[ QUOTE ]
Just change the name then republish. Start from scratch for an unblemished rating. While i don't take offense, think of some little kid playing the game and asking daddy or mommy, what is sex, what does that mean? Maybe they are not ready or mature enough for that conversation yet. Who knows...get over it.
[/ QUOTE ]
First I would point out that this game is rated for T-for teens, so the word sex shouldn't be an issue.
In fairness, though, I believe that kids do play with their parents, so your point is still valid. Let me answer it though through a pretty famous story:
A 8-year old child goes to his parents and asks them, "what's sex?" ... and the parents are stunned. They didn't think they'd have this discussion for years yet.
So, very patiently, they try to explain to their child about the birds and the bees, and where babies come from, and how when a Mommy and Daddy love each other very much, that they have a very special way of showing it to one another, and so on and so forth ...
And the 8-year old begins crying uncontrollably.
"Why are you crying?" ask the parents, very concerned.
ANd the 8-year old holds up a permission slip from his school that has a question. Sex: [ ] male [ ] female.
"How am I ever going to cram all that," he cries, "into this little box?"
The word sex is used many ways, including everyday (and often sexist phrases like "the weaker sex" and "the fairer sex.") Parents, as a rule, as smart enough to ask a child what they mean and get the "context" of a child's question before jumping in with both feet bound and eyes blindfolded.
[ QUOTE ]
But alas, I shall never know. Random user felt the need to file a complaint, but wasn't passionate enough to say what said complaint was about.
[/ QUOTE ]
In cases like this Im more inclined to believe random user accidentally hit the complaint button, then tried to make the next window go away
@Catwhoorg "Rule of Three - Finale" Arc# 1984
@Mr Falkland Islands"A Nation Goes Rogue" Arc# 2369 "Toasters and Pop Tarts" Arc#116617
[ QUOTE ]
Since I don't offer up my MArc for reviews, I logged in to see if anyone had played it recently -- and was stunned to see THREE COMPLAINTS!!!
Now, I don't pretend to be the best writer in the world. But Wicked, Wicked Wonderland (#1224) has been played by 192 people and has a 4 star rating ... and I couldn't imagine what anyone had to complain about.
All three "complaints" were exactly the same.
I used the word ... S.E.X.
Now mind you, the context was in the course of someone's name: The Sex of Diamonds (in my mind it was a silly pun in a silly story regarding the card "the Six of Diamonds"). This custom critter wasn't HAVING s.e.x.; she just had this three letter word in her name.
MIND YOU ... THIS IN A GAME WHERE ANYONE CAN - AND OFTEN DOES! - CREATE WOMEN WITH BARELY ANY CLOTHES ON ...
... WOMEN WHOSE BREASTS SO HUGE THAT THEY WOULD EVEN BREAK THE INVULNERABLE BACK OF "My Super X Girlfriend"!!!
Sex... as in "Please check one:" Sex: [ ] Male [ ] Female
People have asked me about this in-game, and that's fair. But to COMPLAIN ABOUT IT???? I mean, complaints to devs are for grievances that should get an arc banned, aren't they?
Frankly, I don't know if the complaints made were recent because I never checked for complaints before. Yesterday, when I updated my arc for I15 status, I saw the comment bar for the first time and figured - great - they list all the great comments I've received since this was released. But Nooooo! None of those get listed. Only these 3 braindead complaints.
What is wrong with people?
I only hope that whoever complained about the word S.E.X. never gets any in RL.
And for the rest of you who have played my arc and have left such positive and supportive comments for me, I APPRECIATE YOU NOW MORE THAN EVER ... because you guys are what makes authoring these things worthwhile.
If you HAVEN'T yet played "Wicked, Wicked Wonderland" (#1224) yet, I hope you will NOW ... just as a show of solidarity.
But if the word S.E.X. offends you, please DON'T play my arc. You'll save us both some aggrevation.
[/ QUOTE ]
So?
Big deal.
The whiners are MA-trolls.
Probably conservative fundamentalist christians to boot.
Only 3 complaints? Average 4 star rating? Your mish sounds like a raging success. Qa Plah'!!!
I understand your point ancient, it is used in different ways...but what does it mean for the character name sex of diamonds? While it probably doesn't mean anything, does it sound more like a word of a permission slip, or that of the actual act? To me, its sounds like diamonds are having sex....(obviously that doesn't make sense but makes my mind "go there") Also, most forms these days say gender, not sex. Just an FYI.
For the record, I personally wouldn't rate your arc based on that and it doesn't offend me. I am just trying to figure out what someone may have been thinking when the 1 star rated you.
[ QUOTE ]
Parents, as a rule, as smart enough to ask a child what they mean and get the "context" of a child's question before jumping in with both feet bound and eyes blindfolded.
[/ QUOTE ]
I'm guessing you are lucky enough to have parents like the ones you describe, so am I. However, many people all over the globe aren't so lucky, and when we have Institutions jumping into conclusions without first seeking the proper context of an issue, parents are definitely not excluded from this phenomenon.
I believe that a Kheldian Gold Standard should be based on SO's, and for anything above that... there's Platinum!
Save Ms. Liberty (#5349) � Augmenting Peacebringers � The Umbra Illuminati
Save Ms. Liberty (#5349) � Augmenting Peacebringers � The Umbra Illuminati
[ QUOTE ]
I understand your point ancient, it is used in different ways...but what does it mean for the character name sex of diamonds? While it probably doesn't mean anything, does it sound more like a word of a permission slip, or that of the actual act? To me, its sounds like diamonds are having sex....(obviously that doesn't make sense but makes my mind "go there") Also, most forms these days say gender, not sex. Just an FYI.
For the record, I personally wouldn't rate your arc based on that and it doesn't offend me. I am just trying to figure out what someone may have been thinking when the 1 star rated you.
[/ QUOTE ]
All the enemies in that mission have names like that, if memory serves. Near-homonyms off the numbers.
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I understand your point ancient, it is used in different ways...but what does it mean for the character name sex of diamonds? While it probably doesn't mean anything, does it sound more like a word of a permission slip, or that of the actual act? To me, its sounds like diamonds are having sex....(obviously that doesn't make sense but makes my mind "go there") Also, most forms these days say gender, not sex. Just an FYI.
For the record, I personally wouldn't rate your arc based on that and it doesn't offend me. I am just trying to figure out what someone may have been thinking when the 1 star rated you.
[/ QUOTE ]
All the enemies in that mission have names like that, if memory serves. Near-homonyms off the numbers.
[/ QUOTE ]
No! While they ALL have silly names, not all are the puns are actually in the names ... (and that's the only one that has the word 
"sex" in it.) One of the Kings is simply called "The King of Clubs" ... and carries a REALLY big Club. And another that's a crazy visual mix of Spades, Diamonds and Clubs is called the "Wild Card." And for some of the best puns you have to actually click on the toons to read them.
As for the previous poster whose mind goes to copulation "sex" even though Sex of Diamonds "obviously doesn't make sense" that way ... congratulations. 
You must have a VERY imaginative mind in that area.
The SEX of Diamonds, if I were being literal, would really translate into the "allure" of diamonds. To me, what's so great about the name is that it ties into old sayings like "Diamonds are a girls best friend." To me that's what makes it a good pun, by changing one letter, it allludes to something else. (For example, one commenter thought it was just a funny "typo")
And while I could rename it (certainly not "Gender of Diamonds", that clearly is NOT what I meant ) ... I know that I won't unless the Dev's force me to (which I really don't see happening).
btw, I really don't think my my mini-rant is about me not being able to take criticism or wanting everyone to love my arc; clearly that isn't going to happen.
But I believe that, just like in courthouses there are "frivilous lawsuits", the issue here is "frivilous" complaints. Because, as I understand it, a certain amount of complaints AUTOMATICALLY trigger a ban of your arc until you set it right again with customer service.
So my suggestion: If you (the collective "you", and not YOU personally) want to ban a mission, then make your complaint. But if you just disagree with what's going on in an arc, then send a message to the author and tell him what aggroed you. (I don't think the complainer was trying to get my arc banned. I just think people are afraid to say something directly to the author because they're afraid of being low-starred in retaliation.)
I have no doubt that a complaint this silly would stand upon review (and ultimately, it would make my arc unbannable once it passed muster) ... but it's still irksome.
I especially like the the compliant listed here that "$%&^@#&" is more offensive than actual swear words. that one is priceless. 
If you are writing (or peforming or engaging in any artistic medium intended to be presented to the general public) then grow a thicker skin.
There will always be someone who dislikes your premise, your chosen mode of expression, your means of presentation, or something else.
The best piece of irony is entitling a post complaining that not everyone likes a piece you created - and had the temerity to say so - with the cry that they should grow up.
My scrapper doesn't need an AoE. She IS an AoE.
[ QUOTE ]
If you are writing (or peforming or engaging in any artistic medium intended to be presented to the general public) then grow a thicker skin.
There will always be someone who dislikes your premise, your chosen mode of expression, your means of presentation, or something else.
[/ QUOTE ]
The second part of this is absolutely true. You can't please everybody.
The first part of your statement is just ... wrong. The thickness of my skin isn't what we're talking about. In RL, I'm a professional writer. Before my work makes it into the public, it gets scrutinized by colleagues and clients alike. And I find that alot of criticism really makes one's work better.
[ QUOTE ]
The best piece of irony is entitling a post complaining that not everyone likes a piece you created - and had the temerity to say so - with the cry that they should grow up.
[/ QUOTE ]
Here, you're really missing the boat. I've had people who play my arc message me from inside the game and have the "temerity" to say they didn't like something. I have then gone on to play their arcs -- and rate them 5 stars.
I DON'T expect anyone to like what I wrote. In RL, I'm not a writer of novels or textbooks or comic books. 
I'm a direct marketer creative director and copywriter. That means I only need to make a small percentage of people happy with anything I write (and then take action, like call a phone number or buy something) to be very, very successful. Most people don't respond at all. 
And I learned early on in my career that you can't visit everyone who sees what you wrote and explain what you "really" meant.
What this thread is about players hitting the COMPLAINT button over ... well, silly things (in my opinion).
If you don't see the difference, nothing I say here may change your mind. Or maybe it will. (While I'm not expecting the latter, I am hoping for it.)
I have been an actor in my time (where a bad review is talking about you- your body, voice, personal presentation...not even the thin degree of separation involved when someone tears a piece off a book or painting). I've been a freelance RPG designer, so we may just differ in the view of what an audience, even casually malicious members of that audience, may do and how to respond.
RPGs especially were and are vulnerable to public, vociferous, and often downright nasty complaints for reasons gamers often view as silly. But you end up with your work, and sometimes your name, exposed to public obloquy, and getting calls from some local news when a kid with problems shows up with an empty pill bottle next to a copy of your rules on his night table.
I can understand disliking the response, but still feel it is a dermal density issue.
My scrapper doesn't need an AoE. She IS an AoE.
[ QUOTE ]
If you are writing (or peforming or engaging in any artistic medium intended to be presented to the general public) then grow a thicker skin.
[/ QUOTE ]
Thick skins go only so far under threat of arc banning and permanent slot loss.
[ QUOTE ]
Since I don't offer up my MArc for reviews, I logged in to see if anyone had played it recently -- and was stunned to see THREE COMPLAINTS!!!
Now, I don't pretend to be the best writer in the world. But Wicked, Wicked Wonderland (#1224) has been played by 192 people and has a 4 star rating ... and I couldn't imagine what anyone had to complain about.
All three "complaints" were exactly the same.
I used the word ... S.E.X.
Now mind you, the context was in the course of someone's name: The Sex of Diamonds (in my mind it was a silly pun in a silly story regarding the card "the Six of Diamonds"). This custom critter wasn't HAVING s.e.x.; she just had this three letter word in her name.
MIND YOU ... THIS IN A GAME WHERE ANYONE CAN - AND OFTEN DOES! - CREATE WOMEN WITH BARELY ANY CLOTHES ON ...
... WOMEN WHOSE BREASTS SO HUGE THAT THEY WOULD EVEN BREAK THE INVULNERABLE BACK OF "My Super X Girlfriend"!!!
Sex... as in "Please check one:" Sex: [ ] Male [ ] Female
People have asked me about this in-game, and that's fair. But to COMPLAIN ABOUT IT???? I mean, complaints to devs are for grievances that should get an arc banned, aren't they?
Frankly, I don't know if the complaints made were recent because I never checked for complaints before. Yesterday, when I updated my arc for I15 status, I saw the comment bar for the first time and figured - great - they list all the great comments I've received since this was released. But Nooooo! None of those get listed. Only these 3 braindead complaints.
What is wrong with people?
I only hope that whoever complained about the word S.E.X. never gets any in RL.
And for the rest of you who have played my arc and have left such positive and supportive comments for me, I APPRECIATE YOU NOW MORE THAN EVER ... because you guys are what makes authoring these things worthwhile.
If you HAVEN'T yet played "Wicked, Wicked Wonderland" (#1224) yet, I hope you will NOW ... just as a show of solidarity.
But if the word S.E.X. offends you, please DON'T play my arc. You'll save us both some aggrevation.
[/ QUOTE ]
1. Nice way to make a rant into a successful advertisement of your arc. People bought it hook, line and sinker.
2. Personally, I couldn't give a fig about SEX being in the game. I've been doing it for almost twenty years now, so it's a no brainer for me when it's thrown out there.
3. However, playing Devil's Advocate: The "Complaints" field are really there for people to notify other players about something they feel is worth noting that you may not have included in your MA description. My first arc had about 3 or so complaints that, from the player's perspective, are perfectly valid. While I don't think they're personally complaint worthy, complaints ARE subjective, and that has to be taken into account by the author, the complainer AND anyone reading the complaint.
This works to your advantage. If someone would be offended by SEX OF DIAMONDS in your arc, they'd see the complaint, and not play it. Your rating does not suffer by a 1-star of someone whose finer sensibilities were sullied by your crass literary incompetence. (/sarcasm) Complaints don't hurt your rating; they do a service to the players out there who can read it, and make judgements on their own.
Building on this: I think there should be a way to get those complaints reviewed by a CSR for cleanup on a regular basis, either on a scheduled sweep or by request from the author. I have complaints which are just blank, and probably just fat-fingered mistakes, but they're still out there. Giving the authors some control on the Complaints on their story besides unpublishing/republishing would be a good next-generation utility for us.
@TURGENEV - Freedom Server / IRON / B.A.N.E / HORDE
Turg Fiction: Ghost in the Machine Acts III & IV coming 2012!
Turg Fiction: IX is now LIVE on Architect Entertainment!
Why not say the gender of Diamonds if that is what you meant? I don't really care what you do but it seems sex has multiple meanings and gender really dosen't.