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Archive => Save Paragon City! => Topic started by: Pheonyx on September 21, 2012, 06:03:13 AM

Title: Tom's Hardware "article" on the refunds... so much misinformation
Post by: Pheonyx on September 21, 2012, 06:03:13 AM
http://www.tomshardware.com/news/City-of-Heroes-Refunds,17736.html

Obviously, the person who wrote this article has no clue about what happened to CoH or even cares, so much so as to basically say outright lies because they couldn't be bothered to fact-check. The one part that is completely off-base is this comment:

QuotePublisher NCSoft had a "realignment of company focus and publishing support", presumably because the MMO wasn't turning a profit.
(Emphasis mine of their words)

We all know this is an outright lie (since we know that CoH was a steady profit earner), and I think Tony V needs to have a few words with this person about their mis-information about what really happened. Also, Paragon Studios can't be giving out the refunds like the article says, since Paragon Studios ceased to exist as of August 30, 2012. NCSoft is giving the refunds.
Title: Re: Tom's Hardware "article" on the refunds... so much misinformation
Post by: TimtheEnchanter on September 21, 2012, 06:06:23 AM
*facepalm*
Title: Re: Tom's Hardware "article" on the refunds... so much misinformation
Post by: DrakeGrimm on September 21, 2012, 06:29:32 AM
Whiskey. Tango. Foxtrot.


/me facepalms so hard the world quakes
Title: Re: Tom's Hardware "article" on the refunds... so much misinformation
Post by: Aggelakis on September 21, 2012, 06:31:10 AM
Our in-game currency is "Veteran Points"? How the heck did they even come up with that? Our "veteran currency" is "Paragon Tokens", and our in-game currency is "Paragon Points".

It's like she looked at a bullet-point info list of some things written by someone who saw a bullet-point info list of some things a year ago and was going by memory.
Title: Re: Tom's Hardware "article" on the refunds... so much misinformation
Post by: Atlantea on September 21, 2012, 06:46:33 AM
***PICARD/RIKER DOUBLE EPIC FACEPALM OF FAIL***

(https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v38/feather333/lj%20stuff/picard-riker-double-facepalm.jpg)

Title: Re: Tom's Hardware "article" on the refunds... so much misinformation
Post by: Zolgar on September 21, 2012, 07:03:47 AM
From the 'Authority on Tech'.. hah.. hah hah..

That is painful.

I fact check better than that when I'm spouting random bullshit on forums for no reason...
Title: Re: Tom's Hardware "article" on the refunds... so much misinformation
Post by: CapaDevans on September 21, 2012, 02:46:16 PM
Lazy. Just lazy.
Title: Re: Tom's Hardware "article" on the refunds... so much misinformation
Post by: QuantumHero on September 21, 2012, 04:08:49 PM
Sent him a politely worded correction and told him to contact tonyv for info....and that he might wish to look into the real story of our grass roots efforts. 

Full agreement with the facepalms..lol
Title: Re: Tom's Hardware "article" on the refunds... so much misinformation
Post by: Vulpy on September 21, 2012, 04:09:05 PM
Feel free to post comments--constructively address any misinformation you find in the article. Hyperstrike and I have already done so. It doesn't require registration, or even an e-mail address. :)
Title: Re: Tom's Hardware "article" on the refunds... so much misinformation
Post by: Luna Eclypse on September 21, 2012, 05:15:28 PM
Commented. That article did nothing but get me riled up. DO YOUR RESEARCH, JEEZ!
Title: Re: Tom's Hardware "article" on the refunds... so much misinformation
Post by: padathir on September 21, 2012, 06:59:09 PM
THG makes a habit out of being wrong about things, so can't say I am surprised.  :roll:
Title: Re: Tom's Hardware "article" on the refunds... so much misinformation
Post by: Victoria Victrix on September 21, 2012, 07:23:28 PM
Does anyone know if that Tabula Rasa refund PREDATES or POSTDATES Richard Garriott's lawsuit?

That's kind of important information, since if it POSTDATES the lawsuit, that kind of changes things.
Title: Re: Tom's Hardware "article" on the refunds... so much misinformation
Post by: eabrace on September 21, 2012, 07:30:05 PM
That quoted post appears to be dated Nov. 2008.  Garriott filed suit in 2009 and was awarded the initial $28M in July 2010 (later increased to $32M after NCsoft appealed the decision.)

Seems that places the TR refund prior to Garriott's lawsuit.
Title: Re: Tom's Hardware "article" on the refunds... so much misinformation
Post by: Victoria Victrix on September 22, 2012, 02:02:16 AM
*nodnod*

I am going to hazard a complete guess here, and say that at some point people who were paid ahead on previous games and wanted a damn refund went after NCSoft via their credit card companies.

I don't know if you guys are aware of this, but if a credit card company gets too many of these disputes against a particular entity, they take away the privilege of charging their card from that entity.  And IIRC, at one point some time around that period (Auto Assault/Tabula Rasa shutdowns) you could use only one of the two major credit cards (either MC and not Visa, or Visa and not MC) to charge your CoH renewal.  Methinks they didn't want to risk another such debacle.
Title: Re: Tom's Hardware "article" on the refunds... so much misinformation
Post by: darkquill on September 22, 2012, 03:03:24 AM
What is curious is that while TR's and AA's closings resulted in an offer of free time in other NCSoft games in addition to the refunds, we're only being offered refunds.  Maybe it's because Aion and Lineage II are already free to play and GW and GW2 aren't subscription-based. That would leave the (not yet launched) western version of Blade and Soul -- and our VIPs are not even being offered beta slots in that game.
Title: Re: Tom's Hardware "article" on the refunds... so much misinformation
Post by: uninventive on September 22, 2012, 03:14:29 AM
Quote from: Victoria Victrix on September 22, 2012, 02:02:16 AM
*nodnod*

I am going to hazard a complete guess here, and say that at some point people who were paid ahead on previous games and wanted a damn refund went after NCSoft via their credit card companies.

I don't know if you guys are aware of this, but if a credit card company gets too many of these disputes against a particular entity, they take away the privilege of charging their card from that entity.  And IIRC, at one point some time around that period (Auto Assault/Tabula Rasa shutdowns) you could use only one of the two major credit cards (either MC and not Visa, or Visa and not MC) to charge your CoH renewal.  Methinks they didn't want to risk another such debacle.

Actually, it's common practice for closing MMO's to have a plan to refund/reimburse players of an end-of-life product.  What didn't make sense was NCSoft announcing it weeks after laying off the staff and announcing the closure.  Most games have this information within hours or a couple of days of the closure announcement, even if the refund dates are off into the future to give the accounting department enough time to handle processing everyone.

This just reeks of haste.
Title: Re: Tom's Hardware "article" on the refunds... so much misinformation
Post by: uninventive on September 22, 2012, 03:24:20 AM
Quote from: Pheonyx on September 21, 2012, 06:03:13 AM
http://www.tomshardware.com/news/City-of-Heroes-Refunds,17736.html

Obviously, the person who wrote this article has no clue about what happened to CoH or even cares, so much so as to basically say outright lies because they couldn't be bothered to fact-check.

Being its Tom's Hardware, I'm not too worried about their perspective on video games.  Most folks on that site aren't interested in a fringe MMO anyway.

Now, for a site like this one: http://my.mmosite.com/801718/blog/ritem/city_of_heroes_shutting_down_but_are_recent_demands_from_gamers_going_too_far.html

(https://images.weserv.nl/?url=s12.postimage.org%2F7jv5hj5b1%2F600full_fear_and_loathing_in_las_vegas_screensho.jpg)
You people voted for Hubert Humphrey! And you killed Positron!
Title: Re: Tom's Hardware "article" on the refunds... so much misinformation
Post by: eabrace on September 22, 2012, 03:32:45 AM
Who are these dingbats that keep saying that we're demanding to keep a game open that we aren't paying subscription fees to play?  If we weren't paying for subscriptions, NCsoft wouldn't have to refund anything.
Title: Re: Tom's Hardware "article" on the refunds... so much misinformation
Post by: DrakeGrimm on September 22, 2012, 03:34:01 AM
Quote from: eabrace on September 22, 2012, 03:32:45 AM
Who are these dingbats that keep saying that we're demanding to keep a game open that we aren't paying subscription fees to play?  If we weren't paying for subscriptions, NCsoft wouldn't have to refund anything.

it's the internet. anybody with a computer and a wifi connection can post whatever drivel they want and call themselves "web journalists" these days.
Title: Re: Tom's Hardware "article" on the refunds... so much misinformation
Post by: uninventive on September 22, 2012, 03:59:53 AM
Quote from: eabrace on September 22, 2012, 03:32:45 AM
Who are these dingbats that keep saying that we're demanding to keep a game open that we aren't paying subscription fees to play?  If we weren't paying for subscriptions, NCsoft wouldn't have to refund anything.

No kidding.  By that reasoning, folks might reach the conclusion that NCSoft is giving money to current players for free after the game closed, and "how can I get in on this?"