Developer Feedback : update?

[AesSedai]

Yeah, yeah,
-insert jokes here-
(I can already name several that will surely take this opportunity to make another cheap jab at UO...)

But seriously:

I can see a few UO developers that no longer work for UO that are still listed on uo.stratics.com.

My question is: How many of the 16 listed that actually posted a few times here, are still with UO?

& also, is Cal still here?

I would greatly like to see the statement he made 3 months ago be followed up on (either by actions or more hopeful words) before more months pass and it becomes 6 or even a year without any type of update, or action.
Heck, I would like to hear some reassurance from anyone working on UO these days.
I feel like the lack of communication may increasingly invite a lack of confidence from the playerbase.
I know the last time I looked at ea jobs there was just one job listing for VA & that is still the case as of this post.

I think I've noticed activity from about 8 of the 16 listed in 2010... not positive.

So who is out there? Who isn't?
*I sing a Pink Floyd song here*

What's happenin' UO?
Is daddea being mean and neglectful again? Why I oughta...

 

[canary]

Yeah, yeah,
-insert jokes here-
(I can already name several that will surely take this opportunity to make another cheap jab at UO...)

The problem is they make it so easy to do.

 

[Ahuaeyjnkxs]

Do Dli doo !

 

[AesSedai]

- I'm really beginning to think the Devs. might be under some mandatory gag order during the continued EA turmoil. The reason I'm thinking such is because of the lack of casual communication lately combined with the delayed responses to the questions I've noticed them reply to.

I haven't been logged into the forums much at all in the past few weeks but I have noticed at least two different developer names when I have been... so I know they are at least somewhat aware of the playerbase's feelings atm; so that's my silver lining, for now

Now if only I had a way to personally persuade the EA upper management to give UO a true fighting chance rather than pour more money (including money UO generated) into the lackluster one-per-year products that they've been producing, under the assumption that they can make more money off of hype rather than bona fide quality gaming; gamers are getting too savvy for that, imo, about two decades later (so go hire jessica simpson or amy winehouse to promote UO already, you'll make gillions :sarcasm: /deserved jab at EA, imo, & not UO).

 

[Taylor]

Based on posts made following the layoffs, I think we can safely assume that the following folks (at least) are still with us: Mark, Billy Teng, Phoenix, Mesanna, Grimm Omen, Sakkara.

 

[AesSedai]

- Aye, those are the ones I was thinking of as well, with the addition of James and Wilki posting in 2010.

I add Wilki because he posted in December and I dearly hope he, Vex, Sakkarah & Mesanna will be with us much longer.

I do hope they are all staying strong during these times.
& I do hope our community is managed a bit better during these times too.

& I continue to hope UO will be allowed to achieve its potential despite the reckless downsizing that has obviously afflicted it these days (downsizing is understandable, but the reckless part is not so much). I just feel I'm not the only one growing weary of smoky mirrors, heh; and it bothers me to see great UO talent let go. I know it is corporate capitalism and all - but I wish theay could finally understand the value of making quality over quick & quickly fading ~short-term capital. Makes me think of the tortoise and the hare - makes me think theay continue choosing poorly. UO still outperforms many MMO's despite the upper mismanagement (beyond the UO Devs) imo - just imagine how great it could be if the 8 figures shot-callers truly understood its value...

So, who's left? Who all is really still out there?
Personally I'm tired of seeing names in Developer Feedback that I know no longer exist; I bet I'm not the only one that gets sad seeing such reminders & I bet I'm not the only one that thinks of smoke and mirrors when I do use it to try to catch up on what our Dev. team has been sharing with our community... I don't blame the UO nor Stratics teams but I would appreciate it if EA were upfront with us a bit more.

 

[Tina Small]

You forgot Supreem. He last posted on 1/26, I think.

 

[AesSedai]

- You're so right; and that's another Dev. that I know has really tried hard to provide the community with feedback.

 

[Taylor]

You forgot Supreem. He last posted on 1/26, I think.

Woops. Thanks for the catch, Tina.

 

[Taylor]

. . .I just feel I'm not the only one growing weary of smoky mirrors, heh . . .

QFT.

 

[athos_uo]

& also, is Cal still here?

I would greatly like to see the statement he made 3 months ago be followed up on (either by actions or more hopeful words) before more months pass and it becomes 6 or even a year without any type of update, or action.
Heck, I would like to hear some reassurance from anyone working on UO these days.
I feel like the lack of communication may increasingly invite a lack of confidence from the playerbase.
I know the last time I looked at ea jobs there was just one job listing for VA & that is still the case as of this post.

I think I've noticed activity from about 8 of the 16 listed in 2010... not positive.

So who is out there? Who isn't?
*I sing a Pink Floyd song here*

What's happenin' UO?
Is daddea being mean and neglectful again? Why I oughta...

Cal himself haven't posted for a while, but Mesanna mentioned that he was waiting on the other end of the phone at the last UOHoC. It was held at the end of last December.

 

[Petra Fyde]

Patience, grasshopper. I have it on good authority that we will hear something fairly soon.

 

[AesSedai]

- I believe you

(I just took out the trash & it just started snowing here, in Texas I love the snow, I love UO, and I consider PF to be good -and- a Stratics' authority I will sleep well and hope for some good UO info. & some snowy accumulations too, fairly soon. I hope I was being the hare in this situation; luv, the tortoise)

 

[Taylor]

Patience, grasshopper. I have it on good authority that we will hear something fairly soon.

I think these two smilies apply:

and :bowdown:

 

[Tazar]

We are coordinating the schedule for the next UO-HoC chat now so they are willing and able to talk. Remember they've been in a blizzard the last few weeks that has caused major closings and power outages!

 

[Megilhir]

Developers (DEV) are humans. Go figure. Think about your average day at your jobs. Do you work a straight 8? Or do you get up to have a coffee? Maybe chat with a workmate? And then return to your immediate area/job site and hook back in?

I imagine a DEV has morning meetings to discuss issues. These issues are assigned a priority of work. Then said DEV goes back to his/her assigned computer with the assigned task and begins to work through the pages of code to figure out WHY the Widget of Godliness doesn't glow purple when it procs. (Procs is an old computer term short for processing...most people don't know that.)

Upon finding the reason the DEV goes ahead and adds a line of code and logs onto a local server to test the code. Then he/she sees that all the llamas are now purple. Like the Energy Vortexs occassionally are.

Cursing quietly the DEV gets up to grab a coffee and use the restroom. From there he/she is social for a few moments with a collegue and sits back down to find a way to uncolor the llamas. The DEV finds the way, enters some code and retests on the local server. Well the llamas are no long purple but now nothing else is.

Taking a deep slug of coffee the DEV starts to read the lines of code to find the correct line that recolors things purle. Then a meeting is called. He/she gets up and heads to a meeting that has little or no immediate relation to fixing his code problem or assigned tasks.

The meeting finishes and it is lunch time. After eating some grapes and plums (purple - get it? ) he/she plops back down and tries to recall where in the code he/she was. Then a coworker asks for help on an error the DEV had recently dealt with. No worries, he/she helps their fellow DEV.

Returning to the code problem the phone rings with a few more directives and issues that need to be resolved. He/she takes a few notes (hoping to be able to decipher them later) and plunges back into the code.

Finding the repurple switch our hapless developer resets it. He/she then sets about writing a work-around script to recolor JUST the Widget of Godliness. He/she then goes in and sets the if/then parameters which enable it to glow purple only when it procs. Having done that he/she retests on the local server and sends the report up to the lead DEV. The lead DEV sends an e-mail saying "Good job, but it needs to pulse not glow when the Widget of Godliness procs."

So the DEV sends an e-mail to the graphics department describing the task and waits for a response.

Graphics replies (and the GRAPH guy/girl is going through a similar process by the way) that no one is available to work on that right now but can start on it in three business days.

In frustration the DEV leans back and notices the clock shows he/she has been working on this single issue for almost 9 hours of their paid 8 hour day. So he/she sends an e-mail to the lead DEV with the results of the day and heads for the doors.

Fun job huh?

By the way, a Widget of Godliness still does not proc pleasingly purples pulses.

 

[Lorax_Pacific]

Developers (DEV) are humans. Go figure. Think about your average day at your jobs. Do you work a straight 8? Or do you get up to have a coffee? Maybe chat with a workmate? And then return to your immediate area/job site and hook back in?

I imagine a DEV has morning meetings to discuss issues. These issues are assigned a priority of work. Then said DEV goes back to his/her assigned computer with the assigned task and begins to work through the pages of code to figure out WHY the Widget of Godliness doesn't glow purple when it procs. (Procs is an old computer term short for processing...most people don't know that.)

Upon finding the reason the DEV goes ahead and adds a line of code and logs onto a local server to test the code. Then he/she sees that all the llamas are now purple. Like the Energy Vortexs occassionally are.

Cursing quietly the DEV gets up to grab a coffee and use the restroom. From there he/she is social for a few moments with a collegue and sits back down to find a way to uncolor the llamas. The DEV finds the way, enters some code and retests on the local server. Well the llamas are no long purple but now nothing else is.

Taking a deep slug of coffee the DEV starts to read the lines of code to find the correct line that recolors things purle. Then a meeting is called. He/she gets up and heads to a meeting that has little or no immediate relation to fixing his code problem or assigned tasks.

The meeting finishes and it is lunch time. After eating some grapes and plums (purple - get it? ) he/she plops back down and tries to recall where in the code he/she was. Then a coworker asks for help on an error the DEV had recently dealt with. No worries, he/she helps their fellow DEV.

Returning to the code problem the phone rings with a few more directives and issues that need to be resolved. He/she takes a few notes (hoping to be able to decipher them later) and plunges back into the code.

Finding the repurple switch our hapless developer resets it. He/she then sets about writing a work-around script to recolor JUST the Widget of Godliness. He/she then goes in and sets the if/then parameters which enable it to glow purple only when it procs. Having done that he/she retests on the local server and sends the report up to the lead DEV. The lead DEV sends an e-mail saying "Good job, but it needs to pulse not glow when the Widget of Godliness procs."

So the DEV sends an e-mail to the graphics department describing the task and waits for a response.

Graphics replies (and the GRAPH guy/girl is going through a similar process by the way) that no one is available to work on that right now but can start on it in three business days.

In frustration the DEV leans back and notices the clock shows he/she has been working on this single issue for almost 9 hours of their paid 8 hour day. So he/she sends an e-mail to the lead DEV with the results of the day and heads for the doors.

Fun job huh?

By the way, a Widget of Godliness still does not proc pleasingly purples pulses.

I am fine with this description except for the end where the DEV checks the internet traffic report and decides everything in red would make a miserable commute. The DEV goes to the break room and finds someone has drank all the coffee so starts another pot. Grabs a coffee and looks out the window for a bit at the clouds and darkness.

Goes back to their cube and shoots a nerf bullet across the room at DEV 2 and starts looking at the next line of code/bug.

-Lorax

 

[Damien Softstep]

http://kotaku.com/5402586/mythic-committed-to-its-games-amid-ea-layoffs

 

[Ahuaeyjnkxs]

wow what a rant...

I have programmed code for UO back in 1999...

sorry to dissapoint you all, but I can do the whole job, on my own, part time.

UO's code is not that hard... the geniuses were Nystul and Gariott (whoever Nystul was, noone was even able to answer me)

The add on scripts are so easy to do anyone who can do HTML or Visual Basic can handle it... and it does not bug.

I'm sorry but it does not bug. All the bugs are due to a flaw in client-server communication that I uncovered back in 1998. It's glitching, not bugging.

Can't have both subducting and expansion... I can't even beleive I'm actually having to state this simple truth.

 

[Megilhir]

My story was fiction and an imaginary one as I am not a programer/developer etc...

It was basically meant as, "Walk a mile in the other man's shoes."

Of course if you still disagree well...you are a mile away, and you have his shoes.

 

[AesSedai]

Developers (DEV) are humans. Go figure...

- Aye, I certainly agree with that. Good story to help put things in perspective.

(They might be in a miserable blizzard up there too, which can make things pretty rough... but right now I am loving the half a foot of snow that we rarely get in these parts )

 

[canary]

- Aye, I certainly agree with that. Good story to help put things in perspective.

Actually I think many players cut the team TOO MUCH slack.

I recall players trying to state the team was not up to par on stuff when they moved upwards of 8-9 months after it happened.