City of Heroes: Live Forum Archive

Lost my Job, Now I lost My Base, Thanks Support(?)

Ad Astra

By Ad Astra,
Posted on: 2009-05-12 11:08 in Base Construction

 

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The point is, the SG belongs to whomever is actively maintaining it, not to the guy who talked to the registrar way back in the day.



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QFT

Those who are doing the work to keep the SG going are the "owners".

And to the OP - there is no way that NC can know the ciscumstances of why you were inactive. It sux that your reason was that you were out of work, but it could just as easily been that you decided to go play another game for 4-5 months or that you decided to become a hermit in a cave in the woods. They put a process into place to handle long absences (autodemotion) that doesn't make any judgement calls about what is a "worthy" reason for an absence - it is neutral and always applies. You got the right answer from them.

Altoholic - but a Blaster at Heart!

Originally Posted by SpyralPegacyon

"You gave us a world where we could fly. I can't thank you enough for that."

 

Posted

I joined an SG a couple of years ago on a server I rarely played on so that the SG leader could get together a critical mass of players to get the inital bonus.

I NEVER logged in. I never played on the server. Etc.

Then when checking back in, in like October of last year, I found that no one else had logged in for years! So I kept checking in after that and still no one showed up. And after awhile, because of the auto-demote thingie, I inheritied this SG.

There was just the original room. Nothing in it. But there was a good amount of prestige still in the SG from when the place must have been thriving. So after more months as de facto leader, I decided to use the SG as another one-man SG for all my alts on that server -- which I then started to create and play because i now had a place to store my "treasures."

While this case is more extreme (by far) from what you're describing, even though I emphathize with you, I can see where being away 5 months (150 days) could seem like SG abandonment to many people.

Especially as the leader of the SG, one could have left a Message of the Day, basically saying that something came up and you had to leave for awhile but that you intended to return.

I was once kicked out of an SG of my friends because my toon wasn't active and they wanted an active SG. They're still my friends. (They even had another SG for me to join for toons that WEREN'T going to be active.)

I just think players need to let other players know their expectations, their "rules" or guidelines, or even their extended abscences.

For example, I have made it a point to let my SG mates - and members of this forum -- know that I've been logging on to see how my MArc is doing, count-wise, but that I haven't been playing because of back problems I've developed. To me this is just common courtesy because there are so many MArcs that I want to play (theirs and those who have played mine) that I can't get to yet. But it would really seem RUDE (imho) just not to let anyone know ... and have them think that I'm some kind of dick who feels entitled to their support but doesn't care about supporting their efforts, as well.

At this point, I would just get over it and move on. Create your own new SG (prestige really does build up quick). For one month add a second account through a time card and fill your new SG with alts ... and you'll max out the bonus immediately. Then just play and have fun.

Or cancel your subscription if you can't get over it. There are so many things in this game that can one can get frustrated over if you let them. So if you just can't let go of them, they will just ruin your fun.

Either way you go, you'll be making the right decision for you.

 

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Hey RandyAngelo,

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Hey Kension, Are you serious? Comparing this situation with cell phone numbers? Why not throw apples and oranges to the fray. Jeezus christ I"m almost certain the poor guy didnt know he was losing his job and couldn't prepare for it. In any case him having a family and more important responsibilities i'm sure he decided that the game was at the bottom of the totem pole, Hell, he may even be paying for the game on a monthly basis. It doesn't bloodly matter. You should tell him to calm down nicely and explain the situation because CS doesn't always pave that road clear for most folk anyhow. Yet instead, there are posts bashing him and telling him they don't feel sorry for him at all, he's responsible for his SG, global warming and George Bush. Not everyone reads the dang forums! Putting him down for whatever whacky scenario you can come up with on how all his bases are belong to us is a waste of time. Gawdamn man! Can you just sit back and picture that scenario of being laid off/let go and the first thing that comes to mind is, "Oh snap I gots to get ma SG shiz in order." I told him his situation sucks but unfortunately the rules of the SGs are at odds to his unfortunate situation but he may get lucky cause that person most likely ain't coming back.

Once again, Welcome back to the game and hope things work out in your favour.

"Wow, I am no longer connected to this world. I'm gonna go home and kill myself. Good bye friends" -Eric Cartman

 

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<QR>

Wow. What a sense of entitlement. His accounts were inactive for almost 5 months and he expects NCSoft to punish the other members of the SG indefinitely on the hopes that he might one day reactivate his accounts.

Customer Support - What? You say your locked out of your base because the SG leader's account is inactive and rent's due? Too bad. We don't care about our PAYING customers.

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Nobody is impressed that you are acting like a jerk in this thread. Yes, people should be more responsible, no, piling it on top of their current misfortune is NOT the best way to get this message across. My experience is, it's better to help them fix the current problem THEN give them advice on how to prevent it in the future. IE: Feed the starving man so he doesn't die while trying to teach him how to fish.

Glad to hear the OP's issue is likely fixed soon enough.

 

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So, I believe this is day 45. Any luck?

 

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You can lower the Auto-Demote time to 15 days and get him demoted then you should get the Leader rank provided your at the General rank or the most recently logged in. Then once you get the Leader rank you can set the Auto-Demotion time back to 45 days.

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I don't know if this has changed, but I'm pretty sure that altering the demotion time RESETS the timer. So if there is currently four days to go on the current timer and it is changed to 15 days, it will now be reset to the fifteen day setting.

It's been a while since I've had to deal with that but that's what I remember from my experience.


| Issue 9 Fly poses | IO's and ED
| Cycling the Combat Monitor | Load Macros from a Text File |

 

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Couldn't you know, ask the person ?

Im assuming they were invited to the SG by you, or at least by someone you promoted.

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Oh and as for advice generally if you have a base and want to retain ownership, make sure only characters on your own account(s) are in the SG when time expires. It will sit safe and sound until you re-activate.

The guy who was Best Man at my wedding was off in WoW for over 2 years, but the SG name and base are still his.

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There are a couple snags with that. First off, when we reactivated and signed back on, we found this person was the new leader and neither of my sons nor I recruited him. And he had been leader for a couple weeks and also had been offline for 14 days. Now he is offline for 41 days so 4 more days and perhaps the nightmare is over.


Second, if I purge the SG of non-alt/persons that aren't on my account, that punishes a few loyal members that have diligently supported the base with their time and prestige. HAD I KNOWN auto-demote was working (and that it only demotes the leader? Where does it say that?) I might have promoted another member to leader status so that he could run things in my absence. Its a base that took a long time to make since it was done mainly by casual gamers, not farmers or people that log in nightly.

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Wait till no one else but you is on. Get on yor highest ranked SG Toon.
Set the demotion to 40 days and wait. Being the latest leader on, you will get the leadership rank back.

 

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I don't think the person that starts the SG should EVER been auto demoted. This is just crazy!

This is the aspect I have always hated about this game. If the founder AFK's for any period of time he could leave someone in charge but not lose control of what he built up. If members do not like this fact they should leave and start their own.

For this very reason it has always been just my girlfriend and myself in our groups across all the servers. This way we know nothing will happen unless it is a game bug.

I feel for this persons feelings as I built up a group by myself and know how much work it is. So all of you doing nothing but bashing get a life. This person has the right to the feelings he has regarding this matter and as the person who started it should never have been auto demoted....the developers need to fix this as it isn't fair to that person.

I hope the OP gets control of his group back. Happened to me once and I got lucky that this person didn't log in for the 45 days. Promptly kicked this person once I could to ensure it didn't happen again.

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A agree with this. Unless the founder of a SG willingly gives up his group to someone else, he/she should always have control.

That said...only persons of hte 5th rank qualify to get leader rank right?

So that means someone promoted this unknown individual at some point.

 

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You can lower the Auto-Demote time to 15 days and get him demoted then you should get the Leader rank provided your at the General rank or the most recently logged in. Then once you get the Leader rank you can set the Auto-Demotion time back to 45 days.

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I don't know if this has changed, but I'm pretty sure that altering the demotion time RESETS the timer. So if there is currently four days to go on the current timer and it is changed to 15 days, it will now be reset to the fifteen day setting.

It's been a while since I've had to deal with that but that's what I remember from my experience.

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It doesn't reset the timer...it just takes an extra 24 hours to take affect.

 

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I'm not a base person much, but I do have people on my global friends list, and people in SG's that I have been members of,who left three years ago and never came back.

How long are people expected to wait? Seven years, like a missing person?

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yes! 2 more years to go!

There are no 'set' rules, it's all up to your discretion.

http://tiny.cc/ArcaneDefenseItems
This is a bug, nothing more. Please put away the tin-foil hats, there's nothing sinister going on here.-Protea

http://tiny.cc/WhatBeatsADragon

 

Posted

You know, is there honestly any good reason CS shouldn't just take 2 minutes and help him? I can't think of one. And 'working as intended' and 'Some random guy is leader now' aren't 'good' reasons.

Apparently I'm to stupid right now to make an awesome link with a picture and stuff but neverthelss sign the petition! [u]http://www.change.org/petitions/ncso...city-of-heroes[u]

 

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Making exceptions to policy isn't a smart idea.

One guy wants one thing, the next guy wants two, the next guy four.

"You broke the rules for that guy, why can't you do it for me?"



-np

I see myself as witty, urbane, highly talented, hugely successful with a keen sense of style. Plus of course my own special brand of modesty.

Virtue: Automatic Lenin | The Pink Guy | Superpowered | Guardia | Guardia Prime | Ultrapowered

 

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You know, is there honestly any good reason CS shouldn't just take 2 minutes and help him? I can't think of one. And 'working as intended' and 'Some random guy is leader now' aren't 'good' reasons.

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You do realize that we have only heard one side of the story, right? And, even if it was relayed with perfect accuracy, any report from a single individual will be inherently subjective and biased.

The entire auto-demote system exists precisely to address situations where a leader goes AWOL. The reason for the absence isn't relevant to the discussion. The system is in place to keep the other members of the SG from being screwed by a leader disappearing.


P.S. At any rate, the 'random guy leader' was offline 41 days and due to hit 45 on May 16th. Hopefully this situation has fixed itself as of the 16th.

Paragon City Search And Rescue
The Mentor Project

 

Posted

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You know, is there honestly any good reason CS shouldn't just take 2 minutes and help him? I can't think of one. And 'working as intended' and 'Some random guy is leader now' aren't 'good' reasons.

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You do realize that we have only heard one side of the story, right? And, even if it was relayed with perfect accuracy, any report from a single individual will be inherently subjective and biased.

The entire auto-demote system exists precisely to address situations where a leader goes AWOL. The reason for the absence isn't relevant to the discussion. The system is in place to keep the other members of the SG from being screwed by a leader disappearing.


P.S. At any rate, the 'random guy leader' was offline 41 days and due to hit 45 on May 16th. Hopefully this situation has fixed itself as of the 16th.

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Unless the guy has the red star then he is permanent leader O.o

 

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what! am I the only one who spends a whole day logging in and out of my toons to put them in new day jobs for badges, every 21 days. I feel for the dude but so goes life in a supergroup. Don't want to bash the guy but if you know your leaving and coming back keep in contact with your sg members at least. However I do hope it works out for you man. GOOD LUCK!

�One of the best lessons children learn through video games is standing still will get them killed quicker than anything else�

 

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Don't want to bash the guy but if you know your leaving and coming back keep in contact with your sg members at least.

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Good advice. He could have easily set up a free SG website at Guildportal.com and the whole SG could have kept in touch with eachother.

 

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This situation probably never would have happened if there was proper communication in the SG. I have had friends leave for extended periods. They made provisions for their return by putting someone they trusted in as a co-leader. I do the same in my SG. I don't believe there should be a founder flag and think 45 days of not showing up is a pretty good indicator.

 

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what! am I the only one who spends a whole day logging in and out of my toons to put them in new day jobs for badges, every 21 days.

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Nope, you're not the only one... heh!

Oh, and while I sympathize with the RL trials the OP has endured, the base leadership is working as intended, advertised, and publicized... sorry, friend - there's no valid complaint here.

 

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The solution is simple...give Super Leaders a 180 day auto demotion to account for economic troubles and such. That way, other leaders can eventually inherit, but the Superleader will have time to recover or such.

I had a friend go unemployed and his computer went out. He didn't return until recently. I'm the found of the sg and the Super Leader, but he stayed in touch by email while he was gone over a year (or close to it).

I promoted him straight to 5th lvl soon as he returned.

But as the founder, I would be peeved if I lost my SG due to unforeseen circumstances. What if I have to do 3 months active duty in the military? Or what if I'm laid up in a hospital for a few months?

Super Leaders should at least have 180 days, and Founders should be flagged so they cannot be removed unless they quit themselves.

 

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btw:

For those "What if we need the roster space?" people.

If you can't make due with 149 members, you're a poor leader and making excuses.

 

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Super Leaders a 180 day auto demotion to account for economic troubles and such.

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Screw over an entire SG for 6 months with inactive leadership because someone couldn't be bothered to promote another member to SL while he is absent? No way, we have plenty of time to get our affairs in order before our subs expire. At the very least we pay by the month, not day by day.

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What if I have to do 3 months active duty in the military?

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Military personnel are given advance notice of deployments.

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Or what if I'm laid up in a hospital for a few months?

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All the more reason for keeping the limit at 45 days.

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Founders should be flagged so they cannot be removed unless they quit themselves.

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Now this I agree with 100%

 

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btw:

For those "What if we need the roster space?" people.

If you can't make due with 149 members, you're a poor leader and making excuses.

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Yeah! How dare large SG's recruit new members and make new friends constantly! What a bunch of horrible social misfits.

SG's were made so they could be filled with a lot of dead weight that isn't contributing to the SG, not active members that are online and having fun gaming together.

/e end sarcasm

 

Posted

I have been in games where the leader went awol forever and no one could recruit and we lost access to everything in our guild bank... so when leaders go awol, there needs to be a system in place to keep the guild going...

HOWEVER... bases add a new dynamic to this... very often leaders are dedicated base builders and the base basically exsists cuz the leader aka base builder did all the work and maybe even made all or most of the prestige...

in this event, you have no other choice but to be a jerk and if you know you are gonna be away from the game for awhile, boot everyone or have them form a new sg... there really is no other option... not saying thats the coolest thing to do... but it would have solved ur issue...