That is a reason, yes, but it goes beyond that with code, most devs look at thier creation as if it's one of the most precious or greatest things even made and generally do not take attacks even if it's simple constructive criticism about it in the greatest manner.
I don't' know where you have worked but practically no developer that I have ever seen anywhere thinks this way.
If Cryptic/PW were really to come out and say "look guys this is exactly what happened", it's just going to be turned around and used against them, legally or otherwise. That's where there's always a wall of silence with MMOs. Have you guys seen how much people rage against incorrect ETAs? Now imagine if someone started to say something technical and got just one fact wrong.
Nothing in my listed examples was either technical, decisive nor liable. Simply informative, straight forward and apologetic. Where you guys are getting the idea that specifics need be cited is beyond me because it was never, not once, part of my premise.
You don't have to be specific in order to be informative.
Neither do you have to be utterly vague and/or patronizing in order to avoid liability.
Good post, and agreed...Sad part is PW's staff running Rusty hearts had major issues with exploiters...after a few short roll backs and "short" down times (like 1-2 hours) the problem was resolved...Cryptic? 8+ hours later still have their head between their legs praying to all the DnD gods this just goes away...
Side note: the dude on twitter is not a physical Dev, hes PR...he will be spouting random bull on twitter to try and keep people appeased such as " we expect servers to be down no longer then 1 hour" *9 hours later....*
I don't' know where you have worked but practically no developer that I have ever seen anywhere thinks this way.
How many have you worked with as in looking over the code reading line after line to find that one thing that just doesn't add up? Trust me they can easily get to be a little primadonna about it. Not saying you get outbursts about it but they definitly start defending the hell out of it when you start asking questions. even if it's just a simple why did you do it this way? because you want nothing more then to understand exactly why they wrote the code that way.
As to where i work Government contracts. Yeah that prolly explains alot doesn't it.
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hellskarMember, Neverwinter Beta Users, Neverwinter Guardian UsersPosts: 5Arc User
I've had experience in CM, and what community managers do is repeat what they are told from above, because that's their job. Period.
If you're told to say "this" and only "this", you just say "this", even if you know "that other thing" and you think the community should know "that other thing". No, you just say "this", because you've been told so.
My point is: everyone rages at the CMs, and it should not be like this.
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
I want this class in NW.
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kyouapple24Member, Neverwinter Beta Users, Neverwinter Guardian UsersPosts: 0Arc User
Maybe I'm completely off base and Developers are totally aware of how they drive a goodly chunk of players completely insane with unscheduled down time or emergency maintenance. In which case, good for you. You troll like a master anon at /b. Perhaps they don't. If you're a Developer and you are a member of the latter demographic and not the former then this thread is written explicitly for you.
The primary cause of player distress during these unfortunate events isn't the fact that the server is down. In fact, despite popular forumite belief, your average MMO gamer is quite reasonable, intelligent and understanding. Sure, you have that initial shock of "Server Not Responding" then the follow up kick in the jar-jars as the forums fail to respond due to every nerd on the planet trying to find out if it's just him or the entire population who got disconnected. And then of course you have the supplementary realization that the servers have gone down "again" and the "AAAARGH!" that follows.
But shortly after that initial 2 minutes of aggravation the coherent side of 99 out of 100 people's brain kicks in and they either move on with their day or wait patiently for an update.
This. This right here is where you, as Developers, completely and unequivocally--every... single... time--drop the ball with damage control. Somewhere along the line during the last 15 years someone decided that it was good policy to keep their player base utterly in the dark in hopes that rhetorical idiocy, like the following example, would placate the population. Allow me to illustrate by using one of the most insulting public addresses I've seen since the Gulf Oil Spill.
It reads as follows,
"We have a plan of action. We're verifying the exact timeline, then we'll be triple-checking the planned forum post with all key stakeholders before posting. We're not finished yet, folks, but we're getting closer -- thank you all for your patience."
Allow me to break this master piece of stupidity down for you, the Developer, so you "see" what we "see" when we read this kind of <font color="orange">HAMSTER</font>.
"We have a plan of action." --- Yeah, no kidding. We kind of figured you would. Instead of telling us the obvious how about you tell us WHAT the plan of action is and why it took 8 hours to figure out a plan of action?
"We're verifying the exact timeline..." --- Really? You're just NOW doing this? As opposed to 8 hours ago?
"...then we'll be triple-checking the planned forum post with all key stakeholders before posting." --- Who are these "key stakeholders"? Are you talking about the players? You know... the most "key" of all "key stakeholders"? Share holders? Gods don't tell me you're going to have a share holders meeting before you decide to post a time line. Are you referring to lead developers or some big wig at PWE?
"We're not finished yet..." --- Are the servers back up? Nope. Then yeah, I figured that part out for myself thanks.
"...but we're getting closer." --- I should hope so. Although it would be pretty funny if you were getting "further away".
And the best part...
"...thank you all for your patience." --- Ok this one sentence pisses people off more than the entirety of moronic rhetoric that came before it. 1.) No one is being "patient" because you are doing a horrible... H-O-R-R-I-B-L-E... job of keeping people in the loop and 2.) This single sentence is so patronizing it infuriates more than it placates.
Allow me to give you an example of what a proper public statement would be in order to placate your players:
Step 1 - AS SOON AS THE SERVERS GO DOWN
"Alright guys, here's the situation: People, as many of you are aware of, were duping Astral Diamonds effectively destroying any semblance of value that currency held in-game. To contain the damage as early as possible we brought the servers down. For now, we're going to have a meeting to figure out the best course of action to take in order to correct the damage, ensure this doesn't happen again and to punish those who were blatantly perpetrating the problem to begin with. Shortly after the meeting is over, I'll come back on here to let you guys know what the plan is and an ETA for server restoration.
BE ADVISED: This will be quite the endeavor and the server(s) will likely be down for quite some time.
I should have word for you within the hour."
Step 2 - AS SOON AS THE MEETING IS OVER
"Ok everyone, here is our plan of attack. We've decided that the most cost effective and time efficient way of handing this situation is as follows:
One team is being assigned to fix the mechanical issues within the games code which allowed for this problem to occur to being with. Another team is tasked with finding the point in time when this problem became main stream and started to negatively impact the game on a large scale. This will be the point in which we roll everything back (or as near as we can get it). Finally, we have a third team dedicated to tracing down the perpetrators of the "economic crash" to ensure that they are properly dealt with as per our Terms of Service.
Rest assured we are extremely sorry about the inconvenience but please be patient and we will get this resolved as fast as we can. With that said, be advised that there is no ETA on the servers coming back up and we expect this to be a long day if not night so those of you who were planning on spending the day in Neverwinter, as grateful as we are for your patronage, should not expect to get online today.
Again, we apologize for this outage and we will do our best to expedite the process but we are committed to ensuring that this doesn't happen again and in order to do that we're going to have to work on this for the better part of the day if not in it's entirety. If anything changes I will make sure to update you post haste but until then thank you again for playing Neverwinter!"
And then post this EVERYWHERE.
RIGHT on your FRONT page as well as in the Launcher so anyone who comes by can see it without ever setting foot in the forums.
Do you see the difference there?
Players, if given I-N-F-O-R-M-A-T-I-O-N, will happily give you as much time as you need in order to rectify the problem. Yeah, can't play today, that sucks but at least I know --WHY-- and I know not to waste my time sitting by the 'puter or double checking twitter every 10 minutes. No gaming today, hey guys let's go catch a movie instead or maybe I'll get tomorrow's chores done today so I can game tomorrow instead?
It's that easy.
That simple.
Information. Honesty. That's what people want; not rhetoric and patronization. We get enough of that from the leaders of our respective countries. We don't need that <font color="orange">HAMSTER</font> in our virtual escape. I guarantee you... guarantee... that the next time something like this happens--and it will--if you follow what I just outlined for you, players will not only be GRATEFUL but you'll cut down on misinformation, speculation and rage threads on your forums.
Plus, the white knights who get off on patrolling your forums and being complete jerks to anyone asking for info won't have anything to do and, to be perfectly frank, that's just hilarious in my book.
You can thank me for my consultation with Astral Diamonds in-game. 1 billion should suffice.
P.S.
It took me, literally, 20 minutes to type this in it's entirety. Unless your PR staff is populated entirely of special needs chimpanzees it shouldn't take E-I-G-H-T hours for someone to post something remotely resembling a coherent update on progress.
THAT is what really ticks people off.
they're using the terms used by politicians. they take great care so they didnt really "say" or "promise" anything
Get used to this... well, actually, enjoy this level of communication while you can. When they move on to their next project or when this game comes out of 'beta' (dohohohoohohooooo), you'll be getting even less than this and yearn for the good ol' days.
-Campaign: Spells and Coin
--Part 1: Spells and Coin (NW-DHM3XQVQK)
--Part 2: A Blind Eye (NW-DI3QTHZGJ)
--Part 3: Dodo's Dinner (NW-DHPA8O253)
Nothing in my listed examples was either technical, decisive nor liable. Simply informative, straight forward and apologetic. Where you guys are getting the idea that specifics need be cited is beyond me because it was never, not once, part of my premise.
You don't have to be specific in order to be informative.
Neither do you have to be utterly vague and/or patronizing in order to avoid liability.
From your "initial" post:
(1) "People, as many of you are aware of, were duping Astral Diamonds effectively destroying any semblance of value that currency held in-game."
I wouldn't admit that it was destroying the game, even if that was fact. It overstates the issue even if the issue is as critical as this. In fact, given that this blew up in the middle of the night, it would be immediately responded to with:
"So you admit that this is a game ending issue? Why did it take you this long to find it? Why did this issue ever occur? You are admitting that your software has issues that make it non-viable. I demand a refund."
(2) "For now, we're going to have a meeting to figure out the best course of action to take in order to correct the damage, ensure this doesn't happen again..."
I would never EVER promise that it never is going to happen again. Never ever ever. Of course they don't to have it happen again, but if anything even close happens it means they are opening themselves up because they "ensured" that the issue was completely resolved.
(3) "and to punish those who were blatantly perpetrating the problem to begin with."
It's too early to talk about punishments, and just saying "punish" doesn't give any details, so you are immediately going to get chewed out and have people talking about if "adequate" punishment is going to happen. Besides, punishments aren't discussed as per TOS.
(4) "Shortly after the meeting is over, I'll come back on here to let you guys know what the plan is and an ETA for server restoration.
You're promising an ETA for giving an ETA. On top of which, the teams responsible may not have ETAs yet.
(5) "I should have word for you within the hour."
Even if you promise hourly updates and then give "nothing new, will let you know soon", you're going to get tons of criticism.
... The current situation is being slowed down by lawyers...
Do you know something that no one else does? Because, unless you are an insider with some unique insight, this is the sort of thing non-lawyers say when confronted with a situation that is easily explained by CYA on the management end (amongst themselves, rather than against lawsuits) and inexperienced PR. Gaming companies consistently have a combination of both.
There are no lawyers sitting there parsing the Twitter feed at 11:00 PM on a Sunday night. There is no legal barrier to informing your customer base as to what is currently going on, being clear about what little you know about timelines, and not being obnoxiously condescending.
I sympathize with the NW team, but their information campaign today has been relentlessly and uselessly amateur. I agree 100% with OP.
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perigornMember, Neverwinter Beta Users, Neverwinter Guardian UsersPosts: 6Arc User
edited May 2013
LOL! In all honesty I just looked at their original post. They were doing fine in my opinion until that last few statements, then it started sounding condescending which is irritating. But if you look at all of their original post as a whole its not that bad. I mean the SH*T just hit the fans over there and they're probably scrambling like H*LL to try and fix things. If it take them a couple of days to fix it then what do I care, I have a freaking life and a business to run I'll play this thing later. I think everyone needs to take a beat, take a breath, come back in a few days and see what things look like after the dust settles. With the servers being down this is a great time for people to check their internet security, run virus scans, change passwords, etc. Lots oof peeps being hacked lately here, me included. Peace out fellow gamers....
Do you know something that no one else does? Because, unless you are an insider with some unique insight, this is the sort of thing non-lawyers say when confronted with a situation that is easily explained by CYA on the management end (amongst themselves, rather than against lawsuits) and inexperienced PR. Gaming companies consistently have a combination of both.
There are no lawyers sitting there parsing the Twitter feed at 11:00 PM on a Sunday night. There is no legal barrier to informing your customer base as to what is currently going on, being clear about what little you know about timelines, and not being obnoxiously condescending.
I sympathize with the NW team, but their information campaign today has been relentlessly and uselessly amateur. I agree 100% with OP.
You know, I'm swayed. Here is the post I think they should have made:
Hey all,
We knew something was wrong when I woke up this morning, but I thought it was the Tecquilla. As many of you know, our AH blew up. We're working on it, but I'm hearing a lot of swearing and someone's burning something. It may be records, I'm not sure. Nevertheless, the smoke is making it hard to see the screen. We're working on it now, but it may take a while and the liquor is flowing freely. I'm not sure how long it will take, and I'm pretty sure the CEO has a gun in his mouth. We're talking him down now. Another update in 35 minutes.
(1) "People, as many of you are aware of, were duping Astral Diamonds effectively destroying any semblance of value that currency held in-game."
I wouldn't admit that it was destroying the game, even if that was fact.
Nothing implies nor directly states the game is "destroyed" simply a value of in game currency that may or may not recover on it's own due course. Anything inferred beyond the literal iteration of the above statement is a failure on your part. Not mine nor the company's.
(2) "For now, we're going to have a meeting to figure out the best course of action to take in order to correct the damage, ensure this doesn't happen again..."
I would never EVER promise that it never is going to happen again.
This is fairly ironic seeing as you made this illogical leap of logic after directly quoting the statement you're erring on. "Ensure this doesn't happen again" is not an absolute and is a term commonly used during press conferences. I refer you to Enron, Sprint, the L.A.P.D., EA, Sony even our former President of the United States, Bill Clinton.
(3) "and to punish those who were blatantly perpetrating the problem to begin with."
It's too early to talk about punishments...
Tell that to Cryptic/PWE whom already made that statement.
(4) "Shortly after the meeting is over, I'll come back on here to let you guys know what the plan is and an ETA for server restoration.
You're promising an ETA for giving an ETA.
An ETA is exactly that... an ETA. The operable word for that acronym is "estimated". I trust I don't have to cite the definition in order for you to find the logic which follows for avoiding liability?
(5) "I should have word for you within the hour."
Even if you promise hourly updates and then give "nothing new, will let you know soon", you're going to get tons of criticism.
The vast majority (which isn't an exaggeration) of posters who have replied to this thread disagree with that assessment. Just sayin'.
My replies are in yellow.
Edit:
Apparently Cryptic/PWE followed my advice albeit 12+ hours too late. I'm not one to say, "I told you so" so I'll just let you read it for yourself.
"Nothing implies nor directly states the game is "destroyed" simply a value of in game currency that may or may not recover on it's own due course. Anything inferred beyond the literal iteration of the above statement is a failure on your part. Not mine nor the company's."
The amount of people claiming chargebacks on the forums seems to counter that people think the game is "destroyed".
"I refer you to Enron, Sprint, the L.A.P.D., EA, Sony even our former President of the United States, Bill Clinton."
From my experience on the internet, people take games much more seriously than Enron, Sprint, LAPD, Presidency, etc. Hence EA getting rated as a worse company than Bank of America.
"An ETA is exactly that... an ETA. The operable word for that acronym is "estimated". I trust I don't have to cite the definition in order for you to find the logic which follows for avoiding liability?"
People ignore that the E in ETA is estimate. Hence is why people are furious that the server isn't back up yet, etc.
"The vast majority (which isn't an exaggeration) of posters who have replied to this thread disagree with that assessment. Just sayin'."
I thought the vast majority of people were agreeing that they should have laid all information out on the table. I tend to give more information than is needed personally but I am saying that I can appreciate why they aren't doing so. Although they have now, apparently.
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steppenkatMember, Neverwinter Beta Users, Neverwinter Guardian UsersPosts: 0Arc User
edited May 2013
I see your point Trickshaw, but my experience from managing a NwN server (which equates to a little MMO server in my opinion), too much information often gives trolls and aggresive detractors excuses to tackle further.
I think Cryptic managed well this topic. Explanations should follow AFTER the issue is resolved, not through. Simply because you can't assure an outcome X or Y and every little change you make to the process will deeply affect players. And they deserve some space to deal with the issue.
I think Cryptic managed well this topic. Explanations should follow AFTER the issue is resolved, not through. Simply because you can't assure an outcome X or Y and every little change you make to the process will deeply affect players. And they deserve some space to deal with the issue.
Case in point, some players are already posting angrily about them doing a 7 hour rollback after they stated they were going to attempt to not doing a rollback.
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lsduyfgvMember, Neverwinter Beta UsersPosts: 1Arc User
edited May 2013
+1 Internets for the OP.
Although the communication with the PWE team isn't EA-bad, it still lacks what we all crave - solid information.
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warfluxMember, Neverwinter Beta Users, Neverwinter Guardian UsersPosts: 0Arc User
edited May 2013
Have to agree with cuteedge about giving an ETA on the ETA. It's not a good practice. Cute you sound like you have experience dealing with outages, haha.
Except the stuff the OP wrote (in green) isn't true and would be a lie from Cryptic. They knew about this back when it was in STO. Re-used that same buggy code (even after fixing it in STO) in Neverwinter. They were told this exploit existed by concerned players during Neverwinter's Closed Beta and, apparently, never fixed it. It turned up on day one of Open Beta and, again, concerned players told Cryptic about it.
So while "Hey folks, we just discovered this problem and we're on it stat!" would make for nice PR, it would be wrong and folks like me (har!) would be here to point out the obvious spin.
That was the biggest waste of my time ever. Thanks for posting such useless information. Now, please look back at what you posted and tell yourself, "****, I need a life" because truth is you need one badly.
Did you even read his sig?
where is the /facepalm emoticon!
Have to agree with cuteedge about giving an ETA on the ETA. It's not a good practice. Cute you sound like you have experience dealing with outages, haha.
Yeah I can admit that I have been on the other side of this situation before. :P
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ibsy0uMember, Neverwinter Beta Users, Neverwinter Guardian UsersPosts: 4Arc User
edited May 2013
I love how so many people are saying this is a great post... but honestly, it's like 100x easier to write this post AFTER they have come up with a solution, when they were still thinking of their plan of action....
I love how so many people are saying this is a great post... but honestly, it's like 100x easier to write this post AFTER they have come up with a solution, when they were still thinking of their plan of action....
You *can* tell time, right?
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
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danxbxMember, Neverwinter Beta Users, Neverwinter Guardian UsersPosts: 0Arc User
edited May 2013
Let me sum up the OP wall of text....
Dear Devs,
My priorities are so out of whack that I can write a 1000+ word dissertation on a video game. However, if my boss or professor asked me to do the same thing I would flip a bit.
you sir/madam are correct on every point, the problem lies however with the fact doing what you said would actually mean ADMITTING they the developers/programmers/almightygodsofthegame/insertnamehere have made a mistake. I can tell you from personal experience that getting one of these people to admit something is actually wrong with something THEY created...well you'll have an easier time playing at pulling a tooth from a bull shark.
I'm not saying they won't admit SOMETHING is wrong...I'm saying they won't admit it's something they DID or DID NOT do that caused it.
And that is why we cannot ever buy companies cries for deregulation, the benefits they say will happen if they are dropped, don't happen and then they cut corners. The regulations are there to protect us, otherwise buildings collapse and kill people.
That is a reason, yes, but it goes beyond that with code, most devs look at thier creation as if it's one of the most precious or greatest things even made and generally do not take attacks even if it's simple constructive criticism about it in the greatest manner. Now granted this doesn't apply to all but the vast majority do in fact think this way and will defend thier work with the same passion as a parent would defend a child. It's only gotten worse as the tech industry has grown as well.
We real C++ coders call those minded coders "Nubs".
Anyone who has programmed for substantial time (23 years here) will proudly go OOPS when they mess up, because if you never written bugs in your life, you've never programmed in your life.
Comments
I don't' know where you have worked but practically no developer that I have ever seen anywhere thinks this way.
Nothing in my listed examples was either technical, decisive nor liable. Simply informative, straight forward and apologetic. Where you guys are getting the idea that specifics need be cited is beyond me because it was never, not once, part of my premise.
You don't have to be specific in order to be informative.
Neither do you have to be utterly vague and/or patronizing in order to avoid liability.
Side note: the dude on twitter is not a physical Dev, hes PR...he will be spouting random bull on twitter to try and keep people appeased such as " we expect servers to be down no longer then 1 hour" *9 hours later....*
As to where i work Government contracts. Yeah that prolly explains alot doesn't it.
If you're told to say "this" and only "this", you just say "this", even if you know "that other thing" and you think the community should know "that other thing". No, you just say "this", because you've been told so.
My point is: everyone rages at the CMs, and it should not be like this.
I want this class in NW.
they're using the terms used by politicians. they take great care so they didnt really "say" or "promise" anything
here, watch this to open your eyes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pL5lhJhtCsU
Get used to this... well, actually, enjoy this level of communication while you can. When they move on to their next project or when this game comes out of 'beta' (dohohohoohohooooo), you'll be getting even less than this and yearn for the good ol' days.
--Part 1: Spells and Coin (NW-DHM3XQVQK)
--Part 2: A Blind Eye (NW-DI3QTHZGJ)
--Part 3: Dodo's Dinner (NW-DHPA8O253)
-One Shots
--The Wizard of Eldeur (NW-DRKQNE4S7)
From your "initial" post:
(1) "People, as many of you are aware of, were duping Astral Diamonds effectively destroying any semblance of value that currency held in-game."
I wouldn't admit that it was destroying the game, even if that was fact. It overstates the issue even if the issue is as critical as this. In fact, given that this blew up in the middle of the night, it would be immediately responded to with:
"So you admit that this is a game ending issue? Why did it take you this long to find it? Why did this issue ever occur? You are admitting that your software has issues that make it non-viable. I demand a refund."
(2) "For now, we're going to have a meeting to figure out the best course of action to take in order to correct the damage, ensure this doesn't happen again..."
I would never EVER promise that it never is going to happen again. Never ever ever. Of course they don't to have it happen again, but if anything even close happens it means they are opening themselves up because they "ensured" that the issue was completely resolved.
(3) "and to punish those who were blatantly perpetrating the problem to begin with."
It's too early to talk about punishments, and just saying "punish" doesn't give any details, so you are immediately going to get chewed out and have people talking about if "adequate" punishment is going to happen. Besides, punishments aren't discussed as per TOS.
(4) "Shortly after the meeting is over, I'll come back on here to let you guys know what the plan is and an ETA for server restoration.
You're promising an ETA for giving an ETA. On top of which, the teams responsible may not have ETAs yet.
(5) "I should have word for you within the hour."
Even if you promise hourly updates and then give "nothing new, will let you know soon", you're going to get tons of criticism.
Do you know something that no one else does? Because, unless you are an insider with some unique insight, this is the sort of thing non-lawyers say when confronted with a situation that is easily explained by CYA on the management end (amongst themselves, rather than against lawsuits) and inexperienced PR. Gaming companies consistently have a combination of both.
There are no lawyers sitting there parsing the Twitter feed at 11:00 PM on a Sunday night. There is no legal barrier to informing your customer base as to what is currently going on, being clear about what little you know about timelines, and not being obnoxiously condescending.
I sympathize with the NW team, but their information campaign today has been relentlessly and uselessly amateur. I agree 100% with OP.
You know, I'm swayed. Here is the post I think they should have made:
My replies are in yellow.
Edit:
Apparently Cryptic/PWE followed my advice albeit 12+ hours too late. I'm not one to say, "I told you so" so I'll just let you read it for yourself.
http://nw-forum.perfectworld.com/showthread.php?266901-5-19-13-Server-Status-Update-and-Important-Announcements
I trust this exchange is concluded?
God knows it would make for better reading. It would help this mythical lawsuit that everyone keeps dreaming up about as much too.
The amount of people claiming chargebacks on the forums seems to counter that people think the game is "destroyed".
"I refer you to Enron, Sprint, the L.A.P.D., EA, Sony even our former President of the United States, Bill Clinton."
From my experience on the internet, people take games much more seriously than Enron, Sprint, LAPD, Presidency, etc. Hence EA getting rated as a worse company than Bank of America.
"An ETA is exactly that... an ETA. The operable word for that acronym is "estimated". I trust I don't have to cite the definition in order for you to find the logic which follows for avoiding liability?"
People ignore that the E in ETA is estimate. Hence is why people are furious that the server isn't back up yet, etc.
"The vast majority (which isn't an exaggeration) of posters who have replied to this thread disagree with that assessment. Just sayin'."
I thought the vast majority of people were agreeing that they should have laid all information out on the table. I tend to give more information than is needed personally but I am saying that I can appreciate why they aren't doing so. Although they have now, apparently.
I think Cryptic managed well this topic. Explanations should follow AFTER the issue is resolved, not through. Simply because you can't assure an outcome X or Y and every little change you make to the process will deeply affect players. And they deserve some space to deal with the issue.
Here's the FAQ they put. http://nw-forum.perfectworld.com/showthread.php?266921-FAQ-AD-AH-Exploit-Follow-Up&p=3479161#post3479161
- Titania Silverblade, the Iron Rose of Myth Drannor (Lvl 60 GWF, Destroyer)
- Gwyneth, the Cowardly Cat Burglar Drowling (Lvl 60 TR, Saboteur)
- Lady Rowanne Firehair, Heartwarder of Sune (Lvl 33 DC)
- Satella, Sensate (LvL 44 CW, Renegade, Non-Active)
Check Steppenkat's Foundry Quest Reviews!
Case in point, some players are already posting angrily about them doing a 7 hour rollback after they stated they were going to attempt to not doing a rollback.
Although the communication with the PWE team isn't EA-bad, it still lacks what we all crave - solid information.
So while "Hey folks, we just discovered this problem and we're on it stat!" would make for nice PR, it would be wrong and folks like me (har!) would be here to point out the obvious spin.
Did you even read his sig?
where is the /facepalm emoticon!
Yeah I can admit that I have been on the other side of this situation before. :P
You *can* tell time, right?
Dear Devs,
My priorities are so out of whack that I can write a 1000+ word dissertation on a video game. However, if my boss or professor asked me to do the same thing I would flip a bit.
Thanks,
Crazy-*** gamer
And that is why we cannot ever buy companies cries for deregulation, the benefits they say will happen if they are dropped, don't happen and then they cut corners. The regulations are there to protect us, otherwise buildings collapse and kill people.
We real C++ coders call those minded coders "Nubs".
Anyone who has programmed for substantial time (23 years here) will proudly go OOPS when they mess up, because if you never written bugs in your life, you've never programmed in your life.