A request regarding announcements...

[Fourfingers]

Turbine: I don't know your company policy regarding posting in-game announcements (website, sign-in screen, other?) but I would like to make a request, and here goes.

When you post a "downtime announcement" can you please list 'updates' to the original notice instead of trying to cover your tracks?

Here's my beef;

I logged in the other day and saw an upcoming "downtime" scheduled for 7am-11am or so, and I go to log in at 11:30 and see the downtime is now set for 7am-12pm. Fine, I come back an hour later and instead of 7-12 it's 7-1pm. What gives? I would respect your honesty if you said "we've extended the downtime an hour until 12pm, or the downtime will continue until 1pm" instead of going in and editing the previously posted message thus covering the original scheduled window. This will at least let you keep some respect in my eyes when you REGULARLY go over your scheduled downtimes. But when you try to change things to look like it was going to be 1pm all along and make people wonder if they really did see 11am or 12pm as the end of the downtime.

And finally, who's job is it to estimate the downtime windows that get scheduled? I'd like to know how their performance review was last year. Is anyone actually keeping track of these, or should we the players be grateful the game even comes back online?

[Beherit_Baphomar]

I gotta tell ya, its getting pretty rediculous.

Im all for whining and *****ing, but J**** H C***** onna bike get a grip.

[Fourfingers]

Thanks for your constructive input, I feel it has contributed greatly to this thread.

When you get old enough to drive and own a car, perhaps this example might put things in perspective for you.

Imagine taking your car to the dealership to get it repaired. The estimate the mechanic gives you says your car will be done at 5pm the next day. You show up to pick up your car at the time on your paperwork and when you show up they tell you "Sorry, your car isn't due to be repaired until tomorrow at 9am." You look at your paperwork and they've scribbled out the original estimated time and put in a new time, without notifying you or actually even acknowledging that there was a commitment for the earlier time.

Now while I understand this example isn't an exact apples to apples comparison, it does help explain my perspective. I don't care that the update/maintenance takes longer to finish, but I suspect it's someone's job to provide those estimates, and I hope it's noted that their track record has been "less than stellar" in the past. If something happens and the update needs to take an hour longer, fine. Let us know what's going on and give us an UPDATE, don't just scribble out the previous commitment and pretend it was never made.

[Beherit_Baphomar]

i Gotta Tell Ya, Its Getting Pretty Rediculous.

Im All For Whining And *****ing, But J**** H C***** Onna Bike Get A Grip.

Qft.

[VirieSquichie]

Thanks for your constructive input, I feel it has contributed greatly to this thread.

When you get old enough to drive and own a car, perhaps this example might put things in perspective for you.

Imagine taking your car to the dealership to get it repaired. The estimate the mechanic gives you says your car will be done at 5pm the next day. You show up to pick up your car at the time on your paperwork and when you show up they tell you "Sorry, your car isn't due to be repaired until tomorrow at 9am." You look at your paperwork and they've scribbled out the original estimated time and put in a new time, without notifying you or actually even acknowledging that there was a commitment for the earlier time.

Now while I understand this example isn't an exact apples to apples comparison, it does help explain my perspective. I don't care that the update/maintenance takes longer to finish, but I suspect it's someone's job to provide those estimates, and I hope it's noted that their track record has been "less than stellar" in the past. If something happens and the update needs to take an hour longer, fine. Let us know what's going on and give us an UPDATE, don't just scribble out the previous commitment and pretend it was never made.

I tend to agree. At the very least, use strikethrough and put the new time in next to the stricken one.

People tend to be a lot more "ok" with honest admissions that things aren't going quite according to plan than they are with sliding windows and evasive non-communicative silences. Just let us know what's going on...

[Fourfingers]

...thanks for listening. I noticed the "update" show up on my login screen that the downtime was extended and immediatly below was the original announcement so I know the time was extended and I wasn't imagining things. Of course as soon as I saw that update I went to post my gratitude on the forums but they were still down. :) So now that the forums are back, thanks gang. Now I'll keep my eyes on that login screen.