Age of Conan

Originally posted by AmazingAvery

Originally posted by Die_Scream

Yes, I bought the game. I didn't last past first 30.

Look, I understand, you don't want to hear the negatives about the game, it's YOUR game, you assume my attacks on FC are personal attacks against you. That isn't the case, at least, not my intention.

The FACT is FC didn't even hire professional mods for their official forums. The forums were a wasteland of negativity, so FC decided to save a few dollars by giving a few fanbitches mod status. Those fanbitches, like Lufkin are behaving like assholes towards the community.

Truth hurts.

 

 

No your assuming I take them as personal attacks, I just wholeheartedly think its going a bit too far here. I don't take any attacks on FC personally, I see it a different way. Maybe its because im in the service industry.

Most sites are run by volunteer mods, also if you want to be a mod there is a pretty extensive questionnaire for the AoC boards.

As I said before im not defending Lufkin, im stating there was no personal attack in his response, but I personally wouldn't of wrote what he did. He wasn't being an asshole, but he certainly wasnt being the best he could of been with his responses.

How the hell was he not being an asshole!? Not only did he not answer the question but he gave a pointless smartass answer. How did he help the thread at all??? He didn't. He answered a question with another question, how can you not see it? Did you read the whole thread, his intention was to be an asshole from the very start.

If his message box wasn't green I would mistake him for just another poster.

Originally posted by DeserttFoxx

Now, while i bash Age of conan every chance i get... being a past moderator i know where he is coming from. His answer was short, concise and right to the point.

 

He isnt a game dev, would they have prefered he gave a bs response.. like "I will  have the dev team look into it!" If the devs designed it so you cant go back, then you cant go back. Why people require some extensive convoluted answer to such a simple question is beyond me.

You can go back to Tortage, that's the point. He anwsered with his own opinion. Basically, anyone that wants to go back to Tortage is a ganking loser was where he was going with it.
 

Avery,

I think you're a nice guy from what I read on the forums but I do think you take the anti-AoC personally. It's not a really good game and I personally left after a month of playing it...and I loved Anarchy Online. I wanted this game to work, but there are apparent and evident issues over the physical software/coding issues and their personal forum policies with hiring sub par and immature gamemasters and forum moderators.

I agree with the OP. That moderator crossed the boundaries several times and as a former mod here as well as EVE I can say this with some sort of experience.

Just remember, just because someone is attacking funcom does not mean they are attacking you.

Originally posted by AmazingAvery

Originally posted by Die_Scream

Yes, I bought the game. I didn't last past first 30.

Look, I understand, you don't want to hear the negatives about the game, it's YOUR game, you assume my attacks on FC are personal attacks against you. That isn't the case, at least, not my intention.

The FACT is FC didn't even hire professional mods for their official forums. The forums were a wasteland of negativity, so FC decided to save a few dollars by giving a few fanbitches mod status. Those fanbitches, like Lufkin are behaving like assholes towards the community.

Truth hurts.

 

 

No your assuming I take them as personal attacks, I just wholeheartedly think its going a bit too far here. I don't take any attacks on FC personally, I see it a different way. Maybe its because im in the service industry.

Fair enough, I withdraw the comment.

Most sites are run by volunteer mods, also if you want to be a mod there is a pretty extensive questionnaire for the AoC boards.

I haven't played many games (that I was aware of it) that didn't have pro mods. Maybe it's easier to notice with Lufkin and the others. Could be, though they seem pretty bad even for volunteers.

As I said before im not defending Lufkin, im stating there was no personal attack in his response, but I personally wouldn't of wrote what he did. He wasn't being an asshole, but he certainly wasnt being the best he could of been with his responses.

No personal attack, but it's just the latest of many snarkey type comments he's made. I think it snowballs. I think the issue is he isn't acting any more mature than the posters he talks down to. Plus in the latest thread, he responds snarkey, creates a stir, people come in and dogpile him a bit, he fans the flames, then locks the thread because it went off the rails, hehe. 

Whether Lufkin likes it or not, volunteer or paid, he does represent FC by the very nature of being a mod with his authority on the official site. As such, he should be showing restraint while he posts aqua.

If he wants to get in the mud, he should save it too post under his player account, that would help.

I definitely frown, yet again, at Funcom on this matter.

I've written and worked for a few sites in my time, and whenever I did anything that was considered even "dancing on the line", I had a superior come down on me.

Maybe he's trying to intentionally fuel the flames, and maybe he's not. The fact is, as a company, your readers shouldn't even have to sit there and ponder this.

In all the years I've been involved with the industry (less than 3, mind you), I was taught that you're supposed to make intelligent, logical, useful contributions on the forums. I think it's rather deplorable that Funcom doesn't feel the need to hold it's moderators, be they paid or volunteer, to a higher code of conduct.

Originally posted by Deviate

Originally posted by DeserttFoxx

Now, while i bash Age of conan every chance i get... being a past moderator i know where he is coming from. His answer was short, concise and right to the point.

 

He isnt a game dev, would they have prefered he gave a bs response.. like "I will  have the dev team look into it!" If the devs designed it so you cant go back, then you cant go back. Why people require some extensive convoluted answer to such a simple question is beyond me.

You can go back to Tortage, that's the point. He anwsered with his own opinion. Basically, anyone that wants to go back to Tortage is a ganking loser was where he was going with it.
 

 

He shouldve been called on giving a half assed answer, i read the thread and people just seem to cal him on his town but not the incompleteness of his answer. I never sugar coated anything when i moderated, but i didnt do misinformation either.

I dont know much about AoC in its current state, just commented on what i seen in that thread.

Die_Scream

To be fair with Avery, every moderator job I have ever had as well as every in game CSR and Guide I have ever represented was on a volunteer basis.

However, with that said, I do know other companies take their training MUCH more in depth and stricter than Funcom does. Because I was a in game CSR for Funcom for a few years. Here's kinda of a break down to explain it:

1. SOE: Despite people thinking SOE sucks with Customer Service, if you ask anyone who ever ran into an ingame guide, chances are it will be positive.  In order for me to be in in game Guide for Everquest 2 I had to:

• take a LENGTHY application. 
• do a week of one on one training with the Senior Guide of my Server.
• Know their (thick) policies and procedures manual backwards and forwards
• Take a very difficult test based on every customer issue you can think of.
• two weeks of in game training on a GM only island

2.  EVE:

• Had to mail them a photocopy of my drivers license and signed contract to CCP
• Attended a 7 day training session
• Attend another 7 day training session via mirc
• Trained in game for CSR trouble shooting (Polaris)
• 4 weeks of forum moderation training

3. Funcom:

• Had to have a lvl 50 Anarchy Online toon
• In game 15 minute interview with a fellow volunteer CSR accompanied by a senior CSR
• Invited to the ARK program
• thats it

4. MMORPG.com

• No training. Just a staff only forum section where you read the rules
• MODs are picked based off of experience so they dont have to train

So you can see where the professionalism of the other games are so strict and concise that its like they are paid moderators. The difference is in the training. It makes all the difference in the world.

I work in the public sector and deal with the public on a daily basis and this includes my colleagues, elected officials, parents, and many others. I will simply say this: if anyone in my department wrote a public response like the moderator did, they would be fired immediately with no questions asked. Welcome to the business world!!

His responses are not becoming someone who works in public. They are sarcastic and most of the argument and debate in that thread is due to his responses. Had he simply responded in a professional manner, this would not be an issue.

You must remember that even being a moderator (and volunteer), he is still the "face" of the company. He is a representative of Funcom and to conduct business and do his "job" in such a way is very unprofessional. Hopefully Funcom will create a better training program and educate their volunteers moderators in a better way. This is bad publicity that Funcom and Age of Conan do not need.