Compensation?

vanity

Guys you're all a few keystrokes away from p0rn! (If you need something better to do with your time than complain)The fact that you're all really asking for compensation of your time, as though ESO is your career or something is driving me insane. If they did anything about it, it'd simply be to be nice. Anyone want to read a masters thesis on the psychology behind entitlement in america today. This thread is a nice example.

Korah_Eaglecry

Egdod wrote: »

To those people saying there should be no compensation or saying to read the TOS.

I am assuming you have already paid for the game and are planning on paying a monthly subscription fee, so you have an investment in the game's future. In order for the game to have a future, the game needs subscriptions and this incident will generate bad publicity. Bad publicity equates directly to less sales which impacts your investment.

Bad publicity outweighs good publicity and people, in general, have a very short attention span. If good publicity follows bad publicity, then it can somewhat mitigate the loss in sales.

I do not think I deserve compensation at all. I do want ZOS to protect their, their investor's and my investment.

Bad publicity for whom exactly? In what way can a rational person logically find maintenance on an MMO during a non-paid for Early Access to be inexcusable and require some sort of compensation?

Its like demanding a refund after someone hands you a free hotdog and you find a hair on it.

akiba021

When you prepurchase a game directly from the developer and pay up front by months, that's not a purchase yet. It's an investment. You think they just give you free crap for doing that because they're nice? No. You're giving them money. That money goes into their pockets sooner. It goes to development. All sorts of things. You are investing in a game that may or may not be anything you end up enjoying.
They're banking on you expecting to like it. You did them a favor to get this early access. Asking for a few hours of compensation in game time that was given to you as a reward for a potentially risky investment(if you paid 80 dollars and didn't enjoy this game at all, for instance..) sounds rather reasonable to me. And far from "something for nothing." Sure. I didn't pay extra for this, but I doubt they'd really pay anything extra for a few extra hours of playtime before we start getting charged.
Hell, an experience boost for three hours, like that guy said? Free for them to give us. Asking nothing for something, sounds more accurate.
Just putting things into a more realistic perspective.

bugulu

How do you know it's free?
Is the free experience hardcoded already into the server?
We have a boosted experience from Rings of Mara but you would have to add additional coding to implement it to all players.

Suddenly it turns into a manpower question, manpower that could be used to implement new content, getting rid of bugs and general maintainance issues.

It's not as if there was a big red button that reads "Boosted Experience for everyone on the server" and after pushing the button, it's done.

moonfell

Welp. Time for me to leave the forums. *grabs back of pants* *flies away*

necco

I was thinking the same thing. We should be compensated. This isn't beta anymore the game has launched. I paid $80 to have 5 days early access not <5. I understand that they are working to better things, but they chose the wrong time to do it. This is bull****!

Lalai

necco wrote: »

I was thinking the same thing. We should be compensated. This isn't beta anymore the game has launched. I paid $80 to have 5 days early access not <5. I understand that they are working to better things, but they chose the wrong time to do it. This is bull****!

Yup, how dare they bring the servers down to fix a bug that was causing people to log into accounts that weren't their own (and get other's inventory items) without letting you log in and get your play time first. Total bull****!

You paid $80 for the imperial edition. Not early access. Getting the Imperial Edition after launch will still set you back $80. Regular edition pre-orders from Zenimax also got the 5 days. If they compensate us, awesome.. but in no way is it required, nor do I expect it. Maintenance, even emergency maintenance, is a part of all MMOs, especially during launch.

Trouvo

necco wrote: »

I was thinking the same thing. We should be compensated. This isn't beta anymore the game has launched. I paid $80 to have 5 days early access not <5. I understand that they are working to better things, but they chose the wrong time to do it. This is bull****!

LMAO, cant even take this thread seriously anymore

akiba021

bugulu wrote: »

How do you know it's free?
Is the free experience hardcoded already into the server?
We have a boosted experience from Rings of Mara but you would have to add additional coding to implement it to all players.

Suddenly it turns into a manpower question, manpower that could be used to implement new content, getting rid of bugs and general maintainance issues.

It's not as if there was a big red button that reads "Boosted Experience for everyone on the server" and after pushing the button, it's done.

I don't know about you, but it seems like, with all of the resources available, they could cook up an item pretty quick, and push it to our mailboxes. I paid eighty dollars for the game, and in another month I'll be charged another fifteen. That will repeat indefinitely until the point where the game shuts down, or I move on.

I understand the ToS may entitle them to do exactly what they're doing. I'm not insinuating they're obligated to do anything at all. I think the game is fantastic, and I'm at school right now anyway. Considering I paid them well in advance for this on faith they would make a good game, I feel like they might be more well-respected if they did compensate people for lost time.

Again, we didn't buy these five days, and the thirty days after come with the game.. Which for me had an 80 dollar price tag. But what company hasn't screwed the end-user in every other line of their ToS? They have to cover their own rumps while retaining the right to moderate the community as well.

Really, though.. Like people have said, World of Warcraft never compensated people, and I sat through the last 36 hours of a subscription period staring at a "downtime" screen.

'Til that happens, I think I will personally be fine.

Orizuru

Trouvo wrote: »

necco wrote: »

I was thinking the same thing. We should be compensated. This isn't beta anymore the game has launched. I paid $80 to have 5 days early access not <5. I understand that they are working to better things, but they chose the wrong time to do it. This is bull****!

LMAO, cant even take this thread seriously anymore

You were taking this thread seriously at some point? Why?

necco

Lalai wrote: »

necco wrote: »

I was thinking the same thing. We should be compensated. This isn't beta anymore the game has launched. I paid $80 to have 5 days early access not <5. I understand that they are working to better things, but they chose the wrong time to do it. This is bull****!

Yup, how dare they bring the servers down to fix a bug that was causing people to log into accounts that weren't their own (and get other's inventory items) without letting you log in and get your play time first. Total bull****!

You paid $80 for the imperial edition. Not early access. Getting the Imperial Edition after launch will still set you back $80. Regular edition pre-orders from Zenimax also got the 5 days. If they compensate us, awesome.. but in no way is it required, nor do I expect it. Maintenance, even emergency maintenance, is a part of all MMOs, especially during launch.

Thank you for the sarcasm, but its still bull****

Last time I checked Imperial edition came with 5 days early access?

Severia

This thread is funny. Not because of the OP, but because of all the hypocritical responses. It is just bollocks to say that the users have nothing to complain about because the early access was a "bonus". To see how stupid this statement is, ask yourself the following question:

If Zenimax had cancelled the early access start altogether, would you have been upset and felt cheated for preordering?

If the answer is yes, then it wasn't a "bonus". In fact, since it is advertised at purchase, it is a legal obligation. It is part of the product.

Of course the ToS cover unforeseen shutdowns and I think this shutdown was so minor that they could not be accused of not providing a reasonable standard of service. But that is not the point. Early access is not just a "bonus" and if they did not provide and acceptable service during the early access period their customers would indeed be entitled to compensation (though I don't think that is the case here).

There is of course the separate issue that any service provide, irrespective of technicality, would do well to keep their subscribers happy. On these grounds it would not be so unreasonable to offer something. After all, my first experience of the game when my (3-day) early access was at last available was a shut down.

Trouvo

NaciremaDiputs wrote: »

Trouvo wrote: »

necco wrote: »

I was thinking the same thing. We should be compensated. This isn't beta anymore the game has launched. I paid $80 to have 5 days early access not <5. I understand that they are working to better things, but they chose the wrong time to do it. This is bull****!

LMAO, cant even take this thread seriously anymore

You were taking this thread seriously at some point? Why?

cuz stupid people annoy me and being 2014...it happens a lot....once that stupidometer is full tho I just cant help but lol and lol

Lalai

Not saying to not be upset, or annoyed, or anything like that. Saying it's silly to demand compensation (as some are doing) for a few hours of downtime during the early access of a game. I don't at all actually think it's bs for a game to go down for emergency maintenance during launch (especially to address a huge bug that was not found in any of the betas).. in fact I would be far more surprised if it never went down for maintenance during launch at all.

Personally, if they had to cancel the early access then I'd be disappointed, but I wouldn't be outraged. I didn't actually pay anything extra for it. I won't turn down or be irritated with getting some free game time or extra exp either. I just don't really think anything that's happened warrants offering such at this time. What we've had is very minimal when compared to other MMOs.

nerevarine1138

necco wrote: »

Thank you for the sarcasm, but its still bull****

Last time I checked Imperial edition came with 5 days early access?

So did the standard edition. And they both came with the same ToS, which you agreed to. Regular and emergency maintenance are facts of life with MMOs. You do not get compensated for the developer doing their job.

Egdod

Korah_Eaglecry wrote: »

Bad publicity for whom exactly? In what way can a rational person logically find maintenance on an MMO during a non-paid for Early Access to be inexcusable and require some sort of compensation?

Its like demanding a refund after someone hands you a free hotdog and you find a hair on it.

I did not say it was justified or rational. Bad publicity is bad publicity.

necco

I'm a casual gamer, any head start before launch is a bonus. Today I can finally play for a few hours since Monday. I guess that's not happening now

akiba021

Preordering.
Before Kickstarter did the same thing, called it crowd-funding, and tagged some outrageous prices and rewards so they could talk people into trusting them with EVEN LARGER sums of money for their equally and completely untested ideas.

Trouvo

they said it will be up this morning so that is still today lol

Lalai

@Trouvo I wish you were DC so we could be friends

akiba021

This morning, EST. That literally means no later than 11:59AM. But did they mean it so literally? Or were they just throwing that around without being careful?

dorianchaotic

nerevarine1138 wrote: »

Man, you'd think after 10 years of threads asking this same question in the WoW forums...

bwahaha

Korah_Eaglecry

Severia wrote: »

This thread is funny. Not because of the OP, but because of all the hypocritical responses. It is just bollocks to say that the users have nothing to complain about because the early access was a "bonus". To see how stupid this statement is, ask yourself the following question:

If Zenimax had cancelled the early access start altogether, would you have been upset and felt cheated for preordering?

If the answer is yes, then it wasn't a "bonus". In fact, since it is advertised at purchase, it is a legal obligation. It is part of the product.

Of course the ToS cover unforeseen shutdowns and I think this shutdown was so minor that they could not be accused of not providing a reasonable standard of service. But that is not the point. Early access is not just a "bonus" and if they did not provide and acceptable service during the early access period their customers would indeed be entitled to compensation (though I don't think that is the case here).

There is of course the separate issue that any service provide, irrespective of technicality, would do well to keep their subscribers happy. On these grounds it would not be so unreasonable to offer something. After all, my first experience of the game when my (3-day) early access was at last available was a shut down.

Guys. We got a Forum Lawyer here.

Trouvo

Lalai wrote: »

@Trouvo I wish you were DC so we could be friends

We can still be friends, ill have a DC alt eventually and Im always up to chat or TS, just send me a pm

akiba021 wrote: »

This morning, EST. That literally means no later than 11:59AM. But did they mean it so literally? Or were they just throwing that around without being careful?

I think it was more being hopeful but not literal, based on experience of the efficiency in which they work

liquid_wolf

If this hits too hard into Early Access, then yes... Zenimax should look into some way to apologize to their customers. I'd say losing a day of early access could warrant an in-game pet, title, or some such.

But it hasn't, yet. When it does, then we can start talking about it.

Dankapotimus420

ok. this stuff in beta is understandable, during its early access period, which in name states game is finished product, ready for the public to use. it is not. I too spent 80 bucks on the game. main header for it was 5 days head start. along with other swag, like 1g mount, mudcrab pet, treasure maps, ability to play any faction any race etc. Standard edition came with only 3 day head start. at only 60 bucks. to introduce an incomplete product to the public, 3 days before launch. is just bad business model. heres an example. I start a restaurant, saying I have new type of French fry temporarily available free of charge with purchase of other menu items. I open up early to a select group. group orders a bunch of say... burgers and fries.. oops! half cooked fries... compensation required? you are going to tell me no, its expected b-cuz its new? no you'll be demanding refund for order or some suitable compensation or you will not return and tell people ."hey, don't go there! that restaurants fries aren't even done properly!" .
do I want compensation for downtime for inability to follow through with their obligation ? sure
do I expect it? no
just saying this could end badly for ZOS if people get on the interwebz spreading this in a negative fashion.

nerevarine1138

Dankapotimus420 wrote: »

ok. this stuff in beta is understandable, during its early access period, which in name states game is finished product, ready for the public to use. it is not.

WoW still has maintenance downtime (planned and unplanned) after 10 years. Are you saying they aren't ready for public access yet?

Gohlar

liquid_wolf wrote: »

If this hits too hard into Early Access, then yes... Zenimax should look into some way to apologize to their customers. I'd say losing a day of early access could warrant an in-game pet, title, or some such.

But it hasn't, yet. When it does, then we can start talking about it.

This is fair. If the servers come up shortly, I think most would be happy to move on. If it drags into primetime tonight, it may be time for them to do something to give back.

kyuven

Read your TOS. Don't even bother asking for this crap.

Mordenkaiser

I just cannot feel this whole thing could have been avoided by doing like a 2 week open beta, rather then cheap out by doing the fashionable 1 or 2 weekend beta events with less then 1 week heads up.

I totally get why people feel they should be compensated, for people such as myself I bought the physical collectors edition for the 5 days early access, because the fact was I had the week off. The early access was not a perk for me, it was a selling point.

I also want to point out that I understand I could have bought the cheaper online edition, but wanted to support the local brick and mortar retailers and the jobs they provide in my community (having worked at a game store in my youth). Mind you its not a requirement that Zenimax compensate players, it would however be a nice move to build up some good will.

Like it or lump it, I'm sure many people pre-ordered because of the early access.