Curse

Sweetest · Jul 04, 2006, 11:04 AM // 11:04

At Midnight PST, there were about 70 Districts on the American Servers at Shing Jea, Each District was pretty much packed , now at midnight you have 70 districts full of people asking loudly where the emporer is , and why they havent been told exactly when hes coming except "the event starts at midnight", you can only assume it means that the emperor will come at midnight, regardless you have 70 districts full of people asking where the emproer is, a thread on another forum with 150+ replies asking the same thing, and gaile gray is in id7 hosting a conga line and talking about mini pets.

Amity and Truth · Jul 04, 2006, 12:03 PM // 12:03

If you've got suggestions on how to improve the situation instead of destructive criticism, feel free to post them in this thread here

Bashing A-Net or Gaile surely won't help the situation at all. Suggestions on how to improve might help.

Silent Kitty · Jul 04, 2006, 12:05 PM // 12:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sweetest

At Midnight PST, there were about 70 Districts on the American Servers at Shing Jea, Each District was pretty much packed , now at midnight you have 70 districts full of people asking loudly where the emporer is , and why they havent been told exactly when hes coming except "the event starts at midnight", you can only assume it means that the emperor will come at midnight, regardless you have 70 districts full of people asking where the emproer is, a thread on another forum with 150+ replies asking the same thing, and gaile gray is in id7 hosting a conga line and talking about mini pets.

Do you really think that Gaile can answer them all? Do you really think than making it a general announcement will stop these people asking questions? None of these people have the sense to look things up in the forum or the internet. Shouting answers at them will only confuse them more. Remember that there are thousands of Guild Wars players for whom this game is one big mystery. Giving them answers will most likely trigger more questions, and every question will be repeated again by every next one who logs in.

Sweetest · Jul 04, 2006, 12:17 PM // 12:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zaxan Razor

The fact is, you're complaining about a special event, that has taken hours and hours of work to prepare, design and execute.

They didn't have to do it. If you don't like how its been handled, then you shouldnt complain, because it came at no cost to you, you didnt have to participate, and whats more, they didnt have to even create the event!

Thats why you got ignored!

Stop whining for gods sake.

You obviously failed to see the point of my thread
If you would take time to read, my thread is merely asking for discussion on how i feel our concerns go about ignored.

Whining? hardly.
Read some of my posts , if anything your the one whining.

Imagine This. You go to watch a movie that starts at 6PM, You sit and face a black screen for 2 Hours before the movie starts at 8PM, you recieve NO information from the staff, and the manager refuses to answer any questions.
What would you do?

This thread isnt so much as complaining of how this event was handleld, if you still think that is the poitn we're trying to make, take a step back and reread everything. Its more on the feelings that our concerns are being ignored , and that anything that doesnt place Arenanet on a Pedestal is automatically a "flame" or "whine"

What has this community come to? When we cant even express our thoughts on current situations without being told to shut up by other members? Has it come to the point where its become SO bad that, update after update all our concerns are never addressed, Realize that Arenanet isnt perfect, Guild Wars isnt perfect, and as paying customers we have a right to say something when we feel something is wrong, if you dont agree with what im saying, you could nicely say so , and provide reasons rather then list a cliche response of "U GOT IT FOR FREE THEY DIDNT HAVE TOOO DO IT"

its like giving a homeless guy a half eaten sandwhich you threw on the ground and saying, its free, i didnt have to give this to you but i am so you better like it and stop the complaining

makosi · Jul 04, 2006, 12:54 PM // 12:54

I'm not sure what Gaile's job is so its hard to comment on whether she's doing it well or not. All i know is she is part of the development team at ArenaNet/NCSoft and communicates with the Guild Wars community sending ideas and suggestions to the technical developers.

With regards to the OP, what are people upset about and wanting answers to? And how is Gaile on helping in the situation? I suppose the chatlogs in the Dev tracker section seem to show that she likes cookies and mini-pets so is it annoying you that she evades the important subjects?

Rent · Jul 04, 2006, 01:08 PM // 13:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by tear

Guys this is serious.

Really I'm serious this is serious this isn't a game how dare she do that when we have serious problems at hand!

I demand answers I'm important and this is important and I'm going to start a serious important discussion about it because I'm so angry my keyboard is shakingglkajsd;lfkjas;fkls;jfslefsf

Time to put my serious face on where is my thesaurus it's asskicking time.

This is amazing and I love it.

natuxatu · Jul 04, 2006, 01:19 PM // 13:19

Well I read a few posts. I thought it was and is amazing that there is anyone at all that has a little inside info and shares tid bits however big or small. I mean one of the main reasons that I started coming here was to read what she had to say.

A.net could have no one at all... so even if someone talks about the good stuff ect.. in my opinion it's better than nothing.

I understand how some feel if she doesn't address the negative issues but at that same time how much does she know? And on top of that I'm sure she has to be carefull about what she says you know.

I guess in my view I just appreciate her posting in the forms at all. Never saw that in any other online game type thing like ffxi or wow (Not saying there isn't but.. yeah i'll go now..)

milan · Jul 04, 2006, 01:25 PM // 13:25

Half the problem with a lot of the complaints is that players are not looking in the right place for the information that is freely available, i.e. the guildwars.com site.

Someone mentioned going to a movie at 6 and sitting at a blank screen for 2 hours before it starts, sure that would be a reason to complain, if it wasn't for the timetable out front saying the movie didn't start until 8.

Everyone seems to think that because Anet bothered to have community relations managers (note the plural, I believe there is more than one) that they can demand the answer to the meaning of life from them, it's not the case. The Q and A sessions in game are a nice extra touch, showing willing on behalf of Anet, however for those of you who only get the clipped logs (great work to the people who do that though) you're missing the thousands of PITA's who constantly bug the representatives and attempt to disrupt such events.

Res Ipsi · Jul 04, 2006, 01:27 PM // 13:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by ¿Evan¿

Some of Gaile's knowledge of the actual game has really got me thinking. I think a spokesperson should be a person that actually PLAYS the game and knows what people are thinking, and not just coming on every month to answer obvious questions and be worshipped. example: earlier today during the dragon event gaile talked about the rank/fame system and didn't know that is was account based.

Just my 2 cents

This is a good point. I think someone who promotes a product should at least be familiar with it. If I go to the Doctor's office to find some remedy for a health issue, I don't talk to the receptionist about it.

Zaxan Razor · Jul 04, 2006, 01:36 PM // 13:36

Sigh, you are complaining, you are clearly complaining, you are just trying to hide it by asking a question.

the thing about the movie analagy is, that you would have paid for that.

So what if the ceremony didnt turn up on time? Just come back later? Why is there a fuss about that?

just one more · Jul 04, 2006, 02:28 PM // 14:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by Demesis

If Gaile really is swamped by 'millions' of messages, then obviously Anet has made the mistake of hiring only one person to do the job. The questions and suggestions of the so called 'millions' is impossible to be conveyed by one person to Anet. At least Anet should have chosen 10 or even 20 people for the job. Less stress on Gaile's part and less complaints from disgruntles players.

THAT is the real issue here. Everything on the forums gets replied to by 2 people: Gaile Gray and Alex Weekes. Everything in game gets replied to by one person: Gaile Gray. Yet if you look at the staff page, Gaile has 3-4 (maybe more) fellow workers who operate under the 'Community Relations' tag. Well where the hell are THEY?

It's absolutely absurd to expect a single person to handle an entire gaming community. It may have worked well back in 2004, but you can't expect 1 person to handle a community that grows as much as GW's does. ANet needs to start letting other "devs" share actual information instead of "I love mini-pets, they're great!" "My text is lavender." and "It's coming soon, or no deadline. I dunno anymore."

The communication has been deteriorating consistently, and it doesn't seem like ANet will try to fix that, either.

Sir Mad · Jul 04, 2006, 02:40 PM // 14:40

Quote:

So i caller her out nicely on that and told her about how The community wasnt too happy about how the even was handled, all the angry posts on forums , and suddendly i was on her ignore list.

Actually Gaile doesn't ignore you. When she mutes you, she mutes you for the whole server. And I never saw that. One should have pretty harsh word to trigger that reaction.

She didn't answer your comments, right. But you know how it is when she's on. The all chat is all spam. No way to answer every question/remark/comment.

Now concerning the communication of ANET. I haven't played many other games, so I may be wrong with that, but I don't think so - just let me know. How many games have such a system of communicating - ie: someone from the staff who is online quite often actually to answer the questions of the players, announce the incoming events or updates, etc? Not that many, meh think.

But that's how ANET decide to work, and I think it's a great idea. I agree, this is not perfect. But can it be better? Gaile may be wrong sometimes, but how could she know every single detail of what every single developper is working on? She's PR, not a developper!

There is also the problem of the misinterpretation of what she says... Sometimes people (including me) assume too much and are expecting things that are not to come. Heck, no way to blame Gaile for that!

She doesn't answer every question. She doesnt replies to every topic/poll/whatever. Yes, that's true. But how could it be different? I'm not expecting her to be online 24/7 to do that (would it be even enough?)...

So, no ANET's communication is not perfect, but I definitely thank them for what they do in that matter.

lyra_song · Jul 04, 2006, 02:41 PM // 14:41

Being community relations to any big game can only end in two things: praise or flame.

I admire Gaile in the fact that she hasnt snapped to all the impatient and rude people she has dealt with through this game.

She has to smile through her teeth and not pull her hair out and have infinite patience, because she is the only person to represent Anet for America.

That being said, i think you all need to cut her some slack.

She's doing her job and she's doing it well.

The problem lies in her message.

She can only speak about certain things, and everything else she has to avoid or walk around.

Does she sound patronizing? Of course. But thats not her fault. By and by, a majority of people in this community cannot be treated as adults by Anet. Just look at the all the outbursts of nonesense on these forums. We're all a bunch of babies -.-

Yes the message we get is dumbed down.

Yes the a lot of it ignored.

Have you NEVER dealt with someone in a political position before? There will always be play on words and acting coy and vagueness. You need to realize that this is how this game is played. Its how businessmen make money, its how politicians get elected, its how videogame companies avoid the drone of the fans.

Gaile IS the flame sponge and my god, shes great at it. She's got the dentyne smile even after all the crap thrown at her.

Have you NEVER dealt with a community of gamers before??

Just ask ANY moderator on this forum how annoying everyone here is and how much they try not to curse you out.

twicky_kid · Jul 04, 2006, 02:42 PM // 14:42

The tengu event was a success. There were thousands of people that day waiting for the emperor and farming fangs. I moved at least 10,000+ fangs selling them to people that day. It did have problems but in the end it was a success. Tengu was a 1 day event. The dragon festival is a 5 day event which makes it much different.

The emperor is suppose to show up on the last day of the event which is 7/5/06. Today is the 4th. There will be an NPC there to trade for the mask after the event is over with. Even if you miss the emperor you can still get your mask.

Just about everything Anet does people make flaming post. I can understand why you are on the ignore list. Anet knows what they are doing. They also know things that you do not.

Total Rogue · Jul 04, 2006, 02:51 PM // 14:51

Quote:

The emperor is suppose to show up on the last day of the event which is 7/5/06. Today is the 4th. There will be an NPC there to trade for the mask after the event is over with. Even if you miss the emperor you can still get your mask.

7/5/06 at 7:00 GMT time.... also known as midnight 7/4/06 PDT. it's only the 5th in certain parts of the world.

Kaguya · Jul 04, 2006, 02:54 PM // 14:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by twicky_kid

The emperor is suppose to show up on the last day of the event which is 7/5/06. Today is the 4th. There will be an NPC there to trade for the mask after the event is over with. Even if you miss the emperor you can still get your mask.

The Emperor started showing up on 4th already, he ends his rounds around the same time he started on 5th, I've already gotten 3 masks, 4th is underway in few minutes.

Quote:

Originally Posted by www.guildwars.com

That special day begins at 07:00 GMT (Midnight PDT, 3:00 a.m. EDT) on July 4th, and ends at 07:00 GMT (Midnight PDT, 3:00 a.m. EDT) on July 5th.

Clone · Jul 04, 2006, 02:57 PM // 14:57

I didn't even realize there was a day of the tengu untill after it was over, so I wouldn't put it in the list of Arenanet's biggest successes. Extending the holidays out like Wintersday or Dragon Festival is a much better idea. Keeping a supply master around for a week after is also a nice touch. People are usually busy on holidays and might play on that day. In short, I think they've handled the PR much better for the Dragon Festival.

As for Gaile herself, I have no issues aside from that in game discussions aren't the best forum for such things. Districts get full, and if you do get into one, there's an unending stream of text with the same questions getting asked over and over. It just doesn't work well. Forum posts are better, but since they are third party forums, you never know what will spark the interest of Anet, and you might never get an official word on a certian idea that gets posted.

Sjeng · Jul 04, 2006, 03:03 PM // 15:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by Clone

I didn't even realize there was a day of the tengu untill after it was over, so I wouldn't put it in the list of Arenanet's biggest successes. Extending the holidays out like Wintersday or Dragon Festival is a much better idea. Keeping a supply master around for a week after is also a nice touch. People are usually busy on holidays and might play on that day. In short, I think they've handled the PR much better for the Dragon Festival.

I agree. I hope they keep this improvement in future events. I only managed to get 3 yule caps during Wintersday, and I really wanted 4, for al my toons, and perhaps even 4 antler sets too.

It would be better still if you could also keep on farming the items you need for special event hats/masks after the event is over, so farming people can't sell em for exorbitant prices, and people who celebrate X-mas etc and don't have time to play can get their masks too.
Also having an appearance every 2 hours is better than every 3. people can't always be around at those exact times.

tear · Jul 04, 2006, 03:06 PM // 15:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sweetest

Imagine This. You go to watch a movie that starts at 6PM, You sit and face a black screen for 2 Hours before the movie starts at 8PM, you recieve NO information from the staff, and the manager refuses to answer any questions.
What would you do?

Everyone likes to throw out anologies to make a point. Usually they fail! I prefer shitty sarcasm myself.

But anyway, it's more like this:

You go to watch a movie that starts at 6 PM. You and the other movie-goers sit and face a black screen for a short while beyond expected, and a little bit of anxiety begins to spread over the room, before a ticketboy is sent into the theatre. His managers are having some problems getting the viewing going on time - maybe the projectionist pissed on a reel or something - and this completely unrelated individual been sent out to ease the tension a bit. He's told not to say much in the way of specifics about the situation - perhaps it's a little embarrassing or messy for the managers, and they'd rather keep it under wraps, for whatever reason; perhaps for the integrity of their business. But they send this ticketboy out to at least let you know something is up and is being worked on as best it can be, and maybe pass a little time, talking about the mysterious superiority movie theatre popcorn has over the home-made stuff, or something equally silly like that - just to make a connection with the customers, to show some level of personal care, and keep them from rioting while behind the scenes, things are patched up. The movie finally begins at 8 PM, and now you're wailing on the ticketboy because he's doing just what he's been told to.

For shame!

twicky_kid · Jul 04, 2006, 03:30 PM // 15:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by Clone

I didn't even realize there was a day of the tengu untill after it was over, so I wouldn't put it in the list of Arenanet's biggest successes.

It was for the pre order only. If you did seen the hundreds of people in town asking how to get a mask or when emperor was showing up that's your fault. If you didn't see the front page of the website a week before hand that is your fault. If you didn't see the tons of post here on guru that is your fault.

Nearly everyone was talking about a week before the day head start. If you had things to do that kept you from playing that's another issue. If you were playing that day and didn't know about that's your own fault. Anet did a very good job of letting people know. Not to mention it was on the update pay on EXACT instructions on how to get a mask.