Crown Crates no longer giftable?

WiseSky

Here is my summery :

March 13: The company acknowledges the issue and is investigating, but the investigation is complicated due to platform differences.

March 17: No change regarding gifting, as the issue is still being investigated and the complexity of platforms is causing delays.

March 24: The company assures that crate gifting will not be eliminated but acknowledges the complexity of the issue and the team's ongoing efforts to solve it.

March 29: The team continues to work on the bug, but there is no specific ETA for a resolution yet.

April 3: No new updates; waiting for the team to have a fix ready and deploy it.

April 5: The team is working on the issue but wants to be confident in the fix's timeline before providing more information.

April 6: The company has identified the issue and plans to roll out a fix within the next couple of weeks.

April 20: The team is still working on a fix and addressing other pending issues before providing a specific date.

April 25: The team is testing additional fixes and will provide an update on May 3.

April 27: Gifting was briefly enabled but unintentionally, and it has been disabled again.

May 3: A prospective fix is being tested, and a deployment date will be scheduled once testing concludes.

May 10: A fix was deployed, and the team is evaluating its effectiveness and reviewing results.

May 15: Initial results look promising, and further updates will be shared on May 22.

May 22: Crown Crate gifting remains unavailable as teams work on resolving additional issues and developing a temporary solution.

May 30th: No major updates on Crown Crate gifting, but the team is actively working on a temporary solution and exploring options for a permanent fix.

June 17th: Fraudulent behavior related to Crown Crate gifting, primarily on the PC platform, has been discovered, and the team is working on a resolution while developing a temporary solution with Customer Support.

June 23rd: The temporary solution for Crown Crate gifting is in the final stages, and feedback is being taken into account to improve communication.

muscle_witch

thejadefalcon wrote: »

ZOS_Kevin wrote: »

We are also taking the feedback outlined here regarding communication and relaying those to our teams.

Can someone start making a list of every time ZOS has said this? Or is there a character limit on these forums that would prevent such an extensive post?

https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/comment/7895614/#Comment_7895614

If there's a character limit, I haven't found it yet

Reverb

thejadefalcon wrote: »

ZOS_Kevin wrote: »

We are also taking the feedback outlined here regarding communication and relaying those to our teams.

Can someone start making a list of every time ZOS has said this? Or is there a character limit on these forums that would prevent such an extensive post?

So, so many times. Literally dozens of times.

MedicInTheWild

Will this be a quick fix? or somewhere along the lines of Update 39, I hope this is a consideration being this has been a issue since before UPDATE 37. I know this is a real issue because even with this issue they have managed to focus on releasing new crown stuff every month even though they have a major bug just like a lot of issues in game, no matter how broken something is they manage to get new crown store items out on time. I would like to see a new turn in the game, when something is broken quit trying to sell us new stuff, fix the issues, because I don't want to buy new stuff when 12/60 post, 20%, have had a response (even if it is to move to the correct forum ) in the Bug Report forums. I have played this game since before console release and it seems like even with major bugs, new content is still released making things worse. Even with the Arcanist being released, (Un-named New games) have seemed to lower the population in game, and when I talk to those that have left it is the same response, They do not fix what is already broken before adding more broken stuff and If they cared as much about releasing new crown store item as the issues with the game they could fix the game.

Wow

@MedicInTheWild it will be a long fixs

Aorys

I quite lost the spark in playing ESO because of this. While that I stopped doing daily writs in all my characters which is cost me ~90m worth in gold mats. Bought Necrom in hope it would keep my flame lit but... I'm just depressed

Ayalockheart

ZOS_Lunar wrote: »

Hello!

We've removed some posts from this thread as they violated our rules on conspiracy theories and bashing. We do not permit the bashing of individuals (including ZeniMax employees), groups, or other companies on our forums. We believe that doing so is neither constructive nor in spirit of our game and community. We understand that everyone has their own opinions they want to express, but we also want the forums to be a constructive platform for ESO and its community.

Thank you for your understanding, and please keep the Community Rules in mind when posting on the forums.

People wouldn’t do those type of posts if staff was just plain honest. I rather be disappointed with the truth then be lied to for months of something we all know that is not beyond the staff capabilities.

I believe transparency is the key rather of silencing people.

sparxys

Also we still have no answer in regards to compensation for this whole thing.
A yes or no would suffice I think, but since a lot of people have been asking that it would be nice to know if that's on the table or not.

muscle_witch

sparxys wrote: »

Also we still have no answer in regards to compensation for this whole thing.
A yes or no would suffice I think, but since a lot of people have been asking that it would be nice to know if that's on the table or not.

Ah, but if the answer is a flat "no", people won't like that and they'll stop spending as much money on the game, so if that answer is withheld for as long as possible, that revenue will remain in place for longer.

TheElderScrollsGod

Upon the thirteenth of March in lore,
The company arose, an issue at its door.
Amid platform's diverse chasm to explore,
Acknowledged was the problem, nothing more.

The seventeenth, no change in gifting plight,
Complexity prevailed in soft moonlight.
Across platforms varied, in day and night,
The probe continued with no end in sight.

Then came the twenty-fourth, with assurance fair,
Crate gifting won't vanish in thin air.
Despite the entanglement and the bug's snare,
The team's striving echoes in the square.

The twenty-ninth, the riddle yet unsolved,
Round the bug's mystery, efforts revolved.
Without a promise, time remained involved,
No ETA for resolution revolved.

April's third brought patience to the game,
Awaiting fixes in technology's name.
Yet, the silence of the progress came,
In the corner, the issue still aflame.

On the fifth, an echo of the past,
Confidence sought in the fix to be cast.
Before news dispatch, the timeline to last,
The team's struggle against the bug so vast.

By the sixth, the problem clearly known,
Plans to unfurl a solution were shown.
In a fortnight's turn, seeds of progress sown,
Hope ignited, as the company has grown.

The twentieth in April's gentle wake,
Addressing the unsettled issues at stake.
The team continued for the customer's sake,
Specific dates in the future to make.

Come the twenty-fifth, under testing's eye,
Additional fixes bid the bug goodbye.
Promised an update under the May sky,
In wait, the audience, the days fly by.

Two days thence, gifting reappeared, yet fleet,
Unintentional, it faced a swift defeat.
The switch flicked back, victory was bittersweet,
The bug still danced to its deceptive beat.

As May unfurled its spring-touched third,
Prospective fix, like a promising word.
Deployment date in the wind, unheard,
After testing's verdict would be referred.

The tenth of May, the fix was in place,
Results under review in digital space.
Effectiveness gauged with a steady pace,
In the code's labyrinth, the bug's trace.

By the fifteenth, hope began to sing,
Initial results bore a promising spring.
Updates to share under May's last wing,
The saga continued, what would it bring?

As May bowed out on the twenty-second day,
Crown Crate gifting in its disarray.
Additional issues came into play,
Temporary solutions pave the way.

May's curtain call, on the thirtieth morn,
In search of solutions, the team worn.
Still, no major updates to adorn,
Yet, a permanent fix was yet to be born.

On the seventeenth day of sun-kissed June,
Fraudulent behavior under the moon.
Primarily PC, the pattern was strewn,
A resolution sought, to happen soon.

By the twenty-third, a solution near,
Temporary fix, the end was clear.
Feedback used to wipe each tear,
Improving communication, the mission dear.

mattaeus01b16_ESO

TheElderScrollsGod wrote: »

Upon the thirteenth of March in lore,
The company arose, an issue at its door.
Amid platform's diverse chasm to explore,
Acknowledged was the problem, nothing more.

The seventeenth, no change in gifting plight,
Complexity prevailed in soft moonlight.
Across platforms varied, in day and night,
The probe continued with no end in sight.

Then came the twenty-fourth, with assurance fair,
Crate gifting won't vanish in thin air.
Despite the entanglement and the bug's snare,
The team's striving echoes in the square.

The twenty-ninth, the riddle yet unsolved,
Round the bug's mystery, efforts revolved.
Without a promise, time remained involved,
No ETA for resolution revolved.

April's third brought patience to the game,
Awaiting fixes in technology's name.
Yet, the silence of the progress came,
In the corner, the issue still aflame.

On the fifth, an echo of the past,
Confidence sought in the fix to be cast.
Before news dispatch, the timeline to last,
The team's struggle against the bug so vast.

By the sixth, the problem clearly known,
Plans to unfurl a solution were shown.
In a fortnight's turn, seeds of progress sown,
Hope ignited, as the company has grown.

The twentieth in April's gentle wake,
Addressing the unsettled issues at stake.
The team continued for the customer's sake,
Specific dates in the future to make.

Come the twenty-fifth, under testing's eye,
Additional fixes bid the bug goodbye.
Promised an update under the May sky,
In wait, the audience, the days fly by.

Two days thence, gifting reappeared, yet fleet,
Unintentional, it faced a swift defeat.
The switch flicked back, victory was bittersweet,
The bug still danced to its deceptive beat.

As May unfurled its spring-touched third,
Prospective fix, like a promising word.
Deployment date in the wind, unheard,
After testing's verdict would be referred.

The tenth of May, the fix was in place,
Results under review in digital space.
Effectiveness gauged with a steady pace,
In the code's labyrinth, the bug's trace.

By the fifteenth, hope began to sing,
Initial results bore a promising spring.
Updates to share under May's last wing,
The saga continued, what would it bring?

As May bowed out on the twenty-second day,
Crown Crate gifting in its disarray.
Additional issues came into play,
Temporary solutions pave the way.

May's curtain call, on the thirtieth morn,
In search of solutions, the team worn.
Still, no major updates to adorn,
Yet, a permanent fix was yet to be born.

On the seventeenth day of sun-kissed June,
Fraudulent behavior under the moon.
Primarily PC, the pattern was strewn,
A resolution sought, to happen soon.

By the twenty-third, a solution near,
Temporary fix, the end was clear.
Feedback used to wipe each tear,
Improving communication, the mission dear.

OMG! This! This right here is why I came to the forums today!!

muscle_witch

WiseSky wrote: »

Here is my summery :

March 13: The company acknowledges the issue and is investigating, but the investigation is complicated due to platform differences.

First acknowledgement/investigation actually came on the 3rd

heinousmoz

Not to mention on the 5th they moved the post from the main Chat to here.

KENDALLPOP

Where is the temporary fix for gifting then? It's been like a month or more since you said you'd sort something for people.

It's not a good look when you go from 'a bug we're fixing!' to 'yeah it's actually fraud we're trying to shut down'.

Why not just be honest in the first place? All this does is frustrate people.

Side note: Gold buying and selling / bots have ruined PC's economy in game for ages (inflation is worse than ever) yet very little actually gets done about that - but suddenly crown crates are 'frauded' and the entire thing is shut down for everyone for months.... priorities....

Maitsukas

KENDALLPOP wrote: »

Where is the temporary fix for gifting then? It's been like a month or more since you said you'd sort something for people.

See Kevin's latest update given on the 23rd:

ZOS_Kevin wrote: »

Hi all. We wanted to provide a quick update here to close out the week. We are in the final stages of getting the temporary solution for Crown Crate Gifting finalized. We are getting the necessary checks from various teams to make sure the process is ready. Once we clear that hurdle, we will have details for the program and a date for when it will go live.

We are also taking the feedback outlined here regarding communication and relaying those to our teams. Thanks for your continued feedback and patience surrounding this issue.

NinjaApacHe

Wow, it looks like my football team, As Roma, when a player gets injured you won't see him for ages........

TheElderScrollsGod

Hi ZOS, I hope you guys can improve with this feedback:

The updates you have provided thus far have been comprehensive and consistent, which are key components of effective communication. However, there are a few areas that could be improved to help mitigate any frustration or confusion on the part of your players:

Timeliness: While you are okay-ish providing updates, sometimes the updates appear quite late. In some instances, there is over a week between updates. A more consistent frequency of communication, for example every few days or weekly, would ensure your players feels heard and informed.

Transparency: You have done okay-ish in communicating the complexities of the issues and the reasons for the delay. However, there's an abrupt mention of fraudulent behavior on June 17, over three months since the first update. If this was a cause of the delay, it could have been mentioned earlier to help manage expectations.

Managing Expectations: There have been a few instances where the promise of a fix was made but then retracted, such as on April 6 and May 15. It's important to avoid making commitments unless you're certain they can be fulfilled, as failing to meet them can erode trust and patience among your player base.

Constructive updates: Updates should ideally include some new or constructive information, or at least reassure the audience that progress is being made. Some of your updates simply reiterate that the issue is being worked on, which might leave your player base feeling as though nothing is being achieved.

Response to Feedback: Your update on June 23rd suggests that you are taking feedback into account to improve communication. However, it's not clear what feedback you're responding to, or how you're incorporating it. Sharing more details on this would show your player base that you value their input and are making changes based on it.

Take care!

arch1t3ct

4 months and still no fix? In 4 months, you can rewrite the whole code for the whole crown store from scratch. What is actually wrong with ZOS?

WiseSky

Hey @Zos_kevin

Since you mentioned in the last post that you are looking to

ZOS_Kevin wrote: »

Hi all. We wanted to provide a quick update here to close out the week. We are in the final stages of getting the temporary solution for Crown Crate Gifting finalized. We are getting the necessary checks from various teams to make sure the process is ready. Once we clear that hurdle, we will have details for the program and a date for when it will go live.

We are also taking the feedback outlined here regarding communication and relaying those to our teams. Thanks for your continued feedback and patience surrounding this issue.

It would be highly appreciated if the developers and the team considered returning the crates that were inaccessible to players. Many individuals in the community are unable to invest rl money for crates and instead rely on gold earned through their gameplay efforts. These players actively contribute to the game's economy and had anticipated being able to purchase the crates using their hard-earned gold. However, due to the bug, they feel a sense of disappointment and exclusion. Taking the initiative to restore the mised crates would likely help the ZOS dev team regain the trust and goodwill of the community.

TheBlackWoods

TheElderScrollsGod wrote: »

Hi ZOS, I hope you guys can improve with this feedback:

The updates you have provided thus far have been comprehensive and consistent, which are key components of effective communication. However, there are a few areas that could be improved to help mitigate any frustration or confusion on the part of your players:

Timeliness: While you are okay-ish providing updates, sometimes the updates appear quite late. In some instances, there is over a week between updates. A more consistent frequency of communication, for example every few days or weekly, would ensure your players feels heard and informed.

Transparency: You have done okay-ish in communicating the complexities of the issues and the reasons for the delay. However, there's an abrupt mention of fraudulent behavior on June 17, over three months since the first update. If this was a cause of the delay, it could have been mentioned earlier to help manage expectations.

Managing Expectations: There have been a few instances where the promise of a fix was made but then retracted, such as on April 6 and May 15. It's important to avoid making commitments unless you're certain they can be fulfilled, as failing to meet them can erode trust and patience among your player base.

Constructive updates: Updates should ideally include some new or constructive information, or at least reassure the audience that progress is being made. Some of your updates simply reiterate that the issue is being worked on, which might leave your player base feeling as though nothing is being achieved.

Response to Feedback: Your update on June 23rd suggests that you are taking feedback into account to improve communication. However, it's not clear what feedback you're responding to, or how you're incorporating it. Sharing more details on this would show your player base that you value their input and are making changes based on it.

Take care!

Well said on this across the board. We know ZOS cares, but the community wants to be kept more into the loop to keep a healthy relationship. We collectively are patient with this matter, we just want more communication.

Lets hear the news ZOS!

MajorDavood

mattaeus01b16_ESO wrote: »

TheElderScrollsGod wrote: »

Upon the thirteenth of March in lore,
(snip poem)

OMG! This! This right here is why I came to the forums today!!

Really? You had to quote the ENTIRE friggin poem? Cmon. Show some etiquette, man. Ok, you loved the poem but making all of us have to scroll through that nonsense is just rude.

Wow

Need that temporary gifting. I read somewhere that they could do it in Fallout 76 via support tickets. I've been hearing people who transfer from PC -> Console, but don't want to lose their Atoms by transferring it as gift to their second account, or something.

Kiyakotari

Back in the days of yore, before the Crown Store had gifting, we had a different way of doing this thing. It involved sending a ticket (through the website) to customer service, getting an auto-reply that was useless, replying to that, waiting several days for another reply, engaging in some back-and-forth that took up several more days, and eventually having crowns deducted from one account and the desired item(s) gifted to another account. It was clunky, but it was...functionalish.

I suspect that a return to this system is the "temporary solution" that's being worked out. While that's all fine and dandy, the crown selling market has evolved significantly since those days, due to direct store gifting. Using gold to buy crowns from people already carried an element of risk. How much will that risk be increased if people have to wait days for ZOS Customer Service to actually handle the transaction? Will there be more safeguards in place for players making these gold purchases, due to this increased risk of scamming?

Wolf_Eye

Kiyakotari wrote: »

Back in the days of yore, before the Crown Store had gifting, we had a different way of doing this thing. It involved sending a ticket (through the website) to customer service, getting an auto-reply that was useless, replying to that, waiting several days for another reply, engaging in some back-and-forth that took up several more days, and eventually having crowns deducted from one account and the desired item(s) gifted to another account. It was clunky, but it was...functionalish.

I suspect that a return to this system is the "temporary solution" that's being worked out. While that's all fine and dandy, the crown selling market has evolved significantly since those days, due to direct store gifting. Using gold to buy crowns from people already carried an element of risk. How much will that risk be increased if people have to wait days for ZOS Customer Service to actually handle the transaction? Will there be more safeguards in place for players making these gold purchases, due to this increased risk of scamming?

They might have it so that both the gold and the crowns gets sent to ZOS first. And then the gold is dispensed into the seller's mailbox in-game from ZOS. And the buyer would get the crown item directly given to them by ZOS. That would be the safest, because it would mean ZOS is the mediator holding all the things.

XoXJulietteXoX

Hey, ZoS, while you're fixing PC crowns, can you make it across platforms to where you can only COD Crowns so no one gets scammed?

Aka_

Can we get an explanation if this is fixed as to what this exploit was? I am almost positive I know why, but since even expressing that I don't know if what I said is true and that it is based on the evidence and communication expressed through ZoS has my posts remove, please communicate to us after it is resolved what caused you to lock us out of 4-5 months of gifting crates.

tsaescishoeshiner

Aka_ wrote: »

Can we get an explanation if this is fixed as to what this exploit was? I am almost positive I know why, but since even expressing that I don't know if what I said is true and that it is based on the evidence and communication expressed through ZoS hasbmy posts remove, please communicate to us after it is resolved what caused you to lock us out of 4-5 months of gifting crates.

For other exploits, we're usually told afterwards what it was but not how it was done. Unless they ninja-fix a lot of exploits, this is at least for the more commonly-known ones

Aka_

tsaescishoeshiner wrote: »

Aka_ wrote: »

Can we get an explanation if this is fixed as to what this exploit was? I am almost positive I know why, but since even expressing that I don't know if what I said is true and that it is based on the evidence and communication expressed through ZoS hasbmy posts remove, please communicate to us after it is resolved what caused you to lock us out of 4-5 months of gifting crates.

For other exploits, we're usually told afterwards what it was but not how it was done. Unless they ninja-fix a lot of exploits, this is at least for the more commonly-known ones

Yeah, I definitely wouldn't want them to nor expect them to discuss how it was done, just more of a "please give us an explanation of why this was so complicated and difficult and hard to just explain to us in the first place" because they continue to lose our trust doing this.

Nihilr

One of the theories is that people were buying in-game "gold" with real currency on 3rd party sites, circumventing the store entirely to buy crowns, and purchasing crowns from subscribers who don't use crowns. Thus, instead of making 2 subscribers, they got 1, and the 2nd still got crowns and some 3rd party got paid real money (against the ToS).

Disclaimer: This is by no means a statement of fact, but I NEVER suggest doing the above as it is a bannable offense. They are able to track and decipher which users are doing this. Don't be an idiot.

tsaescishoeshiner

Nihilr wrote: »

One of the theories is that people were buying in-game "gold" with real currency on 3rd party sites, circumventing the store entirely to buy crowns, and purchasing crowns from subscribers who don't use crowns. Thus, instead of making 2 subscribers, they got 1, and the 2nd still got crowns and some 3rd party got paid real money (against the ToS).

Disclaimer: This is by no means a statement of fact, but I NEVER suggest doing the above as it is a bannable offense. They are able to track and decipher which users are doing this. Don't be an idiot.

That's not really an exploit though, and has been possible as long as Crown gifting has been possible, right? While I obviously don't know for sure, I was assuming the issue now is a new one.