[Valg]

I'd forgotten about this, but there are MUDs that actually advertise that you'll get better customer service if you pay more.  Taken verbatim:

Separate, Speedier Queues for Assistance, Referrals and Feedback! ... As a Premium member, you will gain access to faster assistance lines to reach a GameHost and faster referral lines to speak to a GameMaster. And letters sent to our Feedback department by Premium members are also routed to a special mailbox and answered first!

At least they're open about less-paying (but still paying, on this game) customers having to sit at the back of the virtual bus.

[the_logos]

Originally Posted by (Valg @ May 11 2006,16:45) At least they're open about less-paying (but still paying, on this game) customers having to sit at the back of the virtual bus.

I'm not sure what MUD you're referencing, but your implication that there's some analog between giving better customer service to people who pay more and segregationist policies is more than a little bit over the top.

Is it 'bad' when Disneyland sells less waiting in lines to people? Is it 'bad' when companies sell you different levels of customer service plans, such as Dell (along with many, many companies) do?

--matt

[John]

Originally Posted by (Valg @ May 11 2006,21:53) Originally Posted by (John @ May 11 2006,04:20) Originally Posted by John,May 09 2006,14:54 So Threshold I have a serious question here: Outside of what players buy, how do you deal with their demands when they expect special treatment in unrelated areas in the game, over players who haven't spent as much as them on Threshold? Should I have worded it as a thinly veiled flame? I assumed the initial question was rhetorical. Special treatment for those who spend extra implies 'unspecial' treatment for those who don't. It's why we've made it clear to our playerbase that buying merchandise gets you merchandise, and not influence. Contrary to assertions made elsewhere in this thread, by all accounts they've been comfortable with that distinction-- I've handled the money for quite some time and I've only been approached once by someone who thought his financial support meant special favors. (It didn't. The ban he was protesting remains intact to this day.)

That's why I'm interested to see how Threshold copes with this phenomenon he claims is present in all muds.

[Hadoryu]

Originally Posted by (Valg @ May 11 2006,11:47) Originally Posted by (Hadoryu @ May 11 2006,05:52) I'm going to heartily agree with GuruPlayer here. And seeking to force the site admin into doing what you want by keeping a wound like this open isn't exactly respectable. If you want something to change, you should just send an e-mail. One e-mail. 1) One might ask who is the bigger problem: The person discussing the issue longer than you'd like, or the people who only post to complain that the thread is too long.  The simpler solution is: If the topic no longer interests you, don't read it and don't bump it.  It obviously interests the people who are discussing it, snce they're voting with their virtual feet. 2) If Synozeer didn't want suggestions (public or otherwise) on how to improve his website, he probably wouldn't have created this forum named "Bugs and Suggestions", and given it the description: "Please report any bugs you find on Top Mud Sites and post any suggestions you'd like to see implemented."

1) At which point does it stop being a discussion? I'm pretty sure nothing new is being said, in fact, Donathin said it was actually 'lobbying'. Is that a proper use of the forum?

2) So how many times do you rehash something before it becomes 'a new suggestion'? Synozeer knows about what's being suggested already - the forum's served it's purpose.

[Shane]

"1) At which point does it stop being a discussion? I'm pretty sure nothing new is being said, in fact, Donathin said it was actually 'lobbying'. Is that a proper use of the forum?"

It never stops being a discussion. A person can lobby for change through discussion, much as you are trying to lobby for a change of topic on this thread rather than starting one of your own. It certainly does not stop being a discussion due to length.

"2) So how many times do you rehash something before it becomes 'a new suggestion'? Synozeer knows about what's being suggested already - the forum's served it's purpose."

The most obvious point is that the forum is not labelled "new suggestion" forum. Aside from that, new people can sometimes have new things to say about an old suggestion.

Just as you say that the website owner knows of the suggestion, I feel fairly sure he also knows about the ongoing debates regarding it.

But these answers are all too obvious. Yet again I implore you, instead of trying to control other people's topics of interest, why not go and read or start topics of your own, and leave people alone who want to discuss something of no interest to you. There really is NO problem with that from any sector. You are free at ANY time to stop messing with this thread and go deal with other ones.

Seriously.... not to be combative or anything, just up front, what is your issue with people posting notes on a forum about muds that deals with marketing and business model information for muds? How can you take issue with that, even if it has been going on for ages? Who cares if it has been going on for ages? Why do YOU care if it has been going on for ages?

[Hadoryu]

Is it still a discussion when neither side is listening to the other? I understand that you're new to the discussion, but it's beyond old at this point. At this point it isn't being raised so it's merits are discussed, instead it's being spammed in what seems to be an attempt to exhaust the admin to the point of compliance.

It bothers me because along with the rehashing come the rehashed veiled insults and insinuations, which are leveled against the owner of a place I've chosen as a virtual playground.

[Lark]

Hey, if people want to go around in circles their whole lives, that's fine. Who knows, something might even change because of it.

If we're running under the assumption that Synozeer knows the arguments and knows the discussions, then I'm sure he'd have come down and made an announcement if he didn't want us saying the same things again and again. And he hasn't.

It's his site, and his whatever it takes to keep it running, and it's no skin off any of our asses if people want to play 'the chicken or the egg' the rest of their lives.

[DonathinFrye]

It's obvious that this subject is still important an interesting to a large number of the active forum population. Until things change and people are happy, it seems likely that people will keep beating this "dead horse" until it wakes up and rides again.

[Shane]

Originally Posted by (Hadoryu @ May 12 2006,14:19) Is it still a discussion when neither side is listening to the other? I understand that you're new to the discussion, but it's beyond old at this point. At this point it isn't being raised so it's merits are discussed, instead it's being spammed in what seems to be an attempt to exhaust the admin to the point of compliance. It bothers me because along with the rehashing come the rehashed veiled insults and insinuations, which are leveled against the owner of a place I've chosen as a virtual playground.

Some of the people actively participating are mods in these forums here and there. There doesn't seem to be any danger of some sort of admin upheaval over this.

I don't think you have to worry much about Synozeer being harassed out of his mind or anything. It is your own well being that seems most at risk, and I still am not sure why it bothers you to the extent it does, but I feel sorry for ya if that helps.

[Emil]

Hadoryu,: May 12 2006,14:19

Originally Posted by Is it still a discussion when neither side is listening to the other? I understand that you're new to the discussion, but it's beyond old at this point. At this point it isn't being raised so it's merits are discussed, instead it's being spammed in what seems to be an attempt to exhaust the admin to the point of compliance.

I guess the issue will keep popping up until we get a clear message from Synozeer himself on the matter, not just from other posters who claim to know exactly what’s going on in his mind. They might quite possibly be right, but we still want to hear it from Synozeer, not them.

The topic apparently is quite important to a rather large number of posters here. Important enough, it seems, for some of them to get together and create their own website to promote Free Quality Muds, when they were denied the search engine for them here. The address to the site under construction is http://mud.adventmud.org/.

Looks like a rather professional job too.

Oops, sorry, my bad!
I forgot that the word ‘professional’ has been usurped by certain posters, and is now supposed to only refer to Muds where the owner makes a full time living from his game. The rest of the Mud developers are just pesky amateurs, it seems, no matter how good their games or whether they work as professional (sic! coders, web designers or writers in RL.

Oh well, it still looks like a very professional job to me.

[The_Disciple]

Originally Posted by (Hadoryu @ May 12 2006,14:19) Is it still a discussion when neither side is listening to the other? I understand that you're new to the discussion, but it's beyond old at this point. At this point it isn't being raised so it's merits are discussed, instead it's being spammed in what seems to be an attempt to exhaust the admin to the point of compliance. It bothers me because along with the rehashing come the rehashed veiled insults and insinuations, which are leveled against the owner of a place I've chosen as a virtual playground.

It's better for TMS that there be discussion about a topic that some people find tired, rather than no discussion at all.

If you find this subject tired, just skip it. It brings other people back to the site, and while they're here they might post on something you find more interesting.

There's a lot of inertia to having a successful discussion board.

[Hadoryu]

Well, Emil provided reference for why I dislike these threads so much. The forum just doesn't seem to serve any particularly productive purpose at the moment, rather a medium to push personal agendas through. That's why it bothers me I guess, I was expecting a much more professional environment from such a place, considering a lot of people posting here are in responsible positions.

It's hopeless though, even if Synozeer posted his opinion here, it'd cause more of problem for him probably. Neither side is going to be happy with a decision that favors the other and he probably knows that.

[Shane]

Originally Posted by (Hadoryu @ May 13 2006,10:38) It's hopeless though, even if Synozeer posted his opinion here, it'd cause more of problem for him probably. Neither side is going to be happy with a decision that favors the other and he probably knows that.

I think that's exactly it.