Explain why this is a bad thing again, I am old and slow. What is wrong with offering a short-term, limited opportunity? Like on the TV when you see the offer seconds ticking down ....
Have you read this thread?
#1 it told the existing playerbase and the people who pre ordered and beta tested and defended this game that 3 weeks after release they had overpaid BIG TIME.
#2 then hthey wont even honor the new deal they offered to the people who took it and are pretending there never was a deal
It is easy to fix #1, just give out free time, or free Cryptic Points, or free veterans rewards. Tell the user community that you're sorry, since you made a marketing mistake, all the pre-orders and lifers get a bonus. The bonus could be a bit better than the offer, to make amends. Easy.
#2 is a bit sticky. The Net does not have a Memory Hole, yet.
It is easy to fix #1, just give out free time, or free Cryptic Points, or free veterans rewards. Tell the user community that you're sorry, since you made a marketing mistake, all the pre-orders and lifers get a bonus. The bonus could be a bit better than the offer, to make amends. Easy. #2 is a bit sticky. The Net does not have a Memory Hole, yet.
I was writing up my own #1 and #2 while you guys were having this dialog. I think the problem with your suggestion with fixing #1 is that they already had so many bonuses and rewards tied into pre-ordering the game. People were buying 2, 3 as many as 7 different copies of the game, just so they could get all the different bonus cheese from all the different sources. It would be hard for them to offer an in-game item that would equate in value to 60 days free play, that wouldn't alienate every future customer of the game that didn't have access.
Really I could care less what they do. If they want to slash prices big deal thats their right its their game. If they want to give out 60 free days vs. the 30 I got, again I could care less I hit admiral after a week and a half of casual playing so what can they do with 60 that I havent already done with 30. They will run out of content and end up sitting around just like me but they do it for an extra month.
But if they did make the deal they need to honor it. I do think its pretty messed up to put up an offer have consumers buy it then decide, OOPS we fked up lets act like nothing happend. That I dont agree with. But you can take solace that even if you dont get your 60 days you havent really lost anything you will run out of sht to do long before you hit 30. I do feel for all of you that got taken.
And its a shame cuz I really was gonna stick around and give them a chance to make good with the big content patches and all the nifty new ideas they were talking about. From what they were saying the game had potential to become a decent mmo. But after this I really cant see them getting the chance now. Way too many people are watchng them and this is prolly the straw that broke the camels back. Too bad for you Cryptic you could have pulled yourselves from the fire till this BS.
I am just glad all this happend before my 30 days were up. I cancelled my sub just in the nick of time.
I've heard many voicing concerns that we will not be honoring this sale for anyone who took advantage of it this weekend. This is not the case at all, and anyone who decided to take advantage of the offer will receive what they purchased, as advertised.
Reading over at TenTonHammer's forum, not only did a customer who bought the package not get the +60 day bonus, he was charged for "free" shipping. When he called, Atari wouldn't issue a refund and hung up on him twice. When he tried taking his complaint to the forum, he was banned for discussing the matter. He ended up having his credit card company do a charge-back and has to wait another 8 days before he'll see his money again (see link below).
I also read a complaint from a lifetime subscriber who stated that Atari wouldn't honor his refund when he tried to cancel his LT subscription. He was told he had until March 3rd (the same day the +60 deal was to end), but was denied a refund when he called on the 1st.
I'd be really surprised if both Atari and Cryptic don't get slapped with a lawsuit over this whole fiasco.
I wonder what Amazon, Steam, Game Stop, etc feel about Atari discounting their product and offering a deal that they can't match. I bet they won't be very interested in selling Atari's titles in the future.
I purchased the standard edition for my son. The order is not processed but when I checked out I was charged shipping even though shipping was supposed to be free. I ordered before there was any change on their website.
I have not received any emails with the key for the additional 60 days.
There has been an addendum to one of the posts where Phoxe says that all orders placed prior to the ad being taken down will be honored. I guess time will tell.
I think many people have already started reporting them to the BBB and FTC and other agencies.
I have to wonder what CBS/Paramount/Viacom have to be thinking or if they know. If this hits the main stream media who knows what might happen.
BBB doesn't do jack. FTC is also a joke as far as consumer protection goes. BBB sits on complaints and the FTC only acts if it's in their best interest (if it makes them look good). Customers would be better served either contacting their attorney general or taking the matter directly to their lawyer (or the press...if they'll listen). (IMHO)
Cryptic is really failing its customers. I was suckered with Champions, and knew better than to buy into the hoopla surrounding STO. I played in beta and wasn't that impressed, and just knowing that Cryptic was behind it was a definite turn off. I feel sorry for the people duped, yet again, by Cryptic.
I was going to pick this up today, have a few extra bucks and 90 days is a decent deal.
Now, I'm not sure I will.
All seems kinda shadey. Kind of like the saw what they offered then crunched the numbers and went Whoops!. And are now trying to get out of a very bad move on thier part.
The whole shady part started already the moment they started offering Lifetime subs BEFORE the game was released, while they knew their game was UNFINISHED and had less then 80 hours worth of content (wich in reality turned out to be even less than 40 hours !!!). No endgame. Nothing sustainable.
While decent MMO's in the past (WoW, EQ2, LOTRO and yes even AoC) offered over 200 hours worth of content right out of the gate. Had endgame. And plenty of sustainable longterm stuff.
Than the bad reviews start popping up all over the internet and lo and behold, suddenly this offer starts popping up at ATARI's site.
They know this game is going to crash and burn fast and that most players won't even see this so called 45-day patch.
So they just try to rake in as much cash as they can, as long as they can.
I have been saying this all along. They did the exact same thing with Champions Online. And people have been flaming me to death with it and I even received temporary bans for it!
People need to understand we deal with ATARI here now. They OWN Cryptic. ATARI is a company with a very very bad history.
They went belly up twice already in the past and been resurrected twice and are in their third management installment now.
They are facing several lawsuits at the moment, with a high chance for them to lose it, having to fork out over 24 million of dollars in fine, losing the D&D IP and so might go belly up a third time! And then lets hope they won't return from the grave this time and stay there!
If people really think that Electronic Arts is the devil. Well think again. ATARI is far far worse and has done worse.
And now ATARI and Cryptic have started to show their true colors at last with STO this weekend. Are people still dissagreeing with me (even the mods on this site) ?
Have a nice day! (and yes I already insta canceled my sub 2 weeks ago and try to erase Cryptic from my retinas)
PS. I also think that MMORPG.com needs to ditch the STO add, swallow it up! Step up FOR the cummunity and create an article on this on the frontpage!
We don't want these kind of companies to continue like they are. They are bad for the MMO genre and pull it into the gutter.
But worst of all here. Is that they also pull the Star Trek franchise into the gutter as well. A franchise that was already struggling this decade and finally came around with the new movie last year! /facepalm!
So I really really hope CBS Paramount has gotten air of this as well and are going to act. As it really is hurting the franchise.
I hope the people who bought the game during the +60 days offer scream blue murder. Cryptic has neither scruples nor a sense of shame in its pursuit of money.
What would they scream about? That they get what was advertised, which was told them within one buisness day from taking down the ad? And saying cryptic is at fault for this is like saying texas started the iraq war. Im not conviced cryptic has any say whatsoever over ataris own store and buisness practices. Bought entities are usually not consulted in stuff like that, cause you know, atari can just say STFU to cryptic, cause they kinda own them.
I mean sure, i got used to the flame cryptic gets for STO and its early release, but ... dont you think you have to stop somewhere? They are just a bunch of devs, artists and maybe a coffee lady or two. Not like they are responsible for global warming or stuff. Besides its not like you cant complain directly to atari and have to go through a middleman.
I mean obviously atari screwed up, for all we know it could have been a typo *flame on*, because everyone i talked to that actually clicked the link got redirected to a page that only had the pricecut with regular 30 days. I thought it was just me cause im european at first, but some Americans told me the same. Anyone have a screen of the ataristore with the 60 days offer(or remembers for sure they where mentioned there)?
I hope the people who bought the game during the +60 days offer scream blue murder. Cryptic has neither scruples nor a sense of shame in its pursuit of money.
What would they scream about? That they get what was advertised, which was told them within one buisness day from taking down the ad? And saying cryptic is at fault for this is like saying texas started the iraq war. Im not conviced cryptic has any say whatsoever over ataris own store and buisness practices. Bought entities are usually not consulted in stuff like that, cause you know, atari can just say STFU to cryptic, cause they kinda own them.
I mean sure, i got used to the flame cryptic gets for STO and its early release, but ... dont you think you have to stop somewhere? They are just a bunch of devs, artists and maybe a coffee lady or two. Not like they are responsible for global warming or stuff. Besides its not like you cant complain directly to atari and have to go through a middleman.
I mean obviously atari screwed up, for all we know it could have been a typo *flame on*, because everyone i talked to that actually clicked the link got redirected to a page that only had the pricecut with regular 30 days. I thought it was just me cause im european at first, but some Americans told me the same. Anyone have a screen of the ataristore with the 60 days offer(or remembers for sure they where mentioned there)?
It's Cryptic doing damage control on their part. As their own forums were getting completely out of hand. They mods couldn't even keep up. So ofcourse Cryptic tries to control damage. Doesn't mean anything will trully happen. That needs to be seen now.
ATARI however couldn't care less. They hung up the phone on everyone who tried to call them about them being scharged for shipping and only 30 free days being granted instead of 90 days. People even got their accounts banned on the ATARI forums.
So you do the math. As like I said in the other topic. ATARI hasn't bowed for players. It was probably some very angry retailers that gave ATARI a phone call this weekend.
They are facing several lawsuits at the moment, with a high chance for them to lose it, having to fork out over 24 million of dollars in fine, losing the D&D IP and so might go belly up a third time! And then lets hope they won't return from the grave this time and stay there! .... So I really really hope CBS Paramount has gotten air of this as well and are going to act. As it really is hurting the franchise.
Um - not quite.
Turbine is suing Atari for $30 million for not promoting the game and 'double dealing' (my phrasing - but that's the gist of it).
Based on the success of the game since DDO:Unlimited and much of the evidence Turbine has (I have read the filings) I expect Turbine to win... and get a good part of $30 million (probably not all)
THEN Hasbro is suing for many of the same reasons plus some breaches of license terms AND seeking to recover the D&D license.
IF that happens then Turbine can sue ATARI again - for additional damages because Turbine lose the license too (due to ATARI's actions)
If ATARI don't survive that then it will be interesting to see what happens? CBS may be able to recover the license by default at that point - it really depends on what the contract(s) say?
They are facing several lawsuits at the moment, with a high chance for them to lose it, having to fork out over 24 million of dollars in fine, losing the D&D IP and so might go belly up a third time! And then lets hope they won't return from the grave this time and stay there! .... So I really really hope CBS Paramount has gotten air of this as well and are going to act. As it really is hurting the franchise.
Um - not quite.
Turbine is suing Atari for $30 million for not promoting the game and 'double dealing' (my phrasing - but that's the gist of it).
Based on the success of the game since DDO:Unlimited and much of the evidence Turbine has (I have read the filings) I expect Turbine to win... and get a good part of $30 million (probably not all)
THEN Hasbro is suing for many of the same reasons plus some breaches of license terms AND seeking to recover the D&D license.
IF that happens then Turbine can sue ATARI again - for additional damages because Turbine lose the license too (due to ATARI's actions)
If ATARI don't survive that then it will be interesting to see what happens? CBS may be able to recover the license by default at that point - it really depends on what the contract(s) say?
Yeah I didn't had the exact amount on the claim by Turbine. But you pretty much summed up the situation nicely.
Just shows how stupid and incompetent ATARI is. They really think they can get away with this kind of stuff and keep repeating the same crap over and over again. Like they have been doing the last 2-3 decades.
I don't know the details of an IP license. But I am pretty sure, that when ATARI does damage to the IP, there will be some clausules in the contract by CBS Paramount to act on and maybe even to pull the license.
That's more than just a slap in the face, that's also calling all gamers and Star Trek fans "morons and suckers".
I'm not suprised, but all this crap that the industry is pulling is really really getting under my skin, has been for a long time. And it just seems like they just keep pushin' and pushin'. We're gonna push back. I am anyways.
That's more than just a slap in the face, that's also calling all gamers and Star Trek fans "morons and suckers". I'm not suprised, but all this crap that the industry is pulling is really really getting under my skin, has been for a long time. And it just seems like they just keep pushin' and pushin'. We're gonna push back. I am anyways.
Inaction will do them more harm than action. Don't buy their products, don't recommend them to friends.
Keeps the high ground and ultimately puts them out of business:
Money is a business's lifeblood. To bleed them, just do nothing.
Yes, the original ad is on file with google forever.
No, it is not.
Cryptic can file a cease a desist against Google to have the ad removed, which I'm sure they will. It is actually quite a common practice and Google has removed ads and cached material plenty of times in the past at a companies request.
We are getting offtopic though, the whole point of this thread was that the OP was claiming his screenshot proved fraud on Cryptic's part, which it most certainly does not.
If the ad did indeed exist, and it stated, clearly, that it included 60 extra days.
And the CS response says that it never included any extra game time!
How is that not proof of fraud?
Seems to me that it is clear proof that they never intended to honor that agreement?
Just pointing out.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Originally posted by Jerek_
I wonder if you honestly even believe what you type, or if you live in a made up world of facts. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The sad thing is ALL OF THIS could have just gone away if they came out said..."You guys are right...how could we ignore the fans that supported us...to say thank you for that support we will extend all active subscriptions for 1 free month...allowing you to see our major content patch." But instead they said. "What deal are you talking about?"
While I agree with the spirit or your post... what company do you know of could eliminate about half of its income for a month and survive?
I agree about the denial. But the best thing they could do is admit it, and admit it was a mistake, and offer prompt refunds to those who bought the package.
This is quite possibly the worst handling of a problem I've seen from a company in a long time.
Yes, the original ad is on file with google forever.
No, it is not.
Cryptic can file a cease a desist against Google to have the ad removed, which I'm sure they will. It is actually quite a common practice and Google has removed ads and cached material plenty of times in the past at a companies request.
We are getting offtopic though, the whole point of this thread was that the OP was claiming his screenshot proved fraud on Cryptic's part, which it most certainly does not.
If the ad did indeed exist, and it stated, clearly, that it included 60 extra days.
And the CS response says that it never included any extra game time!
How is that not proof of fraud?
Seems to me that it is clear proof that they never intended to honor that agreement?
Just pointing out.
I second that. I never clicked on the ad to see details, but the ad itself clearly stated "60 days of extra time".
Funny part now is that Cryptic changed their position to "we are honoring that ad posted over the weekend".... So now we've gone full circle of..
The ad was there
Was not there
Claims it never existed
Apology about ad (even tho it didn't exist before).. lol
Not going to honor the apologized ad deal
OK we changed our mind and will honor all of it..
You know what this reminded me off.. "I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Monica L"... drama.. ha ha ha yeah.. OK Bill.. whatever you say.. lol
Seriously Farmville? Yeah I think it's great. In a World where half our population is dying of hunger the more fortunate half is spending their time harvesting food that doesn't exist.
Comments
Have you read this thread?
#1 it told the existing playerbase and the people who pre ordered and beta tested and defended this game that 3 weeks after release they had overpaid BIG TIME.
#2 then hthey wont even honor the new deal they offered to the people who took it and are pretending there never was a deal
It is easy to fix #1, just give out free time, or free Cryptic Points, or free veterans rewards. Tell the user community that you're sorry, since you made a marketing mistake, all the pre-orders and lifers get a bonus. The bonus could be a bit better than the offer, to make amends. Easy.
#2 is a bit sticky. The Net does not have a Memory Hole, yet.
------------
2024: 47 years on the Net.
I was writing up my own #1 and #2 while you guys were having this dialog. I think the problem with your suggestion with fixing #1 is that they already had so many bonuses and rewards tied into pre-ordering the game. People were buying 2, 3 as many as 7 different copies of the game, just so they could get all the different bonus cheese from all the different sources. It would be hard for them to offer an in-game item that would equate in value to 60 days free play, that wouldn't alienate every future customer of the game that didn't have access.
Really I could care less what they do. If they want to slash prices big deal thats their right its their game. If they want to give out 60 free days vs. the 30 I got, again I could care less I hit admiral after a week and a half of casual playing so what can they do with 60 that I havent already done with 30. They will run out of content and end up sitting around just like me but they do it for an extra month.
But if they did make the deal they need to honor it. I do think its pretty messed up to put up an offer have consumers buy it then decide, OOPS we fked up lets act like nothing happend. That I dont agree with. But you can take solace that even if you dont get your 60 days you havent really lost anything you will run out of sht to do long before you hit 30. I do feel for all of you that got taken.
And its a shame cuz I really was gonna stick around and give them a chance to make good with the big content patches and all the nifty new ideas they were talking about. From what they were saying the game had potential to become a decent mmo. But after this I really cant see them getting the chance now. Way too many people are watchng them and this is prolly the straw that broke the camels back. Too bad for you Cryptic you could have pulled yourselves from the fire till this BS.
I am just glad all this happend before my 30 days were up. I cancelled my sub just in the nick of time.
An addendum from the official sticky:
Addendum:
I've heard many voicing concerns that we will not be honoring this sale for anyone who took advantage of it this weekend. This is not the case at all, and anyone who decided to take advantage of the offer will receive what they purchased, as advertised.
Damage control, it seems, is in progress.
I don't blame players for being upset, Atari was in effect paying new customers to buy the game.
$39.99 + 90 days ($14.99x3 value) + free shipping = $40-$45 -(~$7 s/h) = lucky customers.
Reading over at TenTonHammer's forum, not only did a customer who bought the package not get the +60 day bonus, he was charged for "free" shipping. When he called, Atari wouldn't issue a refund and hung up on him twice. When he tried taking his complaint to the forum, he was banned for discussing the matter. He ended up having his credit card company do a charge-back and has to wait another 8 days before he'll see his money again (see link below).
forums.tentonhammer.com/showpost.php
I also read a complaint from a lifetime subscriber who stated that Atari wouldn't honor his refund when he tried to cancel his LT subscription. He was told he had until March 3rd (the same day the +60 deal was to end), but was denied a refund when he called on the 1st.
I'd be really surprised if both Atari and Cryptic don't get slapped with a lawsuit over this whole fiasco.
I wonder what Amazon, Steam, Game Stop, etc feel about Atari discounting their product and offering a deal that they can't match. I bet they won't be very interested in selling Atari's titles in the future.
I purchased the standard edition for my son. The order is not processed but when I checked out I was charged shipping even though shipping was supposed to be free. I ordered before there was any change on their website.
I have not received any emails with the key for the additional 60 days.
There has been an addendum to one of the posts where Phoxe says that all orders placed prior to the ad being taken down will be honored. I guess time will tell.
I think many people have already started reporting them to the BBB and FTC and other agencies.
I have to wonder what CBS/Paramount/Viacom have to be thinking or if they know. If this hits the main stream media who knows what might happen.
BBB doesn't do jack. FTC is also a joke as far as consumer protection goes. BBB sits on complaints and the FTC only acts if it's in their best interest (if it makes them look good). Customers would be better served either contacting their attorney general or taking the matter directly to their lawyer (or the press...if they'll listen). (IMHO)
Cryptic is really failing its customers. I was suckered with Champions, and knew better than to buy into the hoopla surrounding STO. I played in beta and wasn't that impressed, and just knowing that Cryptic was behind it was a definite turn off. I feel sorry for the people duped, yet again, by Cryptic.
I was going to pick this up today, have a few extra bucks and 90 days is a decent deal.
Now, I'm not sure I will.
All seems kinda shadey. Kind of like the saw what they offered then crunched the numbers and went Whoops!.
And are now trying to get out of a very bad move on thier part.
D&D Home Page - What Class Are You? - Build A Character - D&D Compendium
The whole shady part started already the moment they started offering Lifetime subs BEFORE the game was released, while they knew their game was UNFINISHED and had less then 80 hours worth of content (wich in reality turned out to be even less than 40 hours !!!). No endgame. Nothing sustainable.
While decent MMO's in the past (WoW, EQ2, LOTRO and yes even AoC) offered over 200 hours worth of content right out of the gate. Had endgame. And plenty of sustainable longterm stuff.
Than the bad reviews start popping up all over the internet and lo and behold, suddenly this offer starts popping up at ATARI's site.
They know this game is going to crash and burn fast and that most players won't even see this so called 45-day patch.
So they just try to rake in as much cash as they can, as long as they can.
I have been saying this all along. They did the exact same thing with Champions Online. And people have been flaming me to death with it and I even received temporary bans for it!
People need to understand we deal with ATARI here now. They OWN Cryptic. ATARI is a company with a very very bad history.
They went belly up twice already in the past and been resurrected twice and are in their third management installment now.
They are facing several lawsuits at the moment, with a high chance for them to lose it, having to fork out over 24 million of dollars in fine, losing the D&D IP and so might go belly up a third time! And then lets hope they won't return from the grave this time and stay there!
If people really think that Electronic Arts is the devil. Well think again. ATARI is far far worse and has done worse.
And now ATARI and Cryptic have started to show their true colors at last with STO this weekend. Are people still dissagreeing with me (even the mods on this site) ?
Have a nice day! (and yes I already insta canceled my sub 2 weeks ago and try to erase Cryptic from my retinas)
PS. I also think that MMORPG.com needs to ditch the STO add, swallow it up! Step up FOR the cummunity and create an article on this on the frontpage!
We don't want these kind of companies to continue like they are. They are bad for the MMO genre and pull it into the gutter.
But worst of all here. Is that they also pull the Star Trek franchise into the gutter as well. A franchise that was already struggling this decade and finally came around with the new movie last year! /facepalm!
So I really really hope CBS Paramount has gotten air of this as well and are going to act. As it really is hurting the franchise.
I hope the people who bought the game during the +60 days offer scream blue murder.
Cryptic has neither scruples nor a sense of shame in its pursuit of money.
What would they scream about? That they get what was advertised, which was told them within one buisness day from taking down the ad? And saying cryptic is at fault for this is like saying texas started the iraq war. Im not conviced cryptic has any say whatsoever over ataris own store and buisness practices. Bought entities are usually not consulted in stuff like that, cause you know, atari can just say STFU to cryptic, cause they kinda own them.
I mean sure, i got used to the flame cryptic gets for STO and its early release, but ... dont you think you have to stop somewhere? They are just a bunch of devs, artists and maybe a coffee lady or two. Not like they are responsible for global warming or stuff. Besides its not like you cant complain directly to atari and have to go through a middleman.
I mean obviously atari screwed up, for all we know it could have been a typo *flame on*, because everyone i talked to that actually clicked the link got redirected to a page that only had the pricecut with regular 30 days. I thought it was just me cause im european at first, but some Americans told me the same. Anyone have a screen of the ataristore with the 60 days offer(or remembers for sure they where mentioned there)?
As long as this guy has anything to do with Cryptic I would not give them the benefit of the doubt on anything...
-------------------------
"Searchers after horror haunt strange, far places..." ~ H.P.Lovecraft, "From Beyond"
Member Since March 2004
What would they scream about? That they get what was advertised, which was told them within one buisness day from taking down the ad? And saying cryptic is at fault for this is like saying texas started the iraq war. Im not conviced cryptic has any say whatsoever over ataris own store and buisness practices. Bought entities are usually not consulted in stuff like that, cause you know, atari can just say STFU to cryptic, cause they kinda own them.
I mean sure, i got used to the flame cryptic gets for STO and its early release, but ... dont you think you have to stop somewhere? They are just a bunch of devs, artists and maybe a coffee lady or two. Not like they are responsible for global warming or stuff. Besides its not like you cant complain directly to atari and have to go through a middleman.
I mean obviously atari screwed up, for all we know it could have been a typo *flame on*, because everyone i talked to that actually clicked the link got redirected to a page that only had the pricecut with regular 30 days. I thought it was just me cause im european at first, but some Americans told me the same. Anyone have a screen of the ataristore with the 60 days offer(or remembers for sure they where mentioned there)?
It's Cryptic doing damage control on their part. As their own forums were getting completely out of hand. They mods couldn't even keep up. So ofcourse Cryptic tries to control damage. Doesn't mean anything will trully happen. That needs to be seen now.
ATARI however couldn't care less. They hung up the phone on everyone who tried to call them about them being scharged for shipping and only 30 free days being granted instead of 90 days. People even got their accounts banned on the ATARI forums.
So you do the math. As like I said in the other topic. ATARI hasn't bowed for players. It was probably some very angry retailers that gave ATARI a phone call this weekend.
Um - not quite.
Turbine is suing Atari for $30 million for not promoting the game and 'double dealing' (my phrasing - but that's the gist of it).
Based on the success of the game since DDO:Unlimited and much of the evidence Turbine has (I have read the filings) I expect Turbine to win... and get a good part of $30 million (probably not all)
THEN Hasbro is suing for many of the same reasons plus some breaches of license terms AND seeking to recover the D&D license.
IF that happens then Turbine can sue ATARI again - for additional damages because Turbine lose the license too (due to ATARI's actions)
If ATARI don't survive that then it will be interesting to see what happens? CBS may be able to recover the license by default at that point - it really depends on what the contract(s) say?
Nothing says irony like spelling ideot wrong.
Um - not quite.
Turbine is suing Atari for $30 million for not promoting the game and 'double dealing' (my phrasing - but that's the gist of it).
Based on the success of the game since DDO:Unlimited and much of the evidence Turbine has (I have read the filings) I expect Turbine to win... and get a good part of $30 million (probably not all)
THEN Hasbro is suing for many of the same reasons plus some breaches of license terms AND seeking to recover the D&D license.
IF that happens then Turbine can sue ATARI again - for additional damages because Turbine lose the license too (due to ATARI's actions)
If ATARI don't survive that then it will be interesting to see what happens? CBS may be able to recover the license by default at that point - it really depends on what the contract(s) say?
Yeah I didn't had the exact amount on the claim by Turbine. But you pretty much summed up the situation nicely.
Just shows how stupid and incompetent ATARI is. They really think they can get away with this kind of stuff and keep repeating the same crap over and over again. Like they have been doing the last 2-3 decades.
I don't know the details of an IP license. But I am pretty sure, that when ATARI does damage to the IP, there will be some clausules in the contract by CBS Paramount to act on and maybe even to pull the license.
Should have called it Starfleet Battles Online and been more honest. Honesty does not appear to be in Atari / Cryptic's modus operandi.
Let's do the corkscrew again!
That's more than just a slap in the face, that's also calling all gamers and Star Trek fans "morons and suckers".
I'm not suprised, but all this crap that the industry is pulling is really really getting under my skin, has been for a long time. And it just seems like they just keep pushin' and pushin'. We're gonna push back. I am anyways.
Godspeed my fellow gamer
Inaction will do them more harm than action. Don't buy their products, don't recommend them to friends.
Keeps the high ground and ultimately puts them out of business:
Money is a business's lifeblood. To bleed them, just do nothing.
Roo Stercogburn
No, it is not.
Cryptic can file a cease a desist against Google to have the ad removed, which I'm sure they will. It is actually quite a common practice and Google has removed ads and cached material plenty of times in the past at a companies request.
We are getting offtopic though, the whole point of this thread was that the OP was claiming his screenshot proved fraud on Cryptic's part, which it most certainly does not.
If the ad did indeed exist, and it stated, clearly, that it included 60 extra days.
And the CS response says that it never included any extra game time!
How is that not proof of fraud?
Seems to me that it is clear proof that they never intended to honor that agreement?
Just pointing out.
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Originally posted by Jerek_
I wonder if you honestly even believe what you type, or if you live in a made up world of facts.
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While I agree with the spirit or your post... what company do you know of could eliminate about half of its income for a month and survive?
I agree about the denial. But the best thing they could do is admit it, and admit it was a mistake, and offer prompt refunds to those who bought the package.
This is quite possibly the worst handling of a problem I've seen from a company in a long time.
No, it is not.
Cryptic can file a cease a desist against Google to have the ad removed, which I'm sure they will. It is actually quite a common practice and Google has removed ads and cached material plenty of times in the past at a companies request.
We are getting offtopic though, the whole point of this thread was that the OP was claiming his screenshot proved fraud on Cryptic's part, which it most certainly does not.
If the ad did indeed exist, and it stated, clearly, that it included 60 extra days.
And the CS response says that it never included any extra game time!
How is that not proof of fraud?
Seems to me that it is clear proof that they never intended to honor that agreement?
Just pointing out.
I second that. I never clicked on the ad to see details, but the ad itself clearly stated "60 days of extra time".
Haven't read the whole thread so I d don't know if this was already posted but the 60 days offer still can be found in the yahoo cache
74.6.239.67/search/cache
Made a screenie too img706.imageshack.us/img706/7541/atarioffer.jpg
Just in case someone still needs to prove what was offered to his credit card company.
[X] drill here for new monitor
Funny part now is that Cryptic changed their position to "we are honoring that ad posted over the weekend".... So now we've gone full circle of..
The ad was there
Was not there
Claims it never existed
Apology about ad (even tho it didn't exist before).. lol
Not going to honor the apologized ad deal
OK we changed our mind and will honor all of it..
You know what this reminded me off.. "I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Monica L"... drama.. ha ha ha yeah.. OK Bill.. whatever you say.. lol
Still hosted on the Atari site.