mtsmith wrote:I truly enjoy playing in the lands of Atys and you'll rarely, if ever, see me complain about a lack of content or anything else for that matter.
That said, I completely disagree with this entire philosophy. Yes, we pay for a subscription based MMORPG, but are we not entitled to that which was promised from the beginning? I do realize that France has a different sort of judicial system, but if an American company were to fail to produce advertised promised content and features, there most likely would have been a class action lawsuit by this time. Perhaps this is right and perhaps it is petty, but the fact remains that it is almost undoubtedly accurate.
I think what you are saying is true for most industries in the US. However, for some reason MMORPGs aren't usually held to the same standard. I've played several US based MMORPGs that have blatently false advertising. For example, SWG advertising states that you can see Yoda in the game. Well, you can't. There were pictures of items on the box of The Sims Online that were never in the game. These are two of many, many examples.
I've also seen many MMORPGs with so little regard for customer service it's not even funny. I've seen them make royal mess ups and when the playerbase complains they say, "We won't talk to you because you're getting worked up." What other companies that have a service oriented product are allowed to act like that. Customer service reps in many MMORPGs can pretty much get away with anything and everything and all manner of rudeness. If I have a problem with my cable or phone, or whatever it may, even if this service has a monopoly, I am almost always treated with courtesy and kindness as if there was a possibility I might want to go elsewhere (even when there is nowhere else to do). CSR's in MMORPG's get away with a lot of stuff than any other CSR from a different service would be fired over.
I don't know why MMORPG customer service and advertising is held to such a low standard compared with any other service, but they are, and they get away with a lot scott free.
It's very irritating to me, because, to stay on topic with the original poster, I think that definitely, without a doubt, an MMORPG is a service and a game. Just like cable is for entertainment, but it is also a service.
I'm a relative newbie when it comes to Ryzom, and I'm having a lot of fun playing so far, I haven't been around long enough to see any broken promises or faults just yet. However, what I have seen, compared to every other game I've played, is a distinct and constant respect from the CSR's and dev teams here. I've read many posts and articles on the home page that go back several months. Every single one of them actually seems to treat their players as customers, and I have a lot of respect for that. If nothing else, that's an added incentive for me to continue to play while the game is being upgraded.
I'm happy about the merge from an ingame perspective loads of ppl i have met from the old Windy server have been nice as pie. I'm less happy from a forum perspective as i used to read the NA forum with horror and sadly our merged forum has moved a lot closer to what the old NA one was like rather than EE. But that's just a cultural thing i suppose, hard to deny that americans are louder than their euro counterparts 
