Re: UO need OFFICIAL boards (Sanya EA_Mythic puts it in perspective)

**Queen Mum** · 4th January 2007, 02:02 PM

The request for UO to open its own official boards was addressed by Sanya EA_Mythic, Dirctor of Community Relations in a thread on Stratics UOHall ...

Quote:

Many people are making very good points, so I wanted to start this post by saying that there is no one right answer to the question of Official Boards versus "Official" Boards.

But given the resources I have, the right answer *for me* is to not have Official Boards right now.

(Before I get going: Customer service reps do not refer anyone to the Stratics boards if the customer has a problem. If you have a problem, we prefer email, with the community team serving as a "court of last resort" once you've exhausted the appeal process.)

First, if new servers are available, I want those things to go to the game, and by extension, to ALL the players of Ultima Online and not just those that enjoy message board communities. It's rare that choices are that black and white, but in this case, they are.

Servers are a fixed cost, a one-time payment. Bandwidth fluctuates. Stratics is able to offset the costs of bandwidth by advertising. This is not an ethical option for me, obviously!

Okay, now, staffing - we've got Jeremy. And you have me, sort of (I've got two other games besides this one). Um, that is SO not enough to manage an official message board system. Someone has to be "on duty" 24/7 on an official board. That translates to three full time employees. Y'all, my entire team is five people for four separate games! No, I am not going to get three people for one message board.

And frankly, one person on duty at all times would still make for a crappy message board with the worst signal-to-noise ratio ever. I have two choices, here. One, hire a small army to moderate the board and be available to you 24/7. Two, drastically restrict the number of allowed posts. (It goes without saying that on a board I pay for, only active account owners could post.) I have a lot of research regarding message boards with hard numbers that I can't give you, since that research belongs to my employers. But on an official board, with three full time mods, each active account owner would be allowed to post a very limited number of times per day.

You! In the back! Stop rolling your eyes, because I haven't even gotten to the worst part yet.

A message board with a few hundred people tends to be very self-policing. Peer pressure keeps the standards high, and trolls rare. An Official Board, hosted by me, open to all paying customers, would have tens of thousands of people. In order to maintain standards, I would have to be ruthless. Threads would be locked and deleted all the time. Perfectly harmless whining would be immediately deleted lest it spread like wildfire. Threads (that old hands know are just joking) would get locked because people not in on the jokes would be offended. No cussing, no insulting, no old friends coming back to visit.

Hey, and let's get philosophical. Stratics is the official forum, meaning that this is the place we promise to have a dev hanging out. But these are STRATICS' forums to moderate as they see fit. If they ask me or Jeremy for our opinions on a particular post, we'll pipe up. But that's it. My philosophy is that how someone does me a favor is entirely up to them, and their hosting these boards is very much a favor. I'm a little more removed than maybe past people have been. For example, as some of you know, I prefer to contact people directly when I feel like a post is out of line, rather than ask a mod to handle it. After all, if the mod thought the post was out of line, it would have been handled already.

But if this was my board, I would have a hundred other things to do instead of politely emailing someone to explain my reasoning... so I would just hit the post with a machete and move on.

So. Short version: Having the forums here leaves resources for the game itself, leaves time for us to investigate customer service issues, lets us help with game problems, and allows us to do cool stuff with players. I believe Jeremy's talents would be wasted if she were limited to just moderating as her full time job. Finally, I really truly believe the community team can talk more freely with the community when a third party is handling the details.

That's my current position. I reserve the right to change my mind in the future given more resources, better technology, and a wholesale change in human nature.

Sanya M. Thomas
Director of Community Relations
(That isn't as dirty as it sounds.)
EA Mythic
http://www.camelotherald.com
http://www.warhammerherald.com
UO link coming soon(TM)

and Sanya EA_Mythic further replies to poster ilot as follows:

Quote:

Originally Posted by ilot

But, there is a clear conflict when you are asked to post on a 3rd party site to get official support, from EA, the biggest game company in the world. Anyone ever remarked that half UOPRO apps are stratics one?

Secondly, let say im banned on stratics because i have critized? a mod, i cant get anymore support for UO, wich is a EA product...

And more of that, EA already have a huge message bord for many game out there, why not just add UO to the list and get the same team that are already supporting this board do the job??

Why a single fee game (ie: battlefield, pay the game once, get unlimited online play) get his board while a subscribing game dosent? Somewhere there is money wasted.

Ilot, you have hit upon the exact reason we do not ask customers to come to this board looking for support or help. We're working on updating the website and putting in systems for people.

Regarding the message board system EA already has - they don't have MMO boards. The MMO communities are very different, with different needs and posting styles/frequencies. See the rest of my post for more details

Sanya M. Thomas
Director of Community Relations
(That isn't as dirty as it sounds.)
EA Mythic
http://www.camelotherald.com
http://www.warhammerherald.com
UO link coming soon(TM)

**Maddux** · 4th January 2007, 02:04 PM

Blizard maintains their boards without any of the clique atmosphere or trolling, griefing or otherwise hostile atmosphere that those other boards maintain and foster.

**Adri** · 4th January 2007, 02:14 PM

Quote:

I would just hit the post with a machete and move on.

Maybe some of that needs to be done around those 'other' boards anyway. *shrugs*

Deraj · 4th January 2007, 02:22 PM

Blah... blah blah blah, blah. That's all I'm reading. UO needs Official boards, and their excuses aren't convincing. I realize that maintaining a forum is no small task, but it's nothing a corporation like EA can't handle, period.

Oh, and this...

Quote:

(Before I get going: Customer service reps do not refer anyone to the Stratics boards if the customer has a problem. If you have a problem, we prefer email, with the community team serving as a "court of last resort" once you've exhausted the appeal process.)

That a recent change? Because I've been told to check the forums by a GM, before.

Quote:

So. Short version: Having the forums here leaves resources for the game itself, leaves time for us to investigate customer service issues, lets us help with game problems, and allows us to do cool stuff with players. I believe Jeremy's talents would be wasted if she were limited to just moderating as her full time job. Finally, I really truly believe the community team can talk more freely with the community when a third party is handling the details.

This is the ol' "if we don't have to worry about Task A, we can devote more resources to Task B" logic. However I'm not buying it this time. Seriously, is maintaining a forum to big a task for EA?

Bo · 4th January 2007, 02:25 PM

I think the reason that Blizzard can maintain their boards a bit easier is, cause there is 5m people, who basically dont interact with eachother EVER. Example. 2 alliance guilds on 1 server dont interact the same way 2 do in UO. They dont fight against eachother like you would in UO. So those boards are SOOOOO anonymos, that there isnt really a chance for trolling, cause usually trolling is caused by ingame animosity between players. From what I could gather by searching also, they dont have server boards, and their general board sees more deletes and bans than stratics does...

On stratics, someone can make 1000 accts and just complain away all day and not even affect their next post if one gets banned or deleted. There is a tiny fraction of the amount of people, and usually alot of them know who eachother is, from gameplay, or through history which can lead to long histories of dislike towards eachother. This leads to cliques as well. Several members of a guild/alliance will sign on and start to troll or pick on the loner posters.....

**Queen Mum** · 4th January 2007, 02:42 PM

I would like this explained a little better ...

(Before I get going: .... If you have a problem, we prefer email, with the community team serving as a "court of last resort" once you've exhausted the appeal process.)

Sorry, but that confuses me

**Adam** · 4th January 2007, 02:44 PM

I'm guessing she means, if you get no luck from the GM's, can't get help on stratics, then email them direct.

**Queen Mum** · 4th January 2007, 02:56 PM

Oh she did respond to the GM referral issue .. sorry didn't see it til now ...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jremy EA_Mythic

Quote:

Originally Posted by shrik001

That's just it, though... GM support HAS and DOES often refer people to come here to stratics for answers and support.

"Has," but not "does."
The way things are done often change. Don't get me wrong, I'm not going to sit here criticizing the old way, not at all. I think the old system worked very well for a long time, or they would not have kept doing it. It would not work for the team we have now, that's all.

So what was in the past seems to be just that ... past

**Ally** · 4th January 2007, 02:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deraj

That a recent change? Because I've been told to check the forums by a GM, before.

Yup I remember my bf being told by a GM when he paged to check the forums too. That's how I started reading forums about uo.

Tukaram · 4th January 2007, 04:22 PM

I agree with Maddux and Deraj.

I feel that for an online game a company run forum is just basic customer service. The best thing about the old MyUO boards was that it was for paying customers only. No player/community run forum can make that demand on its posters.

WoW and City of Heroes have forums on the company web site. I can't say much about the WoW forums but the CoH forums have a lot of developer posts and good interaction between the devs and the players.

EA/Mythic owes its customers the same level of customer service and we, the paying customers, should demand good customer service.

4th January 2007, 02:04 PM	#2
Maddux I've got Skinnies with RPGS! Twelve o'clock! Join Date: Jan 2006 Shard: Pacific Posts: 6,576 Gold: 19,799 Thanks: 17 Thanked 50 Times in 39 Posts	Re: UO need OFFICIAL boards (Sanya EA_Mythic puts it in perspective) Blizard maintains their boards without any of the clique atmosphere or trolling, griefing or otherwise hostile atmosphere that those other boards maintain and foster.

4th January 2007, 02:25 PM	#5
Bo byebye sandland! less than 24hrs to go! Join Date: Sep 2005 Shard: Baja Posts: 2,534 Gold: 584 My Mood: Thanks: 0 Thanked 9 Times in 4 Posts	Re: UO need OFFICIAL boards (Sanya EA_Mythic puts it in perspective) I think the reason that Blizzard can maintain their boards a bit easier is, cause there is 5m people, who basically dont interact with eachother EVER. Example. 2 alliance guilds on 1 server dont interact the same way 2 do in UO. They dont fight against eachother like you would in UO. So those boards are SOOOOO anonymos, that there isnt really a chance for trolling, cause usually trolling is caused by ingame animosity between players. From what I could gather by searching also, they dont have server boards, and their general board sees more deletes and bans than stratics does... On stratics, someone can make 1000 accts and just complain away all day and not even affect their next post if one gets banned or deleted. There is a tiny fraction of the amount of people, and usually alot of them know who eachother is, from gameplay, or through history which can lead to long histories of dislike towards eachother. This leads to cliques as well. Several members of a guild/alliance will sign on and start to troll or pick on the loner posters.....

4th January 2007, 02:42 PM	#6
Queen Mum Lead Administrator Join Date: Mar 2005 Shard: Sonoma Posts: 2,941 Gold: 3,275 My Mood: Blog Entries: 18 Thanks: 88 Thanked 232 Times in 80 Posts Awards Showcase Total Awards: 2	Re: UO need OFFICIAL boards (Sanya EA_Mythic puts it in perspective) I would like this explained a little better ... (Before I get going: .... If you have a problem, we prefer email, with the community team serving as a "court of last resort" once you've exhausted the appeal process.) Sorry, but that confuses me *** Sonoma Community Coalition * ICQ 168-812-018 *

4th January 2007, 02:44 PM	#7
Adam Lead Administrator Owner Join Date: Oct 1990 Posts: 6,013 Gold: 65,665 Thanks: 49 Thanked 571 Times in 187 Posts	Re: UO need OFFICIAL boards (Sanya EA_Mythic puts it in perspective) I'm guessing she means, if you get no luck from the GM's, can't get help on stratics, then email them direct. Get your own personal forum Like these ones - Personal forum listing Bored @ work? Play in our arcade! Useful Tips on how to use UOForums Open your own blog

4th January 2007, 04:22 PM	#10
Tukaram Old & grouchy Join Date: Apr 2004 Shard: Great Lakes Posts: 1,386 Gold: 70 Thanks: 0 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts	Re: UO need OFFICIAL boards (Sanya EA_Mythic puts it in perspective) I agree with Maddux and Deraj. I feel that for an online game a company run forum is just basic customer service. The best thing about the old MyUO boards was that it was for paying customers only. No player/community run forum can make that demand on its posters. WoW and City of Heroes have forums on the company web site. I can't say much about the WoW forums but the CoH forums have a lot of developer posts and good interaction between the devs and the players. EA/Mythic owes its customers the same level of customer service and we, the paying customers, should demand good customer service. Tuka Kinsmen are born. Friendship is a gift of the gods.