Hero's Journey

What a real shame, playing one of Simus games for 2-3 months would give you a great insight into, real games with depth and design.

DRaq: Well said I was just about to point the same out .. hehe

I had my DR account hacked into. Fortunatley, I caught it very shortly after it happened. Someone used a program to constantly try password combos until it firgured it out. I only used a 4 character password, something I definitely learned to never do again.

The GMs were very helpful. It took some time, about a day or two, but they found out what happened and after a bit of a wait, they returned everything. They only wanted to make sure it was legit, not someone trying to con them out of more loot.

About a year later, I became a Game Host. Simu is very serious about how their players are treated and as a GH, I was reviewed often to make sure I handled players with respect and did my utmost to make their happy. This aspect doesn't get enough press in my opinion.

Is Simu perfect? No. I left the Game Host program under a bit of protest because we had essentially become stenographers. We were basically reduced to only taking the complaint and then passing it on, like a receptionist. We were no longer allowed to actually help solve the situations. I joined to help, not be a note taker.

Still, I know why they changed the policy. Game Hosts are volunteers. Game Masters, while still volunteers, are true officials of Simu, while we were not and anything we said could be misconstruded by a player as fact, when we actually didn't have all the information that GMs did. This caused issues for some players, so Game Hosts responsibilities were severely cut back.

All in all though, DR was the best roleplaying game ever, graphical or text. Their combat system and health system were awesome. Their lore for the game was very rich and immersive. The game was easy to pick up and hard to master, something Blizzard strives for.

My only potential complaint for HJ is they have no plans to have a roleplaying server. They really should as this is one of their current games major strengths.

Heck, I still have my DR account and still poke my head in from time to time to just say 'Hail'!

My experiences with GMs, billing and customer service were almost all professional and courteous; most were even friendly.  I'm sure that experiences vary for others but I have nothing but good things to say in that area. 

One of my best examples:

I was doing afk non-combat skills in an out of the way place in DR (Steel Claw Clan had a hidden spot where you could work climbing and other skills for a few ranks).  Two players came along, killed my character and took his loot.  This was before the whole uproar and rules were levied against afk scripting - I was against afk scripting but I'll generally do what it takes to stay competitive if I want to play a game at all.   

I chalked it up to a bad day and sucked up the loss (a lot of expensive fest gear that I only moderately cared about because the flashiest gear in that game was all fluff in those days) and thought about setting up a "you are dead" check in my script.  This was before scripting in DR was really an art form like it is today.

2 days later I got an email from a GM (forgot who it was dammit, name started with a Z and it wasn't Zoha) that they had locked out the perpetrators and all of my things were delivered to me in a bag.  The email advised to do my afk skill gains in a more out-of-the-way spot...  Again, this was before the policy against afk scripting.

That is one example.  It also illustrates that there have always been jerks in the DR player community.  I tend to believe that most of the noisy people with bad experiences have instigated them and probably deserved what they got if not more.  I will always give Simu the benefit of doubt in their favor there.

Originally posted by Fennris

My experiences with GMs, billing and customer service were almost all professional and courteous; most were even friendly.  I'm sure that experiences vary for others but I have nothing but good things to say in that area. 

One of my best examples:

I was doing afk non-combat skills in an out of the way place in DR (Steel Claw Clan had a hidden spot where you could work climbing and other skills for a few ranks).  Two players came along, killed my character and took his loot.  This was before the whole uproar and rules were levied against afk scripting - I was against afk scripting but I'll generally do what it takes to stay competitive if I want to play a game at all.   

I chalked it up to a bad day and sucked up the loss (a lot of expensive fest gear that I only moderately cared about because the flashiest gear in that game was all fluff in those days) and thought about setting up a "you are dead" check in my script.  This was before scripting in DR was really an art form like it is today.

2 days later I got an email from a GM (forgot who it was dammit, name started with a Z and it wasn't Zoha) that they had locked out the perpetrators and all of my things were delivered to me in a bag.  The email advised to do my afk skill gains in a more out-of-the-way spot...  Again, this was before the policy against afk scripting.

That is one example.  It also illustrates that there have always been jerks in the DR player community.  I tend to believe that most of the noisy people with bad experiences have instigated them and probably deserved what they got if not more.  I will always give Simu the benefit of doubt in their favor there.

The games really are fun to play and they have a great community, but its the company that has ruined the game with policies and and a huge lack of bug fixes, kept promises, and updates.

You really do get what you pay for and that is why Simu hires volunteers to do the bulk of their work. With people paying between 15-80$ a month for 1991 technology they could actually hire and pay programmers to work on the games. Since they use volunteers, anything that is "a work in progress" may or may not actually ever make it into the game because the GM doing the coding quits because while doing all the coding for a system plus having to be online a certain amount of time, they also need to eat and sleep which means their paying jobs come first.

In essence, the Simu hired volunteers are running and programming the game as a hobby. Its a leisure time activity that they enjoy doing and as such has the same priority.

If you are looking for a free MUD with depth then check out www.ironrealms.com

As a player, I've had way too many positive experiences with Simutronics to list.  I was a player of their games for years before becoming a GM, and even now, the service is still top notch when I have issues in Gemstone.

I only hope when HJ rolls around I can live up to the Gemstone GMs level of service and dedication.  They certainly set a high bar!

What an intertaining thread.  Hack accounts, lost items, customer service, and comparisons to current popular games like WoW. 

I only have one point about Simu wether your a past, current, or future customer for any of the games they offer.

Simutronics is a private company.

So why has HJ been in developement for so long.  Oh ya private company, no investors pushing for a release to get a return on there investment, hence they can take as long as they want on the development of a new product.  Current popular MMORPG's had to set acceptable timelines on development to get the investors needed to get the working capital needed.

www.play.net/corporate/

Two Exec's for one company, onsite staff and contractors at 300+. (volenteer GM's are not included in these #'s).   Also an interesting news article there about the merger of HeroEngine with other companies applications to provide and enhance greater capability toward the GM's duties for the game. 

Also remember our expectation of any product cannot be directly related to what we recieve from another similar product. When you subscribe to a particualr Simu product for  X amount of $ your provided with with access to that product.  Thats all thats required by law, Everything past that is what?

Dave giveth, Dave can taketh away.

 David Whatley
President and CEO
David Whatley's passion for online gaming led him to found Simutronics in 1987.David -- chief designer of most of the company's games -- has won numerous awards, including Computer Gaming World's "Online Game of the Year" award for CyberStrike. David is the mastermind behind Simutronics' technology and game designs and has built a team of talented people who are taking Simutronics to new heights.

Originally posted by schmoja

What an intertaining thread.  Hack accounts, lost items, customer service, and comparisons to current popular games like WoW. 

I only have one point about Simu wether your a past, current, or future customer for any of the games they offer.

Simutronics is a private company.

So why has HJ been in developement for so long.  Oh ya private company, no investors pushing for a release to get a return on there investment, hence they can take as long as they want on the development of a new product.  Current popular MMORPG's had to set acceptable timelines on development to get the investors needed to get the working capital needed.

www.play.net/corporate/

 

 

 

Two Exec's for one company, onsite staff and contractors at 300+. (volenteer GM's are not included in these #'s).   Also an interesting news article there about the merger of HeroEngine with other companies applications to provide and enhance greater capability toward the GM's duties for the game. 

Also remember our expectation of any product cannot be directly related to what we recieve from another similar product. When you subscribe to a particualr Simu product for  X amount of $ your provided with with access to that product.  Thats all thats required by law, Everything past that is what?

Dave giveth, Dave can taketh away.

 David Whatley
President and CEO
David Whatley's passion for online gaming led him to found Simutronics in 1987.David -- chief designer of most of the company's games -- has won numerous awards, including Computer Gaming World's "Online Game of the Year" award for CyberStrike. David is the mastermind behind Simutronics' technology and game designs and has built a team of talented people who are taking Simutronics to new heights.

 

 

 

 

If you think Simu doesnt have money, then you are sadly mistaken.  From your link:

"Development partners over the years include most of the leaders in the online, media, and computer game industry including Universal Studios, Sony, Viacom, Time Warner, and Microprose."

Other game companies have bought the HJ engine which means $$ for Simu, but that doesnt equate to "better" for the customers. I have no clue what you mean by "to provide and enhance greater capability toward the GM's duties for the game." because its not a lack of money thats hurting Simu's games.

Now, how can our expectations of a product NOT be related to a similar product from from the same company? Its like buying car model A that frequently breaks down, is costly to repair, and the dealer service is lousy, but completely overlooking that fact when buying a new car.

You should try to learn from mistakes, not repeat them.