AvelWorldCreator

Oh, yeah. I didn't mess much with the 64 but I remember reading that. I was stuck with an 8-bit color set on the 20.

I have a possible confirmation, but it was in a PM (on these boards, not Titan).
The person was very specific about the source and its nature. I can't say anymore. Sorry. Specific numbers weren't actually used, but it was implied they were unusually large.

Yep. There are direct ways, but following the chain from the bottom tends to work better I've found. Particularly if you begin with those used to dealing with the public on a regular basis. The skeptics have fixed ideas about how things are done. In infants imminent justice is cute; in adults it's pathetic and maladaptive.

Well, the "page" size for the 65xx processors was 256 bytes (Zero page was important because of the useful instructions specific to it). 4096 bytes was the memory segment boundary for 80x86 machines. I don't recall an application offhand for Commodore machines. Something is niggling at the back of my memory but I can't place it.

My CEO was barely born then. I remember Commodore fondly. They produced my first computer. Trying to get it to do anything serious with only 3 1/2K of RAM was an educational experience.

Depends very much on the manager.
My dad was a VP of a McDonald's franchise.
And the manager does know a few contacts. If you have sufficient cause that will attract his attention you have chance. I spent a few days bouncing around a couple of months ago getting hold of a regional manager for the corporation. And I started with a local store manager. Unless you already have an existing relationship with the company you always start with someone at the bottom of he hierarchy.
You want to talk to him? Give me a decent reason other than simply wanting to say "Hi" and I can probably figure something out.

She's young, technically competent, with a vindictive streak I've found amusing. She responds well to consistent, positive contact. What does that mean? Always respond to her, or anyone else, with consistent kindness and strive to never abuse the trust gained. Be personally accountable, admit your failings, and not be hateful. The old saying "Always say something nice or say nothing at all" actually works. The quote "Do not repay evil for evil but, rather, good for evil..." I've found works better still. I can provide the analysis to support this argument that are probably better than pithy sayings, but I've been rather dry in my formal stuff. I can sound like Mr. Spock if I have to, but it's not my first choice.

Indeed. You must have been responding to this before reading successive commons on this matter I posted further on in this board. It's common enough on forums like this.
You are stating that the support system was a completely closed one? That the GM's have no contact lists, personal supervisors, etc. (with the exception fo the support techs)? No one outside the company actually has direct knowledge or evidence of the internal relationships. So saying "It has been shown..." has a doubtful pedigree. Especially since that's inconsistent with how any large corporation tends to operate. This very week I took on a freelance support position with a large multinational corporation based in Saudi Arabia. I have a list of contacts that span two continents and multiple nations. And those are just my immediate supervisors. I have their email addresses and Skype handles. I don't deal with human resource only because I'm a contractor using another firm to manage those issues. I gross $60.00/hr for this little job. I get those tickets. Attempt to solve them. Forward them on if I can't, but I always communicate with the client about everything on it even if my answer is "I don't know". I'm not even an inside employee to the company and I have more information available to me that you attribute to NCSoft staff.

No, that information was to cover my ***, and not as a tool for future litigation.
That would have been even better for me then. They'd have a larger contact list.

Which would have produced a far different response than the one I actually received. Rather than being simply ignored, "I don't know", or "Go to the website", I got legalese. It's because I didn't get the kind of response one would expect by doing that I re-evaluated the situation. My original plan was to try this, and if it failed to provide useful information, I would look into more standard channels of communication. What I gleaned was there was likely an outstanding company order blocking any communications over this matter. I might have found another one, but I did not have any cause to believe any of the other publicized channels would do much better A professional journalist recently discovered to her shock just how solid this wall is right now. Want a link?

So based on your knowledge of software operations you make a guess about business operations? I know that question is blunt and tends to sound accusatory. You are one of the more civil persons I've seen on this board and I mean you no ill will. Your speculations would normally be accurate given that it relates to a specific frame of reference familiar to you with regards to general patterns, but the specific information I received was inconsistent with those.

Off and on since 2004-2005. And I have had little need to use the ticket system, but when I have I've had satisfactory responses. And I didn't use it as my primary means of communication with NCSoft. I used it as an information gathering tool to find a better means of communication with NCSoft. This was the first step in a general contact attempt. It was the discovery stage. This stage unorthodox methodology is acceptable and often encouraged. Please not that I also used the same ticket for the expected usage of that communication channel. I expected even poorer response given the anticipated shutdown, and my assessment was accurate. I simply gathered more information, identified the likely issue, and found an effective solution.

This has been described further in this thread. And, no, you don't know me outside of any self-reporting. I have my fair share of superlatives I could promote, but I have declined to do so. But as a rule, based on formal assessments by trained professionals, I'm generally not incompetent.

I didn't expect the ticket to be forwarded at all. If that happened I would have been thrilled, but I didn't see it as likely. The results were statistically atypical.

The above argument can be deconstructed and demonstrated to have a number of logical fallacies. While such a statement is technically accusatory at the moment there is no refusal of accountability involved, only the desire for brevity. The best response to this list is "None of the above".

Not fighting a battle at all. Just maintaining accountability and disclosure. But yes, I shared the original story because it was amusing and entertaining. The method was unorthodox but the information I gained from it was valuable.

30+ years here. But your background is respectable. I started as a Federal programmer involved in overseas missile base construction, moved on to an international telecommunication firm and handled software product release. I not only did the release but handled certification. My signature was there twice, and was the first ones applied. Then 3 vice presidents and the company president. We did high end products used by banks and governments due to their accuracy. We also did OEM work for Rockwell and other manufacturers (Dell, Grid, Tandy, Compaq...). I just burned out and decided to do my own thing for a while. I actually looked into going back with them last year but found out the holding company went belly up and took all its subsidiaries down with it. I've owned my own company for over seven years but worked for other multinationals in management roles. I just never messed with acquisitions. Not my forte'. But I'm happy to try - and even fail - if my CEO ask. And I'm not afraid to experiment. Bounced into this game software company in its startup stages and mostly just putting sweat equity into it at the moment. Common enough. The founder has a concept that has been able to attract and sustain good talent. When he was able to land an Oscar award winning actor as a voice role with no money involved I was impressed.

Only if wisely invested.

But the plane referenced in that story was one that is commonly known not to be of that type because of its cruising altitudes. The person had excellent business acumen. He even had definite political skills (otherwise he would not have had the amount of support he did) but had weaknesses that proved fatal to his campaign. That particular story served to illustrate some of the weaknesses. Would I hire him to run my company? In a heartbeat. My country? Not so much.

Nope. I never advertised any experience with those kind of business deals. I know operations, not acquisitions. I just got stuck with the job. My goal was to get some basic sense of the situation and pass it on to people better qualified. But I do know how to make a few educated guesses with what I have. And I know to rely on my instincts to fill in the gaps. Tends to work pretty well. Not perfect, but it seems to have served me well for 45 years.

Nope. Again you would be wrong. (Suddenly thinking of a line in the "Land of the Lost" movie - hated the movie but loved the line.)

Taking responsibility for one's accusations, statements, and beliefs tends to minimize patterns of error.

Yep. It was a GM. And the response was still unusual even for them.

And I owe you an apology. I should have reserved any analytic comment to a personal reply rather than a public forum. I let myself get a little excited. Do you mind if I send you a PM?

Yep. I was acting under the belief of a time limit that didn't actually exist. I normally do more research. I got my reply. Forwarded it to my CEO with my suspicions. He trusts my instincts on these things. And when I was able to do further research (and get some inside information from other source), my instincts look justified. So, yes, I did indeed stop at that stage. Something didn't "feel" right and I've found that ignoring that sensation has generally been a bad idea. And there is some real science supporting that form of decision making. And for the record I'm getting that same kind of "gut" feeling about the CoH IP. NCSoft has been doing things that have nothing to do with any cultural peculiarities.

I did it to check out the poor resources as those were the ones the "average joe" is most likely to use. I wanted to know what kind of future damage control was needed. I had a rather nasty personal experience (mentioned elsewhere in this thread) and it's had some other consequences as well. Unfortunately life goes on and I just have to deal with these things as I am able.

Thank you. Those words are well appreciated.

Actually that's part of why I even started posting on this forum. Damage control. That's why I sent my rebuke in both directions. I know feelings are running pretty high right now. I didn't really care to have to throw out any bone fides but I was looking to establish some amount of credibility quickly even if I came out sounding larger than life. I'd rather my work to speak for itself and not come off sounding like a pompous braggart.

Yep. I've actually done one of those BG checks online. Paid for it. Several sites in fact. I found the same erroneous information consistently. Some of it did not make me happy to have there. My first and last name are too common. I've thought about legal action, but I think the Goliath of Intellius is more than I can handle at the moment (I suspect they are the source of many of the issues).

After a quick analysis from some, admittedly, limited information it looked like CoX was a profitable operation (a fact later established as true from other sources). I was working on rather late notice and didn't want to lose a chance to make a purchase. I figured that other organizations had at least the same information I did - maybe better. I hadn't been on for about a month or two because of other obligations. Got on. Had a problem. Started a support ticket. As I was pondering my issue I was also reflecting on the matter of getting in contact. Had an "aha!" moment when I realized the path those support tickets took. And given the excellent support system of Paragon Studios I had even more confidence than normal about those internal channels. I've used channels of communication for mixed issues before - I suspect we all have - and I figured the best I could expect was "go here" as a response. It would have been a brush-off but it would still been a definite response within the parameters of customer support (and it was a legitimate support issue believe it or not). I thought about calling NC Soft directly but I was uncomfortable with possible language barriers. I was just seeking a good State-side contact. Just "seat of the pants" thinking. The kind of thing that happens if you have to act quickly without being able to do the normal research. It does make for an amusing story though. Still an honest attempt to contact the company about a purchase. Sometimes crazy pays off. In this case it paid off with some intriguing info even if that wasn't intended. My conclusion about the response has been supported since by other sources. I trust my intuition even if it leads me on odd paths.

Actually I have no problem with my name out in the open. I haven't updated my LinkedIn profile in ages and I was pretty lazy about my profile information when I created it. And I actually have two. A business and personal one. Same as Twitter and Facebook. And I've lost count of my email addresses.

Those social sites typically only reveal what the person decides to submit.

Actually I have evidence and information that the channel was more appropriate than most. Knowledge of company support structures was sufficient to this decision.

Not having to support your accusation? The word for that is "arrogant". And that is not ad hominem. Refusal of accountability is evidence of excessive self-importance. It undermines the credibility of your claims. In this case you simply exposed your ignorance.

Actually the support ticket was just an information gathering step. I seriously did not expect to use it to actually start negotiations. Those tickets fire off an email to a company employee. Doing so with the expectation that it would go to a Paragon Studio employee and one that had connections to several internal departments (which customer support normally needs to operate effectively) was the intent. Especially if that employee was looking for any chance, no matter how remote, to save his/her job. When that employee can't even direct you to a web portal, identify a department, or give a name, that's pretty strange. Even a "Call the corporate office" would have been a reasonable reply. It's one way to bypass the company operator.

No. I wasn't being lazy, stupid, or incompetent. I was taking advantage of my general knowledge of corporate operations.

Oh crap. Yeah, I do know where you are at. No wonder you seem to come off as misanthropic at times. I remember Dr. Yochelson in his seminal work in Criminal Psychology about that being a common problem in the profession (I'm paraphrasing slightly). Right now I'm being a technical witness for one of those cases with HS. Not fun. My original college plans were to go into general CogSci by the way. That's why I reflect such a strong, multidisciplinary background. My being severe sexual assault victim had me put such on a backburner for a while and I've never gotten back to it. I did change much of my focus for a while from neurological problems to general personality disorder and its formation.

I think you need a change of scenery for a while. I suspect this game (and others) have been needful escapism. I just don't know what to suggest. The problem is your sense of security is strongly tied to your current job and role. Maybe consider yourself as a co-dependent in an abusive relationship? That may seem a little extreme for assessment but the information is currently limited (for obvious reasons!).

If you read my communications here I'm trying to establish and sustain positive transference in a hostile atmosphere and working hard to avoid the cycle of accusation/defensive-accusation that has been trending here.

No. Not being lazy. I used an existing channel of communication with a business in a creative manner in order to better record it. I already had a reason to use it for its normal purpose and just combined efforts. Those tickets actually send an email to a company representative. The gist of the message was "...by the way, my company, blah blah blah, is seriously interested in purchasing yours given the recent news about its closure. Who is the proper person or department to direct inquiries?" Reply "We cannot discuss anything related to the shutdown of City of Heroes." Very interesting response. I hadn't asked for information about the shutdown. The response was unusually slow for such too. Companies have standard response patterns with regards to such inquiries, regardless of the channel, and this fell outside the generally accepted reply.

Yeah, I debated that. The pompous tone was intentional. I was hoping that it would be taken as humor but it looks like I miscalculated. Thanks for the positive criticism.

Actually I AM embarrassed about the web site.

I set that thing up as a temporary measure and the CEO has been debating for months about where to go next with it - preferring to use Facebook more. I just pay the bill and manage it the best I can.

I've mostly just used it to do some test coding in the background right now until he makes up his mind. There is a full framework there based on the CodeIgniter platform. I'm using the Bonfire extension to provide a back panel, user management, and CRUD (among other things).

I've already received submissions by several companies to finish the job. I'd do it but I've simply overworked as is. Hell, I haven't even done anything with my own, personal, business's web site. (PyroCMS framework).

I'm happy to hear positive suggestions for it though! The CEO first wanted to eventually have it look like Rockstar Games's site but changed his mind.

I've also been handling setting up the Federal and state tax ID's, the paperwork for LLC formation (his previously hired attorney took the money and did nothing. ), and so on.

But thanks for looking us up! Under construction - please excuse the mess - and we are sorry for the inconvenience.

I was responding to a previous poster. I thought his accusation towards someone as amusing.

Being a businessman and a programmer are not mutually exclusive roles. Ask Steve Jobs (when you could), William Gates III, or Raymond Kurzweil for brief examples. I'm 45 years old. I've had plenty of time to develop a broad background. Hell, I've even got a minister's license and several ordinations.
(Inserted for amusement but I really do have those credentials!)

Demonstrate that the means of communication were absurd. Your personal feelings about it do not constitute objective evidence. Also demonstrate how my actions are proof incompetence. Again, subjective claims are not proof.

You mean the experienced judges and lawyers? They seem to be happy.

"Most of us?" Who is the "us" of which you speak? Do you have a group that has nominated you as a spokesman? Can you name that group? Or this simple hubris?