In response to some of the comments that have been made on this thread and others, I would just like to say that nobody likes drama. Threads like this one are not being created because the community enjoys complaining, it is because they have an issue with something that has happened, and that deserves to be listened to. The complaint may be valid, or it may not be, but it still deserves a response, instead of being scoffed at and disregarded because 'The community just likes to complain'. The staff team is here to make MCSG better for the community, and to that end, they are required to listen to the community.
Now, on to the specific topic of Team Elite. I quite like the team (though, as a member myself, I may be slightly biased), I think they have made some absolutely fantastic builds and have some great creative spirit. However, I also see the point being made by The_Arena_Master, that Team Elite is going a bit too far in their impact on MCSG's builds. I understand that this is not their fault, they are asked to do so by Chad, and are merely carrying out his orders. I am not trying to lay any blame on the build team itself, nor do I think they deserve any, but I do believe the complaint being made is valid, and should be listened to.
Team Elite has had their hand in nearly every building project that is officially sponsored by MCSG. From the inspection of community maps, to the revamping of the old, beta lobby, they have had almost universal say in the direction of MCSG's builds. Again, I understand the reason for this; they are MCSG's longest standing build team, and with admins and other members of Sr. Staff as their leaders, they are privy to information that others cannot necessarily be trusted with. However, I do not feel that they should be the sole directors of MCSG's builds, and that, if they are going to be taking the lead position, they should do their best to listen to community feedback, instead of being offended by it (though we are all human, and criticism is a hard thing to take).
Specifically, I want to discuss the revamp to the beta lobby. I've been reading the various threads on the subject, gathering information from both sides of the debate, and I believe that I now know enough to really discuss this in depth. The community had been requesting the beta lobby to make a return for a long time, desiring the nostalgia that corresponded with that lobby. Chad listened to that desire, and made an announcement that the lobby was making a return. When it arrived, however, it was far different from that which had been expected, causing a large amount of confusion and directionless anger. The players that had requested the nostalgic old lobby were instead presented with a version of it that, at least in my opinion (though I know several others agree with me) looks more like a magical fairyland than the rustic lobby we were expecting.
Once Team Elite came out with their response, saying that they had been told to revamp it by Chad, all the anger the older members were feeling became directed at them. I do not feel that this is necessarily fair. Though I personally believe the old lobby looked good, I see where Team Elite (and Chad) was coming from when they felt that it needed to be improved to meet the standards that newer players would expect from servers such as the Hive. So, I believe that the reasoning behind the decision was good, but not the execution. The older players desired the beta lobby back for nostalgia's sake, annd the newer players really had no connection to it. With the decision to revamp the old lobby, the older players were alienated, feeling as if what they had been promised had not been delivered, while the newer players really weren't all that impressed (as the revamp did not completely mesh with the rest of the lobby, resulting in a rather odd final product).
Again, I understand the reason for this. With only three days to work on this project, there wasn't really all that much Team Elite could do. But I still feel, now that the community has expressed their displeasure with how it has been handled, changes should be made instead of just making posts saying that they 'are losing faith in the community post by post'. I'll admit, much of the critisism has been less then constructive, even so far as to be hurtful or rude. But the complaint at the core of these posts is valid, however much the casing might be vitrolic. When MCSG had promised the old beta lobby, that was what the community expected and deserved to receive. If Chad/Team Elite believed that it wasn't up to the standards of MCSG, thn they should have made a new, better looking lobby, not try to 'revamp' the nostalgic old one that we had all grown to love. I realize that there were many factors preventing the from undertaking a different course of action but I do hope that now, looking towards the future instead of the past, changes can be made.
These are just my personal opinions, and are not meant to offend anyone. If I have, inadvertently, offended someone, or if some of my facts were incorrect, please let me know so that I can edit my post. I want to share my opinions on the topic, but I want what I say to be rooted in fact, and not in attacks on any member or group of this community.
Thank you for reading and considering this post.
-Zeno
