So for them to be super active on forums would mean they would have to hire a guy to do just that.
They did his name is Glen 'Famine' Swan.
When you don't even get the classic "it's a known issue, we are looking into it" you are being ignored.
Tarib and Famine are the community managers yes, but I doubt their only task for that position is to sit and write "it's a known issue, we are looking into it" on every question.
Playing: Battlefield - Bad company (Xbox360) Arma2, DFO (PC) On my radar: TSW, MO MMO's played: SWG (pre cu/cu), WoW, AoC, WAR, DFO, Planetside MMO's that I have tested: Lotro, L2, Aion, Ryzom
So for them to be super active on forums would mean they would have to hire a guy to do just that.
They did his name is Glen 'Famine' Swan.
When you don't even get the classic "it's a known issue, we are looking into it" you are being ignored.
Tarib and Famine are the community managers yes, but I doubt their only task for that position is to sit and write "it's a known issue, we are looking into it" on every question.
It takes 5 seconds, shuts up the masses and is S.O.P. for FunCom. When you don't even get that reply you know your issue is so far down on their list they don't even bother.
So for them to be super active on forums would mean they would have to hire a guy to do just that.
They did his name is Glen 'Famine' Swan.
When you don't even get the classic "it's a known issue, we are looking into it" you are being ignored.
Tarib and Famine are the community managers yes, but I doubt their only task for that position is to sit and write "it's a known issue, we are looking into it" on every question.
It takes 5 seconds, shuts up the masses and is S.O.P. for FunCom. When you don't even get that reply you know your issue is so far down on their list they don't even bother.
No matter what funcom does they can't 100% win in this situation as investigating each question/case and giving the correct answer will take time but would be the best for all. However it isn't a good solution for Funcom as it takes up lots of resources. If they had started posting a standard reply to each thread just to show they read them then people would accuse them for just posting a standard reply to cover up that they don't care.
Playing: Battlefield - Bad company (Xbox360) Arma2, DFO (PC) On my radar: TSW, MO MMO's played: SWG (pre cu/cu), WoW, AoC, WAR, DFO, Planetside MMO's that I have tested: Lotro, L2, Aion, Ryzom
Most likely with the lack of any decent MMO's now and in the near future hundreds of thousands will no longer enjoy wasting our time gaming and will be forced to be productive pulling us out of this recession. College kids will have more time to get better grades and learn HOW TO MAKE A FUKIN MMO!!! So, soon, in about 4 to 6 years we will all be happy again in a perfect MMO world hopefully before we have to start wearing depends.
My account went out, a moment ago. I like this Game, very much. I will rebuy after Patch 1.05 is out.
But there is one Thing that really disturbs me, there is no actual gaining in the pvp-minigames....I like them, I like them good. But I can t stand the killing without winning strategie. Besides that, I want to gain something.....
Just give the Players pvp-ep for a win, and maybe lesser points from a loss.
First off the graphics in DX 9 are pretty fantastic, back in January I posted as to I was wondering why they were putting so much emphasis on the DX10 client when the DX9 was perfectly adequate. Secondly for them to keep insisting on calling the DX the test version after it was put on the main servers simply tells me that this is as good as it gets and they know it sucks but to save face they still call it the test version because they can't do any better. Sorry boys and girls but once it hits the main servers it is no longer the test version but is now the live version. Thirdly what game are you headed to next ?
At this point. None.
Thanks to Age of Conan, I also have been weaned off the old style of global cooldown turn based combat. Until another game brings some type of "action" to it's combat, I will be hard put to touch anything.
This is the worst part as I love the game, but I think customer service is key, and Funcom has let me know how this works. It doesn't. I need to talk with my wallet as others should, as no complaining will work if they blow you off.
So far on the horizon I see Champions Online (but not a big superhero buff...hated City of Heroes) Aion (may be too high fantasy, but combat looks better than most slow mo MMO's) and Huxley has finnaly got a distributor in the US and part of Europe.
Right now...playing Xbox 360
Cheers
FC-FamineFuncom Community ManagerMemberUncommonPosts: 278
Originally posted by openedge1
I have decided to let my sub expire next month due to a major concern with Funcom, not the game. I think this has been an ongoing problem for the company. So many people love the game, but like myself, have been experiencing one issue that has existed for months on end, and has been noted as a "known" issue...but with no tech support. We have known that the main forums have been wrought with mods who take it upon themselves to delete any post even remotely mentioning leaving, but it had to be said (and yes, I got a reprimand). But, it looks like players really do need to talk with their pocket books to show Funcom we mean business. Basically, the DX10 implementation has been shoddy at best. But, for myself it is 100% unusable. Issues with no mouse controls and no widescreen resolutions below 1650 has been problematic. But, DX9 has worked, so it has not been a concern. What is a concern is after every patch, it still has not been fixed, and I report it everytime, and I have posted to the forums including Testlive. I have offered to help in any way possible to get this fixed. It is even noted as "known" by the Devs, But, no effort has been made to fix it, and I basically said "I see that maybe this company does not want my money" (which got a swift delete and a demerit on my account). And that leaves me closing down, and taking my wallet with me. They must NOT want the cash instead of working with me on the problem. I urge anyone else who also sees an issue to make sure it is handled, if not, then move on as well. The company has really let an excellent game be filled with hacks, bots, tech issues, and are more worried about the new patch to slow down leveling and make gear more "WoW" like in stats, than ongoing problems. Anyways, just to let others know. This is such an awesome game, but since launch it has always had one issue. Funcom. And this seems to be an ongoing concern. Good luck Funcom.
It's a shame to see you go Openedge. I say this because I do follow your posts and rather enjoy reading your feedback. Which might I say, is almost unknown in a non-official community where most developers don't tend to actually admit they do read your every move in the other gaming forums here.
Speaking on your post though. There are issues that will not be handled tomorrow. It's all apart of creating and maintaining a game. I would not go as far as to say your threads were ignored but instead letting you know that WE know it exists. The time to get to those issues is something we have to deal with daily because there simply is not enough resources to fix everything today and not enough time to do it all by tomorrow.
Now I'm not too sure if you're referring to Testlive patches not fixing the issues you're reporting on the Testlive forums or live but I wouldn't look at those updates (that don't include what you and others have suggested) as being ignored. If there is a bug, we will fix it. We have no gain in not fixing bugs that effect our game. The thing that most forget is like mentioned above, the time it takes and what we need in order to fix it. I know it's cool to assume we are all masters of what we command but we also have to give our developers some freedom to take time and address it. If we don't have time (crucial issues) then we need to get our heads together and fix it like now. But of course in reality that's not something commonly accepted looking on the outside in (your perspective).
Again, I'm only here to help stress how important it is we get things fixed and that you don't feel like you're being ignored. It's a hard job to do because it is a massively multiplayer game. But I will miss your posts for sure and as long as you know that then there is hope you don't feel it was for nothing...
Glen ''Famine'' Swan Senior Assistant Community Manager - Funcom
I'd just like to urge the TC to try to understand the complexity of these game systems, especially when it comes to graphical issues. These things take time to resolve. You said yourself that the issue is noted as being a recognized issue. This means they're working on it. They're not ignoring it if it is acknowledged. More than likely, they're simply having trouble resolving it and have other things taking up their time. I guarantee their bug quashing team does not lounge around purposefully ignoring bugs.
These things are exceptionally complicated. I understand you may be frustrated, but if they could snap their fingers and solve the issue I'm sure they would. Despite how simple things may seem to the user, there's almost always an exceptionally complex system behind the simplicity, often tied into many other systems, which can also be affected by changes made and must also be observed and changed. Software debugging is not a simple task, even in relatively simple applications. An MMORPG is the antithesis of a simple application.
I have decided to let my sub expire next month due to a major concern with Funcom, not the game. I think this has been an ongoing problem for the company. So many people love the game, but like myself, have been experiencing one issue that has existed for months on end, and has been noted as a "known" issue...but with no tech support. We have known that the main forums have been wrought with mods who take it upon themselves to delete any post even remotely mentioning leaving, but it had to be said (and yes, I got a reprimand). But, it looks like players really do need to talk with their pocket books to show Funcom we mean business. Basically, the DX10 implementation has been shoddy at best. But, for myself it is 100% unusable. Issues with no mouse controls and no widescreen resolutions below 1650 has been problematic. But, DX9 has worked, so it has not been a concern. What is a concern is after every patch, it still has not been fixed, and I report it everytime, and I have posted to the forums including Testlive. I have offered to help in any way possible to get this fixed. It is even noted as "known" by the Devs, But, no effort has been made to fix it, and I basically said "I see that maybe this company does not want my money" (which got a swift delete and a demerit on my account). And that leaves me closing down, and taking my wallet with me. They must NOT want the cash instead of working with me on the problem. I urge anyone else who also sees an issue to make sure it is handled, if not, then move on as well. The company has really let an excellent game be filled with hacks, bots, tech issues, and are more worried about the new patch to slow down leveling and make gear more "WoW" like in stats, than ongoing problems. Anyways, just to let others know. This is such an awesome game, but since launch it has always had one issue. Funcom. And this seems to be an ongoing concern. Good luck Funcom.
It's a shame to see you go Openedge. I say this because I do follow your posts and rather enjoy reading your feedback. Which might I say, is almost unknown in a non-official community where most developers don't tend to actually admit they do read your every move in the other gaming forums here.
Speaking on your post though. There are issues that will not be handled tomorrow. It's all apart of creating and maintaining a game. I would not go as far as to say your threads were ignored but instead letting you know that WE know it exists. The time to get to those issues is something we have to deal with daily because there simply is not enough resources to fix everything today and not enough time to do it all by tomorrow.
Now I'm not too sure if you're referring to Testlive patches not fixing the issues you're reporting on the Testlive forums or live but I wouldn't look at those updates (that don't include what you and others have suggested) as being ignored. If there is a bug, we will fix it. We have no gain in not fixing bugs that effect our game. The thing that most forget is like mentioned above, the time it takes and what we need in order to fix it. I know it's cool to assume we are all masters of what we command but we also have to give our developers some freedom to take time and address it. If we don't have time (crucial issues) then we need to get our heads together and fix it like now. But of course in reality that's not something commonly accepted looking on the outside in (your perspective).
Again, I'm only here to help stress how important it is we get things fixed and that you don't feel like you're being ignored. It's a hard job to do because it is a massively multiplayer game. But I will miss your posts for sure and as long as you know that then there is hope you don't feel it was for nothing...
I appreciate the reply.
I have really stuck up for the game as a whole, as I think it is a good...no a great game. But, as your post speaks volumes, I will say this based on what you have written...
"the time it takes and what we need in order to fix it"
I do not doubt for a second that the code is difficult and hard to work with, and that makes sense that it will take time. To me though 4-5 months is a ridiculously long time for something like this. But, even if it takes time, the responsiveness of the team as a whole is crucial in this situation. Simple lists of "known issues" in a stickied post is one way. We know what lists YOU guys deem important, and we can focus on testing these issues also. But, we don't. All I know is the 1.05 changes (which seem overly drastic) are the core. Thus bugs and hacks still exist.
As well, if an issue exists, I would hope that the team would be working with us to find a solution, which instead I see "canned" responses instead of "send us data" posts.
I am not a big fan of Turbine, but if anything these guys were adamant about collecting data on each issue, in threads on their forums, and having many others discuss the problem fully. All I have seen for Funcom are ignored posts for weeks on end. Take Testlive, where there are threads on DX10 totally zombified due to being so dead. How are YOU guys suppose to test an item that is noted as a "test" piece of code if you are not even discussing the "test" issues....lol.
The worst part? If I leave I will never know my particular problem is fixed, as the response is next to nil. If I do not know if my issue is fixed, I may never return...that is what sucks.
Maybe I just need a rest, and I may feel inclined to return, but I will find it hard to see the game survive if these types of departures continue.
I hope that while I am gone the game really progresses beyond these issues.
I'd just like to urge the TC to try to understand the complexity of these game systems, especially when it comes to graphical issues. These things take time to resolve. You said yourself that the issue is noted as being a recognized issue. This means they're working on it. They're not ignoring it if it is acknowledged. More than likely, they're simply having trouble resolving it and have other things taking up their time. I guarantee their bug quashing team does not lounge around purposefully ignoring bugs.
These things are exceptionally complicated. I understand you may be frustrated, but if they could snap their fingers and solve the issue I'm sure they would. Despite how simple things may seem to the user, there's almost always an exceptionally complex system behind the simplicity, often tied into many other systems, which can also be affected by changes made and must also be observed and changed. Software debugging is not a simple task, even in relatively simple applications. An MMORPG is the antithesis of a simple application.
And we must remember. It is MORE than the issue itself, but instead the commitment of the team to issues. As I just posted, there is no "known" issues post, so how would we as players know it is known, except for the fact I had to post multiple times before I got this response to begin with.
Then the thread sat for another month with nothing before I did a reminder again, which sat for another week with no response.
This is where the issue lies. It is back to what people complained about in the beginning...communication.
The key to keeping customers happy.
I hope they make some moves before my time is up (May 16th)...but clear communication is key to the survival of the game, and with no responses, I will not continue to beg for help. I pay a monthly fee, and support is nil. Who do I call? How do I get my issue handled? If the game was free this would not be a problem. But, like cable service, telephone, restaurants, whatever...we pay for these services. If we are not served, then we cancel...simple.
If this problem was just a month in, I would not be leaving. 4-5 months is not a normal situation, and a service I pay for is not being offered...and believe me, no one gets my money for free.
Make sense?
I agree MMO's are not easy, but I also do not see an ongoing issue months on end as a normal issue either. It needs a fierce dedication to being fixed, or give me a refund.
No refunds in the MMO business, so we must talk with our money and move on.
Sometimes shouting it from the mountain pays off. I am having my issue looked into.
As long as we are willing to work together, problems can be resolved without the headache or heartache. This is important to me. I think it is important to all customers. We pay for a service, and want to feel like we are getting our moneys worth.
If a customer has a concern and points it out multiple times, but gets no response, you can bet they will be upset.
Can you imagine how many actually just leave the game instead of making their case known?
Personally I am glad this is being handled, and it makes me see that at least an effort is being made. And if that is the case, I am willing to pay for that continued commitment.
I dunno Edge, I can't see myself following the path you just chose.
I do play games at face value, and if I ever feel that I'm not getting my money's worth I move on to a new game.
WOW, DAOC, Lineage 1/2 and countless others all provided me with entertainment until the day came when they either pissed me off (DAOC for sure) or the gameplay just became 'unfun'.
You did have it correct, you vote with your wallet. The corner you found yourself in was in thinking AOC was/is the 'only' game for you.
I find there's entertainment in almost every game, which is why I never really run out of things to play I suppose.
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
I think it was foolish of Funcom to promise DX10 when they were nowhere near implementation, but I also think it would be foolish to quit AoC over this.
IMHO I think the DX9 graphics cranked right up whip the ass of any other MMO on the market to date, which in my opinion is no cause for complaint.
I can see where the OP is coming from. Looking back I really enjoyed the game atr launch and was having a lot of fun until the first patch which broke the game for me and a lot of other people. CS was worthless and never replied to my support ticket or did any FC emplyee ever post in the 30 plus page long thread adressing that the affected players started in the tech forums. I finally formatted the hard drive on one of my computers and did a total reinstall of the game and the operating system to get it to work. After that I had a sour taste in my mouth for FC and even though the game ran fine after the reformat it had somehow lost it's fun factor. It wqas like they did not give a crap about me so why should I send them money.
I miss DAoC
AmazingAveryAge of Conan AdvocateMemberUncommonPosts: 7,188
Originally posted by openedge1
Just an update. Sometimes shouting it from the mountain pays off. I am having my issue looked into. As long as we are willing to work together, problems can be resolved without the headache or heartache. This is important to me. I think it is important to all customers. We pay for a service, and want to feel like we are getting our moneys worth. If a customer has a concern and points it out multiple times, but gets no response, you can bet they will be upset. Can you imagine how many actually just leave the game instead of making their case known? Personally I am glad this is being handled, and it makes me see that at least an effort is being made. And if that is the case, I am willing to pay for that continued commitment. Thank you for looking into this Funcom!
Hey thats good news mate! I did see Haven's reply earlier at work. If it gets resolved satisfactorily can you let me know what the issue was with the screen rez thing. I have been scratching my head with that and tried to do some research last night with similar things in other games but didn't get far.
Like you said it is a two way process, and now there is decent chatter at both ends. I do understand though that they can't look at everyone individually and reply like that. Rather one would hope that the issue in the bug tracker would be flagged as ongoing for a while for someone to come back with some more info. Then again it seems like the nature of the business is that it is just to open and bigger priorities take over where and when needed. How that all correlates on in the process order I am not familar with here.
Fingers crossed that it is resolved adequately for you.
FC-FamineFuncom Community ManagerMemberUncommonPosts: 278
Yeah, very nice indeed. I think this is one for the leads to see *forwards off to their inboxes*.
Glen ''Famine'' Swan Senior Assistant Community Manager - Funcom
At this point. None. Thanks to Age of Conan, I also have been weaned off the old style of global cooldown turn based combat. Until another game brings some type of "action" to it's combat, I will be hard put to touch anything. Cheers
same boat. tried aion beta, after aoc i cant play it. its very polished, very stable, has crafting and im a very big fan of seamless world and flying but combat...and no collision. cant return to that
You did have it correct, you vote with your wallet. The corner you found yourself in was in thinking AOC was/is the 'only' game for you. I find there's entertainment in almost every game, which is why I never really run out of things to play I suppose. I use to be able to agree, as I was able to move to other MMO's, because they all felt the same anyways, so I was not breaking any molds. Age of Conan did exactly that. I cannot play WoW or EQ2 or LOTRO, etc, etc...due to the slow mo combat and muddy or cartoony visuals. Thus, I will instead either wait for the next gen game to come along that uses the same format of gameplay (MMO wise) or not play any more MMO's. Single player games will suffice. So many games to try, so little time. And I already have. That is the issue. Name a game and I have probably tried it, so this is a moot point.
All I DO know is I hope this either gets rectified or I walk. We as customers do not need to have these games take advantage of our monthly fees thinking their service is good enough...when it is not. Cheers
At this point. None. Thanks to Age of Conan, I also have been weaned off the old style of global cooldown turn based combat. Until another game brings some type of "action" to it's combat, I will be hard put to touch anything. Cheers
same boat. tried aion beta, after aoc i cant play it. its very polished, very stable, has crafting and im a very big fan of seamless world and flying but combat...and no collision. cant return to that
I think this will be for all people who LIKE AoC. If someone does not feel it, then of course, any game will suffice. But, for us, Age of Conan really broke me from the rut of Kill 10x, press 1, wait, press 2 wait combat with ugly visuals.
I wish this to be fixed, and I have 3 weeks for Funcom to figure it out. At least they are willing to work on it. That is what I wanted all along.
I think this will be for all people who LIKE AoC. If someone does not feel it, then of course, any game will suffice. But, for us, Age of Conan really broke me from the rut of Kill 10x, press 1, wait, press 2 wait combat with ugly visuals. I wish this to be fixed, and I have 3 weeks for Funcom to figure it out. At least they are willing to work on it. That is what I wanted all along. Cheers
Its frusturating you know. they had a gem and they've pretty much wasted it. And they should've known better. Making so many rookie mistakes. AoC is like skill based character, sacrificed many to excel at some.
First off the graphics in DX 9 are pretty fantastic, back in January I posted as to I was wondering why they were putting so much emphasis on the DX10 client when the DX9 was perfectly adequate.
I suspect they are working on the dx10 version, because dx10 not only looks better, but is a very significant performance boost in graphics. This is based on a few microsoft developer and game developer articles I have read where they talk about the major changes in dx9 vs dx10.
I have a background in programming so I understood in a basic sense everything the articles referenced, but for the life of me I doubt I could do a decent job trying to explain it to anyone else. Things like making one function call to draw multiple objects in DX10 as opposed to a seperate function call for every object to be drawn on the screen.
The OP had a perfectly valid complaint, and voiced it in a mature and articulate manner. His complaint was addressed, probably due to the fact that he didn't pepper his post with "lol", like an idiot teenager . The very fact that his complaint was addressed means his thread wasn't useless at all.
Useless posts look something like this: "Lol what a useless emo thread. OP was needy and wanted some attention. When Funcom didn't give it to him, he came here crying. Here he got some attention and he felt better. Then he got even more attention and now everything is ok again. Lol."
Originally posted by Variant13 The OP had a perfectly valid complaint, and voiced it in a mature and articulate manner. His complaint was addressed, probably due to the fact that he didn't pepper his post with "lol", like an idiot teenager . The very fact that his complaint was addressed means his thread wasn't useless at all. Useless posts look something like this: "Lol what a useless emo thread. OP was needy and wanted some attention. When Funcom didn't give it to him, he came here crying. Here he got some attention and he felt better. Then he got even more attention and now everything is ok again. Lol."
Comments
So for them to be super active on forums would mean they would have to hire a guy to do just that.
They did his name is Glen 'Famine' Swan.
When you don't even get the classic "it's a known issue, we are looking into it" you are being ignored.
So for them to be super active on forums would mean they would have to hire a guy to do just that.
They did his name is Glen 'Famine' Swan.
When you don't even get the classic "it's a known issue, we are looking into it" you are being ignored.
Tarib and Famine are the community managers yes, but I doubt their only task for that position is to sit and write "it's a known issue, we are looking into it" on every question.
Playing: Battlefield - Bad company (Xbox360) Arma2, DFO (PC)
On my radar: TSW, MO
MMO's played: SWG (pre cu/cu), WoW, AoC, WAR, DFO, Planetside
MMO's that I have tested: Lotro, L2, Aion, Ryzom
So for them to be super active on forums would mean they would have to hire a guy to do just that.
They did his name is Glen 'Famine' Swan.
When you don't even get the classic "it's a known issue, we are looking into it" you are being ignored.
Tarib and Famine are the community managers yes, but I doubt their only task for that position is to sit and write "it's a known issue, we are looking into it" on every question.
It takes 5 seconds, shuts up the masses and is S.O.P. for FunCom. When you don't even get that reply you know your issue is so far down on their list they don't even bother.
So for them to be super active on forums would mean they would have to hire a guy to do just that.
They did his name is Glen 'Famine' Swan.
When you don't even get the classic "it's a known issue, we are looking into it" you are being ignored.
Tarib and Famine are the community managers yes, but I doubt their only task for that position is to sit and write "it's a known issue, we are looking into it" on every question.
It takes 5 seconds, shuts up the masses and is S.O.P. for FunCom. When you don't even get that reply you know your issue is so far down on their list they don't even bother.
No matter what funcom does they can't 100% win in this situation as investigating each question/case and giving the correct answer will take time but would be the best for all. However it isn't a good solution for Funcom as it takes up lots of resources. If they had started posting a standard reply to each thread just to show they read them then people would accuse them for just posting a standard reply to cover up that they don't care.
Playing: Battlefield - Bad company (Xbox360) Arma2, DFO (PC)
On my radar: TSW, MO
MMO's played: SWG (pre cu/cu), WoW, AoC, WAR, DFO, Planetside
MMO's that I have tested: Lotro, L2, Aion, Ryzom
Most likely with the lack of any decent MMO's now and in the near future hundreds of thousands will no longer enjoy wasting our time gaming and will be forced to be productive pulling us out of this recession. College kids will have more time to get better grades and learn HOW TO MAKE A FUKIN MMO!!! So, soon, in about 4 to 6 years we will all be happy again in a perfect MMO world hopefully before we have to start wearing depends.
My account went out, a moment ago. I like this Game, very much. I will rebuy after Patch 1.05 is out.
But there is one Thing that really disturbs me, there is no actual gaining in the pvp-minigames....I like them, I like them good. But I can t stand the killing without winning strategie. Besides that, I want to gain something.....
Just give the Players pvp-ep for a win, and maybe lesser points from a loss.
At this point. None.
Thanks to Age of Conan, I also have been weaned off the old style of global cooldown turn based combat. Until another game brings some type of "action" to it's combat, I will be hard put to touch anything.
This is the worst part as I love the game, but I think customer service is key, and Funcom has let me know how this works. It doesn't. I need to talk with my wallet as others should, as no complaining will work if they blow you off.
So far on the horizon I see Champions Online (but not a big superhero buff...hated City of Heroes) Aion (may be too high fantasy, but combat looks better than most slow mo MMO's) and Huxley has finnaly got a distributor in the US and part of Europe.
Right now...playing Xbox 360
Cheers
It's a shame to see you go Openedge. I say this because I do follow your posts and rather enjoy reading your feedback. Which might I say, is almost unknown in a non-official community where most developers don't tend to actually admit they do read your every move in the other gaming forums here.
Speaking on your post though. There are issues that will not be handled tomorrow. It's all apart of creating and maintaining a game. I would not go as far as to say your threads were ignored but instead letting you know that WE know it exists. The time to get to those issues is something we have to deal with daily because there simply is not enough resources to fix everything today and not enough time to do it all by tomorrow.
Now I'm not too sure if you're referring to Testlive patches not fixing the issues you're reporting on the Testlive forums or live but I wouldn't look at those updates (that don't include what you and others have suggested) as being ignored. If there is a bug, we will fix it. We have no gain in not fixing bugs that effect our game. The thing that most forget is like mentioned above, the time it takes and what we need in order to fix it. I know it's cool to assume we are all masters of what we command but we also have to give our developers some freedom to take time and address it. If we don't have time (crucial issues) then we need to get our heads together and fix it like now. But of course in reality that's not something commonly accepted looking on the outside in (your perspective).
Again, I'm only here to help stress how important it is we get things fixed and that you don't feel like you're being ignored. It's a hard job to do because it is a massively multiplayer game. But I will miss your posts for sure and as long as you know that then there is hope you don't feel it was for nothing...
Glen ''Famine'' Swan
Senior Assistant Community Manager - Funcom
I'd just like to urge the TC to try to understand the complexity of these game systems, especially when it comes to graphical issues. These things take time to resolve. You said yourself that the issue is noted as being a recognized issue. This means they're working on it. They're not ignoring it if it is acknowledged. More than likely, they're simply having trouble resolving it and have other things taking up their time. I guarantee their bug quashing team does not lounge around purposefully ignoring bugs.
These things are exceptionally complicated. I understand you may be frustrated, but if they could snap their fingers and solve the issue I'm sure they would. Despite how simple things may seem to the user, there's almost always an exceptionally complex system behind the simplicity, often tied into many other systems, which can also be affected by changes made and must also be observed and changed. Software debugging is not a simple task, even in relatively simple applications. An MMORPG is the antithesis of a simple application.
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It's a shame to see you go Openedge. I say this because I do follow your posts and rather enjoy reading your feedback. Which might I say, is almost unknown in a non-official community where most developers don't tend to actually admit they do read your every move in the other gaming forums here.
Speaking on your post though. There are issues that will not be handled tomorrow. It's all apart of creating and maintaining a game. I would not go as far as to say your threads were ignored but instead letting you know that WE know it exists. The time to get to those issues is something we have to deal with daily because there simply is not enough resources to fix everything today and not enough time to do it all by tomorrow.
Now I'm not too sure if you're referring to Testlive patches not fixing the issues you're reporting on the Testlive forums or live but I wouldn't look at those updates (that don't include what you and others have suggested) as being ignored. If there is a bug, we will fix it. We have no gain in not fixing bugs that effect our game. The thing that most forget is like mentioned above, the time it takes and what we need in order to fix it. I know it's cool to assume we are all masters of what we command but we also have to give our developers some freedom to take time and address it. If we don't have time (crucial issues) then we need to get our heads together and fix it like now. But of course in reality that's not something commonly accepted looking on the outside in (your perspective).
Again, I'm only here to help stress how important it is we get things fixed and that you don't feel like you're being ignored. It's a hard job to do because it is a massively multiplayer game. But I will miss your posts for sure and as long as you know that then there is hope you don't feel it was for nothing...
I appreciate the reply.
I have really stuck up for the game as a whole, as I think it is a good...no a great game. But, as your post speaks volumes, I will say this based on what you have written...
"the time it takes and what we need in order to fix it"
I do not doubt for a second that the code is difficult and hard to work with, and that makes sense that it will take time. To me though 4-5 months is a ridiculously long time for something like this. But, even if it takes time, the responsiveness of the team as a whole is crucial in this situation. Simple lists of "known issues" in a stickied post is one way. We know what lists YOU guys deem important, and we can focus on testing these issues also. But, we don't. All I know is the 1.05 changes (which seem overly drastic) are the core. Thus bugs and hacks still exist.
As well, if an issue exists, I would hope that the team would be working with us to find a solution, which instead I see "canned" responses instead of "send us data" posts.
I am not a big fan of Turbine, but if anything these guys were adamant about collecting data on each issue, in threads on their forums, and having many others discuss the problem fully. All I have seen for Funcom are ignored posts for weeks on end. Take Testlive, where there are threads on DX10 totally zombified due to being so dead. How are YOU guys suppose to test an item that is noted as a "test" piece of code if you are not even discussing the "test" issues....lol.
The worst part? If I leave I will never know my particular problem is fixed, as the response is next to nil. If I do not know if my issue is fixed, I may never return...that is what sucks.
Maybe I just need a rest, and I may feel inclined to return, but I will find it hard to see the game survive if these types of departures continue.
I hope that while I am gone the game really progresses beyond these issues.
And we must remember. It is MORE than the issue itself, but instead the commitment of the team to issues. As I just posted, there is no "known" issues post, so how would we as players know it is known, except for the fact I had to post multiple times before I got this response to begin with.
Then the thread sat for another month with nothing before I did a reminder again, which sat for another week with no response.
This is where the issue lies. It is back to what people complained about in the beginning...communication.
The key to keeping customers happy.
I hope they make some moves before my time is up (May 16th)...but clear communication is key to the survival of the game, and with no responses, I will not continue to beg for help. I pay a monthly fee, and support is nil. Who do I call? How do I get my issue handled? If the game was free this would not be a problem. But, like cable service, telephone, restaurants, whatever...we pay for these services. If we are not served, then we cancel...simple.
If this problem was just a month in, I would not be leaving. 4-5 months is not a normal situation, and a service I pay for is not being offered...and believe me, no one gets my money for free.
Make sense?
I agree MMO's are not easy, but I also do not see an ongoing issue months on end as a normal issue either. It needs a fierce dedication to being fixed, or give me a refund.
No refunds in the MMO business, so we must talk with our money and move on.
Cheers
Just an update.
Sometimes shouting it from the mountain pays off. I am having my issue looked into.
As long as we are willing to work together, problems can be resolved without the headache or heartache. This is important to me. I think it is important to all customers. We pay for a service, and want to feel like we are getting our moneys worth.
If a customer has a concern and points it out multiple times, but gets no response, you can bet they will be upset.
Can you imagine how many actually just leave the game instead of making their case known?
Personally I am glad this is being handled, and it makes me see that at least an effort is being made. And if that is the case, I am willing to pay for that continued commitment.
Thank you for looking into this Funcom!
I dunno Edge, I can't see myself following the path you just chose.
I do play games at face value, and if I ever feel that I'm not getting my money's worth I move on to a new game.
WOW, DAOC, Lineage 1/2 and countless others all provided me with entertainment until the day came when they either pissed me off (DAOC for sure) or the gameplay just became 'unfun'.
You did have it correct, you vote with your wallet. The corner you found yourself in was in thinking AOC was/is the 'only' game for you.
I find there's entertainment in almost every game, which is why I never really run out of things to play I suppose.
So many games to try, so little time.
"True friends stab you in the front." | Oscar Wilde
"I need to finish" - Christian Wolff: The Accountant
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
I think it was foolish of Funcom to promise DX10 when they were nowhere near implementation, but I also think it would be foolish to quit AoC over this.
IMHO I think the DX9 graphics cranked right up whip the ass of any other MMO on the market to date, which in my opinion is no cause for complaint.
I can see where the OP is coming from. Looking back I really enjoyed the game atr launch and was having a lot of fun until the first patch which broke the game for me and a lot of other people. CS was worthless and never replied to my support ticket or did any FC emplyee ever post in the 30 plus page long thread adressing that the affected players started in the tech forums. I finally formatted the hard drive on one of my computers and did a total reinstall of the game and the operating system to get it to work. After that I had a sour taste in my mouth for FC and even though the game ran fine after the reformat it had somehow lost it's fun factor. It wqas like they did not give a crap about me so why should I send them money.
I miss DAoC
Hey thats good news mate! I did see Haven's reply earlier at work. If it gets resolved satisfactorily can you let me know what the issue was with the screen rez thing. I have been scratching my head with that and tried to do some research last night with similar things in other games but didn't get far.
Like you said it is a two way process, and now there is decent chatter at both ends. I do understand though that they can't look at everyone individually and reply like that. Rather one would hope that the issue in the bug tracker would be flagged as ongoing for a while for someone to come back with some more info. Then again it seems like the nature of the business is that it is just to open and bigger priorities take over where and when needed. How that all correlates on in the process order I am not familar with here.
Fingers crossed that it is resolved adequately for you.
Yeah, very nice indeed. I think this is one for the leads to see *forwards off to their inboxes*.
Glen ''Famine'' Swan
Senior Assistant Community Manager - Funcom
same boat. tried aion beta, after aoc i cant play it. its very polished, very stable, has crafting and im a very big fan of seamless world and flying but combat...and no collision. cant return to that
I need more vespene gas.
same boat. tried aion beta, after aoc i cant play it. its very polished, very stable, has crafting and im a very big fan of seamless world and flying but combat...and no collision. cant return to that
I think this will be for all people who LIKE AoC. If someone does not feel it, then of course, any game will suffice. But, for us, Age of Conan really broke me from the rut of Kill 10x, press 1, wait, press 2 wait combat with ugly visuals.
I wish this to be fixed, and I have 3 weeks for Funcom to figure it out. At least they are willing to work on it. That is what I wanted all along.
Cheers
Its frusturating you know. they had a gem and they've pretty much wasted it. And they should've known better. Making so many rookie mistakes. AoC is like skill based character, sacrificed many to excel at some.
I need more vespene gas.
I suspect they are working on the dx10 version, because dx10 not only looks better, but is a very significant performance boost in graphics. This is based on a few microsoft developer and game developer articles I have read where they talk about the major changes in dx9 vs dx10.
I have a background in programming so I understood in a basic sense everything the articles referenced, but for the life of me I doubt I could do a decent job trying to explain it to anyone else. Things like making one function call to draw multiple objects in DX10 as opposed to a seperate function call for every object to be drawn on the screen.
The OP had a perfectly valid complaint, and voiced it in a mature and articulate manner. His complaint was addressed, probably due to the fact that he didn't pepper his post with "lol", like an idiot teenager . The very fact that his complaint was addressed means his thread wasn't useless at all.
Useless posts look something like this: "Lol what a useless emo thread. OP was needy and wanted some attention. When Funcom didn't give it to him, he came here crying. Here he got some attention and he felt better. Then he got even more attention and now everything is ok again. Lol."
its been a while since i saw total ownage. gg
I need more vespene gas.
Thanks for all the posts of support.
I am moving this now to my blog, and keeping a journal. We have 3 weeks, and if anything I really want to track how this is being handled.
I got my first email from Funcom, and have answered their requests of data on what I have done and my DXDiag report.
Lets see how this plays out shall we?
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