Non-Disney Online Games Virtual Family Kingdom Thread

[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.

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 !

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!

 

[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!

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.