Community Relations Archive
Thread: John Smedley's Letter to the Community: April 7th, 2005
Cyg wrote:
MaleusGaryn wrote:
SONY ONLINE ENTERTAINMENT, SQUARE-ENIX AND BLIZZARD ENTERTAINMENT ANNOUNCE CROSS-OVER GAMING DEAL
- In an unprecedented merger of gaming assets, online gamers will be able to take their existing characters into new and exciting adventures in other gaming worlds.
SAN DIEGO, CA - March 31, 2005 - Sony Online Entertainment (SOE), Square-Enix (S-E) and Blizzard Entertainment (Blizzard), the worldwide leaders in Massive Online gaming, have announced a joint venture where players of any of their games, including the enormously successful World of Warcraft, the granddaddy of online gaming Everquest, S-E's hugely successful online version of the Final Fantasy franchise, and the popular titles Everquest 2 and Star Wars Galaxies, can take their existing characters and move seamlessly into new gaming worlds. Through new technology developed jointly by all three companies, your character will be converted over to the rule set and graphical look of each new game as you transfer back and forth, opening up literally tens of thousands of new gaming possibilities for every player. Players of all these games will suddenly be confronted with not just new zones to play in, but entire new universes.
"We have been looking for ways to add more end game content to World of Warcraft, and this just seemed a natural fit" said Mike Morhaime, President of Blizzard Entertainment. "This gives our players instant access to a range and depth of content that would otherwise take us years to develop through our current schedule. Now you can simply pick up and walk into another universe and open up an entire set of new and unique content"
"The enormous success of World of Warcraft proves that there is a large market for online gaming" said John Smedley, president of Sony Online Entertainment. "We decided that the best way to tap this market is to combine all of our assets into what is in effect one massive, massive-multiplayer game. By opening up more content and variety like this, our player base can only benefit and thrive."
The details of the agreement will be released in more details later. The current timeline calls for the merger to be completed by May 16th, in time for a complete demonstration at the Electronic Entertainment Expo held annually in Los Angeles. The companies have put together a transition team lead by venerable programmer Raph Koster of SOE that will finalize the details of the changes that will be needed in each game to make the transitions from game to game smooth and consistent. "Some things are going to have to change in each game to make this work" said Mr. Koster. "Expect each class in each game to get altered somewhat to allow them to fit into the new rule sets. We are excited about the possibilities of how this can improve the gaming structure of all our franchises."
Well that does it for me. This proves that this CU has nothing to do with the SWG community. This is to bring SWG inline with WoW, EQ1/2 and FFXI. This CU is not a fix, it is a copy/paste to satisfy Blizzard and Square-Enix. The testing going on right now will change nothing. Neither will any suggestions made by the SWG community. This "beta" testing is to fix bugs and that's all. Do not expect SOE to listen to you or change anything. My three accounts are cancelled effective, now.
Got any article or news source for that you'd like to share?. Seems a little late for April fools. The Pres. of SOE is obviously full of false info...I cant buy in to what you are saying either. If it is made up, it doesn't help our arguement posting it here. Verify please?
thanks JOHN
ps: It wouldn't let me word scramble F T W <-
[section deleted, where CU was replaced with another 2 letter abbreviation ending in U]
btw: How did you know we wanted episode 3 content, we haven't even seen it yet. Maybe it sucks like 1 & 2, and in fact we won't want it in swg at all.
Apparently YOU know what WE are going to say even before WE DO! Must be some crazy PR Force Clairvoyance.
Glad you're watching out for us Big Bro, KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK.
Message Edited by DaedalAho on 04-12-2005 09:12 AM
I got a three day ban for saying that. Gotta love PR coverups.
biggabamafanof wrote:
D8alus wrote:AMEN! AMEN! AMEN! There is little to no positive feedback for the CU. As a matter of fact it is so screwed up it should be scrapped! Someone tell this clueless president the TRUTH before he ends up looking like a jerk again.
In Austin, our Star Wars Galaxies™ team is focused on a big change to the game's combat system. The "Combat Upgrade" is now live on the SWG test server, and it's getting very positive feedback from the SWG playerbase. The team is also putting the finishing touches on Star Wars Galaxies™: Episode III Rage of the Wookies™, which launches in less than a month. The SWG playerbase is very strong, and we're continuing to put a lot of effort into making Star Wars Galaxies™ even better and adding new content all the time. The latest expansion pack adds Episode III content into the universe -- something our SWG players were asking for!
Ok, this paragraph right here is almost enough to cause me to withdraw my subscription from SOE games and never purchase another SOE product. Someone needs to tell the higher ups to pull their heads out of their asses and start LISTENING to their community. Stop lying to us, stoplying about us, START addressing our concerns and STOP ignoring us.
DRACORESS wrote:
TheBlacknight15 wrote:
Now, to personally speak to Dracoress: I am glad you like the CU, but saying "I don't need ya" and calling us "pain in the a-- people" does not help your credibility or maturity rating at all. If you do not need us, then you obviously missed the MMO part of this RPG. We bring up concerns we have with the game and in doing so are called flamers, idiots, and pains in the a--. That is not a good way to treat people who for the most part are trying to protect the game that we love and pay for. If we are not going to keep the game in check, who is? No way in hell I will hand that trust to you, because you "don't need" us in the game. What abuot this John Smedley guy? Hell, he does not even know that SWG is based a galaxy far far away, let alone what is actually happening within our community. You have to realize it is much easier to say "the CU sucks" and let others who have thought out ideas on how to fix the game present those. I have given my ideas, just like hundreds of others have on this forum. My point is, complainers are looking out for the best interest of the game. Sure, they are annoying, but they get their point accross: We do not like the changes. We have offered our ideas, and recieve little reply in terms of actual change. I am not ready to give up on this game.Message Edited by TheBlacknight15 on 04-11-2005 07:39 PM
Well, let's get one thing clear.....you DO not speak for me, nor alot of my friends. Hundreds complain on here, thousands don't because they are sick of hearing you. If the complainers didn't start the whole thing 2 yrs ago the system wouldn't be in the shape it is today. The dev's tried to add things to please you guys, you complain, they try to please you guys again...so on and so forth.....snowball on the way to hell. Credability...not looking for it from you. Maturity......okay, on other threads I have posted my likes about the CU. I have been bashed because I like the changes, I like the combat. I am sick of most of you idiots. Some have valid points...most don't. You may have had them at one point but you choose to make this personal.....so you now have no credability as far as you and I are concerned. I have played this game for 2 yrs also. I also have a pass account and I too play EQ2 and Planetside. Each game is different. I am not a power player, I play for a few hours 4 to 5 nights a week...after I am with my wife and child for a few hours of course. I play on the weekends when I have time...when I'm not working on my house, being with my wife and playing with my child. I play this game and others for a little escape....instead of golfing, going out to the bar, bowling. Instead I am home if my family needs me and I am doing something that is fun for me. Don't preach to me about my maturity....I have enough of it along with responsibility. I was once part of a large guild on Nartis. About 280 members at one point. It was all brought crashing down because of a COMPLAINING idiot. All the good people left and it fell apart. Now I hear that it has split into 3 guilds and they are all living in the same city. Not good as far as I am concerned...but it's not my problem now.
I do not see this revamp as a wrong road. Bash me all ya want. The changes are good. The EP3 content additions....great as far as I am concerned. It flows with where the game timeline is. Just consult the SW Data bank. Wookies were enslave up to ROTJ and beyond. Did you really think that wasn't going to happen. This is how Star Wars came to be what it is. Marketing. If George worried about what the critics said..we wouldn't have 6 movies. I want this planet.....always did.
SOE is running a buisness...they will try new trends if they think it wise, Sony wouldn't be as big either without trying things and the colored icons look cool and most explain what they do just by looking at them. I missed the combat que a little..but i'm over that now.
With that we are done.
Look, I really dont care if you like it. People have the right to complain, and so far the split ingame is about 50/50. Feel free to keep your eye on my poll if you want to get my running total from ingame instead of the boards. Click for Poll
YoullNeverKnowWhoIAM wrote:
Sorry, that was an official April Fools Joke of Allakhazam. So don't cancel, fight.
Can you prove to me that the letter from Allakhazam is a joke? I really need to know the truth here. I've already cancelled my subscriptions and posted on my guilds forums. Some of the others will be following suit so I need proof that the "merger" isn't real.
YoullNeverKnowWhoIAM wrote:This is Mr. Smedley:Sorry I don't know how to clickify.
Me clickies you. Good stuff.
MaleusGaryn wrote:
YoullNeverKnowWhoIAM wrote:Sorry, that was an official April Fools Joke of Allakhazam. So don't cancel, fight.
Can you prove to me that the letter from Allakhazam is a joke? I really need to know the truth here. I've already cancelled my subscriptions and posted on my guilds forums. Some of the others will be following suit so I need proof that the "merger" isn't real.
Pardon me for being observant...
The very last line of that "article" is an update from April third, and I quote:
Updated 4/3/05 - Just wanted to say "April Fools"
If the original posters later update it calling it a hoax, I'd say that's pretty substantial proof.
LordScotticus wrote:
Me clickies you. Good stuff.
YoullNeverKnowWhoIAM wrote:
This is Mr. Smedley:
Our Community Deceptions Officer
Sorry I don't know how to clickify.
Well, in fact this is the emperor behind the sith cloak. Our new Community Deception Officer is Tiggs, who replaced the last Community Relations Officer, Calandryll, who quickly quit rather than be a Community Deception Officer. I'm suddenly enamoured of Calandryll, who was the only, the first, and the last person on the SOE team to show communcation, values, and ethics in dealing with SOE's customers.
But Tiggs doesn't even deceive, rather, she ignores, flies low, and keeps her head down; collecting a paycheck from the deceivers and manipulators. Maybe she can look herself in the mirror because she can tell herself, "I'm just following orders." Where have I heard that before?
D8alus wrote:I got a three day ban for saying that. Gotta love PR coverups.
biggabamafanof wrote:D8alus wrote:AMEN! AMEN! AMEN! There is little to no positive feedback for the CU. As a matter of fact it is so screwed up it should be scrapped! Someone tell this clueless president the TRUTH before he ends up looking like a jerk again.In Austin, our Star Wars Galaxies™ team is focused on a big change to the game's combat system. The "Combat Upgrade" is now live on the SWG test server, and it's getting very positive feedback from the SWG playerbase. The team is also putting the finishing touches on Star Wars Galaxies™: Episode III Rage of the Wookies™, which launches in less than a month. The SWG playerbase is very strong, and we're continuing to put a lot of effort into making Star Wars Galaxies™ even better and adding new content all the time. The latest expansion pack adds Episode III content into the universe -- something our SWG players were asking for!
Ok, this paragraph right here is almost enough to cause me to withdraw my subscription from SOE games and never purchase another SOE product. Someone needs to tell the higher ups to pull their heads out of their asses and start LISTENING to their community. Stop lying to us, stop lying about us, START addressing our concerns and STOP ignoring us.
I got a 7 day ban for saying much less, from our beloved community relations directoress no less (who refused to respond to my inquiries as to what part of TOS I violated). Given the disappearing posts and the unjustified bans, the amount of negative feedback you can see here is less than there actually is!