Yavn...Buddy, come on.

[BlueHairedMonkey]

Yavn (and VMK team),

I worked for over 50 hours on your quest and helped my daughters, my girlfriend and many random strangers get through the POTC portion. Just check my finished quest time...I believe it was around 38 hours or something and compare it to the time I was online. I made myself physically sick worrying about others and not taking responsibility for my eating. And I was proud...and happy.

And what do you go and do?

With your poorly chosen words, you've managed to turn most of VMK against anyone wearing the silver ears. I was excited beyond belief that I finished your quest and won best guest room this week. I was even going to wear my new shiny ears to the Club33 party. Now it feels awkward and I don't know what I'm going to do.

I know you are an adult and I am too, so let me give you some constructive advice on how to deal with cheaters. This is coming from a programmer (games and sweepstakes) with experience in the problems you are seeing as well.

1) Stop allowing people to sign up for VMK without a VALID email address! Just this simple step can get rid of 60% of the mules at least! There are people I know that create mules all day long, type in the codes, sell the rooms, the clothes and everything just to get the credits and purchase buyables. Then the mule is rarely used again. Stop this.

2) Get a publicist that knows how to write if you are going to mention cheating. Stop threatening the general VMK population!

3) When you see a cheater or a pattern of cheating, ban the character immediately. No warnings, no nothing. A simple lifetime ban. And by eliminating the ability to add a mule with any email address, it is more difficult for some to log back in. My god, I have "friends" that have been banned and come up to me (on vmk) and literally said..."I was banned for a month, so I made this new character." I know you see this too.

4) You and I both know your server array isn't cutting it. It looks like you added more to your load balancing during this event and I was pretty impressed overall. However, the thing that frustrated myself and my family was that on Saturday and Sunday, we didn't even get a chance to TRY to play potc because you didn't allow enough instances.

I'm going to stop there Yavn. I know you are aware of all these things already. You are a brilliant programmer (and your team as well). I love VMK. It has brought me closer to my daughters who don't get to live with me. I can't thank you enough for that. So please...please chill with accusations and manage this site with a SILENT iron fist.

Thanks buddy.

 

[SkippyPaul]

very good points cowboy. Let's hope someone is listening.

Rob

 

[Belle1997]

Yavn (and VMK team),


1) Stop allowing people to sign up for VMK without a VALID email address! Just this simple step can get rid of 60% of the mules at least! There are people I know that create mules all day long, type in the codes, sell the rooms, the clothes and everything just to get the credits and purchase buyables. Then the mule is rarely used again. Stop this.

2) Get a publicist that knows how to write if you are going to mention cheating. Stop threatening the general VMK population!


So please...please chill with accusations and manage this site with a SILENT iron fist.

Thanks buddy.

Yavn did write about this 2 years ago that people making mules would be banned. We all panicked. So then it was stated as long as they play them regularly.

I do have mules but I use them to gether prizes for my free give aways. I pl;ay all mine at least 2 to 3 times a week doing credit runs ect. And To help players that were away during a quest. And I do not think a valid email address would work that well maybe 30% how easy is it to get free email adresses all over the place. Just in our family alone 4 have 5 major email accounts, from there you can make hotmail, yahoo, google, etc.

So it would cut down on the one day mules only. And those people are already supposed to be tracked and banned.

But I do appreciate a programmers view of this rant by Yavn. How ever it is mild compared to some hissy fits he had. Let us all remember he reset the green car quest to near perfect score that no one could ever reach. Because people used spoilers. And then gave in a bit so 10% of elite players could get it. Screw the people who were much better at ghosts or pirates.

I too agree they need a PR person that can take The VMK programmers hissy fits and turn it into an informative and postive letter over all. I still believe many programmers (not all) lack people social skills. So this is an area that VMK falls down consistently.

But there has been great improvement with communication at least by the hosts in the game that unfortunately are the front line workers that do not make decisions can feel our pain and frustration. And try to stay positive.

So there you have it.

Thanks for your post

 

[VMK_Mouse]

Yavn (and VMK team),

1) Stop allowing people to sign up for VMK without a VALID email address! Just this simple step can get rid of 60% of the mules at least! There are people I know that create mules all day long, type in the codes, sell the rooms, the clothes and everything just to get the credits and purchase buyables. Then the mule is rarely used again. Stop this.

Hey there Cowboy! I agree with your comments and that was nicely worded. As much as I would like to agree that all will work, this one I think will be easily danced around. It is all to easy to go to gmail, hotmail, yahoo, take your pick...and create an email address you will never use again.

 

[BlueHairedMonkey]

Hey there Cowboy! I agree with your comments and that was nicely worded. As much as I would like to agree that all will work, this one I think will be easily danced around. It is all to easy to go to gmail, hotmail, yahoo, take your pick...and create an email address you will never use again.

I agree that it is easy for you. But I can use my daughters as an example. They are 11 and 9 and just starting to get proficient with the PC. I believe VMK is designed for this age group. My girls have NO IDEA how to create an email address. I checked one of their computers the other day and she had like 6 mules created or something. I looked at her with wonder, and asked what in the world she needed mules for. She said, "I like creating other characters so they can try on my cowboy pants."

So yes you are right that the valid email address will not work 100% of the time, but VMK has to start somewhere, and in my opinion, this is a good first step.

Another step that you'll hate me for? I would like to see a system, where you can subscribe to VMK for a small monthly fee and keep the free vmk as well. Those who pay get access to a few more items, more quests, etc.

- hides -

 

[VMK_Mouse]

Another step that you'll hate me for? I would like to see a system, where you can subscribe to VMK for a small monthly fee and keep the free vmk as well. Those who pay get access to a few more items, more quests, etc.

- hides -

I think the pay-to-play is coming somewhere down the road.

 

[threeboysmom]

Excellent points, Cowboy! Wow, I actually agree with you!

I just finished reading Yavn's newsletter about the quest. All I can say is WOW, WOW, WOW!

He admits he ended the quest early because of "cheaters"... I am STEAMING! That makes NO SENSE WHATSOEVER! Why punish the thousands of HONEST players that were still working their way through that INSANE quest?!! In the same article, he says they KNOW who uses outside programs. For crying out loud, if you KNOW who those people are, BAN THEM!!! Don't you think that's a much WISER choice than just cutting the quest short??????

I know NOTHING about computer programming/hacking, but come on, send me the list of those players that have completed the quest along with the finish times, and I'll send you back the list of players that CHEATED based on those times. Pretty simple even for me to distinguish a player with an hour finish time versus a player with 50+ hours...

Sorry, I don't normally like to rant, nor do I enjoy reading other's ranting.... I've always tried to see things from VMK's side in the past, but this just does it for me. If I didn't have so many awesome friends in that game, this would be the day I surely quit for good.

I'm not even sure my post makes sense at this point. I am just so livid to even go back and re-read/edit it....

 

[BlueHairedMonkey]

If I didn't have so many awesome friends in that game, this would be the day I surely quit for good.

If it makes you feel any better, I would be happy to hold onto your items for you if you quit. Cowboys are nice like that...

 

[Pirate-Emery]

Great points!

Through this whole fiasco, I'm embarrassed to wear my silver ears. It's almost as if I'm teasing people that didn't get them because of the "emergency" shortened quest.

And I still don't understand what Yavn meant by "cheaters." How did they cheat?

 

[Horse]

Another step that you'll hate me for? I would like to see a system, where you can subscribe to VMK for a small monthly fee and keep the free vmk as well. Those who pay get access to a few more items, more quests, etc.

- hides -

I'm all for this. Would really cut down on the mule problem. Especially with people who have over fifty of them.

I, too, am infuriated that they cut the quest short because of cheaters. This only punished the innocent. They should post the titles of those using hacking or scripting methods on the home page for all to see, delete all accounts on that computer, and then do a permanent ban on that computer. I'm clueless as to how it's even possible to cheat like this, but obviously it can and is done. Go after the offenders VMK! Not the players who worked for many, many hours on the quest.

 

[VMK_Mouse]

I'm all for this. Would really cut down on the mule problem. Especially with people who have over fifty of them.

I, too, am infuriated that they cut the quest short because of cheaters. This only punished the innocent. They should post the titles of those using hacking or scripting methods on the home page for all to see, delete all accounts on that computer, and then do a permanent ban on that computer. I'm clueless as to how it's even possible to cheat like this, but obviously it can and is done. Go after the offenders VMK! Not the players who worked for many, many hours on the quest.

Just another point....not all ppl that have mules use them for questing such as this.

I have 40 characters and play with them all. The people I played this quest with also have many mules. We never logged an additional character on to win this quest or at all during this questing period knowing that ppl were crashing all over the place. Just because people have mules, it does not mean they are a disrepectful player.

 

[angelcake170]

I totally agree with you!
... And mostly the part about buying up a few more servers. Disney has so much money but yet they can't spend a little money on VMK to buy a couple of servers?? That's pretty sad.
And don't listen to yavn about the ears. You did not cheat, so you wear your silver ears to your Club33 proud!

 

[lizbeth374]

I don't agree with the pay to play. I am a single mom with two children. We all like to play. Even a small fee for each player would have to be worked into my budget. I think they need to ban the people "they say" they know cheated. When these people keep getting banned for cheating maybe word will get around and maybe eventually stop. I agree they punished the wrong people by closing the quest early. Obviously the cheaters already won the quest and the non-cheaters were still trying to finish. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out who that will affect...not the cheaters...

 

[BlueHairedMonkey]

I don't agree with the pay to play. I am a single mom with two children. We all like to play. Even a small fee for each player would have to be worked into my budget.

That's why my suggestion was to keep VMK the way it is for the free accounts. If people want to purchase a subscription, then they would have access to just a few more features, items, quests etc. In my opinion, this would work.

 

[lizbeth374]

That's why my suggestion was to keep VMK the way it is for the free accounts. If people want to purchase a subscription, then they would have access to just a few more features, items, quests etc. In my opinion, this would work.

It might work, true. But basically, budget minded people would be punished because of cheaters...
Still not fair.

 

[Goofy05]

Banning cheaters won't work, they already know how to get around the bans.
Having a 'code' emailed to new accounts would force a response from a human, not a computer. This would tell vmk that the email is valid. Paying to play vmk could work, but it would also force a lot of players out, myself included. I don't see any cost worth the lag and crashing of vmk.

 

[cteddiesgirl]

Just another point....not all ppl that have mules use them for questing such as this.

I have 40 characters and play with them all. The people I played this quest with also have many mules. We never logged an additional character on to win this quest or at all during this questing period knowing that ppl were crashing all over the place. Just because people have mules, it does not mean they are a disrepectful player.

I have 22 characters. All gets played at some point or another.

I don't agree with the pay to play. I am a single mom with two children. We all like to play. Even a small fee for each player would have to be worked into my budget. I think they need to ban the people "they say" they know cheated. When these people keep getting banned for cheating maybe word will get around and maybe eventually stop. I agree they punished the wrong people by closing the quest early. Obviously the cheaters already won the quest and the non-cheaters were still trying to finish. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out who that will affect...not the cheaters...

Exactly.

That's why my suggestion was to keep VMK the way it is for the free accounts. If people want to purchase a subscription, then they would have access to just a few more features, items, quests etc. In my opinion, this would work.

Not for me it wouldn't. It would totally piss me off.
There's already enough separating the "poor" from the "rich" in VMK. This would further that divide.

It certainly wouldn't be fair to those that can't monetarily afford to pay for this.

Another step that you'll hate me for? I would like to see a system, where you can subscribe to VMK for a small monthly fee and keep the free vmk as well. Those who pay get access to a few more items, more quests, etc.

- hides -

I think the pay-to-play is coming somewhere down the road.

And that's the day I stop playing VMK. I don't have extra money laying around to spend on a virtual game that might go poof one night. It's bad enough that there are some items some people will never get because they don't have the money or the time for it.

Disney already bilks enough money out of its customers. Even their dvds tend to be higher prices than others.

As for the valid email address, what would I have to do? My main character is using a no longer valid email address. But when I signed up with VMK, I was still using it. I can't change the email address to my current account because another character is already using it. Buy the way, that's an email address I've used since 2001.

And I have 3 current email accounts. None of which are tied to my IP. They are all internet based accounts.

 

[Disney Dreams]

Isn't it ironic that the first thing that has excited me about VMK in about a month has now turned me so disappointed and disgusted with the VMK decision-makers that I find myself not wanting to even sign in?

 

[MPhins13]

Great points!

Through this whole fiasco, I'm embarrassed to wear my silver ears. It's almost as if I'm teasing people that didn't get them because of the "emergency" shortened quest.

And I still don't understand what Yavn meant by "cheaters." How did they cheat?

I agree with the wearing of Silver Ears. When my character finished the quest I put them on for a few just to show friends, but took them off because they didn't finish the quest and felt it was a slap in the face. A few friends, along with a ton of other VMK players would have been able to finish the quest if they had the rest of the day.
Whoever cheated should be banned and hopefully look in the mirror and see disrespect

 

[cteddiesgirl]

I can't figure out why everyone is totally blaming the cheaters. Yes, there were cheaters and I'm sure it's partly to blame for them shutting it down early.


But come on! Look at what they wanted to a pirates score! They didn't want many to finish this quest. They even stated that many will start but few will finish.

I still believe at least half of the reason for it is that we got so many more through that they thought would be possible. They want those items to be limited.