Where are all the in-game GM's?

[Old Man of UO]

What does it take to get a GM response?

A couple weeks ago, someone posted info about an exploit used to increase the number of arrows that certain quivers could hold. More than a year ago I bought 3 of these quivers and have been using them since. In fact, I thought it was a rare enhancement, and tried making several hundred quivers myself before I finally gave up! I never realized until that post that it was an exploit. It's not really such a big exploit since I can do the same thing (weight reduction and 4000 bolts or arrows) with 8 separate quivers, but still an exploit. Bleh!

Well, since it was acknowledged by EA that these were illegal (since the UO knowledge database does NOT list anything about these), I paged a GM on LS to get them fixed... and waited and waited. I didn't even get a que message. I logged off and back on a couple days later and re-paged for the same issue. I ran a few quests, hunted in the virtue dungeons and finally gave up and logged off again. I never received a que message and have been trying for more than two weeks to GM to fix these quivers. I did get an email today asking me to rate the GM service...

My question is, how do I get a GM to fix these things within a reasonable time? I cannot stay logged in all day waiting for a response.

 

[Ender]

GMs are a myth.

 

[Cogniac]

Solution: Take up PvP. This will pretty much guarantee that someone pages on you to try to get you banned for having a bugged quiver. This is pretty much the only way that you will ever see a GM.

Bonus: They will probably page on you for "harrassment."

 

[Old Man of UO]

Solution: Take up PvP. This will pretty much guarantee that someone pages on you to try to get you banned for having a bugged quiver. This is pretty much the only way that you will ever see a GM.

Bonus: They will probably page on you for "harrassment."

Actually, I thought about doing just what you suggest since the "Other" category of in-game help seems to get the lowest priority, and since Jeremy said we wouldn't be banned for it, just a note in our file... still, I WANT to do the right thing.

 

[ki-rin]

good luck finding a gm!

 

[Cogniac]

You could always just page harassment on yourself and see what happens.

 

[AesSedai]

Sounds like you might be a victim of the bugged GM queue system.
I'm pretty sure Jeremy mentioned they have been having issues with the system.
So, send a note to jdalberg at ea dot com.

Be sure to give her your account name (not password) and probably the character name(s) with the bugged quivers in order to speed up the process.
Maybe use subject like: Bugged GM help system - help

We were asked to inform GMs if we had 'bugged' quivers. So they should be dealing with it as long as they are getting the message. We were also asked to let them know about issues with the help/paging system, if I recall correctly.
So by sending it to Jeremy you might be helping them figure out the bugged help system as well as helping yourself by taking care of your quivers. That's a twofer

 

[ColterDC]

GM's don't get out of school until 4pm and then they have to do homework until dinner time, then they have about an hour to either watch tv or do some UO business before their mommies make them go to bed.

 

[Ender]

GM's don't get out of school until 4pm and then they have to do homework until dinner time, then they have about an hour to either watch tv or do some UO business before their mommies make them go to bed.

Robots don't go to school silly!

 

[Old Man of UO]

Sounds like you might be a victim of the bugged GM queue system.
I'm pretty sure Jeremy mentioned they have been having issues with the system.
So, send a note to jdalberg at ea dot com.

Thank you... I will send her a note on this. I was going to look up her email, but am *supposed* to be working.

EDIT - Just got a response from Jeremy! It's not fixed yet, but I have to give her a hand!

 

[mmmbeer]

gm's are as useless as week old garbage

 

[kennykilleduo]

Thank you... I will send her a note on this. I was going to look up her email, but am *supposed* to be working.

EDIT - Just got a response from Jeremy! It's not fixed yet, but I have to give her a hand!

She could post this info here...

 

[Nyses]

GM's don't get out of school until 4pm and then they have to do homework until dinner time, then they have about an hour to either watch tv or do some UO business before their mommies make them go to bed.

I personally think the "GM queue" is a myth, It is really just the UO RNG and as soon as a page comes into the queue, there is a 1 to 4 hour mandatory wait (determined by RNG) then an automated canned reply is sent (also determined by the RNG) saves a TON on actual wages.

 

[Uriah Heep]

As a rule, I have been a harsh critic of the support staff thus far.

But I have to admit, yesterday, when we needed a GM for a mousehole of all things, after just a short wait GM Acheron or Asheron (can't remember which, my memory ain't what it never was behave Dev!) He/she was very helpful, took time to explain the dos and donts and the bugs and what have you, then retrieve it for us.

Excellent help, very professional.
So I give kudos where and when it's due, and it is for this GM>

 

[Luna Lagger]

I get a gm 95% time i need one, I dont need them often tho C:

 

[Inspector]

Yeah, I have been having the same problem on LS and today this happened. It happened 5 or six times when i was ressing a friend.... And the worst part is after all that I got a F*&KIN canned response after I had paged for days about my problem.... Look at the dates.... EA YOU NEED TO FIX YOUR CRAP!!!

 

[Arrgh]

India...

 

[Kahlan_FHP]

I have lost all faith in the in-game-support. I remember playing during renaissance when GMs would show up, drink a few ales with you, and make sure your problem was fixed and you were happy. Now a days that costs too much money for EA to care about us.

 

[galefan2004]

Honestly, I wouldn't even worry about it. I don't know anyone that has been banned for using these items. They normally just fix them if they catch you with them. If they aren't willing to even show up to fix them when you ask then just make sure you keep screen shots of your pages, and just keep using them till you are "caught".

 

[galefan2004]

GM's don't get out of school until 4pm and then they have to do homework until dinner time, then they have about an hour to either watch tv or do some UO business before their mommies make them go to bed.

I didn't realise that adults in India still go to school.

 

[Wallenstein]

I have lost all faith in the in-game-support. I remember playing during renaissance when GMs would show up, drink a few ales with you, and make sure your problem was fixed and you were happy. Now a days that costs too much money for EA to care about us.

Quoted for truth.. I remember paging a GM years ago about a horse stuck in my house's steps and the GM arrived, un-hid, and started joking about how the horse got what it deserved for trying to break into my house.

Now, 100% of the time, a GM will just send a pre-written response as if they're just answering the pages from outside of the game. In-game support... pfft.

 

[Scratch]

all the uo gms are away playing wow to due lack of customer suport in ultima

 

[AesSedai]

Honestly, I wouldn't even worry about it. I don't know anyone that has been banned for using these items.

- I believe I read an announcement that people would be given a standard- 'safe harbor act' ~ a free-fix / amendment to their quiver in question - But only for awhile. While in the future, this 'bug'/'exploit' would be considered a 'potential' mark on one's account.
Seems UO Customer Service wants to go the extra-mile to avoid banning conscientious participants.

So, maybe that isn't the best advice to be giving to people regarding the uber-quiver situation.

 

[hawkeye_pike]

My question is, how do I get a GM to fix these things within a reasonable time? I cannot stay logged in all day waiting for a response.

I think that the GM staff has been reduced. GMs still are polite and helpful, but it takes longer until you get a response. While 8 years ago, a GM usually would appear after 15-30 minutes, today it can take approximately 1-2 hours. During the past 6 months I paged for a GM 3 times. I waited between 30 minutes and 2 hours. Problem was solved in 2 out of 3 cases, which seemed perfectly ok. I usually do something else on the computer while waiting for the GM to respond.

However, the queue number seems to be wrong, and the canned responses are utter nonsense.

 

[Faith]

You guys must be sending the wrong messages to the GMs. Whenever I page a GM usually get a GM to show up and assist me (sometimes in the chat, but usualy in person).

 

[Kiminality]

I have lost all faith in the in-game-support. I remember playing during renaissance when GMs would show up, drink a few ales with you, and make sure your problem was fixed and you were happy. Now a days that costs too much money for EA to care about us.

Quoted for truth.. I remember paging a GM years ago about a horse stuck in my house's steps and the GM arrived, un-hid, and started joking about how the horse got what it deserved for trying to break into my house.

Now, 100% of the time, a GM will just send a pre-written response as if they're just answering the pages from outside of the game. In-game support... pfft.

Let's run with that theory...
Every time you page a GM, you wait for your turn, then the GM pops up for tea and cake.
Making an assumption that your average canned response, or whatever, takes 2 minutes.
Tea and cake... 4 minutes...
Suddenly, you have to wait twice as long for your page to get answered.

You guys must be sending the wrong messages to the GMs. Whenever I page a GM usually get a GM to show up and assist me (sometimes in the chat, but usualy in person).

Likewise.
I've paged a few times, and I've never had anything less than reasonable customer service.
Usually they're good and helpful.

Catch more flies with honey...

 

[Revenant2]

As a rule, I have been a harsh critic of the support staff thus far.

But I have to admit, yesterday, when we needed a GM for a mousehole of all things, after just a short wait GM Acheron or Asheron (can't remember which, my memory ain't what it never was behave Dev!) He/she was very helpful, took time to explain the dos and donts and the bugs and what have you, then retrieve it for us.

Excellent help, very professional.
So I give kudos where and when it's due, and it is for this GM>

I had an experience with that same GM yesterday and it was positive (it was Acheren).

Had an interesting incident happen recently. My main blue had some issue going where the solen queen would not offer the transpowder quest. My first page for help got back a senseless, pre-written answer telling me to go write a bug report and don't wait for an answer to it. I paged again, writing that no bug report was going to fix my char and if nobody could fix it, I would assume that my char was permanently bugged and would never do the transpowder quest again. After a while, a GM Rikaun answered the page, and had exactly the information that I needed to fix the char. He explained that there were 2 quest systems implemented, one being older and one newer, and the older ones did not show up in your quest log. You had to single click yourself and look there for it, and with these older quest types, you could only have one activated at a time. The fact was that I had another quest already started (Doom demon bone quest) and I had to resign from that one in order for the transpowder quest to be offered to me.

He/she treated me like an intelligent human being who was capable of understanding how this worked, and the problem was fixed. It was a delightful contrast to a ********, pre-written suggestion to go write a bug report.

The initial suggestion to go blow mys--- oh I mean, write a bug report - - was not optimal. I wonder why that had to be the initial response, when a GM who recognized the issue and helped me was available?

BTW I think that their queue system stops working entirely now and then - that would be when you get no queue number at all. It might mean that no GMs are logged into the system at the time? Or maybe it crashes sometimes and if GMs happen to not be logged in, they naturally don't fix it until their shift starts? I noticed in one situation where the Help-Stuck did not work while at the same time you got no queue number when you put a page in. Those things may be associated with each other.

hmmmmm.

 

[Revenant2]

You guys must be sending the wrong messages to the GMs. Whenever I page a GM usually get a GM to show up and assist me (sometimes in the chat, but usualy in person).

Hmmm I have never seen a GM manifest since I've been back (about a year and a half).

When I was doing GM type work on my private shard I preferred to be invisible. I did this for a number of reasons, the big one being you just attract SO much attention when you manifest. It's like what everyone is doing screeches to a halt when a GM appears out of nowhere. As a GM you don't want to go around interrupting things this way, and also, you get things done faster when you stay invisible due to lack of interruptions. If someone was alone or with a small group I'd potentially manifest but, yeah, never when I had a real chunk of work to do.

 

[Faith]

The GMs are usually only visible to you...