Tuesday, January 27, 2009
of ignorant gamers and developers.
right now, Imma do something else for a change, aside from the usual IRL stuff that I record here, Imma post here my thoughts and comments regarding issues that I see everyday. After all, the blog is the best place to express your views clearly and concisely without any fear of being burned.
and now for the topic.
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Well, I'm pretty sure those who frequent the RFboards know this by now. RF onlne Philippines is being pwned by a lot of cheaters, bug abusers and hackers. Right now, those who are banned from playing RF might be taking revenge as the RF servers are experiencing a Denial of Service attack, probably by them. This is one reason why there are more frequent server crashes on RF these days.
Well, the worse part is that, the players blame the GMs for what is happening. Yeah, it's normal, but then again, are the GMs really at fault?
Think about it deeply. How can the publisher, someone who has no power over the content of the game and is limited to banning and punishing those who go against the rules be at fault? I'm pretty sure they're doing the banning and punishment part (lol just look at the Novus Death Hall for once, the list is so long that it should be proof enough that they're doing everything just to get those cheaters the punishment that they deserve), the problem though is with the evidence. As GM Fariedune mentioned, it takes time to download evidence. Yeah, pictures will take moments, but for videos... that would take hours. And the GMs don't have much time.
But then again, the publishers should exert more effort into banning those cheaters. Yes, they should be given pity, however, they should continue to try their hardest into resolving the current crisis. what they're doing is actually not enough.
Anyway, so, who is to blame for all this? The developers? In RF's case, partly. Why? this picture is related:
That's right folks. Slowpoke.jpg. It's been almost a year since CCR sent the last patch. Now, LU tried to ask CCR for a patch but time and again CCR sent little to no replies. Even now, CCR has just made RF Global but they completely ignored RFo-ph. What kind of developers are they? Are they intentionally leaving the RFo-ph community behind the dust? Nangiiwan ba sila tulad ng mga quitter sa GG Client? Or is this a strategy by CCR let RFo-ph suffer first before they kill the game through a refusal of contract extension? We may never know since CCR does not make it's moves known to public.
Anyway, what about the players?
Well, I'm sure most of the players are not at fault. However, there are some noobs who ar at fault. They're the hackers/buggers/cheaters. They're the freaking root of the problem. You see, in case you're not aware, these guys use 3rd party programs and exploit bugs for the sake of their own good. What's worse is that, it's because of them that got RF into this situation right now.
But what about the players who play legitimately? Do they have any share in the fault? In a way, yes. Why? Because they're not vigilant enough in reporting those cheaters and they're not active enough in developing the community. A lot of players fail to realize that they should act as well in developing the community and to protect the game against cheaters and hackers. But then again, a lot tend to focus more on their characters rather than the community, thus they allowed the game to slowly degenerate. I'm not saying all players are like this, heck no. There will always be players who will continue to help out in developing the community and in fighting against the cheaters. But majority of players really don't give a damn about the community and care more about themselves. Isn't it sad, Sacchin?
TL;DR? Everyone involved is responsible.
So, what can the publishers, developers and players do to solve this problem?
well, lemme list it down:
Publishers:
- stricter moderation - I'm not sure whether or not the GMs are too lax, but me thinks this should be implemented, not only in RF, but in all online games.
- More GMs - they say more moderators = easier job. Honestly, I'm more than willing to join LU's GM teams. But if LU doesn't have the $$$ to pay them... That's another issue. xD
- better customer support algorithms - I dunno, perhaps the current CS support system is not that efficient. especially the part about evidence. perhaps if LU could find a way to develop a system wherein evidence can be stored and uploaded by the reporting players to LU's servers, then they could be able to process tickets faster.
- Faster response time - seriously. although yeah, developing new content and patching up bugs takes a bit long, still they should be able to work fast enough to fix those things at once. These things are of high priority and should not be delayed.
- transparency - this is for both Developers and Publishers, but it really applies to the developers. Me thinks there should be more transparency involved, especially when it comes to sensitive game stuff like patches, bugs and the like. They should also be transparent about what is really going on inside the game, as well as development status as to what is being developed, what to expect and how are things going for both sides.
- Direct communication between players and developers - I do believe that this is important. YNK's CEO (YNK Interactive is the company that made Rohan Online, for the uninformed.) was able to come by the LU office a few days ago (do not be fooled by the date on the top of the post; I started writing this entry a few days ago, but I only published it today, Feb. 4) and the guy was able to bring out some good messages about what to expect in pRohan and expressed his gratitude to the numerous pinoy online gamers. At least he was able to communicate (though through a video) with the future players of Rohan Philippines. Direct communication between players and developers. And that's something not a lot of mmorpg developers have. If only CCR could follow YNK's example. Kudos to Rohan online for having their CBT out this month.
- They need to learn more about the relationship between publisher and developers - Fact: many Filipino gamers tend to blame the publisher if there is something wrong with the game, and even if the publisher says it's the developers fault, still, through crab mentality, them players will still keep in their minds that it's the publisher's fault. That, I'm sorry to say, is bullshit. players should learn to do more research. Publishers, unless given the authority by the developers, are not allowed to alter the game's source code. it's part of their contract. So stop saying "x publisher isn't doing anything about them bugs!" or "haha, ambagal magayos ng x publisher ng ganito!", ignoramuses should seriously learn how to do research. <_<
- Stop whining and start doing something for once! - complaining and ranting will get you nowhere. MamuAvarice of pRohan did say that (paraphrasing, of course) "if you are a hardcore gamer, you never whine, but instead, you play!" whining wiill get you nowhere, if you want this game to last, then do something to make this game worthwhile despite the problems. If you're going to say "eh anong gagawin namin? dami ngang problema eh!", use your brains for once and analyze. use what you have around you. try to do player-sponsored events and try to find ways to have fun even during these trying times. Nasa diskarte po yan ng player.
- Do not cheat. - plain and simple, walang masama kung hindi nandaraya. Those who always take the easy way are idiots. There is always an easy way, but there is always the right way. Cheats may get you ahead of the game, but be considerate to those who work their butts off just to get on top. Besides, cheating is stealing, stealing is a sin and a criminal offense, therefore, cheating is a criminal offense and a sin. You don't want to suffer later on, right? So do the right thing.
*sighs* Well, I hope I got my points straight. this is one long rant. But then again, at least I am doing something about the situation. I hope my fellow online gamers could be a bit more analytical in their approach, and I hope that RF would rise from the ashes and return to it's days of glory.
Labels: complaining rants and ramblings, online gaming, perfect world, reflections, rf
Materialized @ 8:16 PM
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