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Oceanians Unite - respond if you love Oceania
- Thread starter Nahalli
- Start date
- Watchers 7
It's a truly sad state of affairs. 
I don't play Oceania, but I did have a very enjoyable time with the Oceania players as the Stratics Santa Claus.
I'm pretty sure that the decision to move the server did not come from the Mythic team. I just hope they can find a solution.
I don't play Oceania, but I did have a very enjoyable time with the Oceania players as the Stratics Santa Claus.I'm pretty sure that the decision to move the server did not come from the Mythic team. I just hope they can find a solution.
S
siyeng0
Guest
EA, this is insane. You already have dozens of servers in the States. Oceania is a hub not just for Australians and New Zealanders, but also for much of the English-speaking Asia-Pacific; and unlike most American players, the majority of Australian players cannot afford or are geographically unable to hook up the high-end connection that you need to play properly across the Atlantic. Across the Atlantic being, may I remind you, every single server but Oceania.
Yes, it is small, but there are American shards that are smaller. Sonoma is tiny, the server is located only a few miles from the much larger Napa, and I see no talk about relocating or merging either of those (I am not suggesting that. Don't you dare get ideas.) What is your reasoning behind this? What reason could you possibly have to do this? If you are going to relocate the shard and make it unplayable for most of us, I want to hear why.
And do not give us that nonsense about it being classified information. Your uncommunicative nature is doing you no favours, EA. At this point, the only way to keep from digging yourself deeper is to actually man up and give us a straight answer for once, even if that answer is "We can get the server staffed for less than minimum wage if we relocate it to America."
You are on the verge of losing a lot of very loyal customers. Explain yourselves.
Yes, it is small, but there are American shards that are smaller. Sonoma is tiny, the server is located only a few miles from the much larger Napa, and I see no talk about relocating or merging either of those (I am not suggesting that. Don't you dare get ideas.) What is your reasoning behind this? What reason could you possibly have to do this? If you are going to relocate the shard and make it unplayable for most of us, I want to hear why.
And do not give us that nonsense about it being classified information. Your uncommunicative nature is doing you no favours, EA. At this point, the only way to keep from digging yourself deeper is to actually man up and give us a straight answer for once, even if that answer is "We can get the server staffed for less than minimum wage if we relocate it to America."
You are on the verge of losing a lot of very loyal customers. Explain yourselves.
A
Amathist
Guest
The bottom line is the communication is pathetic, we are not told a damn thing and nothing is alluded to it just happens suddenly and we are expected to deal with it.
We had an issue only a few short weeks back with lag and only got a response and help after we jumped up and down and made enough noise and even then the response time was 2 weeks after it began.
Now our server is moved and the lag returns and again NOTHING was told to us until we jumped up and down and made noise.
This is NOT GOOD ENOUGH, we pay our money to receive a service and we are being treated like inferior customers.
In the end it will be UO that looses subscriptions and money, players will simply move onto some free to play game or some other company that actually provides service to their gamers as promised.
EA probably don't care either but as someone else said if they can do this to us what can they do to any other server at the drop of a hat.
When will this be fixed?
that is the only question, I don't give a fig what country the server is in so long as they make it so that I can play the way I pay to play.
We had an issue only a few short weeks back with lag and only got a response and help after we jumped up and down and made enough noise and even then the response time was 2 weeks after it began.
Now our server is moved and the lag returns and again NOTHING was told to us until we jumped up and down and made noise.
This is NOT GOOD ENOUGH, we pay our money to receive a service and we are being treated like inferior customers.
In the end it will be UO that looses subscriptions and money, players will simply move onto some free to play game or some other company that actually provides service to their gamers as promised.
EA probably don't care either but as someone else said if they can do this to us what can they do to any other server at the drop of a hat.
When will this be fixed?
that is the only question, I don't give a fig what country the server is in so long as they make it so that I can play the way I pay to play.
Considering we're still yet to have any response, seems like they are trying to come up with a clever way of saying "yes we took your server from you".
Cannot believe a decision like this could be approved.
Congratulations EA Mythic, you just Trammeled Oceania's Felucca...
Cannot believe a decision like this could be approved.
Congratulations EA Mythic, you just Trammeled Oceania's Felucca...
O
oceaniabowman
Guest
Yes, when you get down to it I'd like a straight answer too. Will this be fixed or is this as good as it gets?
Its been over a month since the game was playable for me, I just want a straight answer so I can say goodbye to my guild and all the great people Ive met over the years. Then I guess its time to click "remove active billing info" before the end of the month so Im not paying for another month of..... well, lets not say it.
So yeah, grow some stones and lets hear some honest answers....
Its been over a month since the game was playable for me, I just want a straight answer so I can say goodbye to my guild and all the great people Ive met over the years. Then I guess its time to click "remove active billing info" before the end of the month so Im not paying for another month of..... well, lets not say it.
So yeah, grow some stones and lets hear some honest answers....
S
Sioned
Guest
I'm here also to voice my concern over the the lag issues over the last few weeks. I don't really understand what is going behind the scenes with relocating our server overseas and the reasons behind it. All that is none of my concern. All i know is there must be a server located locally so that players in the region can enjoy and play the game as its supposed to be. At the moment people have stopped doing anything vaguely dangerous as it ends in certain death. PvP is ruined for most players. In general people are starting to get very upset by the way this is being handled.
I work in the building industry and in a month we would have built another 6 floors of an apartment building. How hard can it be to sort out a dam server. Just get it done already.
Otherwise i too will have to leave the game, even though i love it I will find something else to replace UO. I'm sure there are other great games out there I've just never had to look any further than UO. I've played since 2001 with a 3 year break in the middle. Perhaps there is another break coming soon.
I work in the building industry and in a month we would have built another 6 floors of an apartment building. How hard can it be to sort out a dam server. Just get it done already.
Otherwise i too will have to leave the game, even though i love it I will find something else to replace UO. I'm sure there are other great games out there I've just never had to look any further than UO. I've played since 2001 with a 3 year break in the middle. Perhaps there is another break coming soon.
Wow, that's awful. I am guessing it is some kind of business decision to consolidate all the shards into a couple of places physically to reduce costs. Gotta fund that new sucky star wars game afterall.
I am sorry that Oceania players are paying the price for it though. I wouldn't be surprised if Europa and Drachenfels got moved to the east coast or something next.
I am sorry that Oceania players are paying the price for it though. I wouldn't be surprised if Europa and Drachenfels got moved to the east coast or something next.
P
PoCove
Guest
It will really be a total bummer { Ian censored for foul language} to loose all the driends I have built up over the past 6 -7 years ...We need some answers please ..
I don't see what the problem is, looks like it's in Australia to me...
Code:
9 36 ms 37 ms 34 ms xe-10-2-0.edge2.Chicago2.Level3.net [4.59.28.109
]
10 35 ms 38 ms 38 ms vlan51.ebr1.Chicago2.Level3.net [4.69.138.158]
11 43 ms 37 ms 36 ms ae-6-6.ebr1.Chicago1.Level3.net [4.69.140.189]
12 47 ms 37 ms 38 ms ae-1-51.edge3.Chicago3.Level3.net [4.68.101.20]
13 37 ms 35 ms 35 ms sl-st20-chi-5-0.sprintlink.net [144.232.19.173]
14 39 ms 37 ms 41 ms sl-crs2-chi-0-11-5-0.sprintlink.net [144.232.8.2
18]
15 46 ms 47 ms 47 ms sl-crs2-oma-0-0-2-0.sprintlink.net [144.232.8.16
9]
16 85 ms 97 ms 86 ms sl-crs2-stk-0-8-2-0.sprintlink.net [144.232.25.7
5]
17 86 ms 98 ms 88 ms sl-crs2-sj-0-14-0-3.sprintlink.net [144.232.18.1
50]
18 237 ms 236 ms 236 ms sl-bb21-syd-14-2.sprintlink.net [144.232.8.129]
19 240 ms 235 ms 237 ms sl-gw10-syd-14-0-2.sprintlink.net [203.222.32.53
]
20 240 ms 237 ms 237 ms 203.222.35.102
21 235 ms 235 ms 238 ms fert01-eqx-syd.ea.com [159.153.188.3]
22 237 ms 235 ms 240 ms 159.153.189.8
You just pinged owo.oceania.com of whatever it is. Which is still directed at 159.153.189.8. They have yet to update their DNS settings.
I have ADSL2 and never pinged over 20ms to oceania. Now it never goes under 200ms. It is based in America.
Code:
Host Name IP Address Hop Ping Time Ping Avg % Loss Pkts r/s Ping best/worst
dslb-092-078-176-001.pools.arcor-ip.net 92.78.176.1 2 5ms
* Unknown Host * 145.254.5.217 3 5ms
* Unknown Host * 92.79.200.146 4 15ms
* Unknown Host * 212.162.17.69 5 16ms
ae-33-51.ebr1.Dusseldorf1.Level3.net 4.69.139.1 6 21ms
ae-45-45.ebr2.Frankfurt1.Level3.net 4.69.143.166 7 16ms
ae-62-62.csw1.Frankfurt1.Level3.net 4.69.140.18 8 26ms
ae-1-69.edge3.Frankfurt1.Level3.net 4.68.23.11 9 18ms
sprint-level3-ge.Frankfurt1.Level3.net 4.68.111.142 10 29ms
sl-crs1-fra-0-0-0-0.sprintlink.net 217.147.96.74 11 16ms
sl-crs1-par-0-0-5-0.sprintlink.net 213.206.129.65 12 27ms
sl-crs2-nyc-0-2-2-0.sprintlink.net 144.232.20.45 13 101ms
sl-crs2-nyc-0-5-2-0.sprintlink.net 144.232.9.149 14 123ms
sl-crs2-stk-0-2-3-0.sprintlink.net 144.232.24.51 15 177ms
sl-crs2-sj-0-14-0-3.sprintlink.net 144.232.18.150 16 178ms
sl-bb20-syd-14-0-3.sprintlink.net 144.232.8.129 17 326ms
sl-gw10-syd-14-0-2.sprintlink.net 203.222.32.53 18 332ms
* Unknown Host * 203.222.35.102 19 330ms
* Unknown Host * 159.153.188.11 20 329msBut what are you trying to ping>
@ ingsmsico, Kas Althume:
the IP address you are tracing down has been resolved out of "oceania.owo.com". Due to the DNS entry not being updated by Mythic/Bioware until now, this will lead you to the old IP of Oceania which was 159.153.189.8.
As posted by Supreem here, the new IP of Oceania is 65.216.123.38.
You can easely verify this by logging on to oceania, opening a command prompt and entering "netstat -n". The connection to Port 5001 on the remote side shows the actual IP you are connected to, which will be 65.216.123.25 - 65.216.123.28 (looks like all those "new" shards got 5 IPs: 1 "central" and 4 for gameplay). Even though these IP addresses are ping unresponsive, you can at least trace down the path to the last router where the shard is connected to.
For a complete trace including the last hop, you should trace to 65.216.123.38.
the IP address you are tracing down has been resolved out of "oceania.owo.com". Due to the DNS entry not being updated by Mythic/Bioware until now, this will lead you to the old IP of Oceania which was 159.153.189.8.
As posted by Supreem here, the new IP of Oceania is 65.216.123.38.
You can easely verify this by logging on to oceania, opening a command prompt and entering "netstat -n". The connection to Port 5001 on the remote side shows the actual IP you are connected to, which will be 65.216.123.25 - 65.216.123.28 (looks like all those "new" shards got 5 IPs: 1 "central" and 4 for gameplay). Even though these IP addresses are ping unresponsive, you can at least trace down the path to the last router where the shard is connected to.
For a complete trace including the last hop, you should trace to 65.216.123.38.
A
AesSedai
Guest
- In order to avoid distracting from the point of this thread:
So much more to say, but this is not the right thread.
I hope things can get worked out for ya'll.
If it may be of minimal consequence: I firmly believe that Cal is the messenger in this case; I just wish the message from UO to EA was weighed more heavily...
So much more to say, but this is not the right thread.
I hope things can get worked out for ya'll.
If it may be of minimal consequence: I firmly believe that Cal is the messenger in this case; I just wish the message from UO to EA was weighed more heavily...
Looks like the end of UO for australia
A
andruin
Guest
i think we bin shafted.if they dont fix this lag speedily ill be off.any ideas what game we could play next?
S
siyeng0
Guest
EA, give us some answers.
If you've taken the thing to the US to have it repaired or for some other perfectly sensible reason that we're not currently able to think of, then tell us.
If you've taken the thing to the US for monetary reasons and have no intention of giving it back, then... tell us. Most of us are still paying for it (I'm not but that's a different matter), and it is patently unfair to change the conditions of a product so that it is all but unuseable while still demanding the same fee. For God's sake, this is theft.
At least be clear with your customers so that they can make an informed decision whether or not to continue with you. The way you are going, many of them are going to leave anyway.
And do not give me that crap about Cal not knowing what's going on and being "just the messenger." Even if this wasn't his decision, he is still the Head Producer and should hypothetically be consulted on any matter that could result in UO losing a few hundred subscribers, like this one. And if that is not the case and he is in the dark as well, then there is something desperately wrong with this company.
If you've taken the thing to the US to have it repaired or for some other perfectly sensible reason that we're not currently able to think of, then tell us.
If you've taken the thing to the US for monetary reasons and have no intention of giving it back, then... tell us. Most of us are still paying for it (I'm not but that's a different matter), and it is patently unfair to change the conditions of a product so that it is all but unuseable while still demanding the same fee. For God's sake, this is theft.
At least be clear with your customers so that they can make an informed decision whether or not to continue with you. The way you are going, many of them are going to leave anyway.
And do not give me that crap about Cal not knowing what's going on and being "just the messenger." Even if this wasn't his decision, he is still the Head Producer and should hypothetically be consulted on any matter that could result in UO losing a few hundred subscribers, like this one. And if that is not the case and he is in the dark as well, then there is something desperately wrong with this company.
B
Bomordan
Guest
Sure hope they fix this soon! I'm in the US so lag is not a problem for me; I'm moving faster now than I ever did before (I have a high-speed connection and am not a pvp player, so that was sufficient for me before). I just miss being able to play with my Aussie friends! Come on, EA! Make things right for them, soon!
V
Voodoo990
Guest
Might be too late for our Aussie friends, 4 of my old guild mates from III closed their accounts and haven't logged in for weeks
A
Amathist
Guest
To me it feels like false advertising or something you would consider going to the department of fair trading over, they are paid for a service they are not supplying and they are avoiding answering anything or even seeming to compensate or help those they have wronged. Yet the whole time are happy to take further payment from those people without so much as a twinge of remorse.
V
Voodoo990
Guest
/signed
It is when the official site still states that the server is located in Australia:
Shard Selection | Mythic Entertainment | Ultima Online
D
Deneya
Guest
Muhahahaha.
False advertising?
Some of us are checking out Lord of the Rings online if anyone is interested. Got any other suggestions?
And a lack of due diligence:
-Server moved without prior warning or proper notification (not forum messages to a select few players.
-Then weeks after the move still no official word and no updating information (such as the official site or shard listing).
-Players ask for information and receive none.
That's quite enough to make a claim within Australia.
V
Voodoo990
Guest
I play Eve online, Si-Fi with a pretty steep learning curve but once you get into it, it can be fun. I had a friend who played and that helped a lot getting past the learning curve.
TGN Games beta
I say go for it, Since EA is a business, all they understand is money. perhaps actually having monetary repercussions for their actions might, just might give them cause to rethink their practices. Try small claims court. If all the Oceania players do that, you can get summary judgments.
It seams that this is a case of cost cutting by the uo penny pinchers dont they realise that its our money they are spending , If this is so then they should have moved the servers to new zealand where the U,S dollar is worth more this may have solved both problems ,
Personaly i have a lot of $ invested in my 4 accounts and time as well if i cant play a reasonable game from here in new zealand then there isnt much point i will have to conside sell up and finding another game to play , if everone feels the same it is only uo who is going to miss out.
This could also mean the demise of the 8 th biggest guild in the game and the biggest on this schard!!!!!
SO COME ON U,O FIX THE PROBLEMS AND DONT LEAVE US HANGING
Personaly i have a lot of $ invested in my 4 accounts and time as well if i cant play a reasonable game from here in new zealand then there isnt much point i will have to conside sell up and finding another game to play , if everone feels the same it is only uo who is going to miss out.
This could also mean the demise of the 8 th biggest guild in the game and the biggest on this schard!!!!!
SO COME ON U,O FIX THE PROBLEMS AND DONT LEAVE US HANGING
S
siyeng0
Guest
That would be hilarious. Electronic Arts vs. the people of Australia.
I have a very personal money-related case with them (and I'm not talking about twenty dollars here) that was never resolved. We could have a lawsuit extravaganza!
(note to EA: I'm mostly joking, I'm not going to sue you, although I'm not sure about the others)
A law suit? it wouldn't even go that far. It'd be resolved long before then and rightfully so. I'm not paying for this game if it no longer has an Oceania server but still advertises it.
S
siyeng0
Guest
*desperately wants to be charged in contempt of court for SOMETHING*
You are right, though. I know I wouldn't have started playing if there hadn't been a designated Australian server, being on dial-up at the time, and I'm sure there are plenty of players who've signed up more recently who feel the same way.
Some people (such as the geniuses at EA) don't seem to realise that in Australia, outside the big cities - and hell, even Newcastle, the second-biggest city in NSW*, is considered a black hole for internet - it is extremely costly to get decent internet hooked up, if you live somewhere where it's even available. Another reason why this whole thing is possibly the most ridiculous business decision since... AOS.
*guess where I live
Thanks for the headsup. At first i thought some of you get routed the wrong way, thats why i posted my trace. It happened more then once to me and europa, when i got routed from berlin via washington to london. The new IP routes to somewhere in virgina/us. Iam sorry that your shard got moved without any comments from the devs. I had trusted uotracetool, which has the old IPs listed.
C
canary
Guest
To Cal...
'hardware upgrades' usually do not mean 'we are making your server effectively a US server'.
very, very uncool. and exceptionally unprofessional that you would do something without prior notification. did you think players wouldn't notice or anything?
again, just another reason UO's team and communication are subpar. yet pretty much that is how it runs with them.
'hardware upgrades' usually do not mean 'we are making your server effectively a US server'.
very, very uncool. and exceptionally unprofessional that you would do something without prior notification. did you think players wouldn't notice or anything?
again, just another reason UO's team and communication are subpar. yet pretty much that is how it runs with them.
"Two thousand years ago the proudest boast was civis Romanus sum [I am a Roman citizen]. Today, in the world of freedom, the proudest boast is 'Ich bin ein Oceanian!'... All free men, wherever they may live, are citizens of Oceania, and, therefore, as a free man, I take pride in the words 'Ich bin ein Oceanian!"
W
Warlord III
Guest
EA .. I am so disappointing about the lag and packet loss for these 2 months . Everyone are paying the subscription and did not have their service back ! Is that honorable? If this is the tactics for how a business run , well .. you won the GOLD!!!!! but now you lose in TRUST as well.
me and my brother about to close 5 of our accounts , and its time for my guildies too ...
congrat that EA earn 20+ account subscription (from my little guild ^.^)
but you gonna lost more and more business if the lag isn't fix.
GOOD luck everyone from oceania ! God bless you !!
Edit : Probably thats EA tactic again !! BUY 7 transfer tokens for the account , so you can start your UO life again with the best connection server !!!!
me and my brother about to close 5 of our accounts , and its time for my guildies too ...
congrat that EA earn 20+ account subscription (from my little guild ^.^)
but you gonna lost more and more business if the lag isn't fix.
GOOD luck everyone from oceania ! God bless you !!
Edit : Probably thats EA tactic again !! BUY 7 transfer tokens for the account , so you can start your UO life again with the best connection server !!!!
A
Amathist
Guest
I wasn't suggesting suing over an online game ... although those that fork out for a lot of accounts may feel differently given the money they fork over each month. I was just saying the feeling of frustration is very similar to what I would feel against a business I would report if they treated me the same way.....I am not sure that make sense or not to anyone out side my head but I have a headache so just ignore me.
Cal did a post on the Oceania boards today the response to me says "yep we are aware, yep we are are trying to fix" but there is no ETA or mention of what they are doing to fix it. I don't even see a real apology about it...its more we had to and yeah we haven't forgotten you, your on a list of things to do.
Cal did a post on the Oceania boards today the response to me says "yep we are aware, yep we are are trying to fix" but there is no ETA or mention of what they are doing to fix it. I don't even see a real apology about it...its more we had to and yeah we haven't forgotten you, your on a list of things to do.
T
Tinsil
Guest
I feel really bad for you Aussie players.. The server was obviously moved. I used to have extreme lag there, and now ping just as well as any other American shard (I live in Kansas).
The login screen shows 55-60ms, where it used to show over 200-250.
The login screen shows 55-60ms, where it used to show over 200-250.
P
Piccolo(UO:R)
Guest
I agree. Some answers would be nice. If they're moving Oceania because of lack of people, why didn't they do it a couple of years ago. As far as I can see the shard is becoming more active. Ex-players are coming back.
Giving us false answers to keep us on the line, and keep our subscriptions, is nothing short of theft.
Giving us false answers to keep us on the line, and keep our subscriptions, is nothing short of theft.
C
Claydo
Guest
Damn...I have been real busy for the last month or so, so i haven't been playing, just renewed both my acc's today to find i now ping at 230 - 260,
thank god i only paid for a month, gives me enough time with the lag to pack up & close my acc's. To me this sucks because i love the game, but i refuse to pay for something i can not use, so for now "thanks for the fun guys, but i gotta say goodbye"
So thanks to the powers that be for there crap service, if it is not corrected....i hope you choke on your own vomit, sorry if i offend anyone who is not responsible for the problems on Oceania,
if i offend you, and you are responsible.....DEAL WITH IT
thank god i only paid for a month, gives me enough time with the lag to pack up & close my acc's. To me this sucks because i love the game, but i refuse to pay for something i can not use, so for now "thanks for the fun guys, but i gotta say goodbye"
So thanks to the powers that be for there crap service, if it is not corrected....i hope you choke on your own vomit, sorry if i offend anyone who is not responsible for the problems on Oceania,if i offend you, and you are responsible.....DEAL WITH IT
B
Black Spirit
Guest
As I said in my post on Oceania.
I will give UO one month.
I will be deleting/ trash caning all my server rare items, super rare items, rare items, Chars and Accounts if UO can not be moved back to Australia. (4 accounts worth of chars and items , items worth billions in Gold).
I am proud to Be an Aussie and i'll be dammed if I have to play on any shard that is unreasonable that has a worse ping and latencey as I once had.( 32 Ping no and latency).
Super unhappy
Long Live EOB Guild.
Thx for killing UO in Australia.
I will give UO one month.
I will be deleting/ trash caning all my server rare items, super rare items, rare items, Chars and Accounts if UO can not be moved back to Australia. (4 accounts worth of chars and items , items worth billions in Gold).
I am proud to Be an Aussie and i'll be dammed if I have to play on any shard that is unreasonable that has a worse ping and latencey as I once had.( 32 Ping no and latency).
Super unhappy
Long Live EOB Guild.
Thx for killing UO in Australia.
-They remove the server without any warning.
-After moving the server they still can't admit it directly.
-They ask US to give them information on the pings and claim they can find some magical resolution that avoids the need for local servers in the first place (if this was possible we wouldn't have regional servers in any game).
Sorry but that's it for me. I've no love for this game as of now. 11 years of experience is going to be banked away and never seen again.
-After moving the server they still can't admit it directly.
-They ask US to give them information on the pings and claim they can find some magical resolution that avoids the need for local servers in the first place (if this was possible we wouldn't have regional servers in any game).
Sorry but that's it for me. I've no love for this game as of now. 11 years of experience is going to be banked away and never seen again.
A
AesSedai
Guest
- I wonder how this will play out with their StarWars MMO regarding the AUS area's market... is EA writing off that area of their lovely income$?
The answer to this question will most likely have a big affect on the future of UO..
So, is anyone into EA's next MMO enough to provide the answer?
Has AUS, et al, been told that the next MMO will be available there?
Or are we perhaps doing a (yet another?) alpha/beta test for this new MMO (~a test that seems to be failing atm) while we are still stuck with inferior tools (~'classic' client & server programming)?
(~Wishing you, and us with UO, the best Oceania~)
I'm growing more weary and leery due to the lack of genuine interaction.
James stated that EA/UO is not "replacing a shard" called Oceania in another thread.. I do wonder if he led on too much, or simply misspoke whilst trying to avoid saying 'your shard has been relocated and we are working on trying to make the ping similar to what it was when it was within a thousand miles, even though we know that cannot physically happen with the dynamics that the classic client and classic server communications require'. I am concerned about the results of this versus the volume of the shard versus the peanut counters that determined this was best.. especially with a new MMO coming out that EA hopes will be as competitive, with this milleniums' releases, as UO has been.
I do not play Oceania; but I guarantee the ramifications of this situation will have a (re)percussive effect on all of UO.
The answer to this question will most likely have a big affect on the future of UO..
So, is anyone into EA's next MMO enough to provide the answer?
Has AUS, et al, been told that the next MMO will be available there?
Or are we perhaps doing a (yet another?) alpha/beta test for this new MMO (~a test that seems to be failing atm) while we are still stuck with inferior tools (~'classic' client & server programming)?
(~Wishing you, and us with UO, the best Oceania~)
I'm growing more weary and leery due to the lack of genuine interaction.
James stated that EA/UO is not "replacing a shard" called Oceania in another thread.. I do wonder if he led on too much, or simply misspoke whilst trying to avoid saying 'your shard has been relocated and we are working on trying to make the ping similar to what it was when it was within a thousand miles, even though we know that cannot physically happen with the dynamics that the classic client and classic server communications require'. I am concerned about the results of this versus the volume of the shard versus the peanut counters that determined this was best.. especially with a new MMO coming out that EA hopes will be as competitive, with this milleniums' releases, as UO has been.
I do not play Oceania; but I guarantee the ramifications of this situation will have a (re)percussive effect on all of UO.
Obviously it is a cost cutting exercise, so whats to stop EA from relocating all the servers to Somalia or Bangladesh and saying 'geez we didnt think that the pings would be so bad'.
A
AesSedai
Guest
- Yes. I find that interesting; moreover I'm pondering those statements I made with question marks. Mostly I'm feeling badly for Oceania and reel-ing about the decision that led to EA/UO hiding their collective tail while dealing with this situation, that was certainly based on a decision. Personally I tend to simply/easily blame those beyond Cal (him being the unfortunate corporate ERTS messenger, in this case).
D
Deneya
Guest
This was on the Oceania forums.
We have already established the ping times are no better to the above shards yet we are asked to post this information.
The facts as I see them:
- the server was moved without prior notification
- when players initially voiced concerns - there was no word
- only now that we seem to have the support of our fellow players and larger UO community, do we get some form of response
- the only way to ensure ping time is as low as it can be, is to return the server to Australia or do as Isaac has suggested as below:
Isaac has done your job for you and suggested a way to make a profit!
Please, no more lip service. Honest answers and information. As paying customers, it is nothing less than we deserve.
As a member of a different (but still utterly neglected) shard, Oceanians I'm cheering for you as well.
I really want to like UO...I really want to enjoy UO, but EA/Mythic makes me want to reconsider my continued business with them every single day, especially when they pull a stunt like this.
Maybe as a "cost cutting" measure, one day EA will decide to just stop making games, since they cost too much, and just hope people will still give them money....
I really want to like UO...I really want to enjoy UO, but EA/Mythic makes me want to reconsider my continued business with them every single day, especially when they pull a stunt like this.
Maybe as a "cost cutting" measure, one day EA will decide to just stop making games, since they cost too much, and just hope people will still give them money....
If you poke through the transcript from the last earnings conference call the EA CEO, CFO, and COO had with industry analysts on November 2, 2010 (standard practice with large publicly traded companies), a few things that were said kind of stand out for me and MIGHT help explain what seems to be driving some of the issues we've been experiencing with UO:
1. EA's strategic objectives to drive shareholder value are: Produce fewer, bigger, better packaged goods games; increase digital revenue; and control costs and create operating efficiencies.
2. Annualized operating expenses have fallen because of a number of initiatives, including reduction in headcount. Headcount as of September 30, 2009 was 8,829; as of June 30, 2010 it was 7,758; and as of September 30, 2010 it was 7,820. EA expects to have fewer than 8,000 employees by March 31, 2011. As of September 30, 2010, EA indicated that 5,640 of its employees were in "R&D" (research and development). At the end of September 2010, more employees (22%) worked in "low cost" locations and they projected that percentage to increase to 24% by March 31, 2011.
3. EA plans to restructure key licensing and development agreements to improve the long-term profitability of their packaged goods business. In large part, this apparently involves setting aside rights EA won't be using and I believe mostly relates to their sports titles. However, they indicated that other contracts signed in the past that aren't part of this restructuring effort are also being renegotiated to address "structural issues on contracts that were signed years ago, under significantly different market conditions." Some employees will be impacted by the restructuring, but the transcript says it is a relatively small number and not a major personnel reorganization. EA will continue to hire for some franchises and their digital businesses.
4. EA originally planned to release 36 titles between April 1, 2010 and March 31, 2011. As of November 2, 2010, they had changed the schedule to assume only 35 titles would be released, with 14 of them to be released between October 1, 2010 and December 31, 2010, and 8 released between January 1, 2011 and March 31, 2011. The transcript indicates development costs for a "major new massively multiplayer online game" (most likely the new Star Wars title) are significant and they don't expect the game to ship in FY '11.
5. EA is very pleased with the profit they're making from downloaded content, whether or not the sales to the consumer started with a disk.
6. If you've ever picked up on an attitude from the devs that they look down upon some of their most dedicated customers, there are subtle hints in the transcript from the conference call that this attitude is shared at the top levels of the business. Probably an insignificant point or maybe a good thing if you are an EA investor; but somewhat disappointing to see but not surprising if you're an actual long-term customer. (Examples: See the references in the conference call transcript to "folks that probably get their first name and their gamer tag confused" who found EA's holiday offerings appealing. Also see in the transcript the reference to the "small minority of folks, sometimes well represented by core gamer reviewers, or game magazine reviewers, where best I [John Riccitiello, EA's CEO] can tell they spend 80 or 90 hours a week playing first-person shooters" and who are core to the segment represented by EA's Medal of Honor game but didn't like it. Those bad reviews were mostly dismissed by EA.).
If you look at the Form 10-Q that EA has to file each quarter with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, you'll find a lot of very dry financial information, but also an analysis, from EA's perspective of course, of many of the major "risks" the company faces in terms of bringing value to shareholders, i.e., their take on the "ups and downs" of their line of business.
The conference call transcript can be found here: http://files.shareholder.com/downlo...88-c796-43cc-822e-706f8c8210cb/transcript.pdf. The 10Q in an HTML format can be found here in PDF form: http://files.shareholder.com/downloads/ERTS/831932382x0xS1193125-10-252171/712515/filing.pdf. And for future reference if you ever want to go browsing among all the publicly released financial info for EA, just go to their home page and find the "Investor Relations" link near the bottom. It may also be helpful to note that EA's fiscal year runs from April 1 through March 31. Therefore, when you see references to FY11, keep in mind that period will end March 31, 2011 (not December 31, 2011).
From what I can see the new equipment has not gone in on Oceania as of yet... and I am not quite sure if the recient rains and storms are not to blame for some of our troubles on Oceaina.
The ground units and the server have been looked at...
Remember the server is in Singapore.
I have had some lag issues over the years on Oceania from the first day it opened to the west.
Now I only get mild lag. But I do admit I havent gone out hunting in months.
The ground units and the server have been looked at...
Remember the server is in Singapore.
I have had some lag issues over the years on Oceania from the first day it opened to the west.
Now I only get mild lag. But I do admit I havent gone out hunting in months.
Oceania has been in Sydney since January 2000. We're 8 days shy of the 11th year.
The the major floods have been in rural areas (except Queensland) and those will only cause localised issues. It'd cause problems to people connecting to Queensland, or accessing within Queensland, but it won't cause a nationwide issue.