Virtual Family Kingdom Thread

[threeboysmom]

oh plz pink when was the last time you were even in there? :rotfl2:

Stop stalking me! Geesh! :rolleyes:

[funfly]

History - 1 A recorded narrative of past events, especially those concerning a particular period, nation, individual, etc. 2 The branch of knowledge dealing with the records of the past, especially those involving human affairs. 3 The aggregate of events concerning a given subject, recorded or unrecorded. 4 Past events in general

Current - 3 In actual progress, or belonging to the immediate present.

(the above is as stated in funk & wagnalls international dictionary - credit given to them for the definitions)

That being said, history is history, whether it was 100BC, 100AD, 1930's, 1960's, 1990's, 2007, or even from the beginning of this year....it is all past events from particular periods. Current events, in short time, can become History.

Kids in school have history from all time frames, and VFK is doing just that. They are incorporating (at least in my opinion) fun learning with history, ie, Father's Day Quest, Ice Cream Quest, etc with fun items of blue lava lamps, ice cream sundaes, etc. Learning is/can be random topics during or taking place in various places/forms school, home, own interests.

ok, stepping down off my soapbox.....this is now history. Back to having fun :cool1:

[funfly]

By the way a new room was added really early this morning from
a live test apparently:

http://i26.tinypic.com/28kimx0.png

I like how the electric sparks and torch are animated it adds a
nice touch.. Also you can't actually get into Merlins yet but with pin
lanyards added yesterday and today we get closer to the merlins door
to opening I think we may be getting magic soon.

Very cool!! Love the new room, the look of night there too. Friend of mine is a magician and loves the look of Merlin so far!:thumbsup2

[SharkMeal]

According to many staff, including a developer (VFK_Surfer) and the lady
on the phone when you call them, magic, pins, and merlins shop is supposed
to be out later this afternoon.

[Cardinal]

Kids in school have history from all time frames, and VFK is doing just that. They are incorporating (at least in my opinion) fun learning with history, ie, Father's Day Quest, Ice Cream Quest, etc with fun items of blue lava lamps, ice cream sundaes, etc. Learning is/can be random topics during or taking place in various places/forms school, home, own interests.

VFK is just about as informative as an episode of Time Squad. If you're going to take history lessons from the people who run VFK, you should just head to the nearest McDonalds and ask for an interview now ::yes::

[aengus]

I like the lightning effect and glow from the shop

I would personally like to see them lose the texture based graphic style though.

[WDWLIGHTNINGZ]

Sign above the store out front:

http://aquate.us/u/Merline.jpg

Inside:
http://aquate.us/u/Merline0.jpg

Magics
http://aquate.us/u/Sparkle.jpghttp://aquate.us/u/Static.jpg

[swimmingneno]

Sign above the store out front:

http://aquate.us/u/Merline.jpg

Inside:
http://aquate.us/u/Merline0.jpg

Magics
http://aquate.us/u/Sparkle.jpghttp://aquate.us/u/Static.jpg


dances like a mad man!!!!! WOOT!!! :banana:

[aengus]

Don't care for the inside of the shop as much, looks like a lame science classroom

the pins look to much like vmk too @_@

[Goofy05]

Don't care for the inside of the shop as much, looks like a lame science classroom

the pins look to much like vmk too @_@
I agree. The 'Sparkle' pin looks a lot like the Pirate Costume/Coral/Draw the Sword sparkle. Not that I don't like it, just once again trying to mimic VMK. The only difference is my avatar was WAY cuter on vmk, and I could dance and sparkle at the same time. hehe
The outside of Merlin's looks great! I'll give them kudos for that, but the inside makes one wonder if two different programmers worked on that project. They should have carried that magical look from the outside into the room.
10,000 credits per magic!!! And only ONE game to play to earn them? At least vmk had many ways of earning credits, and when magic was first offered for sale, snowman was 2,000 credits not 10K. 10K is unreasonable and unattainable for a lot of players.
Okay, back to my corner to await my flames. :rolleyes:

[PrincessWendyBird]

Just a little FYI to everyone. The quest that is running today and tomorrow has two prizes. The first is your choice of ruby or emerald wizard enchantment. This is a really cool smoke and sparkle effect. The second prize is 10,000 credits to help folks buy the newly released enchantments. I like the fact that the quest is giving a permanent enchantment and a generous amount of credits. This will help many people be able to have access to the new sparkle and static enchantments. :)

[MomsGoneGoofy]

10,000 credits per magic!!! And only ONE game to play to earn them? At least vmk had many ways of earning credits, and when magic was first offered for sale, snowman was 2,000 credits not 10K. 10K is unreasonable and unattainable for a lot of players.
Okay, back to my corner to await my flames. :rolleyes:

No flames from me. I was pleased to see the quest was giving so many credits, until I saw the price of the magic. Both my computer and I dislike the bird game. My high score is 76. I won't be buying much magic playing that game.

[cyre]

I agree. The 'Sparkle' pin looks a lot like the Pirate Costume/Coral/Draw the Sword sparkle. Not that I don't like it, just once again trying to mimic VMK. The only difference is my avatar was WAY cuter on vmk, and I could dance and sparkle at the same time. hehe
The outside of Merlin's looks great! I'll give them kudos for that, but the inside makes one wonder if two different programmers worked on that project. They should have carried that magical look from the outside into the room.
10,000 credits per magic!!! And only ONE game to play to earn them? At least vmk had many ways of earning credits, and when magic was first offered for sale, snowman was 2,000 credits not 10K. 10K is unreasonable and unattainable for a lot of players.
Okay, back to my corner to await my flames. :rolleyes:

No flames from me. I totally agree.

Just a little FYI to everyone. The quest that is running today and tomorrow has two prizes. The first is your choice of ruby or emerald wizard enchantment. This is a really cool smoke and sparkle effect. The second prize is 10,000 credits to help folks buy the newly released enchantments. I like the fact that the quest is giving a permanent enchantment and a generous amount of credits. This will help many people be able to have access to the new sparkle and static enchantments. :)

woot!

[Goofy05]

Just a little FYI to everyone. The quest that is running today and tomorrow has two prizes. The first is your choice of ruby or emerald wizard enchantment. This is a really cool smoke and sparkle effect. The second prize is 10,000 credits to help folks buy the newly released enchantments. I like the fact that the quest is giving a permanent enchantment and a generous amount of credits. This will help many people be able to have access to the new sparkle and static enchantments. :)

Yes, it was nice to see 10K credits as a prize, but that still means you can only purchase one or the other enchantments, not both, unless you play the Audubon game for hours and hours and days and days... There really need to be other ways to earn those credits.

[SharkMeal]

I sorta agree with you, green, the only difference of the magic pins is that
the spells are a little different, they are under FX not pins, its says enchantment
not spells, the stars are lined up vertically and horizontally. But overall it looks
almost the same. Static is just like lightning, but I kinda like that, I never
got lightning magic in VMK ever despite it being my favorite magic :(

Also seeing the outside of Merlin's got me super excited for the inside, I agree
it is kinda lame.

Anyway I am glad the quest gives out such generous prizes. And I'm glad that
they finally managed to release Merlin's, since it was promised on what the 2nd
day of beta? It finally came out :)

[Princess_Angelica]

i really want to get on to check out the new stuff and try the quest. but i'm having a problem with the site. every time i try to go to it, i get a message that says the network has timed out. i cleared my cache, but i'm having no luck. any advice? thanks!

[cyre]

Ok, so I log on today to find a 'Static' Magic in my inventory. After some staff hunting, Harmony informs me (via Fin) that if you went into the Magic shop last night, you were supposed to automatically receive 1* Static magic. There was supposed to be a popup, but (surprise surprise) it didn't work. Would have been nice if they'd announced that... play fair vfk play fair.

[funfly]

VFK is just about as informative as an episode of Time Squad. If you're going to take history lessons from the people who run VFK, you should just head to the nearest McDonalds and ask for an interview now ::yes::

Don't believe I've ever seen Time Squad, I guess I was busy when it was on. I am saddened by the fact you're not learning anything new. I would think that people could find knowledge and pluses for most things if they give it the chance. Friends and I have discussed how VFK is trying to keep the site with high standards of friendship and time spent for all ages of “kids,” children, 8 year olds. They have done this in a short amount of time, probably with less time and/or money than Disney was able to do with VMK.

:offtopic: As for your comment with interview at McDonalds, it came across sounding as an insult. If you meant it that way I want you to realize it is an insult to those that are working there and any other food establishment. People work, they may work there as their primary job or second job; and they deserve your respect and an apology for the simple fact that they are working.

And in case you're wondering, I did not work there, nor do I now. I interview and counsel people and treat all with respect no matter which job they are seeking.

[funfly]

Just a little FYI to everyone. The quest that is running today and tomorrow has two prizes. The first is your choice of ruby or emerald wizard enchantment. This is a really cool smoke and sparkle effect. The second prize is 10,000 credits to help folks buy the newly released enchantments. I like the fact that the quest is giving a permanent enchantment and a generous amount of credits. This will help many people be able to have access to the new sparkle and static enchantments. :)

But overall it looks
almost the same. Static is just like lightning, but I kinda like that, I never
got lightning magic in VMK ever despite it being my favorite magic :(

Anyway I am glad the quest gives out such generous prizes.

What a great way through this quest to gift us with magic and enough credits for another magic! And for those of us who were in Merlin’s opening last night…what a great surprise of Static today in our inventory…I love happy surprises!:cool1:

People said they wanted some magic, staff said it was in the works (this was early in VFK) - I did get Sparkle magic, and it is different from VMK's as my avatar sparkles as if she had sparkle makeup on...she is not turning into a pirate nor "salad." I see staff telling people that they are taking notes on many things mentioned whether good or bad to give to the developers. I feel VFK is doing what they can to make people happy; such a shame some will never be happy with it. However, I think they keep coming back anyway.:confused3

Now, to the bird game for more credits. I am improving there, seems like I'm learning bird identification :laughing: Thanks for some pointers Belle!

[Bee2u]

Ok, so I log on today to find a 'Static' Magic in my inventory. After some staff hunting, Harmony informs me (via Fin) that if you went into the Magic shop last night, you were supposed to automatically receive 1* Static magic. There was supposed to be a popup, but (surprise surprise) it didn't work. Would have been nice if they'd announced that... play fair vfk play fair.

I didn't have a static magic today, but I did have an extra sparkle magic (I had only bought one and had two) so I spent the quest money to buy me a static.

[Belle1997]

Well I for one have been having lots of fun on VFK. Maybe if people spent less time complaining and more time playing many would too.

When the bird game first came out I was pathetic. I averaged 60 points a game. I practiced and practiced and now I average 3,000 a game and high score of almost 16,000.

I do not mind reading constructive criticism. For there are many things on VFK that still need fixed. Like being able to sit and stack items. But I can tell you right now which posters will only post everything negative time after time.

I and many who are playing regularly are enjoying the quests. Because we play regualarly we know the short cuts. We know where the rooms are and how to move around.

I have enjoyed the quick facts and todays quest was fun. When I remembered the pet rocks I used to have. The mood rings etc.

What upsets me is the people who complain and never have anything nice to say about VFK. Then go on when there is a quest. What is the point. If you do not like the game do not go on and do not play. Why bother. You already do not like anything they have done or probably will do.

Then to complain about the cost. Well I am sorry when I first joined VMK I could not do any of the games. I rode belle around the Jungle cruise just to save for a crown. Then to have is scammed.

There was not much furniture on VMK when it opened crates and theatre chairs were not that exciting. For most who could not play the games this is all we had. There was not much to do so we hung around talking to each other. For a long time. So why do you expect any different from VFK.

I have no issue with people that have tried the game said it is not for them. May come back later and go on to other games and gave their reasons why what they do not like about VFK. That is people I respect.

When I was getting 60 to hundred credits a game I did not give up and by the time the furniture came out I had enough to buy it all.

The bird game once you learn the tips and listen to others helpful hints and tips can be a good money maker.

People complain but the game is very educational. Not just who can click the mouse the faster or the the most accurate.

I would rather see this thread as help for VFK short cuts tips on Bird game. Etc.But unfortunately this thread is too busy saying everything that is wrong that the few left that like the game. Can not come here for help.


What I see is @ 85% is just complaining what's the point. What are you actually accomplishing by constantly pointing out all the negatives.

By now you should have decided this game is not for you.

I do not go on other threads and complain if I decided the game is not for me.
I can name many things wrong with other games people have decided to play.
But I decided the game is not for me. So let the others enjoy themselves.

I know there is a lot of back ground to how the developers started this game and started off on the wrong foot.

Well that is past. Wonder if this thread will ever change.

I was told people stopped posting because the the VFK cheerleaders. Well I am sorry but I do not see many cheerleaders left. But I can find many many dis players in the game regularly.

Maybe some day this thread will be come more balance.


I come and read everyday. And it never improves. I thought is was really nice that VFK gave everyone enough credits to buy one new pin. It was more than VMK did in the beginning.

Those who practice and practice the bird game should benefit from their new skills.

I have as many credits now than I did in VMK. Why? I took the time to learn the birds.

I downloaded all the birds that were provided for us from another place with VFK permission. It took for hours but I could have done it faster.

I invested my time and now I am getting results for it.

Sometimes good things come to those that work long at it.

Flame away.

[Horse]

Ok, so I log on today to find a 'Static' Magic in my inventory. After some staff hunting, Harmony informs me (via Fin) that if you went into the Magic shop last night, you were supposed to automatically receive 1* Static magic. There was supposed to be a popup, but (surprise surprise) it didn't work. Would have been nice if they'd announced that... play fair vfk play fair.

I agree, not very fair since they did this quite late at night. I showed my boyfriend how to get to the new room (Merlins' shop outside) last night around 10pm EST and the shop was still not open at that time. And they didn't announce that they would be opening the shop later in the night with the free gift for those who went in.

I also did see a player post a picture on another forum of a host gifting them a magic pin via a trade window last night. I don't like seeing favorites played either.

I've been very positive about the game until this point, but these two things really turned me off.

[TinkPinkPoem]

I agree. The 'Sparkle' pin looks a lot like the Pirate Costume/Coral/Draw the Sword sparkle.


Nothing will ever come close to the greatness of the salad magic and its stinky effect. Ever. :sad2:

[Goofy05]

What upsets me is the people who complain and never have anything nice to say about VFK. Then go on when there is a quest. What is the point. If you do not like the game do not go on and do not play. Why bother. You already do not like anything they have done or probably will do.

Because we keep hoping it becomes what they said it would become.
If I stopped playing, how would I know there were any improvements made to the game? I do not like the game as it is now, that is true, but that doesn't mean I can't come here and talk about the things I'd like to see improved upon. Can you tell me there were no negative posts about vmk? You can't. Did those posts help improve things in vmk? YES. Do I hope the same happens with vfk? YES.
So, while you may not like reading about anything needing improvement on vfk, I'm afraid those posts will not stop, at least not on the DisBoards. It's the best way we have to let the developers know what we like and what we don't. If it's all sunshine and roses, nothing will change for the better.
Great job on learning the game!

[stitchon]

IMO, the sparkle magic is going way to far. I'm waiting for Disney to lay the hammer out on this one.

[Belle1997]

Again I do not mind pointing out the things that are not good. But also point out the things that are or have improved. That is what gets me. I do not expect sunshine and roses.

But give credit when credit is do. It just seems nothing that VFK is good enough for most. And if I was VFK I would not be reading over here. There is a VFK fan forum that seems have a place that talks about bugs, and problems, also many do talk about the favoritism that is not good. It is not all roses and flowers either. They have many issues but are getting to them slowly. Just has more balance.

Funny how my post seemed to be flowers and roses.

Not really just was not heaping on either the negatives or positives. I happen to enjoy the game. I am proud of my accomplishments. Many of my friends are on there and we chat just like we did on VMK.

[aengus]

Just curious what you all think, especially with the recent topics.

What if they have finally cross the line and Disney or Sulake does eventually shut them down?

Will you be angry with Disney, Sulake, VFK, or just say oh well?

[lisuhut]

Well said Belle , i am with you all the way with this one.
But Aengus why would disney close them down?
Do they have the monopoly on games ?
They did not want our custome , why should it bother them?
They are not the only people who had magic in their game.
Come on people give them a break ,nothing they do is ever good enough !
I must say they were favourite people on vmk as well, but i not on either game !! lol
I would blame Disney ,cause they started this, when they closed vmk.

[TinkPinkPoem]

Just curious what you all think, especially with the recent topics.

What if they have finally cross the line and Disney or Sulake does eventually shut them down?

Will you be angry with Disney, Sulake, VFK, or just say oh well?


Well said Belle , i am with you all the way with this one.
But Aengus why would disney close them down?
Do they have the monopoly on games ?
They did not want our custome , why should it bother them?
They are not the only people who had magic in their game.
Come on people give them a break ,nothing they do is ever good enough !
I must say they were favourite people on vmk as well, but i not on either game !! lol
I would blame Disney ,cause they started this, when they closed vmk.



They have rope dividers, barrels, similar magic pins..

Eh,need I go on?

:rolleyes1

[TikiIslander]

There's nothing wrong with just having a fun place for kids to play, but don't pass yourself off as educational. Real game developers don't get away with it, why should these guys?

I'll admit that I probably wouldn't have known the name of the dude who wasn't a Beach Boy if I didn't complete the quest (wait, what was his name again?), but the trivia they're putting out there is pretty useless. Learning about ice cream and father's day is fun, but we've passed by some perfect opportunities to bring real information into the game. What about Flag Day? Hopefully Independence Day will bring a quest about American history, but since it's now the end-of-beta day for VFK, they'll probably pass on this one too.

Fun facts do not equal history, especially when many of the items are disputable- take today's "first movie star" question for example. These are basic recall questions that require a google search since there is no in-game information source. Skimming for information and researching are skills that might be learned by completing the quests, but most people aren't coming away with any better understanding of fads or ice cream.

The bird game is just as bad. It's basically a fancy set of flashcards- there's no real understanding attached. You're not learning anything about these birds, you're just connecting an image with its name. Again, it might be a good exercise, but its not generating knowledge. (Sidenote: these images (http://www.audubon.org/bird/boa/BOA_index.html) that were so graciously distributed by VFK are public domain- they don't own them, so shouldn't be giving permission for their use. I seriously object to that fansite watermarking them as their own, but i digress...)

The environment they created is just a mishmash of time periods and settings- and I'm sure there are plenty of inaccuracies mixed in there too. Just because they chose a historic setting, doesn't mean that anyone is learning anything. You can go to Colonial Williamsburg or Plimoth Plantation and leave with no further understanding of the time period than when you entered (I sure have!). They had a good idea at one point. It seems like they've strayed away from it trying to please everyone, and it's created a serious mess.

The game concept had much potential. Sure, VFK has come a long way since it started, but I don't see them making this truly an educational game. If they want to be able to survive on the market (educational or not), they need some consultants in there real quick. The excuses that work for their beta population are laughable to anyone outside of our situation.

Honestly, it seems like the Disboards are a sort of change agent for this game. Whenever serious concerns were raised here, they got their acts together and tried to fix the issues. The VFK-specific fansites seem to ignore any real problems with the game- I can't imagine what it would be like if those forums were the only form of feedback for the developers.

:flower3:

[aengus]

Well said Belle , i am with you all the way with this one.
But Aengus why would disney close them down?
Do they have the monopoly on games ?
They did not want our custome , why should it bother them?
They are not the only people who had magic in their game.
Come on people give them a break ,nothing they do is ever good enough !
I must say they were favourite people on vmk as well, but i not on either game !! lol
I would blame Disney ,cause they started this, when they closed vmk.

You would blame Disney if VFK was violating the copyright?

Thats what I meant, the game has many similarities dont you think? The magic is just one similarity. If VFK continues to build a game just like VMK at some point they violate the copyright Disney or Sulake owns. Just because the game is gone doesn't mean they dont own it still.

[Bee2u]

I agree, not very fair since they did this quite late at night. I showed my boyfriend how to get to the new room (Merlins' shop outside) last night around 10pm EST and the shop was still not open at that time. And they didn't announce that they would be opening the shop later in the night with the free gift for those who went in.

I also did see a player post a picture on another forum of a host gifting them a magic pin via a trade window last night. I don't like seeing favorites played either.

I've been very positive about the game until this point, but these two things really turned me off.

The shop opened about 15 minutes before closing, and VFK stayed open about 15 minutes late. There were several players who had been given magic by one of the staff earlier in the day. One nice thing - when the shop did open the staff went around to all the rooms to tell people, so at least everyone who was logged on would know.

[threeboysmom]

Grrr... ok, it took this adult female an HOUR to complete this quest. Too long in my opinion :) But anyways, I did it and I'm proud. However, I'm confused :teeth: Is the magic I received for the quest DIFFERENT than the two that are for sale? I wanted to buy the Sparkle pin with my 10K, but don't want to end up buying the same pin - is that the one I received as a quest prize? Or is that "sparkle" pin different than the one for sale?

Just don't want to waste those credits after going through all that....

[Bee2u]

Yes, the magic received from the quest is different than the magic you can buy.

[Dream Flower]

Well I for one have been having lots of fun on VFK. Maybe if people spent less time complaining and more time playing many would too.

When the bird game first came out I was pathetic. I averaged 60 points a game. I practiced and practiced and now I average 3,000 a game and high score of almost 16,000.

I do not mind reading constructive criticism. For there are many things on VFK that still need fixed. Like being able to sit and stack items. But I can tell you right now which posters will only post everything negative time after time.

I and many who are playing regularly are enjoying the quests. Because we play regualarly we know the short cuts. We know where the rooms are and how to move around.

I have enjoyed the quick facts and todays quest was fun. When I remembered the pet rocks I used to have. The mood rings etc.

What upsets me is the people who complain and never have anything nice to say about VFK. Then go on when there is a quest. What is the point. If you do not like the game do not go on and do not play. Why bother. You already do not like anything they have done or probably will do.

Then to complain about the cost. Well I am sorry when I first joined VMK I could not do any of the games. I rode belle around the Jungle cruise just to save for a crown. Then to have is scammed.

There was not much furniture on VMK when it opened crates and theatre chairs were not that exciting. For most who could not play the games this is all we had. There was not much to do so we hung around talking to each other. For a long time. So why do you expect any different from VFK.

I have no issue with people that have tried the game said it is not for them. May come back later and go on to other games and gave their reasons why what they do not like about VFK. That is people I respect.

When I was getting 60 to hundred credits a game I did not give up and by the time the furniture came out I had enough to buy it all.

The bird game once you learn the tips and listen to others helpful hints and tips can be a good money maker.

People complain but the game is very educational. Not just who can click the mouse the faster or the the most accurate.

I would rather see this thread as help for VFK short cuts tips on Bird game. Etc.But unfortunately this thread is too busy saying everything that is wrong that the few left that like the game. Can not come here for help.


What I see is @ 85% is just complaining what's the point. What are you actually accomplishing by constantly pointing out all the negatives.

By now you should have decided this game is not for you.

I do not go on other threads and complain if I decided the game is not for me.
I can name many things wrong with other games people have decided to play.
But I decided the game is not for me. So let the others enjoy themselves.

I know there is a lot of back ground to how the developers started this game and started off on the wrong foot.

Well that is past. Wonder if this thread will ever change.

I was told people stopped posting because the the VFK cheerleaders. Well I am sorry but I do not see many cheerleaders left. But I can find many many dis players in the game regularly.

Maybe some day this thread will be come more balance.


I come and read everyday. And it never improves. I thought is was really nice that VFK gave everyone enough credits to buy one new pin. It was more than VMK did in the beginning.

Those who practice and practice the bird game should benefit from their new skills.

I have as many credits now than I did in VMK. Why? I took the time to learn the birds.

I downloaded all the birds that were provided for us from another place with VFK permission. It took for hours but I could have done it faster.

I invested my time and now I am getting results for it.

Sometimes good things come to those that work long at it.

Flame away.

No flames here Belle, hugs! I have to say I completely agree with all that you said. :thumbsup2

[snowgracefulstone]

No flames here either belle, im with u all the way. I am still having fun in the kingdom, bugs and all. And i like being part of something from the ground floor up and seeing all the improvements, and laughing over the goofups ( I kinda miss getting stuck on the roofs, lol)

[aengus]

actually i thought this thread was pretty balanced for the past week and a half or so, not sure where all the firestorm came from

I saw people on the positive side and people on the negative side even teasing one another.

Oh well.... DING DING DING

Round 2 @_@

[Belle1997]

Just curious what you all think, especially with the recent topics.

What if they have finally cross the line and Disney or Sulake does eventually shut them down?

Will you be angry with Disney, Sulake, VFK, or just say oh well?

To be honest not sure how I would feel. I think if it was sulake I could understand. I think the only reason they would do this is if they had another game planned for us. Which could be a good thing.

If it was Disney I am biased and angry at them already.For to me I would see no reason since they do not have another game for us. But if they truly did cross the copy write line that is Disney's choice. I would have to accept that.

As for copy write not sure where that goes. Since if we truly did a real search of all on line games I think we would find many aspects of games that are very similar. I am not a copy write lawyer so have no idea what makes it theirs. Like Bandaids, how many versions of the same thing are there. or
a painting of a house in the forest. 50 people paint at the same spot. Which one is the original.

As for the educational aspect of VFK I do not remember reading that. Just it was based on history theming.

Yes I would be disappointed if the game was shut down. But I am enjoying what I can with it. I am not attached to it. Would just try and find something else to do.

That is why I do not understand the heated negatives. I am good if it succeeds I am good if it doesn't.

Also I think writing to them at their contact us does more that all these negative posts. Because I know many of us "so called sunshine and roses" people have written in our concerns. I tend to believe it is through that and not this place that is getting them to change with the concerns.

Some of the copy write info and concerns is very real and could be a major concern to the future of the game. I think it is a very important issue not to be pushed away. The pins are almost the same as VMK. But I do not understand the copy write on virtual items. I would spend time writing them at their contact page. Than hoping after negative after negatvie they are still coming back here to read this thread.

[snowgracefulstone]

I do have to say it would be nice to have a thread here where those who are playing could just go to help one another or get help, without having to wade thru all the negative crap tho. Aengus....r u listening? :lmao:

[aengus]

I do have to say it would be nice to have a thread here where those who are playing could just go to help one another or get help, without having to wade thru all the negative crap tho. Aengus....r u listening? :lmao:


loud and clear! boy those graphics really stink in this thread :rotfl:

[Belle1997]

actually i thought this thread was pretty balanced for the past week and a half or so, not sure where all the firestorm came from

I saw people on the positive side and people on the negative side even teasing one another.

Oh well.... DING DING DING

Round 2 @_@

It is because there was not much to complain about. But as soon as real big new items come out bang the posts start flying. A new quest not educational enough, to long, pins too expensive, pins look like VMK pins, and the list goes on. New items still old problems they was not doing it right. Etc Etc.

[snowgracefulstone]

loud and clear! boy those graphics really stink in this thread :rotfl:


u might be listening....but r u hearing??:rotfl2:

[aengus]

u might be listening....but r u hearing??:rotfl2:
wat?

It is because there was not much to complain about. But as soon as real big new items come out bang the posts start flying. A new quest not educational enough, to long, pins too expensive, pins look like VMK pins, and the list goes on. New items still old problems they was not doing it right. Etc Etc.


Well I have my own theory on why that is @_@

anyways, well the negative side could also say, the postive posts dont often have much to contribute either.

In fact most of them usually read "give them a break its beta"

Perhaps if people could list what is great about the game rather than just say people should be patient.

[Horse]

What if they have finally cross the line and Disney or Sulake does eventually shut them down?
Will you be angry with Disney, Sulake, VFK, or just say oh well?

Mad at Disney for closing VMK and trying to close where many went to. And mad at VFK for not relying on their own creativity and daring to be different.

But Aengus why would disney close them down?
Do they have the monopoly on games ?


No, but I think they expected us to be herded like sheep to one of their other games.


I'll admit that I probably wouldn't have known the name of the dude who wasn't a Beach Boy if I didn't complete the quest (wait, what was his name again?), but the trivia they're putting out there is pretty useless. Learning about ice cream and father's day is fun, but we've passed by some perfect opportunities to bring real information into the game. What about Flag Day? Hopefully Independence Day will bring a quest about American history, but since it's now the end-of-beta day for VFK, they'll probably pass on this one too.


(Sidenote: these images (http://www.audubon.org/bird/boa/BOA_index.html) that were so graciously distributed by VFK are public domain- they don't own them, so shouldn't be giving permission for their use. I seriously object to that fansite watermarking them as their own, but i digress...)


Honestly, it seems like the Disboards are a sort of change agent for this game. Whenever serious concerns were raised here, they got their acts together and tried to fix the issues. The VFK-specific fansites seem to ignore any real problems with the game- I can't imagine what it would be like if those forums were the only form of feedback for the developers.


Yes, I would be happier with learning real history than useless trivia. I was expecting more of an educational game myself. I'm hoping they are just letting the kids relax a little since school just ended before they went back to their original plan.

I thought the same thing about the watermarking. Maybe they only did it to prevent other forums from taking the work and crediting as their own instead of taking the time to put it together themselves.

I like constructive criticism. Sometimes I see posts which are only negative with no real solutions.

The shop opened about 15 minutes before closing, and VFK stayed open about 15 minutes late. There were several players who had been given magic by one of the staff earlier in the day. One nice thing - when the shop did open the staff went around to all the rooms to tell people, so at least everyone who was logged on would know.

12:45 in the morning is a bit late for all the kids and many adults who are not lucky enough to be on the west coast. Something like this should be held during hours where most of the players can be on. Thumbs up to the staff who did search out players so they got a pin.

If it was a 25 credit buyable, I don't think I would have heard many complaints from others who also found out about this.
However, the fact is that the magic is sold for 10,000 credits. And now many players are only getting one, not both pins, which bothers me. Fortunately, I play birds well and this won't impact me. But I do believe in letting players have a fair chance at things. Even if I did get a free pin last night, I would still speak up today about it (just like I did when so many were robbed of their chance to complete their Pirate Quest). I don't believe in laziness, but I do believe in fairness.

Grrr... ok, it took this adult female an HOUR to complete this quest. Too long in my opinion :) But anyways, I did it and I'm proud. However, I'm confused :teeth: Is the magic I received for the quest DIFFERENT than the two that are for sale? I wanted to buy the Sparkle pin with my 10K, but don't want to end up buying the same pin - is that the one I received as a quest prize? Or is that "sparkle" pin different than the one for sale?

Just don't want to waste those credits after going through all that....

Woot Pink! :cheer2: The two pins in the quest are different than the two sold. I recommend you look at the pins in action and decide which you like best.

No flames here either belle, im with u all the way. I am still having fun in the kingdom, bugs and all. And i like being part of something from the ground floor up and seeing all the improvements, and laughing over the goofups ( I kinda miss getting stuck on the roofs, lol)

I enjoy finding the bugs and figuring out a way around them. I think it's added some excitement to the game.

[KingQuackATac]

I sorta agree with you, green, the only difference of the magic pins is that
the spells are a little different, they are under FX not pins, its says enchantment
not spells, the stars are lined up vertically and horizontally. But overall it looks
almost the same. Static is just like lightning, but I kinda like that, I never
got lightning magic in VMK ever despite it being my favorite magic :(

Also seeing the outside of Merlin's got me super excited for the inside, I agree
it is kinda lame.

Anyway I am glad the quest gives out such generous prizes. And I'm glad that
they finally managed to release Merlin's, since it was promised on what the 2nd
day of beta? It finally came out :)

Shark, I'm so glad you got the "Static Enchantment"!

I have to say that I actually like it better than VMK's lightning magic. For one, everyone has a chance to get it. Two, it really is more detailed and spread out.

Enchantments in general so far last longer when combined (up to 5*).

And the re-charge time is 0 at the 5* level.

[Belle1997]

(Sidenote: these images (http://www.audubon.org/bird/boa/BOA_index.html) that were so graciously distributed by VFK are public domain- they don't own them, so shouldn't be giving permission for their use. I seriously object to that fansite watermarking them as their own, but i digress...)

:flower3:

these are the same images I downloaded to my computer and learned from them. So what they watermarked them. Does not stop anyone from downloading them if they want. The watermark does not effect the the bird pictures.

They took the time to find all the birds in the game put them together so we could see them and learn from them. VFK developers did not give them the pics. From what I understand they got a list and found them themself. But I could be wrong. Just it took a lot of time.

Because someone took the time and effort I can now play this game fairly well. Without it I would be hopeless.

The site is not private anyone can join it. Or you can just go there and get the pics. You do not even need to join. So what is the real issue here?

Oh and I did the quest in under 20 minutes. I knew the short cuts and waited for the crowds to not block the places :)

[aengus]

these are the same images I downloaded to my computer and learned from them. So what they watermarked them. Does not stop anyone from downloading them if they want. The watermark does not effect the the bird pictures.

They took the time to find all the birds in the game put them together so we could see them and learn from them. VFK developers did not give them the pics. From what I understand they got a list and found them themself. But I could be wrong. Just it took a lot of time.

Because someone took the time and effort I can now play this game fairly well. Without it I would be hopeless.

The site is not private anyone can join it. Or you can just go there and get the pics. You do not even need to join. So what is the real issue here?

Oh and I did the quest in under 20 minutes. I knew the short cuts and waited for the crowds to not block the places :)

Watermarking is generally used to protect images from copyright infringement. Watermarking is generally done by the owner of the image not anyone else.

[Goofy05]

these are the same images I downloaded to my computer and learned from them. So what they watermarked them. Does not stop anyone from downloading them if they want. The watermark does not effect the the bird pictures.

They took the time to find all the birds in the game put them together so we could see them and learn from them. VFK developers did not give them the pics. From what I understand they got a list and found them themself. But I could be wrong. Just it took a lot of time.

Because someone took the time and effort I can now play this game fairly well. Without it I would be hopeless.

The site is not private anyone can join it. Or you can just go there and get the pics. You do not even need to join. So what is the real issue here?

Oh and I did the quest in under 20 minutes. I knew the short cuts and waited for the crowds to not block the places :)

By watermarking the images, they are claiming those images as their own, not as belonging to Audubon.

[AdventurersClub]

Posting images on your website is not a permission slip for someone else to steal them and claim them as theirs.

[souper]

actually i thought this thread was pretty balanced for the past week and a half or so, not sure where all the firestorm came from

I saw people on the positive side and people on the negative side even teasing one another.

Oh well.... DING DING DING

Round 2 @_@


1. Brace yourself...I agree the past week or so things were a bit more balanced.

2. So VFK gave free FX that sell for 10K in the store at an unannounced place/time. I am not pleased :mad:with VFK over this one. To those players that did get the freebie~What a great score! Congrats! :)

3. I agree that in addition to posting +/- feedback here, it would probably be a good idea to send it in using the contact us link....(Please don't fill my PM's again. I know even if you don't hear back from them I still suggest sending it in.) :surfweb:

4. One thing I will be sending in is my frustration that you have to select a quest prize. Just like I wanted both surfboards and ice cream sundaes, today I wanted both pins. :confused3 Please VFK. I don't want to play this game with a clone.

[TinkPinkPoem]

Yes, the magic received from the quest is different than the magic you can buy.


Shark, I'm so glad you got the "Static Enchantment"!

I have to say that I actually like it better than VMK's lightning magic. For one, everyone has a chance to get it. Two, it really is more detailed and spread out.

Everyone has a chance to get every type of magic they gave out? Don't think so.

Just like it had happened in vmk, the magic pin given as prize from a quest was different than those sold in the shops. How about those who did not do the quest?

It may not have been lightning in this case but it was still a different type of magic.

[SharkMeal]

Thanks King! And yes I noticed that with the 5 stars. Hehe.

And no flames from me belle I agree with all your posts so far :thumbsup2

And Tink: Sometimes you don't just get everything you want.. Items are not
meant for everyone in VFK to get then it would be silly to release trading. I lived
without many magics in VMK and that will happen in VFK too. :) Also king said everyone has
a CHANCE to get it, and it's a pretty big chance. The quest is not hard or long, it gives
out 10k and a type of magic. Spend that 10k on Static. Or earn the 10k yourself. Or if you
were in the shop you have a chance of getting it free. There are way too many chances to get
it, but if you just choose to not get it then well that's your fault.

And I agree Belle, everything has to have something wrong with it according
to this thread. If you don't like the way VFK has run the game then don't
play it.

EDIT: Also I heard that everyone gets a freebie, not just those who were in the store. I dunno,
staff are saying different things.

[TinkPinkPoem]

And Tink: Sometimes you don't just get everything you want.. Items are not
meant for everyone in VFK to get then it would be silly to release trading. I lived
without many magics in VMK and that will happen in VFK too. :)


I am well aware that you don't always get what you want. It was not something special of vfk to give the opportunity to many to obtain this certain magic pin but in the future, as you said, things may be quite similar to the way vmk gave out pins.

And how is someone chosen to be "meant to" get an item? You just happen to play or not to get something or not.

[TinkPinkPoem]

It's always a matter of choice to get something in a game or not. Play more to get more credits or not, be there at a certain time to get something or not and so on.

Vfk is nothing new or exceptional, at least yet.

[aengus]

Thanks King! And yes I noticed that with the 5 stars. Hehe.

And no flames from me belle I agree with all your posts so far :thumbsup2

And Tink: Sometimes you don't just get everything you want.. Items are not
meant for everyone in VFK to get then it would be silly to release trading. I lived
without many magics in VMK and that will happen in VFK too. :) Also king said everyone has
a CHANCE to get it, and it's a pretty big chance. The quest is not hard or long, it gives
out 10k and a type of magic. Spend that 10k on Static. Or earn the 10k yourself. Or if you
were in the shop you have a chance of getting it free. There are way too many chances to get
it, but if you just choose to not get it then well that's your fault.

And I agree Belle, everything has to have something wrong with it according
to this thread. If you don't like the way VFK has run the game then don't
play it.

EDIT: Also I heard that everyone gets a freebie, not just those who were in the store. I dunno,
staff are saying different things.

I had no idea VFK made any announcements that they didnt intend for everyone to have certain items, must have been on one of those newsletters they deleted :rotfl:

[Belle1997]

Watermarking is generally used to protect images from copyright infringement. Watermarking is generally done by the owner of the image not anyone else.


OK but is that not an issue with the people that run the fan site. It is not run by VFK. It was done by a member. I heard staff hosts thanking them for setting it up. Isn't that another boards issue. VFK gave the the list I have no idea why the board owner would do that. But I do not belief it is not the VFK developer issue.

[Belle1997]

1. Brace yourself...I agree the past week or so things were a bit more balanced.

2. So VFK gave free FX that sell for 10K in the store at an unannounced place/time. I am not pleased :mad:with VFK over this one. To those players that did get the freebie~What a great score! Congrats! :)

3. I agree that in addition to posting +/- feedback here, it would probably be a good idea to send it in using the contact us link....(Please don't fill my PM's again. I know even if you don't hear back from them I still suggest sending it in.) :surfweb:

4. One thing I will be sending in is my frustration that you have to select a quest prize. Just like I wanted both surfboards and ice cream sundaes, today I wanted both pins. :confused3 Please VFK. I don't want to play this game with a clone.




I do agree with you too. I do not like hosts giving free pins to players. On another site it talked about players being testers and should they be able to keep their pins.

I was not happy with the idea of any player being a tester. That should only be developers or staff.

I too would not like to have to choose which prize to get. Because it does encourage clones. Though I think it was set up for more trading. But right not not much equals anything for a trade.

Also they need to fix the lag in Merlin's store. Unless you have a real powerful computer it is too laggy to stay in there. Though I think it is a fun store to visit. Can not even type so just leave.

My question is how many of you remember your pet rock. We even make pet rocks in school :lmao: And what colour did your mood ring show. Mine was either bright blue or black:rotfl:

[Goofy05]

Everyone has a chance to get every type of magic they gave out? Don't think so.

Just like it had happened in vmk, the magic pin given as prize from a quest was different than those sold in the shops. How about those who did not do the quest?

It may not have been lightning in this case but it was still a different type of magic.
You can still do the quest, it's on through today, I believe. I think it was wrong to have to choose one over the other. Let's hope they have another quest for the other colors of quest prizes we couldn't choose. Again, as with vmk, those who mule will rule alongside those who know staff well. There should have been something on their homepage announcing a special gift for the grand opening of the new room.
Thanks King! And yes I noticed that with the 5 stars. Hehe.

And no flames from me belle I agree with all your posts so far :thumbsup2

And Tink: Sometimes you don't just get everything you want.. Items are not
meant for everyone in VFK to get then it would be silly to release trading. I lived
without many magics in VMK and that will happen in VFK too. :) Also king said everyone has
a CHANCE to get it, and it's a pretty big chance. The quest is not hard or long, it gives
out 10k and a type of magic. Spend that 10k on Static. Or earn the 10k yourself. Or if you
were in the shop you have a chance of getting it free. There are way too many chances to get
it, but if you just choose to not get it then well that's your fault.

And I agree Belle, everything has to have something wrong with it according
to this thread. If you don't like the way VFK has run the game then don't
play it.

EDIT: Also I heard that everyone gets a freebie, not just those who were in the store. I dunno,
staff are saying different things.
Let me address that bold statement first. If staff doesn't even know what's going on, how can we as a community ever put our trust in vfk?

Congrats on getting 5* magic. I just wish everyone had that same opportunity. Not everyone is good at that one game, nor has the time to play it.

I agree people should at least attempt the quests, but the quests are inaccurate and tedious. There were multiple correct responses for a few of those questions. I'm sure most players used the cheats, as they did for the vmk quests, but if you googled, which I'm assuming was their intention, it would take most players an hour to complete. That's a pretty long quest, imo, and there was nothing 'fun' or entertaining about it, just saying random sentences and searching for useless trivia.

By saying that those who don't like the game should quit, you are not helping vfk's chances of improvement to become a great game. They have the potential, we are just trying to make them see it. And for the record, I do use their contact form, I have yet to get any response that they've ever been read.
Losing players will turn away any investors and believe me, they need investors. There are web spaces, software, hardware and servers to purchase (or rent), technical, design and moderation staff salaries to pay, utilities and office equipment are not free, either. Word of mouth will make or break a new game. They should concentrate on pleasing more than just a small group from a defunct game and get busy trying to please a wider range of gamers.
For starters, unique avatars would be awesome! I don't want to look like everyone else, I happened to like being green on vmk or having green hair on Socio and SW. Even just having green eyes as an option would be nice...I'm sure players from other ethnic backgrounds would like to see more options there, as well.
That's all, for now. I have an email to compose to them, again. :sad2:

[aengus]

OK but is that not an issue with the people that run the fan site. It is not run by VFK. It was done by a member. I heard staff hosts thanking them for setting it up. Isn't that another boards issue. VFK gave the the list I have no idea why the board owner would do that. But I do not belief it is not the VFK developer issue.

I dont believe the person was addressing that as a VFK developer issue.


I dont even know what fansite and what user, I saw you ask why it was an issue, I just answered it.


Oh and belle, I did not have a pet rock... We couldn't afford such a luxury! I had a pet lint ball named Spot, real cute bugger :rotfl:

[TinkPinkPoem]

You can still do the quest, it's on through today, I believe. I think it was wrong to have to choose one over the other. Let's hope they have another quest for the other colors of quest prizes we couldn't choose. Again, as with vmk, those who mule will rule alongside those who know staff well. There should have been something on their homepage announcing a special gift for the grand opening of the new room.

I know that you can still play the quest. I agree with you on the prize selection issue. I have never played with mules on vmk and don't plan to do so on vfk.


Let me address that bold statement first. If staff doesn't even know what's going on, how can we as a community ever put our trust in vfk?

Congrats on getting 5* magic. I just wish everyone had that same opportunity. Not everyone is good at that one game, nor has the time to play it.

I agree people should at least attempt the quests, but the quests are inaccurate and tedious. There were multiple correct responses for a few of those questions. I'm sure most players used the cheats, as they did for the vmk quests, but if you googled, which I'm assuming was their intention, it would take most players an hour to complete. That's a pretty long quest, imo, and there was nothing 'fun' or entertaining about it, just saying random sentences and searching for useless trivia.

By saying that those who don't like the game should quit, you are not helping vfk's chances of improvement to become a great game. They have the potential, we are just trying to make them see it. And for the record, I do use their contact form, I have yet to get any response that they've ever been read.
Losing players will turn away any investors and believe me, they need investors. There are web spaces, software, hardware and servers to purchase (or rent), technical, design and moderation staff salaries to pay, utilities and office equipment are not free, either. Word of mouth will make or break a new game. They should concentrate on pleasing more than just a small group from a defunct game and get busy trying to please a wider range of gamers.
For starters, unique avatars would be awesome! I don't want to look like everyone else, I happened to like being green on vmk or having green hair on Socio and SW. Even just having green eyes as an option would be nice...I'm sure players from other ethnic backgrounds would like to see more options there, as well.
That's all, for now. I have an email to compose to them, again. :sad2:


I wanted to comment on the staff confusion thing before, because really, how can you trust a game where even the staff is misinformed? :confused3

And I completely agree with all the other issues you pointed out. I couldn't have said it better myself.:thumbsup2

[SharkMeal]

You can still do the quest, it's on through today, I believe. I think it was wrong to have to choose one over the other. Let's hope they have another quest for the other colors of quest prizes we couldn't choose. Again, as with vmk, those who mule will rule alongside those who know staff well. There should have been something on their homepage announcing a special gift for the grand opening of the new room.

Let me address that bold statement first. If staff doesn't even know what's going on, how can we as a community ever put our trust in vfk?

Congrats on getting 5* magic. I just wish everyone had that same opportunity. Not everyone is good at that one game, nor has the time to play it.

I agree people should at least attempt the quests, but the quests are inaccurate and tedious. There were multiple correct responses for a few of those questions. I'm sure most players used the cheats, as they did for the vmk quests, but if you googled, which I'm assuming was their intention, it would take most players an hour to complete. That's a pretty long quest, imo, and there was nothing 'fun' or entertaining about it, just saying random sentences and searching for useless trivia.

By saying that those who don't like the game should quit, you are not helping vfk's chances of improvement to become a great game. They have the potential, we are just trying to make them see it. And for the record, I do use their contact form, I have yet to get any response that they've ever been read.
Losing players will turn away any investors and believe me, they need investors. There are web spaces, software, hardware and servers to purchase (or rent), technical, design and moderation staff salaries to pay, utilities and office equipment are not free, either. Word of mouth will make or break a new game. They should concentrate on pleasing more than just a small group from a defunct game and get busy trying to please a wider range of gamers.
For starters, unique avatars would be awesome! I don't want to look like everyone else, I happened to like being green on vmk or having green hair on Socio and SW. Even just having green eyes as an option would be nice...I'm sure players from other ethnic backgrounds would like to see more options there, as well.
That's all, for now. I have an email to compose to them, again. :sad2:

I do happen to agree that the staff/owner/developers have very poor
communication to each other when it comes to news and info. Hopefully
that will be worked out, VMK never had the greatest communication either. :headache:

Anyway, the avatars will be unique but we are still in beta testing and they
are still working on lots of stuff to be finalized and touched up. I see the
release of different skin colors and more clothes soon.

And about the investors and all that, I'm too young to get into all of that
so I'll just let win that one lol ;)

[aengus]

I do happen to agree that the staff/owner/developers have very poor
communication to each other when it comes to news and info. Hopefully
that will be worked out, VMK never had the greatest communication either. :headache:



Agreed, VMK was horrible at this as well. I wish people would have learned this lesson, we all yelled loud enough during VMK's time. Hard to believe nobody heard us.

[Bee2u]

I
My question is how many of you remember your pet rock. We even make pet rocks in school :lmao: And what colour did your mood ring show. Mine was either bright blue or black:rotfl:

Several of us put our pet rocks in a group so we could have a rock band. And my mood ring was almost always blue. :)

[Princess_Angelica]

Well it's nice to know that I have to keep my virtual house clean now for when a car decides to just drop on in :lmao: I hope they don't have a lot of mud on the tires, because i'm not cleaning it up!!:rotfl: http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa85/CplReynoldsWifey/vfkglitch.png

but on another note, i for one am not so sure that they are ready to release the game fully on the 4th of july. we still don't have a map or actions, and everything is still called a pink couch...people can't always exit a room just because one person is in the way. honestly, i think a few more things need to be worked out still, what do you all think? are they ready for their new july 4th release date?

[aengus]

but on another note, i for one am not so sure that they are ready to release the game fully on the 4th of july. we still don't have a map or actions, and everything is still called a pink couch...people can't always exit a room just because one person is in the way. honestly, i think a few more things need to be worked out still, what do you all think? are they ready for their new july 4th release date?

It takes gaming companies usually 1 1/2 to 2 years to release a good game, they aren't going to be ready for a long time. I believe that whole spiel about showing us the release order (the alpha/beta/rc/gold thingy :) ) and telling how they are going to release candidate 1 is their way of downplaying their launch.

They arent even into beta yet still, for what a gaming company would call beta.

[threeboysmom]

LittleBelle, you have been my inspiration. I've been working on this stinking bird game now for the past few days - have played roughly 20-25 games - and can now score consistently between 80-90 credits a game. I know, still LAME, but if you can perservere and succeed, so can I :goodvibes (and plus, I'm sick and tired of being POOR :rotfl2: )

On another note, I just want to say that one thing I LOVE about VFK is the ability to sign into single player mode during off hours to practice this game. No more frustration with ppl blocking the entrances as I try to navigate my way to the game, and no more ppl blocking my hummer so that I'm completely unable to play and have no choice but to go back to home and start my way over again. Thank you! (There's a positive that VMK never had ;) )

ETA: And I do have to add.... despite people's criticisms of using a hummer to navigate the game, I am slowly learning to identify all types of birds, and THAT is the purpose of the game! Doesn't matter what car/jeep/boat you drive.... :)

[Belle1997]

I think they are not ready either. I think they may be close to a beta now. But there is too much lag in Merlin's shop. There is no way to search for rooms. They need a map if they are going public. It has been ok for beta testers because we know the short cuts pretty well now.

You can still not stack things to make anything. There is no change in Avatar image that I think need sto be an option. No extra clothes.

If they open it up as a real game it will not go over very well. If they keep it as a beta and open it up to others waiting then that would be a good thing.

I think they have come a long way in such a short time. I hope they take their time. Too many things need fixed.

That said I am still having fun in VFK glitches bugs and all. But even I can see this is not ready as a public release game.

[Belle1997]

LittleBelle, you have been my inspiration. I've been working on this stinking bird game now for the past few days - have played roughly 20-25 games - and can now score consistently between 80-90 credits a game. I know, still LAME, but if you can perservere and succeed, so can I :goodvibes (and plus, I'm sick and tired of being POOR :rotfl2: )



Yeah :cheer2: Pink :thumbsup2 You are on your way that is how I started out. I actually think some how they have tweaked the game an made it a little harder too. At least I notice I can tell a most birds by species but when you have say two woodpeckers. or two warblers I get them wrong all the time.

Oh well :) But don't you get a sense of accomplishment when you have learned a few more birds and you score gets higher. I sure do :)

[SharkMeal]

ATTENTION: VFK IS NOW A LOAD OF GARBAGE.

Look at the home page to see what I mean.

Anyone who HAS A BRAIN will NOT pay 10 BUCKS A MONTH for
this. They are starting pay to play WAAAYY to early. VFK will lose
ALL of their members starting now. I've been patient with them confident
that they will become a better game and then when they are a good game
then they will start pay to play. THIS IS GARBAGE PEOPLE.

[TinkPinkPoem]

ATTENTION: VFK IS NOW A LOAD OF GARBAGE.

Look at the home page to see what I mean.

Anyone who HAS A BRAIN will NOT pay 10 BUCKS A MONTH for
this. They are starting pay to play WAAAYY to early. VFK will lose
ALL of their members starting now. I've been patient with them confident
that they will become a better game and then when they are a good game
then they will start pay to play. THIS IS GARBAGE PEOPLE.

Do you have to press the 'Special offer' button to see that announcement? Because I can't find it elsewhere on the homepage.:confused3

I can't say I am suprised, because they seem not to know a thing about bussiness and sooner or later they would need to find the money to fund the game from somewhere.

I've said it before in previous posts and people doubted about it but sooner or later it would come up and now it did!

ETA: I just saw the page. The most absurd thing is that they give you a deadline to "become a founding member!". Good grief!

[threeboysmom]

I can't seem to access that "special offer" but it doesn't matter anyways. I don't have to think twice about whether I'd pay. Won't even CONSIDER it. I don't know of anyone who would...

I'm with Aengus now :goodvibes Bye bye VFK!

[TinkPinkPoem]

I can't seem to access that "special offer" but it doesn't matter anyways. I don't have to think twice about whether I'd pay. Won't even CONSIDER it. I don't know of anyone who would...

I agree. I don't know anyone who would either!

I'm with Aengus now :goodvibes Bye bye VFK!

I am saving the date you two agreed!:rotfl:

[Dreamytime]

They are out of their MINDS!!
I wouldn't give them Aengus' pet lint ball for what I see already developed on VFK.

It is truly incredulous that they would even consider asking anyone to pay at this point.

Crazy ppl... :scared1:

[HPgal]

ATTENTION: VFK IS NOW A LOAD OF GARBAGE.

Look at the home page to see what I mean.

Anyone who HAS A BRAIN will NOT pay 10 BUCKS A MONTH for
this. They are starting pay to play WAAAYY to early. VFK will lose
ALL of their members starting now. I've been patient with them confident
that they will become a better game and then when they are a good game
then they will start pay to play. THIS IS GARBAGE PEOPLE.

Where did u see this? Is it under the "Special Offer" button? And whats the special offer for beta participants?

Can somebody post exactly what it says? Ty :)

[KrazyPete]

I agree that it's not ready but for a little bit of perspective: Your membership includes 20 family accounts and if you still don't want to pay the basic membership will still be available.

[WWEDUDE]

I was just looking at the special benifits chart, normal members can't trade rooms, trade credits, play after-hours, and there is more :(

[Dreamytime]

Here you go:
http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/ll74/mpnnngky/vfk_1.gif
http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/ll74/mpnnngky/vfk_2.gif
http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/ll74/mpnnngky/vfk_3.gif


*****************
A Word From Sara

Virtual Family Kingdom is all about families.

We have put together a Founder's membership especially for your family which includes special bonuses for you. It is our hope that these special gifts express our appreciation for your helping us make this world a reality.

Each of these gifts were created by our staff especially for you. Our graphic artists created the comic book from the story boards that have gone into making Virtual Family Kingdom. The DVD is produced by our media department, and gives you a behind the scene glimpse of what has gone into the making of Virtual Family Kingdom.

In addition, our graphics department has created all of the designs for the other gifts. As you know, we always pay attention to detail, and each of these gifts is a one of a kind creation from our family to yours.

It also includes three months of the Family V.I.P. Pass membership, which provides many new features especially designed for families and based on the suggestions of our members.

We also want you to know that the Family V.I.P. Pass includes those new features which have been requested by our members. When you look at the comparison chart, that shows those features which are free to everyone, you will see that everything you expected to be free is still part of the Basic Membership. In fact, you will discover that there are even new and exciting features included in the basic membership that were never there before.

The new features reflect exciting new developments, and are designed around the wonderful suggestions that so many of our community have shared with us.

We hope that you find these new features as exciting as we do, and that the Family V.I.P. Pass meets your expectations.

One of the most exciting new features is Groups

With groups, you can form anything from a small club with your best friends to a complete organization with thousands of members. Share items, build rides, host events, and enjoy being with your friends and family. Large groups even qualify for their own group badge which can be worn by members. Most importantly, your family is a group and can have family rooms where you can create a virtual family home in our world.

Even more exciting is our Families Helping Families Program.

Each month you can designate, the recognized charity or non-profit organization of your choice and we will donate ten percent of your V.I.P. Pass membership to that organization. You can also create a group for your designated charity or npo and as others join with you, your contributions will add up. By coming together, we can all make a real difference.

Sara
Virtual Family Kingdom


******************************
Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Is membership really free on Virtual Family Kingdom?

A. Yes, membership is free and includes all of the features you have ever expected in a virtual world. You can click here for a complete list of benefits included with free membership.

Q. Who decided on what features would be included in the paid membership?

A. All the features in the paid membership were requested by our community. One of the most exciting new features is the ability to join together to create a family room, a club, a group, or even a virtual version of a group you belong to in real life. You can even create a group which focuses on a charity or recognized non-profit organization. Then people who join your group and designate it as their choice, will have 10 % of their subscription donated to that charity or non-profit organization. Coming together, you can make a difference. Groups with 50 or more members will even receive a special badge for the group which every member of the group can wear.

Q. Will I have to buy credits?

A. No, you will not have to buy credits. Every player will be able to earn credits from mini-games like Space Pirates, Audubon's Wildlife Adventure, Wild West Ghost Game, Paul Revere's Midnight Ride etc., just as they always have to purchase items in the game. As we were putting together the membership features, many of our community told us that they loved to build rides and create exciting rooms, but have never been very good at the mini-games or that they had a schedule which didn't include time to play the mini-games. We also had parents tell us that their younger children had had a difficult time earning credits because the mini-games were always too complex. To meet these concerns, the Family V.I.P. Pass includes 1000 free credits daily upon login. The family can even designate which of their accounts receives the credits.

Q. Why isn't everything finished?

A. First, we will never be finished! There will always be worlds to build and new mini-games to create, not to mention improvements, fulfilling new requests and all the mysteries of the future. We are so proud of our entire community including our developers, our graphic artists, our researchers, our writers, our management and most of all, our kind beta testers who have made this all possible. In just two months and two weeks, we have gone from a promise to a reality. The reality today is a world large enough that you can become worn out just walking from one end to the other, as many of you know. A reality that includes hairdos, clothes, furniture, rooms, room lists, friend's lists, our signature Audubon's Wildlife Adventure mini-game and the ability to trade. Whether it is taking the first step in our new world, or building fabulous rooms, it is this wonderful community that has made it possible.

Q. Is Virtual Family Kingdom safe?

A. Our primary commitment is to create a safe and fun place for the entire family. This is reflected in our staff and even more importantly in our entire community.

Q. What about education?

A. From the beginning, our focus at Virtual Family Kingdom has been to bring history alive and to make it fun. We are already working with educators to create virtual classrooms with the tools that the educator needs to make the best use of Virtual Family Kingdom. This includes the creation of unique new educational experiences including educational quests, learning computer skills, and interacting in a safe virtual environment.

********************************
http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/ll74/mpnnngky/vfk_4.gif
http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/ll74/mpnnngky/vfk_5.gif

[SharkMeal]

ATTENTION: VFK IS NOW A LOAD OF GARBAGE.

Look at the home page to see what I mean.

Anyone who HAS A BRAIN will NOT pay 10 BUCKS A MONTH for
this. They are starting pay to play WAAAYY to early. VFK will lose
ALL of their members starting now. I've been patient with them confident
that they will become a better game and then when they are a good game
then they will start pay to play. THIS IS GARBAGE PEOPLE.
I can't seem to access that "special offer" but it doesn't matter anyways. I don't have to think twice about whether I'd pay. Won't even CONSIDER it. I don't know of anyone who would...

I'm with Aengus now :goodvibes Bye bye VFK!

Agreed I have just now turned to lava boi's side.

If they think we are going to pay 10 bucks a month for this they are out
of their minds! And the sad thing is some people think it's a GOOD DEAL?!

VFK IS NOT READY YET.

[SharkMeal]

I agree that it's not ready but for a little bit of perspective: Your membership includes 20 family accounts and if you still don't want to pay the basic membership will still be available.

I know but what is the point when they are taking so much things
away from us? The things they are taking away from us and the game is
just not worth the money they are expecting us to pay. Plus they want us
to also pay 50 bucks for a HORSE AND 70,000 CREDITS?? I can earn
70k with 3 games of Audubon and a stinking horse is not worth that.

I was just looking at the special benifits chart, normal members can't trade rooms, trade credits, play after-hours, and there is more :(

[KrazyPete]

I was just looking at the special benifits chart, normal members can't trade rooms, trade credits, play after-hours, and there is more :(

You couldn't do any of those things on VMK either.

[TinkPinkPoem]

VFK IS NOT READY YET.

Amen!

You couldn't do any of those things on VMK either.

Yes, but vmk was a fully fledged Disney game.

Vfk is none of the above.

[TikiIslander]

Does anyone here plan on subscribing to VFK? I've put my flame-thrower down (it never worked right anyway :p)- I'm just curious. Games that offer levels of membership (free/subscription with added features) usually can expect under 10% of members to subscribe. Club Penguin has about 6-7%. I've seen guest numbers around 16,000 if that's an accurate measure of avatars created, but there doesn't seem to be over a few hundred people in the game at any given time. I'm just trying to see how they plan on sustaining- or even making a profit- on this game.

Here's what I'm thinking about subscriptions-

2 (moderators present while the game is open) x 15 (hours/day the game is multiplayer) x $5.85 (federal minimum wage)= $175.50 per day x30 = at least $5,265/month, just for two mods to patrol.

A $10 monthly subscription fee means that at least 527 people would need to subscribe, just to pay for live moderation. The developers deserve a salary too, and you can be sure they get paid more than that! And don't forget about our good friend Gayle who mans the telephones :-P There's also server fees- remember, they have some serious redundancy going on there, in addition to all of the other expenses I'm leaving out (I'm imagining that there's lots of pizza and coffee involved). Now, I hope they pay dear Finley and Hurry (is he still a girl?) more than that- and I think they have more mod avatars walking around during a shift, but that's the bare minimum.

I just don't see how it's gonna work.

[vmkfan13]

1. Far better games available for the same price..
2. Release candidate sounds more like beta..
3. They should make infomercials instead..

[KrazyPete]

My take on it is this:

No, it's not ready. But if it were ready then they are only asking me to pay once and EVERYONE in my family gets to play as a VIP member. If I don't want to pay everyone still gets all the features that I expected them to get for free. How is that not a good deal? They are trying to give you the replacement for VMK that you asked for and they are doing it for free. They are actually demonstrating that they have some original ideas for features VMK never had and they would like you to pay for those at a rate of 50 cents a month per account. It's a killer deal... if the game were finished.

The problem is, as has been pointed out ad nauseam, the game isn't ready yet. Sara says as much "After 48 hours, we will be opening our doors to the people who have waited so patiently on the waiting list to be able to be a part of the final beta experience." You can debate whether it's currently alpha/beta/rc all day long, the point is the game isn't ready. They are already asking me to pay for the next three months of membership in order to be a "founder." My "gift" for being a beta tester is I get 3 months for the price of 5 and that time will be spent in the "final beta experience" not the finished game. I know there are other gifts in that package but what I'm buying is VIP membership the other things are just extras.

I agree that they may be doing this in order to fund the continuing development of the game. I hope that doesn't mean they are running out of development capital. I think the game has a long way to go before I would buy a subscription. I'm not ruling it out in the future but I'm not paying for the game that I see now. If they need people like me to buy in now in order to continue building it, then it may never go gold. :sad2:

[HPgal]

I understand that $10 might not be worth paying to play vfk rite now, but most virtual online games are about $10 per month. Also, if you don't want to pay, then isn't there an option for the FREE Basic Membership? The way I understand it is, the basic membership has all of the options vmk had, (creating a charcter, room, earning credits, buying items and trading.)

The only downside is u can't trade credits unless u buy the V.I.P. Membership, which is pretty much the Basic with a whole bunch of activities (that are pretty unnecessary in my opinion.)

To me, it works the same way other virtual games do, like Toontown- you have the free membership and then if you want the extras you have 2 pay a monthly fee.

Personally, I would never pay money for any virtual game unless I REALLY liked it.

Please correct me if I'm misunderstanding. Ty :)

BTW: Ty Dreamytime for posting the whole announcement! :goodvibes

[vmkfan13]

The difference between VMK and VFK is that VMK was an advertisement, Disney could promote anything on it, and it was free like all advertisements/most promotions.

[HPgal]

The difference between VMK and VFK is that VMK was an advertisement, Disney could promote anything on it, and it was free like all advertisements/most promotions.

True, but isn't VFK offering a free way also? True, they WANT you to buy the VIP membership, but can't you stick to the basic and have the same options of VMK?

[Dreamytime]

BTW: Ty Dreamytime for posting the whole announcement! :goodvibes

You are most welcome!

[aengus]

heh... Welcome to the dark side everyone... we have cookies @_@

[Goofy05]

True, but isn't VFK offering a free way also? True, they WANT you to buy the VIP membership, but can't you stick to the basic and have the same options of VMK?

I'm sure you can, but without subscribers, they won't be around very long and you'll have no place to play anymore. Sad, but true. It costs money to run a game and it looks as though vfk has run out of funding. Paying for pre-beta or even beta is not the norm. Beta testing is usually free. When the game goes live as a complete version, that's when people start paying, not before.
It's a shame they are doing this at such an early point in the game's development.

[KrazyPete]

I'm sure you can, but without subscribers, they won't be around very long and you'll have no place to play anymore. Sad, but true. It costs money to run a game and it looks as though vfk has run out of funding. Paying for pre-beta or even beta is not the norm. Beta testing is usually free. When the game goes live as a complete version, that's when people start paying, not before.
It's a shame they are doing this at such an early point in the game's development.

It's not unprecedented ::cough::sociotown::cough:: :lmao:

[cyre]

It's not unprecedented ::cough::sociotown::cough:: :lmao:

heh socio is far more developed than this is. I would be willing to (an am) paying for it ;)

all i can say otherwise, is wow.

but yay! horses!

[Belle1997]

Ok my questions are the $47.00 pricefor 4 months if you do not gift a free month. You are paying for extras you may not want like a t-shirt DVD Ect. Then they want you to pay on top of that. When I full one year is 80.00. So in the first year you are paying even more:confused3 to be a founder?:confused3

When is gold going to be open?
Does the membership include 20 different people or one account with 20 different characters?

Do you all have to live at the same IP address.

With Australia coming on board what will the hours be since down under is depending where you live would be a 12 hour difference.

Is the contract for a full year or can you cancel at anytime and get a refund.

What are they going to do with kids that get baned from playing and the family has a memership?

I understand that they have bills to pay. But this game is far from being ready for anything. Who or what are we actually paying the fee for. I really wish they had waited till the game was working better. I think they may have lost 50% of possible memberships because the game is still not ready.

I still see that the major part of the game will be free. The big picture of the business plan is well thought out. Will work wonders for a family. If this game was really ready for release this would be wonderful. Takes the stress out of parent laying to raise credits for their kids. Encourages charity work and family building. Etc.

Problem is the game though I enjoy playing it is not ready for people to put out this cash. There is way too many issues for this. Unless people like investing in small business types.

Guess some will call it a leap of Faith or others a Leap of Stupidity.

I am not surprised by the fee and the enchancements help but with the majority still playing without membership fee should not change the game much.

Just surprised it came so soon. Again I am still sitting on the fence. I am not surprise by the announcement just surprised by the timing.

[Princess_Angelica]

Wow! what a disaster! We haven't even had VFK around for 2 months yet and they already want us to pay? I'd love to have the stuff they are offering, but they should just give it to us as beta members if they really want to thank us that much, instead of trying to suck $50 bucks out of us for a game that nobody really feels is ready yet. Why do we want to pay to keep testing a game site that still has lag and i still don't have a screen name?! like i said, I'd love to have the stuff, but I don't really want to pay that much to have things for a game I'm not even sure I'm going to like yet :( And from the start they said that the game was going to remain free (from the About Us section--"The game will be free, just as you have experienced.")...everyone remember that? So I was under the idiotic impression that we wouldn't have crap like this being thrown at us.:sad2: well, i'll stick around a little longer but i don't think I'm going to pay for this. I'm a little disappointed in VFK right now. This seemed like such a fabulous option when VMK closed and I really enjoy the way the game is turning out. But now I'm coming to terms with the fact that nothing will ever be like VMK again :(

[stitchon]

My, how the tables have turned. Wasn't it mentioned before that they had the option to charge for a VIP Membership?

[Disney Dreams]

Do I have to say it?

Ma..... sigh, nvm

Okay, look, here's the thing about this: Their offer is actually a very good offer when you dissect what you are getting if it were for a FUNCTIONING game. It is a great offer if/when everything works right. However, what if it never does work right? They are asking me to give them quite a bit of money for things that are very nice - if I had faith that the game were to become worthy.

Quick comparison: If SmallWorlds were to make this beta offer, I would put down my credit card in a second. They have provided beta players with a game that is relatively functioning and has promise, not a game that is promising to be functioning and has hope. There is a giant difference.

Ex: Under the Family Pass it says, "Build rooms together" "Decorate rides together"

Excuse me, right now I have not seen a ride piece and I can't stack 2 crates.

They are offering the right stuff, but have not shown me that they are capable of delivering it enough for me to fund it. Show me a worthy product THEN ask for my money.

And let's not even get started on the credibility of the developers gifting select people items while all of us are holding through the frustrations. I believe the word is integrity.

Crawling back under my rock and working on rebuilding my hard drive...
Dreams (still dreaming of a reply from VFK from my e-mail I sent them last week regarding issues I'm having)

[aengus]

Please tell me nobody here is going to buy their 48 hour founders special...

Please...

They are preying on children for crying out loud!

ETA: OMG hiding it by having to log in might be the sleaziest thing they have done yet.

[TanyaLovesPooh]

Pay for VFK....not a chance! VFK you have a long way to go to even be a desirable game to play for free for me.

I wasn't even going to pay for VMK and there is no comparison.

Gosh I hate Disney!! I miss VMK!!

[debbi801]

Do I have to say it?

Ma..... sigh, nvm

Okay, look, here's the thing about this: Their offer is actually a very good offer when you dissect what you are getting if it were for a FUNCTIONING game. It is a great offer if/when everything works right. However, what if it never does work right? They are asking me to give them quite a bit of money for things that are very nice - if I had faith that the game were to become worthy.

Quick comparison: If SmallWorlds were to make this beta offer, I would put down my credit card in a second. They have provided beta players with a game that is relatively functioning and has promise, not a game that is promising to be functioning and has hope. There is a giant difference.

Ex: Under the Family Pass it says, "Build rooms together" "Decorate rides together"

Excuse me, right now I have not seen a ride piece and I can't stack 2 crates.

They are offering the right stuff, but have not shown me that they are capable of delivering it enough for me to fund it. Show me a worthy product THEN ask for my money.

And let's not even get started on the credibility of the developers gifting select people items while all of us are holding through the frustrations. I believe the word is integrity.

Crawling back under my rock and working on rebuilding my hard drive...
Dreams (still dreaming of a reply from VFK from my e-mail I sent them last week regarding issues I'm having)

I agree. I would pay it in an instant at SmallWorlds or Wizard101. I already pay for my DD on Neopets and Webkinz.

But, I think it is insulting that they want us to pay for a game that is no where near ready. I quit even going on VFK a few weeks ago because I was tired of spending most of my time frustrated.

Please tell me nobody here is going to buy their 48 hour founders special...

Please...

They are preying on children for crying out loud!

ETA: OMG hiding it by having to log in might be the sleaziest thing they have done yet.

We won't. I think it is insulting that they are asking people to pay for a game that is not even at Beta level yet, IMO. And the way they have the "special offer" hidden is incredibly tacky and slimy, as far as I'm concerned.

[lisuhut]

Hi
No i will not pay for this game ,when there are many free play games around.
Yes i to dislike disney ,for closing our game down!!

[ihavewaycutecats]

This thing for the beta testers kind of makes me mad. I saw this and all the things you got, but I did not notice that you had to pay until I scrolled to the bottom. There really is nothing free nowadays, I would like to get those things but there is no way I am going to pay for an online game. I think that is just plain dumb. This really kind of makes me mad, I hate games that exclude people because you don't have enough money to pay for it.:( I hate seeing other people who have so much more than you because they are paying for a game. This is one of the reasons I miss vmk so much, because everyone had the same chance to get things without paying money (well except to go to the park to do the quests).

Can I just say I really miss vmk, bad! :(

[threeboysmom]

Show me a worthy product THEN ask for my money.


EXACTLY!! This is my HUGE issue. It is WAY too soon to ask for money.


Please tell me nobody here is going to buy their 48 hour founders special...

Please...

Pete is :teeth:





(just kidding...)

[aengus]

EXACTLY!! This is my HUGE issue. It is WAY too soon to ask for money.




Pete is :teeth:





(just kidding...)

OMG PINK I just ran to the emporium and almost got fired because of this


Gosh I hope pete can take a joke ROFL

[KrazyPete]

Gosh I hope pete can take a joke ROFL

Somebody here is going to have a VFK Beta t-shirt in real and it's not Pink or Aengus. :rolleyes1

[Imagineer_Tech]

Yea but what about the people who want the perks but simply can't afford them. VMK there wasn't any pay real money which basically no matter what you could always obtain what someone else had. This is basically here pay 47$ so you can get perks that some can't afford. Now some will say well it's still free to play, yes it is but what do you do when a little kid says mom can I have what that kid has then the mother realizes that she can't afford to give her son what that kid has in game. They can't give all their loyal beta testers that just the beta testers that can pay.

[threeboysmom]

OMG PINK I just ran to the emporium and almost got fired because of this

AH!! SO SO SO LAUGHING RIGHT NOW!! :rotfl2: :rotfl2: :rotfl2: Breathe, Pink, breathe... you can do it.... :rotfl2: :rotfl2: :rotfl2:

[threeboysmom]

Somebody here is going to have a VFK Beta t-shirt in real and it's not Pink or Aengus. :rolleyes1

OK, laughing again!! :lmao:

What thread are we on?? :confused3

ETA: Oh yeah, VFK and the family plan --puts "mad face" back on :mad: --

[threeboysmom]

Yea but what about the people who want the perks but simply can't afford them. VMK there wasn't any pay real money which basically no matter what you could always obtain what someone else had. This is basically here pay 47$ so you can get perks that some can't afford. Now some will say well it's still free to play, yes it is but what do you do when a little kid says mom can I have what that kid has then the mother realizes that she can't afford to give her son what that kid has in game. They can't give all their loyal beta testers that just the beta testers that can pay.

There wasn't??

I seem to remember lots of in-park quest prizes that a lot of kids could not get because they didn't have real money to spend to buy a disney vacation...

I'm sure there were a lot of "mom, can we go to DL and spend hundreds of dollars so I can get a stitch hat?" :)

[Imagineer_Tech]

There wasn't??

I seem to remember lots of in-park quest prizes that a lot of kids could not get because they didn't have real money to spend to buy a disney vacation...

I'm sure there were a lot of "mom, can we go to DL and spend hundreds of dollars so I can get a stitch hat?" :)

Those were all extras. This you are paying for the actual in game perk. Everything in VMK that could be paid for was an extra. You bought the DVD and got the reward code. You bought the PIN pack and got extra cards. Everything for vmk was extra people bought stuff for disney knowing that they got stuff from vmk as an extra. This you are paying for perks in VFK no extras no 2 in 1. It's basically pay to be better in many peoples eyes.

[ihavewaycutecats]

Yea but what about the people who want the perks but simply can't afford them. VMK there wasn't any pay real money which basically no matter what you could always obtain what someone else had. This is basically here pay 47$ so you can get perks that some can't afford. Now some will say well it's still free to play, yes it is but what do you do when a little kid says mom can I have what that kid has then the mother realizes that she can't afford to give her son what that kid has in game. They can't give all their loyal beta testers that just the beta testers that can pay.

Those were all extras. This you are paying for the actual in game perk. Everything in VMK that could be paid for was an extra. You bought the DVD and got the reward code. You bought the PIN pack and got extra cards. Everything for vmk was extra people bought stuff for disney knowing that they got stuff from vmk as an extra. This you are paying for perks in VFK no extras no 2 in 1. It's basically pay to be better in many peoples eyes.

I totally agree, I am so sick of all these websites that are making us pay so we can be better than everyone else. I will always be in the lowest class, that' what was so great about VMK, we were all equal. No one had to pay to be better than the rest, it was just a matter of time and effort.

[Imagineer_Tech]

I totally agree, I am so sick of all these websites that are making us pay so we can be better than everyone else. I will always be in the lowest class, that' what was so great about VMK, we were all equal. No one had to pay to be better than the rest, it was just a matter of time and effort.

In vmk you could pay to obtain an item but someone who doesn't pay can still obtain the item and get more than you.

[tofubeast]

How is that founder plan a $72 value? Unless I am doing my math wrong, which is ENTIRELY possible, I just can't up with howthey arrived at that figure!

I guess I am going back to playing MINESWEEPER! :scared1:

[Bee2u]

I'm still waiting for my Day 1 Beta t-shirt . . . wonder how long we'd have to wait for these new promised items.

[SharkMeal]

Well I think I am calmed down about being super mad at VFK. I still am confused,
as who would waste their money on this non developed game?! There are lots
of better sites for equal price. Sad thing is I've already seen people wearing
that Platinum Tricorn Hat. Their loss.

I'll still play, but I won't be paying any time soon, probably not at all, heck I
don't know if we can trust them with our credit card numbers and everything
they don't even have a secure log in yet do they??

[aengus]

Well I think I am calmed down about being super mad at VFK. I still am confused,
as who would waste their money on this non developed game?! There are lots
of better sites for equal price. Sad thing is I've already seen people wearing
that Platinum Tricorn Hat. Their loss.

I'll still play, but I won't be paying any time soon, probably not at all, heck I
don't know if we can trust them with our credit card numbers and everything
they don't even have a secure log in yet do they??

It wouldnt suprise me if some were given out to make it look like people are paying...

I sure hope thats the case. wow I am almost speechless... (no smart remarks plz :rotfl: )

[Bee2u]

I'll still play, but I won't be paying any time soon, probably not at all, heck I don't know if we can trust them with our credit card numbers and everything they don't even have a secure log in yet do they??

This is a major concern of mine, too, and they also want our addresses.:scared1:

Oh, and the best part: at the very bottom of each page it says "Features may change depending on availability." So they never have to give us anything they've promised, they can just say it's not available.:sad2:

[JulyGirl]

Perhaps the ability to sit will be in that Founder's Package?:laughing:

Sorry VFK. You are not worthy of my money yet.

[Mnementh]

Oh, and the best part: at the very bottom of each page it says "Features may change depending on availability." So they never have to give us anything they've promised, they can just say it's not available.:sad2:

I was just thinking that same thing. Wow, they're crazier than I initially thought. I wish I could see a total on Thursday of just how many people bought this founder's package. I'd be surprised if I saw two digits on the number.

[SharkMeal]

So they never have to give us anything they've promised, they can just say it's not available.:sad2:

...And when was that new? :rotfl2:

[TinkPinkPoem]

Well I think I am calmed down about being super mad at VFK. I still am confused,
as who would waste their money on this non developed game?! There are lots
of better sites for equal price. Sad thing is I've already seen people wearing
that Platinum Tricorn Hat. Their loss.

I'll still play, but I won't be paying any time soon, probably not at all, heck I
don't know if we can trust them with our credit card numbers and everything
they don't even have a secure log in yet do they??


In the description of their plan they mention many things, which, in my opinion, are only ideas at the moment. I doubt whether they have the know how to realise them. How can they make all that they state come true, which obviously requires a lot of work, when they can't even name the items something else other than 'pink couch' for crying out loud! It would take months, maybe years to reach to the stage of making all those features work. So to those who would buy the extended package, the only real thing they'll get back will be that shirt and dvd (which by the way would never cost that much, it's too cheap to produce both of them in large quantities).

I question how much thought they put in their getting paid plan. How will they make it work? Will they have a system to back it up or will they come up with something in the last minute? How can any reasonable person provide his/her money data to a company that has zero background is beyond me! Those are issues that are not to be toyed with!

I've said it before and I'll say it again. They act as if they don't know a thing about bussiness.

And it's really absurd that they have a deadline for 'your chance to become a founding member!'.:scared1:




It wouldnt suprise me if some were given out to make it look like people are paying...

I sure hope thats the case. wow I am almost speechless... (no smart remarks plz :rotfl: )

I wouldn't be suprised at all if they did.

[Disney Dreams]

Nice.
http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i181/disneydreams/consider.jpg

[aengus]

well she paid for the family VIP super duper extended kids cant go to college plan?

[TinkPinkPoem]

Nice.
http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i181/disneydreams/consider.jpg

Please please don't get me started on this one.

well she paid for the family VIP super duper extended kids cant go to college plan?

Why don't I get this part? :confused3

[aengus]

Please please don't get me started on this one.



Why don't I get this part? :confused3

it cost so much you cant afford to send your kids to college :rotfl:

[ihavewaycutecats]

Can I just say this is so dumb what vfk is doing. Why do they want us to pay for something that has so many bugs and doesn't even function properly. If they want us to keep playing they should just give us the items instead of making us pay for something virtual which is totally worthless. This game is not turning out how I was hoping.

[ihavewaycutecats]

Please please don't get me started on this one.




I'm not getting this.:confused:

[cyre]

Please please don't get me started on this one.



Right there with ya...

[TinkPinkPoem]

it cost so much you cant afford to send your kids to college :rotfl:

I did now!:idea: Good grief! :rotfl2:

[stitchon]

I swear, some people have no brains. I would never pay for VFK because it's not a good game. I want a completed game that isn't just a blatant ripoff of another game. I want a game worth playing, and VFK is not that game.

[tinkryansmom]

Hey stitchon we are in the same town! WOOT!

OK just had to post that.

Have not been on VFK for some time, guess I better go back and check all this out!!

[stitchon]

Tracy represent!


:)

[vmkfan13]

I have a suggestion to VFK, ever considered advertisements?

[Mnementh]

Who in the world would sponsor that game? They probably won't have ads for a long time, if ever.

[TikiIslander]

From their "about us" page:

"The game will be free, just as you have experienced. We will not be accepting advertising, as we believe this is inappropriate when children are involved. We have put together a solid business model for this effort and you can rest assured that the Virtual Family Kingdom will not disappear in three years."

We'll see how solid this business model is without an actual product :)

I have to admit- I totally want to see this behind-the-scenes DVD. I wonder if it includes a tutorial on router replacements!

[vmkfan13]

From their "about us" page:

"The game will be free, just as you have experienced. We will not be accepting advertising, as we believe this is inappropriate when children are involved. We have put together a solid business model for this effort and you can rest assured that the Virtual Family Kingdom will not disappear in three years."

We'll see how solid this business model is without an actual product :)

I have to admit- I totally want to see this behind-the-scenes DVD. I wonder if it includes a tutorial on router replacements!

Inappropriate? Alot of kid games have ads, I really doubt that kids would even bother reading them anyways. If child safety is their priority, why did it take them so long to make a report button..

[Disney Dreams]

From their "about us" page:

"The game will be free, just as you have experienced. We will not be accepting advertising, as we believe this is inappropriate when children are involved. ..."


Advertisers such as:
child-safe products
cyber safety
book stores
toy stores
clothing
stationery
pet stores

There are SOOOOOOO many child appropriate types of advertising. I could keep listing all day long.

[aengus]

thats funny they sure didnt mind advertising disrespectfully on the disboards, vmkmagic, and vfkforums :rotfl:

Not to mention slapping their name up on savevmk.com with a big sympathy note ROFL

[disvaclub92]

All I can say is gosh!!! Thanks for posting that info in detail Dreamytime. My guess is their "business model" has realized "oh snap we need funds to support this" let see who will drink the koolaid now. :lmao: Curious to know who signs up, because I am selling a bridge I would like you to buy.

Sorry not a surprise, knew it was coming.

[aengus]

haha kool-aid I get it :rotfl:

[Disney Dreams]

...who will drink the koolaid ...

:lmao:

[AmberDaze]

I haven't really been on vfk much, but I went on for the quests and for an occasional night for closing. I didn't like that they took from VMK things that I did not like, and continued them. I also didn't like the fact that they were trying to copy VMK. Not that VMK was perfect, but as you all know there just won't be another game like it.

I was skeptical from the beginning that the only reason this game was made was to give all of us a home after VMK left. Unfortunately, there were red flags for me since the beginning. And especially after today...this confirms my feelings that they saw an opportunity, but not only an opportunity to help all of the people who were hurting from VMK's loss, but a financial opportunity as well. :sad2:

[TikiIslander]

Wait a second- they actually want people to put their credit card # in their lil text box there? And people are doing it??

These guys are so sketchy. Aside from not having any sort of secure checkout, we don't know anything about who these people are! Consumer Reports put out a set of guidelines (http://www.consumerwebwatch.org/consumer-reports-webwatch-guidelines.cfm) to keep consumers from falling into traps like this, and to help businesses reduce their sketch-factor. In looking at these points, any website you'd like to be associated with does all of these things. VFK? Not so much. The whole New Mexico/Florida/sometimes New Jersey thing just adds to the confusion for me.

Whether you support the game or not, please think twice about giving them your credit card right now with how they've got it all set up. I'm waiting for them to fold up their tent and move the wagon another corner of the internet any minute.

And the koolaid? :rotfl:

[jeffgwins]

Please tell me nobody here is going to buy their 48 hour founders special...

Please...

They are preying on children for crying out loud!

ETA: OMG hiding it by having to log in might be the sleaziest thing they have done yet.

Let me go on the record as saying, you have my word, I will never ever pay to play this game. And I agree, they are preying on children to beg their parents to pay for it so that they can get all the perks. Something is just not right about this entire thing and I am done with it as of today.

Please, do not support this nonsense.

[Goofy05]

All I can say is gosh!!! Thanks for posting that info in detail Dreamytime. My guess is their "business model" has realized "oh snap we need funds to support this" let see who will drink the koolaid now. :lmao: Curious to know who signs up, because I am selling a bridge I would like you to buy.

Sorry not a surprise, knew it was coming.

Grape flavor, please. giggle!

I'm not surprised, either, however I was not expecting to see a fee based game so soon! FAR too many major flaws to be a pay-to-play. Can anyone say, "Titanic"?

[jeffgwins]

Grape flavor, please. giggle!

I'm not surprised, either, however I was not expecting to see a fee based game so soon! FAR too many major flaws to be a pay-to-play. Can anyone say, "Titanic"?

Titanic!!! :rotfl2: :rotfl2: :rotfl2:

[Disney Dreams]

Can anyone say, "Titanic"?

But... it's unsinkable.

[aengus]

But... it's unsinkable.

and thats why today only you can buy your very own titanic for...


$49

but act now and we will thow in this... uh... pink couch! yes yes a pink couch is yours if you act today!

[cyre]

and thats why today only you can buy your very own titanic for...


$49

but act now and we will thow in this... uh... pink couch! yes yes a pink couch is yours if you act today!

Which pink couch? -points at dresser, grandfather clock, crate...- :rotfl:

[SweetJaydGrl]

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL1406/7378437/19996705/323665779.jpg
Heh





Nice.
http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i181/disneydreams/consider.jpg

[ihavewaycutecats]

I haven't really been on vfk much, but I went on for the quests and for an occasional night for closing. I didn't like that they took from VMK things that I did not like, and continued them. I also didn't like the fact that they were trying to copy VMK. Not that VMK was perfect, but as you all know there just won't be another game like it.

I was skeptical from the beginning that the only reason this game was made was to give all of us a home after VMK left. Unfortunately, there were red flags for me since the beginning. And especially after today...this confirms my feelings that they saw an opportunity, but not only an opportunity to help all of the people who were hurting from VMK's loss, but a financial opportunity as well. :sad2:

I am very disappointed of this game:sad2: , it is not at all what I expected. i just don't like the idea that they are trying to copy vmk.

[aliceblue]

I've tried to keep my mouth shut about VFK in this thread, since I stopped checking it out quite some time ago. I came to my own conclusions about the quality of the game, but despite some things just not sitting right, I didn't completely stop hoping that it was a trustworthy effort on the part of the developers. I'm very sorry for those of you who have been blindsided by this.Please tell me nobody here is going to buy their 48 hour founders special...

Please...

They are preying on children for crying out loud!

ETA: OMG hiding it by having to log in might be the sleaziest thing they have done yet.I'll still play, but I won't be paying any time soon, probably not at all, heck I
don't know if we can trust them with our credit card numbers and everything
they don't even have a secure log in yet do they??
This is a major concern of mine, too, and they also want our addresses.:scared1:

Oh, and the best part: at the very bottom of each page it says "Features may change depending on availability." So they never have to give us anything they've promised, they can just say it's not available.:sad2:
How can any reasonable person provide his/her money data to a company that has zero background is beyond me! Those are issues that are not to be toyed with!

I've said it before and I'll say it again. They act as if they don't know a thing about bussiness.

And it's really absurd that they have a deadline for 'your chance to become a founding member!'.:scared1: Hmm.....This seems more like a "deadline for suckers be pulled in quickly before they realize they've been had."All I can say is gosh!!! Thanks for posting that info in detail Dreamytime. My guess is their "business model" has realized "oh snap we need funds to support this" let see who will drink the koolaid now. :lmao: Curious to know who signs up, because I am selling a bridge I would like you to buy.

Sorry not a surprise, knew it was coming.*listening to the thud of the other shoe dropping*I was skeptical from the beginning that the only reason this game was made was to give all of us a home after VMK left.If they had actually had the talent and experience to carry it out, providing displaced VMK players with a home would have been a noble enterprise. But they seem to have been misguided at best. I don't like to think about the worst.....Unfortunately, there were red flags for me since the beginning. And especially after today...this confirms my feelings that they saw an opportunity, but not only an opportunity to help all of the people who were hurting from VMK's loss, but a financial opportunity as well. :sad2:I will leave the full nature of their intentions open to debate, but there's no doubt that they wanted to capitalize on the shut-down of VMK.Wait a second- they actually want people to put their credit card # in their lil text box there? And people are doing it??

These guys are so sketchy. Aside from not having any sort of secure checkout, we don't know anything about who these people are! Consumer Reports put out a set of guidelines (http://www.consumerwebwatch.org/consumer-reports-webwatch-guidelines.cfm) to keep consumers from falling into traps like this, and to help businesses reduce their sketch-factor. In looking at these points, any website you'd like to be associated with does all of these things. VFK? Not so much. The whole New Mexico/Florida/sometimes New Jersey thing just adds to the confusion for me.

Whether you support the game or not, please think twice about giving them your credit card right now with how they've got it all set up. I'm waiting for them to fold up their tent and move the wagon another corner of the internet any minute.I do hope everyone takes this advise seriously.

Question of the day: At what point does a business venture officially cross over into a scam?Let me go on the record as saying, you have my word, I will never ever pay to play this game. And I agree, they are preying on children to beg their parents to pay for it so that they can get all the perks. Something is just not right about this entire thing and I am done with it as of today.

Please, do not support this nonsense.I hope that folks on dedicated VFK discussion boards will also use their heads about this. Anyone checked out the reactions from that quarter yet?

[vmkfan13]

Don't forget the original webpage for VFK! Can you really trust them after that?

[GoofyWaterCoaster]

OMG! What FOOLS!

I knew that this game was sketchy, and, remember, they may not give anything to you at all.

ETA: The kids on the VFK forums are actually falling for this! I posted this to try to help them:

Hey, look at this:

Features may change depending on availability.

That means that they don't have to give you anything, they can just say that it was unavailable

[vmkfan13]

I used to defend this company, but they're just taking advantage of us, is it possible that they're selling our phone numbers?

[bevgray]

I've kept silent also. I found the toss of all five beta groups into one big pot very amateurish that first day and have seen little to commend the game. I was so hoping it would work out for those who seemed to like it but, since I've spent over a month wandering into other beta sites, I find VFK hopeless. Sorry, but the graphics are a joke and the game play is laughable.

While Smallworld didn't appeal to me, it in its beta form is a finished product. Those who have started playing Ravenwood are also experiencing a game with a quality look and game play. Are there bugs? Certainly but it at least these look and act like a games.

For those determined to stick with VFK, please, please, please, do not succomb to the "48 hour-once in a lifetime-special". This kind of pressure sales is very common online and on TV. If they need to fund development from paying guests, then they are on very shaky ground indeed. Even Toontown and Pirates, both quality games from a known company (Disney) with that company's committment to deliver a product, didn't charge until after beta and game launch.

This is a very suspicious thing to me. Especially throwing such a short deadline at you. Why not just give their beta testers what was promised initially (beta t-shirt in the game) or a gold Day 1 badge like VMK gave us?

[aengus]

Question of the day: At what point does a business venture officially cross over into a scam?I hope that folks on dedicated VFK discussion boards will also use their heads about this. Anyone checked out the reactions from that quarter yet?

sigh... they are paying @_@ I am in awe honestly. I know some are members here. I dont want to flame, I just dont get why anyone would do that, the pressure they put on people to pay now with their 48 hour decision is yet another sign! whats the hurry vfk???


I used to defend this company, but they're just taking advantage of us, is it possible that they're selling our phone numbers?

I really dont think so, I have always looked at them as a scam from a dishonest business point of view, not as thieves. They are just very dishonest and I feel for the families who paid today.

[Disney Dreams]

I hope that folks on dedicated VFK discussion boards will also use their heads about this. Anyone checked out the reactions from that quarter yet?

Well....

Some seem to view it this way:
- (the following is my paraphrase of a post) After speaking with Gail [guessing this is a VFK developer???] on the phone the Founding Membership is great deal because you get a free trial for 4 months to try the V.I.P Pass. As for the $47, it's paying for the T-shirt and the DVD! Its an opening of new doors for beta players!

Another views it this way
- He pays $50 a year for Xbox Live, so why not VFK? Also, if it keeps VFK open for others to enjoy, happy to help.

Then there's this "half-full" view:
- "You are paying $7 for:
In-game items:
* 20,000 Extra Credits
* Platinum Mane and Tail Palomino Horse with Stable Room!
* 50,000 credits given one time when account is opened
* Founder's Pin
* Exclusive Platinum Spinning Wheel in game code
* Exclusive Platinum Tricorn Hat in game code
* Exclusive Founder's Pin in game code
Real items:
* Founder's Pin
* VFK Founder's Tote Bag
* VFK Founder's Comic Book (true story and history behind VFK)
* DVD with behind the scenes interviews (Limited Edition for Founders only)
And then $40 for four months of play with VIP which you would've had to pay if you wanted to do VIP by monthly."

Maybe my favorite comment I have read anywhere because it is just so very simply put:
"New Items & Clothing Early - OK
VFK IM - Not Needed
Set Chat Permission - Stupid
Parent Permission Required Games - Stupid
Games After Hours - Stupid
Group Rooms - OK
Trade Rooms - Stupid
Build Rooms After Hours - Stupid
Trade Credits - Stupid
Group Competitions - OK
Start Group or Club - OK
Join Group or Club - OK
Donate For Charity - OK
800 Friends - Not Really Needed
Special Video - Stupid
Video Events - Stupid
Submit Videos - Stupid
Share Videos - Stupid
Free Code Every Month - OK
Special Commands - Stupid
V.I.P. Pin - OK"

Others feel the game is not ready yet.

Many kids feel people with money get stuff that people without money can't. (I want to comment on this 1 bc I think some DIS kids are feeling this way too. There will almost always be someone else in life that can afford something you can't. At some point in your own life you will either accept this or take steps to always be able to afford the things you want. This really, truly, honestly is just part of life. Whether it's a house, car, dress, jewelry, stereo, TV, or game package - chances are someone else out there will always have something nicer than you. That's ok. The important part is figuring out what you want in life, and how to afford it or learn to be happy with what you have.

I can identify the specific players if anyone feels that's necessary, but those are some varying and interesting views from a game-dedicated fan site. There are truly many ways to view the world.

- Dreams

[GoofyWaterCoaster]

Well....

Some seem to view it this way:
- (the following is my paraphrase of a post) After speaking with Gail [guessing this is a VFK developer???] on the phone the Founding Membership is great deal because you get a free trial for 4 months to try the V.I.P Pass. As for the $47, it's paying for the T-shirt and the DVD! Its an opening of new doors for beta players!

Another views it this way
- He pays $50 a year for Xbox Live, so why not VFK? Also, if it keeps VFK open for others to enjoy, happy to help.

Others feel the game is not ready yet.

Many kids feel people with money get stuff that people without money can't.

I can identify the specific players if anyone feels that's necessary, but those are some varying and interesting views from a game-dedicated fan site.

- Dreams
Then there's this "half-full" view:
- "You are paying $7 for:
In-game items:
* 20,000 Extra Credits
* Platinum Mane and Tail Palomino Horse with Stable Room!
* 50,000 credits given one time when account is opened
* Founder's Pin
* Exclusive Platinum Spinning Wheel in game code
* Exclusive Platinum Tricorn Hat in game code
* Exclusive Founder's Pin in game code
Real items:
* Founder's Pin
* VFK Founder's Tote Bag
* VFK Founder's Comic Book (true story and history behind VFK)
* DVD with behind the scenes interviews (Limited Edition for Founders only)
And then $40 for four months of play with VIP which you would've had to pay if you wanted to do VIP by monthly."
Remember, they may not give you anything

[vmkfan13]

xBox live compared to VFK? I think anyone would prefer xBox Live..

[bevgray]

Then why not tier it or make it a month trial for $10? Those who want the "real" items could be charged an additional sum so those who only care about the virtual items or prefer not to provide personal information (such as an address/phone number) could chose the former. Also, are they using PayPal? That would provide a safer, securer transaction. If not, why not? PayPal accounts are very easy to set up but do provide some security to both sides using it.

I find this "rush to payment" very disturbing.

[vmkfan13]

* 20,000 Extra Credits
* Platinum Mane and Tail Palomino Horse with Stable Room!
* 50,000 credits given one time when account is opened
* Founder's Pin
* Exclusive Platinum Spinning Wheel in game code
* Exclusive Platinum Tricorn Hat in game code
* Exclusive Founder's Pin in game code
Real items:
* Founder's Pin
* VFK Founder's Tote Bag
* VFK Founder's Comic Book (true story and history behind VFK)
* DVD with behind the scenes interviews (Limited Edition for Founders


All the real items are unnecessary, I don't think many people want to watch a behind the scenes film on VFK (I would be, however, be interested in a VMK behind the scenes DVD), a "founder's" pin, A TOTE BAG?? A COMIC BOOK??

[disvaclub92]

Then why not tier it or make it a month trial for $10? Those who want the "real" items could be charged an additional sum so those who only care about the virtual items or prefer not to provide personal information (such as an address/phone number) could chose the former. Also, are they using PayPal? That would provide a safer, securer transaction. If not, why not? PayPal accounts are very easy to set up but do provide some security to both sides using it.

I find this "rush to payment" very disturbing.

Thank you. I feel the same, what is the rush? Why not tiered for people to try it? Paying a price like that right now for a game still in alpha is just wrong. My fear is that they have people who pay and then realize a few months down the line they still cant afford to keep the game running, then shut down the game.

[GoofyWaterCoaster]

Then why not tier it or make it a month trial for $10? Those who want the "real" items could be charged an additional sum so those who only care about the virtual items or prefer not to provide personal information (such as an address/phone number) could chose the former. Also, are they using PayPal? That would provide a safer, securer transaction. If not, why not? PayPal accounts are very easy to set up but do provide some security to both sides using it.

I find this "rush to payment" very disturbing.
they want credit card #s

[GoofyWaterCoaster]

All the real items are unnecessary, I don't think many people want to watch a behind the scenes film on VFK (I would be, however, be interested in a VMK behind the scenes DVD), a "founder's" pin, A TOTE BAG?? A COMIC BOOK??

agreed

[vmkfan13]

they want credit card #s

Hopefully not over their website..

agreed

It's like those infomercials, you're ordering a guitar and you also get a camera (to take photos of yourself), mp3 player (to listen to yourself) and some guy's cd (for influence).

[aengus]

Then why not tier it or make it a month trial for $10? Those who want the "real" items could be charged an additional sum so those who only care about the virtual items or prefer not to provide personal information (such as an address/phone number) could chose the former. Also, are they using PayPal? That would provide a safer, securer transaction. If not, why not? PayPal accounts are very easy to set up but do provide some security to both sides using it.

I find this "rush to payment" very disturbing.


indeed they are forcing impulse buying on children... and sigh... I have seen several adults already pay :(

I'm sorry if you all dont like it but... This is a serious issue with lack of dealing with VMKs closing. Even the hug fest people admit this game isnt even at a standard beta stage, yet they are buying in. PEOPLE GET PAID TO PLAY IN ALPHA! they have you convinced they are doing you the favor @_@

heh, they think they bought green flips, green baggies, and green staff shirts today but what they bought was a couple months tops at pushing reality out a bit.

sad really, but... oh well

[GoofyWaterCoaster]

indeed they are forcing impulse buying on children... and sigh... I have seen several adults already pay :(

I'm sorry if you all dont like it but... This is a serious issue with lack of dealing with VMKs closing. Even the hug fest people admit this game isnt even at a standard beta stage, yet they are buying in. PEOPLE GET PAID TO PLAY IN ALPHA! they have you convinced they are doing you the favor @_@

heh, they think they bought green flips, green baggies, and green staff shirts today but what they bought was a couple months tops at pushing reality out a bit.

sad really, but... oh well

I'm about to cry about all of the innocent kids that don't believe you :sad2: :sad1:

[vmkfan13]

indeed they are forcing impulse buying on children... and sigh... I have seen several adults already pay :(

I'm sorry if you all dont like it but... This is a serious issue with lack of dealing with VMKs closing. Even the hug fest people admit this game isnt even at a standard beta stage, yet they are buying in. PEOPLE GET PAID TO PLAY IN ALPHA! they have you convinced they are doing you the favor @_@

heh, they think they bought green flips, green baggies, and green staff shirts today but what they bought was a couple months tops at pushing reality out a bit.

sad really, but... oh well

A VFK forum is praising their idea but I'm guessing VFK created that forum..

[Goofy05]

Then why not tier it or make it a month trial for $10? Those who want the "real" items could be charged an additional sum so those who only care about the virtual items or prefer not to provide personal information (such as an address/phone number) could chose the former. Also, are they using PayPal? That would provide a safer, securer transaction. If not, why not? PayPal accounts are very easy to set up but do provide some security to both sides using it.

I find this "rush to payment" very disturbing.

Totally agree. Paypal costs them NOTHING to set up. Paypal costs the payer NOTHING. Is there a Paypal option? I won't even go to the home page anymore to look. I refuse. I am thoroughly disgusted with them and won't have anything more to do with them.
I urge anyone who is still thinking of paying for vfk to Stop. Think. Come to Wizard101. End of story.

[souper]

Well, today's situation made me look back on a few of my early VFK goals.

My goals when VFK opened were:

To have a place to see and visit with friends.
To have a nicely furnished indoor room to hang out in.
To have a nicely furnished outdoor garden room (especially in the winter.)
As a former virtual pin collector, a complete collection pins would be an additional goal.

Other than the complete pin collection, the rest still seem possible without a paid membership. As far as the paid membership goes, I wish VFK would give the paying players 2 of each item. Then members could keep one and trade one...Or if they had more than one child in the account, it would make it easier to share/divide up the items. For now I guess the alternative would be to keep all of the family items in one of the shared rooms for all to enjoy.

:flower3: We all have different priorites in real life and in our virtual lives/worlds. :flower3:
:flower3: Regardless of what game(s) you play or if you pay a free or enhanced pay version, :flower3:
:flower3: I hope you are having fun in your virtual world. :flower3:

Hugs!
Happy

[ihavewaycutecats]

I'm about to cry about all of the innocent kids that don't believe you :sad2: :sad1:

i know:sad2:

[GoofyWaterCoaster]

Did I go too over the top?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGi-WHySQKM

[aengus]

A VFK forum is praising their idea but I'm guessing VFK created that forum..


or are a paying advertiser ;) I dont know what site, so I dont want anyone to think I am directing at any particular site. Sadly there are many.

[GoofyWaterCoaster]

Totally agree. Paypal costs them NOTHING to set up. Paypal costs the payer NOTHING. Is there a Paypal option? I won't even go to the home page anymore to look. I refuse. I am thoroughly disgusted with them and won't have anything more to do with them.
I urge anyone who is still thinking of paying for vfk to Stop. Think. Come to Wizard101. End of story.

Or ScoioTown, or Small Worlds, or POTCO, or TT, or Gaia, or whatever else ;)

just leave this stinking game!

[vmkfan13]

Did I go too over the top?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGi-WHySQKM

I think you should continue zooming in, make it flashy and blur everything else..:rotfl2:

[Goofy05]

Or ScoioTown, or Small Worlds, or POTCO, or TT, or Gaia, or whatever else ;)

just leave this stinking game!

:)
Yup! Anywhere else. If you're willing to pay, there are MANY MANY more quality games out there that are FAR more deserving of your money.

[vmkfan13]

Funny how they say they'll donate to charity, what if it's unavailable all of a sudden?

[GoofyWaterCoaster]

I think you should continue zooming in, make it flashy and blur everything else..:rotfl2:

Sorry, my software doesn't do that...

I don't feel like paying for Quick Time Pro :cool1:

[GoofyWaterCoaster]

Funny how they say they'll donate to charity, what if it's unavailable all of a sudden?

:rotfl:

[ihavewaycutecats]

Did I go too over the top?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGi-WHySQKM

maybe just a little.:goodvibes

[SkippyPaul]

I am speechless.....well almost.

IMO vfk has preyed on the vmk community. They've made empty promises at a time when we are all very gullible and hurting over vmk closing and now think they have ppl where they want them and ZZZZZZ like a bug zapper its time to pay.

How can they even consider asking for monies when there are so many guest names, friend list dont work, no map, how many got their beta shirt yet even? The game is not even ready to leave beta let alone charge even one cent. Yea yea you can still play free basic big deal.

Someone talk some sense in to these little dudes that are beggin for money from their parents. Donate to charity rofl, yea the vfk charity lol.

How sad.
Dont mean to offend those who enjoy the game, again its just my 2 cents worth (I'll gladly donate that to your favorite charity).
Rob
:mad:

[vmkfan13]

The game is not even ready to leave beta..

To my understand.. the game is leaving Alpha and now entering Beta..

[aengus]

All the real items are unnecessary, I don't think many people want to watch a behind the scenes film on VFK (I would be, however, be interested in a VMK behind the scenes DVD), a "founder's" pin, A TOTE BAG?? A COMIC BOOK??

To my understand.. the game is leaving Alpha and now entering Beta..


that game is not even enterring beta @_@

[Bugdozer]

Hi,

Ok I did some question asking.I will start off by saying I take what staff say with a grain of salt. They do not always know what is going on. With that said I am going to VMK_Surfer on the hot seat here. She has been on for many hours tonight in a room helping people get their titles and answering questions. I hate to bother them but today's developments i could not help my self. So first thing I asked her was who gets the hats? Do just the founding member or the family members to. Her asnswer:

http://xs229.xs.to/xs229/08272/whogetshats732.jpg


Next I asked her if you can be in more then 1 family? Her answer to me was:

http://xs229.xs.to/xs229/08272/more_then1fam2672.jpg


The the last question and this one surprised me. If i am added to 2 families do I get a hat from each family? Her answer:

http://xs229.xs.to/xs229/08272/eachfam322.jpg



So this is my personal take on this. If this is all true there could be a crap load of hats out there
up to 20 people per paying member get hats and you can be in many family's getting many hats. They will be everywhere.

Once again remember to take this for what its worth. I did the screen shots as proof incase this info is wrong someone will see this is what we were told.

Bug

[vmkfan13]

I would just include everyone in my family pack, if that's possible?

[Dreamytime]

I love Firefox because you have the option of saving web pages complete with their accompanying support docs.

One thing I found of interest is that this is the clearinghouse they are using for their payments: http://www.esecpayments.com.au/index.jsp

So, uhm, does that mean on top of the exorbitant amount being charged for something that could have been done better by a DeVry first semester gaming student, are we going to get hit with fees from our VISA companies? :P

So we have a New Mexico company, doing business out of New Jersey with a Credit Card processing clearinghouse based in Australia..... Oo I'm so using this as a the bases of a book if Dan Brown doesn't beat me to it.... "The Delusional Code".

The appropriate color kool-aid would be pink to match my couch.

[stitchon]

I am speechless.....well almost.

IMO vfk has preyed on the vmk community. They've made empty promises at a time when we are all very gullible and hurting over vmk closing and now think they have ppl where they want them and ZZZZZZ like a bug zapper its time to pay.

How can they even consider asking for monies when there are so many guest names, friend list dont work, no map, how many got their beta shirt yet even? The game is not even ready to leave beta let alone charge even one cent. Yea yea you can still play free basic big deal.

Someone talk some sense in to these little dudes that are beggin for money from their parents. Donate to charity rofl, yea the vfk charity lol.

How sad.
Dont mean to offend those who enjoy the game, again its just my 2 cents worth (I'll gladly donate that to your favorite charity).
Rob
:mad:

Exactly. The problem is that all the kids that still believe VFK is the second coming want their parents to buy the packages. I really would love to see a lawsuit erupt should this be a scam.

Heck, quite a few people championed VFK as the best thing since canned bread right here on the Disboards.

[Disney Dreams]

Funny how they say they'll donate to charity, what if it's unavailable all of a sudden?

Okay, I have to say this.

This is one part of the package deal that I really appreciate and would like to give them credit for offering. Having been a former fundraising coordinator for a charity, this is a very nice thing to include (which they don't have to)and I hope EVERY person who decides to get a membership asks for their 10% donation to go to a charity. Every penny adds up for non-profit organizations.

- Dreams

[Goofy05]

Okay, I have to say this.

This is one part of the package deal that I really appreciate and would like to give them credit for offering. Having been a former fundraising coordinator for a charity, this is a very nice thing to include (which they don't have to)and I hope EVERY person who decides to get a membership asks for their 10% donation to go to a charity. Every penny adds up for non-profit organizations.

- Dreams

I'm all for donating to charity, but how do we really know anything's been donated? Take them at their word? Sorry, but I simply can't do that. I will donate to the charities that I wish to donate to, not hope that some random game will do that for me.
Noble cause, but I remain skeptical.

[TinkPinkPoem]

sigh... they are paying @_@ I am in awe honestly. I know some are members here.

:eek:


Well....

Some seem to view it this way:
- (the following is my paraphrase of a post) After speaking with Gail [guessing this is a VFK developer???] on the phone the Founding Membership is great deal because you get a free trial for 4 months to try the V.I.P Pass. As for the $47, it's paying for the T-shirt and the DVD! Its an opening of new doors for beta players!


By browsing the forum, from what I understood, Gail is the phone lady.




IMO vfk has preyed on the vmk community. They've made empty promises at a time when we are all very gullible and hurting over vmk closing and now think they have ppl where they want them and ZZZZZZ like a bug zapper its time to pay.

How can they even consider asking for monies when there are so many guest names, friend list dont work, no map, how many got their beta shirt yet even? The game is not even ready to leave beta let alone charge even one cent. Yea yea you can still play free basic big deal.

Someone talk some sense in to these little dudes that are beggin for money from their parents. Donate to charity rofl, yea the vfk charity lol.

How sad.
Dont mean to offend those who enjoy the game, again its just my 2 cents worth (I'll gladly donate that to your favorite charity).
Rob
:mad:

I couldn't agree more, Rob.



I love Firefox because you have the option of saving web pages complete with their accompanying support docs.

One thing I found of interest is that this is the clearinghouse they are using for their payments: http://www.esecpayments.com.au/index.jsp

So, uhm, does that mean on top of the exorbitant amount being charged for something that could have been done better by a DeVry first semester gaming student, are we going to get hit with fees from our VISA companies? :P

So we have a New Mexico company, doing business out of New Jersey with a Credit Card processing clearinghouse based in Australia..... Oo I'm so using this as a the bases of a book if Dan Brown doesn't beat me to it.... "The Delusional Code".

The appropriate color kool-aid would be pink to match my couch.

This speaks volumes about the way things are handled. I am really skeptical and worried for those who signed up.

Please people, think a hundred times before acting on their 'offer'.

[TinkPinkPoem]

I would also like to add that it's really sad that kids think they are obliged to help them continue the development and feel like they are doing a noble thing by funding them. I saw that on the game forum, there is a thread dedicated to it.

I would hate to watch them have their hopes crushed and their feelings hurt.:sad2:

[aengus]

Yes the sales pitch is a good one ROFL

We would like to thank all of our beta testers by having you pay us!

Be the envy of the kingdom @_@

[PrincessNoelle]

This game lost our interest a long time ago. In VMK, I was as cute as a button. princess: In VFK, I look like a zombie. My daughter is still a guest so even if she found any friends, they wouldn't know her.

I would NEVER pay to play this game. I have been suspicious from the beginning as to how they were paying for this. What they are doing now is just wrong.

[debbi801]

Color me dumb, but why as a parent would I pay for my child to be able to get on this game AFTER HOURS? :confused3 That's one thing I don't get, as far as parents paying for their kids to have this premier membership. :confused: After hours, I want my kids off the computer. :rotfl:

There is no way I'd pay for this game.

And it is nice to see (after looking at Bug's screen shots) that the staff is not immune to that oh-so-cute incredibly shrinking person bug.

[aengus]

And it is nice to see (after looking at Bug's screen shots) that the staff is not immune to that oh-so-cute incredibly shrinking person bug.

thats no bug, thats a feature now since you all liked it so much. BUT only for our premium members :rotfl:

[GoofyWaterCoaster]

Hi,

Ok I did some question asking.I will start off by saying I take what staff say with a grain of salt. They do not always know what is going on. With that said I am going to VMK_Surfer on the hot seat here. She has been on for many hours tonight in a room helping people get their titles and answering questions. I hate to bother them but today's developments i could not help my self. So first thing I asked her was who gets the hats? Do just the founding member or the family members to. Her asnswer:

http://xs229.xs.to/xs229/08272/whogetshats732.jpg


Next I asked her if you can be in more then 1 family? Her answer to me was:

http://xs229.xs.to/xs229/08272/more_then1fam2672.jpg


The the last question and this one surprised me. If i am added to 2 families do I get a hat from each family? Her answer:

http://xs229.xs.to/xs229/08272/eachfam322.jpg



So this is my personal take on this. If this is all true there could be a crap load of hats out there
up to 20 people per paying member get hats and you can be in many family's getting many hats. They will be everywhere.

Once again remember to take this for what its worth. I did the screen shots as proof incase this info is wrong someone will see this is what we were told.

Bug

"Items may change due to availability"

They may only have 1 in their virtual stock ;)

[GoofyWaterCoaster]

Yes the sales pitch is a good one ROFL

We would like to thank all of our beta testers by having you pay us!

Be the envy of the kingdom @_@

:lmao:

[GoofyWaterCoaster]

I love Firefox because you have the option of saving web pages complete with their accompanying support docs.

One thing I found of interest is that this is the clearinghouse they are using for their payments: http://www.esecpayments.com.au/index.jsp

So, uhm, does that mean on top of the exorbitant amount being charged for something that could have been done better by a DeVry first semester gaming student, are we going to get hit with fees from our VISA companies? :P

So we have a New Mexico company, doing business out of New Jersey with a Credit Card processing clearinghouse based in Australia..... Oo I'm so using this as a the bases of a book if Dan Brown doesn't beat me to it.... "The Delusional Code".

The appropriate color kool-aid would be pink to match my couch.

Wow....

I checked it with McAfee SiteAdvisor, and it's not even been tested. Obviously a new website.

Very sketchy

I'll check out WHOIS

Oh, and BTW, virtualfamilykingdom.com is rated yellow...

[GoofyWaterCoaster]

Whois lookup for http://www.esecpayments.com.au.....

Not valid

So, I looked up the homepage, com.au (it can't have two extentions, can it?)

so, com.au, data not present

EXTREMELY sketchy in my opinion

[aengus]

I think the company in australia is just a 3rd party billing company, that really isnt a concern, well as long as they are reputable I mean ROFL.

Thats not out of the ordinary, I can see why they wouldnt have the ability to run credit cards themselves.

again I am not vouching for the credability of that billing website, I just wanted to let you all know thats not out of the ordinary to be setup this way.

[NedsTJ]

I don't know too much about this sorta stuff, but I do know that I've been conditioned by TPTB to never type in a credit card number or personal information on a screen that does not display the LOCK icon on the information bar of internet explorer....per the help of IE7

Get information about Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificates

When you connect to a commerce website, such as a bank or bookseller, Internet Explorer uses a secure connection that uses Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) technology to encrypt the transaction. The encryption is based on a certificate that provides Internet Explorer with the information it needs to communicate securely with the website. Certificates also identify the website and owner or company.

You can view a certificate to validate the identity of a website before providing personal or financial information to an online business.

To validate the identity of a website


Open Internet Explorer.
Go to the website that you want to validate.
Click the Lock icon , which is located to the right of the Address bar.
Basic certificate information (for example, the name and address of the website owner and information about who certified the site) will be displayed. To see additional information, click View Certificates.

Note

If a lock icon does not appear in the Address bar in step 3 above, the connection is not secure and should not enter personal or financial information.


If someone wants to correct me that the site is safe, I'll note it as such....

BTW...I feel as if they are just preying on the kids "wanting" to get the early beta stuff...not very cool at all. And asking for money when the game isn't even 25% complete? Please...deleted from my favorites list, LOL...

[Bugdozer]

Wow....

I checked it with McAfee SiteAdvisor, and it's not even been tested. Obviously a new website.

Very sketchy

I'll check out WHOIS

Oh, and BTW, virtualfamilykingdom.com is rated yellow...

what does yellow mean?

[HeDiedxILive]

They said we could donate to our churches... I wonder if anyone chose this option. It would be interesting to check with the church to see if that money ever came in.

Of course they probably donate anonymously, right? :rolleyes:

If this was through PayPal I'd have half a mind to try out the $10 option and see if my church recieves the whopping $1 donation.

[Bugdozer]

Hi,

A friend of mine called and spoke to VFK last night. He was told a few things. I debated while in bed last night if it is my place to say anything or not. After a lot of thought I feel the information is important enough to tell it here.

Remember that I got this information form a friend and did not myself talk directly with the people of VFK.

My friend talked to a lady at VFK and was told the following:

So first off when you pay you get everything but the Horse and the stable room.

The people in your family will receive the hat and spinning wheel. Last night you could not add family yet. She said they had not made that link live but it was going to work in a couple of hours. So I guess we wait and see if any members can post if they are able to add people to their family.

You can be a member in more then 1 family and as far as she knew you get a hat and spinning wheel for every family you are in.

You membership does not start ticking down until the game goes live. So if you pay now you are not using up your "free" months yet.

There will be a link on the home page to access your family control board will you can change preferences and add or remove people.

ok this is the biggie and most important in my eyes:

When the 48 hours is up and the clock stops ticking the game will open to all people on waiting list. They will not be doing away with founding members. You can still become a Founding member and pay the fee you just will not receive the special horse and the bonus 20,000 credits. So i find it interesting that they are pressuring the heck out of us and no where does it state that you can still become a founding member after the 48 hours.



That is the important stuff I can remember. If anything else comes up i will edit this posting. Also I am not supporting anything in anyway. I hope they make it but have WIDE open eyes and watch closely.


Bug

[JulyGirl]

Color me dumb, but why as a parent would I pay for my child to be able to get on this game AFTER HOURS? :confused3 That's one thing I don't get, as far as parents paying for their kids to have this premier membership. :confused: After hours, I want my kids off the computer. :rotfl:


I don't think that feature was geared towards the little ones. Just before the big announcement, our own Pink stated:

On another note, I just want to say that one thing I LOVE about VFK is the ability to sign into single player mode during off hours to practice this game. No more frustration with ppl blocking the entrances as I try to navigate my way to the game, and no more ppl blocking my hummer so that I'm completely unable to play and have no choice but to go back to home and start my way over again. Thank you! (There's a positive that VMK never had )

I wouldn't be surprised if they saw that here and decided to make that a paying feature.:sad2:

[Horse]

Ok, my two cents.

I've had a positive outlook on the game up to this point, play it almost every day, and have been enjoying it with my fiance. I would like nothing more than to support it. I agree with everyone that it is premature to start asking to pay $10 a month for a game at this level of development.

First, I wanted to call them and clear a few things up before making a decision about being a paying member. Being a typical suspicious New Yorker, I blocked my phone number when I called them yesterday. Not about to have my number potentially sold to telemarketers or whoever. Three times I called and a woman answered at VFK, I got a sentence or two out, then the line went dead. Never got one question out. Used my phone a bunch of other times during the day to call other people without a problem. Hmm, were they hoping I would call back and unblock my number? Red flag number one.

Next, the unsecure website where we send our credit card info over the internet. No https: there with the lock icon and green address bar that should be present any time you send your financial information to anyone on the net. Anyone remember in an early form of their Terms of Service when we first signed up that they will not be held accountable if they lose or if anyone steals your credit card information? I do.;)

They opted not to use a highly reputable company like Paypal for the transmission of payment. And it's going to a company called AIRCON in Australia. I Googled that company and it sells air conditioners. :confused3

Do I have doubts of what you will be receiving in the mail from them? Yes. "Features may change depending on availability" scares me. This would allow them to replace at their discretion all of the items you think you would be getting.

The shirt does not say youth or adult, it's just a generic size dropdown box, so I am doubtful a shirt will even come. With a family game, they should have both youth and adult shirts available.

Next, one part of the site says you get a totebag (no mention of a shirt) and on another page it says t-shirt with no mention of the totebag. And who knows what the pin looks like. No picture of it. It could be a little cheap piece of plastic that just has the letters VFK stamped on it.

Finally, is the "hurry, offer ends soon" push. Never a good sign.

So, I am going with my gut instinct and not sending any money. I really hope I am wrong because I don't want to see any more hurt inflicted upon our VMK community. We've gone through enough in the past two months.

[JulyGirl]

I just took a little stroll in the "kingdom" and you'd be surprised at the number of people walking around with the platinum hat. Some were adult players I recognized from VMK. I also saw a boy upset that his new hat is non-tradeable. Seems the KoolAid is being devoured.

[Horse]

I got the AIRCON in Australia info from a member in a VFK forum who was questioning why their payment had gone to that company and not VFK directly. I'm not talking about who is the middleman for your payment. I'm talking about who is getting paid. I don't post links that send you to another forum, but with a little searching, you will be able to find it too.

I did a search for AIRCON and Australia and the air conditioner company is who comes up. Maybe there's another AIRCON in Australia, but it still makes no sense for the money to be sent to another county. The CON part of the company name really makes me cringe.

[aengus]

I just deleted several posts and its because I just found something in the data capture I did NOT like at all

I dont think its secure and its probably becasue of the link you have to vfk

let me show you what I found

EPS_MERCHANT=ADA0022
EPS_RESULTURL=http://www.virtualfamilykingdom.com/sale_res.php
EPS_REDIRECT=true
EPS_VERSION=2
EPS_INFOEMAIL=creditreply@virtualfamilykingdom.com
EPS_REFERENCEID=20080702-2495
EPS_AMOUNT=4700
EPS_CARDNUMBER=111111111
EPS_CARDTYPE=visa
EPS_EXPIRYMONTH=1
EPS_EXPIRYYEAR=2008
EPS_NAMEONCARD=notme honest
EPS_CCV=812
submit= Purchase



--------------------------
that was all captured in CLEAR TEXT! NOT SECURE!

DONT DO IT!

ETA: the posts I deleted were related to me saying it was secure if anyone is wondering, I dont want people to only see that part and not realize I found more. Not trying to hide anything honest.

[GoofyWaterCoaster]

Wow how sad

aengus, do I have permission to copy that onto the other forums?

[GoofyWaterCoaster]

what does yellow mean?

Yellow means "caution"

"Our analysis found that this site may be promoted through spammy e-mail."

[Imagineer_Tech]

I just deleted several posts and its because I just found something in the data capture I did NOT like at all

I dont think its secure and its probably becasue of the link you have to vfk

let me show you what I found

EPS_MERCHANT=ADA0022
EPS_RESULTURL=http://www.virtualfamilykingdom.com/sale_res.php
EPS_REDIRECT=true
EPS_VERSION=2
EPS_INFOEMAIL=creditreply@virtualfamilykingdom.com
EPS_REFERENCEID=20080702-2495
EPS_AMOUNT=4700
EPS_CARDNUMBER=111111111
EPS_CARDTYPE=visa
EPS_EXPIRYMONTH=1
EPS_EXPIRYYEAR=2008
EPS_NAMEONCARD=notme honest
EPS_CCV=812
submit= Purchase



--------------------------
that was all captured in CLEAR TEXT! NOT SECURE!

DONT DO IT!

This means what and like goofy said may I copy it to other forums?

[Horse]

I just deleted several posts and its because I just found something in the data capture I did NOT like at all

I dont think its secure and its probably becasue of the link you have to vfk

let me show you what I found

EPS_MERCHANT=ADA0022
EPS_RESULTURL=http://www.virtualfamilykingdom.com/sale_res.php
EPS_REDIRECT=true
EPS_VERSION=2
EPS_INFOEMAIL=creditreply@virtualfamilykingdom.com
EPS_REFERENCEID=20080702-2495
EPS_AMOUNT=4700
EPS_CARDNUMBER=111111111
EPS_CARDTYPE=visa
EPS_EXPIRYMONTH=1
EPS_EXPIRYYEAR=2008
EPS_NAMEONCARD=notme honest
EPS_CCV=812
submit= Purchase



--------------------------
that was all captured in CLEAR TEXT! NOT SECURE!

DONT DO IT!

I'm telling you Aengus, I have a bad feeling in my stomach.

Also, the page where you enter and send your credit card info is not a secure https: page. The next page may be, but people are still sending info to the secure page via an unsecure one.

PS: It is AIRCON Direct, not just AIRCON. Feel free to check it out. And I just bumped the thread over there if anyone wants to go look for it.

[PrincessNoelle]

Yellow means "caution"

"Our analysis found that this site may be promoted through spammy e-mail."


And never eat "yellow" snow! :laughing:


Sorry I couldn't resist.

[Imagineer_Tech]

Would the vmk staff we know and love actually be in on such a scheme?

[Cardinal]

Would the vmk staff we know and love actually be in on such a scheme?

As far as I know, there was never any proof that the staff members in VFK were the staff members in VMK. They probably just passed themselves off as the old staff members to create a sense of trust within the community.

[Bugdozer]

Would the vmk staff we know and love actually be in on such a scheme?

You never really know the person behind the screen. I would hope they would not but maybe they are being blindsided and being told fairytales....

[TinkPinkPoem]

I did a search for AIRCON and Australia and the air conditioner company is who comes up. Maybe there's another AIRCON in Australia, but it still makes no sense for the money to be sent to another county. The CON part of the company name really makes me cringe.

For some weird reason it makes me cringe too.:eek:


I just deleted several posts and its because I just found something in the data capture I did NOT like at all

I dont think its secure and its probably becasue of the link you have to vfk

let me show you what I found

EPS_MERCHANT=ADA0022
EPS_RESULTURL=http://www.virtualfamilykingdom.com/sale_res.php
EPS_REDIRECT=true
EPS_VERSION=2
EPS_INFOEMAIL=creditreply@virtualfamilykingdom.com
EPS_REFERENCEID=20080702-2495
EPS_AMOUNT=4700
EPS_CARDNUMBER=111111111
EPS_CARDTYPE=visa
EPS_EXPIRYMONTH=1
EPS_EXPIRYYEAR=2008
EPS_NAMEONCARD=notme honest
EPS_CCV=812
submit= Purchase



--------------------------
that was all captured in CLEAR TEXT! NOT SECURE!

DONT DO IT!

ETA: the posts I deleted were related to me saying it was secure if anyone is wondering, I dont want people to only see that part and not realize I found more. Not trying to hide anything honest.


Oh my!:scared1:


As far as the posts are concerned it's all okay by me, I understand:thumbsup2



Would the vmk staff we know and love actually be in on such a scheme?


That would be mere speculation and totally unfounded to suggest such thing! :eek:

[Bugdozer]

As far as I know, there was never any proof that the staff members in VFK were the staff members in VMK. They probably just passed themselves off as the old staff members to create a sense of trust within the community.

They are them. I can not say how I know this but I have a reputation here and would not lie-they are who they say they are.
Bug

[TinkPinkPoem]

As far as I know, there was never any proof that the staff members in VFK were the staff members in VMK. They probably just passed themselves off as the old staff members to create a sense of trust within the community.


You never really know the person behind the screen. I would hope they would not but maybe they are being blindsided and being told fairytales....


True, but it's still unfounded to suggest something like that.

[bevgray]

How do you know they were actually VMK staff? It's the internet. You can be anyone you want to be. I know some DIS members have said that it must be Fin because this person knows "stuff only Fin would know". Unfortunately, it is very easy to play off dialogue and have you say the bulk of what this person needs to masquerade. Even easier to go through the DIS and spot those who "knew" staff and posted all those cute little screen shots with them.

Or, perhaps, if the VMK folks were hired, they're as much in the dark as anyone.

Sorry guys, this is pure snake oil salesmanship. True bait and switch and they are now asking for money with vague promises of things to come when they never delivered on the first set of promises. As to the argument that maybe they aren't set up to handle credit cards...that's why the internet deities invented PayPal. It probably costs them no more than this other outfit (if it even exists). Just red flags all over the place.

[SharkMeal]

I'm about to cry about all of the innocent kids that don't believe you :sad2: :sad1:

Agreed. :(

I used to be positive about VFK but this just brings out the storm in me. I'm
disgusted with VFK to the max. They are fools, and whoever buys this family
package is a fool and needs to get their brain back from ebay.

Unfortunately in the VFK-based forums (VFK Forums, VFK Magic, VFK Fan Forums, everybody is buying it. Or at least
trying to convince their parents. :sad2: What a nightmare.

I really don't know where to go now for my online gaming. This is the only
thing that appealed to me. They had a chance but they have no experience
whatsoever in making online games. This will not last more than 3 years. And
it is most likely a scam. It makes me so angry and confused. :mad:

[Bugdozer]

True, but it's still unfounded to suggest something like that.

I am not suggesting anything-we all need to keep breathing deeply and keep our eyes wide open.
Bug

[TinkPinkPoem]

I am not suggesting anything-we all need to keep breathing deeply and keep are eyes wide open.
Bug

I know you don't. And we need to stay alert.:thumbsup2

[SharkMeal]

Oh I am so mad. I tell people to be careful this could be a scam and they
are all like "how can it be a scam look its secure and they are working hard
give them a break this is a good deal blah blah blah" They don't know what
they are getting into. I CAN'T WAIT until they get scammed.

[GoofyWaterCoaster]

Oh I am so mad. I tell people to be careful this could be a scam and they
are all like "how can it be a scam look its secure and they are working hard
give them a break this is a good deal blah blah blah" They don't know what
they are getting into. I CAN'T WAIT until they get scammed.

Hey... we don't want anyone to get scammed

You better edit that

[SharkMeal]

Hey... we don't want anyone to get scammed

You better edit that

I don't WANT anyone getting scammed but people are flaming me for telling
them to be careful and to not buy the family vip thing. Now I can't wait until
they do get scammed, see who gets the last laugh. :eek: This whole situation
makes me miss VMK more does anyone feel the same :(

[JulyGirl]

Oh I am so mad. I tell people to be careful this could be a scam and they
are all like "how can it be a scam look its secure and they are working hard
give them a break this is a good deal blah blah blah" They don't know what
they are getting into. I CAN'T WAIT until they get scammed.

Aww.:hug: I know you really don't want to see people get scammed. You are just hurt and confused by the game that was supposed to replace VMK in our hearts. I'm hoping that VFK makes good on its promises to those who are giving money to them. I'm thinking VFK is just a poorly run business without a clue. A scam? Well, if they close their doors anytime soon, yes I would have to call the entire thing a scam.

[Imagineer_Tech]

http://i29.tinypic.com/2dhzmsn.jpg

Furthering my doubts that vmk staff are acutally there.

[Imagineer_Tech]

GRRRRR I hate that entire board VFKFF they flamed me aengus ans shark and i'm not ok. I hope each and everyone on their that paid gets scammed!! Watch it happen!!

EDIT : I AGREE WITH SHARK!

[cyre]

http://i29.tinypic.com/2dhzmsn.jpg

Furthering my doubts that vmk staff are acutally there.

It's the staff we know. I don't doubt this. 100% sure. As for Willa's comment there, that was awful harsh and uncalled for. But as human beings, things can irritate us after a while, and Im sure all the frustrations and anger from all this have gotten to them as well. They're all just the messengers...

Also wanted to say thank you to all of you for investigating everything going on with this site. Further cements my decision not to pay. I sure hope it's not a scam, as i have several friends that have paid. Me personally I have better things to spend $47 on. Like SmallWorlds, Sociotown, and Pirates. Fully developed games. We can sit down on small worlds and socio. lol

[SharkMeal]

GRRRRR I hate that entire board VFKFF they flamed me aengus ans shark and i'm not ok. I hope each and everyone on their that paid gets scammed!! Watch it happen!!

-gets out the popcorn:: -

[Bugdozer]

http://i29.tinypic.com/2dhzmsn.jpg

Furthering my doubts that vmk staff are acutally there.

The staff were told 3 days before the rest of us that VMK was closing. I am sure they are bitter that they were thrown out in the street. They were not employees of Disney so they were out of a job. Her saying that proves to me that they are resentful to VMK and I understand why.

Bug

[cyre]

The staff were told 3 days before the rest of us that VMK was closing. I am sure they are bitter that they were thrown out in the street. They were not employees of Disney so they were out of a job. Her saying that proves to me that they are resentful to VMK and I understand why.

Bug


Very well said, Bug. Didn't think of it that way.

[TinkPinkPoem]

It's the staff we know. I don't doubt this. 100% sure. As for Willa's comment there, that was awful harsh and uncalled for.

I agree.

I had never ran into Willa in vmk and I don't know what she is like. However I can recall that despite the fact that the staff found out about the closing when we did they handled it with grace. That was not so nice of her to say to the community in my opinion.

[souper]

In the process of finding a new online game/community, I hope that none of the VMKers get hurt or scammed. I'm sure all of you feel the same way.

We are fortunate to have this (Dis, other forums) to share and discuss our findings.

What each person does with the information posted/read is a matter of personal choice.

[cyre]

I agree.

I had never ran into Willa in vmk and I don't know what she is like. However I can recall that despite the fact that the staff found out about the closing when we did they handled it with grace. That was not so nice of her to say to the community in my opinion.

She was there early on, then disappeared for a long time... then came back towards the end of vmk...but not even that much. I saw her once or twice in a host event...

[HeDiedxILive]

Well... apparently that map is coming.

A Note from the Developers
July 2nd, 2008

Our graphic artists are putting the final touches on the map for our world, and our schedule is to have it available to everyone a bit later today.

One of the most exciting projects we have worked on is the creation of horses for our new world. Next week marks the debut of our first horse, the platinum stallion and with it the stable room and the riding field.

Whether it is a leisurely ride, a full gallop, or jumping over obstacles, riding your horse is an experience you will not want to miss.

When we began the work on our horses, we started with motion capture files of real life horse movements as the basis for our horses’ gaits. Coordinating this work with our graphic artists has resulted in the development of horses which have natural movements and are fun to ride.

Your Development Team
Virtual Family Kingdom

[stitchon]

I think the staff possibly don't know it's a scam. Maybe the company is feeding them wrong info? I'd feel really bad for the staff then, they will feel so bad..


Also, I believe Willa was simply making a point. Just because she's bitter about it doesn't mean she was actually on the staff. She could be a player or even a parent.

[TinkPinkPoem]

She was there early on, then disappeared for a long time... then came back towards the end of vmk...but not even that much. I saw her once or twice in a host event...

I don't doubt that she was indeed staff, but I personally never saw her.


Well... apparently that map is coming.

You will supposedly be able to ride the horse, if I understand correctly? When you can't even sit?

[tofubeast]

I think the staff possibly don't know it's a scam. Maybe the company is feeding them wrong info? I'd feel really bad for the staff then, they will feel so bad..



You state this as if it is 100% fact. Right now, none of us know either way. While I agree everything appears to be VERY shady and I would recommend a heck of a lot of caution if anyone were to pay for membership etc... we still do not know for sure this is a scam. I certainly hope it is not.

Maybe it is time for me to dust off my ol' atari 2600. :rotfl:

[aengus]

Good news everyone I am FAMOUS!

WOOT!

here spread this link around to the web sites and let them see it for themselves

http://info.ssl.com/article.aspx?id=10068

Note the domain, I think they are reputable ;) Dont use my post, as you all have seen nobody believes me ROFL


BUT just because its not secure doesnt mean they steal everyone, but your personal information can not be guaranteed. I suggest everyone read that and then they can decide for themselves.

I do not think they are stealing anything from anyone, they are just not protecting your financial information correctly.

ETA: In game they are telling people you can call them and give them the info also, so if you REALLY want this you can just call them up and do it that way.

[TikiIslander]

I don't understand how any community moderation professional could have ever stepped foot in that game. The early days when they had no powers at all? When there was no help button? Seeing unsafe behavior, yet not being able to do anything about it (yet some pretended they could...)- Empty threats of "time out" are just pitiful. It also seems like the communication line between mods and developers is even worse than in VMK- the only information they get is from the homepage, and they're often informed of changes by players. Maybe the real problem is -again- that the producers don't know what they're doing? The moderators look at it as just carrying out orders, whatever they may be?

For the most part, VMK mods were amazing at what they do. If it's the same people from VMK (which i still doubt, even with everyone's confirmed sources), I've lost a lot of respect for them. They basically gave this game their seal of approval by joining up and announcing that they were the same people, and it's awful- safety isn't a priority for the developers. I thought these moderators took pride in their work. I must have been mistaken.

sorry- /rant.

[poohluv2u]

Good news everyone I am FAMOUS!

WOOT!

here spread this link around to the web sites and let them see it for themselves

http://info.ssl.com/article.aspx?id=10068

Note the domain, I think they are reputable ;) Dont use my post, as you all have seen nobody believes me ROFL


BUT just because its not secure doesnt mean they steal everyone, but your personal information can not be guaranteed. I suggest everyone read that and then they can decide for themselves.

I do not think they are stealing anything from anyone, they are just not protecting your financial information correctly.

That is a good thing to know. Did you write this article Aengus?

[aengus]

That is a good thing to know. Did you write this article Aengus?


haha I wish I would not only be famous, then I would be smart too ROFL

[OctoPie]

haha I wish I would not only be famous, then I would be smart too ROFL

Aemgus wanna take the bet see who a better deuler on wizard?

[GoofyWaterCoaster]

http://i29.tinypic.com/2dhzmsn.jpg

Furthering my doubts that vmk staff are acutally there.
Grr.
GRRRRR I hate that entire board VFKFF they flamed me aengus ans shark and i'm not ok. I hope each and everyone on their that paid gets scammed!! Watch it happen!!

EDIT : I AGREE WITH SHARK!
Grr.
It's the staff we know. I don't doubt this. 100% sure. As for Willa's comment there, that was awful harsh and uncalled for. But as human beings, things can irritate us after a while, and Im sure all the frustrations and anger from all this have gotten to them as well. They're all just the messengers...

Also wanted to say thank you to all of you for investigating everything going on with this site. Further cements my decision not to pay. I sure hope it's not a scam, as i have several friends that have paid. Me personally I have better things to spend $47 on. Like SmallWorlds, Sociotown, and Pirates. Fully developed games. We can sit down on small worlds and socio. lol
Grr.

I like sitting down

[GoofyWaterCoaster]

That blue haired monkey was infuriating me

It IS easy to hack.

The security of the site is terrible.

Gosh, I could probably hack it if I wanted to, and I have no experience

There are guides on the web

[HPgal]

Well... apparently that map is coming.

Could somebody post a pic. when it does? (If it does...) lol :laughing: Thx!

[WWEDUDE]

Look,
This game is similar to VMK. We will be getting some great new features that will further it to be closer to VMK. What did we all do when VMK was closing? Say "I would pay to play". Now when we get a site close to VMK, and we are offered to get new features by paying, we are screaming at them. They are not saying we must pay to play, in fact, it is close to the features VMK had without paying. We are getting some NICE features, after-hour playing time, trading rooms. We begged for that on VMK, and we never got that. Now if you like this game, then pay the extra to get a few nice features. If you don't, don't pay for it. Simple as that, the free version is alot nicer than the free versions of many other pay-to-play games.

Just my two cents,
Dude