Quarion goes on a trip!

[Quarion]

Hello all,

This is just a note to let you know that over the next couple weeks, starting Monday morning, I'll be on a pseudo-business trip, and you won't see me on the forums as much as you're used to.

I'll still be posting the WDA's as usual from the road, so don't panic about that!

In my absence, Patience, Saffron, Ramen and Frelorn will be around to hold down the fort and they'll treat you well.

That is, if you don't tear the house down while I'm gone... in which case they have full access to the infraction system (And I'm sure that Kommunity Kobold will be happy to poke his head in if needed.)

See you all when I get back!

-Quarion

[Qzipoun]

Have a safe trip.

[pastor_dex]

New job search?

[Tanka]

New job search?
:rolleyes:

[binnsr]

New job search?

no.. GENCON would be my guess.

[Laith]

New job search?
and people wonder why the devs aren't as open and casual as they used to be...

be sure to mix business and pleasure whenever possible, Q.

[Furgulder]

Saffron can give me infraction points any time she wants.

:)

Have a good trip Quarion!

[Dozen_Black_Roses]

Have fun, enjoy whats left of the summer ;)

[mocat]

Road trip! :D

Ok, Quarion..... where are you going to pick me up? :D


.....

.....

I am coming along, right? :confused:

Right? :(




Humphh. I guess he would be too embarrassed to travel with kobolds. :mad: :D

[tekn0mage]

Umm... Risia?

[Quarion]

no.. GENCON would be my guess.


Unfortunately, no. While I would love to visit GENCON with the others, I have other commitments this weekend.

I will however be at PAX briefly during this trip.

And no, I'm not looking for a job. I like you guy's way too much for that :)

No MoCat. No cats allowed. Unless you can be crated.

[Cupcake]

Unfortunately, no. While I would love to visit GENCON with the others, I have other commitments this weekend.

I will however be at PAX briefly during this trip.

And no, I'm not looking for a job. I like you guy's way too much for that :)

No MoCat. No cats allowed. Unless you can be crated.

*Gives Mocat some extra underoos for his trip. He likes crates. :D

[LokPik]

And no, I'm not looking for a job. I like you guy's way too much for that :)


ROFLMAO... Thank Q you just totally made my day :D

[Drider]

Unfortunately, no. While I would love to visit GENCON with the others, I have other commitments this weekend.

I will however be at PAX briefly during this trip.

And no, I'm not looking for a job. I like you guy's way too much for that :)

No MoCat. No cats allowed. Unless you can be crated.


Could you go ahead and beat on Nereid for us before you go? (With a Nerf bat). To get us a new update on the future of DDO? It would be much obliged. :)

[Vardak]

Unfortunately, no. While I would love to visit GENCON with the others, I have other commitments this weekend.

I will however be at PAX briefly during this trip.

And no, I'm not looking for a job. I like you guy's way too much for that :)

No MoCat. No cats allowed. Unless you can be crated.

There you have it, no denial on the job search. Good luck with the interviews!

[Guevara1]

and let the speculation commence!

[TiberiusofTyr]

And no, I'm not looking for a job. I like you guy's way too much for that :)




There you have it, no denial on the job search. Good luck with the interviews!


???

[moorewr]

???

In Soviet Russia, Job Looks for YOU!

[Tanka]

In Soviet Russia, Job Looks for YOU!
"You there, Comrade!"
"Yes?"
"I have job for you."
"But I already have one."
"No no, I. Have. Job. For you!"
"...Is there vodka?"

[binnsr]

"You there, Comrade!"
"Yes?"
"I have job for you."
"But I already have one."
"No no, I. Have. Job. For you!"
"...Is there vodka?"

ROFL!:p

[moorewr]

"You there, Comrade!"
"Yes?"
"I have job for you."
"But I already have one."
"No no, I. Have. Job. For you!"
"...Is there vodka?"

mmm... Vodka. How would the Russians do without?

My favorite is an Estonian grain vodka called Turi. Guaranteed to be the tallest bottle in your freezer.

http://www.turivodka.com/flashindex.htm

[Cowdenicus]

Hello all,

This is just a note to let you know that over the next couple weeks, starting Monday morning, I'll be on a pseudo-business trip, and you won't see me on the forums as much as you're used to.

I'll still be posting the WDA's as usual from the road, so don't panic about that!

In my absence, Patience, Saffron, Ramen and Frelorn will be around to hold down the fort and they'll treat you well.

That is, if you don't tear the house down while I'm gone... in which case they have full access to the infraction system (And I'm sure that Kommunity Kobold will be happy to poke his head in if needed.)

See you all when I get back!

-Quarion

Can I borrow your stuff. J/K :eek: :D

[Quarion]

There you have it, no denial on the job search. Good luck with the interviews!

LOL,

I don't know how much more of a denial there could be than "No, I'm not looking for a new job."

[LokPik]

LOL,

I don't know how much more of a denial there could be than "No, I'm not looking for a new job."

Hint to the Newbe.... Trust Q about as far as you can throw him... :D

[moorewr]

LOL,

I don't know how much more of a denial there could be than "No, I'm not looking for a new job."

*hands you a shot of vodka.*

:rolleyes:

[Vardak]

LOL,

I don't know how much more of a denial there could be than "No, I'm not looking for a new job."

Sweet, already found one then! Just sorting thru the offers?:)

[Trixity]

I heard he was auditioning for Thunda From Down Unda......

So he isn't looking for a job, he is perfecting his craft. That's how he can deny it without lying.

[Tenkari_Rozahas]

In my absence, Patience, Saffron, Ramen and Frelorn will be around to hold down the fort and they'll treat you well.

Sooo, we got something few people have, an expensive spice, some food, and a person actually taking care of things?

^.^

[ketwyld]

My favorite is an Estonian grain vodka called Turi. Guaranteed to be the tallest bottle in your freezer.

:confused: Why would I keep an empty bottle in my freezer? :D

[Clawstorm]

LOL,

I don't know how much more of a denial there could be than "No, I'm not looking for a new job."

Yeah - maybe it's a transfer! :D

[moorewr]

:confused: Why would I keep an empty bottle in my freezer? :D

No, no, you have to chill it before you drink it. So that's one time it's in your freezer. :P

[Attomic]

Wondering if the trip is gonna take Q to Renton WA... Meshing DDO with 4e?

[Drider]

Wondering if the trip is gonna take Q to Renton WA... Meshing DDO with 4e?


Q would be the wrong guy for that, he's not an actual "Dev", he is the middle man between the Dev's and the community.

[Cowdenicus]

Q would be the wrong guy for that, he's not an actual "Dev", he is the middle man between the Dev's and the community.

A job I do not envy.

[Dinatius]

(And I'm sure that Kommunity Kobold will be happy to poke his head in if needed.)

I still miss the Cube...

[Hvymetal]

No, no, you have to chill it before you drink it. So that's one time it's in your freezer. :P

You mean liquor actually lasts long enough to make it into the freezer at your house? Sheesh some people ;)

[Attomic]

Q would be the wrong guy for that, he's not an actual "Dev", he is the middle man between the Dev's and the community.

Notice he didn't say he was the ONLY person on the trip. As everyone in this community has proven, it's just as important to keep your PR person involved and contributing as it is to have your devs on the job.

[Varis]

Notice he didn't say he was the ONLY person on the trip. As everyone in this community has proven, it's just as important to keep your PR person involved and contributing as it is to have your devs on the job.

Are you saying others are looking for a job too? That's horrible! Why Q why? Who else is ready to abandon us????

:(

Well, I wish you the best.... /sniff

[Clerical]

So how is the lotro road trip doing? Well i hope... any update on that ddo state of the game? Any word when risia will be back up... or when the rest of the characters will be added to it? When is the ddo roadtrip planned for? Crafting? Anything? Hello?

Oh and i hear Niagara Falls is nice this time of the year... keep up the good work.

[ArkoHighStar]

So how is the lotro road trip doing? Well i hope... any update on that ddo state of the game? Any word when risia will be back up... or when the rest of the characters will be added to it? When is the ddo roadtrip planned for? Crafting? Anything? Hello?

Oh and i hear Niagara Falls is nice this time of the year... keep up the good work.


To clarify for those who have not read the other thread Quarion is on a road trip to promote LOTRO. Also he will be at the Turbine LOTRO party at Gameworks in Seattle. Another fine example of communication from Turbine. They even have a website to track their progress
http://twoguysandalotrocar.com/ and an email address where you can send Quarion your words of displeasure or encouragement lotrocar@gmail.com

[AEschyl]

LOL,

I don't know how much more of a denial there could be than "No, I'm not looking for a new job."

i believe he was trying to be smart by implying that you saying "you like us too much to abandon us" was a sarcastic remark. so obviously your "no job search" was sarcastic as well...

...he's a smart one

[binnsr]

i believe he was trying to be smart by implying that you saying "you like us too much to abandon us" was a sarcastic remark. so obviously your "no job search" was sarcastic as well...

...he's a smart one

He's not leaving turbine .. and he's not looking for a new job..

he's off promoting LoTRO at some Seattle conference (or roadtripping there in the lotro car (http://www.twoguysandalotrocar.com/))

[AEschyl]

He's not leaving turbine .. and he's not looking for a new job..

he's off promoting LoTRO at some Seattle conference (or roadtripping there in the lotro car (http://www.twoguysandalotrocar.com/))

yes, *I* grasped that concept

others here have not.

[hinura]

You people amaze me. You do realize that often times community people work on MORE THAN ONE GAME RIGHT?

Case in point--Richard Duffek at EAMythic. He does (mostly) work on WAR and does do some community stuff for DAOC.

Please have your cranium rectal inversions taken care of--it's not the end of the world and I fail to see why you are whining about it.

[ArkoHighStar]

You people amaze me. You do realize that often times community people work on MORE THAN ONE GAME RIGHT?

Case in point--Richard Duffek at EAMythic. He does (mostly) work on WAR and does do some community stuff for DAOC.

Please have your cranium rectal inversions taken care of--it's not the end of the world and I fail to see why you are whining about it.

So why keep it secret, and not let us know. We have one staffer, LOTRO has several. We are still waiting on word on when Risia will be coming back, only a hint of a state of the game address etc. We sit waiting while our guy is out promoting another game. Why could they not stop for DDO fans, I guess we do not rate their time. I guess we should just be happy being the red headed step child and get over it

[Aesop]

Hello all,

This is just a note to let you know that over the next couple weeks, starting Monday morning, I'll be on a pseudo-business trip, and you won't see me on the forums as much as you're used to.

I'll still be posting the WDA's as usual from the road, so don't panic about that!

In my absence, Patience, Saffron, Ramen and Frelorn will be around to hold down the fort and they'll treat you well.

That is, if you don't tear the house down while I'm gone... in which case they have full access to the infraction system (And I'm sure that Kommunity Kobold will be happy to poke his head in if needed.)

See you all when I get back!

-Quarion



Have safe trip don't do anyone I wouldn't do... very limited in some ways... not so much in others
;)

Aesop

[Beherit_Baphomar]

Hello all you DDO noob moneywasters,

This is just a note to let you know that over the next couple weeks, starting Monday morning, I'll be on a LOTR business trip, and you won't see me on the DDO forums as much as you're used to, which I understand is practically zero anyway.

I'll still be posting in the LOTR forums as usual from the road, so all you LOTR customers don't panic about that! You DDO people *spit* can check out our LOTR promoting here (http://twoguysandalotrocar.com/).

In my absence, Patience, Saffron, Ramen and Frelorn will be around to hold down the fort and they'll treat you well whenever they get time away from LOTR.

That is, if you don't tear the house down while I'm gone... in which case they have full access to the infraction system (And I'm sure that Kommunity Kobold will be happy to poke his head in if needed.)

See you all when I get back!
I <3 u 4 eva LOTR customers!

-Quarion

FIXED!

No thanks necessary.

So it really does leave a bad taste in my mouth.
I understand Quarion/Troy works for Turbine, he does as Turbine tells him to do...they do pay him after all, but man. We cant even get our game put in Walmart and here's a publicity drive for LOTR using "our" guy.

I really wish this game was thought of better by the people who make it.
How can we expect to enjoy this game, to expect this game to flourish when the people who make it dont care to promote it or spend any time in getting the name out there?

Oh well, when it dies I wont be too bothered any more. Its obvious no one wants anything good to happen to DDO.

Shame.

[tekn0mage]

Welcome to my world Bere.

For once we agree on something. I could not believe it when I found out. It was like, wow that's a kick in the balls.

[~Hbone]

I want to know how a company intends to draw in new customers when their own website is not even updated. I see the banner still reads coming in July Searing Heights. Hmmm Its almost September. I really like this game and wish they would devote some attention to it. I also read somewhere that the last LOTR update had about 100 new quests. I dont remember the number of quests we received with our last patch and have almost forgotten when it was. I once was a faithful turbine gamer when Asherons Call was out it was a great game. Then tubine came out with Asherons call II. Then at one point they merged the servers stating that it would enhance grouping. Another patch came out and then the game was shut down. I smell something very similar here. Why can't they take care of this gem. We just need content. I will be writing to Wizards of the Coast to share my frustrations with them. Maybe if a few more people did we might get some action. Then again they are probably powerless in this situation as well. Oh and I wonder just how much do you think this upcoming expansion pack will be? Or will it even be? Peace to all my DDO brothers and sisters fare thee well and pray to your respective gods for more content.

[tekn0mage]

I want to know how a company intends to draw in new customers when their own website is not even updated. I see the banner still reads coming in July Searing Heights. Hmmm Its almost September. I really like this game and wish they would devote some attention to it. I also read somewhere that the last LOTR update had about 100 new quests. I dont remember the number of quests we received with our last patch and have almost forgotten when it was. I once was a faithful turbine gamer when Asherons Call was out it was a great game. Then tubine came out with Asherons call II. Then at one point they merged the servers stating that it would enhance grouping. Another patch came out and then the game was shut down. I smell something very similar here. Why can't they take care of this gem. We just need content. I will be writing to Wizards of the Coast to share my frustrations with them. Maybe if a few more people did we might get some action. Then again they are probably powerless in this situation as well. Oh and I wonder just how much do you think this upcoming expansion pack will be? Or will it even be? Peace to all my DDO brothers and sisters fare thee well and pray to your respective gods for more content.

Well said.

You know, I don't think it's going to be that bad if they could just hear our cry and SAY SOMETHING about it.

The last "state of the game" address was almost 6 months ago.

You can't excuse that... and in the midst of all this angst from the community ... homeboy goes on vacation in a LOTRO mobile.

That's not very responsible of Turbine... I'm happy for Quarion that he gets out of the office for a bit. I'm also not tryin to steal his fun with this whole thing. It's just that NOT telling us what he's up to implies he's being a bit less than upfront. Which, by the way, was Samera's mistake. I don't have a doubt in my mind that she absolutely had a meltdown from the position. Quarion may be close to the same place. I expect Patience to run the show around here in the coming months with Merlask being the watchdog.

Quarion will move on soon.

[TechNoFear]

The last "state of the game" address was almost 6 months ago.

<snip>

I expect Patience to run the show around here in the coming months with Merlask being the watchdog.

Quarion will move on soon.

Reminds me of a start-up I worked for. We slept under the desk to get the product up and running. We had real team spirit and felt emotionally invested in the product.
As it grew the business department started driving the product (not dev) and took it in directions we did not like. The team broke up slowly and drifted away to new projects/products.
Eventually the product was canned, not because it was inferior, but because of a contractual obligation in an aquired company.

My feeling is the DDO is in those last stages.

I suspect Merlask will do promo and events across a range of Turbine products.

[studentx]

In Soviet Russia, Job Looks for YOU!

:D zactly

[Ringlord]

What the hell is wrong with you people?!?! What you think they owe each and every one of you a personal sit down and detailing of every move they plan to make for the game every month? LMAO that was a silly question because of course you do :rolleyes: Well guess what folks in spite of how important you think your $15 dollars is or what it supposedly entitles you to in your own minds you DO NOT pay the dev's salaries and so you get to demand nothing. The dev's salaries will be paid even without your all important $15.

They promised us a state of the game posting ( well ok strongly hinted we would see one ) just because it is not already up means nothing. WoTC does not receive their payment for the license each month I am sure, but rather each year and even if Turbine wanted to just close the game down in another month without telling us anything they would have to let WoTC know they were going to give up the license since they would not be renewing it or WoTC could sue them for any number of valid reasons.

AC II was Turbine's own creation so they did not have to give notice to anyone else in advance, but if they were going to close down DDO they would have to. WoTC would have no reason to keep it quiet either. No DDO is not going to be shut down soon so stop with the paranoia already.

Oh and the 100 or more quests they put in LoTRO's last update I am sure they were mostly ( read likely 85% ) the "Run here, kill so many of whatever mob or collect so many of some particular item and return to the quest giver." those quests take about 30 minutes actual development time.

[~Hbone]

You are missing the point. 100 quests no matter what they are is an example of effort on their part. They have not even updated the website to indicate that in August er I mean September a new update is coming. Now if I am shopping for a game and come upon this site and see that it is way out of date then I am probably going to think they are also as well organized in their game development or that there is nothing more since July. I like this game let me say it again I like this game I dont want it to go. I just dont see any effort. How long does it take to change a banner on a website. Days of programming umm no maybe ten minutes if that. That is all that I am saying. Oh and the 15 dollars you say is not important hmmmm they collapsed the servers and I am guessing it was to save money not to help our game play. That is just an opinion however. Also 15+15+15+15...... eventually adds up to somebodies paycheck. Consumers have the right to leave and that is the only right a consumer has and if enough people leave there will be no game or maybe just one server to help our game play. I just want my DDO cared for and not neglected. That is all.

[tekn0mage]

Agreed. The point is not that we want "every little" detail... but man you can't be going on vacation while the rest of us are wondering what the heck is going on.

And what was up with the patch yesterday? Yeah there was downtime to "optimize" and "fix" the server merge issues.

What issues were they attempting to fix? That should be easily detailed so that we know what was fixed. And wasn't that maintenance supposed to be done on the 13th of August? There was downtime that day, so obviously if they had to fix it again --something didn't work right the first time.

No communication, again.

[Ringlord]

You are missing the point. Spreading paranoia will only serve to help bring about exactly what you are afraid of happening in the first place. Big deal the web site has not been updated as to when Searing Heights will be out. New players are just like current players and most never look at web sites or message boards, but the splash screen before you enter the game is the important one.

Now again those lousy kinds of quests they added to LoTRO do not show any particular effort for the game and took less time to do than the real quests with full dungeons we will get with Module 5. If I wanted that kind of quest I would play WoW all the time where they put in far more than 100 of them for an update.

Now as to the seeming lack of staff ( the likely reason the web site has not been updated recently ) where is the best place for them to get new help quickly for things related to LoTRO when they need more help fast because the game is apparently growing faster than expected? DDO of course since it is also their game. Now they have to hire new people for DDO which they obviously feel can wait while certain non-essential areas are not filled by a permanent staffer.

We have proof in Merlask's announcement of retiring her character because she is going to work for Turbine, and even though she did not say it was related to DDO that I saw, you can guess it is because she would have no reason to retire her known characters if she was going to work on a different game there. Nope you don't hire new people to work on a game you plan to close down.

Oh one last thing about the "State of or Future of the Game" post people are waiting for. Remember we never got the first one until the game had been out for 11 months. Don't panic because you might have to wait a week or two after the next one was hinted at before you actually get to see it.

[ArkoHighStar]

You are missing the point. Spreading paranoia will only serve to help bring about exactly what you are afraid of happening in the first place. Big deal the web site has not been updated as to when Searing Heights will be out. New players are just like current players and most never look at web sites or message boards, but the splash screen before you enter the game is the important one.

Now again those lousy kinds of quests they added to LoTRO do not show any particular effort for the game and took less time to do than the real quests with full dungeons we will get with Module 5. If I wanted that kind of quest I would play WoW all the time where they put in far more than 100 of them for an update.

Now as to the seeming lack of staff ( the likely reason the web site has not been updated recently ) where is the best place for them to get new help quickly for things related to LoTRO when they need more help fast because the game is apparently growing faster than expected? DDO of course since it is also their game. Now they have to hire new people for DDO which they obviously feel can wait while certain non-essential areas are not filled by a permanent staffer.

We have proof in Merlask's announcement of retiring her character because she is going to work for Turbine, and even though she did not say it was related to DDO that I saw, you can guess it is because she would have no reason to retire her known characters if she was going to work on a different game there. Nope you don't hire new people to work on a game you plan to close down.

Oh one last thing about the "State of or Future of the Game" post people are waiting for. Remember we never got the first one until the game had been out for 11 months. Don't panic because you might have to wait a week or two after the next one was hinted at before you actually get to see it.

The simple fact is customer service is lacking right now, We once had 2 community people and now we have one, and that one is off promoting another product, from looking at dev tracker it appears that the devs are in here more than the community team, who's job is community relations and communication. The state of the Game has been asked for since July by many including myself, due to the lack of communication during the Samera void. Turbine seems to show no proactiveness when it ocmes to this game, we only seem to get info on anything when someone starts asking about it. A perfect example, the last 2 delays, for 4.2 and 5. Instead of anouncements from Turbine we get responses in threads, so only those reading those threads know there is a delay, until someone creates a thread with the title "Mod 5 delayed". People understand delays, it is just the haphazard way Turbine lets us know about them, that ticks people off. Be up front be proactive and the community will repsect them a lot more

As for Merlask we have no indication where she is going,and yes regardless of what game she is working they would retire her characters, as she is well known and everyone would know they were playing with a Turbine employee, none of the other turbine employees player names are known and her new ones will not be either. The reason is simple all she would get while playing are people telling her how they need to change things etc.

There are several very basic things that Turbine needs to let us know

1. When is Risia coming back up, no indication from them except it was supposed to be back up last week
2. EU announcement on character slots, a perfect example of the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing. It seem they think we do not notice these things, well we did and still no comment from Turbine.
3. WDA's, the one communication that Turbine provides us regularly and it is usually halfway through they day before we get it. Ths is not about the EU getting it first, it is about the fact that Turbine gets to it whenever they feel like it, whne it is shown time and again that they have it done on Friday and are just waiting to release it on Monday.
4.Downtime delays, last downtime had a 2 hour delay nothing form Turbine, in fact the all clear came an hour after they were back up.

Quarion being away just brings to the surface, some very simple and real problems with how Turbine is treating this game.

[Beherit_Baphomar]

What the hell is wrong with you people?!?! What you think they owe each and every one of you a personal sit down and detailing of every move they plan to make for the game every month? LMAO that was a silly question because of course you do :rolleyes: Well guess what folks in spite of how important you think your $15 dollars is or what it supposedly entitles you to in your own minds you DO NOT pay the dev's salaries and so you get to demand nothing. The dev's salaries will be paid even without your all important $15.

They promised us a state of the game posting ( well ok strongly hinted we would see one ) just because it is not already up means nothing. WoTC does not receive their payment for the license each month I am sure, but rather each year and even if Turbine wanted to just close the game down in another month without telling us anything they would have to let WoTC know they were going to give up the license since they would not be renewing it or WoTC could sue them for any number of valid reasons.

AC II was Turbine's own creation so they did not have to give notice to anyone else in advance, but if they were going to close down DDO they would have to. WoTC would have no reason to keep it quiet either. No DDO is not going to be shut down soon so stop with the paranoia already.

Oh and the 100 or more quests they put in LoTRO's last update I am sure they were mostly ( read likely 85% ) the "Run here, kill so many of whatever mob or collect so many of some particular item and return to the quest giver." those quests take about 30 minutes actual development time.

Who is asking for a personal sitdown? See, this is where you try to come across like an intelligent adult and fail. You're getting ****ed because some of us are unhappy with the way this has went down. Listen, this game is in a lil state of turmoil at the moment, we need some sort of publicity drive, we've been screaming about it for months now. Couldn't they have stuck DDO on the back window of the hooptie? I mean...*sigh*

I can assure you that without all our $15.00 a month NO ONE at Turbine is getting paid. So yes, my $15.00 a month entitles me to say my mind and tell the people I am paying that the communication within this games community is severly lacking.

Well, like I said, when the game dies I wont be bothered any more.

[DaveyCrockett]

What the hell is wrong with you people?!?! What you think they owe each and every one of you a personal sit down and detailing of every move they plan to make for the game every month? LMAO that was a silly question because of course you do :rolleyes: Well guess what folks in spite of how important you think your $15 dollars is or what it supposedly entitles you to in your own minds you DO NOT pay the dev's salaries and so you get to demand nothing. The dev's salaries will be paid even without your all important $15.

I don't think that there is anything wrong with us 'you people', but if you think that Turbine is handling this game professionally and with respect to it's customers, then there is something wrong with YOU.

Noone's crying doom here, we're simply saying that a little respect towards a community that essentially helped pay for their baby (LoTR) would go along way, and be very much appreciated.

[tekn0mage]

Well said Arko. We may not agree on everything in other threads but here you have hit the nail on the head.

And to the other post regarding "bringing about the very thing I am afraid of"...

Would you have us lie to newcomers? Would you have us stay silent about the way Turbine is handling this? Who's interests would that serve? If we listened to you (and all the other Turbine gap-fillers) Turbine wouldn't do a **** thing to this game to improve it. The neglect they have shown the little things means they would neglect the larger, more weightier matters.

Again, we are not asking for perfection, and we understand that yes MMOs go through phases. I've played more MMO's than most, and I can tell you that I truly want this game to do well. It's just that under the present atmosphere, Turbine is not inclined to really take charge on this game.

Now I hate to do this but I assign the blame on the wave of people who "complain" about "complainers". You offer nothing more than devils-advocate positions on virtually everything. Your whole premise is "give Turbine a break" while completely missing the point that we HAVE given them breaks, 19 of them when I paid them every month for content. So have thousands of others. Now how can you possibly perceive that we have been too harsh on this company? When the going gets tough, Turbine goes on vacation?

This wouldn't be so bad if they had left us with something before he left. Now we're all just sitting on the forums talking amongst ourselves with no direction. They left us with no definite word on where things are at. The state of game address which we expected to receive sometime has not been delivered. To top it all off we had a downtime window where more "optimizations" were done. What happened to the last batch on the 13th?

Then to top it all off, they give us MORE useless Dragonshards. As if getting them as a favor reward for Argonnessen wasn't bad enough, they toss them out like candy. I guess the +1 loot weekend was just not an option this time around due to the servers completely grinding to a halt.

We now have stacks and stacks of Dragonshards of all sorts, literally hundreds of them in our guild. What the hell are they good for? Absolutely nothing since the theme of this game seems to be "re-roll ANOTHER toon" anyways.

Enough with the petty concessions. Start giving us some real substance. I'm sick of this already. So are the dozens in my guild. If you want them all to come in here and post their support of that statement, just ask, it's not a difficult task at all. And the sooner all you "give Turbine a break" types would just move out of the way and let us have our lynch, you would finally get what you want as well...

[Beherit_Baphomar]

Merlask would have to retire her characters no matter where Turbine put her.

No one can argue about the DDO teams lack of conviction in this game, whether thats from Turbines 'orders' or if the team themselves have lost interest I, obviously, dont know. What is plain to see is the severe, severe lack of interest in this game from the very people who are supposed to be running it, and I dont believe anyone can argue otherwise.

[DaveyCrockett]

Best Tekn0 post evah. 100% agreed.

[ArkoHighStar]

Merlask would have to retire her characters no matter where Turbine put her.

No one can argue about the DDO teams lack of conviction in this game, whether thats from Turbines 'orders' or if the team themselves have lost interest I, obviously, dont know. What is plain to see is the severe, severe lack of interest in this game from the very people who are supposed to be running it, and I dont believe anyone can argue otherwise.

I agree with that statement with one caviat. I would limit its scope to the community team and not the devs. As evidenced from the anecdotal posts from the GenCon party the devs seem to care about this game a lot, and seem to listen to the community ( the raid loot changes a perfect example). The picture they give of the internal views are much different than the cold silence the community team gives us.
If I were in that job. I would be hounding the producers daily for the state of the game address and put a date on it, getting the producer to agree to a deadline when it has to be done.
I would know what is going on with anouncements by Codemasters so I have no surprises, and if there was one I would be reacting swiftly to address them and let the US community know what Turbines position is. If I make a statement that has a date attached to it I would have calendar reminders letting me know ahead of time, that I must circle back with the community. If dev plans change I will never, repeat never make a comment in a thread that asks for the info without first making a post in the anouncements thread.

Community relations staff have one primary duty and that is relations with the community and in that respect our staff is asleep at the wheel, and we keep having to wake them up so the car doesn't go into the ditch.

I will say one final thing about Merlask, and yes I undersatnd this is all speculation. If she has been hired for the LOTRO, then Turbine has just slapped us in the face big time. If she has been hired for DDO then maybe they are finally seeing the light. Only time will tell on this one.


The reason many of us are so critical , is that the average player age of this game is much higher than other games, so many of us have extensive professional experience in IT, customer service, software development, tech support etc, so we know quality when we see it, this game is a quality game, if only our community support were close.

[Dariun]

here's a publicity drive for LOTR using "our" guy.

I think everyone is over-reacting more than a little bit to a "DDO" guy doing a LOTRO promotional trip.

Think about it from a practical standpoint: Would Turbine want to *order* an employee to do something like this? Not really. They *could* but that's not the way you do things like this.

So they must have asked for volunteers. I'm sure they started with the LOTRO group, but maybe they couldn't get people whose life, schedule, and (let's be honest) health would allow them to take such a trip, so maybe they opened up the offer to people outside the immediate group.

It's what I (as a manager) would have done. If my department wanted to do something like this (we wouldn't -- we are boring), I can't think of 2 staff members I would stick in a car together for a cross country trip. But I might pick 1 and say "so, can you think of someone you'd like to go with you?". Get the list of people he is interested in travelling with, and then go to those people and ask them if they want to go. I wouldn't care if they technically worked in another department.

Anyway, just theoretical rambling there -- and I'm fantasizing about sending annoying staff members on a cross country trip -- hahahahaha!!!111!!!11!.

I think everyone should lighten up about Quarion's trip and enjoy the blog.



As for LOTRO v. DDO staffing, I think it has been obvious for a while that DDO's dedicated staff is being reduced but supplemented with people splitting time between LOTRO and DDO. I see no real problem with that, but it is not the greatest sign for DDO.

[ArkoHighStar]

I think everyone is over-reacting more than a little bit to a "DDO" guy doing a LOTRO promotional trip.

Think about it from a practical standpoint: Would Turbine want to *order* an employee to do something like this? Not really. They *could* but that's not the way you do things like this.

So they must have asked for volunteers. I'm sure they started with the LOTRO group, but maybe they couldn't get people whose life, schedule, and (let's be honest) health would allow them to take such a trip, so maybe they opened up the offer to people outside the immediate group.

It's what I (as a manager) would have done. If my department wanted to do something like this (we wouldn't -- we are boring), I can't think of 2 staff members I would stick in a car together for a cross country trip. But I might pick 1 and say "so, can you think of someone you'd like to go with you?". Get the list of people he is interested in travelling with, and then go to those people and ask them if they want to go. I wouldn't care if they technically worked in another department.

Anyway, just theoretical rambling there -- and I'm fantasizing about sending annoying staff members on a cross country trip -- hahahahaha!!!111!!!11!.

I think everyone should lighten up about Quarion's trip and enjoy the blog.



As for LOTRO v. DDO staffing, I think it has been obvious for a while that DDO's dedicated staff is being reduced but supplemented with people splitting time between LOTRO and DDO. I see no real problem with that, but it is not the greatest sign for DDO.


Most people are simply upset at the deceptive way it was done, if Quarion had been honest the worst he would have gotten was a little ribbing, and we would have been done with it. Had they invited DDO fans to meet them too, even though the car had LOTRO on it, you probably would have seen a much better response. This episode just points to another blunder by Turbine in the way its treats the members of this community.

[Dariun]

Most people are simply upset at the deceptive way it was done, if Quarion had been honest

I think it is a bit unfair to characterize Quarion's announcement as deceptive or dishonest.

I'm sure Turbine did not want the first publicity for this trip to be a forum post on DDO, so Quarion probably said all he could.


I understand people thinking "darn, I wish they'd do this stuff for DDO", but I think a lot of us realized a long time ago that LOTRO is a much bigger product. I'm not saying "better" -- obviously I have a choice to play either and I play DDO -- but it's fairly obvious that LOTRO is bigger which means more money, more staff, more promotion. Which isn't bad, as it raises Turbine's profile and no doubt leads people who like LOTRO to look at other Turbine games.

[Katrina]

http://forums.ddo.com/showpost.php?p=1313847&postcount=43

[ArkoHighStar]

http://forums.ddo.com/showpost.php?p=1313847&postcount=43

you mean while he is at the LOTRO party
http://forums.lotro.com/showthread.php?t=85913

He arrives in Seattle tonight and leaves the next morning for Portland.

From their itinerary
8/24
Yellowstone National Park 8:00am Old Faithful
Seattle, WA 8:30pm COME JOIN US AT GAMEWORKS (PAX)!
8/25
Portland, OR 9am Starbucks - 910 SW 2nd Ave
WILL STOP FOR FANS!
Rice Hill, OR 12pm K R Drive Inn aka: “That Ice Cream Place”

[ArkoHighStar]

I think it is a bit unfair to characterize Quarion's announcement as deceptive or dishonest.

I'm sure Turbine did not want the first publicity for this trip to be a forum post on DDO, so Quarion probably said all he could.


I understand people thinking "darn, I wish they'd do this stuff for DDO", but I think a lot of us realized a long time ago that LOTRO is a much bigger product. I'm not saying "better" -- obviously I have a choice to play either and I play DDO -- but it's fairly obvious that LOTRO is bigger which means more money, more staff, more promotion. Which isn't bad, as it raises Turbine's profile and no doubt leads people who like LOTRO to look at other Turbine games.
So letting us find out about it from a forum poster was any better. A post from Quarion after it was released would have probably diffused 90% of the drama, and as I said the worst we would have seen was a little bit of ribbing, then it would have been done.

[Beherit_Baphomar]

So letting us find out about it from a forum poster was any better. A post from Quarion after it was released would have probably diffused 90% of the drama, and as I said the worst we would have seen was a little bit of ribbing, then it would have been done.

QFT

[~Hbone]

I dont remember any DDO parties and what the heck dont worry he will do things for you when he is done with his current promotion work. I dont think I can ever remember any promo work for DDO. I love pulling the sled to line the LOTR money vault. I agree he should have been up front. Do they think they are endearing us to maybe go to LOTR this way. I have nothing but disgust for that game and when this one dies I will never play a turbine game again. A curse on them for treating us this way.

[Clerical]

Any ddo players in Seattle who can ask him in person what we keep asking here over and over? Lots of people would be interested in a response.

[tekn0mage]

I dont remember any DDO parties and what the heck dont worry he will do things for you when he is done with his current promotion work. I dont think I can ever remember any promo work for DDO. I love pulling the sled to line the LOTR money vault. I agree he should have been up front. Do they think they are endearing us to maybe go to LOTR this way. I have nothing but disgust for that game and when this one dies I will never play a turbine game again. A curse on them for treating us this way.

The conspiracy theory goes...

They used DDO 's revenue to finalize LOTRO production. Now the execs are pushing people to leave DDO so that they can shut down the unprofitable game. Thereby leaning out Turbine's position and infusing LOTRO with a few thousand subs.

The next step in this conspiracy theory is if they offer some kind of cross-over incentive to DDO players to join LOTRO.

If they do that, it's one step closer to being true.

[Asal]

I think everyone is over-reacting more than a little bit to a "DDO" guy doing a LOTRO promotional trip.

Think about it from a practical standpoint: Would Turbine want to *order* an employee to do something like this? Not really. They *could* but that's not the way you do things like this.

So they must have asked for volunteers. I'm sure they started with the LOTRO group, but maybe they couldn't get people whose life, schedule, and (let's be honest) health would allow them to take such a trip, so maybe they opened up the offer to people outside the immediate group.

It's what I (as a manager) would have done. If my department wanted to do something like this (we wouldn't -- we are boring), I can't think of 2 staff members I would stick in a car together for a cross country trip. But I might pick 1 and say "so, can you think of someone you'd like to go with you?". Get the list of people he is interested in travelling with, and then go to those people and ask them if they want to go. I wouldn't care if they technically worked in another department.

Anyway, just theoretical rambling there -- and I'm fantasizing about sending annoying staff members on a cross country trip -- hahahahaha!!!111!!!11!.

I think everyone should lighten up about Quarion's trip and enjoy the blog.



As for LOTRO v. DDO staffing, I think it has been obvious for a while that DDO's dedicated staff is being reduced but supplemented with people splitting time between LOTRO and DDO. I see no real problem with that, but it is not the greatest sign for DDO.

Maybe they need used a DDO staff to travel because they could spare him since they are delaying the content of DDO. Of course could not use a LOTR staff since Turbine is still intending to meet annouced production for LOTR unlike DDO which they have no intention of making a scheduled annoucements.

[jaitee]

this is just sad, Q, promoting LOTRO, and all the time while he is doing that DDO is dieing slowly because no one at turbine cares, really there are soo many things this game needs, and doesnt get, and turbine was Q promoting LOTRO?

LOL, really i have nothing left to say, most people cant even trust turbine to do anything, poor customer service, poor performances, poor commutations, backing up release dates

and people wonder why there is always DOOooooooM!! on the forums, everything in DDO is doing poor

[studentx]

Any ddo players in Seattle who can ask him in person what we keep asking here over and over? Lots of people would be interested in a response.

Sure.

...What did you want asked?

[Ringlord]

Do any of you understand written English? What did I say about the current lack of staff for Community Relations for DDO? Did you all miss it that easily?

The quickest and easiest way to get more community relations staff for LoTRO that is already experienced is to take them from DDO and make us wait while they hire some new people for this community. Yes that is how it would be done by any company running more than 1 MMO when one was considerably more successful than the other and growing fast.

Ok so Q is apparently off to promote LoTRO ( although I have only seen posts from players not Turbine people saying this is so ) I have seen posts by Turbine people saying he will be promoting DDO at PAX. I would also bet he was leaving early to make stops along the way to interview potential new people for those jobs in CR for DDO. Promoting DDO at events like PAX is pretty much ALL Turbine can do since they are not the publisher of DDO, but the developer and they are NOT in charge of the advertising.

Yes that sucks, but they were hired and given the development license, but not control of the license for Eberron and D&D related stuff. Maybe that will change with WoTC renewing license agreements ( hopefully that would be another thing Q might be doing out there in California ).

We have been through the highs and lows of changes in the CR people around here 2 other times now. We will probably have to go through it again until Turbine does get a bit more control over advertising. I am very sure they would love to have more control so please help them out by going to the D&D or WoTC web sites and *****ing about it there.

I can't say I have been very impressed with any of the events that Turbine has done here, but I think events like most people are hoping for such as random spawns around the city in the public areas will be impossible until they get ALL servers stabalized from lag issues. They have made optimization attempts, but hardware can only do so much with the current code. Module 5 is where the code changes are. I would rather they take the extra time to get it done right than throw it out there all messed up and make things worse just because some players feel disrespected or something because they missed a post about the delay.

I read very few actual threads any given day on these boards and I had no trouble coming across the announcement that the module would be delayed so if I could find it it had to be easy to see :D

Tekno I have no problem with any post written with making a serious complaint about the game without it getting all bent because the poster got too emotional and I said what I did in my first post here because the attitude that came through from many of the posts was that yes Turbine owed each and everyone of them a personal detailed posting of their plans for the next 6 months of the game ( or more )

Oh and as to Merlask do you honestly think unless they offered her a considerable sum of money she would really go to work for them to be put on another game other than DDO? I doubt she has even played LoTRO and who would be more perfect for a CR job connected with DDO than her? It does not take a genius ( which I am far from :D) to figure that one out.

[tekn0mage]

Do any of you understand written English? What did I say about the current lack of staff for Community Relations for DDO? Did you all miss it that easily?

Tekno I have no problem with any post written with making a serious complaint about the game without it getting all bent because the poster got too emotional and I said what I did in my first post here because the attitude that came through from many of the posts was that yes Turbine owed each and everyone of them a personal detailed posting of their plans for the next 6 months of the game ( or more )

Oh and as to Merlask do you honestly think unless they offered her a considerable sum of money she would really go to work for them to be put on another game other than DDO? I doubt she has even played LoTRO and who would be more perfect for a CR job connected with DDO than her? It does not take a genius ( which I am far from :D) to figure that one out.

Ok let me try and make this simpler for you so that there's no misunderstanding.

When a customer has a problem with service, they contact the company that provides that service. Whether it's a restaurant, a toy maker, software provider etc. my example stays the same. Let's say you found a fingernail in your pasta and wanted to let the restaurant know that you were dissatisfied with their quality control. I have NEVER, and I mean NEVER made a complaint to a company and had my "complaints" subjected to third-party opinions about how "emotional" or "unemotional" my complaint was. This is because my complaint is directly with the company, not with any of you.

Clearly your experience (and many others) of this game is not a bad one. They are reasonably happy with the service provided and are not going to call up and complain. However, there is a growing number of dissatisfied people who have done what they are told to do... which is to come online and make a forum post with their experience.

Where things get is sour is people like you criticizing the people making those complaints. It does not matter how emotional the post is, the customer has a right to make their complaint, and you do not have a right to eavesdrop and give your OPINION on whether or not their experience is valid in your estimation. It is up to Turbine to either accept, reject, or defer the complaint.

Now fast forward 18 months since release. We have seen many complaints accepted, many rejected, and lately--many of them deferred with no answer. While in this "dark period" or silence, tensions are going to run higher when we find out the ONE person in charge of providing us answers took a cross-country vacation in a hooptie promoting some other game.

This whole speculation about "maybe he's interviewing people for DDO" is a joke. What kind of nonsense is that? Do you really think the guy is going to be in any shape after traveling 5000+ miles (some days 500+ miles) to be conducting any kind of talent scouting? He's going to be living on hot dogs and jailhouse showerheads in cheap motels. Unless you've ever done a cross country trip like that before, you would never know that its very strenuous. They are keeping a tight schedule and it's nothing more than a public relations tour.

Besides, if they really wanted to be promoting games, why didn't they have a booth at GenCon? Sure PAX is big, but umm... they were at GenCon the past few years and running.

Finally regarding Merlask, you expect too much from Turbine. They aren't going to pay someone a large amount of money to sit at home and play their game. I'm sure the job offer was a reasonable salary that Merlask can justify spending extra time at home to receive. Besides, if they cannot afford extra coders to fix these problems faster than 1+ year (and counting on some bugs) what makes you think they are going to pay a large sum of money for someone to conduct in-game events? There's just no "production" value in a job of that type.

Just ask her, I would bet you every piece of real estate that I own that she works from home with a modest salary of $20-30k a year.. tops.

[Clerical]

Sure.

...What did you want asked?

Start with these:

Why is risia still down?
Any estimate on when it will be up?
When will our toons be ported over to risia so we can test mod 5 for Turbine?
Since this has been delayed, does that mean another delay for mod 5?

Is there any news on us getting a state of the game address of some sort?
Would that be soon or wait a month or ?

Are the devs told to avoid the forums and/or told they may not post there without permission/approval of what they say?
If so who do you have to ask? Atari?
If not why is there not more communication in general from you guys?

And some less important things to ask him:

Why is the ddo website so horribly out of date?
Do you/turbine need help running/updating the website?

Is there any advertising money being spent on DDO anymore?
If not, when can we assume the servers will be shut down?

That is what i would like to ask him personally, other people may have other questions they think are more important but these are mine. I would not expect too much honesty on some of the questions.. but how he answered/reacted to them would reveal more than the words(the company line).

[jaitee]

Ok let me try and make this simpler for you so that there's no misunderstanding.

When a customer has a problem with service, they contact the company that provides that service. Whether it's a restaurant, a toy maker, software provider etc. my example stays the same. Let's say you found a fingernail in your pasta and wanted to let the restaurant know that you were dissatisfied with their quality control. I have NEVER, and I mean NEVER made a complaint to a company and had my "complaints" subjected to third-party opinions about how "emotional" or "unemotional" my complaint was. This is because my complaint is directly with the company, not with any of you.

Clearly your experience (and many others) of this game is not a bad one. They are reasonably happy with the service provided and are not going to call up and complain. However, there is a growing number of dissatisfied people who have done what they are told to do... which is to come online and make a forum post with their experience.

Where things get is sour is people like you criticizing the people making those complaints. It does not matter how emotional the post is, the customer has a right to make their complaint, and you do not have a right to eavesdrop and give your OPINION on whether or not their experience is valid in your estimation. It is up to Turbine to either accept, reject, or defer the complaint.

Now fast forward 18 months since release. We have seen many complaints accepted, many rejected, and lately--many of them deferred with no answer. While in this "dark period" or silence, tensions are going to run higher when we find out the ONE person in charge of providing us answers took a cross-country vacation in a hooptie promoting some other game.

This whole speculation about "maybe he's interviewing people for DDO" is a joke. What kind of nonsense is that? Do you really think the guy is going to be in any shape after traveling 5000+ miles (some days 500+ miles) to be conducting any kind of talent scouting? He's going to be living on hot dogs and jailhouse showerheads in cheap motels. Unless you've ever done a cross country trip like that before, you would never know that its very strenuous. They are keeping a tight schedule and it's nothing more than a public relations tour.

Besides, if they really wanted to be promoting games, why didn't they have a booth at GenCon? Sure PAX is big, but umm... they were at GenCon the past few years and running.

Finally regarding Merlask, you expect too much from Turbine. They aren't going to pay someone a large amount of money to sit at home and play their game. I'm sure the job offer was a reasonable salary that Merlask can justify spending extra time at home to receive. Besides, if they cannot afford extra coders to fix these problems faster than 1+ year (and counting on some bugs) what makes you think they are going to pay a large sum of money for someone to conduct in-game events? There's just no "production" value in a job of that type.

Just ask her, I would bet you every piece of real estate that I own that she works from home with a modest salary of $20-30k a year.. tops.

tech this is a good post, also going along side my attrition war with turbine post about how bad customer service really is, and what all did i get? exactly what you are speaking of... people just dropping in to speak their mind, and how valid it is in the posters estimation, not anyone elses


================================================== =====
Where things get is sour is people like you criticizing the people making those complaints. It does not matter how emotional the post is, the customer has a right to make their complaint, and you do not have a right to eavesdrop and give your OPINION on whether or not their experience is valid in your estimation. It is up to Turbine to either accept, reject, or defer the complaint.

Now fast forward 18 months since release. We have seen many complaints accepted, many rejected, and lately--many of them deferred with no answer. While in this "dark period" or silence, tensions are going to run higher when we find out the ONE person in charge of providing us answers took a cross-country vacation in a hooptie promoting some other game.
================================================== =====

[ArkoHighStar]

Start with these:

Why is risia still down?
Any estimate on when it will be up?
When will our toons be ported over to risia so we can test mod 5 for Turbine?
Since this has been delayed, does that mean another delay for mod 5?

Is there any news on us getting a state of the game address of some sort?
Would that be soon or wait a month or ?

Are the devs told to avoid the forums and/or told they may not post there without permission/approval of what they say?
If so who do you have to ask? Atari?
If not why is there not more communication in general from you guys?

And some less important things to ask him:

Why is the ddo website so horribly out of date?
Do you/turbine need help running/updating the website?

Is there any advertising money being spent on DDO anymore?
If not, when can we assume the servers will be shut down?

That is what i would like to ask him personally, other people may have other questions they think are more important but these are mine. I would not expect too much honesty on some of the questions.. but how he answered/reacted to them would reveal more than the words(the company line).

a little late, Quarion left Seattle early this morning for Oregon to meet with LOTRO fans> he spent one evening at PAX at the LOTRO party

[Krell]

I think this thread has run its course.

[Asal]

I think this thread has run its course.

But since there is NOBODY from Turbine spending any time on DDO it will not be shut down. There is literally no DDO names on line

[binnsr]

But since there is NOBODY from Turbine spending any time on DDO it will not be shut down. There is literally no DDO names on line

That might be because it's 8pm EST on a Saturday night :rolleyes:

Doesn't excuse the lack of presence otherwise.. :cool:

[Asal]

Strange I found 4 red name (LOTR kind) on the LOTR forum just after I posted. However I have not seen any Red Name on DDO forum all day.

[tekn0mage]

Yeah I dont think this is something the Turbine fans can explain their way out of. I think the majority of people are pretty ****ed.

I hope Turbine has something good for us on Monday.

[binnsr]

Yeah I dont think this is something the Turbine fans can explain their way out of. I think the majority of people are pretty ****ed.

I hope Turbine has something good for us on Monday.

lol .. it'll be the WDA (unless it's late because they didn't prepare it on Friday - and we get it on Tuesday instead)

Either that, or a bunch of locked/deleted threads and some of the other things that aren't mentioned outside of PMs..:rolleyes:

[Clawstorm]

Can't believe they didn't push DDO at PAx even a little bit...

[Clerical]

You can't sell something you don't believe in.