Virtual Family Kingdom Thread

[Horse]

Belle, I win you lose! You cant change history you can only change your story now go play vfk

OH YOU CANT BECAUSE ITS DOWN AGAIN AS USUAL BHAHAHAHAHAHAAH

You're right. I think I'll go log in and play VMK in the meantime. You know, that game that's still going strong.:lmao:

Sorry, Aengus, but I just couldn't help myself.

[ForeverWDW]

Anyone want to pitch in and get Aengus something better then See Spot Run? This one looks like it may take him a while :

http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/8963/aengusbookec7.jpg

Aengus you may want to read the section "*Survive player vs. player combat" at least twice. Wouldn't want you to complain if someone just happens to use gold ammo on you .. quack quack :lmao:

[aengus]

You're right. I think I'll go log in and play VMK in the meantime. You know, that game that's still going strong.:lmao:

Sorry, Aengus, but I just couldn't help myself.

i gotz a new game ;)

and when i go to its website...its actually there :rotfl:

seriously tho what do you think is going on with even the website not there?

Not even dignifying forevers post with an answer! I mean gosh I had no AMMO in CAPTURE for crying out loud!!!!

[AdventurersClub]

Reality check:

Price of Gas per gallon - $4
Air Fare from Florida to Calafornia - $267
A year subscription of Pirates Online - $80
A game I can't even see my own avatar in - FREE
134 pages about the game - Price less

Some things in life do come free, for everything else, lag is included at no extra charge.

[BBDucky]

i gotz a new game ;)

and when i go to its website...its actually there :rotfl:

seriously tho what do you think is going on with even the website not there?

Not even dignifying forevers post with an answer! I mean gosh I had no AMMO in CAPTURE for crying out loud!!!!


Did you all hear about the big explosion in Houston and a huge internet data center. Over 100,000 internet sites are affected. VFK is one of them obviously this is way beyond their control. The news said it was affecting the south western part of the country. VFK is based out there. So you may make fun of the site being down. That is why their home page and sign in page are down. Just wanted to post so you would know. I dont post here, and i have great respect for this site. But before you put down another site, well enough said.

Go to newsblaze . com for information, i cannot post the link

[ForeverWDW]

Did you all hear about the big explosion in Houston and a huge internet data center. Over 100,000 internet sites are affected. VFK is one of them obviously this is way beyond their control. The news said it was affecting the south western part of the country. VFK is based out there. So you may make fun of the site being down. That is why their home page and sign in page are down. Just wanted to post so you would know. I dont post here, and i have great respect for this site. But before you put down another site, well enough said.

Go to newsblaze . com for information, i cannot post the link

If you happened to have looked at some of the pages you would have know VFK is based out of FL not Houston. Yes they did say they updated and have servers out of Houston but that is not their only place. If I remember right they said they had servers in NY and CA as well? I would check but well .. the site is just gone :rotfl: SO unless that fire spread to FL I thinks we got a problem.

As for putting down VFK I dont believe anyone has. We have joked and complained about their own promises being broken. VFK was not ready to even be launched for beta. They know it and we do too. So instead of getting mad we joke. If you cant handle the jokes find another thread.


BTW ((hugs)) Little Sitting Duck :goodvibes Would you like some cheese with that whine?

[crabbykar]

So when and if VFK site ever come back up what are the hours they are open? I miss VMK!! :worried: I was able to log on to VFK and was stuck on the roof of on of the buildings in the Western town :scared1: !! Oh and Aengus you crack me up please tell us what book you are reading! Please!!

[WDWLIGHTNINGZ]

Site is up for me.

A major update for all of our Beta testers:


As you may have heard in the news, there was a large explosion caused by electrical equipment failure in the H1 data center in Houston that knocked down three walls at about 5:00 PM CDT. Fortunately, and most importantly, no one was injured. In addition, no data was lost and there appears to be no damage to the servers or networking equipment.

You remember when you first started playing that the servers went down? Well that was because of bandwidth, so we went to The Planet, which is recognized as one of the most RELIABLE providers in the world.

As luck would have it we are among an estimated 100,000 websites that are down around the world.

We have been assured that engineers are working around the clock to get the H1 data center back online, and we are told it will resume operation sometime tomorrow, Sunday, June 1st.

We are not going to waste this time though. This gives us the opportunity to complete enhancements we are working on, and add new lands. Our goal is that each day you log into the kingdom, it will be better than the last.

Keep an eye out and make sure you log on when the services are restored, because our world will be better than ever.

We have rerouted the DNS for the WWW server, so that we can share with you what is happening.

However, we do need the bandwidth from the H1 data center in Houston to support all of us in our virtual world.

We will keep you updated about the progress being made in restoring the Houston data center.

Your development team
Virtual Family Kingdom

[Kasiks]

We are not going to waste this time though. This gives us the opportunity to complete enhancements we are working on, and add new lands. Our goal is that each day you log into the kingdom, it will be better than the last.

Is that the reason why it looks so out of human machine interface techniques involved :lmao:

[aengus]

Some of you are going to hate this but...

The update last weekend was to add "serious redundnacy", those were their words. They of course deleted those updates now, as we have all learned history changes. They claimed to be up in TX, CA, and NY for their serious redundancy.

I dont want to make light of anything that occurred in TX, and glad nobody was hurt. They lied to the community either last weekend or this one, I am willing to bet last weekend since they obviously did not have any redundancy.

Sorry for the conspiracy theories but come on...

I finished my book! the title is....

OMG I NEED COFFEE!!! :rolleyes1

Someone who has had their coffee should dig up what last weeks claims were so you can see for yourself.

[LuvN~Travel]

Oh well...either way I bet I still won't be able to get back on the game until tomorrow night when the cable guy is SUPPOSED to bring us a new cable modem. lol
I'm on now only because it will work some on this old computer, some..not a lot mind you! lol And forget any major bandwidth type sites, i.e. gaming.;)
But, at least I can get on some this weekend, last week this one wouldn't work any!:rotfl2:
I sure can't wait to get on and change my poor character's clothes....she must be a mess by now! :lmao:
Beta would be a lot more fun with a fully working modem!lol

And hey, for those who say we make fun of the game, we did that with vmk too, all the time didn't we? lol
Kim

[Belle1997]

Some of you are going to hate this but...

The update last weekend was to add "serious redundnacy", those were their words. They of course deleted those updates now, as we have all learned history changes. They claimed to be up in TX, CA, and NY for their serious redundancy.

I dont want to make light of anything that occurred in TX, and glad nobody was hurt. They lied to the community either last weekend or this one, I am willing to bet last weekend since they obviously did not have any redundancy.



SORRY Anegus I read it differently I read they had servers in all those places. Not got rid of them. I read serious redunancy to but did not associated that with the other places. I thought they were there to give it more power. Like VMK had servers in many locations.

I have no idea ho many servers you need for a game lik this just read it differently. Thought they added those sites for more power and bydoing so got rid of the redundancy at the same tme. :confused3

[aengus]

SORRY Anegus I read it differently I read they had servers in all those places. Not got rid of them. I read serious redunancy to but did not associated that with the other places. I thought they were there to give it more power. Like VMK had servers in many locations.

I have no idea ho many servers you need for a game lik this just read it differently. Thought they added those sites for more power and bydoing so got rid of the redundancy at the same tme. :confused3

redundancy is to prevent a single point of failure belle. I install routers for a living ;)

[Vary]

Another update from the developers:

We now have our servers working in New Mexico, New York and backup servers in Dallas. This gives us both the bandwidth we need, and serious redundancy.

We will be doing live tests throughout the night, so if you happen to get into the virtual world, keep in mind it will only be up for a few minutes for any one test.Posted around 8am disboards time on May 28.

The Texas servers were supposed to have been the backups, in case something went wrong in New York or New Mexico. If that were the case, the game wouldn't have gone down yesterday.

[aengus]

Posted around 8am disboards time on May 28.

The Texas servers were supposed to have been the backups, in case something went wrong in New York or New Mexico. If that were the case, the game wouldn't have gone down yesterday.

thank you ;)

[Belle1997]

ok thank you for your input now even more confused at what they are doing? Well still in wait and see mode but starting too lose a little faith this will work. But still not giving up I am sure the Wright brothers had many a try at airplane building and maybe were not so honest when they made obvious mistakes.

[aengus]

ok thank you for your input now even more confused at what they are doing? Well still in wait and see mode but starting too lose a little faith this will work. But still not giving up I am sure the Wright brothers had many a try at airplane building and maybe were not so honest when they made obvious mistakes.

yes, I dont think this means they cant build a great game. They do however have some serious issues at just being straight forward with us is all. VMK had some problems with that as well, it would be nice if a game company would learn from that mistake is all.

[Belle1997]

Maybe the issue is they are being watched with eagle eyes and they are trying to not dscourage everyone. Like if they said we have some issue we have not encountered because we never made a game like this before. We have figured out how to fix them. But this will take lots of time. We are learning as we go. Please be patient with us a we figure our way through this.

I for one would still stay. I believe many will say no way. See it is a scam they have no idea what they are doing. This is a waste of time.

I guess because they started off on the wrong foot which I believe was not intended for malice just rushing in a sayng wait there is hope we can do it.

This big mistake has caused them lots of issues from then on. If they had not done this but came out with a site Like they did that showed their new worlds to be. I think many a conversation on Dis would e different.

That started this whole scam thing that has constantly followed them. They are trying so hard that they realized thier updates were not even close so deleted them. Maybe tryng to tart anew:confused3

I do not think they are trying to scam us. This is a whole new thing but having nay sayers constantly attacking their mstakes I am sure does not help.

I think once they get the game going then it is time to critize. Yes we all got the warnings be cautious basically they may have bit off more than they can chew:goodvibes

And really was VMK any different with their web changes going from participant prize to not even participant. Yes they did this like the next day over and over till they got it right in their minds.

To me next day change or last week change is the same thing once it has been change with no note of it being change they both change our view of history.

[SharkMeal]

Boy am I confused with this thread @_@

It's been talking about canadian's burning down the white house to some
coffee book to VFK's back up servers. XD

Anyway whatever the case, I just hope they can fix this, and use the time
for developing things in the game or some needed rest...

[NedsTJ]

http://www.nedsplace.com/images/conspiracy1.jpg

This is not implying that I think there is anything untoward going on with the VFK people...but others may disagree... popcorn::
(yes I know this adds very little to the conversation...!!)

[Vary]

Maybe the issue is they are being watched with eagle eyes and they are trying to not dscourage everyone. Like if they said we have some issue we have not encountered because we never made a game like this before. We have figured out how to fix them. But this will take lots of time. We are learning as we go. Please be patient with us a we figure our way through this.

I for one would still stay. I believe many will say no way. See it is a scam they have no idea what they are doing. This is a waste of time.

I guess because they started off on the wrong foot which I believe was not intended for malice just rushing in a sayng wait there is hope we can do it.

This big mistake has caused them lots of issues from then on. If they had not done this but came out with a site Like they did that showed their new worlds to be. I think many a conversation on Dis would e different.

That started this whole scam thing that has constantly followed them. They are trying so hard that they realized thier updates were not even close so deleted them. Maybe tryng to tart anew:confused3

I do not think they are trying to scam us. This is a whole new thing but having nay sayers constantly attacking their mstakes I am sure does not help.

I think once they get the game going then it is time to critize. Yes we all got the warnings be cautious basically they may have bit off more than they can chew:goodvibes

And really was VMK any different with their web changes going from participant prize to not even participant. Yes they did this like the next day over and over till they got it right in their minds.

To me next day change or last week change is the same thing once it has been change with no note of it being change they both change our view of history.They said the game was family-friendly and safe from the day it opened. It was not and still isn't. The 'help' tool appeared suddenly after the game had been open and chat had been at least semi-functional for several days; it was clearly not functional and still clearly isn't. I've tried it myself, as have other members who've posted here since it was put up. It was obviously just slapped together because of the outcry about dangerous things happening in the game, and for some reason it seems to have satisfied an awful lot of people.

That is not a small matter. The whole 'participation prize' thing is simply not in the same league. They are, as we saw from the disturbing incidents brought up a few days ago, gambling with the safety of the young people they claim to be protecting. This is not a minor mistake or miscommunication. This a show of blatant disregard for member safety. That says to me that they're more interested in cashing in on a community looking for a new place to play than they are in making a good, safe vw. They have a very, very long way to go to make up for that.

[osmello]

I am not really sure why the site is down, since they are so secretive about the whole thing. But what I do know is this: we have all been given a wonderful opportunity to be on the ground floor of a game that may be very similar to one we all knew and loved. I am sorry disney chose not to support us and continue with vmk. But I think we should all get behind the development team of this new world, and stop referring to the old. Change is good...change is good...change is good (are you receiving sub-liminal messages yet?) I am a long time disney fan, but we need to give this a chance to develop. I just wish we knew who this company is and what they really do, which would probably make the transitions easier for all of us.

[souper]

Just my 2 cents...

I've been pretty quiet as I have never seen a game evolve before. I never had the expectation that VFK would be perfect from the start. In life, I try to use think of the glass as being half full, not half empty. I see the gradual improvements as a positive. I see VFK making the time to post updates on their web site as communication.

Personally, I appreciate the opportunity to watch what my very well be my future virtual community grow and develop. Not all of my VMK friends are on Dis, or in another game I have been trying. Therefore, I also see my time exploring/testing VFK as an opportunity to stay in touch with them.

(Happy hops off her soap box.)

Hope all of you have a great day.

[jasonpwns]

Removed

[monsterkitty]

check under the couch.. ;)

Yes, I saw the remote under the pink couch that is disguised as a rock. You should look there.

Oh, wait! You can't because we can't get in!


signed,
a person who either needs to get a life or find a better on-line game. :worried:

[SharkMeal]

Yes, I saw the remote under the pink couch that is disguised as a rock. You should look there.

Oh, wait! You can't because we can't get in!


signed,
a person who either needs to get a life or find a better on-line game. :worried:

1. It's BETA. They're worrying about the important bugs other than a rock
named pink couch.

2. It's not VFK's fault that the H1 Data Center in Houston exploded and
caught on fire!!

If you don't want to deal with the word beta, then yes you should find
either find another online game that is finished, or enjoy the fresh air outside. ;)

[jasonpwns]

People on dis can't take some down time


Vmk goes down for 1 hour there all complaining at disney, VFK goes down and now you are the victims? When the people at VFK were the one's paying for the server's last time I checked your not paying anything :)

Also I'm glad nobody got hurt at the explosion

[TinkPinkPoem]

You want a perfect game?
beta test
Definition

Second level, external pilot-test of a product (usually a software) before commercial quantity production. At the beta test stage, the product has already passed through the first-level, internal pilot-test (alpha test) and glaring defects have been removed. But (since the product may still have some minor problems that require user participation) it is released to selected customers for testing under normal, everyday conditions of use to spot the remaining flaws.

Since when was a beta test perfect?


Forgot to add the back-up server is to gain bandwidth when there's tons of people on not just to BACKUP if the main server's going down.

And aengus router's don't always deal with servers.

Hmm excuse me but "over 50,000 players" is not selected customers.

And the big red letters come across as shouting.

[jasonpwns]

Removed, sorry tink

[TinkPinkPoem]

Yes it is,

They can select 1 million people if they wanted to

Do you know what the definition of selected is?

Let me pull another definition

Select: to choose from a number or group : pick out intransitive verb : to make a choice

They can choose how many people they want to make a selection

Spend less time on the computer and more time paying attention in school.

Wow that was mean.

I am not a native english speaker. In fact this board, among other things, is helping me keep up with the language.

You could defend their decision, but honestly, there is no need to tell people off like that.

[vmkfan13]

Yes it is,

They can select 1 million people if they wanted to

Do you know what the definition of selected is?

Let me pull another definition

Select: to choose from a number or group : pick out intransitive verb : to make a choice

They can choose how many people they want to make a selection

Spend less time on the computer and more time paying attention in school.

No need to be mean..
It's not selected, it was some what open..

[Vary]

I don't know about anyone else, but I don't want a perfect game. I want a game that at least attempts to deliver on one very important promise - safety. I'm very suspicious of a game that's aimed at children and yet takes online safety so lightly. 'It's beta' is not a valid excuse here. If they couldn't be bothered to get their moderation system working before they enabled chat, they should have opened their early tests to adults only. Anything else is shockingly irresponsible.

There are people on the internet who will try to take advantage of kids. It's not exactly common, but it happens. They even tried it in VMK - that's why the game was crawling with moderators every moment it was open. Having rules isn't enough. You have to have a way of enforcing them. Right now, VFK does not. Instead, they decided to claim to have hired 80% of VMK's mods (and sorry, everyone, but I think it should be clear that you're being misled on that point). They hoped telling everyone the game was run by the same people as vmk was would make everyone believe the game was as safe as VMK, and that they wouldn't have to worry about little things like safety features.

If it were just buggy gameplay it would be different. If the game was boring, but safe, I'd say let them work on it at their own pace. But they're wasting their time adding new clothing options when they should be making their game safe. Why? I can only think of one explanation: they don't careYes it is,

They can select 1 million people if they wanted to

Do you know what the definition of selected is?

Let me pull another definition

Select: to choose from a number or group : pick out intransitive verb : to make a choice

They can choose how many people they want to make a selection

Spend less time on the computer and more time paying attention in school.Completely uncalled for, jason. Don't be rude. She's right; they opened up Beta signups to anyone who wanted to join. That's not 'selected customers.' That's anyone who got their name in before they turned off the form.

[Belle1997]

maybe we should just use this thread for now to post updates on the site when it is working, what is new, or any bugs that are funny etc.

We seem very split on this issue of this game. It is getting us no where. Some are very upset with how VFK opened and how they are running it. Others sit in the middle but are getting upset with all the negativity. And others are full the other side of they are doing ok give them a break.

This is not going to change anytme soon. That way we can keep it less like a tennis match and more of cute fun and information people are looking for. Is site up what is new etc.

[GoofyWaterCoaster]

People on dis can't take some down time
Excuse me, mister stereotype?

Hmm excuse me but "over 50,000 players" is not selected customers.

And the big red letters come across as shouting.
Agreed to both

Yes it is,

They can select 1 million people if they wanted to

Do you know what the definition of selected is?

Let me pull another definition

Select: to choose from a number or group : pick out intransitive verb : to make a choice

They can choose how many people they want to make a selection

Spend less time on the computer and more time paying attention in school.
How rude! :furious: :furious: :furious: :furious: They didn't select anyone! YOU signed up!

Wow that was mean.

Excuse me but I am not a native english speaker. In fact this board, among other things, is helping me keep up with the language.

You could defend their decision, but honestly, there is no need to tell people off like that.
You are not a native English speaker? You are very good for one!;)

No need to be mean..
It's not selected, it was some what open..
Agreed

[TinkPinkPoem]

You are not a native English speaker? You are very good for one!;)

I am not. Thank you very much.:goodvibes

[Goofy05]

Yes it is,

They can select 1 million people if they wanted to

Do you know what the definition of selected is?

Let me pull another definition

Select: to choose from a number or group : pick out intransitive verb : to make a choice

They can choose how many people they want to make a selection

Spend less time on the computer and more time paying attention in school.

Tone down the attitude, Jazz. No need to be nasty towards anyone. Period.
We can all get along and still disagree on certain issues.

I don't know about anyone else, but I don't want a perfect game. I want a game that at least attempts to deliver on one very important promise - safety. I'm very suspicious of a game that's aimed at children and yet takes online safety so lightly. 'It's beta' is not a valid excuse here. If they couldn't be bothered to get their moderation system working before they enabled chat, they should have opened their early tests to adults only. Anything else is shockingly irresponsible.

There are people on the internet who will try to take advantage of kids. It's not exactly common, but it happens. They even tried it in VMK - that's why the game was crawling with moderators every moment it was open. Having rules isn't enough. You have to have a way of enforcing them. Right now, VFK does not. Instead, they decided to claim to have hired 80% of VMK's mods (and sorry, everyone, but I think it should be clear that you're being misled on that point). They hoped telling everyone the game was run by the same people as vmk was would make everyone believe the game was as safe as VMK, and that they wouldn't have to worry about little things like safety features.

If it were just buggy gameplay it would be different. If the game was boring, but safe, I'd say let them work on it at their own pace. But they're wasting their time adding new clothing options when they should be making their game safe. Why? I can only think of one explanation: they don't careCompletely uncalled for, jason. Don't be rude. She's right; they opened up Beta signups to anyone who wanted to join. That's not 'selected customers.' That's anyone who got their name in before they turned off the form.

Completely agree and some of us have been urging caution from before the site opened. Not every child is supervised by a parent or guardian while on the internet, we don't live in perfect worlds. VFK should have kept their initial promises of a safe environment and they failed to do that. Having hosts and moderators is a waste of resources at this point.

[vmkfan13]

If it were just buggy gameplay it would be different. If the game was boring, but safe, I'd say let them work on it at their own pace. But they're wasting their time adding new clothing options when they should be making their game safe. Why? I can only think of one explanation: they don't care

Safe? I think the game is just as safe as VMK.. but I could be wrong..
Can someone fill me in on how this game isn't safe?

[TinkPinkPoem]

Completely agree and some of us have been urging caution from before the site opened. Not every child is supervised by a parent or guardian while on the internet, we don't live in perfect worlds. VFK should have kept their initial promises of a safe environment and they failed to do that. Having hosts and moderators is a waste of resources at this point.

I recall we discussed this a few pages back and some days ago.

Still no safety measures have been taken. There should have been there in the first place in my opinion!

[Belle1997]

The call for help button does not work. That means if you see a kid or person breaking the safe rules there is no way to stop it and stop the person. As far as we can see they have no way to moderate the chat. Thus this is not a safe site for kids unless I parent is standing right there.

Which many parents do. However and sadly there are many kids unsupervised.
Or a parent quickly reads yes family friendly and goes about there business not checking on the kid.

I personally believe it is the parents duty not web sites but I do understand why people are upset with this. Safety of children does come first in my book before new clothes and games.

[Goofy05]

Safe? I think the game is just as safe as VMK.. but I could be wrong..
Can someone fill me in on how this game isn't safe?

You can tell anyone your name, where you live, your age, what forums you're a member of, any number of personal things. Other players can harass you, flood the screen with random chat bubbles, things of that nature, as well. Sure, you could dance the dictionary on vmk and do the same, but there was always a way to notify the staff there. On vfk, there is no way of contacting the moderators.

[thesupersmartguy]

Look below for a quote from the homepage.

[Kasiks]

You want a perfect game?

Make your own I'm sorry but unless you complainers know how to code flash/java/shockwave please stop being rude to the VFK coders, also it's a free game your not paying so thus you shouldn't be able to complain about a game that's in ALPHA, BETA.

I'm very low at coding so I don't complain since I don't code flash very well I can't throw stones in a glass house.

beta test
Definition

Second level, external pilot-test of a product (usually a software) before commercial quantity production. At the beta test stage, the product has already passed through the first-level, internal pilot-test (alpha test) and glaring defects have been removed. But (since the product may still have some minor problems that require user participation) it is released to selected customers for testing under normal, everyday conditions of use to spot the remaining flaws.

Since when was a beta test perfect?


Forgot to add the back-up server is to gain bandwidth when there's tons of people on not just to BACKUP if the main server's going down.

And aengus router's don't always deal with servers.

Calling VFK a beta release is a joke in my opinion .. and more than that it looks like they did not even test the game before putting it out for more people. Bugs like in the report window, and the way they made the clothes inventory should not even be present ..

[jasonpwns]

I will agree at saftey measures

In most games it's just a notepad with blocked words that the server has to read or a sql database with words :) Should of added more words as it doesn't take to long, and tink I am sorry about earlier just don't like people bashing games that may be actually trying very hard but not succeding.

[thesupersmartguy]

I see why they were down.

A major update for all of our Beta testers:


As you may have heard in the news, there was a large explosion caused by electrical equipment failure in the H1 data center in Houston that knocked down three walls at about 5:00 PM CDT. Fortunately, and most importantly, no one was injured. In addition, no data was lost and there appears to be no damage to the servers or networking equipment.

You remember when you first started playing that the servers went down? Well that was because of bandwidth, so we went to The Planet, which is recognized as one of the most RELIABLE providers in the world.

As luck would have it we are among an estimated 100,000 websites that are down around the world.

We have been assured that engineers are working around the clock to get the H1 data center back online, and we are told it will resume operation sometime tomorrow, Sunday, June 1st.

We are not going to waste this time though. This gives us the opportunity to complete enhancements we are working on, and add new lands. Our goal is that each day you log into the kingdom, it will be better than the last.

Keep an eye out and make sure you log on when the services are restored, because our world will be better than ever.

We have rerouted the DNS for the WWW server, so that we can share with you what is happening.

However, we do need the bandwidth from the H1 data center in Houston to support all of us in our virtual world.

We will keep you updated about the progress being made in restoring the Houston data center.

Your development team
Virtual Family Kingdom

We will be posting updates below from The Planet on the progress being made in bringing the H1 data center back up.

Update 2:

Hello,

Our various departments continue to work very hard to restore service to our H1 data center. We expect to have ServerCommand access restored within the next several hours as well as access to single homed nameservers out of H1 redirected to another facility.

We will continue to provide status updates once an hour. We do not have an Estimated Time to Repair at present.

Todd Mitchell

Update 1:

From Doug Erwin (The Planet):
"This evening at 4:55pm CDT in our H1 data center, electrical gear shorted, creating an explosion and fire that knocked down three walls surrounding our electrical equipment room. Thankfully, no one was injured. In addition, no customer servers were damaged or lost."

"We have just been allowed into the building to physically inspect the damage. Early indications are that the short was in a high-volume wire conduit. We were not allowed to activate our backup generator plan based on instructions from the fire department."

"Our initial assessment, although early, points to being able to have some service restored by mid-afternoon on Sunday. Rest assured we are working around the clock."

"I am sorry that this accident has occurred and I apologize for the impact."

[TinkPinkPoem]

I did not bash the game and I do not intend to.

It's a discussion thread and I am sharing my views. I am positive about the game, but cautious.

[vmkfan13]

You can tell anyone your name, where you live, your age, what forums you're a member of, any number of personal things. Other players can harass you, flood the screen with random chat bubbles, things of that nature, as well. Sure, you could dance the dictionary on vmk and do the same, but there was always a way to notify the staff there. On vfk, there is no way of contacting the moderators.

Let's make a list

1. Spam*
2. Inappropriate behavior
3. Harassing
4. Personal information
5. Broken report button*

I put a star next to the things that weren't present in VMK..

I will agree at saftey measures

In most games it's just a notepad with blocked words that the server has to read or a sql database with words Should of added more words as it doesn't take to long, and tink I am sorry about earlier just don't like people bashing games that may be actually trying very hard but not succeding.

They are succeeding, many people just think they aren't succeeding in the right matter.. safety

Calling VFK a beta release is a joke in my opinion .. and more than that it looks like they did not even test the game before putting it out for more people. Bugs like in the report window, and the way they made the clothes inventory should not even be present ..

Like many have said, this is alpha, and what I don't understand is how they'll release this game in a few weeks.

[Vary]

Safe? I think the game is just as safe as VMK.. but I could be wrong..
Can someone fill me in on how this game isn't safe?This is exactly what I'm talking about! An awful lot of people have come to the same conclusion based on the things that the developers have been saying.

VMK was safe because of the exceptionally well thought out moderation system that was in place. There were no moderation tools in the game when it opened, and the 'help' button is pretty obviously non-functional. It's not the rules that keep a game safe, it's the way those rules are enforced. VSK's mods have no way of enforcing their rules.

[disvaclub92]

I will agree at saftey measures

In most games it's just a notepad with blocked words that the server has to read or a sql database with words :) Should of added more words as it doesn't take to long, and tink I am sorry about earlier just don't like people bashing games that may be actually trying very hard but not succeding.

I appreciate you apologizing to Tink.

You do have to realize safety measures are the key. As others have pointed out, should have been the first thing. As we know VMK had safety measures up front, but in the end became flawed. I would have thought that VFK would have taken the experience we learned from VMK and taken that into account when it was released. Clearly no safety measures were built in and not sure if the help button is operational, so I will go on and test now.:thumbsup2

[TinkPinkPoem]

You do have to realize safety measures are the key. As others have pointed out, should have been the first thing. As we know VMK had safety measures up front, but in the end became flawed. I would have thought that VFK would have taken the experience we learned from VMK and taken that into account when it was released. Clearly no safety measures were built in and not sure if the help button is operational, so I will go on and test now.:thumbsup2


Hope it all works now! :thumbsup2

[vmkfan13]

This is exactly what I'm talking about! An awful lot of people have come to the same conclusion based on the things that the developers have been saying.

VMK was safe because of the exceptionally well thought out moderation system that was in place. There were no moderation tools in the game when it opened, and the 'help' button is pretty obviously non-functional. It's not the rules that keep a game safe, it's the way those rules are enforced. VSK's mods have no way of enforcing their rules.

I didn't know the report button was broken, thanks for mentioning this to me.

I don't understand their excuse.. "we wanted to open the game the day after vmk closed"..

They could have at least finished all the basics, people can wait..

Clearly no safety measures were built in and not sure if the help button is operational, so I will go on and test now.

Good luck testing LOL

[TinkPinkPoem]

I don't understand their excuse.. "we wanted to open the game the day after vmk closed"..



They actually said that?

[Goofy05]

Let's make a list

1. Spam*
2. Inappropriate behavior
3. Harassing
4. Personal information
5. Broken report button*

I put a star next to the things that weren't present in VMK..



They are succeeding, many people just think they aren't succeeding in the right matter.. safety

Okay. Now remember we had that wonderful "Ignore" button on vmk...one of my favorite buttons, btw. Report and ignore their chat. Almost a perfect combination. :)

Yes, they need to work on their priorities, imo. They are pushing to hard towards a full release THIS MONTH, and I just don't see it happening. Fixing what should have been fully functional before a beta release while trying to upgrade and add more features will create chaos. But, we'll see.

[disvaclub92]

Let's make a list

1. Spam*
2. Inappropriate behavior
3. Harassing
4. Personal information
5. Broken report button*

I put a star next to the things that weren't present in VMK..


All of the above were present in VMK in the beginning. The use of CL's helped to keep that in line. Most of the CL's still performed that role, when they were able to have Staff on their list to call when help was needed. That seemed to stop once some CL's abused the role to stalk staff and therefore the CL's had no contact with Staff. Which was a shame because we had alot of CL's who were there to make the game safe.

And I cant get in to test the button. LOL

[vmkfan13]

Okay. Now remember we had that wonderful "Ignore" button on vmk...one of my favorite buttons, btw. Report and ignore their chat. Almost a perfect combination. :)

Yes, they need to work on their priorities, imo. They are pushing to hard towards a full release THIS MONTH, and I just don't see it happening. Fixing what should have been fully functional before a beta release while trying to upgrade and add more features will create chaos. But, we'll see.

We also had a contact us form..

They actually said that?

Not exactly what they said, but it's kind of obvious, I mean the day after VMK closes?

[TinkPinkPoem]

Not exactly what they said, but it's kind of obvious, I mean the day after VMK closes?

Yes it is, but I wondered whether they actually said it!

[Disneychick74]

I have to say that while the "safety" measures are not up to par with Disney with the things we are allowed to say and the help button not working..while it can be a danger to some, WHY does all of that responsibility lie with VFK?

Where are these kids parents? I signed my son up for beta and since seeing the chat the first day he is not allowed to go on unless I am sitting with him.

Since when is an internet company responsible for babysitting your children?

There are thousands of sites and games that allow worse chat than VFK. Let's take Habbo for example. I am 33 and I blushed when I signed up and chatted for about 10 minutes before I got so disgusted I logged off never to go back.

What it comes down to is good parenting, knowing what your children are doing online, who they are chatting with, what they are chatting about and what is allowed or isn't. Just because you CAN tell people your name and where you live does not mean you SHOULD. If we are paying attention to our children this should not be an issue.

[TinkPinkPoem]

I have to say that while the "safety" measures are not up to par with Disney with the things we are allowed to say and the help button not working..while it can be a danger to some, WHY does all of that responsibility lie with VFK?

Where are these kids parents? I signed my son up for beta and since seeing the chat the first day he is not allowed to go on unless I am sitting with him.

Since when is an internet company responsible for babysitting your children?

There are thousands of sites and games that allow worse chat than VFK. Let's take Habbo for example. I am 33 and I blushed when I signed up and chatted for about 10 minutes before I got so disgusted I logged off never to go back.

What it comes down to is good parenting, knowing what your children are doing online, who they are chatting with, what they are chatting about and what is allowed or isn't. Just because you CAN tell people your name and where you live does not mean you SHOULD. If we are paying attention to our children this should not be an issue.

Oh yes definitely, no safety measure in an online game substitutes a parent.

However, since they promote it as a family kingdom, why not make it safe as one!

[vmkfan13]

I was not quoting you ...

lol You edited like 5 times, sorry?

I have to say that while the "safety" measures are not up to par with Disney with the things we are allowed to say and the help button not working..while it can be a danger to some, WHY does all of that responsibility lie with VFK?

Where are these kids parents? I signed my son up for beta and since seeing the chat the first day he is not allowed to go on unless I am sitting with him.

Since when is an internet company responsible for babysitting your children?

There are thousands of sites and games that allow worse chat than VFK. Let's take Habbo for example. I am 33 and I blushed when I signed up and chatted for about 10 minutes before I got so disgusted I logged off never to go back.

What it comes down to is good parenting, knowing what your children are doing online, who they are chatting with, what they are chatting about and what is allowed or isn't. Just because you CAN tell people your name and where you live does not mean you SHOULD. If we are paying attention to our children this should not be an issue.

But.. it's impossible for parents to look after their kids 24/7.. I think parents should just educate their kids about what to do online ect.. and the game is family friendly right?

[LittleWoodenHead]

beta test
Definition

Second level, external pilot-test of a product (usually a software) before commercial quantity production. At the beta test stage, the product has already passed through the first-level, internal pilot-test (alpha test) and glaring defects have been removed. But (since the product may still have some minor problems that require user participation) it is released to selected customers for testing under normal, everyday conditions of use to spot the remaining flaws.

Since when was a beta test perfect?
Even using that definition, VFK is not conducting a true beta test.

See the lines about "glaring defects have been removed" and that "the product may still have some minor problems"?

I think the ability to chat and to see yourself & others is fundamental. Being unable to do those basic things is a "glaring defect" and much more than just a "minor problem".

The game they put up -- to cash in on VMK's closing -- is barely at an alpha stage. To continue to defend this shoddy product with the excuse that it is "beta" just does not cut it for me.

[monsterkitty]

1. It's BETA. They're worrying about the important bugs other than a rock
named pink couch.

2. It's not VFK's fault that the H1 Data Center in Houston exploded and
caught on fire!!

If you don't want to deal with the word beta, then yes you should find
either find another online game that is finished, or enjoy the fresh air outside. ;)


First, I was teasing a certain mod about not being able to find the remote control for his TV.

Second, I am a person who defends the BETA part of this game to everyone. I know it is Beta and I find it fascinating to watch it grow with every step we take in the game. In fact, I would donate money to the developers if they asked. There needs to be a safe place for families to play online and I am willing to help monetarily with that.

Did I ever say it was VFK's fault that the H1 Center caught on fire? No I did not. I do admit that I may not have chosen the best words for my post, but the post was tongue-in-cheek and playing off the PP "look under the couch".

Oh, I can't go outside because the fresh air is full of things that I am allergic to, including sunshine, so I will just have to stay in today.

[disvaclub92]

I have to say that while the "safety" measures are not up to par with Disney with the things we are allowed to say and the help button not working..while it can be a danger to some, WHY does all of that responsibility lie with VFK?



I agree, where are the parents, but we know that is not the case.

I am just guessing here, a parent may read all the stuff on the surface of the VFK site. Such as the Constitution, it appears that safety measures are in tact. Until you actually test it, which you and I both have. Some parents may not. My point is, if you state safety in your constitution on the website you should have the functionality to perform it as well.

[Kasiks]

lol You edited like 5 times, sorry?
not 5 times

I thought you were saying i said something wrong ..

[Belle1997]

Maybe what the developers need to do to get people back on side is post a top sticky note in bold letters. This is beta testing and some of our safe features are not working at the moment. It is not recommended that children play this site unsupervised until with have finished implementing all safety moderation features. We will post an update when this feature is working. Thank you for your patience.

[SharkMeal]

First, I was teasing a certain mod about not being able to find the remote control for his TV.

Second, I am a person who defends the BETA part of this game to everyone. I know it is Beta and I find it fascinating to watch it grow with every step we take in the game. In fact, I would donate money to the developers if they asked. There needs to be a safe place for families to play online and I am willing to help monetarily with that.

Did I ever say it was VFK's fault that the H1 Center caught on fire? No I did not. I do admit that I may not have chosen the best words for my post, but the post was tongue-in-cheek and playing off the PP "look under the couch".

Oh, I can't go outside because the fresh air is full of things that I am allergic to, including sunshine, so I will just have to stay in today.

While you may not have meant it, your previous post came across
kinda harsh to VFK (if they were to ever read it) imo. And maybe mine did
too. It was no intention of mine to start an argument.

You mentioned the rock had a bug in which it was a pink couch, which
was fine. Then you said you could not get in, which was also fine. But what
threw me off was the "Maybe I should find a better online game:worried:"
part. Then i started thinking "well what would you expect"?

And when you said you needed to find a better online game, and your
supporting detail was you could not get in the game to "find the remote under a pink couch rock" then that sort of is blaming them for being down. That's
the way it came across me. It did not look like you were teasing about the
last part, and I was just stating that it wasn't there fault and that it is beta.

[SharkMeal]

NEW UPDATE from home page:

Update 3:

Morning,

We are continuing to work through various issues this morning. We will have additional contractors on-site this morning starting at approx. 7 AM. Some will hand-off from contractors who worked overnight and others will start the recovery/installation of new electrical gear to power the data center.

We are still working through the EV1 DNS and ServerCommand items. We are making progress on both items and expect to have both functional within the next 120 minutes.

In addition to the above, the network engineering group worked overnight to prepare the network for the recovery of H1. We expect the reconvergence of the network to go smooth once H1 comes back online.

We do not have an Estimated Time to Repair at present; we should have a better estimate this morning. Our staff and management continue to work through the night and morning-- we will continue to provide hourly updates.

Todd

[aliceblue]

Since when is an internet company responsible for babysitting your children?They are not, of course.

However they are responsible for safety features which have been deliberately advertised.If we are paying attention to our children this should not be an issue.The issue is not about parental supervision, but about general trust of an internet game site. I'm sorry, but if they can't carry through on major claims about game safety, it speaks volumes about them as a company, and what can be expected of them in the future.

[Cardinal]

redundancy is to prevent a single point of failure belle. I install routers for a living ;)

You know what? That explains so much. ;)

[souper]

Maybe what the developers need to do to get people back on side is post a top sticky note in bold letters. This is beta testing and some of our safe features are not working at the moment. It is not recommended that children play this site unsupervised until with have finished implementing all safety moderation features. We will post an update when this feature is working. Thank you for your patience.


Great idea Belle. I hope you have e-mailed this in to them.

[Mouse Man]

From what I have seen, the "game" has the potential to be very good. As a parent, I make every attempt to monitor what my boys are up to on the internet. My 10 year old can't understand why I won't allow him on sites like MySpace until he is in High School since "all" of his friends already have their own pages. I tested this site myself using his character. In the 15 minutes I was on, I saw a girl telling the room that VFK has no chat rules yet so it's ok to give out information. Well, I don't think I will allow my son to participate in this "beta" just yet. I would be happy if they announced they must shut the place down until July or how ever long it takes to get some true moderation on there. They already established a following and people will wait for a place that is to be their VMK replacement.

[Vary]

I have to say that while the "safety" measures are not up to par with Disney with the things we are allowed to say and the help button not working..while it can be a danger to some, WHY does all of that responsibility lie with VFK?

Where are these kids parents? I signed my son up for beta and since seeing the chat the first day he is not allowed to go on unless I am sitting with him.

Since when is an internet company responsible for babysitting your children?

There are thousands of sites and games that allow worse chat than VFK. Let's take Habbo for example. I am 33 and I blushed when I signed up and chatted for about 10 minutes before I got so disgusted I logged off never to go back.

What it comes down to is good parenting, knowing what your children are doing online, who they are chatting with, what they are chatting about and what is allowed or isn't. Just because you CAN tell people your name and where you live does not mean you SHOULD. If we are paying attention to our children this should not be an issue.By this logic, it would be okay for Second Life to claim to be family friendly. It's the parent's problem if they let their kids play there, right? If parental supervision were enough, we wouldn't need reporting features.

Habbo is for teenagers, not little 'uns, so it's not really a good comparison. And sure, there are some bad ones out there, but this is by far the worst 'family' virtual world I've seen, safety-wise - and I've seen an awful lot of them. What do you mean 'allow worse chat than VFK?' VFK allows you to say literally anything that you can find a way to get through the dictionary filter. If you can find a dance for it, there is nothing else to stop you from saying it.

Any game that claims to be kid-friendly needs to hold itself to a higher standard than this. They went a step farther from just calling themselves a family game and actually claimed that the game was being moderated by the same people who kept VMK safe. It wouldn't be surprising for the less technically adept parents to be satisfied with that. As we've seen in this very thread, there are still some people who actually think VFK is safe. Online safety is clearly not a priority for the developers. Why make excuses for that?You know what? That explains so much. ;)::rotfl:

[Belle1997]

Maybe what the developers need to do to get people back on side is post a top sticky note in bold letters. This is beta testing and some of our safe features are not working at the moment. It is not recommended that children play this site unsupervised until with have finished implementing all safety moderation features. We will post an update when this feature is working. Thank you for your patience.


Hello out there wondering if this would solve the issue for now. One thing I learned early on is when you complain if you can think of how it could be don't better it is more positive. If they can not get the report button working that would solve the issue temporarily. And also a sticky in the log on page nice and big for parents who are peering over their kids shoulders to see it.

[Belle1997]

Sorry while I was writing my why has no one responded to my suggestion Happy did yes I will email them :)

[aengus]

woah @_@

This was their update from may 28th


We now have our servers working in New Mexico, New York and backup servers in Dallas. This gives us both the bandwidth we need, and serious redundancy.

We will be doing live tests throughout the night, so if you happen to get into the virtual world, keep in mind it will only be up for a few minutes for any one test.

compared to the description of the problem presently or as of last night

As you may have heard in the news, there was a large explosion caused by electrical equipment failure in the H1 data center in Houston that knocked down three walls at about 5:00 PM CDT. Fortunately, and most importantly, no one was injured. In addition, no data was lost and there appears to be no damage to the servers or networking equipment.

You remember when you first started playing that the servers went down? Well that was because of bandwidth, so we went to The Planet, which is recognized as one of the most RELIABLE providers in the world.

As luck would have it we are among an estimated 100,000 websites that are down around the world.

We have been assured that engineers are working around the clock to get the H1 data center back online, and we are told it will resume operation sometime tomorrow, Sunday, June 1st.

We are not going to waste this time though. This gives us the opportunity to complete enhancements we are working on, and add new lands. Our goal is that each day you log into the kingdom, it will be better than the last.

Keep an eye out and make sure you log on when the services are restored, because our world will be better than ever.

We have rerouted the DNS for the WWW server, so that we can share with you what is happening.

However, we do need the bandwidth from the H1 data center in Houston to support all of us in our virtual world.

We will keep you updated about the progress being made in restoring the Houston data center.

I really didnt mean to irk anyone (ok honest this time I didn't) We were discussing recently that they were changing history, its the only reason I brought attention to it. The two updates are in direct conflict, and they went and deleted the May 28th update, which as you all know drives me crazy :)

I have a suggestion maybe we can all take to heart no matter what side of the issue we are on. It has been my experience that things tend to balance out. So yes there are many naysayers but there are also many koolaid drinkers. Perhaps if we met in the middle somewhere and the views weren't so polarizing postive or polarizing negative we could keep this from getting ugly (yeah it got uglier as soon as cardinal got into this thread, but thats nothing us nor VFK can fix :rotfl: )

[Belle1997]

Card remember I vote for you as most lava.:goodvibes Big A has to go back and read again how to win frends part :rotfl2:

[aengus]

Card remember I vote for you as most lava.:goodvibes Big A has to go back and read again how to win frends part :rotfl2:

OMG see... negative negative negative :rotfl2:

[LoriR]

Lively discussion of both sides is great, and we need to respect one another's personal opinions. ( not agree, just accept there is more than one way to look at things ;) )

I would like this thread to keep all of our member's eyes wide open about where VFK is now and where it is in the coming days.

My personal opinion ( no you don't have to agree!) is that there have been many manipulative actions taken and promises made way before there is any chance of them being put into action. I have high hopes that this game develops into what we are all looking for, but I feel this will be a long way off. I've "beta" tested in other games and none have been this undeveloped once open to public testing. I would also like them to be more forthcoming about what they plan to charge to play and what this will include. Honestly, at this point I would be very hesitant to offer up my credit card info to a group we know so little about.

Let's all agree to disagree and try not to take what anyone is saying too personally. :hug:

Here's hoping VFK turns out to be what has been promised!

Lori

[Belle1997]

OMG see... negative negative negative :rotfl2:

No just a kind friend suggesting you missed a chapter or too :rotfl2:

[Cardinal]

OMG, Magic, you're back! VFK is surely a great thing. It has the power to resurrect the dead!


(yeah it got uglier as soon as cardinal got into this thread, but thats nothing us nor VFK can fix :rotfl: )

If VFK had a say in this, they would've pretended that I don't exist! :rotfl:

(And I would prefer that a lot more than YOU!)

[souper]

A way around the broken report button.


Take a screen shot of the bad player behavior.
Go to the main VFK page.
Use the "Contact Us" link.
Create an message title that fits the situation. Here are a few off the top of my head (Violation of Constitution, Ban Worthy Behavior, Unacceptable Behavior, Player Making Me Uncomfortable.)
Send a detailed message of the situation. Include date, time, room, and screen shot. My thought on the screen shot is it may assist in the research process. Due to photoshop I am sure they will still need to research each individual situation. The photo may help them to prioritize.
Then, hope for the best. When they research the situations, perhaps bans will occur. Then the game will be a bit "cleaner" for everyone.

[LifesPink]

who knew the report thing would be such a big deal ! i am very suprised that VFK hasn't gotten on that, but i'm sure with all the busy stuff going on it must be challenging

I think that now, that's the least of there problems because, VFK is down. I think right now, there job is alottt harder then they thought it would be. VFK creators have the odds against them right now

[SharkMeal]

A way around the broken report button.


Take a screen shot of the bad player behavior.
Go to the main VFK page.
Use the "Contact Us" link.
Create an message title that fits the situation. Here are a few off the top of my head (Violation of Constitution, Ban Worthy Behavior, Unacceptable Behavior, Player Making Me Uncomfortable.)
Send a detailed message of the situation. Include date, time, room, and screen shot. My thought on the screen shot is it may assist in the research process. Due to photoshop I am sure they will still need to research each individual situation. The photo may help them to prioritize.
Then, hope for the best. When they research the situations, perhaps bans will occur. Then the game will be a bit "cleaner" for everyone.



They don't respond from the Contact Us option :(

[VMK_Mouse]

Lively discussion of both sides is great, and we need to respect one another's personal opinions. ( not agree, just accept there is more than one way to look at things ;) )

I would like this thread to keep all of our member's eyes wide open about where VFK is now and where it is in the coming days.

My personal opinion ( no you don't have to agree!) is that there have been many manipulative actions taken and promises made way before there is any chance of them being put into action. I have high hopes that this game develops into what we are all looking for, but I feel this will be a long way off. I've "beta" tested in other games and none have been this undeveloped once open to public testing. I would also like them to be more forthcoming about what they plan to charge to play and what this will include. Honestly, at this point I would be very hesitant to offer up my credit card info to a group we know so little about.

Let's all agree to disagree and try not to take what anyone is saying too personally. :hug:

Here's hoping VFK turns out to be what has been promised!

Lori



Awesome post, not just bc I agree with it, but bc it needed to be said.

__________________________________________________ ___________

I am not the least bit impressed with VFK: the customer service, the lack of response, the extemely premature talk of pay-to-play functions, the contradictions, etc.

I agree with A's post above. As soon as I read the latest update, my first thought was - what about all that stuff posted on the 28th?

[Gsterg]

do you guys think that they will charge to play this "Fun" (lol i couldn't resist) virtual replacement to VMK?

[souper]

A way around the broken report button.


Take a screen shot of the bad player behavior.
Go to the main VFK page.
Use the "Contact Us" link.
Create an message title that fits the situation. Here are a few off the top of my head (Violation of Constitution, Ban Worthy Behavior, Unacceptable Behavior, Player Making Me Uncomfortable.)
Send a detailed message of the situation. Include date, time, room, and screen shot. My thought on the screen shot is it may assist in the research process. Due to photoshop I am sure they will still need to research each individual situation. The photo may help them to prioritize.
Then, hope for the best. When they research the situations, perhaps bans will occur. Then the game will be a bit "cleaner" for everyone.




They don't respond from the Contact Us option :(

As I stated, "hope for the best."

Perhaps if they get enough valid reports they will make some changes.
Perhaps they are taking action on some player accounts, or maybe this will spur them to do so.
I didn't always hear back from VMK either, but at times action was taken.


Again, it was just my 2 cents. It was the best suggestion I could come up with and felt it may help.

[Disneychick74]

lol You edited like 5 times, sorry?



But.. it's impossible for parents to look after their kids 24/7.. I think parents should just educate their kids about what to do online ect.. and the game is family friendly right?

IMO you dont have to be looking after your kids 24/7 but then again they should not have access to a computer 24/7 and I am a FIRM believer that noone under 15 should have "private" access to a PC. A child under 15 should be using a PC in a "common" area of the home where anyone can see what they are doing at any time.
The rule in my house is 2 hours of PC/video games a night, in the livingroom where my husband and I are ALWAYS around. My son knows that at ANY second he is online we can look over and see what he is doing. We have explained to him that it is not HIM that we don't trust it is the other crazy people in the world.
That being said a Family game SHOULD have a bit more security in place but it is beta and things are still in testing, parents should realize that things are not 100% perfect right now and instill their OWN security features, if that means not playing the game until it is better than so be it. But again I dont feel that this falls on the shoulders of the developers. They are not babysitters.

It seems that there are many here that are skeptical about the game itself, I can understand why after they signed up for Dis and spammed the site about the game. Does everyone have to be so negitive about it? I mean if you don't like the way things are moving along (or not) then the simple solution is NOT to play the game right now. I for one am very excited about the game, although have been somewhat dissapointed at the progress of beta, and agree that they need to give specific times the site will be back up and then fall through...but I am still excited to be apart of this new creation that if nothing else gave us a place to meet up and chat with our VMK friends. Personally if VFK stayed a glorified chat room where I could sit and visit with my old pals, I am A-OK with that...it is more than Disney did for us.

[aengus]

IMO you dont have to be looking after your kids 24/7 but then again they should not have access to a computer 24/7 and I am a FIRM believer that noone under 15 should have "private" access to a PC. A child under 15 should be using a PC in a "common" area of the home where anyone can see what they are doing at any time.
The rule in my house is 2 hours of PC/video games a night, in the livingroom where my husband and I are ALWAYS around. My son knows that at ANY second he is online we can look over and see what he is doing. We have explained to him that it is not HIM that we don't trust it is the other crazy people in the world.
That being said a Family game SHOULD have a bit more security in place but it is beta and things are still in testing, parents should realize that things are not 100% perfect right now and instill their OWN security features, if that means not playing the game until it is better than so be it. But again I dont feel that this falls on the shoulders of the developers. They are not babysitters.

It seems that there are many here that are skeptical about the game itself, I can understand why after they signed up for Dis and spammed the site about the game. Does everyone have to be so negitive about it? I mean if you don't like the way things are moving along (or not) then the simple solution is NOT to play the game right now. I for one am very excited about the game, although have been somewhat dissapointed at the progress of beta, and agree that they need to give specific times the site will be back up and then fall through...but I am still excited to be apart of this new creation that if nothing else gave us a place to meet up and chat with our VMK friends. Personally if VFK stayed a glorified chat room where I could sit and visit with my old pals, I am A-OK with that...it is more than Disney did for us.

Your opinion is a great one, but we all know all parents are as good as you are in that example

I wont point it out specifically , but the funniest post in this thread is someone saying they are an unsupervised child ROFL, and totally missed what was being said about it LOL

This game has the potential, as vmk did in my opinion, to be really rated G, but they have to implement. the items and rooms should not be the priority, the help button, and response should be.

[ForeverWDW]

do you guys think that they will charge to play this "Fun" (lol i couldn't resist) virtual replacement to VMK?

Oh they do indeed. This is taken from their own Terms Of Service page:

REGISTRATION AND SUBSCRIPTION: Registration as a Member of the Service for free. This service includes the chat and instant messaging features in the VitualFamilyKingdom.com environment. There are enhanced Services which are available which require confirmation of age and identity and this requires that you become a subscriber and pay any related fees. This price list is part of this Agreement And We reserve the right, at any time, to change any fees or charges for using the Service. To become a Member, You must register for the Service. When and if You register to become a Member, You agree to provide accurate, current and complete information about Yourself as prompted by Our registration form ("Registration Data"), and to maintain and update Your information to keep it accurate, current and complete. You agree that We may rely on Your Registration Data as accurate, current and complete. You acknowledge that if Your Registration Data is untrue, inaccurate, not current or incomplete in any respect, We reserve the right to terminate this Agreement and Your use of the Service and, in such event, You shall not be entitled to a refund of any unused subscription fees.

And if that doesnt ruffle a few feathers this one comes from their Kids Privacy Policy page :
3. How are parents notified to obtain consent for the collection of information from their kids?
When a kid registers we send an e-mail to the parents' e-amil and we provide the parents 48 hours to refuse their kid's registration. If the parent refuses to permit their kid's registration, the kid's informaiton is deleted form our databases. If we don't hear back from the parent, we assume the kid's registration is acceptable.

Prior to a kid being permitted to use a feature of our internet sites which are not designed to limit the disclosure of the kid's information to third partieis on the internet, we require that the parent provide both name and credit card information to confirm that permission for the kid to participate in the feature has been given. Additionally, the parent will be required to login and modify the permissions to make it possible for the kid to participate in the feature of the site. The credit card will be charged only for the subscription service that is being authorized


I was told that the adult part of enhanced services would be something to do with parental controls and details would be coming out soon. When I asked about the section from the Kids Privacy Policy I was told that there was no plans on asking for credit card info but she would double check on it.
What I want to know is What happened to all the hype they had about being free? Doesnt seem to be the case. Not that I mind paying for a site BUT be honest about it. Dont sit back and wait for people to stumble across your policies and then say Oh yeah about that.. Being honest goes a long way, decieving someone takes time for them to trust you again.

[LifesPink]

IMO you dont have to be looking after your kids 24/7 but then again they should not have access to a computer 24/7 and I am a FIRM believer that noone under 15 should have "private" access to a PC. A child under 15 should be using a PC in a "common" area of the home where anyone can see what they are doing at any time.
The rule in my house is 2 hours of PC/video games a night, in the livingroom where my husband and I are ALWAYS around. My son knows that at ANY second he is online we can look over and see what he is doing. We have explained to him that it is not HIM that we don't trust it is the other crazy people in the world.
That being said a Family game SHOULD have a bit more security in place but it is beta and things are still in testing, parents should realize that things are not 100% perfect right now and instill their OWN security features, if that means not playing the game until it is better than so be it. But again I dont feel that this falls on the shoulders of the developers. They are not babysitters.

It seems that there are many here that are skeptical about the game itself, I can understand why after they signed up for Dis and spammed the site about the game. Does everyone have to be so negitive about it? I mean if you don't like the way things are moving along (or not) then the simple solution is NOT to play the game right now. I for one am very excited about the game, although have been somewhat dissapointed at the progress of beta, and agree that they need to give specific times the site will be back up and then fall through...but I am still excited to be apart of this new creation that if nothing else gave us a place to meet up and chat with our VMK friends. Personally if VFK stayed a glorified chat room where I could sit and visit with my old pals, I am A-OK with that...it is more than Disney did for us.

i completely argree with that fact kid's shouldn't have a private computer, but we all know that some kids do, and that's the kids that are breaking the rules. As long as kids know what not to do, it's safe. But i have seen situations where someone has given to much information, and it's become a problem to there safety.

I think that the site is very unstable, though we would like to believe it's not. The site crashes constantly, and i don't have very much hope that it will be perfectly 'ready' for the opening to the general public, though we are the general public, i mean everyone who's not beta testers. I hope and pray vfk can get it together !

[vmkfan13]

i completely argree with that fact kid's shouldn't have a private computer, but we all know that some kids do, and that's the kids that are breaking the rules. As long as kids know what not to do, it's safe. But i have seen situations where someone has given to much information, and it's become a problem to there safety.

I think that the site is very unstable, though we would like to believe it's not. The site crashes constantly, and i don't have very much hope that it will be perfectly 'ready' for the opening to the general public, though we are the general public, i mean everyone who's not beta testers. I hope and pray vfk can get it together !

:rolleyes1
I don't break rules.. often

[LifesPink]

would anyone pay to play VFK ?

right now, i'm not so sure i would.

[vmkfan13]

would anyone pay to play VFK ?

right now, i'm not so sure i would.

100% sure I'm not paying for a game like VFK.
I'm sorry but I think the game is some what subpar..

[NedsTJ]

For those interested...the following link takes you to "The Planet" (the server farm where VFK is now hosted) discussion forum where they've been posting updates. It's an interesting read. Be warned that it might not load right away...
2600 User(s) are reading this topic (2540 Guests and 1 Anonymous Users)

I couldn't get page 2 to load at all to see the latest...

http://forums.theplanet.com.nyud.net:8080/index.php?showtopic=90185&pid=592269&st=0

[Cardinal]

i completely argree with that fact kid's shouldn't have a private computer, but we all know that some kids do, and that's the kids that are breaking the rules.

Well, Mrs. I-stereotype-kids-and-can-not-spell-"agree," I happen to have a private computer. Do you see me running around and posting my personal information on websites that are watched by who knows what?

"Hi, ChILdPrEdAtORR135, my name in real life is <name> and I am <age> years old! I live on/at/in <city>, <state> at <address> between the intersections of <road 1> and <road 2>, and <road 3> and <road 4>. My house is a few houses down from the cabin with the freshly-painted white fence. The kid that lives there gave me painting lessons!"

DISCLAIMER: If you cannot find the humor in this post, you are serious and should seek a therapist. If you found the humor in this post but did not laugh at the last few sentences, you have not been graced by the storytelling God that is Mark Twain.

[aengus]

well card, your statement there speaks for itself


suffering succotash! I hope you didn't correct her spelling!!!

[NedsTJ]

Well, Mrs. I-stereotype-kids-and-can-not-spell-"agree," I happen to have a private computer. Do you see me running around and posting my personal information on websites that are watched by who knows what?

"Hi, ChILdPrEdAtORR135, my name in real life is <name> and I am <age> years old! I live on/at/in <city>, <state> at <address> between the intersections of <road 1> and <road 2>, and <road 3> and <road 4>. My house is a few houses down from the cabin with the freshly-painted white fence. The kid that lives there gave me painting lessons!"



Just ignore the plain white van with the video monitors, the plain clothed detectives, and the fact that you are going to end up on national tv talking to Chris Mathews! :lmao:

[TanyaLovesPooh]

$$ for VFK?

Not a chance.

[Cardinal]

Just ignore the plain white van with the video monitors, the plain clothed detectives, and the fact that you are going to end up on national tv talking to Chris Mathews! :lmao:

Please, Ned. Take a seat.

[MPhins13]

When I first read about VFK they said the game would always be free to play. So, no I have no intention to pay to play.

[LifesPink]

Well, Mrs. I-stereotype-kids-and-can-not-spell-"agree," I happen to have a private computer. Do you see me running around and posting my personal information on websites that are watched by who knows what?

"Hi, ChILdPrEdAtORR135, my name in real life is <name> and I am <age> years old! I live on/at/in <city>, <state> at <address> between the intersections of <road 1> and <road 2>, and <road 3> and <road 4>. My house is a few houses down from the cabin with the freshly-painted white fence. The kid that lives there gave me painting lessons!"

DISCLAIMER: If you cannot find the humor in this post, you are serious and should seek a therapist. If you found the humor in this post but did not laugh at the last few sentences, you have not been graced by the storytelling God that is Mark Twain.



Oh my, i didn't mean to stero-type ! i'm so sorry. I didn't notice how bad that sounds until now. i just mean when parent's aren't watching, that's what some do? you know ? Haha sorry to stero-type .

I have a private computer too, so i think i sterotyped myself + sorry for the typo ? i'm not a english teacher..

Sorry cardinal

[Belle1997]

It has come to my attention that I am a cheerleader for VFK. Not so. I do not like the fact that the sight is not moderated properly. Such a warning should be made on their sight.

The rest of the negavitity I see I just try and point out the other side. I can truly see both sides. Do I trust them NO. Can I send good vibes to them yes.

There is lots of confusing things they are dong. Yes I am very cautious. But if they are really tryng to make a good family site I want to give them the benefit of the doubt.

I think they are off to a very rough start. I really believe they tried to take their buisness technology and make it fit this game. We can see they are struggling.

I am losing nothing by checking in every once in a while. The what ifs are only assumptions right now. We will find out in time. It just gets us taking sides and thinking up what does it mean.

I can fnd a reason that is not a scam for everything so I sit in the middle.

How hopeful am I they can do this 50% maybe. But that is enough for me to encourage them. Just incase they pop over here.

If this is a scam I have lost nothing but waiting and seeing. NO I will not be paying for this sight for a very long time. If it is not and they are trying their hearts out to get it right and are just so stressed on what to do first next etc. Bit off more than they can chew for now. And they do get it finally going and it is a good site. I would be ashamed of myself. For being so negative.

Guess it comes from people pre-judging me from past mistakes but I learned from them and became a darn good caring individual.

[Disneychick74]

When I first read about VFK they said the game would always be free to play. So, no I have no intention to pay to play.

And from what they say in TOS it WILL always be free to play. but just like Disney's Toon Town and Pirates, you dont have to pay unless you want to enter special areas or have access to special features. The basics of the game WILL always be free.

[aliceblue]

Personally if VFK stayed a glorified chat room where I could sit and visit with my old pals, I am A-OK with that...it is more than Disney did for us.There are zillions of chat rooms, glorified or not, where we can do the same thing and probably more safely.

In all fairness, Disney may be trying to address the communication issue. I don't know if this was in response to VMK ending, but I received an email last week from Disney Guest Services about the chat features on their web site. There are three different levels of moderated chat.

In my opinion, having little avatars attached to our text is nothing special, since it doesn't have anything to do with our former VMK appearance. I find it incredibly sad that we are so desperate to "see" each other that we (and I'm including myself here) are willing to join a site that does not by any stretch come close to the quality that VMK provided. I doubt that VFK would have been the place of choice for most of us attempting to reconnect, if they had not advertised themselves the way they did to the various forums.

[Cardinal]

Oh my, i didn't mean to stero-type ! i'm so sorry. I didn't notice how bad that sounds until now. i just mean when parent's aren't watching, that's what some do? you know ? Haha sorry to stero-type .

I have a private computer too, so i think i sterotyped myself + sorry for the typo ? i'm not a english teacher..

Sorry cardinal

Hahaha, don't think for a second about it. I myself am the king of saying things that I will later deeply, deeply, deeply regret on these forums. :rotfl:

[Gsterg]

yea i dont think i will pay to play UNLESS there is some AMAZING benefit which i highly doubt... i think that it isnt normal to have ppl beta test a game, then you just pull the rug out from under them and say, "OK! thank you for playing this whole beta time! if you want these certain features fork over $10 a month and we will be happy to give them to you!" LOL..

[Cardinal]

i think that it isnt normal to have ppl beta test a game, then you just pull the rug out from under them and say, "OK! thank you for playing this whole beta time! if you want these certain features fork over $10 a month and we will be happy to give them to you!" LOL..

Does the acronym "POTCO" mean anything to you? ::yes::

[aengus]

yea i dont think i will pay to play UNLESS there is some AMAZING benefit which i highly doubt... i think that it isnt normal to have ppl beta test a game, then you just pull the rug out from under them and say, "OK! thank you for playing this whole beta time! if you want these certain features fork over $10 a month and we will be happy to give them to you!" LOL..

Disney did do this actually. Pirates was completely free to beta peeps, then just that happened

[Cardinal]

Disney did do this actually. Pirates was completely free to beta peeps, then just that happened

HA! I beat you to it, Aengus!

[aengus]

HA! I beat you to it, Aengus!

saved the best answer for last ;)

[Gsterg]

i had no idea!! LOL i never really cared about POTCO

[PizzaCaptain]

is VFK even up????

[Gsterg]

no.. Its bc of that "EXPLOSION" they had but it sounds kinda unbelieveable to me.. only bc i looked on almost EVERY! newsite online and saw nothing on that so called explosion

[aengus]

no.. Its bc of that "EXPLOSION" they had but it sounds kinda unbelieveable to me.. only bc i looked on almost EVERY! newsite online and saw nothing on that so called explosion

no honest the explosion was real.

gosh card beat you there!

[Cardinal]

no honest the explosion was real.

gosh card beat you there!

I wasn't going to answer. What do I care for others' well-being?

[aengus]

I wasn't going to answer. What do I care for others' well-being?

hmmm good point :thumbsup2

should we turn their servers back on yet?

[Vary]

Disney did do this actually. Pirates was completely free to beta peeps, then just that happenedThey made it clear from the start that there would be a paid version once the game opened up, though, didn't they?

[Belle1997]

this space sadly for rent
Ever Heard the VMK RAP?!?!

Awe Big A When I read that it made my heart sad:(

Here is a big hug for you :hug: Yes I will always remember VMK rap And of course Cowboy :)

[gshawen]

no.. Its bc of that "EXPLOSION" they had but it sounds kinda unbelieveable to me.. only bc i looked on almost EVERY! newsite online and saw nothing on that so called explosion

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/06/01/the_planet_houston_data_center_fire/

http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7011131199

[aengus]

They made it clear from the start that there would be a paid version once the game opened up, though, didn't they?

I cant remember to be honest Vary, I didnt catch it if they did, but I didnt really get into it so i ignored many of those early on emails.

[Vary]

I cant remember to be honest Vary, I didnt catch it if they did, but I didnt really get into it so i ignored many of those early on emails.I'm pretty sure they did; they had their beta testers divided up testing the two different service levels.

Edit: not that it matters too much, they're welcome to try to get people to pay for that game (snicker).

[VMK_Mouse]

They made it clear from the start that there would be a paid version once the game opened up, though, didn't they?

I do recall something about that option from the beginning.

[NedsTJ]

hmmm good point :thumbsup2

should we turn their servers back on yet?

:badpc::rotfl2: :lmao: :rotfl2: :lmao: :surfweb:

That's it. done for the night...The Tudors are on and I want to watch Anne Boleyn lose her head...

[aengus]

:badpc::rotfl2: :lmao: :rotfl2: :lmao: :surfweb:

That's it. done for the night...The Tudors are on and I want to watch Anne Boleyn lose her head...

ROFL are you as shocked as me your the first quote? LOL

[Gsterg]

thanks gshawen ;-) i didnt check or have ever hears of those LOL.. Looks like (according to the VFK Website) that there will be a lot of new features that all of us have been waiting for ;-) hopefully some good ones like the map, mini games, and more!

[aengus]

update from vfk

Outage update from the developers

The outage caused by the electrical explosion continues and the best estimates given to us are that the services should be coming back online in the next few hours.

When this outage originally occurred we were told it would be resolved in less than three hours. It was several hours later that the extent of the damage was determined and a new estimate of when the services would be restored was provided.

We had an option to have our services redeployed but this was forgone to allow those services which support critical sites, such as sites related to medical and health support to be moved instead. We know that each of our community would have made the same decision.

We have had a number of questions about how our network is structured and so we have included the following outline of the topology of our network



Even though there has been an outage, we have been hard at work taking advantage of this time to complete a number of features we know you will love.

We look forward to seeing you again as soon as the outage is resolved, hopefully later this evening.

Your Development Team
Virtual Family Kingdom

if anyone is interested in my opinon of their topolgy I will be more than happy to share it.

[vmkfan13]

update from vfk


if anyone is interested in my opinon of their topolgy I will be more than happy to share it.

:) Sure, we all value your opinions.. and typos

[Cardinal]

I don't.

[Vary]

update from vfk


if anyone is interested in my opinon of their topolgy I will be more than happy to share it.Oh, do tell. :-D

[LifesPink]

topolgy ? can i get a definition ?

[BlueSneakerGal]

topolgy ? can i get a definition ?

He's referring to the graphic now showing on the VFK home page.

http://www.virtualfamilykingdom.com/

And Aengus, I *am* interested in you opinion. :) The only thing that looks a bit odd to me is that the homes page servers are not backed up anywhere. :confused:

[LifesPink]

He's referring to the graphic now showing on the VFK home page.



oh duh i knew that ! - not

I'm curious too !

[aengus]

you are all instigators!!!!

its not redundant, but I guess we knew that.

So the May 28th post was not accurate, now that may have just been a bad choice of words from someone who is a web writer rather than doing their infrastructure so I guess we can give them that benefit of the doubt.

but to be honest that diagram is not from their infrastructure people either it looks designed for management or to wow the players.

they know there biggest flaw now, they have a single point of failure in houston, the web login is not redundant, but the positive side is they do understand their development side can rebuild production. The diagram doesnt show how they are syncrhonizing their dev but they do realize its checkmate if it gets toasted.

summary:

more show less go there

+ side , the development can continue even in a situation that they just went through

- side , they can be taken out again at that single point of login.


they should hire me, I can redundify the heck out of that place and i can configure and install even a core router in less than an hour :rotfl:

redundify (c) aengus 2008

[Cardinal]

Do you want to know what my opinion on this is?

Well, fine. I'll tell you anyway.

Aengus is better at this marketing stuff than both Disney and the sloppy high-school-dropouts that are running VFK. Just look at his last post. In just one (grammatically incorrect) sentence, Aengus has people begging for his own worthless opinion! Just think of putting all that charismatic ability (paired with the aforementioned worthless opinions) to work, and VOILA! You've got a politician! Honestly, I don't know where I'm going with this.

Aengus could easily run a game better than VFK, but the scripts would be so sloppily edited that nobody would care to play it.

[aengus]

Do you want to know what my opinion on this is?

Well, fine. I'll tell you anyway.

Aengus is better at this marketing stuff than both Disney and the sloppy high-school-dropouts that are running VFK. Just look at his last post. In just one (grammatically incorrect) sentence, Aengus has people begging for his own worthless opinion! Just think of putting all that charismatic ability (paired with the aforementioned worthless opinions) to work, and VOILA! You've got a politician! Honestly, I don't know where I'm going with this.

Aengus could easily run a game better than VFK, but the scripts would be so sloppily edited that nobody would care to play it.


I would hire you as the bad guy and invite people to throw pies at you for free


who wants to play?????

[LifesPink]

Hahaha Aengus that's a very complex opinion or idea ? i couldn't tell i didn't understand it.


haha they should hire you !



+ I would loveee to play ! lol

[Cardinal]

I would hire you as the bad guy and invite people to throw pies at you for free


who wants to play?????

That's not good marketing. That's battery. :mad:

Is this what I get for associating with someone who installs routers for a living? Go play with your buses and stars and meshes. (Oh, my!)

[aengus]

That's not good marketing. That's battery. :mad:

Is this what I get for associating with someone who installs routers for a living? Go play with your buses and stars and meshes. (Oh, my!)

at least you would have a job...gosh!

[LifesPink]

oh my.

i'm just trying to post 10 threads so i can send pm's lol

[aengus]

oh my.

i'm just trying to post 10 threads so i can send pm's lol

never say that with a moderator watching

now apologize!!!!

[LifesPink]

i'm sorry i would never try to post 10 threads. How dare me.

[Cardinal]

at least you would have a job...gosh!

No, thanks! I'd rather do a cabaret at the Apollo.

In fact, I could make a whole list about what I'd rather do than work for Aengus:

1. Jump into the beak of a giant squid
2. Dance in my underwear on the Empire State Building's Observatory deck
3. Listen to TIV
...
665. Read through my whole Economics textbook
The list goes on and on, my friend.

[BlueSneakerGal]

but to be honest that diagram is not from their infrastructure people either it looks designed for management or to wow the players.

Or simplified so that all us non techie types can have a clue? :)

they know there biggest flaw now, they have a single point of failure in houston, the web login is not redundant,

Hey! Waddya know!! The one thing I noticed was the critical flaw!! :faint:

[LifesPink]

wow, who knew i would hear so much technical stuff in one day ..

the things you learn ! :idea:

[aengus]

Or simplified so that all us non techie types can have a clue? :)



Hey! Waddya know!! The one thing I noticed was the critical flaw!! :faint:

ah HA! thats what I wanted you to think, but the actual critical flaw is...

well that is a very simple situation they are in, they are no where near the capacity that vmk had, I dont mean that to sound negative honest, but they were claiming they had 8,000 people online and just no way. Disney/Sulake had way more load balancing (they arent showing any) and we know what vmk was like at 7k people.

so their diagram as basic as it is, and knowing they dont have their own datacenter is not going to change any minds of any people that were skeptics before.

they have no redundancy and not even showing any real load balancing capability, which is entirely possible they chose not to show that in this basic diagram. I can only tell you whats not on that diagram.

honestly... the diagram tells us nothing factual :rotfl: it was designed for us all to go woooooooooah

[disvaclub92]

To me it shows that no business continuation plan (BCP) was set up. Just another important step that should have been made.

[KrazyPete]

ah HA! thats what I wanted you to think, but the actual critical flaw is...

well that is a very simple situation they are in, they are no where near the capacity that vmk had, I dont mean that to sound negative honest, but they were claiming they had 8,000 people online and just no way. Disney/Sulake had way more load balancing (they arent showing any) and we know what vmk was like at 7k people.

so their diagram as basic as it is, and knowing they dont have their own datacenter is not going to change any minds of any people that were skeptics before.

they have no redundancy and not even showing any real load balancing capability, which is entirely possible they chose not to show that in this basic diagram. I can only tell you whats not on that diagram.

honestly... the diagram tells us nothing factual :rotfl: it was designed for us all to go woooooooooah

Seriously asking, is it possible that they could have 7K online at one time since the game, in it's current form, is so much simpler than VMK? I imagine that VMK demanded much more in terms of bandwidth and system resources.

[aengus]

Seriously asking, is it possible that they could have 7K online at one time since the game, in it's current form, is so much simpler than VMK? I imagine that VMK demanded much more in terms of bandwidth and system resources.

IMO no they couldnt, VMK couldnt get that many other than their big quests.

On the bright side I do feel they can keep up with whatever load they typically have at the moment, I just dont think the numbers they post are accurate, I just cant see how they could get more users online than vmk did and vmk was at that point a very mature game as far as its development.

ETA: I mean lets face it they only have vmk members really right? thats the only place they got to advertise from was vmk sites and the save vmk sites.

[LifesPink]

How many players did VMK have ?


because i thought it would have wayy more then VFK claims to have. Not less then that .. :confused:

[aengus]

How many players did VMK have ?


because i thought it would have wayy more then VFK claims to have. Not less then that .. :confused:

no idea pink, but we know typically there were a few thousand online at a time

you can hear numbers like 250,000 active accounts but mules and well... we will never know. I just dont see how an incomplete game can get more of us vmk players online at a time than vmk could.

[LifesPink]

Yea well hearing that they can get on as many as vmk is just telling me there's something going on that we don't know about.. that just sounds super sneeky.

[WDWTigger72]

Just a guess, I think that Virtual Magic Kingdom had probably maybe 15,000-25,000 accounts logged on during any given day. I know that at one point they limited it to 6,000 accounts logged on at any given time, and then they made some configuration changes and you could have 8,000 logged on at any given time based on the pictures I saved below. The question is are these numbers really true based on logons, or is it an application limit to where that is all it can show. Nobody will truly know unless you worked for disney, I know reading performance metrics from Internet Information Services was always very clugy and non-definitive, but then again that is a microsoft application :rotfl2: :lmao: :rotfl2: :lmao: .

The diagram they represent is truly high-level, looks like a diagram we use to provide to our executives in work he he he, sorry to any executives here. I am sure they have more detailed diagrams that they are not showing to the non-technical folks and just keeping it as high level as possible. Could Virtual Family Kingdom support 7,000 users currently at any given time, probably? The thing nobody knows is the physical hardware they are using compared to Disney's physical hardware....Right now, Virtual Family Kingdom has such basic features it should be able to hold it but the one thing I have noticed is each feature added the more lag my character has moving. They have fixed some things like chat and people loading, but my guess is they will have to continue tweaking quite a bit. When Virtual Magic Kingdom first started I believe any given night during beta we only had about 500 users online at any one time, so this is a much bigger beta...


8000 Players (Seen From Home Page)
http://img102.imageshack.us/img102/2275/8000playerskp0.jpg

8000 Players (Logging Into Virtual Magic Kingdom)
http://img102.imageshack.us/img102/4586/8000playersmessagecannorh5.jpg

[awesomepatty-cake]

I find it hard to read all the negative comments against VFK. I really don't get it. They made a place for us to go similiar to VMK. Is it as good as VMK was when they closed - no, did I think it would be? - no. Do I expect to charged in someway to play eventually - yes. If Disney couldn't keep a free site open why should they? It seems that now that people can't complain about VMK (lag, quests too hard, etc.) they have turned to VFK to complain about. How about giving them a chance and see how they do. It hasn't even been up that long yet. Maybe the distrust of this site is actually coming from how Disney treated us. How many times were we told something that never actually happened. I think the one that hurts the most was how VMK was going strong and not to worry. So I will log into VFK and see what is new and how they are doing when I can. I will hope for the best but they can't let me down anymore then Disney already has.

[the_jedi_master]

The fact is that if they are not trustworthy, then we're screwed. That is why we can't trust anyone online. You just can't enforce rules like you can in the real world.

[SUPER-SUPERMAN]

'Nuff Said Cake! ;)

[OneLittleSpark]

Well said Cake :hug:

[TinkPinkPoem]

Yes, cake but they are letting down everybody with their broken promises too and the game has not even started yet, let alone reached its full functionality.

[aengus]

I do have some positives that may have been lost in what I wrote last night.

They didn't lose any dev time, that means they could keep working. Perhaps they will have the help button working when it re-opens.

They have some great employees there, I think its time to put them to use ;)

ETA: ok now they took that update down too, I'm sorry everyone but that makes me crazy ROFL. You remove updates sequentially oldest first @_@

[LifesPink]

Vfk is back up. It's unkown if the changes have been made, but it's open quite early. 2 hours or so before it would usually open. I believe it's been open for awhile to but i'm not sure, i just logged on.

[Disneychick74]

Yep it is open, and LOTS are logged in already seems to be running OK but no new features that I can see yet.
I DID send a test Help on the help button and ity went without error, I have yet to get any confirmation that they got it though.

ETA I ran into VFK_Surfer just now and she said this ...

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j126/itsmecloie/vfkhelp.jpg

[aengus]

Glad to see its operating, it is possible they were all busy doing restores and all that kind of fun recovery stuff also, so perhaps they didnt push any changes yet.

[debbi801]

I don't think it's been updated. When I log in, it says May 30th.

I'm taking a wait and see approach. I'm hoping it turns out as great as they are promising. I'm willing to take it day by day and it is fun running into old friends from VMK there. But honestly, each day I am less hopeful and more doubtful. It seems like they are making a lot of empty promises to keep people interested. And like aengus, the fact that they have removed their updates and promises from their site really concerns me. I can not think of a single positive reason they would have for doing that. I am also glad that I did not let my kids sign up for Beta. I would not feel comfortable right now with them hanging out there.

I will also say, the more time I spend hanging around in Gaia (although that is not kid friendly either), the less time I am spending wandering around in VFK.

[LifesPink]

Yep it is open, and LOTS are logged in already seems to be running OK but no new features that I can see yet.
I DID send a test Help on the help button and ity went without error, I have yet to get any confirmation that they got it though.

ETA I ran into VFK_Surfer just now and she said this ...




I saw you there, Yea i also asked about the rumor paying to play ( i asked lion ) he said some features may have to be payed for in the future, but the general game is free

[Kasiks]

Yep it is open, and LOTS are logged in already seems to be running OK but no new features that I can see yet.
I DID send a test Help on the help button and ity went without error, I have yet to get any confirmation that they got it though.

ETA I ran into VFK_Surfer just now and she said this ...

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j126/itsmecloie/vfkhelp.jpg

They could say it is while it is not too ..

[LifesPink]

you know right now.. staff isn't all there cracked up to be. earlier i was asking questions and the answers were very limited..

[SharkMeal]

I ran into VFK_Surfer too and she said what 1 of the new things today was
gonna be but we said that we wouldn't tell.. :D

acronym hint
NWWR

She said beta shirts were coming "soon" and mini games were coming "soon"
LOL. Dragon told me that beta shirts were coming after beta ended.

[Disneychick74]

They could say it is while it is not too ..

Well AFTER I sent my TEST help, I ran into VFK_Lion and this is what HE said, so they DID get the call for help, so I guess we can officially put this issue to rest huh?

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j126/itsmecloie/lion1.jpg
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j126/itsmecloie/lion2.jpg

[OneLittleSpark]

I ran into VFK_Surfer too and she said what 1 of the new things today was
gonna be but we said that we wouldn't tell.. :D

acronym hint
NWWR

Ooh! Yay! I'll go see if it's there yet :thumbsup2

[LifesPink]

Ooh! Yay! I'll go see if it's there yet :thumbsup2

Yea i don't like acronyms. Help me out what is it ? lol

[Disneychick74]

I ran into VFK_Surfer too and she said what 1 of the new things today was
gonna be but we said that we wouldn't tell.. :D

acronym hint
NWWR

She said beta shirts were coming "soon" and mini games were coming "soon"
LOL. Dragon told me that beta shirts were coming after beta ended.

NWWR = (Just a guess lol) New World With Ride? lol

[KrazyPete]

I ran into VFK_Surfer too and she said what 1 of the new things today was
gonna be but we said that we wouldn't tell.. :D

acronym hint
NWWR

She said beta shirts were coming "soon" and mini games were coming "soon"
LOL. Dragon told me that beta shirts were coming after beta ended.

NetWork With Redundancy?

[SharkMeal]

Ooh! Yay! I'll go see if it's there yet :thumbsup2

No updates until it officially opens, less than an hour though!

Yea i don't like acronyms. Help me out what is it ? lol

Sorry that's the biggest hint I'm giving, look below for a little bit better hint though. :)

NWWR = (Just a guess lol) New World With Ride? lol

Nope, think about an already existing world though.

[SharkMeal]

NetWork With Redundancy?

:lmao: :rotfl: :rotfl2:

Nope.

[Disneychick74]

No updates until it officially opens, less than an hour though!



Sorry that's the biggest hint I'm giving, look below for a little bit better hint though. :)



Nope, think about an already existing world though.

NWWR= New Wild West Room??
That would work because I am tired of having to walk all the way back through the West worlds to get back to civilization lol it is a dead end at the blacksmith area lol

[TinkPinkPoem]

NetWork With Redundancy?

:lmao:

[Dreamytime]

I found VFK_test who gave me my title while I was standing there. :)
She was answering questions while she did.
That is very kind I feel.

[SharkMeal]

NWWR= New Wild West Room??
That would work because I am tired of having to walk all the way back through the West worlds to get back to civilization lol it is a dead end at the blacksmith area lol

New Wild West Rooms ;)

[Disneychick74]

I found VFK_test who gave me my title while I was standing there. :)
She was answering questions while she did.
That is very kind I feel.

I agree VFK_Surfer was doing the same for quite a few pwoplw while standing and chatting early this morning

[BlueSneakerGal]

Well AFTER I sent my TEST help, I ran into VFK_Lion and this is what HE said, so they DID get the call for help, so I guess we can officially put this issue to rest huh?


Oh, that's great news!!

NetWork With Redundancy?

:rotfl:

[Dreamytime]

I have GuestXXX and now their approved XXXX title on my account.
I asked VFK_Ivy if I could delete the GuestXXX account on my friends list as I have XXXX and she said not to do so.

SO...don't delete the guest accounts. I would just keep a listing of which account was whom so you can delete later if they don't reconcile.

[TikiIslander]

Well AFTER I sent my TEST help, I ran into VFK_Lion and this is what HE said, so they DID get the call for help, so I guess we can officially put this issue to rest huh?


I'm glad he got it (or read here that you sent one? ;) ), but they need to be able to act on the calls for help for the issue to be put to rest. When someone sees that in action, that'll be a huge step forward for the game. Did he come to find you or did you guys just wander into the same room? I'm not convinced that they have the ability to find anyone in-game, but that's obviously not the only effective mod tool- they might be banning people/IPs without reviewing the situation in person.

Also, are these staff members on call 24/7? It's great that the game is staffed with moderators whenever it's open, but I'd hate to get a call that they are starting a test at 2AM and I need to be there.

[aengus]

I for one am very pleased to see that the help button is being worked on :thumbsup2

That progress is great news, now they just need to solidfy they response!

oh and I almost hurt myself with your NWWR acronym Pete :rotfl:

[Disneychick74]

I'm glad he got it (or read here that you sent one? ;) ), but they need to be able to act on the calls for help for the issue to be put to rest. When someone sees that in action, that'll be a huge step forward for the game. Did he come to find you or did you guys just wander into the same room? I'm not convinced that they have the ability to find anyone in-game, but that's obviously not the only effective mod tool- they might be banning people/IPs without reviewing the situation in person.

Also, are these staff members on call 24/7? It's great that the game is staffed with moderators whenever it's open, but I'd hate to get a call that they are starting a test at 2AM and I need to be there.

No he came to find me in Merlin room to let me know that the test worked, I dont think they have the ability to Teleport to members yet but he knew where to walk and find me lol

[TinkPinkPoem]

It's a good thing the report button is working.

Now all they need is people to answer the calls and a better chat filter!:thumbsup2

[Bugdozer]

Someone asked lion about using some VFK gadget and here is what he said:

http://xs128.xs.to/xs128/08231/lion1217.jpg


Then he was asked if he was really lion from the "other" game and he said:

http://xs128.xs.to/xs128/08231/lion2324.jpg

[Lauralee]

I just got politely scolded for dancing my game title :)
Good to know the staff are on their toes about game safety, but really, it was my game title I was dancing.
Whew! Wouldn't want to be the first banned player!

[HeDiedxILive]

Sorry if this has already been pointed out..

But has anyone noticed that we can say "dis" in the game?

Just a random sidenote... is this our dis, or a random word? I wonder if I'd be virtually murdered if I made a reference to the boards.

[Dreamytime]

The dictionary seems to be identical to the VMK one, except i did notice that 'taken' isn't allowed (Thank God!!)

[SharkMeal]

The dictionary seems to be identical to the VMK one, except i did notice that 'taken' isn't allowed (Thank God!!)

Yeah too bad it's not difficult to say "take.in"

[NedsTJ]

Sorry if this has already been pointed out..

But has anyone noticed that we can say "dis" in the game?

Just a random sidenote... is this our dis, or a random word? I wonder if I'd be virtually murdered if I made a reference to the boards.

That's so we can say "Stop dis.in me Aengus!"

[Cardinal]

That's so we can say "Stop dis.in me Aengus!"

I thought it was so that we can re-enact our own non-copyright infringing version of the Wizard of Oz:

"I'm dis.in.the.great.in! What a world! What a world!"
:maleficen

[TinkPinkPoem]

I thought it was so that we can re-enact our own non-copyright infringing version of the Wizard of Oz:

"I'm dis.in.the.great.in! What a world! What a world!"
:maleficen

I love that movie! Too funny Cardinal! :rotfl:

[aengus]

i am in dis.belief you guys went there @_@

[Gsterg]

How do you get into Merlin's Shop?

[mickeyminnie123]

ummm can anyone tell me why the newsletter is may, 24?? :confused3

[lizbeth374]

I thought it was so that we can re-enact our own non-copyright infringing version of the Wizard of Oz:

"I'm dis.in.the.great.in! What a world! What a world!"
:maleficen:rotfl: :lmao: :rotfl:

i am in dis.belief you guys went there @_@

:rotfl: :lmao: :rotfl:

[Cardinal]

i am in dis.belief you guys went there @_@

Come on, Aengus. Don't be dis.stressed!

[Mnementh]

Well, today I had kind of a change of heart. Earlier, when Aengus was commenting about the editing of the homepage and that whole "changing history" debate started, I didn't really care. I thought it was kind of stupid, but not a huge deal. Today, however, when I saw that they deleted all of their updates about the explosion and whatnot, I started feeling that the edits had gone beyond stupid into irritating. It's like they're trying to pretend the game has never gone down (as if we didn't notice it :rolleyes:). Let people know what happened. They even deleted their explanation of how everything is set up, which I'm sure a lot of people would find interesting. Why do they feel the need to hide stuff?

[Mnementh]

redundify (c) aengus 2008

Have you ever considered running for president? With a vocabulary like that, you could be the next George W. Bush.

ETA: Sorry about the double post. I'm about five pages behind, so I'm just posting comments as I see something I want to comment on and hoping someone posts in between my posts. Unfortunately, that didn't happen.

[poohluv2u]

I was reading one time - on Yavn's blog I believe (Seth=Yavn) that he was very frustrated with the VMK newsletter thing. He would get excited about some future item in the game and talk about it in the newsletter, and then people would hound him about it when, for what-ever-reason it wasn't released. I believe he said he would just have to learn to curb his excitement, and his tongue. Soon after that the newsletter started showing up less frequently.

My guess is that the people of VFK will learn this lesson too and give us fewer updates. Although I don't condone all of their actions to date ... I also don't envy them their job, as it's difficult to please everyone. :scared1:

[Bugdozer]

New Rooms

http://xs128.xs.to/xs128/08231/stall321.png

http://xs128.xs.to/xs128/08231/newstore325.png


Not happy with the store seems to me they purposely made it look like the store in frontierland in VMK...

[Gsterg]

where are those rooms?

[seaturtledude]

Have you ever considered running for president? With a vocabulary like that, you could be the next George W. Bush.


:rotfl: :lmao: :rotfl2:

Also: VFK_Surfer seems to have bad grammar. The sentence should have been: "You're quite welcome."

[Mnementh]

Not happy with the store seems to me they purposely made it look like the store in frontierland in VMK...

That's exactly what I was thinking when I saw that... :headache: I'm shocked there are no mice on the second floor moving around.

[Bugdozer]

That's exactly what I was thinking when I saw that... :headache: I'm shocked there are no mice on the second floor moving around.

Also has anyone noticed the guns on the table -3 of them. Ink was in a room and someone said takes gums... Don't like it..

[funfly]

actually I've seen a few old country stores.....they kinda all look like that one in vfk and vmk....so I think vmk copied the real country stores first :rotfl:

[poohluv2u]

:rotfl: :lmao: :rotfl2:

Also: VFK_Surfer seems to have bad grammar. The sentence should have been: "You're quite welcome."

Originally their dictionary wouldn't let you say 'you're' as well as a few other contracted words .. VFK_Surfer probably just doesn't realize that they've changed it.

[Bugdozer]

actually I've seen a few old country stores.....they kinda all look like that one in vfk and vmk....so I think vmk copied the real country stores first :rotfl:

I am sure there are plenty of ways they could make it look not like VMK start by putting the cash register and counter in a different spot...

[DeluxePrincess]

My DD notice the sign on the stable said "Mister Ned is out to lunch". They had to use the name "Ned"?:surfweb:

[OneLittleSpark]

Anyone read the sign in the stable yet? Is that just a reference to the famous Mr Ed, or is this a nod to the esteemed disembodied gentleman himself? :scratchin

EDIT: Lol, DeluxePrincess you beat me to it!

[MPhins13]

My DD notice the sign on the stable said "Mister Ned is out to lunch". They had to use the name "Ned"?:surfweb:

aww I miss Ned and his hanging head :sad2:

[Cardinal]

I'd like to dedicate this song to the creators of VFK:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=QmrIZVoQZ1E&feature=related

[HeDiedxILive]

Anyone read the sign in the stable yet? Is that just a reference to the famous Mr Ed, or is this a nod to the esteemed disembodied gentleman himself? :scratchin

EDIT: Lol, DeluxePrincess you beat me to it!


When I saw it said that, I definitely thought the famous Mr. Ed. I feel like it is play on the show, not a play on our beloved Ned head.


Hmm I feel like I was just trying to fit as many rhyming words into that sentence as I could.

said, ed, ned, head. and for a stretch, beloved.




..ted... bed... shed... hah now I can't stop. :worried:

[swimmingneno]

i cant figure out how to get into these rooms..

[Diva of Dragons]

i cant figure out how to get into these rooms..

Walk behind the horse and covered wagon in the western town for the first new room. From there go in the first big door, on the right.

I don't know where the store is though.

[Mnementh]

The store is inside the building that says "General Mercantile" on it. Just walk in the front door.

[SharkMeal]

Did you notice in the horse stable room there is a moveable carrot named
"Pink Couch".

We have our second game, with the first being move the rock and the second
being move the carrot.

And I also don't think Pink Couches are good snacks for horses. ;)

[Diva of Dragons]

The store is inside the building that says "General Mercantile" on it. Just walk in the front door.


Yeah, that's not working. LOL!

[souper]

I for one am very pleased to see that the help button is being worked on :thumbsup2

That progress is great news, now they just need to solidfy they response!

oh and I almost hurt myself with your NWWR acronym Pete :rotfl:

I'd like to add:
Tonight a friend found it necessary to use the report button a few times. Staff did get the calls for help.

[BlueSneakerGal]

I also used the report button a couple times and staff responded very quickly. I believe they have taken our concerns very seriously. Thanks VFK staff!

[Mnementh]

Did you notice in the horse stable room there is a moveable carrot named
"Pink Couch".

That was definitely not there a couple hours ago. As much as that stands out in that room, I know I would have seen it earlier.

Yeah, that's not working. LOL!

That's really strange. Are a lot of people having trouble walking into the store?

[Diva of Dragons]

That's really strange. Are a lot of people having trouble walking into the store?

Yes, I'm going to report it as a bug.

[SharkMeal]

That was definitely not there a couple hours ago. As much as that stands out in that room, I know I would have seen it earlier.



That's really strange. Are a lot of people having trouble walking into the store?

It was there since it opened, but since it is moveable maybe someone moved
it in a hard to see place.

[aengus]

Come on, Aengus. Don't be dis.stressed!

i am in a state of dis.a.ray over this cardinal!!!

Have you ever considered running for president? With a vocabulary like that, you could be the next George W. Bush.

ETA: Sorry about the double post. I'm about five pages behind, so I'm just posting comments as I see something I want to comment on and hoping someone posts in between my posts. Unfortunately, that didn't happen.

If we all put me down as a write in there will be uh... well 3! I think I can get Cardinal to do it too :)


I'd like to add:
Tonight a friend found it necessary to use the report button a few times. Staff did get the calls for help.


This is great, this had to be taken care of, and it was.


I do think they could have moved the cash register it does have that eerie frontierland mercentile feel especially with that there.

ummm can anyone tell me why the newsletter is may, 24?? :confused3

are you trying to get me all fired up?!?! :rotfl:

[LifesPink]

if you all already went over this sorry, but is the merlin shop supposed to be accessible

[Cardinal]

i am in a state of dis.a.ray over this cardinal!!!

Don't be dis.couraged! You can't just dis.card your feelings like that!


If we all put me down as a write in there will be uh... well 3! I think I can get Cardinal to do it too :)

I'm not old enough to vote yet. I'm guessing they let you skip over U.S. History and Government when you major in whatever worthless computer stuff you went to college for? :rolleyes1

[tofubeast]

Just a nail in the coffin that the REPORT button works.

http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb97/dtmeyer/vfk/reportbutton.jpg


She went on to say they are still working on being able to message you after you report, but they definitely can see/visit during a call for help.

[the_jedi_master]

Through that door and up the stairs? What stairs? The Inside or the outside? Oh, its a mall in the west? Okay...

[Diva of Dragons]

Jedi, I was the one who said hi to you earlier today...just an FYI.:)

[the_jedi_master]

OIC, not to good with keeping up with names. ;)

[disvaclub92]

Just a nail in the coffin that the REPORT button works.

You are a tester, instead of asking you should have tested yourself, I sure did. :thumbsup2

In addition, the staff member who came to advise me that yes the help button did work was kind enough to answer a few questions. When asked if the rooms are moderated without staff present in the room, I was advised yes. He also stated that safety is their main priority then they will work on inventory.

Glad they will listen to our concerns. :)

[Diva of Dragons]

OIC, not to good with keeping up with names. ;)


No worries. It doesn't help that my name here is different. I'm FeyDolphy there.

[TinkPinkPoem]

A little :offtopic: but..

When are they supposed to open the game to everyone?

June 28th?

:confused3

[Disneychick74]

You are a tester, instead of asking you should have tested yourself, I sure did. :thumbsup2

In addition, the staff member who came to advise me that yes the help button did work was kind enough to answer a few questions. When asked if the rooms are moderated without staff present in the room, I was advised yes. He also stated that safety is their main priority then they will work on inventory.

Glad they will listen to our concerns. :)


When I was talking to Lion about the help button yesterday, I got the feeling that he knew we all thought it was an issue, I think they are stoll trolling the boards to see what we are thinking...HI LION :)

[Gsterg]

If staff are watching then tell the developers to make the friends list a little better by like grouping who is offline an online and by kinda stating where each friend is :-) i think it would be easier that way. But its just my opinion so im fine if you dont like it!

Gsterg

[tofubeast]

I wish we could have a separate thread where we could keep a running list of suggestions we have that will truly improve the game.... or perhaps if it could be kept in the first post of this thread? :rolleyes1

As alpha beta omega zeta testers, it would be good to have an easier area to discuss what kinks still need to be ironed out. Especially if other eyes :3dglasses are on this thread as well. This thread is becomming so huge! Just a hint....just a request.....

:dance3:

[TinkPinkPoem]

I wish we could have a separate thread where we could keep a running list of suggestions we have that will truly improve the game.... or perhaps if it could be kept in the first post of this thread? :rolleyes1

As alpha beta omega zeta testers, it would be good to have an easier area to discuss what kinks still need to be ironed out. Especially if other eyes :3dglasses are on this thread as well. This thread is becomming so huge! Just a hint....just a request.....

:dance3:


In this game, you have a group of testers for each letter of the greek alphabet...:rotfl2:


There is a board dedicated to vfk.:rolleyes1 I have checked it out (I am not a member) and it appears that many current players and former vmkers post there. Maybe they could take their thoughts into consideration.

[aengus]

I wish we could have a separate thread where we could keep a running list of suggestions we have that will truly improve the game.... or perhaps if it could be kept in the first post of this thread? :rolleyes1

As alpha beta omega zeta testers, it would be good to have an easier area to discuss what kinks still need to be ironed out. Especially if other eyes :3dglasses are on this thread as well. This thread is becomming so huge! Just a hint....just a request.....

:dance3:


For now, this is all that is possible. The WM's have to make longer term decisions for the forums direction in general.

If anyone had missed the prior update by WebmasterKelsie also, it can be read in the link below.

http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=25325449&postcount=1613

[snowgracefulstone]

YAY! we can now send and receive messages, can also transport to friends now too :)

[SkippyPaul]

I would like to know why staff does not nip this in the bud now. I crossed out all names. But this "player" and I do mean player was saying things like, wheres all the hat girls, staff is worthless here, do you know how many times I was banned from magic, only hat girl here is staff, staff will you go out? Now I see everyones concerns about safety that was talked about here. This kept up for maybe 20 min, plus I saw him in another room.

http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o174/SkippyPaul/omg.jpg

[aengus]

So I wonder if they dont have the ability to actually take an action against a player yet?? A report is only good if an action can be taken?

Did the staff member ever even acknowledge that person Skippy?

[SkippyPaul]

So I wonder if they dont have the ability to actually take an action against a player yet?? A report is only good if an action can be taken?

Did the staff member ever even acknowledge that person Skippy?

Aengus I stood there the entire time that player entered the room. Im positive that staff has no power to do anything even if a report is sent. Yes staff acknowledged him several times like: " so and so, plz be nice", or "you can use play time here". But he kept it up. IMO they can do nothing as of yet, in which case they have no business even allowing players in the game.
Again, IMO.

[NedsTJ]

Aengus I stood there the entire time that player entered the room. Im positive that staff has no power to do anything even if a report is sent. Yes staff acknowledged him several times like: " so and so, plz be nice", or "you can use play time here". But he kept it up. IMO they can do nothing as of yet, in which case they have no business even allowing players in the game.
Again, IMO.

I wasn't in that room, but another room last night where a Guest was using inappropriate language and dictionary dancing. Someone beat me to the HELP button as suddenly VFK_Zoo was there. She said something to the effect of "That person has been dealt with"...but the guest was still in the room. I don't think they have the "booting" power turned on yet, LOL.::cop:

[the_jedi_master]

I think the closest thing they can do to ban someone is to just delete it. Sad to say...

[souper]

Rob: Sorry you had to see such behavior. Last night staff was quite responsive to the calls for help. They did tell players they would lose play time if they did not modify their behavior. Players were also asked to read the constitution.

In severe instances, I would think they would have the power to remove an identity/player from the database.

I'm glad to see messages and the jump to friend options working. :)

[aengus]

If they can't ban a player on the spot, they really shouldn't be open to players under 13.

In fact now that I think of it, we were never given any COPPA check box or anything when we signed up or enterred the game did we?


http://www.coppa.org/comply.htm

[Dashzap]

For my tastes, VFK is too buggy and too much lag. Would someone please message me when it is a fully functional, fun game? Many thanks.

[Barbday62]

If they can't ban a player on the spot, they really shouldn't be open to players under 13.

In fact now that I think of it, we were never given any COPPA check box or anything when we signed up or enterred the game did we?


http://www.coppa.org/comply.htm

I was asked when I registered if I was over 13 or Under

[lindseysmomma]

The staff can do nothing in game yet to players.

I was in a room and VFK_Butterfly was in there. Someone was blocking the door to the castle and I asked if she could move her. She said she was trying and then came back and said she couldn't do anything about it.

For me personally this game is starting to annoy me. I was originally saying give it time it will get better, etc but I have had about enough.

I understand it takes time to get a game up and running but really they should not have allowed 50,000 into beta, and it should not be open to kids. I use to let my daughter who is five play VMK, she loved just walking around and even started building her own room but there is no way I would let her on this site, even with me there.

I am now starting to understand where Aengus, the webmasters, and other mods are coming from about this game. Maybe once they are out of beta and in full mode it will be something I will consider to be a family game until then not so much.

[VMK_Mouse]

I would like to know why staff does not nip this in the bud now. I crossed out all names. But this "player" and I do mean player was saying things like, wheres all the hat girls, staff is worthless here, do you know how many times I was banned from magic, only hat girl here is staff, staff will you go out? Now I see everyones concerns about safety that was talked about here. This kept up for maybe 20 min, plus I saw him in another room.



Aengus I stood there the entire time that player entered the room. Im positive that staff has no power to do anything even if a report is sent. Yes staff acknowledged him several times like: " so and so, plz be nice", or "you can use play time here". But he kept it up. IMO they can do nothing as of yet, in which case they have no business even allowing players in the game.
Again, IMO.

I wasn't in that room, but another room last night where a Guest was using inappropriate language and dictionary dancing. Someone beat me to the HELP button as suddenly VFK_Zoo was there. She said something to the effect of "That person has been dealt with"...but the guest was still in the room. I don't think they have the "booting" power turned on yet, LOL.::cop:



I do not believe that staff has the ability to do anything. We were in a room last night with staff and somebody continued to make a comment about every 30 seconds that made it obvious that he was using the f-bomb and saying what to do with that word. Nothing happened.

[jasonpwns]

The staff can do nothing in game yet to players.

I was in a room and VFK_Butterfly was in there. Someone was blocking the door to the castle and I asked if she could move her. She said she was trying and then came back and said she couldn't do anything about it.

For me personally this game is starting to annoy me. I was originally saying give it time it will get better, etc but I have had about enough.

I understand it takes time to get a game up and running but really they should not have allowed 50,000 into beta, and it should not be open to kids. I use to let my daughter who is five play VMK, she loved just walking around and even started building her own room but there is no way I would let her on this site, even with me there.

I am now starting to understand where Aengus, the webmasters, and other mods are coming from about this game. Maybe once they are out of beta and in full mode it will be something I will consider to be a family game until then not so much.

While I understand your point, give them time and yes maybe they should of held the release date but they were trying to help with vmk closing and all, and coding isn't a very easy processes alot of private server sources hand coded for example odinms source is only about halfway to 75% done and its been a year+, so it does take time :) But they should of pushed the release to a later date, i'm sure a ban script couldn't be to hard I mean all they have to do is code in a banned script and make a staff page with a sql database command to ban or unban a player.

[aengus]

I was asked when I registered if I was over 13 or Under

hmmm I dont remember it,

I just tested their site now and it still doesn't ask when you sign up. Was it the next step maybe that does it?

I think they need that information up front to be in compliance because at that point they have possibly collected the email address of a minor.

I am no lawyer (I dont even play one on tv), so putting it out there, if they see it they can check into it.