Editorial: Stop the Cheetah-Deleting Madness!
by Alphaville Herald on 23/02/04 at 11:10 am
As the dispute between Polie Bear and Nick spins out of control, we have to ask ourselves: why on earth did EA take sides in this and exacerbate the problem? In effect, the dispute between Polie and Nick is a dispute between two 14 yr old friends (sometimes best friends, according to Polie). Whatever the specifics, it is clearly a love/hate relation on both ends. Nick strikes in the way that he knows best (bear-baiting (haha) and tagging), and Polie strikes in the way that he knows best (reporting). The problem is that when remarks that one has “ugly fur” leads to a termination, well one can hardly be surprised that there are reprisals. Apparently Polie’s report led the Game Monitor (GM) Starbladeprtx to do some fishing in the chat record, and voila’, s/he found that profanity was uttered by Nick before Polie was even in the vicinity. As Polie has indicated Starbladeprtx can be counted on to terminate Nick (Polie’s reports have gotten Nick terminated five times now!). But this time it isn’t funny; Nick lost 2 million simoleans, four cheetahs, an afghan, a size 8 lot, and 400K in property. That is an Ebay value of about $150 US wiped out for no good reason whatsoever. Nick and Polie need to sit down and resolve this dispute. The GMs at EA need to stop taking sides in schoolyard spats and thereby making problems worse. Better yet: EA should provide some training for the GMs. Clearly they need it. Meanwhile EA is lucky that Nick hasn’t sued them. Yet.
Dyerbrook
Feb 23rd, 2004
This problem of getting banned and losing your property is really annoying. Only in Russia do they automatically confiscate your property first if you are suspected in a crime and then much later if you are acquitted, give it back or provide some measly compensation. This is why I asked the banking services in AV if they could hold properties too besides objects but they haven’t added that service yet. I wish some real estate holders would step forward to do this. I even started giving away properties just not to see all that value and constrution go to naught in the event my enemies get me terminated. I don’t believe that a mere swear word in a transcript should be enough to lose your property. This is lack of due process.
I have to say that in my haste to skip town and get out of Dodge on occasion, I have deleted the odd cheetah. We especially morn the untimely deletion of Lord Cheetah’s cheetah. It was truly a loss for all of us running his Sim. It was all because Lord Cheetah, who was master of his domain and lord of all he surveyed, but couldn’t find his car keys, put the cheetah down on the lawn just as he was about to leave and delete and recreate, thinking like a tard, “Oh, I’ll just put that right down there and pick it up when I get back” — when his roomie had already long since deleted and there was no one to hold the prop. Oops.
urizenus
Feb 23rd, 2004
[moment of silence for yet another perished Cheetah]
Maybe what we need is Cheetah insurance. But seriously, you are surely right that this arbitrary deletion of property with tangible value WITHOUT due process of any kind is problematic.
The really troubling thing to me, however, are the sims that think this behavior by EA is perfectly ok. As though ‘customer service’ meant “treat your customers with utter contempt, destroy their property, do whatever you want, we grovel at the feet of our god EA.” Don Hopkins has compared this attituded by sims players to the Stockhold Syndrome — they are starting to identify with their abusive captor/ruler EA.
Ian
Feb 23rd, 2004
Hey there, first time caller, long time listener….
Hmm, I think that, the ‘GM’ Starblade, is an admin abuser, he has Suspended me for no good reason, I think he wanted to nail me on something. Because earlier last evening he IMed in game with smart ass comments. And he is an “admin”. I think they should do something about him because like I said he is an admin abuser.
Nick
Feb 23rd, 2004
Starblade has to be removed. He never returns “Thank you for your complaint, but there was not enough evidence blah blah blah”. I have reported several times, and every time, when Starblade answered, he said “we will take the appropriate action” whereas Phields would have responded with the “not enough evidence” thing. Plus, the majority of the times that I have been terminated/suspended/flagged, it was Starblade. Phields responded to many too, but Starblade moreso, and again, some of the cases in suspending, Phields would have flagged, in termination Phields would have suspended, and in flagging Phields would just warn. And every time I compare Phields to Starblade I mean just about any other frequently-answering ‘admin’.
urizenus
Feb 23rd, 2004
I meant *Stockholm Syndrome, of course. See http://www.yahoodi.com/peace/stockholm.html.
Does anyone here have any idea what training the GMs go through, if any?
Lady Julianna
Feb 23rd, 2004
There is a process. One is not terminated on the first offense. One is flagged. It would take either a series of small infractions or one very large infraction to have your account terminated. There would be warnings and a chance to clean up your act first in most cases.
I know, I had an account for my teen son. He continuously screwed up by being obnoxious on occasion because he became bored with the game. My name was on the account as his parent, and I received the emails from Maxis.. warnings, and on two occasions suspensions. On the second suspension, I took the account away from my son, not Maxis.
So fellas, you are not telling the complete story here I think. There was likely not a sudden termination; you probably had warnings first. Considering that, I find it difficult to feel sorry for you. Although in your case Urizenus, I do have some sympathy for you. There is injustice in your case.
Catseye
Feb 23rd, 2004
Actually Uri I do not think there is grounds for a law suit due to the fact the TOS sates that EA owns all content in the game…
hmm I am surprised that dyer would find profanity not to warrent a flag and owned by to get one…
on the EA game I worked for the actual GM’s are on the server site.. so there is no secruity issues with the powers they have.. though I have no idea what gm powers TSO gives.. they would have the same training as anyone else doing a 9-5 job…
what I am finding funny is that this is the 5th time? you would think the first 4 would have taught a lesson…
Nick
Feb 23rd, 2004
it’s not a matter of the first four not teaching me a lesson. They taught fine. But it’s just that Polie continues to stalk/find/harass/report me, and I can’t kick him out or anything, because it’s usually not at my lot. I can’t ignore him because then my other friends that are his friends too bitch and whine and cry for me to unignore, and if I ignore them they won’t like me any more. (That sounds a little selfish I know). So it’s just a matter of knowing the whole story and the emotions of a teenage kid with a troubled past in TSO that some people won’t let me just leave behind. *cough Polie *cough* leave me alone *cough*
Dyerbrook
Feb 23rd, 2004
Thank you for that moment of silence for our deleted cheetah which was not due to Maxis but which is ultimately Maxis’ fault because there is no “undo” or “system restore” type of thing in this game, and there really should be. BTW, Lord Cheetah’s cheetah’s name was “Lord Cougar”. It was fitting.
Now…I would have to say that “Stockholm Syndrome” is not quite the term to be using here. I think you’ve been talking to the BDSMers too long and have lost all capacity to distinguish among levels and sizes. In the Stockholm Syndrome, a terrorist takes a hostage using force, and the hostage then becomes sympathetic to the poor freedom-fighting hostage as as technique to save his life. A game company that takes your $9.95 a month from you is not a terrorist, it’s just a game company offering entertainment. If you are fool enough to fork over your $9.95 every month, well, like P.T. Barnum said, there’s a sucker born every minute. What the syndrome is more like is let’s say sycophantism, where fanboys and fangals suck up to Maxis and after taking a certain amount of abuse, keep coming back ever faithful that this time, the dog won’t bite the hand that feeds it. I can only point to Paul Neruda’s awesome serial trolling-style post on the Stratics board about pets and excesses regarding pets for insights into the characters of the Maxis sycophants.
I think what’s more to the point is that guy in Korea or China who got this torts case won, where he was able to show that his game stuff was like a capital improvement on property he rented or something, anyway, he got some kind of restitution. So really, Polie Bear’s mom, or whoever has the credit card on this caper, should try suing Maxis in small claims court for $150. Or Urizenus could try the same ploy. For the lost of his in-game acquired items. However, then Maxis would be within its rights to inquire how these players came by the millions required to purchase cheetahs.
Dyerbrook
Feb 23rd, 2004
*becomes sympathetic to the poor freedom-fighting *terrorist*.
Nick
Feb 23rd, 2004
Uhmm..I thought I was the one who lost things here O.o lol.
Catseye
Feb 23rd, 2004
Seriously doubt it would happen but with the judges now adays who knows just be prepared to spend thousands of dollars to collect the 150
Polie Bear
Feb 23rd, 2004
Guys! The GM’s are just doing their job. Even if I do see that Smith only flags me, but whenever he handles a complaint, that I made, he never actions. Same with Lance. Some people are more flag happy than others. And Nick, I did notice that there were no complaints in my e-mail log that said “not enough evidence” coming from Starbladeprtx.
And as for me getting his account terminated, we don’t need players who break the rules.
Nick
Feb 23rd, 2004
*whistles* Oh, was that an idiot talking? Why no Jim, it was the mindless bable of a fucker. *whistles some more*
Polie Bear
Feb 23rd, 2004
Leave it to Nick to harass me at any time possible. Again, I am not stalking you, just don’t tell me your Sim names!
Dyerbrook, I lost you, why would my mom want to sue Maxis for $150? I didn’t lose anything. And are you calling me a terrorist for reporting?
Polie Bear
Feb 23rd, 2004
As you can see by Nick’s post, he is still harassing me.
Nick
Feb 23rd, 2004
Prove it. Who said it was directed at you? Even though it was, I’m allowed to say it on here. You know why? Because this is a public board and I’m allowed to have my own personal voice and opinion. You know why I can’t in TSO? Because I’m bound by ridiculous Terms of Service that limit everything we say and do. Next they’ll be limiting how long we’re allowed to access the game every day.
Imagine that.
Nick
Feb 23rd, 2004
Zachnorn *STARBLADEPRTX ROCKS!* says:
.
Zachnorn *STARBLADEPRTX ROCKS!* says:
HAHA I DELETED YOUR CHEETAHS
Zachnorn *STARBLADEPRTX ROCKS!* says:
.