Launcher problem? (NC Servers Down)

[Dragonette]

Disclaimer - I am sorry for posting here. Unfortunatly, my account is not linked to their forums and since we cannot actually connect to launcher and as a result to their login section, I am unable to post on the official forums. However, I still feel the need to vent, so if anyone see's this, please feel free to add my comments, using the name "Ingame Name - Dragonette", linking it back to this post, so there is no confusion as from whom it came!


That being said....


At approximatly, 10:30pm (21-05-08) a problem appeared. Players were unable to load the game via the launcher. Within moments, Nidhogg, the english lead moderator was able to start the process of information gathering and able to inform those needed to resolve the issue.

That being the case, many expected a short downtime, probebly hoping it would be a simple case of restarting all the servers. Within 30 minutes, Nidhoog was able to let us know of the problem.

21-05-08, 22:53
Nidhogg
English Lead Moderator, Community Consultant
Posts: 13,199
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Apparently the servers themselves are ok. If you're in-game, stay in game is the advice. Looks to be a reachability problem rather than anything more serious.

Ok, fair enough, we sit back for expecting delays, maybe one or two hours.... then nothing, till

22-05-08, 07:43
SnowCrash
Community Manager, Lead Gamemaster
Join Date: April 2002
Location: Pussy Club
Posts: 1,909
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The game servers are still running. The server hosting the launcher page seems to have some trouble. Our tech department will look into that issue asap.

Note the time, 8 hours later! Also, note the tone of Snowcrash's post, they will look into the issue asap, does kind of indicate, they haven't got round to it yet.


18 hours later, we fortunatly were updated again...

22-05-08, 17:13 #91
Nidhogg
English Lead Moderator, Community Consultant
Join Date: March 2003
Posts: 13,199
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There's a major hardware outage at our datacentre in Hamburg that's being worked on right now. Unfortunately I have no ETA for when repairs will be completed but we'll pass on any information as soon as we receive it.

N

Now during that time, one disgruntled player was banned from the forums, a player solution was found, but officially stopped by closing the login server.... and we are still left feeling somewhat bemused at the incompotance shown by KK and it's staff in resolving a hardware problem which surely a datacenter has a spare server that can replace a problematic one within hours or is the datacenter company grossly mis-managed, that it cannot be resolved quickly and effectivily as others has stated on official forum posts? That being the case, why has no official from KK, not moderators, actually informed customers what is going on officially?

Even road blocks, have side roads to keep the traffic moving, why has no solution been found to bypass this, if the "game servers" are actually working? Login was working without the launcher after all for several hours, till it was closed.

In fairness, Phiberdelic's comments of.....

23-05-08, 06:46
Phiberdelic
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IMO it sounds more as if someone forgot to pay a bill and now the data/account is being held in default of payment, with KK being to embarrassed to let on to the clients(all of us)

does sound more plausable than anything I have read so far.


As a new customer of KK, I expect value for money, experianced and loyal customer support and dedication of service from a company I am paying my money too. I expect a service that's as forthright and professional as I am and whilst I have the patience to understand problems do happen, I sincerly expect to be informed at every stage, especially when problems go on for more than 24 hours.

Now this problem has been going on nearly 33 hours roughly....

Just what is going on?

[Matan]

I have posted a link to this on the NC forums

[Dragonette]

I have posted a link to this on the NC forums

Noted.

Many thanks.

[Jason Parker]

I'll reply here since KK is fucking me up at the moment and I'm seriously thinking about quitting for good, because they finaly became a bunch of stupid assholes to be honest.

Servers are down and they or their hosting service aren'T able to bring a WEBSERVICE!!!! back up within 24 hours (no matter 22.05. is a day off in germany), this is unacceptable. And then Players come around with a solution which in a side note, has been used several times in the past (after all this isn't the first time the launcher isn'T working for some reason), and also been posted in the forums, with no reaction of such kind by KK.

Now all of a sudden KK go tell us starting without launcher is forbidden, you're considered a hacker then. And in this way out of line situation they are even stubborn and stupid enough to cut players off from that solution by closing login servers. That's nothing more than saying: "Hey if we say don't do that, and wait until WE fix problem then WAIT." Seriously that's somewhat arrogant and is a customer service fiasco. I've seen service people getting fired for speaking to customers in such tone.

[Brammers]

Post stickied... try to keep it calm, I know it's frustrating having no NC.

[Jason Parker]

It's not the unavailability of the servers that's ticking me off. It's the new deep the attitude of KK towards their customers has reached. It's somewhat paradox. The smaller the community gets the more distanciated KK is acting instead of contributing to a more family like atmosphere. It's almost as if they think they are fucking Blizzard dealing with millions of customers instead of the 150 to 200 people left playing. They realy get some sort of star allures and that attitude is going to be the death strike for NC in the end and not the lack of patches and bug fixes.

[Dragonette]

I think we have been more than patient, especially for players who are online 12 hours a day normally with Neocron 2. They are still charging full money for this game, for a service that is fast becoming below par for an mmo.

I understand also the frustrations of Nidhogg and Snowcrash who are left in the learch, with little to no information, trying to keep forum posters calm, but infact are doing the game no favours, by banning people, who are basically just frustrated and confused by the lack of responce to something that in this day and age, should be resolved quickly, especially if it's a mechanical problem, rather than technical in nature.

Personally, anyone telling anyone to remain calm and patient, needs their head examined because people are paying for a service that is not available. The service at the moment is dispicable on all fronts, from KK's lack of communication, to Moderators being heavy handed and as paying customers, we, should have the right without conviction, to speak their minds on the official forums, without interferrance of moderators.... all we can ask is that people try and be constructive in their vents.

oh dear... I really should stop posting

[Matan]

Announcement has been put up; http://forum.neocron.com/announcement.p ... mentid=381

[Dragonette]

Announcement has been put up; http://forum.neocron.com/announcement.p ... mentid=381

Thank you Matan.

Shame there is still no ETA.

[Matan]

Not a problem. And aye, is a big shame. I'm not experienced in I.T. but I'm guessing for something as apparently simple as fixing a webservice (or whatever it is ) this is taking a very long time and something else must've gone wrong. Thing is I very much doubt that Snowcrash or Nidhogg know much more than we do.

Let's just hope it gets sorted soon Only thing that slightly worries me is on that announcement there are dates on it to be posted from 23-05-08 until 23-06-08 Though I'm sure it's just nothing.

[Dragonette]

Let's just hope it gets sorted soon Only thing that slightly worries me is on that announcement there are dates on it to be posted from 23-05-08 until 23-06-08 Though I'm sure it's just nothing.

I think it's something to do with how long the announcement stays before it's automatically removed.

[Dragonette]

23-05-08, 13:17 #170
Nidhogg
English Lead Moderator, Community Consultant
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I'm afraid there's still no further information nor an expected ETA for repairs. I know this is intensely frustrating (for everyone!) but please bear with us.

N

Really poor communication skills between KK and it's forum staff.


We deserve better than this!

[Kragar]

Just sounds to me that the problem is that the database containing subscriptions and accounts have been scrambled because of maybe a hard disk failure and for reasons unknown they cannot restore backups. Recovering info from a broken hard drive is often possible but usually takes time.

Also before activating my main accounts I took a trial account which was impossible to cancel due to the fact that it didnt show with paypal until the 10 days were up. When I tried to cancel the accunt via Reakktor page it canceled my main accounts. I discussed the issue with Paypal and Reakktor and in the first they blamed each other until eventually Reakktor informed the following

Thank you for your request. PayPal had an issue with subscriptions disappearing from the system which took weeks for them to resolve and then didn't notify any companies involved before billing them.

All you need to do is make sure all the subscriptions are now canceled at
PayPal as the subscriptions do now appear and then go to the Resolution Center under the "My Account" section of PayPal. Choose "Unauthorized Charge". Our Accounts Manager is handling all cases via such.

Just wonder about the coincedence about these account problems.

Anyway this was just my theory.


Reakktor have always had poor communication with their customers and general ignorance of their wishes and a superiorlike attitude. It really would be important for KK that they start changing that attitude by now if they going to succeed with Black Prophecy.

As an example of right attitude is with AoC and Funcom where they are openly very apologicing and humble about the fact that the release did not contain DX10 support as originally planned. AoC have sold million copies and it looks to be a big hit.

KK for sure owes its customers some kind of compensation and additional free play time wont cut it, people have money and a few days extra wont do it. In my opinion there should be some kind of ingame compensation something no one else can offer and in that way also give the current players reasons to stay when they have received something unique.

If I were the Ceo of KK I would make big efforts to into public relations and customer service as it takes long time to change peoples attitudes for 5-6 years of poor attitude toward customers.

In the last KK should remember that its located withing EU which makes customer protections actually a very serious issue since its very carebear toward customers. Just because we have agreed to eulas and other contracts playing and paying for the game there are also rules EU rules that can make some of them void and even possible of compensation.

Also it doesnt really take much effort either to get new players to Neocron with sites as mmorpg.com, fileplanet.com and Tentonhammer around. Its quite easy to make a good recruitment drive if one really wants to and no a 10 day trial that cannot be canceled is not the way to do it.

I was CeO for around 10 years in the company I made with customer service a very important part of the business so I know what I talk about. Semi retired now tho

-K

[Dragonette]

I have to agree. A good relationship with customers, would do miracles for a game that needs to attract players, especially as intrest starts in the new BP game. Having "censorship" in the official forums will not stop rumours and inuendo about a company that treats it's customers so poorly.

At this stage, I am truly disgusted at the lack of communication and empty platitudes that they are looking into it, over 40 hours later.


Surely "someone" knows exactly what's happened, what needs to be done, how it's being fixed and what eta is needed roughly to give the customers a guideline to a game that's been running for a while now and should not be experiancing this kind of downtime.

[CMaster]

It has for a long time struck me with Neocron, that the game servers and their integrity should be considered "mission critical" by KK.
Yet it's repeatedly obvious that it isn't. A database fuckup on a friday night won't be dealth with until monday. Web server issues get left for days on end (come on - better quality webhosting, or just paying for another/using a staff members service over a weekend could solve that) and KK randomly annouce a new rule you can get banned for when players try to fix it (my guess is that the Launcher performs some kind of filechecks).
Funnily enough, paying customers ger arsey when their paid for service doesn't work. Even if it isn't always directly KK's fault, there is more they could be doing to avoid the problems happening in many cases.