Cordovan, has posted over on the forums, that the players council is not taking applications.

We are once again taking applications for the DDO Players Council! Please fill out the application completely, and email it to ddo@standingstonegames.com before 11:59pm Eastern on Thursday, April 27th if you would like to be considered. We will have future application opportunities at various times moving forward, but any applications sent in when we are not actively seeking applicants will be ignored.

This will be the fourth year of the DDO Players Council, and it’s been a great experiment. It has allowed the community to have in-depth discussions with members of our development team, and get a better sense of what the actual game development process is like. For us, it provides a unique opportunity to gather feedback in a semi-private environment where people who might not otherwise speak get a chance to present ideas and opinions. It also gives us a second “first impression”, which can be extremely valuable. (The other “first impression” tends to happen when we debut something on Lamannia.)

After doing this for a few years, we’ve been thinking quite a bit about what worked, what didn’t, and how we should proceed with the program. One of the things we’re doing is getting rid of the formal yearly tenure; it can take time for people to practice their feedback skills and become comfortable with the process, and it’s a waste to have them stop because of an arbitrary tenure.

 

There are some changes this year!

• So, we’re going to transition into a regularly-rotating group of members, to give a larger number of people the opportunity to participate, and also allow us to bring in people we know will give us good feedback whenever the time is right.
• Another change that we’re making is to let people participate on topics that they are extremely interested in, then drop out if they’d like. If you are a Cleric expert, we’d love to have you on the Council when we talk about Clerics, but you might not care about non-Cleric things. So, if that’s you, let us know in the application and we’ll do our best. We won’t promise that we’ll bring you in every time, or even at all, but it’s an additional consideration we want to have.

And of course the NDA is back! He states

Some folks would prefer if we didn’t have a Non-Disclosure Agreement on the Council, but we do it because it allows us to have a level of conversation we simply can’t have if everything is being judged by the wider public. It also (and just as importantly) allows players to speak their mind without putting themselves in the public spotlight. The NDA also gives people who would not otherwise participate on the forums an opportunity to be on the Council.  So, if you are accepted, you’ll agree to an NDA. If you break the NDA, there will be consequences, up to having your game account permanently banned.

 

If this sounds like something you would love to take part in, you can head over the forum post and see the application that you will have to fill out and email in, due by 11:59pm Eastern on Thursday, April 27th

Good luck to all that apply!

 

 

What is the DDO Player Council?

The DDO Player Council is a group of players selected to provide targeted feedback and valuable suggestions to the DDO Team. This will involve participating in surveys, focused discussions, as well as highly structured and targeted developer chats. Often the topics covered will be elements of game design at their earliest stages, well before they are committed to development or appear in our preview programs like Lamannia.

Does Standing Stone Games determine the makeup of the DDO Player Council?

Yes.

The forums are only one portion of the player base, how will the larger community be heard?

We extend invitations to players based on a variety of factors to determine their ability to be a good sample of the general player base.

What if I don’t live in North America?

The goal is to create a diverse group that accurately represents the player base in terms of geography, play style, and interests.   We do ask that all applicants be capable of participating in the council in written and spoken English.

Will my participation be kept private?

The DDO Player Council will be covered by a Non-disclosure agreement that all participants must agree to before being added to the council. However, we will publish a list of all players participating in the council.  This list will not reveal your real name, but will include your forum name and main server of choice.

I haven’t played DDO in a long time, but I really want to be part of this!

We’re very sorry, but the Player Council is for active players.

How will the Council be held accountable to the full community?

The role of the council is to provide feedback as requested, and suggestions as appropriate. It is not an elected body answerable to a constituency. We believe the size of the council is sufficient to ensure a majority of views are represented.

What if I’m chosen for the council and people harass or grief me in game because of my participation or if they don’t like suggestions the council made?

Harassment is harassment and a violation of the EULA, TOS and Community Guidelines. Players engaging in this behavior for any reason are subject to action based on the existing prohibitions against harassment.

 

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NDA and Confidentiality Reminder

Your participation in the DDO Player council is voluntary and carries with it a non-disclosure and confidentiality agreement in addition to the normal terms of service, EULA, and community guidelines. During your participation in the DDO Player Council, you will have access to non-public information concerning the Game, including without limitation the Game design, look and feel, computer software, game concepts, storylines, features, screen shots, characters, graphics, audio, images, virtual items, Feedback, business methods, Standing Stone Games updates, release schedules, information about other players or other information that is not generally known (collectively, the “Confidential Information”).

The Confidential Information is proprietary to Standing Stone Games (or its affiliates, publishing partners, licensors or licensees), and you agree to treat as confidential all Confidential Information of which you become aware in connection with your participation in the DDO Player Council, regardless of whether it is in written, oral, electronic or other form.

As a participant, you must maintain all Confidential Information in strict confidence, may not disclose or permit access to Confidential Information to anyone other than Standing Stone Games, or discuss Confidential Information with anyone except within the DDO Player Council’s private discussion boards located at www.ddo.com/forums.