I am so beaten down by this whole quest.

[moikturtle]

I know that a lot of people are not fond of complaints, but honestly, I feel like I need to get this out for my sanity. So if anyone reading this hates complaints, please do not continue reading this.

I knew nothing of this quest this weekend because I spent the entire weekend chaperoning activities for a youth organization I'm an adult adviser for. So I sign on today to discover that this enormous quest is going on. So I tried and tried to get through it. At one point my entire family was each on a different computer, trying to get me through it, but they sadly all kept crashing. My brother spent nearly the entire day trying to help as well. He has a major paper due tomorrow, but he persisted in helping me because he felt that since I'd put so much of my time into getting it done, he wanted to make sure I could. After hours and hours of playing, I finally got a turn. And ended up twenty points short of the necessary score. The rest of the players were kind enough to let me try again, but yet again I came up short by a tiny amount of points. I felt that it was unfair for me to continue trying, since I already got two tries.

Now my brother hasn't finished his paper, since he was so busy trying to help me. And he's completely stressed out about that. And I have nothing to show for it, but disappointment. I haven't eaten since probably 11am. I'm completely burned out. And now I hear that they're going to be ending the quest in the middle of the day. As it was, I have to leave in the middle of the day to go tutor and then go to a meeting until VMK closes, but noon?? That's just insulting, especially to all the working adults and CHILDREN out there. This game was made primarily with children in mind. Last I had heard, children have school. Honestly, I think it's rather asinine of VMK to schedule it's end in the middle of the week anyway, since it's not like it does kids/working adults a whole lot of good anyway (aside from inadvertently encouraging them to skip work/school). But to end in the middle of the day?? Good grief.

I've pretty much resigned myself to never completing this ridiculous quest. I'll likely never get the items that can be won through it, because it will probably be the only way to obtain them (aside from trading -- and we all know that this will all be even more valuable than red baseball, which looks like a cake walk in comparison now). I'm up for a challenge. I have no problem with the challenge aspect of this quest. Had the only issue been to get 575 credits in pirates, sucked up a ton of ghosts, and gotten a super score on jungle cruise, I would have persisted with doing so with no complaint. The main issue I have with this quest is that the challenge was not necessarily in the tasks. The reason this quest was so incredibly impossible for so many people was because VMK for whatever reason, refuses to modify their system so that it can handle massive amounts of people all at one time. The biggest issue was even being able to get all the players together in one room together so that they could play a game. That in itself would end up taking at LEAST half an hour. My brother plays tons of other games, and everytime I ask him to play VMK with me he is shocked and dismayed by how incompatible it is with the amount of people who play. He has told me numerous times that all of the other games he plays have multiple servers, so why doesn't VMK? Why isn't there more bandwidth? They know very well that they've grown significantly since the old days, but they've yet to accommodate to that. Maybe if they did, there would be a lot fewer disappointed players. And you know, personally I'll be disappointed for a while that I don't have silver ears (I collect ears in real life) or twilight zone magic (twilight zone is my favorite show), because I got really, really excited about those two items. But I'll get over it relatively quickly since I'm an adult and VMK isn't necessarily the the center of my life. I feel really bad for any children who invest a lot into this game, who feel that VMK is a hugely important part of their lives, who didn't get to finish this quest. Because I really think that it WILL get to them.

P.S. Please keep in mind that I am exhausted and starving, so I may have made little sense in portions of this post. Also, please take nothing I said personally. I am not flaming anyone on this board, nor staff members. I am simply stating issues I have with the system that is currently in place for the game.

Edited to Add: I would also like to note that there were malicious players in the game who had already completed the quests themselves, would get themselves into lobbies, but then would refuse to join any games or leave. Instead they would stand there wearing silver ears, bragging to everyone about all the stuff they had, while using their new magic. Meanwhile, the rest of everyone's teams could not get into the room. Sigh.

 

[Melp]

This was very well thought out and said. I also feel similar in the fact that VMK did not take in consideration those who work or like you mentioned kids who are supposed to be in school when this ends. I saw so many tonight trying to pass pirates as I was myself around my work schedule and other real life. If I had not had to wait for queues to get my teams together or the way the VMK systems allow only a certain amount of games to play at a time at least some others and I might have had more of a chance. I will always be grateful to those few who tried again and again to help me get through this. Right now I have such a feeling of being deflated from having so much hope and then having it taken right away. Congrats to everyone who did manage to work this quest in and pass it. I will make the simple plea to VMK to give just a bit longer.

 

[LuckyDesi]

Well said and I'm sorry we couldn't get it together enough to put you through. I am confidant we did everything we knew. I was on most for Saturday and Sunday and it was a nightmare to get to a lobby let alone play. My friends did their darndes't to get me through too. i too am dealing with dashed hopes.

VMK succeeded in makng people mad, sad, and confused for sure. They had to have known they weren't equipped for this and played us. If they really didn't know then they need to wake up.

 

[moikturtle]

This was very well thought out and said. I also feel similar in the fact that VMK did not take in consideration those who work or like you mentioned kids who are supposed to be in school when this ends. I saw so many tonight trying to pass pirates as I was myself around my work schedule and other real life. If I had not had to wait for queues to get my teams together or the way the VMK systems allow only a certain amount of games to play at a time at least some others and I might have had more of a chance. I will always be grateful to those few who tried again and again to help me get through this. Right now I have such a feeling of being deflated from having so much hope and then having it taken right away. Congrats to everyone who did manage to work this quest in and pass it. I will make the simple plea to VMK to give just a bit longer.

Thank you.

I will second what you said; congratulations to all those who were able to make it through the quest, and thank you to those who finished and went back to help others. I hope that this disappointment does not take away from your happiness in finishing. Because it is truly something to be proud of doing. I too wish that more time was given. Green car magic has been around for a long time, but is still a challenge. So it isn't unreasonable to make this quest a bit longer, especially given the aspects of the game that are beyond the control of the players.

 

[moikturtle]

Well said and I'm sorry we couldn't get it together enough to put you through. I am confidant we did everything we knew. I was on most for Saturday and Sunday and it was a nightmare to get to a lobby let alone play. My friends did their darndes't to get me through too. i too am dealing with dashed hopes.

VMK succeeded in makng people mad, sad, and confused for sure. They had to have known they weren't equipped for this and played us. If they really didn't know then they need to wake up.

Don't be sorry at all. You all tried your best and I really appreciate that you were all so willing to listen to my advise about what we needed to do. Unfortunately we were all (myself included) just not able to get enough points when we needed to. Maybe if we'd had more time and were able to get back in to the lobby sooner, we would have been able to try a few more times each and get the hang of it by then. Things got so much less crowded later in the evening, but by then I think we were all already exhausted.

In addition, I don't think it helped anyone that there was so much pressure due to the way things were ending up. I'm sure that this was what was going through every person's head as they were getting their turn to win: "oh my gosh, I have a turn I finally have a turn, I can't screw this up, I need to get enough points or I probably won't get another chance...oh darn it...I got so stressed that I didn't get it...back to the drawing board."

 

[Pirate-Emery]

Green car magic has been around for a long time, but is still a challenge. So it isn't unreasonable to make this quest a bit longer, especially given the aspects of the game that are beyond the control of the players.

A week or two would not be too much to ask, VMK...


As for those of us that didn't have work or had minimal school:

I was in Disneyland from Wednesday to Sunday. Good News for this quest, though, was that I got Food Poisoning on Thursday night and was bed ridden for the entirety of Friday and a good portion of Saturday.

Stuck in bed for more than half my Disneyland trip? When this quest came up, I had thought that my luck was starting to turn around... FATE had made it so that I was in the optimal spot to finish this quest.

Then what happened? Three numbers changed my whole outlook on life...

575...

It wasn't easy and it wasn't fair. It took me working almost the entirety of today (except two hours of class mixed in) to complete the quest, yet I never thought about those that weren't as fortunate with regards to time...

VMK has a thing with impossible quests... When I started playing, there was that infamous In Game Pirate Hat Quest. That was rather difficult, calling for a hard Fireworks score for a beginner. But I managed it...

Then there was Rurple quest... that was impossible...

Now here comes the Mother of all Impossible Quests!


575 and 40 person queues into the lobbies... I shake my head at thee, VMK...

So here I am... three days later... my back is dead, my eyes are fried, and I am contemplating another vacation from VMK. Yes, the "beaten down" you referred to in the title is very accurate.

 

[LuckyDesi]

moikturtle, you and your brother made it possible for me to have seen how the game was really played by people who were comitted to getting it done even if it was just for those few games. Thank you so very much.
You are so right about the pressure. The few times yesterday, as well as today, I did get into any pirate game it must have looked like I had never played before and I felt like I was getting no where fast.

 

[eaglesgirl]

I agree with you whole heartedly. Here is something I posted elsewhere:

After trying for hours to complete the pirates task (with friends) & not being able to complete it (someone would crash, etc.), I needed to step away from the computer. All this has taught players to do is cheat at getting credits. If you set up the game THIS WAY, you'll earn at least x amount of credits & you'll pass. Those of you who know me, know that I enjoy playing pirates...especially battle!

I'm sorry, but I can't afford to take a day off from work to play a quest...nor can I use a computer at work. VMK opens it for a few days & if you happen to get in on those days, you have a chance to complete it. Tonight, I was finally able to pass the 16th task & move onto a few other tasks...however, I did not finish. Neither did my son's character.

Tomorrow again, I must work & thought I would at least have until tomorrow at closing to finish the quest. Now I've seen it closes at noon.

I refuse to trade for these items because people ask way too much for them. I've given away LOTS of items for free to various people (not just friends) including magic, difficult to get clothing items, and rare furniture items, so this kind of greed does not sit right with me.

As I've stated before (and I don't care what the demographics show because their data is VERY inaccurate), this was intended to be a game for kids. Yes, many adults also play, but most of the kids this game is geared towards would not be able to complete this quest. VMK dropped the ball.

I am thankful for the people who tried to help me. It's sad that a virtual game, with items that don't really exist can make so many people feel lousy! Was this their goal in setting up the quest?

 

[moikturtle]

It wasn't easy and it wasn't fair. It took me working almost the entirety of today (except two hours of class mixed in) to complete the quest, yet I never thought about those that weren't as fortunate with regards to time...

In comparison to a lot of people, I generally have a bit more time, since I am a full-time student, and don't have a job aside from occasionally tutoring. Though that's going to change on the 14th when I begin my student teaching. Anyway, with the extra time that I have, I wasn't even able to complete the quest, so I can't imagine what it was like for those who work nine to five jobs and children who go to school all day, come home and need to do homework, still have to eat dinner, and need to go to sleep relatively early so that they can go to school the next day. Children also frequently have limits to how long they can even be on the internet to begin with. I saw so many kids yesterday saying that they needed to sign off soon because they weren't supposed to be on so long. I'm not sure how happy I am with the fact that in order to complete this quest, children and adults needed to go so drastically against the rules in their lives. A child should never have to feel that in order to play a game they will need to skip school. Adults should not feel that they need to take the day off of work. VMK values, indeed. These kinds of things could be easily prevented if the system would admit its flaws with capacity and allow an extension.

moikturtle, you and your brother made it possible for me to have seen how the game was really played by people who were comitted to getting it done even if it was just for those few games. Thank you so very much.
You are so right about the pressure. The few times yesterday, as well as today, I did get into any pirate game it must have looked like I had never played before and I felt like I was getting no where fast.

Lucky, I'm glad that we were able to help you. We were so confused by the process ourselves, until we finally sat down together and figured out exactly what needed to be done. We had the benefit of being in the same house, so we could talk to each other face to face and clarify how it needed to work. It's so difficult for everyone else to do that in game, especially with such a limited dictionary. It was actually kind of amusing while we were playing with you guys because he was in his room and I was across the house so we'd be yelling to each other "are you full??" "okay, shoot me!!" "wait for the kraken!" I hope that you will be able to finally get the quest finished today. I know that you have worked so hard. P.S. Aside from just the pressure, I'm sure that the lag helped no one.

I refuse to trade for these items because people ask way too much for them. I've given away LOTS of items for free to various people (not just friends) including magic, difficult to get clothing items, and rare furniture items, so this kind of greed does not sit right with me.

As I've stated before (and I don't care what the demographics show because their data is VERY inaccurate), this was intended to be a game for kids. Yes, many adults also play, but most of the kids this game is geared towards would not be able to complete this quest. VMK dropped the ball.

I am thankful for the people who tried to help me. It's sad that a virtual game, with items that don't really exist can make so many people feel lousy! Was this their goal in setting up the quest?

I don't really have a strong desire to trade for the items myself, because like you said, people start making extreme demands. I understand that it took a lot of work to get these particular items, and while I am sure there are people who have reasonable requests for their trade, there are so many that end up taking advantage. I saw that happen a lot with dream ears, which weren't even as difficult to get. I'm hoping that the items will be available by some other means in the future. I don't even expect it to be through an easy means, just something where the playing field is a little more even to begin with. I truly believe that had there not been such short time constraints on this quest, there would not have been nearly as many technical difficulties.

I don't think that their intention was to create a lot of hurt feelings with this quest. However, I wish that VMK would more frequently own up to and learn from their mistakes. I understand that it's a free game, but it IS an advertising tool, and they need to stop and realize what these kinds of things are adverting about the Disney company.

 

[TinkRBel_In_Training]

My biggest complaint is the time factor. They give us just a few days to complete this huge quest, why?? They leave the Hannah Montana and Twitches Too quests up for forever and a day so why not leave this one up for longer than 3 days? I don't understand. Especially with such long queues for the pirates lobbies and not enough room for everyone trying to play. Not to mention the insane tasks we are trying to complete, of course its going to take a really long time! This quest was most definitely poorly executed. I feel especially bad for the children too, as I assume the majority of the finishers are adults who are able to strategize and spend hours and hours on the computer. I myself skipped 3 classes to play pirates (which I know I shouldn't have, but oh well). I'm sure that if we had been given more time I would have been able to finish, as would many others.

 

[LuckyDesi]

All this has taught players to do is cheat at getting credits.

I refuse to trade for these items because people ask way too much for them. I've given away LOTS of items for free to various people (not just friends) including magic, difficult to get clothing items, and rare furniture items, so this kind of greed does not sit right with me.

Yes, many adults also play, but most of the kids this game is geared towards would not be able to complete this quest. VMK dropped the ball.

I am thankful for the people who tried to help me. It's sad that a virtual game, with items that don't really exist can make so many people feel lousy! Was this their goal in setting up the quest?

I seems that for a lot of kids VMKvalues mean nothing. I didn't know they were cheating but I shouldn't be surprised as a lot of kids will do whateve it takes to get what they want and winning a super difficult quest just reinforces that mindset.

I am not a trader and now I see why with all the scamming going on. Ever since things became "rare" it seemed to have created a monster. Especially in a world that prizes things. (Got to keep up with the jones's)

VMK shattered a lot of kids's hopes this time. They stomped on that ball when they dropped it. things like this mean sooo much to kids and this seemed to be a game of chance as much as skill. But look at what you had to do to get through: you had to have a dedicated team that made it through the long queues and dc and boot and whatever in both pirates and mansion for both weekend days in most cases. Do most kids even have the ability to figure that out? I'm starting to wonder about my own emotional investment in this game. I noticed I missed an appointment because I was so arapped up in it yet didn't finish due to time and dc.

Child should never have to feel that in order to play a game they will need to skip school. Adults should not feel that they need to take the day off of work. VMK values, indeed. These kinds of things could be easily prevented if the system would admit its flaws with capacity and allow an extension.


However, I wish that VMK would more frequently own up to and learn from their mistakes. I understand that it's a free game, but it IS an advertising tool, and they need to stop and realize what these kinds of things are adverting about the Disney company.

I witnessed quite a few people saying how they were up until 1 a.m. to get as far as they could. Forgoing sleep, homework, food, water, and more is what a lot of players sacrificed to finish this quest. I have to wonder what is wrong here?
Vmk doesn't seem to be able to learn from mistakes; it's almost like they live in a cave and don't want to venture out. I don't mean Hosts or CL others but those who are actually in charge seem to look the other way.

 

[dawnita]

I think it's great that you spent the entire weekend volunteering instead of on VMK. You should feel happy and proud of yourself. You actually accomplished something that's going to last. Who knows how many lives you touched by doing this. I'm not trying to upset you by saying this, I know from reading your post that you are really sad and frustrated. I agree about the quest and I do feel bad for the children who did not get to complete thier quest and never had a chance of even passing it. It is geared towards children so it probably wasn't the best idea to have such a difficult quest. And I think your post was well written. I hope you feel better now that you vented. Sometimes that's just the thing we need to feel better that and a chocolate bar or two......

 

[ElectricLime]

Last night I was in a Pirates lobby with a 5-person group waiting for a sixth, a 7-person group waiting for an eighth, and a few stragglers waiting for friends to get through the queue.

Of course nobody could get in, because nobody was leaving.

We all stood there for more than twenty minutes. We got into a somewhat heated debate over who had the right to stay and who should be expected to leave. Finally somebody crashed and disconnected, opening the floodgates to let everyone else have their teammates be able to enter.

This event was a complete disgrace to VMK. I can't believe that the staff still hasn't learned anything since the botched Halloween maze event of 2005.

 

[mikeyandscoobyx2]

Im really sorry to hear about your misfortune. Im disgusted with VMK right now too.

 

[GoofyWaterCoaster]

I think that this was completely fair. It was only for those great at everything. I applaud VMK for thinking of this.

 

[mesbijoux]

Just wanted to say how well thought out and RIGHT ON you are with your initial post.

The level of disappointment I have is huge. Having to tell my kids when I pick them up from school that the last 2 1/2 days were wasted time is not something I'm looking forward to

The malicious ppl on vmk that you spoke of were a HUGE problem for us last night as well. So sad to see so many good ppl not finish quest (those who were helping others left right and center) and that ppl who would back log lobbies and flaunt would be some of the ppl to win - just baffles me.

 

[mikeyandscoobyx2]

im really sorry, and I do hope all goes well with your kids and that they understand.

 

[mesbijoux]

Thanks

 

[goldengourd]

You know what really gets me? VMK will think this quest was a success. They had all these people get on their game, such a good turn out. And there was a considerable amount of people that did finally make it through. People played VMk in record numbers, lots of prizes given out. The fact that they ONCE AGAIN offered an event that their system is not able to handle the number of people who play will not keep them from considering this weekend a success on their side.

 

[eaglesgirl]

I think that this was completely fair. It was only for those great at everything. I applaud VMK for thinking of this.

Your comment is disgusting in my opinion & really doesn't belong here. It also shows the lack of class in VMK at the moment. She has every right (as many people are) to be upset.

Today, I gave away several free items again to make a few people who didn't finish the quest a little happier...magic, rare clothing, rare furniture, whatever...has nothing to do with not being good at this game. In fact, before I completed pirates, I was helping others pass ghosts & pirates.