GM Incompetents and Incorrect Badge info
By
Beef_Cake,
Posted on: 2006-02-23 06:43 in Badges and Gladiators
...just stares at the thread header pondering the irony...
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...just stares at the thread header pondering the irony...
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Is that some kind of swipe at me?
Not a copy and paste answer huh?
I say BS, I have received numerous email replies from GM with that exact response word for word.
So if its not a copy and paste scenario, then it must be some little monkey sitting on a branch and the GM asks the monkey what to say and they type in what the monkey told them to say.
But all jokes aside, the GMs on this game know nothing of the game itself, they seem to be employees hired from the street only to read from a computer program and give you response on things they find from the computer, they do not know the game and therefore can not answer the player base with a true answer other then what some lame computer answer they get from their machine.
I too wish they would hire a staff that knows more about the game rather then a person who knows nothing.
Hell I bet 90% of the player base knows more about this game then the GMs and it truly is sad.
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Just as a reminder NCSoft has a comon pool of GM's
Some may be experts on Lineage, but be less so on CoX. Some the other way round.
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@Mr Falkland Islands"A Nation Goes Rogue" Arc# 2369 "Toasters and Pop Tarts" Arc#116617
Hmmm, I launched the rocket 5 times yesterday. Guess its time to /petition to get my badge........ 
the only time that i had to wait hours for an ingame GM was in about month or two following CoV's launch, and occasionally after an Issue was released.
Looking at the email you quoted (which are timestamped), the GM responded to you 3 minutes after your submission. As far as I know, the GMs will almost always try to respond ingame. Did you /petition and then immediately log off? What category did you file the /petition as?
oh, and the irony that I beleive was being refered to above is that it is spelled "Incompetence"
[url="http://wiki.cohtitan.com/wiki/User:SaintNicster"]ParagonWiki User Page[/url]
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funny as i as told when doing a shard t.f. and got screwed out of the badge ."sorry but theres no way to give the badge to you" even though you did the t.f."
funny how now you can???
i want my badge too then 
on a side note i find it funny how the 10-12 badges currently bugged on coh for 3 months now are still broke but the two for the v-day events weree too and only took a week to fix...wth is that about???
10 bucks say we get them as our ONLY badges in issue 7 and a "hey you got badges didnt you"
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...just stares at the thread header pondering the irony...
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Is that some kind of swipe at me?
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I believe that he is referring to the fact that it is spelled "incompetence".
I find your lack of signature disturbing.
My petition yesterday after 5 rocket launches was met with a "It's a known bug. It will be awarded retroactively when it is fixed for 5 launches." rather than getting the badge awarded to me.
I have always found any GMs I've had dealings with to be helpful, knowledgeable and courteous.
However, inconsitancies when dealing with issues like this are annoying. GMs should be following a set of rules so that all players are treated equally. It may be that Brooklyn was awarded the badge before policy changed (maybe because the fix is sorted and will be due soon) in which case I'm fine with that but I'd be interested to hear if anyone has successfully petitioned and got it in the last 24 hours as my petition was at 5pm last night.
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funny as i as told when doing a shard t.f. and got screwed out of the badge ."sorry but theres no way to give the badge to you" even though you did the t.f."
funny how now you can???
i want my badge too then
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Sometimes you have to keep pushing. It took probably a month before they gave me my Souviner for completing Crimson's story arc in CoH. I gave images, they tried to say "could be photoshopped". I told them "Then why cant he give me missions, I had ot have done him because I have no open arcs". They gave some other dumb response. Eventually it got down to where I told them "I'll fraps a video proving I have completed the arc" and they gave in and rewarded me the Souviner I rightfully deserved (was bugged at that time when I completed it)
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Severe: You did them before I5, correct? an old thread you started. I had already posted linking to what positron had said about this, and why they aren't data mining.
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on a side note i find it funny how the 10-12 badges currently bugged on coh for 3 months now are still broke but the two for the v-day events weree too and only took a week to fix...wth is that about???
10 bucks say we get them as our ONLY badges in issue 7 and a "hey you got badges didnt you"
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what are those 10-12 badges that you keep refering to? Specific names, please.
and unless they add new content hero-side for CoH, then why would they add new badges? Do you want even more epic badges that will (and should) take a lot to do to get them?
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I dunno. I did a first 5 launches a long time ago in the few weeks Warburg went live. Was gonna come back later and do the rest. Well I finalyl came back to Warburg last weekend, and was told by a friend it takes 10 launches without zoning. Gah! So I started working on it. Apparently if you log out, that's okay, so I figured I could just do 1-2 launches a night and then work on my alts or something.
Well I did 3 launches Sunday, quit, did two launches Monday morning and got the badge then and there.
So I dunno if it counted the previous 5, or if it's fixed at 5 without zoning, not sure. Another person I teamed with on Sunday had said they'd done a total of around 13 launches, and had done 8 that day. Got the badge on launch #13 apparently.
Dunno!!
But don't harp on the GM's. I'm sure they get the same kinds of questions over and over, and it's simply not time efficient to type out an individual answer to each one. If they have a 'common' issue they probably do what most of us in e-mail support world do, they have a text file with an already-made response that they know 'works', and send it along.
If you worked in e-mail support world, you'd do the same thing to. Guaranteed.
My advice would be to use the boards for badge help, not GMs. Players know more about badges than they do, in a lot of cases, and it's doubtful a GM'll help much. Don't do silly stuff like PMing a redname unless it's a life-and-death issue, though. I'm sure they have enough stuff on their hands already.
Anyway, GMs are silly. I still have a few emails languishing in my inbox from Support with wonderful tidbits of misinformation such as 'you can't get Untouchable on a villain' and 'we won't give you Rocketman because it'll be awarded in a - oh hey what you got it anyway? Fiiiiine.'
GMs have always been very helpful to me but they are doing a job and are told what they can and can't do, just like you are when you go to work. Just because you don't like their answer doesn't make them idiots.
It is no different than when you go to the complaints desk at the department store. If they aren't allowed to do what you want, they aren't allowed to do what you want it isn't their fault it is company policy. I work in IT and the best way to deal with things like that IS cut and paste replies. It keeps you from telling people who don't take No for an answer what you really think of them.
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You can't please everyone, so lets concentrate on me.
GMs aren't at fault for these bugs so cut them some slack. If they gave everyone a personal response less would get done.
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Cuppa has consistently claimed if we have a problem in-game to use petition and wait for a GM, but they NEVER come. Players wait hours for a response before giving up and waiting to deal with email replies.
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In my experience, GMs will respond in-game if you are stuck (can't complete mission, or something similar), and by e-mail otherwise.
Some stuck petitions I've filed have been answered quickly, and others have not. I've filed two that I can recall that I ended up fixing myself before the GM showed up, but they've helped me greatly in other scenarios. A typical response time I've seen is 15-30 minutes, but sometimes they are much slower.
The GMs seem to have a history of really not knowing their [censored] when it comes to badges. Probably, it's because the *devs* don't know what's wrong with some of the badges. Now, as to why the GMs can't get their badge-awarding policy straight, yeah that's kinda sad.
I try really hard not to complain about GMs though, in the same way that, well, that I try not to yell at retail employees. I just feel like stuff probably isn't their fault, even when it seems like it is.
Also, by and large, I've found the GMs to be extrmely patient and polite (though I'm also convinced they have politeness built into their conversational binds).
For those that don't like the GMs, try playing something else. I've had to petition many times in this game and have recieved excellent service for the issue at hand. COH/COV's GMs have been some of the best I have ever met. Heck even the response time is great. In other games I've had to play phone tag to get a response or spend hours with them to find out they can't do anything. I'm a badge [censored] yet I can tollerate a malfunctioning badge, but if an issue effects my mission that's another story. The GMs have never let me down and have given me the service I expect. This is why COH has become my game of choice.
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Severe: You did them before I5, correct? an old thread you started. I had already posted linking to what positron had said about this, and why they aren't data mining.
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on a side note i find it funny how the 10-12 badges currently bugged on coh for 3 months now are still broke but the two for the v-day events weree too and only took a week to fix...wth is that about???
10 bucks say we get them as our ONLY badges in issue 7 and a "hey you got badges didnt you"
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what are those 10-12 badges that you keep refering to? Specific names, please.
and unless they add new content hero-side for CoH, then why would they add new badges? Do you want even more epic badges that will (and should) take a lot to do to get them?
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errr well i did them right after they started giving badges for the t.f's not before they did
and if you want a list(which i already gave 100 times before) either go to vidiotmaps or badge [censored] for it..im not gonna list them 101 times
however i will give you a couple
spidersmasher,gunner,all pvp and zone badges are screwed in one way or another..2 glad 's are still bugged as well(mu and fortuana).titan glad loses control after going from hec to zeus.etc etc etc
if your not aware of these "bugs"..then you should get more involed
like i said before..they will fix these add 3 explortion badges (in new zone)and call it a day...im willing to bet on it.
I've been generally satisfied with my dealings with GMs. Sometimes you have to reply to the automated form response in order to get them to read your original petition and actually answer the question that was asked, but once that happens, it's generally smooth sailing. I've had a small number of unsatisfactory dealings with them (including one who claimed that sappers didn't have the ability to hold you, only drain your end), and a few instances where they've refused to divulge specific data about a badge's requirements when I thought I'd met the criteria but didn't yet have the badge. But on the whole, my dealings with them have been fine.
The only bad GM response I've ever gotten was a lack of reply to a petition I sent, asking about the temp power from Ice Mistral's SF that only the team leader gets. Apart from that, the GMs have been very courteous and helpful, even if they are sticklers about clearing the map. 
There's a lot of conflicting information about Rocketman, and the devs themselves may not be entirely aware of the problem. I'm starting to think that, like Gunner, the badge isn't really supposed to be awarding at all. My suggestion to everyone would be to just give up on the PvP badges entirely until we get word that they've really, honestly all been fixed. I have no idea why, but every PvP-related badge is horribly busted.
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Actually, all of the direct pvp badges (pvp missions, pvp reputation) appear to have been fixed. The time badges are not working properly, but its common knowledge how to get them.
Only rocketman and gunner seems to be under confusion.
My primary gripe here is that there doesnt seam to be some all encompassing policy or rule regarding GM's giving out badges that people arent getting due to bugs.
One GM tells me one thing, and another GM tells someone else a completly diffrent story, for the same badge.
This simply leads me to belive that the GM's arent being trained properly, arent given proper supervision, or simply arent informed correctly to every situation.
Between the test server, the live server, these forums, and places like Vidiotmaps/BadgeWhore, and CityInfoTerminal the player base has found nearly every bug badge and problem. We've Given this information to the devs. It just not being filtered down to the GM's properly.
If you ask me, one thing NCsoft needs to do is split their Custserv services between their games. Have a dedicated center for COH/COV which is a single system. GM's that ONLY work on this game, and to be honest, they should scour the game for the players that help others, that strive to complete the majority of the content, and that USE these fansites for information because THESE people would make the BEST GM's.
I think some GM's are telling us they cant grant badges is because their supervisors tell them not to give them out because then they'd get a rush of petitions begging for badges which increases their workload. I could be wrong.
In the end no matter what I say, the problem boils down to the fact that the service we recieve is not constant. It differs from person to person from time to time and thats not good.
(I see that i spelled the thread wrong and I prolly have some spelling mistakes here too. You'll have to exuse my spelling, I dont take the time to spellcheck online and my keyboard is too small for my sausagelike fingers.)
although i think the devs have said somwhere that the pvp badges are working as intended/.
but then again...they said sally was working too...and uh..well they were wrong there too..too bad all we had to do was tell them 10000000000000000000 times before they actual looked for themselves
oh and FYI the guy sending emails to your petition says theres no deathsurge badge at all.this was as of yesterday
i fired off 3 rockets over a month ago then i read a post on another site about petitioning them after 5 to get the badge. fired off 2 more petitioned it got the copy and paste responce from the 1st poster and had my badge a half hour later. so i guess i am one of the lucky ones?
I am adding a meter (that turns on after you launch the rocket 1 time) that will track your progress towards the badge.
This will help CS determine where any bugs may lie in the Warburg rocket launches as well.
Positron
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Last week, my main liberty hero launched the rocket 10 times over a period of 4-6 hours in Warburg. Overall I launched the rocket 11 times total in my career. Trust me that I've kept count.
Now, I remember reading on this forum that the badge was bugged and the true launch amount was 10, not 5 like the badge says, hence why I did all that work.
Lo and behold no badge was awarded to me, so I immediatly put in a petition. eventually, they granted me the badge and claimed that it only takes 5 launches to get the badge, its still bugged, but they give it out when petitioned for it after 5 launches.
Ok, fine...I tried to take it at face value, in fact here is a copy paste of that email record...
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Recently you requested personal assistance from our on-line support center. Below is a summary of your request and our response.
We will assume your issue has been resolved if we do not hear from you within 72 hours.
Thank you for allowing us to be of service to you.
To update this question by email, please reply to this message in the designated space below. Text entered into any other part of this message will be discarded.
[===> Please enter your reply below this line <===]
[===> Please enter your reply above this line <===]
If your issue remains unresolved, please update this question here.
Subject
Petition: No Badge
Discussion Thread
Response (GM Coriolanus) 02/14/2006 04:26 PM
Hello Arthur,
Thank you for writing back. Just as a FYI, you did not receive a "copy paste" answer previously. I wanted to make you aware of that and clear up any confusion on your part.
On to the meat of response, at this time we have granted your character the Rocketman badge. You can find it in the Achievement section of your badge list.
Lastly, to clear up some more confusion, the badge is NOT awarded for launching the rocket 10 times, it is awarded for launching it 5 times. It is currently broken and we are manually awarding it to players who petition in. Your character has launched the rocket 9 times, not 10, in the past.
We do apologize in the delay in awarding this to your character and for the initial confusion on our part. We try our best to serve our customers and denying them of rightfully earned badges is not something we do.
Regards,
GM Coriolanus
Customer (Arthur Borko) 02/14/2006 03:46 PM
I dont appreciate the "copy paste" answer that I'm being given at the
moment. This badge was reported as fixed and other GM's have given it
out before when players experienced problems. I put in the work ONCE
and I refuse to do it again. Please give me my badge.
Response (GM Jormungandr) 02/14/2006 03:11 PM
Hello,
Thank you for contacting PlayNC support. We apologize for any frustration you have experienced regarding this issue. This may possibly be fixed on a build that has not yet been implemented to the live servers due to continued testing. However, at this time it is still considered to be a known issue, and is not considered fixed until implemented to the live servers and noted via the posted patch notes. We apologize again for your inconvenience, however at this time it is not working as designed, and the support team is unable to reverse any loss of badges, temporary powers, or rewards. We thank you for your feedback regarding this issue, and appreciate your patience until it is implemented and noted as fixed.
Regards,
GM Jormungandr
Customer (Arthur Borko) 02/14/2006 08:12 AM
"Known issue?"
Its been stated by Rednames on the forums that this badge was fixed
weeks ago. Other players have gotten this badge with no problems.
Its also been stated that devs will not datamine to grant badges...
I do NOT wish to redo the same menial task 30 times to get this badge.
I put in 4 hours work expecting to get rewarded. GM's replying to
petitions have granted badges in these cases before. The Official
Forums and other forums dedicated to COH/COV are littered with such
examples.
Can you please just give me the badge? Whether this issue will be fixed
or not chances are I'll have to redo 4 hours worth of the same thing to
get it, and I would rather not.
Response (Brown) 02/14/2006 07:57 AM
Hello Arthur,
Thank you for contacting PlayNC Support Team.
This is a known issue. We are working on it and hope to have it resolved soon. Please refer to the patch notes for any updates.
Regards,
GM Brown
Customer (Arthur Borko) 02/14/2006 07:54 AM
Petition: XML Submission
Server: Liberty
I've launched the Warburg Rocket 10 times and have not received the Rocketman badge....
Question Reference #060214-001752
Product Level 1: City of Heroes
Product Level 2: Liberty
Date Created: 02/14/2006 07:54 AM
Last Updated: 02/14/2006 04:26 PM
Status: Waiting
Department: Game Support
PlayNC Account: ArthurBorko
Game Account: Arthurborko
Operating System: Unknown
Character Name: Crimson Circuit
© 2004-2005 NC Interactive, Inc. All Rights Reserved. NCsoft, \ the Interlocking NC logo, ArenaNet, Auto Assault, Guild Wars, Lineage, PlayNC, Play and See, Tabula Rasa and all associated NCsoft logos and designs are trademarks or registered trademarks of NCsoft Corporation. City of Heroes and all associated City of Heroes logos and designs are trademarks or registered trademarks of Cryptic Studios and NCsoft Corporation. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
GM Coriolanus
PlayNC Support Team
NCsoft North America
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The story doesnt end here. I'm hearing consistent reports of GM's who are NOT granting the badge when a player petitions for it after launching the rocket 10 times.
I'm sorry but this is bull. Its wrong. Either the GM's are not properly led and informed or they are lazy and simply want to play at work instead of actually WORKING.
Cuppa has consistently claimed if we have a problem in-game to use petition and wait for a GM, but they NEVER come. Players wait hours for a response before giving up and waiting to deal with email replies.
Something needs to be changed. Either hire new GM's, or hire more, or get someone competent to manage them. Honestly, if it took them raising the game monthly charge to 20$ to accomplish this, I'd be willing and satisfied.
If YOU have a problem with getting rocketman by petition after 5 launches, FEEL FREE to use this post and my custsurv experience as a primer to get your badge. Point them here and shove it in their face that they are WRONG.
The devs need to come up with a CLEAR policy regarding badges and GM's. Some GM's give information, some dont. Its always inconsisntent and really unprofessional.