UO - Call to Arms [Found on MMORPG.com - Cal's big annoucment- Magincia]

[Martyna Zmuir]

There's a point where this "negative reinforcement" thing becomes unproductive.
Berating them at every misstep (which is hardly an exaggeration) goes above and beyond, and is about as bad as the constant praise you express distaste for.

Again, these aren't children. These are people being paid to do a job. They should be doing their jobs in a professional manner and with some professional pride. They consistently release poorly QA'd publishes (or in the case of Pub 67 the wrong publish version), can't seem to be bothered to post the right patch notes, and think that good communication skills is Cal giggling like a schoolgirl.

We pay them to provide a service. When that service isn’t up to par, we need to tell them. We need to be consistent. They haven’t shown that they learn from their mistakes as they continue to make the same ones over and over.

Most people just sit there and take the art flubs, the bug riddled code, the repetitive missteps in development and the seriously substandard communication. You’ve come to accept a low standard as normal for UO. That’s sad.

I pancake because I care about UO, I've played it for 13 years. It saddens me to see it consistently go downhill.

 

[Lord Frodo]

There's a point where this "negative reinforcement" thing becomes unproductive.
Berating them at every misstep (which is hardly an exaggeration) goes above and beyond, and is about as bad as the constant praise you express distaste for.

I guess you are the type of person that has thier car in the shop and you would let the person fixing it give you this BS. You pay for a service and you should get that service, not a bunch of BS everytime.

 

[puni666]

Very good to hear this. There are many people on Great Lakes who will hold you to this statement...


/QUOTE]

I'm on Great Lakes and I could care less about Magincia... Work on truly balancing these new and old skills jesus...

 

[Kiminality]

So, you're incapable of restraint, or respect.

 

[Kiminality]

I guess you are the type of person that has thier car in the shop and you would let the person fixing it give you this BS. You pay for a service and you should get that service, not a bunch of BS everytime.

You guess wrongly, but good effort.
Sometimes, it's better to hold your tongue, than to always criticise.

 

[canary]

So, you're incapable of restraint, or respect.

rolleyes:

...........

 

[Martyna Zmuir]

So, you're incapable of restraint, or respect.

Wow, nice baseless assumption there.

You must enjoy crappy services.

I guess you are the type of person that has thier car in the shop and you would let the person fixing it give you this BS. You pay for a service and you should get that service, not a bunch of BS everytime.

You guess wrongly, but good effort.
Sometimes, it's better to hold your tongue, than to always criticise.

Again, no, no its not. If someone contunially makes the same mistakes over and over and over they apparently lack the sense to learn that perhaps what they are doing is not good.

I'm glad that you enjoy a substandard CS experience from Bioware Mythic. Many of us do not. But, since you cannot seem to grasp that fact, conversing with you is pointless.

Please, go enjoy being abused by EA/Bioware Mythic in silence.

 

[Kiminality]

I don't believe this is going anywhere.
I have my calm point of view, and you have your angry point of view.

We mightn't agree, but I'm going to stop disagreeing with you here.

 

[Sturdy]

Wow, nice baseless assumption there.

You must enjoy crappy services.



Again, no, no its not. If someone contunially makes the same mistakes over and over and over they apparently lack the sense to learn that perhaps what they are doing is not good.

I'm glad that you enjoy a substandard CS experience from Bioware Mythic. Many of us do not. But, since you cannot seem to grasp that fact, conversing with you is pointless.

Please, go enjoy being abused by EA/Bioware Mythic in silence.

Martyna, I am guessing you have never had a customer service job- or maybe you just never got good at one. Your whole argument hinges on it being a one way exchange- you pay=they do what you want. Guess what the other option is: you keep your whiny sarcastic comments to yourself and hit the street.

See how that works? Now you no longer pay for something you hate. Everybody wins!

Here is an example of what I consider a constructive suggestion:

Cal, I sure hope this program works- it is tempting to add an account. One thing though, the UOCode store is pretty buggy and could use some love. If you want to close a lot of new sales you might want to spruce up the site.

Looking forward to the new stuff!

 

[Lord Chaos]

A lot of people are following your advice and hitting the streets, and that is one of the prime reasons UO is dwindling in numbers. So don't exactly see it as a situation where everyone wins.

Either way, its a very nice update and a good announcement. Its definitely worth a shot and see if it can draw a few players. UO needs to reverse its trend.

 

[Martyna Zmuir]

Martyna, I am guessing you have never had a customer service job- or maybe you just never got good at one. Your whole argument hinges on it being a one way exchange- you pay=they do what you want. Guess what the other option is: you keep your whiny sarcastic comments to yourself and hit the street.

See how that works? Now you no longer pay for something you hate. Everybody wins!
...

Ah, assumptions abound.

I have never demanded the Dev Team do anything, aside from visibly stepping up their communication to us. Communication is indeed two ways, hence why U.Hall, Ask the Devs, and the TC board exist. UO hasn't had its own official forums in quite some time, thus the players come here to communicate with the Dev Team.

The players do a more than sufficient job of communicating to the Dev Team. The issue, especially in the last two years, is that the communication from the Dev Team has been beyond lacking. Whether it was repetitive FoF's, Producer Letters that were naught but fluff, or Publish notes that are inaccurate. The flow of communication is decidedly towards the Dev Team, they are the ones failing to adequately reciprocate.

See, what you seem to ignore is that a customer service field is, by definition, all about the customer. Yes, we all know they can't please everyone at all times - but that’s irrelevant here. The level of customer service from Mythic, ultimately, is what’s at issue. The only ones at fault when the standard quality of service is not upheld is the Team itself.

Since your reading comprehension is apparently not very good, I will repeat what I said several posts up in regard to not hating the game.

I pancake because I care about UO, I've played it for 13 years. It saddens me to see it consistently go downhill.

So blindly wave your pom-poms all you want. Please, continue to enjoy a level of service that is far below what even a F2P MMO player receives. Don't mind the smoke, since for you Rome isn't burning...

 

[Beer_Cayse]

Due to the handling of various issues in various online environments over the years - by the vendor/maker/retailer support I have come to the following conclusion IRL:

When someone tells me they will have something to me by Monday ... I only wonder "Monday of what week?". Ie., I **never** plan on a damn thing being on time or right. Saves a lot of heartache.

 

[aoLOLita]

McDonald's or Delmonico's?

Trac phone or I-Phone?

Flea bag motel or Hilton?

The above all have something in common, you pay for the service/and or product.

BUT realistaically one has greater expectations when choosing the much more expensive option...

The old adage applies here, "You get what you pay for."

I am neither rich nor poor, and I find my monthly UO fee very reasonable and affordable. Other games may be free or cheaper, but UO is more than a game to me, it is a hobby from which I derive great pleasure. Very few hobbies are as cheap. I am happy with the pay vs value ratio as it is now.

I believe the current Quality Control reflects the current reasonable subscription fees. Our actual gameplay is an extension of Quality Control, as evidenced by this forum and the bug report mechanisms already in place.

In a nutshell - If I paid much more, I would expect much more... and I do not want to pay more

 

[Shelleybean]

Martyna,I don't think anyone here will say that UO's customer service is stellar. We all know it isn't. That being said, you have been relentlessly campaigning against EA/Mythic for months now, possibly longer. Everything they do is wrong and everything they do makes you unhappy. Post after post you do nothing but spread your negativity and your dissatisfaction. Even when I have you on ignore, I still see posts where people have quoted you. The only way I can get away from it is possibly to stop reading Stratics. Very rarely do I encourage this, but you are a clear example of a player that needs to quit and cut all ties with this game. Obviously there is no joy left for you, only extreme disappointment and unhappiness. I can see no reason at all why you would continue to spend your hard earned money on something that gives you no satisfaction.

 

[canary]

The old adage applies here, "You get what you pay for."

I am neither rich nor poor, and I find my monthly UO fee very reasonable and affordable. Other games may be free or cheaper, but UO is more than a game to me, it is a hobby from which I derive great pleasure. Very few hobbies are as cheap. I am happy with the pay vs value ratio as it is now.

I believe the current Quality Control reflects the current reasonable subscription fees. Our actual gameplay is an extension of Quality Control, as evidenced by this forum and the bug report mechanisms already in place.

In a nutshell - If I paid much more, I would expect much more... and I do not want to pay more

I also play Runes of Magic, and not only is it FREE TO PLAY, they also have GMs in game, timely response to ALL players, at least once a month updates (devoid of bugs as a rule), FREE yearly expansions, and awesome art in game. They also have their own boards and will reply and address issues.

So why is my free game giving me a better overall game and service than the game I pay a monthly fee on?

 

[RavenWinterHawk]

Uhm, Cal, you need a proofreader.. EM live events came back over a year and a half ago.

And please, New Magincia should not be 'majestic.' It’s the city of Humility remember? Was razed by daemons due to the Pride of its citizens… Making it into a showpiece city only shows that you don’t get the spirit of Ultima or understand its history. It doesn’t need to be a tiny farming village, but it shouldn’t return to the sandstone mansions either. Please, rethink this.

Not everyone knows what we know.
And a year isnt a long time. This event is for all that are and aren't here.

And whose to say this Ultima today isnt a progression of all that is old ultima.

10 years from now Mag will be held in history as the city that was once, then once destroyed, and once rebuilt.

We are the history of next year.

Relax.

 

[RavenWinterHawk]

Due to the handling of various issues in various online environments over the years - by the vendor/maker/retailer support I have come to the following conclusion IRL:

When someone tells me they will have something to me by Monday ... I only wonder "Monday of what week?". Ie., I **never** plan on a damn thing being on time or right. Saves a lot of heartache.

You are wise and this should be quoted forever.

 

[Shamus Turlough]

Most 100% free to play games are ad driven. Do you really want to see billboards in UO?

Sheesh.

Stop it with the bickering too. This WAS a purely informative thread, dont make me whip out my scissors.

 

[RavenWinterHawk]

It just DAWNED on me I have been playing 12 years and know nothing about ultima lore. I only know I liked playing the games.

As long as we dont bring in tanks and lasers and crap like that, I really don't care about the lore. It means nothing to me as a player.

I just want random exploration and changing enviroments under the umbrella of ULTIMA.

I dont even know who Dawn is and dont care. Im not interested in who shattered the gem, I dont care what group the banes are associated with.

I want to log in, explore, adventure, battle, collect, sell and enjoy.

Its a game the is a break from real life.

I can't believe people actually get their panties in wads over this announcement.

 

[aoLOLita]

Hmmmm... could Martyna become the new POPPS, Shelley That is scary !!

Martyna,I don't think anyone here will say that UO's customer service is stellar. We all know it isn't. That being said, you have been relentlessly campaigning against EA/Mythic for months now, possibly longer. Everything they do is wrong and everything they do makes you unhappy. Post after post you do nothing but spread your negativity and your dissatisfaction. Even when I have you on ignore, I still see posts where people have quoted you. The only way I can get away from it is possibly to stop reading Stratics. Very rarely do I encourage this, but you are a clear example of a player that needs to quit and cut all ties with this game. Obviously there is no joy left for you, only extreme disappointment and unhappiness. I can see no reason at all why you would continue to spend your hard earned money on something that gives you no satisfaction.

 

[Sevin0oo0]

What Martyna said I wish more would stand up and voice themselves.

 

[phantus]

While Martyna might be spreading what some think is a lot of negativity, I have always felt as she does too. I found myself complaining about everything at different periods and it is needed. We cannot allow the devs, producers or community reps to go unchecked. This will not improve our game. I care not for Cal, and especially Mark because they don't understand the game the way I do. I realize my reasons are selfish but this does not stop me from bashing when I feel the need. It's a fine line to tread.

I'm not impressed with the new offering for new players. That ship has sailed. This team needs to quit looking to gather new players without a real graphics option and work on getting back old customers. They need to put in a couple classic servers and put in place a reliable and on time content addition plan that works. Going months and months with little to no new content does not work in the MMO world anymore.

 

[deadite]

*rabble rabble rabble*

I'm just excited about some new stuff in UO! Just resubbed to make my first T-Hunter in, oh, 10 years?

 

[Sarsmi]

Due to the handling of various issues in various online environments over the years - by the vendor/maker/retailer support I have come to the following conclusion IRL:

When someone tells me they will have something to me by Monday ... I only wonder "Monday of what week?". Ie., I **never** plan on a damn thing being on time or right. Saves a lot of heartache.

You are wise and this should be quoted forever.

x2. I agree, I look forward to things like new publishes with stuff, but I don't hold them to dates or get super upset about bugs that slip in. I'm not going to bother t hunting till they iron out some of the spawn issues. I have other things I can do.

There are things we can control and things we can't. I can control how I feel about something (most of the time), even if I can't control the actual event. I'd rather not be upset, I like being calm and relaxed. I can only conclude that some people either like being upset or can't control their emotions. It just seems like very petty issues to get worked up about.

 

[Evlar]

I'm not impressed with the new offering for new players. That ship has sailed. This team needs to quit looking to gather new players without a real graphics option and work on getting back old customers. They need to put in a couple classic servers and put in place a reliable and on time content addition plan that works. Going months and months with little to no new content does not work in the MMO world anymore.

Quite true.

Being realistic and as others have suggested, this game is highly unlikely to gain sufficient momentum to make it worthwhile aiming at new players. New players are of course a bonus, but the likelihood of new (arguably younger generation?) players even contemplating playing what is in essence and "old" game, is extremely slim. Not considering what's out there that's free to play, has more "shiny" graphics, or both.

The incentives and ideas being used are very good. Or they would have been a good few years back. "That ship has sailed" as phantus said.

Yes I'm biased. Yes I also would like a classic option. However I'm also realistic to understand that a niche market game like UO, is only ever going to appeal to a particular target audience. When those playing the game now is estimated to be half (or less) than the numbers playing six, seven or eight years ago, then that tends to clearly suggest that those who left, didn't like the direction the game was heading. Most sensible customers who don't like the service they receive, usually tend to vote with their wallet/purse.

Ultima Online doesn't offer "new" or "younger" players what they want. Yes it's got a great history behind it, yes it broke the mould when it started, yes it has unique aspects that no other games either feature, or do as well. Those positives are unfortunately, not enough to bring sufficient new players to the game. Period.

Today's MMO market is something entirely different to the model that UO and the other games that quickly followed, gained their success from. There's nothing at all wrong with focusing efforts on what is now a niche market, target audience. Other games, although considered small when compared to some of the "big players" in MMO's now, do it well. There's no reason UO can't too. Focus on the market that wants to play a game like UO. Give them a good enough reason to do it.

So, there's a captive audience of existing players, there's a hopeful audience of former players. Give former players a solid enough reason to return to UO and you'll quickly see the numbers return to the game. There's plenty of reasons mentioned as to why players decided to leave. Offer the solutions to the core of their reasons and they will come back. There's enough threads explaining the reasons and suggestions on Stratics, so you don't need to look far.

Finally, is it just me, or does "Call to Arms" smack of some sort of impending disaster? Are things really that bad?

 

[The Scandinavian]

Hey,

duels in arenas?

Sounds like the virtue that was announced many moons ago.

I guess the king of Scandinavia need to do some practise...


Regards
The Scandinavian

 

[Cal_Mythic]

UPDATE:

Again I did not make the cutoff to get an update to you today.
However,
Here are the topics for next weeks Producer's Update:

The basis for arenas, where are they and why?
Why the update for Seige? And what's next?
Are we still thinking about a classic shard?
3rd Party Program Detection and You ... or not you
Extending the EM Program

 

[Mapper]

Extending the EM Program

Sounds very interesting... More EMs? Would be nice!

 

[Evlar]

UPDATE:
Are we still thinking about a classic shard?

Well...

It's gonna be a or a

Hopefully a more definitive one or the other, rather than a

 

[Amber Moon]

Well...

It's gonna be a or a

Hopefully a more definitive one or the other, rather than a

Nope I expect a definite YES.... we are still thinking about it

 

[popps]

Hey,

duels in arenas?

Sounds like the virtue that was announced many moons ago.

I guess the king of Scandinavia need to do some practise...

Regards
The Scandinavian

Arenas are important in PvP, I think.

They get reluctant players to get more confident in PvP a little step at a time.

Of course, it is mandatory that the cheating in UO is terminated for good because there is nothing that turns down players incline to PvP than fighting against fellow players and loose to the fight because the opponent uses various cheats be them hacks or scripts.

 

[Evlar]

Well...

It's gonna be a or a

Hopefully a more definitive one or the other, rather than a

Nope I expect a definite YES.... we are still thinking about it

...and I just remembered that I promised to post him a fine chorizo if classic shards came into being.

 

[Coldren]

Nope I expect a definite YES.... we are still thinking about it

Damn. That's too perfect.

 

[Martyna Zmuir]

McDonald's or Delmonico's?

Trac phone or I-Phone?

Flea bag motel or Hilton?

The above all have something in common, you pay for the service/and or product.

BUT realistaically one has greater expectations when choosing the much more expensive option...

The old adage applies here, "You get what you pay for."

We are most assuredly not getting what we pay for. UO used to be $9.99 a month. They raised the price to $12.99 many years ago stating that this increase would help pay for increasec customer service. (More GMs, etc.) In reality, the exact opposite happened.

Currently, UO is still one of the more expensive MMOs out there. Wow is a dollar more a month and has significantly better customer service. Granted, their subscription numbers put UO to shame. However, UO players should still be getting the same level of CS that a WoW player receives. There are less of us, but that doesn't mean that Mythic's responsibility is any less than Blizzard's.

Several times Mythic representatives have acknowledged that their communications with us are lacking. Several times those same people said they were working to 'fix' that, each time nothing has changed.

The Ask the Devs forum has bombed, even Petra has admitted as such. (last post was 6/21) People point to the forums now and say, “Look, they’re posting!” Taken out of context that sounds nice, however, in context it’s still sad. Look at what they are posting about: Screw ups and fluff. Things that slipped past the inept QA, past TC, past Origin – or things they KNEW were screwed up and let through anyway.

That wouldn’t be acceptable customer service from a taco truck or a flea-bag no-tell motel.

Martyna,I don't think anyone here will say that UO's customer service is stellar. We all know it isn't. That being said, you have been relentlessly campaigning against EA/Mythic for months now, possibly longer. Everything they do is wrong and everything they do makes you unhappy.

Since you state further down that you have me on ignore, that invalidates your prior statement. You don't see all my posts, so you don't know. Furthermore, you're wrong.

Post after post you do nothing but spread your negativity and your dissatisfaction. Even when I have you on ignore, I still see posts where people have quoted you. The only way I can get away from it is possibly to stop reading Stratics. Very rarely do I encourage this, but you are a clear example of a player that needs to quit and cut all ties with this game. Obviously there is no joy left for you, only extreme disappointment and unhappiness. I can see no reason at all why you would continue to spend your hard earned money on something that gives you no satisfaction.

Again, another person with seriously poor reading comprehension. UO doesn't make me unhappy. I am quite happy playing the game with my friends. I play to be around them, not Mythic.

I will continue to voice dissatisfaction with Mythic's ****-poor customer service until they fix it. It is their responsibility.

What Martyna said I wish more would stand up and voice themselves.

Sadly, far too many UO players are spineless.

 

[Kiminality]

Sadly, far too many UO players are spineless.

...
Or just have more tactful methods of interacting with people...

 

[Death Adder]

Whoa! Wait a minute! Arenas?!? Consentual PvP in UO?

Please please please, dont!!! Felucca is empty enough as it is! With this, a part of the PvP crowd may leave Fel and only use the arenas, thus making fel even emptier.

Personally I'm sick of the constant ganking and zerging that occurs in Fel. Not everyone wants to join a guild and do the massive clusterf--k fighting that occurs at spawns. I got sick a long time ago of the compliments for "how hard I am to kill" coming from gankers. I, for one, am anxiously awaiting Arenas (something that should have been implemented years ago, frankly).

If I want to duel in peace I just recall to somewhere in the middle of nowhere in fel and be fine. (

Unless you bring a dueling partner with you, you'll get awfully bored. Arenas look like they'll be gathering places for duellists as well as fighting areas.

One thing about the Arenas that I think should be implemented is that dying in one should not put you into faction stat loss.

 

[canary]

...
Or just have more tactful methods of interacting with people...

Interesting. You said you were done engaging in this 'debate'. rolleyes:

 

[Death Adder]

The players do a more than sufficient job of communicating to the Dev Team. The issue, especially in the last two years, is that the communication from the Dev Team has been beyond lacking. Whether it was repetitive FoF's, Producer Letters that were naught but fluff, or Publish notes that are inaccurate. The flow of communication is decidedly towards the Dev Team, they are the ones failing to adequately reciprocate.

I have to agree with this, and add that the Dev forum is dead and they don't have the decency to answer simple questions that have an impact on our purchases. For example, I've asked multiple times whether the Woodworker's Bench affects enhancing as well as creation, a simple yes/no question and it's never been answered. Yet knowing this is critical for many who need the info before determining whether to purchase one or not. I ended up buying one and just praying that it works the way I hope, and I honestly get angry every time I look at it because I feel like I'm playing into some kind of manipulative trap.

 

[AesSedai]

I have to agree with this, and add that the Dev forum is dead and they don't have the decency to answer simple questions that have an impact on our purchases. For example, I've asked multiple times whether the Woodworker's Bench affects enhancing as well as creation, a simple yes/no question and it's never been answered. Yet knowing this is critical for many who need the info before determining whether to purchase one or not. I ended up buying one and just praying that it works the way I hope, and I honestly get angry every time I look at it because I feel like I'm playing into some kind of manipulative trap.

- Wanted to emphasize the part of your post that I emboldened.. I can completely agree with how some of the details are lacking in regard to additions that they sell for money (and I can also empathize with many of the other shortcomings as well as I can empathize with the teams limited resources in comparison to their/our all of our wishes).

 

[Fenix999]

So have the new player benefits started yet? I was going to upgrade my trail to the full SA game, but with this news I was just going to recreate. Just don't want to buy it if the freebies arn't in.

 

[Martyna Zmuir]

...
Or just have more tactful methods of interacting with people...

I have been tactful. I have not called them named or disparaged their mothers.

Calling them out for not living up to their resposibilities, posting wrong information, and knowingly releasing bugs is something we should all be doing. The more silent people there are, the more this will happen.

 

[Sturdy]

Is there an ignore function on this forum?

I needs to know.

 

[Sargon]

Are we still thinking about a classic shard?

And you're going to tease us and keep us waiting for a whole week? Ahhh, not fair! I'll forgive you if you give the desired response though.

 

[Kiminality]

...
Or just have more tactful methods of interacting with people...

Interesting. You said you were done engaging in this 'debate'. rolleyes:

I considered the calling of those that don't subscribe to Martyna's flavour of people skills "spineless" worthy of an exception.

...
Or just have more tactful methods of interacting with people...

I have been tactful. I have not called them named or disparaged their mothers.

Calling them out for not living up to their resposibilities, posting wrong information, and knowingly releasing bugs is something we should all be doing. The more silent people there are, the more this will happen.

I didn't say you weren't tactful, I only said "more tactful".

 

[Fenix999]

so, bickering aside is it active yet?

 

[MalagAste]

...
Or just have more tactful methods of interacting with people...

Interesting. You said you were done engaging in this 'debate'. rolleyes:

I considered the calling of those that don't subscribe to Martyna's flavour of people skills "spineless" worthy of an exception.

...
Or just have more tactful methods of interacting with people...

I have been tactful. I have not called them named or disparaged their mothers.

Calling them out for not living up to their resposibilities, posting wrong information, and knowingly releasing bugs is something we should all be doing. The more silent people there are, the more this will happen.

I didn't say you weren't tactful, I only said "more tactful".

So now.... by tactful what? Am I supposed to say OMG wow! thank you for putting through a publish is that is buggy, borked and while adds content ..... It's totally borked! Golly Gee Wiz.... thanks.

Give me a break. No... I'm not going to pat them on the back for doing a half-a**ed Job.... I'm going to say WTF? Way to drive away more subscribers and totally reinforce the reasons so many left. Honestly I'd FAR rather have a "complete" publish than one that is half-a**ed. Color me stupid but... Hey next time you come get your labs done let me do my job as half-a**ed as you do and then you let me know how you like that.

Suppose I tell the Dr you're suffering from "brain cloud".... or that you have cancer... wait till he's pumped you full of chemo and then go..... hehe Opps.... Yeah I knew you didn't have it... but well I let him have the results anyway....... hope you don't mind.

Give me a break. I know QA trust me... I use it each and every day.... and aren't you thankful for that. We have standards and controls and regulations we follow. I guess not everyone does. That and I take pride in my work and I want to do the best job I can from start to finish.... but perhaps that's just me because appearently half-a**ed is good enough for the likes of you.

Well it's not for me.

I'm sorry but WE who post here on stratics should be the Voice of those who do not. Those who don't speak out. And if we sit idly by while major wrongs such as this are dropped on us then who will speak out for the populous if not us?

 

[Martyna Zmuir]

...
Or just have more tactful methods of interacting with people...

Interesting. You said you were done engaging in this 'debate'. rolleyes:

I considered the calling of those that don't subscribe to Martyna's flavour of people skills "spineless" worthy of an exception.

Again, reading comprehension fail. As I've said previously, most UO customers who post on Stratics seem content to recieve poor customer service without complaint.

...
Or just have more tactful methods of interacting with people...

I have been tactful. I have not called them named or disparaged their mothers.

Calling them out for not living up to their resposibilities, posting wrong information, and knowingly releasing bugs is something we should all be doing. The more silent people there are, the more this will happen.

I didn't say you weren't tactful, I only said "more tactful".

"More tactful" Sorry, but I'd rather say what I mean without dancing around the point. We're dealing with a corporation here, not a mom & pop company. Yes the Dev Team are people and thusly are worthy of respect, but each screw up and blunder eats away at that. As customers paying for UO, we deserve a high-quality service and timely responses to communication.

EA gutted the UO team almost a year ago now, and we lost our community rep. Chrissay's loss has not been mitigated by the arrival of James since he never interacts with us. One way they could regain alot of faith is by hiring a new community rep.

 

[Aurelius]

I'm getting increasingly concerned with what's happening with UO lately - I reckon it's still strong enough as a game to survive another mess-up by it's owners, so it's not a 'the game is doomed' level of concern (yet ), but we are getting a lot of patches and system changes that are very buggy, press releases that are poorly handled at best (there's is still nothing on the page that the press release for 'Call To Arms' tells people to use about the 'Call To Arms' scheme, even though there have been updates on the new fiction and the 'Town Hall' since the 'Call To Arms' press releases), confusion between what is said, or even available, between the Japan and US websites...... it's not looking like a product the company as a whole is much bothered about.

The UO team might be - but EA corporately has never been that sure what to do with UO, and that a huge change and big drive to bring new life to the product isn't even getting publicised coherently does not bode well at all.

To me, it's looking like a lot of rushed and therefore scrappy work is being driven through without enough QA or consideration, and in the past that's been cash flow driven by the EA accountants and sales people - and since we know EA is not having a great time financially, I suspect this might be something very like a 'one last heave to see if we can get the product as profitable as we want, or we're dropping it'.

It's well enough known I don't think EA know how to manage UO, and don't understand it enough to resource or support it properly, maybe we are about to see a turning point where if it doesn't meet their (usually woefully misguided) 'targets' for a successful game, it can get a chance to pass into proper new ownership who do understand the genre.... of course, there's also the risk that the frequent spitefulness of EA will kick in and they scrap stuff rather than let anyone else take it over, it's not as if that hasn't happened before in their history, but I'm getting more convinced that this one is seen as a 'make or break' attempt to revive the game.

 

[Kiminality]

Again, reading comprehension fail. As I've said previously, most UO customers who post on Stratics seem content to recieve poor customer service without complaint.

Everything's black and white with you, hence you fail to comprehend what I've been saying.
And apparently, everything has to be a conflict, too. If someone disagrees with you, you lay into them like they've just kicked your puppy.

Let me try and explain again, and then I'll step away until the next time you attack the general populous.
All the constant barrage of criticism does is to create an expectation of criticism, and thus reduces the criticism to mere noise. "Critical feedback" becomes "more criticism", and the message of what the criticism is about becomes lost.
In the same way, an eternally positive person providing more positive feedback could have the message of their feedback lost (although people are far more receptive to praise than they are to criticism, so they're more likely to pay attention to the details).
If you're really doing this for the good or the game, then you kind of shouldn't be sabotaging your own efforts.

Malagaste (and some others) - You're kind of missing the point, and trying to make this something it's not.
All I'm saying is that you're lacking a decent approach. Flouncing about on the forums is way less effective on its target than it feels.

 

[Splup]

Personally I think dueling arenas are good thing, and will attract more ppl to fel then take from Fel.

Why?

Trying to learn PvP is hard. You go to Fel where pretty much all are experienced players who will kill you before you realise what's going on your screen. Like someone stated, not everyone wants to join a big guild right away.

Dueling arenas will attract players that haven't PvP:d before, and they can get opponents who are on the same level as they. They get to learn basics of PvP on arena in safe environment. Ofc dueling is lot different from out doors fighting where you use terrain for you own benefit, pots apples etc. But basics you get at arena.

Now that they have learned basics they come and give a try in fel, and will prolly still die to experienced PvP:rs but are able to atleast put up a fight and they just might enjoy it, unlike the players who go fresh to Fel without any PvP experience and drop dead straight away.

Also if this offer a chance for factioneers to duel without statloss it's nice also.