Can someone answer me this......

[Nexus]

Why was the Whispering Rose Deal or No Deal UO Style interrupted by a GM who suspended 2 of the staff for giving out the Station URL so players could listen in, when it's also linked too by Jeremy on almost every 5 on Friday. Seem to me the GM staff needs to be trained....By Linking to the site on 5 on Friday, including the one this week that mentions that very topic, EA/Mythic has to some extent Endorsed and Promoted Whispering Rose Radio. I think it's time for Mythic/ EA / EAMythic to figure out what's going on and lay it out plain and simple.

 

[Experimental]

So an ingame game, that appears to be endorsed by UO by Jeremy's linking to it, is being disrupted by GM's by arresting jaywalkers instead of embezzlers.............yea, that makes sense ..........*eyeroll*.
Now I think I'll run around Luna and page on the books laying around advertising the URL for a certain large ATL guild that a few dev's belong to....

 

[Nexus]

So an ingame game, that appears to be endorsed by UO by Jeremy's linking to it, is being disrupted by GM's by arresting jaywalkers instead of embezzlers.............yea, that makes sense ..........*eyeroll*.
Now I think I'll run around Luna and page on the books laying around advertising the URL for a certain large ATL guild that a few dev's belong to....

Yea well these folks at WRR spend thousands of dollars out of their pockets to go broadcast Town Halls and other events to promote Ultima Online....They don't get paid for this...

 

[It Lives]

They don't get paid for this...

" The Truth is out there".

 

[OxAO]

Because they have a zero thought rule.. Until they say other wise there can be no URL's that has advertising of any kind that means ICQ, teamspeak or anything else.

That means if you want to talk to someone again in the game at another date...
You will just have to run into him again because you can't give each other a way to communicate.

It is that simple.

 

[Experimental]

Yea well these folks at WRR spend thousands of dollars out of their pockets to go broadcast Town Halls and other events to promote Ultima Online....They don't get paid for this...

My point exactly. WTF would a far too encompassing rule that works against the game even be on the books? The rule needs to be changed, or at least hold EVERYONE who breaks it accountable, dev's included.
I vote for changing the rule to allow UO promoting sites and punish those who mention URL's to cheating sites.

 

[Doomsday Dragon]

If you ask me this whole URL thing has gotten way out of hand and not because of players but because of how it is handled.

Where in the F*** was a GM when players sat at brit bank spamming the URL of a site specifically designed to hack your account and steal everything you had? They didn't give a S**t then so why are they all of a sudden turning URLs into a big deal and making such a fiasco of things for no apparent reason.

This is they type of behavior from EA that has given them a poor rep in the past and it still continues.

Beautiful display of management there guys...

 

[Maximus Neximus]

Because their website has banners for websites that sells things for cash. Not saying I agree with the policy but I'm sure that's why.

 

[Lord Gareth]

LMAO! Way to go in and destroy a community event. The GM just had to come to a deal or no deal. Which means some jerkoff paged a gm that was at the event....

Woho way to go UO as I paged on Script Miners all day and house placement scripters you go and jail two people who promot Ultima Online FAR MORE THAN EA/MYTHIC HAS DONE IN FIVE YEARS!

Give me a fricken break ill say it once and ill say it again "1942"

To sum it all up the "Weekend Clown" Running UO has made a big dumb move.


The The Syndicate needs to be banned with all of the books they leave with URL websites as well.

*Pages gm on The Syndicate*

 

[Experimental]

I think I'll bring this issue up at the Seattle Town Hall meeting next Saturday

 

[Dermott of LS]

...

The URL thing is just getting too stupid now.

 

[Zooithion]

Simply.... that's stupid.

The only other things I can say are wow and pathetic.

 

[Blesh]

...

The URL thing is just getting too stupid now.

And it all started when the stratics mods got all nazi about links to websites, and rl cash sales.

go figure.

 

[Experimental]

And it all started when the stratics mods got all nazi about links to websites, and rl cash sales.

go figure.

Yup. EA's shooting their own feet again.

 

[Desolation87]

GMs -

 

[RenaLynne]

They need to make up their minds. Either the WRR website is allowed or not. Theyve been promoting it on FoF. I dont get it...

 

[Halister Marner]

First, let me say that Whispering Rose is an excellent addition to UO and the game, and an active radio station with dedicated employees who go out of their way to provide UO information, give interviews, and generally promote and assist the community is a fantastic thing and they should definitely be commended for it.

The problem here is on both ends, EA is being ban happy with the URL rule, and I think it's going a bit overboard. The other end is Whispering Rose's choice of sponsors, including 3 known dupers being advertised (not just fences, actual dupers), and unfortunately that may have been a factor into why the GM's decided to take action on that URL being relayed.

To solve the first issue, I think EA needs to go over its internal policies for banning URL's.

The second, I would venture to say that the UO community at large would pay for legitimate advertising spots on the WRR webpage. I would contribute as much as needed to replace several of those brokers ads with ads for UOguide, community forums like Thelostlands and UOforums, and roleplay community sites like UOcommunity, ARPC, Paxlair, Great Lakes high council etc....

The problem is on two fronts, EA's policy, and the websites themselves. That being said, I don't think a ban was necessary considering Whispering Roses importance to the community, however I can't say I completely agree or disagree with either side.

 

[jelinidas]

please tell me this is a joke.

 

[Nexus]

please tell me this is a joke.

No It's not a Joke.....It was mentioned that if a reasonable agreement can't be bad WRR might cut ties with any EA project...

 

[Dermott of LS]

...

When you interfere with the Free Market too much, you end up with rules that get convoluted and misused such as this.

I'm not saying that dupers and hackers should get a free pass, but that it is imperative on two specific parties to vet URLs:

1. It is imperative on the END USER (i.e. me and you) to investigate the legitimacy of a given URL before we decide on if it is safe or not.

2. It is imperative on the GMS and UO Support Staff to identify exploiters and dupers and REMOVE THEM FROM THE GAME.

Simply disallowing URLs is NOT going to stop these people, and it's folly to believe that it will slow them down anymore than disallowing RMT transactions in the first place.

Jeremy was right in her answer on real money sales in the Town Hall anout it doubling the work of the support staff and now we get this insanity over URLs being communicated ingame to the point that a player used their own personal vendetta and this stupid rule to get someone suspended for putting the URL of an information site in their character profile.

It's just STUPID what is occurring here.

 

[Lord Gareth]

 

[Andrasta]

please tell me this is a joke.

No It's not a Joke.....It was mentioned that if a reasonable agreement can't be bad WRR might cut ties with any EA project...

A silly question perhaps but why wouldn't WRR cut ties with the dupers & fencers that they are advertising for instead?

 

[RenaLynne]

If they were doing something illegal why are they promoted every week on FoF? Which by the way, I never thought was right in the first place...

 

[It Lives]

Yea well these folks at WRR spend thousands of dollars out of their pockets to go broadcast Town Halls and other events to promote Ultima Online....They don't get paid for this...

I would sure be upset if ea were playing favorites on a group who CHoses to do these things all on their own.

paid? I dont think for a single second that they are doing this for" the community". Someone is making money behind the curtains.Legit (?) look who they have supporting their site. IMO, bigger they are the harder they fall.

 

[Lord Gareth]

I would sure be upset if ea were playing favorites on a group who CHoses to do these things all on their own.

paid? I dont think for a single second that they are doing this for" the community". Someone is making money behind the curtains.Legit (?) look who they have supporting their site. IMO, bigger they are the harder they fall.

No offense but umm wrong. I visit them almost daily and the amount of RL I KNOW sandman and other put into WRR no they arnt making money. You think they make enough $$ to fly the staff out to TownHalls? LoL I dont think so.

And why would you be upset? They are the ones who BRING YOU the town halls so you know what the heck is going on.....

Shesh they dont make $$ trust me on that.

 

[Vyrquenox]

Because they have a zero thought rule.. Until they say other wise there can be no URL's that has advertising of any kind that means ICQ, teamspeak or anything else.

That means if you want to talk to someone again in the game at another date...
You will just have to run into him again because you can't give each other a way to communicate.

It is that simple.

I have to go with this person, if for example the gms were told accidentally to suspend people for 'posting a url' without any other specifications, being the literal minded drones they are, they would start suspending themselves for referring you to ea.com and such. I am fairly sure the rule was put down and somebody didn't think, so while on uo.com the community coordinator tells you to go to this site, you go in game and say our EA rep said yada.com is where to go on the official UO webpage, and the gm will suspend you, while this was never intended. funny though.

 

[Nexus]

A silly question perhaps but why wouldn't WRR cut ties with the dupers & fencers that they are advertising for instead?

Why would EA post a link to their site every single week if they were in violation of a rule?

 

[Nexus]

I have to go with this person, if for example the gms were told accidentally to suspend people for 'posting a url' without any other specifications, being the literal minded drones they are, they would start suspending themselves for referring you to ea.com and such. I am fairly sure the rule was put down and somebody didn't think, so while on uo.com the community coordinator tells you to go to this site, you go in game and say our EA rep said yada.com is where to go on the official UO webpage, and the gm will suspend you, while this was never intended. funny though.

Yea but the EA Rep is posting on FoF to go to their site for info and to listen in on the events, then GM's are banning for players informing others of that very information.

 

[Vyrquenox]

First, let me say that Whispering Rose is an excellent addition to UO and the game, and an active radio station with dedicated employees who go out of their way to provide UO information, give interviews, and generally promote and assist the community is a fantastic thing and they should definitely be commended for it.

The problem here is on both ends, EA is being ban happy with the URL rule, and I think it's going a bit overboard. The other end is Whispering Rose's choice of sponsors, including 3 known dupers being advertised (not just fences, actual dupers), and unfortunately that may have been a factor into why the GM's decided to take action on that URL being relayed.

To solve the first issue, I think EA needs to go over its internal policies for banning URL's.

The second, I would venture to say that the UO community at large would pay for legitimate advertising spots on the WRR webpage. I would contribute as much as needed to replace several of those brokers ads with ads for UOguide, community forums like Thelostlands and UOforums, and roleplay community sites like UOcommunity, ARPC, Paxlair, Great Lakes high council etc....

The problem is on two fronts, EA's policy, and the websites themselves. That being said, I don't think a ban was necessary considering Whispering Roses importance to the community, however I can't say I completely agree or disagree with either side.

-can't use uoguide.

 

[It Lives]

I see alot of ea do this do that..... Its really not their job to police these sites. Bring it to the game and your at risk (YOUR FAULT).

(been told before about urls) people saw a week ago 72 hour bans were being handed out on url's in game...... thats Your bad and no one elses

 

[Andrasta]

Why would EA post a link to their site every single week if they were in violation of a rule?

I can't speak for Jeremy regarding those urls. I suspect she's not checking out her content. Seriously I believe there's a strong movement to take some responsibility and stop feeding the garbage that is destroying this game. It looks like the change in Stratics policy and GM policy is the start of that. So instead of getting angry with EA, WRR should cut out the problem on their site and continue to do the great job they have been doing. Very simple.

Soon you will see more people taking action in that direction. We grow tired of this stuff over and over. You can imagine how the Devs might feel. We finally have a great new questmaster on the Dev team and instead of enjoying the praise she deserves for the last quest, we have to stop and deal with all the garbage that thinks this game owes them all mortgage payments and new cars. Enough is enough.

The Times They Are A-Changin'
Come gather 'round people
Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You'll be drenched to the bone.
If your time to you
Is worth savin'
Then you better start swimmin'
Or you'll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin'.

Bob Dylan

 

[Lord Gareth]

Shesh I really dont get why people think they make money off WRR..... Im sure if they had a WRR expenses and profit report for ya and I bet expenses are 5x more than profit. So why dont you all lay off the "They make $$" because they dont shesh..... Get a new plan of attack lol.

 

[Dermott of LS]

...

Shows how backasswards we've gone as a society that simply making a profit is seen as a venue to attack a person or organization be it in UO or elsewhere.

 

[DJBearfoot]

This is DJBearfoot my though on this should happen the way it did the GM didnt react in the way he should have he didnt hear no opions and took this a Breaking the rules the bottom line is that GM did it all wrong in my opion he didnt have the right to do that during a game show that promoted the community. and Ea its self and i am very furious with this i will see this took care of in one way of another. thank you Assist General Manager of Wrr hey look no URL dang!!!

 

[SAVATAGE]

People need to wait a month for the Approved list of URLS....

 

[sablestorm]

So let's break this down. A guild that is known for being an ardent supporter of UO and more importantly the UO community is putting on a community event like so many events they have done before. During this event, they mention their website (as they've done before and have done at Town Halls while broadcasting the Dev Team speeches). A griefer decides to throw a monkey wrench into the works and reports them. In the end, the guild who promotes the game and the community suffers the ban while the griefer wins. Is this really what you guys want?

It seems really odd to me that you'll let them broadcast your town halls to reach your customer base, but then you'll slap them on the wrist for doing the exact same thing in-game. I hope this is overturned.

 

[^Wolfie^]

Ya I'll get flamed for this, but damn! That run on sentence/paragraph (not even punctuation) made by DJ made zero sense to me. How does someone like that run a radio station? =/

 

[Lord Gareth]

Thats called trolling Sweety.

 

[Lord Gareth]

If I was them id give them a jester and not broadcast anymore town halls for them. Forget em. If they are going to be treated like that EA can fork out the $$ to broadcast their own townhalls or they can not broadcast them and they can talk to twenty people.

Whatever.....

So let's break this down. A guild that is known for being an ardent supporter of UO and more importantly the UO community is putting on a community event like so many events they have done before. During this event, they mention their website (as they've done before and have done at Town Halls while broadcasting the Dev Team speeches). A griefer decides to throw a monkey wrench into the works and reports them. In the end, the guild who promotes the game and the community suffers the ban while the griefer wins. Is this really what you guys want?

It seems really odd to me that you'll let them broadcast your town halls to reach your customer base, but then you'll slap them on the wrist for doing the exact same thing in-game. I hope this is overturned.

 

[Pojman5]

Pojman of WRR Pacific shard here. All I can say is this while ordeal is absolutly redicilous. You gotta be kidding me..... I wish I had more to say, but I am just speachless.

 

[Anne]

I was at Deal or no deal tonight and saw what happened. The biggest impact was that it made lots of people furious at the GM and EA. Great customer relations!

Also one of my guildies got a 24 hour suspension tonight for saying a url that isn't even real. Not the best thing to do I admit ... but it doesn't even link to anything. The gm wouldn't listen to him when he tried to explain that it wasn't real.

 

[Sunrise]

Ok...Whos fault is it this time? Gms? Devs? Ea games? Customer service?

geeze...I been to deal or no deal plenty of times on differnet shards over the years. Its fun. Its exicting. Its a full house alot of time even if its laggy.

UO...time is up. People are mad..they want answer. This is getting way out of hand to the point that everyone agrees on what ya doing is wrong. When was the last time if ever this has happened????

 

[Lord Gareth]

I dont understand this. We can put websites in our Guild functions..... Isnt that in game? LMAO

 

[Cogniac]

Based on the sheer number of times that WRRAD was mentioned in the UOGuide link suspension thread, I knew that this was going to happen.

 

[It Lives]

Pojman of WRR Pacific shard here. All I can say is this while ordeal is absolutly redicilous. You gotta be kidding me..... I wish I had more to say, but I am just speachless.

Two posts from WRR, with no inkling that responsibilty includes you too. Despite the presence you have in game and out you probably should at least try to reflect something? " speachless".

 

[Pojman5]

Two posts from WRR, with no inkling that responsibilty includes you too. Despite the presence you have in game and out you probably should at least try to reflect something? " speachless".

What would you like me to say?

 

[It Lives]

What would you like me to say?

That mabey the knowlage of banning for urls has been in place for some time now(long before last week certainly).
That the resposiblity lies with the gamer and mabey, your fans might respect you for how you handle yourselfs as responsible gamers concerned for " the community.. ??? just saying...

 

[Teufel_Hund]

Remember EA does not ban innocent people. You will see a notice in the Herald by Wednesday telling you that everything is OK and the two peole banned were really reallly bad people trust us on that and they spent minutes and minutes investigating this matter. Move on now there is nothing to see here. This game does not even have a handbasket to go into so Hell is theo only choice

 

[RoycroftLS]

What would you like me to say?

I think what he is trying to say that you can argue the merit of having such a *insert adjective here* rule until you are blue in the face, but the devs have become uniformly strict about enforcing the rule, with no exceptions.

The stratics boards have had an active discussion about it ever since JCtheBuilder's ordeal, with WRR being mentioned more than once. And it was even mentioned in this week's FoF.

So yes, while it was quite the rude and juvenile gesture for someone to interrupt the event like they did, it was still the two staff members who (technically) broke the rules of conduct. Perhaps they should have seen the writing on the wall that something like this was bound to happen, and taken the steps to avoid it.

I'm not sitting here trying to gloat at someone else's misfortune, but rather point out the fact that there are people out there who do just that... and that as the purveyors of a highly visible multi-shard event, the WRR staff should be prepared to deal with such griefers looking to page for any infraction, no matter how minor or silly.

 

[Maplestone]

The problem is on two fronts, EA's policy, and the websites themselves. That being said, I don't think a ban was necessary considering Whispering Roses importance to the community, however I can't say I completely agree or disagree with either side.

There appears to be a serious effort to clean up the game underway. That actually fills me up with hope. We all need to make sure we're part of the solution, not part of the problem.

It's easy for me to be self-righteous and absolutist - aside from the boards I'm not an active member of the community, I've not had to deal with guilt-by-association, I've not had to deal with changes in policy, I've not had to vet the contributions to a website I've run or items I've bought.

Policies are changing - if not in theory then definitely in implementation. It's obvious that not everyone fully understands what is happening. At the same time there are far too many people grinding an axe. It's easy for me to see my own straight and narrow road ... it's more difficult to determine where my sympathies belong in issues such as these.

Still, I can't help but wonder if ... *silence*