Take server down before event ends?

16BitForestCat

mctaff wrote: »

Let's explore the entirety of this event, and the major plot points we have had along the way.

[Mctaff's post snipped for length, but click the »'s above to go read it (since the forum software is currently bugging out on posting that link); it's great.]

This is the best post I've seen on the combined Anniversary Jubilee/PTS/maintenance downtime debacle. ZOS should take heed of it. They should print out a copy for every employee, and everyone should re-read their copies before, during, and after any planning meetings.

Of course, because it's such a great breakdown and advice, ZOS won't heed it. Prove me wrong, ZOS. I dare you (and would love to be wrong here.) A decade later, you're still making the exact same rookie mistakes that you should've learned from and outgrew by the end of year one—maybe year two if we're being generous.

Up until as recently as last year, I used to say that ESO wouldn't die because the players or devs abandoned it. I used to say it would die because the system overall couldn't take the increased strain every piece of new content seemed to be putting on it. It would eventually be deemed irreparable and taken offline with the promise "temporarily, until we figure out how to fix it" but in actuality "for good" because ZOS would realize they couldn't fix it after all, and the corporate overlords suits wouldn't grant them the time or budget to rebuild it.

More recently, however, I've found myself saying that ESO will die due to dev incompetence and disorganization, obvious apathy and disdain for their player customers, and swollen head-butting amongst certain senior-tier devs/execs. (That last one comes via tales I cannot share, from friends who've worked at ZOS.) I don't want to be saying these things. I was cheering for you all those years, ZOS!

EDIT: What I just said about devs being apathetic and disdainful towards the players? Case in point: this comment regarding Mike Finnigan being dismissive about the Jubilee style page drop rates.

Relevant portion of comment:

From my understanding the response was said and phrased in a way that was dismissive of player concerns regarding the extremely low drop rates. I’m not sure that the response pertained to the lack of availability for these pages via tickets or other mechanisms.

This isn't the first time for him, either; he's also the guy who sneeringly replied, "We don't need no stinkin' healers!" on a dev group dungeon stream, right after a debacle over ZOS making healers increasingly obsolete in group content.

LegendaryNoobGuy

I would like to throw my hat in the ring and express my extreme disappointment with the how the "final" extended day of the Jubilee event was handled.

Since it had been announced that the event was extended 2 days I had planned to wake up early on Thursday knowing that I had a window of time between 6:00am and 10:00am EST to log in and collect my final 3 Event Tickets and even more importantly my final Jubilee Confetti Pack - the mount along with it. Unfortunately I am now sitting at 9/12 tickets and 24/25 Confetti Packs. Of course, this is because the event was actually effectively extended only 1 day instead of the announced 2 days due to the maintenance occurring during the entire length of the "last" day. I do now see where the maintenance was announced barely the day before. But since I don't check every official post every hour of the day, I don't see how I or the average player could have planned around it, especially with the information that was available in-game. Will I have to wait an entire year to get the mount and achievement that I otherwise perfectly scheduled my time around to get? Having the server down 3 times over the course of a single event in exchange for a fake-out extension of only 1 day is just kind of crazy and so disappointing.

To be clear I am very happy that the players who were locked out are finally able to play. I wouldn't want maintenance to have delayed any more than it has.

However, I do think something needs to be done immediately about the lost final Jubilee event day. At this point, I personally would be happy with just 1 Jubilee Confetti Pack and 3 Event Tickets mailed or otherwise given to us. It does seems like a "real" single day more extension would have been best.

Auldwulfe

Yep, because of the use it or lose it nature of the tickets, I used 3 last night, so that I could get them back this morning, and have the 12 set for next event .... and denied, without any recourse.......

Little things like that will create apathy in the game ... and apathetic players tend to just stop playing, after a while.

Auldwulfe

Runecrow

Serpari wrote: »

I've gone ahead and cancelled my ESO Plus. The lack of communication, constant downtime/poor performance and abysmal drop rates have made it so I can no longer justify giving this game money. The abysmal drop rates wouldn't had bothered me as much if the communication regarding the event extension + constant down times wasn't terrible. If I hadn't been gifted Gold Road I wouldn't had bought it, which is a shame because I love Imperial anything. For a supposed anniversary celebration, I can't say I'm celebrating anything here.

Money talks and this is my wallet speaking loudly.

I cancelled my yearly subscription recently, mostly because I'm tired of them double-dipping subscribers with their excessive monetization, but what happened during this event just solidified my belief that it was the correct thing to do.

afkpro

this is so typical that it's *bleepin* hilarious.

you would think the pts people and supporters on their compensation would be supportive of everyone else getting their extra event tickets and what not. nope. they cry, "we've (they've) been locked out for so long!"...as if they're not getting "too strong" of compensation for it. meanwhile, no consideration for the rest of us not getting the extra daily in due to maintenance on their behalf.

evymyu233

afkpro wrote: »

this is so typical that it's *bleepin* hilarious.

you would think the pts people and supporters on their compensation would be supportive of everyone else getting their extra event tickets and what not. nope. they cry, "we've (they've) been locked out for so long!"...as if they're not getting "too strong" of compensation for it. meanwhile, no consideration for the rest of us not getting the extra daily in due to maintenance on their behalf.

You said what I wanted to say I see that they are still selfish even after receiving huge compensation,not even allowing other innocent players to get their jubilee horses.

Kelinmiriel

Serpari wrote: »

• The Scroll of Pelinal's Ferocity was done away for the global buff, so players couldn't complete the achievement this year and get their golden laurel (Star-Made Knight). Was never fixed.

I don't disagree with anything else you said, but just wanted to clarify that this one thing actually was fixed.

They didn't restore the Scrolls, but there are Basins around even now, with no Whitestrake's Mayhem running. Some of us noticed they were present and wondered why, so we looked into it. The achievement has been changed. Anyone who uses the basin, whether or not the event is running, gets the achievement.

Grec1a

Runecrow wrote: »

I've gone ahead and cancelled my ESO Plus. The lack of communication, constant downtime/poor performance and abysmal drop rates have made it so I can no longer justify giving this game money. The abysmal drop rates wouldn't had bothered me as much if the communication regarding the event extension + constant down times wasn't terrible.
Money talks and this is my wallet speaking loudly.

Serpari wrote: »

I cancelled my yearly subscription recently, mostly because I'm tired of them double-dipping subscribers with their excessive monetization, but what happened during this event just solidified my belief that it was the correct thing to do.

I've cancelled my ESO+ too. If I'm giving ZOS money, then they're a company I'm doing business with, and I expect them to behave with a bit of integrity. Extending the event then reneging on it, without a word of apology or explanation, is just awful customer service.

I'd get a refund on Gold Road too if I could, but it was a gift...

Elvenheart

Serpari wrote: »

OtarTheMad wrote: »

Serpari wrote: »

I've gone ahead and cancelled my ESO Plus. The lack of communication, constant downtime/poor performance and abysmal drop rates have made it so I can no longer justify giving this game money. The abysmal drop rates wouldn't had bothered me as much if the communication regarding the event extension + constant down times wasn't terrible. If I hadn't been gifted Gold Road I wouldn't had bought it, which is a shame because I love Imperial anything. For a supposed anniversary celebration, I can't say I'm celebrating anything here.

Money talks and this is my wallet speaking loudly.

I mean I don’t blame you and I get it too but ZOS’ communication was pretty good on the downtime and the account issues. They posted about it in this thread:

https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/656543/temporarily-taking-down-the-pts-the-pc-na-live-server

If that’s what you’re talking about anyway. If that’s not what you’re talking about then my bad.

I am not only talking about that. I am talking about the compounding issues for months now. Off the top of my head:

• The Scroll of Pelinal's Ferocity was done away for the global buff, so players couldn't complete the achievement this year and get their golden laurel (Star-Made Knight). Was never fixed.
• During the crafting event, there was an issue with how many transmutes stones were awarded, so people were doing an unlimited transmute stones cheat. Needed a patch.
• The day after Patch 41, people lost their entire outfit slot loadouts. Also needed a patch and compensation (outfit tokens).

And now this entire fiasco with PTS and locked out accounts, needing to extend the event but not announcing it properly in the game, shorting NA out of several hours of that extension due to more down time, and the abysmal drop rates for limited time style pages. I'm done. I cannot justify giving money to this company anymore when it has been thing after thing in less than half a year. have no confidence this game's stability and QA will improve in the future because it's been months of constant issues. There are other games I can pay a subscription to that have way less down time, way less grinds, and way less showstopping bugs. Games that respect my time.

Don’t forget during the Wrothgar event when Perfected Maelstrom weapons dropped on Normal for awhile.