CSM5's Public Letter to CCP about Incarna

It's coming. Deal with it.

Sunday was a busy day for all things CSM related.  One of the most interesting developments was the release of a Public Letter by CSM 5:

A Public Letter to CCP From CSM5 About Incarna

Posted in the Jita Park forum section of the official forums by current CSM Chair Mynxee, this thread has already started to generate debate.  What do I think?  I think this open letter would not exist if the CSM had any more knowledge than the rest of us. I think that if CCP had any kind of a plan whatsoever they would have at least told the current CSM something. That fact that this 'open letter' is now public means the current CSM is completely in the dark with regard to a feature that is supposed to be going into its next phase this summer.

I already blogged about this exact thing: Incarna - Will history repeat itself?

I think that letter means the current CSM got tired of listening to excuses and evasions and, seeing as how half of them aren't running this time, have decided to just go for broke.  Virtuozzo shared his thoughts as well:

Combined with Hammer's statements, the horrible timing of dumping Incarna talk to media (going by posts here and elsewhere being the same empty as what CSM was shown), it worries me tbh.

There's parts of CCP which simply are in it for the awesome shiny new, nothing else, unfortunately. Incarna as a topic everywhere just bleeds a repeat of past tendencies, followed by the usual behaviour of "well crap, we gotto do stuff now also with customers, let's create a stink and not talk to them anymore because the questions are hard and we are fearless".

Basically, a return to old tendencies for that topic. Which contrasts with what must have been a tough call to make for Zulu, on treating Incarna the same (constructive) way they decided to approach Incursions. But it's not compatible in the long run.

Just like in the past, it bleeds the usual tendencies of both msn & communicator and tiny test corps on test server with special roles, brosefs holding up pants and more of that which never resulted into anything. It bleeds people diving into trenches, in contrast to their precious company values.

This is probably one of Virt's more succinct posts on anything CCP related however Bartholomeus Crane has no issue with wall of texting his thoughts on the state of things.  Barth's wall of text LINKAGE.  It's a very spooky take on what the possible future of the CSM's role might be.

Of particular concern to me is this statement by TeaDaze in the official forum thread: 

"We've been waiting for answers to questions and constructive feedback raised in December and haven't heard anything. An internal letter was sent to CCP last month and all we got back was the CQ blog which didn't address anything significant.

This letter hasn't damaged any working relationship with the Incarna teams because there wasn't a working relationship with them in the first place."

Overall, I'm going to stick with my initial take on Incarna - CCP has to 'deliver' the goods and make it interesting.  Thus far, CCP has not shown that they have a PLAN (there's that word again) for doing that and I don't think this public letter would have become public if the current CSM had been given any kind of bread crumbs to reassure them.