reasons are valid for the success of Mineplex, there are players who have dedicated many years of their time playing these games or trying to improve them and are now having their years of dedication and hard work being discarded. This is something we need to consider. While it may be simple for LT and other staff who work alongside LT to decide whether or not to remove a game, there are not many players from each community who are not able to have a say to decide the fate of their beloved game(s). This decision is something that is out of our control. Even if the decision has already been declared to be final, I do sincerely ask that you hear out our plea to keep these games alive for the behalf of the smaller, unspoken, communities of Mineplex and the behalf of your loyal players.

Although I am against the removal of these games, I do understand where Mineplex is coming from. With new times comes new change and even if that change might result a discontinuation of a couple of classic and recently released games, players must still be hopeful for this transition. Despite all of the progress that Mineplex has been making (e.g. updating older games, focusing on fixing map and bug issues, listening to the community about games and/or features they want implemented) there is still a balance of transparency that has to be met. Now, I don’t mean in general, since Mineplex has been doing a great job with that, but with specific updates that can drastically affect players and smaller communities there should be more input from those communities (if possible) so we all can come to common ground with one another. I believe that with larger updates, such as those that wish to disregard smaller communities and shove them into an MPS, should be discussed with representatives from their communities. Discussions with specific communities have been made easier with the Official Mineplex Discord Server, Game Insights Discord Server, and even the Ideas Team. Despite advancements Mineplex has made with their communication with each games’ community, Mineplex still has trouble finding common ground with each other.

I will acknowledge that at times it is difficult to come to a point of agreement with individual communities because there may be different interests of both parties (LT/Staff and community members) and there might be some division in the community itself. However, there should still be attempts made to communicate. Other than a few rumors I have heard circulating around the server, today, during one of my testings, I was told that many smaller gamemodes were being removed and locked away into an MPS. At first I was in denial as many of the games were still fairly popular and had a small, yet passionate, player base. As reality struck me I realized that many of these communities that we have raised are now being struck down and shunned into a MPS. All of my assumptions of why these games are being discarded are based on my experiences and inferences of my QA and QAT experiences. If any of these are wrong, feel free to correct me. This is my stance, as a loyal community member to a soon to be rejected game.

Reason For Removal: Unpopularity

Even with new updates or revamps of any gamemode, there are going to be some games on any server that are bound to be unpopular. Some players are more attracted to other games and that is something that is out of anyone’s control. Generally speaking, more players are going to be attracted to play Survival Games instead of an unpopular game, such as Snake or Super Spleef. Since there is nothing that can be done about this attraction and favorability to other gamemodes, some games are bound for failure. This can be seen with many former Mineplex games: MCL, Type Wars, Castle Assault TDM, Gem Hunters, Gravity, Zombie Survival, Speed UHC, OITQ Payload, Search & Destroy, and Weekend Brawl. These games are perfect examples of games that had great potential, but were short lived and quickly died out. While there is nothing that can be done about those previous games or the attraction of games to each player, there are still other ways that we can reach out and help other games become more successful, more appealing, and thus improve each community and Mineplex as a whole.

Sometimes, we, as players and server administrators, cannot find out if a game will succeed or not unless we test it ourselves or see it grow similarly on other servers. However, Mineplex is a server like no other. Even through tough times and rough patches in our path, Mineplex has still found a way to succeed and keep giving to the community and our community keeps giving its loyalty and support. A few losses with a few games is inevitable, but if games can survive years on the server and still have a dedicated player base, why would we remove it? I would rather have a few small, yet close, and tight knit communities that know there game better than anything and are willing to do everything to see it and Mineplex succeed than have an abundance of players in a few specific gamemodes, that see no value in their game and no value or significance to Mineplex. Most of our games that are becoming “unpopular” can be fixed or can be salvaged. Even if a community is small, no community deserves to be thrown out of our player Menus. Loyal, dedicated, and passionate communities are willing to do everything they can to save their game or to improve it in anyway the can. Although these accommodations cannot always be met, many of Mineplex’s games are filled with vigorous and hopeful players that only with to see Mineplex grow. Each specific game that is soon to be labeled as a rejected game has potential to bounce back and start anew. While it may be difficult to see, I believe that with the community’s help and cooperation of the Mineplex team that we can improve these games instead of adding more forgotten gamemodes to the ongoing list of rejected games in an MPS.

Reason For Removal: Game Doesn’t Have Incoming Players Or A Strong Player Base

In the early stages of a game, every decision is critical to its success. As I previously stated, some games’ failure is inevitable, but it doesn’t mean we should “let it happen”. There could be countless of reasons to why a game might be losing players, but if there is something that Mineplex can do to alter that, then we should at least make an attempt to save it. If the game is generally liked by players, but specific gameplay aspects are making players leave, then we can attempt to fix them and that could bring back more players. Not every plan is guaranteed, and I know it may sound like such a simple solutions to a large problems, but sometimes the biggest of problems can be fixed with tiny alterations. Even small fixes to a game could drastically improve gameplay and each player’s experience. By improving the game to the community’s liking (assuming that it is balanced) it would make players more willing to return and play our games. However, not every game can be this way. Some towers are just meant to fall. Some games we will have to let go, but issues with previous games that could have been prevented that Mineplex failed to fix can be perfect examples to what we need to avoid. If the game and player base is right, I believe that some games can have their chance for redemption and can start anew and attract more players and improve their sturdy foundation.

Reason For Removal: Games Aren’t As Appealing As Other Games

The reasoning to why we have different games is to appeal to different playing styles.I understand, that some players prefer fast paced PVP games, others may prefer peaceful games, and other may prefer strategic games. No matter what their preference is, there are games that anyone could find on Mineplex that suits all of these playing styles. Fast paced PVP? We have Sky Wars, Cake Wars, Survival Games. Peaceful games? We have Draw My Thing, Speed Builders, Build Masters. Longer strategic games? UHC, Castle Siege, Bridges. Even though not everyone is going to love something like Sky Wars or Dragons, there are still accommodations that can be met to improve each player’s experience. For example, if a large portion of the player base is requesting and continuously keeps pushing for a specific update or change, it can easily be said that this added feature will most likely benefit their gameplay experience. Or if a lot of players are suggesting a new gamemode that could potentially unite players, then we should give it a try. However, the release of a new game should not be used to distract players from a removed game or feature. Unfortunately, a lot of these changes can go unnoticed due to Mineplex’s other priorities, the game isn’t nearly as important as other games, or since the game is already unpopular there is no reason to change it to only affect a small amount of players. Regardless of player count, if a game has an issue and/or an improvement that might attract other members of the community or improve relations with its current community it should probably be made. We have such a diverse group of games that anyone on the server can enjoy, but with the removal of some of these games, Mineplex will lose some of its most unique games that set it apart from other servers. While every server has classic gamemodes like Sky Wars, Survival Games, Cake Wars, Block Hunt, Mixed Arcade, and even Master Builders, many of its unique games or even some of its “dead games’ can have potential to be great again. Many of these unique games include Castle Siege, UHC, Heroes of GWEN, Champions TDM, Sky Fall, and many more make Mineplex its own unique server. Without these games to set differences in other servers, Mineplex will turn out to be a regular server with only its classic games drawing players, when, instead, we could be attracting players from all of our gamemodes.

Reason For Removal: Game Is Old, Outdated, Or Cannot Be Updated

I used to believe the impossible couldn’t be done, but I have been proven wrong with the update of Castle Siege that was released last year. Castle Siege is Mineplex’s oldest game and has survived the test of time on the server. Despite it all, it has received an update. Whether or not it was out of sympathy, it still proved that older games can still be updated. Even if it may be a challenge, it is something that developers should be willing to do. All games could receive some cleaning up here and there, but some of our older games could use some updates. I understand that not every game could receive an update and not every game could just be recoded. I wish other games could have easier solutions, but, unfortunately, it is not always like that. CS went years without an update and countless of other games have still gone years without an update. For example, there is Wizards. Even though WIZ is from another server and might be difficult to do, there should at least be some attempt made to fix some of its bugs and gameplay changes as well. I do not know the status of WIZ since I am not WIZ GI, but I do know that there is a google doc with all of the proposed changes and balance patches that WIZ GI has suggested. I believe that it has been looked at, but nothing has been done. I know it’s easy for me to just say, “Just tell the devs to fix it! It can’t possibly be that hard!”, but that’s not exactly what my message is either. I highly respect the developers and all of their hard work to keep the server functioning. I know Mineplex has higher priorities, but something that the community of Mineplex has always been asking for is to improve their older games before releasing new content. While Mineplex has been doing well with this, there is still improvement that can be made. Even if the impossible may seem unlikely, sometimes we have to take a leap of faith and do what is right for the player’s experience. If there’s a will there’s a way and I believe there is always a way to improve an older game, feature, system - whatever it may be - there is always a way to improvement. If there isn’t a clear resolution that we can see, maybe we have to look a little harder.

A couple months ago, there were rumors that many games were being removed. At first, many players rejected this thought and went on with their everyday gameplay experience. For others, we speculated and worried alongside our fellow community members, unaware of the fate of our favorite game. In the beginning even I thought of it to be false. Many of the listed games were fairly new or received updates. I constantly asked myself, “Why would they still fix the game if they were going to remove it? Why would we still test maps for it if it is going to be removed?” I tried not to let the rumors get the best of me, but I cannot say the same for other community members. I and many others, did our best to ignore and/or prove them to be false. Most specifically, to our respective communities. Even though these were only rumors, this news was enough to send some communities into an uproar. I can only speak on behalf of my small community, Castle Siege, but players were already preparing for the worst. I am already preparing for the worst. Many of these older games contain players from the very beginning of Mineplex that have stayed loyal and dedicated despite all of their neglect. Many of the CS players only play Mineplex because of CS and the same goes for many other gamemodes. WIZ, HoG, CA, and other games with small communities that are often ignored and forgotten will be discarded to the MPS Menu instead of the game Menu. While it may not seem like a large issue, many players will feel betrayed and even more ignored. Mineplex is removing all of these games and pushing them into a MPS, but for what purpose? Even if they’re in a MPS the game won’t ever be the same. In order to get a change in dynamics in the game it has to be available to the public. Different members from all around Mineplex make the games amazing. Without newer players, older players, pros, or even “noobs” games would always be the same and be very boring for all players stuck in a MPS. Even though it is fun to play your favorite gamemodes in a MPS with some friends, we cannot just shove all of our communities in a MPS and make it seem like it is okay. Community members will be forced to resort to their MPS and play horrible versions of the real game that they know and love. No game, even if the community is small, deserves to have their game locked away and disregarded. Especially games with so much promise, like Heroes of GWEN or Wizards, are going to be thrown away and collect dust in a MPS. No games should end this way. Whether or not the community is small, it still deserves to be played. Those community members still deserve their games to be publicized. Just because we have more players in Survival Games than Draw My Thing, it doesn’t mean that all of those DMT players can just be thrown away in hopes that they play another game on Mineplex. Many players from these games are only here because of that game. I know, based on experience within the CS community, that if our game goes, then our whole player base goes. This can be said for WIZ, HoG, CA, and any of the other games that will be removed in the update. I want what is best for the players and their experience. I want what is best for the smaller and forgotten communities of Mineplex. When that announcement comes up, some of these games will finally receive light, and see that they’re noticed on the forums, but will only be disappointed to realize that their favorite game will only have light shined down on it to create the shadow to where it will be forced down into.

This isn’t an argument about what’s best for the players anymore, this is about what’s best for Mineplex. I understand that Mineplex is a business and has to cut ties and make strict decisions that will upset many players. Sometimes it just happens. Business is business. I know that I’m not the one to make business decisions. I will try and do my best to give my input from a player’s perspective. However, without smaller communities our player base will crumble. We are a large community that is made up by smaller, individual communities that come together with a common interest: playing on the server that we all know and love. You could describe Mineplex as a Castle: a strong foundation, constructed with smaller, individual pieces, each containing an important aspect that must support the castle’s weight, but has individual towers and towns, made up of larger communities that are always in the spotlight and are always ready to be displayed. Although all aspects of the castle, or server, are important for its success, it would be incomplete without each piece of the puzzle. A castle cannot stand if there is no foundation, and a foundation is nothing without a monument to display success and prosperity, just like Mineplex. Without Mineplex’s most popular and even less popular games, it wouldn’t be the server we know and love. This is a problem that all players should be aware of. If one game has a problem then the server has a problem. It isn’t just a specific community’s issue, it’s everyone’s issue. If one game goes then soon many others will follow. I only with to save these games and try and fix them in an attempt to keep them alive for our loyal and dedicated players who have spent years on our server.

I know that I am only one person, and I know that my view for the future of Mineplex and all of our games becoming something greater - something reborn - might be difficult to grasp. I know that I am no Developer, or no LT member, or even a staff member, but I will still do what I believe is right for the success of Mineplex and what is right to protect each players’ common interest. I know it may not seem like much, but I am doing my best to fight for my game, not only for my sake, or my community’s sake, but for all the other communities on Mineplex. Our small communities - you could even call them families after all the things we’ve been through - deserve to have a voice. Not every player can have a voice. I hope that I can be the voice for them. I hope that you’re able to take what I said into consideration. I hope that I didn’t message you too late, even if the decision was already made.