Those overseas.... come gripe with me!

[Caiylania]

Just a small gripe, vent, spasm, whatever.

I'm not hugely alter crazy, or a merchant chaser. But there are a few I would like to get to round out Caiy's outfit. But living overseas from GS's main 'time zone' is hard not just on finding merchants working when you are awake or not working, but also for alot of events.

I know it is not fair to ask SIMU to plan events so that they correspond with the minority living in other parts of the worlds but like I said, this is a vent.

Everything seems to be 6-9pm EST...... which is great for those in the US of course :) But for me it means I would have to get up at or stay up till midnight or get up at 3am.

Tonight I seemed to have accomplished this, but it is a rare feat with a baby and other calls to daily life.

I tried talking to one alterer about it, but he probably thought I was just trying to get an alter there and then. (I told him about the time difference and that I couldn't stay and wait because I was so tired would he be back another day at an earlier hour). I wasn't trying too, but I can understand his doubt and that and didn't push it when he stopped responding.

That's my vent for the day. Does anyone else in this situation have a word on the matter? I'll read responses in the morning, it is sooooo time to hit the sack. Signing off at 3:40 am ( 9:40 pm EST )

Ciao :)

[Betheny]

I can sympathize, having been on overnights for a long time.

[Crazed Sylvan]

Well, some of the problem too is that the GM's behind the merchants would typically have to stay up much later as well to do that, as the majority likely live in the US.

And then since they likely have daytime jobs too, they can't often do big things during the time that it'd be better for others.

Though, the overseas people aren't the only ones snubbed by this... some people even on the east coast can't stick around for merchants and other activities because staying up until the ungodly hours of the night/morning just can't be done.

[Sirinna]

Well I used to be a crazy merchant chaser back in the days when Caer was appearing on a regular basis... Being situated in Australia, I have endured countless 'through the nights' vigil waiting while reading journals or watching
informercial.. heh

Already given up hoping that SIMU will plan a specific merchant appearance for player around my side of the world, but once in a while, a merchant or two will trotter around working for a few folks.

I guess we the minority will have to live with it... and hope that we can be at the right place at the right time...

[crazymage]

damn foreigners

[Sirinna]

Originally posted by crazymage
damn foreigners

Bite us :lol::P

[Overlord]

Damn straight

[HarmNone]

I really feel for you guys. You are so much a part of the game, yet when big events come about you are so often left out...unless you choose to spend marathon nights chasing merchants. :(

HarmNone

[Bobmuhthol]

Oh, don't give any sympathy to me, I've only been to 3973492 merchants at 6:00 in the morning from no sleep.

[Sirinna]

Originally posted by HarmNone
I really feel for you guys. You are so much a part of the game, yet when big events come about you are so often left out...unless you choose to spend marathon nights chasing merchants. :(
HarmNone

To add to that... it is HUMANLY possible... 72 hrs vigil waiting around with merhcant, then head to RL stuffs, then back to GS... with less then 6 hrs in total dozing off here and there, falling asleep on the keyboard etc etc :)

[StrayRogue]

Me and Miss X can definately feel your pain in this regard. However, it is the GM's time so its not like we can force them to work at times really suitable for us. One thing I do feel we can complain about though, is the lack of GM and GH support during the off times (2 am EST to 8 am EST). The same could be said for Mentors. Round the clock monitoring should be a priority, not whether or not we can get alters.

[Caiylania]

I totally agree Stray, I should have clarified that as well. (about the mentors and support)

I know a lot of the GM's work there ass off to stay up late, no complaints there :)

I just wish some could be on earlier, especially on weekends. Like, 3pm is 9pm Italy time. Would just love for Merchants to pop in around that time :)

The assists are a pain to, because when I am on they are all probably at work or asleep. So it can take weeks for me to get assists done. I've errr actually gone ahead and reported my problem, explaining that I've been in the queue for x amount of time and no staff members are on. Both times I ended up doing that the GM who responded was very understanding and helpful.

Like I said, just a vent :) Not much to do about it.

[Miss X]

This is something that annoys me too, when I have to assist there are usually no staff on duty and I'm waiting forever. They should, in my opinion, have at least one member of staff on duty at all times. Its not like there are only 3 or 4 overseas players, there actually are quite a few of us. We pay the same as anyone in the US so we should be getting the same service dammit!

Mentor wise its not so bad, we have mentors from different parts of the world so its unlikely that there is a time when no mentors are around at all.

As for merchants.. yeah during ebon gate I've stayed up till 7am (Stray has too, its not just meeeee.)
In general I find the frostacres stuff is usually at an ok time, they tend to change it around, sometimes morning sometimes late.
At spitfire its been a bit different, I havnt bothered since the weekend merchant wise, I went back to EN cos I cant be bothered to hunt for merchants at 5am.

Vic

[Edited on 7-2-04 by Miss X]

[longshot]

I'm 13 or 14 hours off EST depending on daylight savings time. It is the main reason I stopped playing.

I never cared about merchants, but I do understand how you feel.

I always felt one should be able to fit Gemstone into their life, and not have to worry about fitting their life into Gemstone. With the time difference, I couldn't do it, so I had to quit.

[Caiylania]

Wow, that's a big time difference. Where are you? Sorry you had to quit over something like that.

[Latrinsorm]

Why don't one of y'all overseas folk apply to be a GH/GM? That way there would be more of a chance of an available helper-person.

[Fraidycat]

I have waited hours for an alter and then just as it got to my turn the game crashed . . . .
Had to laugh but the fact I was up all weekend while my friends were in the next room having a party, Me being stone sober on my lonesome made it worse . . .
London, England . . . Nice place if ya have time to venture outside!

Shimm

[TheEschaton]

Mentors are non-paid volunteers, GHs are volunteers, GMs are (barely) paid volunteers. The whole staff, outside of Melissa and Aaron (and when was the last time you saw Taelrand in-game since he moved onsite to St. Louis) is volunteer.

You can't mandate good customer service with volunteers. It's why I've always thought GMing should be a full time stint, with a real salary and everything. A) You'd need less GMs, and B) you could mandate hours, with second and third shift GMs, etc, etc, C) you would dramatically improve Customer Service, and D) you'd have some fucking consistency, and people who actually knew what was going on. The drawbacks? Imagine if the Griffon Sword saga was only from 3-11 pm, when Voraviel was working the second shift, or something? ;)


-TheE-

[Fraidycat]

::: with a real salary and everything. :::

Nooooo

[J-Tech]

Even tho i'm outta the country i'm still in the same time zone as the east coast...when the east coast jumps ahead an hour in spring, we become the same time zone as central standard time...(because we dont spring forward or fall back)....

J.T.

[Artha]

GMs are (barely) paid volunteers

Only on-site GMs get paid. GHs and GMs get a premium (and probably platinum) subscription for free, and can play any Simu game for free.

[Zentoph]

I can understand where you're coming from about the time issue. Even though I live in Florida, all the Griffon Sword stuff has been happening at around 11pm-2am. It sucks, I have to get up for school at 5:30am.. I'm not gonna miss it, so I end up sleeping a lot during class. :(

[Edited on 2-17-04 by Zentoph]

[Xcalibur]

Just a question, a bit off topic... What happened to .. what was his name? The former GM guru or whatever you name it of wizards?

He was doing the nerfing in gp3 about haste 2 and all?

"A..." something...

What happened to him?

[TheEschaton]

Altiron? Didn't know anyting happened to him.

-TheE-