Such crap crap crap and i'm sure everyone agrees with me!

01:12 PMI love how simutronics works, they mention that a merhcant is coming, the cloud and the ale festival and you can only access the cloud if you've been a premie memeber for atleast 30 days, i love how they mention the cloud is coming more then 30 days in advance so they can make more money cause they hope people will sign up for premie and go to the cloud, why don they make it a real premie ONLY festival and do atleast 3 months of being a premie memeber? instead of pulling this out trying to make is sound reasonable but in the back of there mine, they really just wanna make more money?
Do it right for once, for the customers, not yourself

anyone else agree with me? reg

01:45 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Solkern: [snip]

anyone else agree with me?

Err..the title you gave this thread stated pretty clearly that you're sure everyone agrees with you. So why bother asking at the end of your post, since you're so sure?
reg

01:50 PMGod i love smart ass answers! reg

07:17 PM<<God i love smart ass answers!>>

God I love dumb ass topics!

rht, laying the sarcasm on quite thick reg

10:30 PMYou complain that they give you time to join up.

I'm sure if they released such information with less than thirty days to go you would complain that you were not given time to join up.

Like it or not Premium users pay extra TO receive a bit more than base customers. This includes some merchants.

I'm sure you will always find something to gripe about though, so carry on.
reg

10:25 AMLike it or not, he does have a point. But it's always been that simu has been out to make money.

Think about..

Q) Why should they put on the 30 day cap AND THEN make the event more than 30 days away?

A)So that I can run and join now and then get access to the cloud.

Q) Why I have been paying this damn premie fee for three years to get these added perks and then they are going to let people who will only become premie for the month before and the month of the festival have the same benefits?

A) Cause it's all about the money. They dont' care how long you've been premie. By putting in the 30-day cap they can pretend that they do care about the longer term premies by not being able to join the MONTH OF THE FESTIVAL while making sure you're going to pay at least 60 bucks for the festival anyway. (but, hey, it's a free event, yay)

There should be NO point in complaining if someone does not have time to join (Though they will, it's nature) because the premie members who have been premie all along should deserve something to show that they haven't paid all the money for nothing. But, that's not something simu would put too much effort into.

Ya, Solkern should have named the topic something else, maybe added some more support to his complaint, but I still say it's legit.

BTW, how are those 3-year premie benefits coming out? Have they finished the first year yet? What a joke. reg

11:03 AM

quote:
Originally posted by Venus Blue:
But it's always been that simu has been out to make money.

Wow, a company that is out to make money, who would have thought? Why does the fact that Simutronics is out to make a profit surprise anyone? Come on people, Gemstone may be a hobby to you, but to the employees of Simutronics, it is their livelihood. To put it bluntly, if GS does not turn a profit, it will not exist (of course that would fix all the "Gemstone Concerns", now wouldn’t it). It is as simple as that.
reg

05:21 PMIt doesn't really matter that its more than a month away, giving people notice of the event. You can always backpay on your account, so even if the Cloud or Festival was this week, you could go as long as you call up Simu and say.. "Hey, charge me an extra $20 for last months subscription, and keep me on premie for this month." Then right after the festival cancel the sub. You'd more or less be paying only $20-40 for a premie merchant, where actual premium memebers are paying hundreds. The thing this changes I guess is they make it easier for the non-premies to join up.

I do think though, that they should require a longer, continuous premium subscription, to get to a premium merchant. Like say 6 months.. reg

07:14 PMWow.. a person that takes one sentence from a post and thinks that solves everything.

The point was more in line with AestheticDeath's post about how you can call and backpay while you have people that have been FAITHFUL premies for around 3 years that are basically screwed over.

Of course Simu is out to make money BUT they should also be giving REAL perks to the FAITHFUL premies rather than just out to bang every extra dollar they can.

In the end, unless they have finally caught up and done all the 3-year benefits, so far all the 3-year premies have gotten for their FAITHFUL subscription would be those nifty type-ahead lines. Well worth the extra 20 bucks a month.

I got to say too, I love how the moderators comment to this topic. Rather than being happy to have something to converse about, they just bash it. Talk about customer service. But wait, you're doing this for free, isn't half the simu staff doing the same thing?

[This message has been edited by Venus Blue (edited 02-21-2002).] reg

10:24 PMWell, to avoid further criticism, I shall take your entire post and reply to it (I did not think there was a need to last time, as I only had a single point to make). So here we go…

quote:
Originally posted by Venus Blue:
Wow.. a person that takes one sentence from a post and thinks that solves everything.

I was in no way attempting to solve “everything” through my last post. Rather I was stating what I felt should be obvious to everyone. That being; Simutronics main purpose in life is to make money. Having said that, it should come as no surprise that every decision they make for game direction will most likely be geared towards what they believe will make them more money.

quote:
The point was more in line with AestheticDeath's post about how you can call and backpay while you have people that have been FAITHFUL premies for around 3 years that are basically screwed over.
Of course Simu is out to make money BUT they should also be giving REAL perks to the FAITHFUL premies rather than just out to bang every extra dollar they can.
In the end, unless they have finally caught up and done all the 3-year benefits, so far all the 3-year premies have gotten for their FAITHFUL subscription would be those nifty type-ahead lines. Well worth the extra 20 bucks a month.

Your position, that because non-premium players have advanced notice of this merchant, that there are no perks in being a long time premium member is over-dramatic at best. You are over-looking the other benefits a premium member receives which are not viable to the “backpay for an event” crowd. Such as: extra character slots, free locker space, the one year/two year alters, the slew of raffles held each month, etc. Are these worth the extra charge every month? Well that is for each player to decide, but they are perks nonetheless.

quote:
I got to say too, I love how the moderators comment to this topic. Rather than being happy to have something to converse about, they just bash it. Talk about customer service. But wait, you're doing this for free, isn't half the simu staff doing the same thing?

Goes to show dealing with the varying opinions of the public is far harder than it may seem.
reg

11:27 PMHmmm, Odd I must have misunderstood their announcement.

I took it to mean that they were not going to let people backpay this event.

Is everyone agreed that they will allow backpaying?

I dont see why if they would bother to announce the need to be premium for 30 days prior if backpayment would still be allowed.

I guess some would say its to just get two months of premium fees out of those reluctant to otherwise purchase them.

I wish they didnt allow backpaying at all, but i guess its hard for any business to say no to pure income. reg

11:55 PMFunny, I thought moderators are allowed opinions, even if they aren't popular ones, in your eyes, at least. A moderator is someone who cared enough about the boards to make a commitment to it. If you are willing to offer that, then feel free to apply, and change what you see as a flaw in these boards.

And I don't think it is crap to have a time limit on the Cloud event. So there went that everyone theory, eh?

Going back to the "You can't make everyone happy" thread, people have been bitching and moaning for years that they would like to know in advance when a major merchant event was coming so they could get time off from work, etc. So Simu put that into play, offering the merchant events calendar. Now here are folks bitching that notice is being given.

They offer their premie people an event, and one that should be pretty cool, and let everyone know in ADVANCE that they will need to be premie for at least 30 days, so that people cannot just sign up for premie the day of the event, and get the same benefits.

The backpay issue stemmed from many people, including many people who are in the service who put their accounts on hold during the period they are gone, who want to maintain a continuous status. There are also many people who live paycheck to paycheck, and whaddayaknow, they couldn't afford it this month, but next month's overtime allowed them to bring the account back from the 2 year premium but missing one month, back to full 2 year status.

So I think this topic is totally short-sighted. You look at this one event and think Simu is out to screw you. Well, fortunately, I think they happen to be looking out for more people than just you. And what is up with the people who think everything premium should just be for the long term members? Premium is premium. The long term people are rewarded with the MANY opportunities for great stuff and continuous benefits. When they catch up on the yearly gifts, THAT is the thank you. But funnily enough, people bitch and moan that they aren't quick enough to suit them. Considering how many opportunities you have for great stuff from being premie, the yearly gifts rather pale in comparison.

Being premium is a choice. Never in the discussions of having premium, were rankings of premium and premium PLUS. You either ARE, or ARE NOT.

Aerienne, who has been VERY content with the premium service she has received. reg

12:39 AMDamned if you do, damned if you don't. There are going to be TWO, yes TWO festivals you can attend, both equally as big. One for premium members, and one for everyone.

Heaven forbid you attend and enjoy the one you're able to attend and have friends/family who are able to visit the premium merchant relay to you what's available and buy it for you. Have to be able to do it ALL!

They could have not told anyone about the minimum membership for entry into the festival and make you find out when it opened. They were good enough to give you warning, give you ample time to sign up for a month of premium if that's what you wanted to do.

Being premium is NOT just about the events. Do you honestly think that SO many people are premium because of the premium events? When was the last one? A year or two ago? Oh yeah! Look at that! Such unfairness! ALL those events that only WE (and we're talking at least half of the population I'm a-guessing) get to participate in. ::smirks::

Maybe they're doing it so that people can taste the difference for a month. If you sign up, an instant increase to your locker up to 50. Move that badboy to Ta'Illistim and shop away! The ability to choose where you "arrive" when you create a character, the chance to own your own home and add the neato features (they're going to add mini lockers to them soon.. I can't wait), access to more traveling merchants, and quite a few other things I'm sure I failed to mention.

People have been whining and complaining about more events. Now they are going to have TWO festivals running at the same time during a long holiday weekend and people STILL find a bone to pick with it.

Simu has their faults. Many of us know this. At least open your eyes and acknowledge when they do something cool for the game.

And thus ends another mod's opinion that differs from the norm. ::smirks:: So because someone posted a complaint and opened a thread we're supposed to be overjoyed and not say how we feel? Please.

------------------
Don't sweat the petty things, and don't pet the sweaty things. reg

01:14 AMDont blame a company for trying to make profit. Youre telling me if you owned a company like simu, and you were gonna come out with an even that required the person to be premie for at least 30 days, you wouldnt announce 35 days in advance to get more people to dish out money into youre pocket?

-John

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-bReAkZ nATiOnZ-
- breakznation@aol.com
- AIM: highlord42o reg

03:22 AMIf I owned a company like simutronics I wouldn't care about money. There would be no premium or platinum. There would be regular gemstone III. I'd be perfectly content with a bunch of losers 10-20 bucks a month for some game me and a few friends coded in a basement. There wouldn't be pay for events, you're already paying for a low-grade technology game in a fast paced graphically stimulating market anyways. There would be no GM's except for people I knew and trusted. There wouldn't be allowed any bias. And, most likely, I wouldn't have allowed the population of the game to ever get over 800 or 900 people.

Man, logic and common sense can really bite you in the ass huh? reg

08:35 AMAh yes, the infamous, "How I would run things if *I* owned Simu" thread.

Get real. Unless you have a major source of income like Bill Gates, I cannot see you running this as a non-profit, or not making a profit company.

Let's just take a simple look at an ultra basic economic scenario. And yes, this is an EXAMPLE using modest figures. Say that Simu's expenses for the month at $100,000. That would be $10,000 for facilities costs (rent, util, insurance, etc.) $10,000 for business expenses (machine upgrades, phone lines, paper, etc, VISA and Mastercard (yes businesses have to pay for the privelege of being able to accept credit card payments)), and $80,000 for 20 staffers (2k monthly salaries and the rest for their benefits), that means you need to have 10k regular account active each month, but only 3333 premium accounts. It doesn't take a genius to figure out how to keep yourself in business.

Lemme guess, if you owned Microsoft, you would sell Windows for $9.99 too.

Capitalism is indeed the American Way. And if people are willing to pay for it, why not charge for it? This is entertainment. It's the same reasoning why cinemas charge $5 for 5 cents worth of popcorn.

Aerienne reg

10:12 AM

quote:
Originally posted by I think I'm Dead:
If I owned a company like simutronics I wouldn't care about money. There would be no premium or platinum. There would be regular gemstone III. I'd be perfectly content with a bunch of losers 10-20 bucks a month for some game me and a few friends coded in a basement. There wouldn't be pay for events, you're already paying for a low-grade technology game in a fast paced graphically stimulating market anyways. There would be no GM's except for people I knew and trusted. There wouldn't be allowed any bias. And, most likely, I wouldn't have allowed the population of the game to ever get over 800 or 900 people.
Man, logic and common sense can really bite you in the ass huh?

So....you would be like any of dozens of other no name muds that dot the net landscape and not like a company like Simutronics at all in other words.

Everyone says they know how to build a better moustrap but for some reason they never do it. reg

12:40 PMApparently you both are retarded. See, due to the miraculous invention of the internet the cost for facilities is now nixed. Server costs would only be a one time a decade investment and then a monthly fee of nothing important because you would easily make it back in a month. Apparently you chose not to read where I addressed the 'staffers' issue or just decided to advertise your short attention span. Maybe you couldn't grasp the concept of people doing things because they enjoy it, not for personal gain(which there would still be an abundance of). I know the few people that I talk to online that actually play gemstone, could completely handle being GM's and wouldn't mind doing it for free even. Now maybe I'm the only one who chooses to know people who aren't simple-minded glory mongers, it's not my problem if you and your associates are greedy whores. Who cares if simutronics would just be a tiny little MUD out in the internet, you'd still have the exact same game that you look to for your fix. Nothing would change at all. There'd just be a lot less whiners like you.

Two things I could have stressed but decided to lay off on...

1. Freeware

2. Capitalism is Cancer

reg

12:54 PMROFL. Thanks for the amusement.

I didn't realize when you said you were going to create it in your Mommy's basement, you planned to leave it there rent-free and your friends were all planning to work for free in their spare time from flipping burgers at McDonald's or after doing their homework. And if you think server time for a decent mud is next to nothing, I'd like to know who you are planning to hack.

And really, if you cannot express yourself without resorting to the name calling, I suggest you save the money on the server, and buy a dictionary. You impress nobody.

Aerienne reg

01:47 PMCapitalism is cancer? Yeah, those foreign economies are really thriving. Especially China's!

[This message has been edited by Skaster (edited 02-22-2002).] reg

02:07 PMThis is the problem I see far too often from the anti-capitalism crowd, a complete detachment from reality. Their ideas have all the rhetoric you could ask for, but little to no substance once you scratch the surface.

For example, nowhere in his wild post does he address the question of game development. A quality product requires quality developers. So, unless they are independently wealthy (or living at mommy’s house as previously pointed out), then they will have bills to pay and thus demand a quality compensation for their efforts.

Then you have the question of which engine he would chose to use on this game? SMAUG? If that is the case, then you’ll not have too much trouble keeping your game under 900 players (nothing against SMAUG, but with a million and one SMAUG environments, it gets hard to tell them apart). Or perhaps he has friends who could write their own robust engine, simply because they enjoy it.

Of course, if by some miracle you and your friends do manage to produce a professional quality game (which is what would be required to maintain any type of customer base), I would highly suggest hiring someone else to handle your customer relations (this last opinion is based solely upon the witty repartee of your last post).
reg

04:30 PMApparently you missed out on the connection of "being" John Q. Simu or whoever originally coded the game that seemed obviously imbedded into both of my posts. That would kind of cancel out all your sad attempts at personal attacks. It's easily assumed that you did nothing more than skim both of my posts by your responses. In fact the only part of anything you said that would even amount to you skimming it is the part about saying server hosting prices aren't cheap. True in the 80's they weren't cheap, but after reading the post from about every perspective imaginable, you got lucky with that and still hadn't payed much attention. So after explaining everything like I've been conversing with two year olds we can say what exactly? The engine, really doesn't come into play here, at all, in any way shape or form, ever. We aren't talking about coding it now, but about traveling back in time with that magical thing we call an imagination to 19-odd-87 when the game first came about(or whenever it was, you folks know the timeline). It's easy to see why everyone has the roleplaying trouble now.

Also, while my coding skills are nothing spectacular, I know a 20 year old who invented his own programming language and of a 17 year old that can code with paper and pen in four languages. Developers aren't hard to find considering a lot of people have been set in front of computers since the age of two. No language is so complex that patience can't beat it out.

In closing, READ FIRST!

P.S. Politics aren't a good idea to get into considering things are already off topic enough. reg

07:40 PMSorry but I am not going to even read this whole thread. For me to attend an event that I have to pay extra money for is wrong and ooc. There are no ifs, ands, or buts about it. If they want to have premie start another lands out or something like platinum. I refuse to pay extra money for a subscription that is pure text and that someone else does not give extra money too. People always complain about character sales...its the same thing. Your payin money so that you can get something else that someone else won't expierence.

Lord Deprav reg

08:21 PMHey Dead boy: If you think you can do better, then go ahead. Lemme know when you're up and running and I'll check you out.

As far as free hosting goes, yeah you can get free hosting up the yin-yang these days. It's great! Well except that if some guy who doesn't know what the heck he's doing decides to use the same hosting service and messes up his code, the service crashes.

Bandwidth can be a mess too, since it's a free service and everyone and their brother is using it to code their own MU*s. So expect tons of lag, daily resets, monthly pwipes. But heck, if it's free, it's gotta be better right!

********

I got a free clock when I joined AOL years ago. Didn't keep time very well when the battery was in, so I took the battery out and now it's right twice a day. Not nearly as accurate as the clock on my computer, but hey - it was free so it's better!

::rolls eyes::
reg

09:09 PM

quote:
Originally posted by I think I'm Dead:
Apparently you missed out on the connection of "being" John Q. Simu or whoever originally coded the game that seemed obviously imbedded into both of my posts. That would kind of cancel out all your sad attempts at personal attacks. It's easily assumed that you did nothing more than skim both of my posts by your responses. In fact the only part of anything you said that would even amount to you skimming it is the part about saying server hosting prices aren't cheap. True in the 80's they weren't cheap, but after reading the post from about every perspective imaginable, you got lucky with that and still hadn't payed much attention. So after explaining everything like I've been conversing with two year olds we can say what exactly? The engine, really doesn't come into play here, at all, in any way shape or form, ever. We aren't talking about coding it now, but about traveling back in time with that magical thing we call an imagination to 19-odd-87 when the game first came about(or whenever it was, you folks know the timeline). It's easy to see why everyone has the roleplaying trouble now.
Also, while my coding skills are nothing spectacular, I know a 20 year old who invented his own programming language and of a 17 year old that can code with paper and pen in four languages. Developers aren't hard to find considering a lot of people have been set in front of computers since the age of two. No language is so complex that patience can't beat it out.
In closing, READ FIRST!
P.S. Politics aren't a good idea to get into considering things are already off topic enough.

No one is claiming Simu is anything close to finished as far as I know.

You seem to have it all worked out though.

So....you'll have that perfect game of yours coming out any day now then right?

Hmm...you complain about personal attacks yet it was you called people retarded....

Entertaining that. reg

08:33 AM

quote:
Originally posted by I think I'm Dead:
So after explaining everything like I've been conversing with two year olds we can say what exactly?

That the only thing worse than your manners, is your grasp on reality?

reg

08:13 PMWell I'll take the fact that you all are having an entirely different conversation as a sign that my point was made. reg

11:15 PM

quote:
Originally posted by I think I'm Dead:
We aren't talking about coding it now, but about traveling back in time with that magical thing we call an imagination…

quote:
Originally posted by I think I'm Dead:
Well I'll take the fact that you all are having an entirely different conversation as a sign that my point was made

Maybe I missed something, but how exactly do you make a point through imagination? The trouble with having a conversation about imagination is that there are no facts to dispute.

You believe that if YOU were in charge of Simutronics, you could run it better. While I on the other hand, think that the mere fact you have not formed a company to compete in the online game market shows that you are wrong. Developing and maintaining a solid customer base is far more difficult that most people think.

reg

The Players Corner Archive

Such crap crap crap and i'm sure everyone agrees with me!