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Tijuana Bibliophile posted:Whales will be whales. He'll just go on about his 4k monitors or pure silver hdmi cables or what have you I dunno - I suspect we would get spectacular meltdown fireworks from Mr the Goa. spacetoaster posted:There's no more explanation than this message when you try to log in. They don't answer emails about it, and you can't use the forums to PM anybody. Lol first thing I thought on seeing your post was "wow! now they have Ms Anderson smirking at you when they ban you..." CIG: Classy in every situation 
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Feb 24, 2016 22:43
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Chalks posted:Yeah, it said "permbanned for sending a PM encouraging another player to commit bank fraud". wow.
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Feb 24, 2016 22:43
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spacetoaster posted:There's no more explanation than this message when you try to log in. They don't answer emails about it, and you can't use the forums to PM anybody. Gillian approves. e;f,b
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Feb 24, 2016 22:44
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Bank fraud is a weird label to put on a chargeback. Especially seeing as the decision rests with the bank itself. How many chargebacks have they been dealing with to make this their official stance on the matter?
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Feb 24, 2016 22:44
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Galarox posted:Duke of Goa is a fascinating case study. He is a classic SC whale. I don't have the time or patience to look through his posting history but, back when I was a backer and believer and owned only a Cutlass (for those Goons unaware of it the Cutlass is probably the single most shitted upon ship in their panoply) he came into the RSI cutlass thread and relentlessly trolled/attacked us for NOT believing in CIG... and their Vision. The change seen in Mirificus various posts where he has been screen-capped are, for me at least, an insight into the cult believer who has begun to doubt. By his own admission he is now $6 grand in the hole, and his posts have gone from passive aggressive to full on "WTF?" I suspect that at some point in the near future he will be temp/permabanned for some ridiculous or imaginary rule infraction. If that happens we should invite him to vent here because the fireworks would be deeply entertaining. I find that I cant feel too sorry for idiots like him who have invested so drat much in Crobbles inane vision, but I can feel some small degree of sympathy for him as a victim of his own idiocy. It was interesting hearing more of the background. Duke of Goa didn't pop up on my radar until he'd already passed on from the faithful stage. I hadn't realized he was that much of a vocal believer. I witnessed the slide from passive-aggressiveness to what we see now. He's gotten increasingly critical of CIG and I wouldn't be surprised if he was sent on an enforced posting vacation either.
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Feb 24, 2016 22:46
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Beet Wagon posted:In case he hasn't, he should. Everyone should. Uhh, what we're thinking is that in a fueling mingame you will be able to direct the fuel as it uh moves through the hose and if you are really good you will maybe be able to fuel faster or get a small bonus of some sort. 
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Feb 24, 2016 22:46
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Beer4TheBeerGod posted:You should be able to access your messages, and your ban explanation will helpfully pop up every time you log in. Here's the ban message:  How do I see my messages? If I go to the forums it says I'm not logged in. Also I emailed the guy I sent the PM to:  Those motherfuckers go through your PMs if they see you criticising the game looking for an excuse to ban you.
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Feb 24, 2016 22:48
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Chalks posted:Yeah, it said "permbanned for sending a PM encouraging another player to commit bank fraud". I'd be willing to bet that next time the fellow you helpfully PMed logs in that there will be no sign of your PM in their inbox too. CIG are, if nothing else, thorough when it comes to keeping their mitts on other peoples money.
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Feb 24, 2016 22:48
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Chalks posted:Yeah, it said "permbanned for sending a PM encouraging another player to commit bank fraud". Holy poo poo. I'll admit I was skeptical of the couple people who claimed to be permabanned because of PMs before. I kinda always thought maybe they did something else in addition to sending a PM about SA or whatever. This is loving bananas.
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Feb 24, 2016 22:48
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Hi gang huttubrhymeachine here to say lesnick fat
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Feb 24, 2016 22:49
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Beet Wagon posted:Holy poo poo. YOU questioned my veracity?!?!? I'm shocked! SHOCKED!
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Feb 24, 2016 22:51
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Gary oldman is talking some weird poo poo on The brit awards right now, seriously watch it.
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Feb 24, 2016 22:52
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Star Citizen: Where the word "private" isn't what you think it means.
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Feb 24, 2016 22:53
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C-Bangin' it 
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Brazilianpeanutwar posted:Gary oldman is talking some weird poo poo on The brit awards right now, seriously watch it. I don't know who's singing right now, but it ain't Queen so I don't give a gently caress.
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Feb 24, 2016 22:54
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Chalks posted:Here's the ban message: Well, that certainly removes any doubt whether CIG monitors PMs for dissent.
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Feb 24, 2016 22:54
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spacetoaster posted:YOU questioned my veracity?!?!? I'm shocked! SHOCKED! I mean I never was like "Oh that guys a liar-liar mcliarpants", but sort of subconsciously chalked it up to miscommunication about why the ban occurred. I guess my brain just wouldn't accept that they'd be that loving stupid. Which is dumb, because obviously they could and would. Obviously.
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Feb 24, 2016 22:54
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Doctor Soup posted:Bank fraud is a weird label to put on a chargeback. Especially seeing as the decision rests with the bank itself. How many chargebacks have they been dealing with to make this their official stance on the matter? Clearly banks know nothing of finances.
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Feb 24, 2016 22:54
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Galarox posted:I'd be willing to bet that next time the fellow you helpfully PMed logs in that there will be no sign of your PM in their inbox too. CIG are, if nothing else, thorough when it comes to keeping their mitts on other peoples money. Makes me wonder what they do to people that respond back with "hey, that's a great idea...thanks."
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Feb 24, 2016 22:55
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Mirificus posted:Well, that certainly removes any doubt whether CIG monitors PMs for dissent. I would assume chargeback is probably a filter word they look for in pm's. Wouldn't be surprised if they have a system in place to send out alerts when people pm each other with that keyword.
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Feb 24, 2016 22:55
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Sickening posted:I would assume chargeback is probably a filter word they look for in pm's. Wouldn't be surprised if they have a system in place to send out alerts when people pm each other with that keyword. I guess lotax is another key word. lol
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Feb 24, 2016 22:57
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spacetoaster posted:YOU questioned my veracity?!?!? I'm shocked! SHOCKED! In your case, I wondered if the sendee had reported you to CIG.
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Feb 24, 2016 22:57
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I got banned from a free private torrent site that rhymes with 'mutt' because of something I said in a PM (can't recall what, it was pretty harmless) and I was shocked by how utterly shady a move it was. They even unbanned me after I asked but it still left a bad taste in my mouth and I was blown away by how shady this illegal, black market site was being administrated. Now you have an actual American company doing the same thing. It's unreal.
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Feb 24, 2016 22:58
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Chalks posted:Yeah, it said "permbanned for sending a PM encouraging another player to commit bank fraud". loving lmao
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Feb 24, 2016 22:58
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Chalks posted:Yeah, it said "permbanned for sending a PM encouraging another player to commit bank fraud". The more you tighten your grip, Sandi, the more backers will slip though your fingers.
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Feb 24, 2016 22:59
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if anything, them banning people for this is a clear sign that you should be doing a chargeback and loving fast
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Feb 24, 2016 23:00
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If they treat their customers with this level of disdain and paranoia, can't imagine what the employees face.
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Feb 24, 2016 23:03
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Sickening posted:I would assume chargeback is probably a filter word they look for in pm's. Wouldn't be surprised if they have a system in place to send out alerts when people pm each other with that keyword. developing and maintaining these systems is vital to the success of this project. it actually makes sense if you think of the end goal of Star Citizen as not developing a game but keeping people's money oh the new patch is out! sorry, you have to download the whole thing again because we don't patch things
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Feb 24, 2016 23:04
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Sickening posted:I would assume chargeback is probably a filter word they look for in pm's. Wouldn't be surprised if they have a system in place to send out alerts when people pm each other with that keyword. I sent it 2 and a half months ago. I was totally fine. Yesterday I made my first post criticising CIG's marketing strategy as misleading. Today I said that Sandi was being thoughtless when she put doughnuts in front of Ben. I am suddenly banned. I doubt they have a word filter in place that takes 2 and a half months to spot my PM, and the ban message CLEARLY says I was reported for it and I couldn't possibly have been since the guy I sent the PM to both denies it and hasn't logged in since Jan 6th. Chalks fucked around with this message at 23:08 on Feb 24, 2016 |
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Feb 24, 2016 23:05
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Lot of toxic smoke to match these refurbished mirrors at CIG
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Feb 24, 2016 23:07
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Chalks posted:I sent it 2 and a half months ago. I was totally fine. Yesterday I made my first post criticising CIG's marketing strategy as misleading. Today I said that Sandi was being thoughtless when she put doughnuts in front of Ben. They're lying about you being reported for it. I'd bet dollars to pesos they took a stroll through your PMs to see if you were bannable for anything since what you said on the forum wasn't a bannable offense. Of course the easy way to test this is to have one of us PM someone we KNOW won't report us and then say something slightly inflammatory on the forums and see what happens.
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Feb 24, 2016 23:08
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Chalks posted:I sent it 2 and a half months ago. I was totally fine. Yesterday I made my first post criticising CIG's marketing strategy as misleading. Today I said that Sandi was being thoughtless when she put doughnuts in front of Ben. lol this makes it even better.
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Feb 24, 2016 23:09
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It's inconceivable that CIG got a report on 6th of Jan and didn't action it until I said their marketing was misleading and they should offer refunds when they change their ship specifications. I knew it was unlikely that the guy had reported me and I just wanted to be 100% sure. loving hell, I was honestly trying to be a decent guy on the forums, trying to discuss things in a civil way while still pointing out the issues at CIG. It didn't even occur to me that being nice to that guy months ago would come back to bite me. A Neurotic Jew posted:lol this makes it even better. https://forums.robertsspaceindustries.com/profile/comments/187124/Chalks Those are my only posts. I guess the doughnuts comment crossed the line.
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Feb 24, 2016 23:10
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Mirificus posted:It was interesting hearing more of the background. Duke of Goa didn't pop up on my radar until he'd already passed on from the faithful stage. I hadn't realized he was that much of a vocal believer. I witnessed the slide from passive-aggressiveness to what we see now. He's gotten increasingly critical of CIG and I wouldn't be surprised if he was sent on an enforced posting vacation either. Oh yes. I cant access the RSI forums anymore but it would make a classic "The Story of a Disillusioned Whale" to trawl back through his posts (I'm not saying do it, because trawling through his poo poo-posts is its own special kind of purgatory, I did when he came into the Cutlass thread because I was wondering just who the hell he was and what his motivations might be, and bloody hell it was hard work) particularly just pre and post Derek. He was a proper CIG White Night, shouting down any doubt or dissent. Dusty Lens may or may not remember him from the Cutlass thread, but seeing the transformation to his attitude now is as I said, for me, a  moment.
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Feb 24, 2016 23:11
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The recent info about being banned as a result of a PM has led to me realise something: CR said that if any backer needs a refund due to financial hardship they should contact support and it will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis. On the surface this seems to be a very gracious thing to say, and is good for PR. But if a backer does this, regardless of why they really want a refund*, then CIG just needs to refuse. If the backer then tries to initialte a chargeback, citing financial hardship as the reason, it will fail because 'buyer's remorse' is not a valid reason for wanting your money back, which is essentially what If the user cites any other reason for the chargeback, such as non-delivery, CIG can then turn around and say 'that's bullshit - look at this original support request, where financial hardship was cited as the reason', and accuse the backer of attempted bank fraud. My advice to any backer wanting a refund would be to cite anything but financial hardship as the reason. Maybe Derek Smart could run this idea past his crack legal team, so see if it holds water. * Such as non-delivery of a bug-ridden, barely-functional, waste of disk space that bears no resemblance to what they originally thought they were Ponzi fucked around with this message at 23:27 on Feb 24, 2016 |
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Feb 24, 2016 23:12
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A Neurotic Jew posted:lol this makes it even better. I sent you a PM about your new site Chalks posted:It's inconceivable that CIG got a report on 6th of Jan and didn't action it until I said their marketing was misleading and they should offer refunds when they change their ship specifications. I knew it was unlikely that the guy had reported me and I just wanted to be 100% sure. Being a decent guy and staying within the rules is probably why CIG had to go PM-diving for an excuse to ban you.
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Feb 24, 2016 23:13
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Chalks posted:It's inconceivable that CIG got a report on 6th of Jan and didn't action it until I said their marketing was misleading and they should offer refunds when they change their ship specifications. I knew it was unlikely that the guy had reported me and I just wanted to be 100% sure. the sad thing is that it was probably Ben who banned you. He made that post about it being an "office joke" around the same time.
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Feb 24, 2016 23:13
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Chalks posted:loving hell, I was honestly trying to be a decent guy on the forums, trying to discuss things in a civil way while still pointing out the issues at CIG. If it's any consolation, you getting banned has removed any remaining shreds of doubt that this entire thing is anything other than a massive scam. If you're a lurker reading this and haven't gotten your money out yet: get your drat money out!
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Feb 24, 2016 23:13
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Chalks posted:Yeah, it said "permbanned for sending a PM encouraging another player to commit bank fraud". Libel lawsuit in two weeks.
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Feb 24, 2016 23:14
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When the CIG peon assigned to read this thread for actionable intelligence comes across this little account, I hope you will print this, or otherwise pass the sad little story and helpful set of suggestions up to Ben, Sandi, Lando, or even Chris. ---- TO: Cloud Imperium Games FROM: Something Awful SUBJECT: The tale of Jeffrey McArthur PRIORITY: High An agreeable older gamer named Jeffrey McArthur tried Star Citizen's Free Flight weekend a couple of weeks ago, having no knowledge whatsoever of of this particular game. He is an avid gamer - online games, tabletop games, D&D games - he has spent decades playing them and loving them. In fact, as a younger man, he actually programmed two titles for the Atari 800; a serviceable Defender clone called Kamikaze. and sillier overhead maze runner called Icky Squishy. These days, Jeffrey makes gaming videos that average less than 100 viewers each, and keeps doing it sheerly for the joy of it. So he downloads Star Citizen and starts playing. He is bewildered by the key bindings, the absence of clear objectives, players crawling on their bellies around ARCcorp, ships spawning upside down in his hangar, the manual, the emptiness, and more. These are all reasonable reactions, particularly since the PC Gamer article that prompted him to try the Free Flight game never mentioned it was an Alpha. After an understandably frustrating 45 minutes, one he took in bemused stride, he posted a video of his gaming experience, wondering humorously, "Am I too stupid to play Star Citizen?"  After posting the video, it immediately became one of his most viewed, and most down voted, videos. Of course, it would all be entirely predictable, this kind of thing happens so regularly these days. Yet this story has a surprisingly bittersweet punchline- one that is very worth your attention.  Surely, with your enormous sums and perpetual broadcasts, YOU THE COMMUNITY AND MARKETING LEADERSHIP can make greater efforts to discourage knee-jerk attacks on anyone who dares express confusion about the State of the Game. They don't have to be Stage 4 Cancer Sufferers to merit better treatment. Nothing that this random old-school gamer said in his video was libelous, mean-spirited or unfair. In fact, he posited that maybe he was too dumb to play the game, rather than going after the failings (and they are legion) of Star Citizen as it exists today. That's a kid gloves treatment that you don't even deserve at this point, and STILL, some members of your community love little more than shooting messengers rather than listen to their bad news. (And don't pretend 'oh that's just Youtube commenters!', either. This same crap happens on Reddit and elsewhere, all the time.)  Your Game Tutorial is broken, the Alpha is bug-ridden, dull and confusing for those not willing to commit considerable efforts to the learning curve. Don't take my word for it. Take Jeffrey McArthur's. Or look at your post break-up sales collapse.  If you think your biggest enemies are trolls or goons, or your biggest problems are making sure you delete any incriminating evidence you left behind on some old video archive your backers paid for, you really aren't paying close enough attention. Your biggest enemies-- particularly right now-- are the toxic zealots who have already backed your game and, in absence of a game to play, have decided to role play as Riot Cops beating down anybody who looks askew at their beloved (fictive) super-game. This pattern repeats daily in more places than any of us can count. On Twitter, Youtube comments, Facebook pages, Gaming Media article comments, Reddit, and elsewhere. Where did they learn and perfect this odious art, you wonder? Why, the RSI forums, of course! --- THE PROBLEM, IN SUMMARY: You have stated your intention to "take the pressure off backers to keep funding the game" by focusing your efforts on winning newer backers to the cause. This is a sensible strategy, at least on its surface, yet the proposition is going to be bloody difficult if: 1) The game is buggy, confusing, and unfun to play. 2) The tutorial is broken. 3) The community is hostile to new players who state that either or both of the above is true. THE SOLUTION, IN SUMMARY: You, the Community and Marketing Team, do not have the power to fix what is wrong with the game, or accelerate the development of its improvement. You do, however, have useful tools to combat this problem. There are good-hearted, patient members in your community, trying their level best to help win new converts to the fold. And not all of them are motivated by your cynical referral program carrot. You are fortunate in that respect. They still love you, for reasons beyond our understanding. Because of that, you need to: 1) EMPOWER AND ELEVATE THE GOOD GUYS --- they are the best tools in your arsenal in what will be a difficult new season of your life. Elevate their stature, and start taking a harder line approach with that part of your backer base that truly is the enemy within. If the game was not the mess that it is, then this particular issue would not be of such urgent priority. You, the Community and Marketing leadership, may have no power over the pace and quality of development, but you have a lot of tools at your disposal for changing the discourse in your own community. 2) PRIORITIZE NEW PLAYER EDUCATION VIDEOS -- Instead of doing yet another weekly show (the newest of which is apparently about Space Plants), you should focus on weekly programming aimed at educating non-players about the game and educating current players about the importance of welcoming any and all questions that non-players may have. Right now, some members of your own community are doing this for you, because they recognize the need is great, but it's YOUR GAME, and you need to do this for yourself. 3) FIX THE drat TUTORIAL - Tell Chris that fixing the Tutorial is a five-alarm fire and needs developer attention immediately. Pull five guys off their 4th revamp of a spinning space chair remodel and have them make a tutorial that doesn't suck. 4) DON'T JUST DISCOURAGE TOXIC BACKERS, PUNISH THEM -- Lando and Ben showed some encouraging signs in a recent Reverse the Verse, asking the community not to insult or argue with people. But an offhand comment in a show seen by maybe 1000 viewers is not enough. You need to make examples of the toxic losers who stand amongst the Welcome Committees with their guns out, ready to fire endless lobs of "You're an idiot", "You don't understand Game development", "This is an ALPHA, rear end in a top hat!" at your next potential wave of customers. You have seen it play out countless times, as surely as we have. You need to start doing something about it. 5) REFRESH YOUR PUBLIC PERSONA BY ELEVATING NEW FACES - Ben and Sandi, I'm sorry to break the news to you, but each of you have lost credibility with the fanbase over the last year, for very different reasons. The rapturous reception of Sean Tracy by "Reverse the Verse" viewers is telling you something-- that a straight-talking and informed developer actually talking about the true state of the game is like manna from heaven to a starving people wandering the desert looking for the Promised Land. You could regain some goodwill with an increasingly restive population by replacing yourselves with Sean Tracy and Cherie Heiberg. Ben, you come across as Uninformed and Sandi, you come across as Disinterested. Sean and Cherie are very informed, very interested and, in contrast to you both, they seem trustworthy, too. If you want to change the tone (and you bloody well should), it starts with replacing them mouthpieces. ----- I recognize that this is constructive criticism, and will likely be seen as presumptuous and disingenuous, considering that it came from Something Awful. You seem far more likely to take action to our posts when you find us delighting in some smoking gun you've left buried somewhere that you need to track down and throw into the ocean. Yet it is offered sincerely, and the advice is sound. Do not let 'director of spaceships' titles earned through sycophancy deafen you, Ben. Do not let your excessive self-regard as a Marketing Genius blind you, Sandi. Let neither your cash reserves nor past successes delude you about the present realities. There's a chill in the air now, guys, and it's not just the weather changing, it is the season. ----- UPDATE: July 17th, 2016 Nearly half a year later, McArthur announces that he's finished chemo and is Cancer Free. G0RF fucked around with this message at 22:15 on Oct 13, 2016 |
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Feb 24, 2016 23:18
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Vermain posted:If it's any consolation, you getting banned has removed any remaining shreds of doubt that this entire thing is anything other than a massive scam. If you're a lurker reading this and haven't gotten your money out yet: get your drat money out! should be in the page heading, should be on every page, should honestly just be plastered everywhere edit: fucken hell GORF, a great post as usual alf_pogs fucked around with this message at 23:30 on Feb 24, 2016 |
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Feb 24, 2016 23:19
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