Uziel - Greetings and thank you for attending tonight's Special Open House Meeting.
Uziel - Tonight's chat is considered General Support Discussion and as such we will accept questions of any topic relating to support for UO.
Uziel - I'll will be our moderator for this evening. In order to submit questions please /msg or /query Flame, Hellbunny, Fripp, Allroy
Uziel - Please /msg different question-takers at different times, in order to balance the load and speed this process up. Do not msg anyone from OSI or myself--these questions will be ignored.
Uziel - Remember that OSI may not have the opportunity to answer all of your questions. In addition, some questions may not be answered if the Support Team feels that it is not appropriate or that it has been better answered through some other question.
Uziel - In addition, please do not submit any questions that have already been answered during past conferences. We encourage you to read the logs of the previous Open Houses, which are available at http://uohoc.stratics.com.
Uziel - Before things get started, Ironwill has something he wants to say I believe....

IronWill - I would like to take the time to thank you all for coming here. Its not too often we get to interact with the player base outside of the game.
IronWill - I would also like to take the time to introduce everyone from OSI tonight so you get to know who's who...
IronWill - I am Iron Will and I head up the volunteer support program or the counselors.
IronWill - GM Zippy is the lead of all Player Relations Department - we are very glad he could make it.
IronWill - GM BEAST is the head of the interest department and oversees all things regarding interest.
IronWill - GM Grond, who unfortunately could not attend due to illness, is the head of support department.
IronWill - GM Rock is a GM Lead, and Darwin, Ghostpig, and Treefrog are all Game Masters.
IronWill - Again thank you all for coming tonight! Lets start the questions!

Uziel - *Bakura* Please elaborate on 3rd party programs. What is bannable and what is not. Particularly, EZ Macros. Many people are told different answers whether this is a bannable program. EZ Macros does not do anything that can not be done using normal keystrokes or mouse clicks
GM_Zippy - This is a tough one to answer :) If what you are dooing is causing problems in the game foor other players or giives you an unfair advanttage you will be banned.
GM_Zippy - If the program just reproduces key strokes you will not have a prooblem.

Uziel - *GodZillA* who are we to contact if we discover a bug or have an issue with a certain skill?
IronWill - There are currently several ways to submit a bug or issue with a skill to OSI,
IronWill - The best way is to send in an email to [email protected], because you can be very detailed about the problem.
IronWill - Our counselors do take bug reports but sometimes exact information can be lost in communication.
IronWill - The reason we need exact information is because if we do not know precisely what is going on, we cannot isolate or fix the problem.

Uziel - *Xander* What are the chances of getting a longer question space for gms? Or for having them give you a chance to describe in person your prob?
GM_Zippy - This is in the works. I can not go into details about exacly what the change will be currently becuse the new system ....
GM_Zippy - will have other advantages within UO. What I can say is that it will let you comunicate more easily with a GM and log previous conversations.
GM_Zippy - This system will let us do thinggs in support we have not been able too do up till now to help players.

Uziel - *Sak{pacific}* My question is Are people allowed to summon multipal(8+) creatures (air, water, earth, and fire elems. mainly) in town near a bank? I have seen some GM's go in and kill them all and others don't mind.
GM_Rock - Summoning in town is a difficult issue...
GM_Rock - It is not exactly illegal, but depends more on the situation.
GM_Rock - If the summoning is not excessive, and does not interfere with other player's gameplay, it is probably ok
GM_Rock - However, if it is causing problems, (such as at the west bank) or is excessive for other reasons (in the mage shop)
GM_Rock - a GM is certainly correct to ask you to stop.
GM_Rock - They may choose to remove your regs, delete your summoned creatures, or whatever the situation dictates.
GM_Rock - If they ask you to stop, please do so, and you are probably ok.

Uziel - *Racalac* Could one of the GMs explain exactly why there is no 24/7 GM support? I find it hard to believe that it's a resources issue since a bunch of new servers have opened recently
IronWill - What it comes down to is of course a resource issue, but what we have done is create some new tools for our volunteer player base that will allow them to deal and effectively handle each situation that they may face.
IronWill - In effect they will become something like mini-gms. GMs will still be required to do some more technical side issues...
IronWill - but the volunteers will soon be able take care of stuck and harassment calls during the hours that GMs are not here...
IronWill - which are the two biggest issues by far on offhours.
IronWill - By the same token we are also trying to utilize better ways that the player can get more accurate information that strictly from a GM...
IronWill - In an effort to do this we have totally redesigned our owo.com page, and the page is now much more accessible for all players.
IronWill - This page will effectively answer many of the calls that players have, and we will use this in the best way possible to give the player everything he needs in order to continue the game...
IronWill - I would like to take the time to remind everyone that support.owo.com is the place to get the necessary information about the game and its updates...
IronWill - The support team has really focused its efforts on using this as a tool to better help you the player.

Uziel - *liquid_sky* why does osi not actively go after harrassers. the statements the gm gives is please leave the area - that gives the harrassers free riegn
GM_Zippy - This is a 2 part answer. When we get a call about a harrasser we do go after them, and quite often find them. The probleem is we can not catch everyone ......
GM_Zippy - and this is why we request people try and get out of the situation themselves. One of the new tasks ...
GM_Zippy - we have asked our Counselors to do is report to us who the harasers are and then we will focus those that cause the most problems...
GM_Zippy - what people need to know is that if we get enough complaints about someone we will remove the person.
IronWill - This is how the system will ultimately work...
IronWill - Counselors can identify players by certain ID numbers and turn those numbers of reported harassers to us...
IronWill - We in turn search for that ID, see what account owns that ID, and proceed to take action.
IronWill - Often this is just a phone call and most times that's all that it takes. THe person just needs to know what he is doing and why its wrong.
IronWill - If that continues however we have no problem in closing out their account for harassment.

Uziel - *Chaos66* when will there be dedicated GM hours for European and japanese servers?...It is not fun to wait until late at night to get help
GM_Zippy - We do have support for our Japan and Europe shards. All shards are suupported in theiir peak times. We support Japan when we have the moost players on. Same with Europe.

Uziel - *Silvy* I'd like to know about the possibility of more frequent small quests in the game.. There has been a couple recently (Hynteg's quest on Ches, etc.) and they seem to be a big favorite with players.. Is it likely that these will show up more often?
GM_BEAST - The short answer is...YES!
GM_BEAST - The longer answer is....there are a number of different ways in which we can get these kinds of quests into the game.
GM_BEAST - The Seer program is a very valuable tool in terms of getting these smaller quests into the game.
GM_BEAST - And as the process of quest proposal review is streamlined, then that means that we can get the quests into the game at a faster rate.
GM_BEAST - Also, as the Seer program begins to run a bit more smoothly, then that will free up IGM time to devote towards quest creation of their own.
GM_BEAST - Finally, the Elders are going to take a role in the implementation of smaller quests geared for newer players.
GM_BEAST - We hope that all of these things will help to make these quest far more frequent.

Uziel - *septim* Why don't GMs clean up the shards of illegal objects, I still see alot of illegaly placed houses, vendors, guild stones and so on.
GM_Rock - GM's do this in some ways, but in other ways do not.
GM_Rock - For instance, if a house is placed in an "invalid" location, it would not really be fair to just summariliy delete it on the spot.
GM_Rock - The game must have let them place it at one time or another. However, it is common to ask players to move houses placed on top of buildings, etc.
GM_Rock - They usually get a week to move it, before it is deleted.
GM_Rock - Vendors will decay in time if unpaid...
GM_Rock - Guildstones are tricky, but they can be moved if they are in your way.
GM_Rock - Our biggest concern is not to do things in a manner that is too rash.

Uziel - *Grokk* If we observe what appears to be a new exploit after GM hours (e.g., are attacked when hidden w/o being revealed first via explosion or skill), what exactly are we supposed to do about it?
IronWill - The best thing to do in that case is to treat it the same way when you find any bug or issue - go ahead and send it to [email protected] with as much detail as possible...
IronWill - that way we can track it down, isolate it, and figure out what people are doing.
IronWill - As soon as we have that done we can fix it.

Uziel - *Oddbird* What is the policy on banning a player? Does everyone that commits a "violation" get a 24hr ban first, then on the second offence get the permanent ban, or do some offences command a perma ban on the first infraction?
GM_Rock - Yes, there are some players who get banned on their "first" offense.
GM_Rock - We deal with each case on an individual basis, and some accounts are closed if the situation warrants it.
GM_Rock - Some examples of accounts that are closed on the first offense are extreme cases of racial harassment,
GM_Rock - or use of an outside program to accomplish things not allowed by the UO client.
GM_Rock - It is common that most players get "penalty boxed" for 24 hours on their "first offense", but this is not
GM_Rock - guaranteed.

Uziel - *Cass* Will the help menu on your doll be changed, its very hard right now to find the right menu to locate a counselors help, but very easy to find it for gms.
GM_Zippy - We hope to have a new Help menue live next week . This new menue will let players choose to go to a counselor, a GM, or a combination of both from the main list, not 3 screens deep.

Uziel - *Atari_of_Ni* We hear a lot about different GM's giving differing answers, and I understand this is situation specific. Are there steps being taken so that everyone has the same information?
GM_Rock - This is a serious issue, and we have taken steps to stop this from happening.
GM_Rock - We have created specific policies for most situations that may arise, and the GM's are working to solidify these policies.
GM_Rock - You can also see the result of this work by checking out the new GM FAQ that will be posted on the Support.owo.com web site.
GM_Rock - I'm not sure if it is up yet, but it is created specifically from these policies, and explains in detail not only our policies,
GM_Rock - but the reasoning behind them, and what you can do to assist yourself in that particular situation.
GM_Rock - We do wish to present a unified front, and hope that this will aid in this cause.

Uziel - *Fantasy[Atl]* are there plans to have applications available for councilors again in the near future?
IronWill - Yes we have plans for a new counselor application and we have plans to get it up very soon.
IronWill - I hate putting a time on when that will happen but I will say it will be no more than a month until we open up the application process.
IronWill - There are a couple of things that we have learned from the past processes: 1) there are a lot of good people that want to be involved and 2) good people can only bring good things to a program...
IronWill - Therefore the next counselor applciation will be one that is permanently up and is one that players will always be able to go apply at.
IronWill - The only drawback to the entire ordeal is that there will be a huge amount of counselor applications for a limited number of slots...
IronWill - There are a lot of people out there that have played a really long time and have done everything possible in the game...
IronWill - However its my job to actively seek out the best people possible that can help their fellow players, and I am excited about this next application process.
IronWill - I really encourage everyone that wants to be a part of it to please apply.

Uziel - *Eagawk* What has been the average response time of emails to [email protected] and is there a way to make it quicker?
GM_Rock - We recieve a lot of email regarding UO, and do try to answer each piece of mail that is directed to us.
GM_Rock - There are several categories of mail that arrive, and are routed to different places depending on their content/intent.
GM_Rock - For instance, Technical Support questions go to the tech support dept.
GM_Rock - Billing goes to the billing dept.
GM_Rock - Game play questions are answered by Actual GM's !! :)
GM_Rock - The gameplay questions get answered within 24 hours.
GM_Rock - As well with tech support, and billing, but they are not here on the weekends, so this may cause a delay in some cases.
GM_Rock - Mail that concerns bugs and development concepts are routed to those departments and are dealt with by them.
GM_Rock - Email is a great way to get many questions answered.
GM_Rock - We feel that many questions directed to in-game GM's could really be better answered in Email.
GM_Rock - If you have gameplay questions, feel free to go to the owo.com web site, and contact us.
GM_Rock - We'll try to help you out as fast as possible.

Uziel - *DaVaRiouS* What is the current stance on harassment via thievery? Will GMs interfere if a player repeatedly steals from the same guild day to day, or will they let things like that be considered part of game balance?
IronWill - Thievery is actually a game element that we as GMs do not interfere with.
IronWill - We do not want to ever be a part of or interfere with any part of the game...
IronWill - and with the recent changes to thievery from the design team we feel that thieves will actually be roleplayed now...
IronWill - and not near the harassing figures that they once were. :)

Uziel - *^Legolos* Do/Are GMs allowed to play there GMs from home as in for support cause. Or are all GMs inside HQ in Austin where they are monitored?
GM_Zippy - Currentlly all our GM's are at Origin. This way we have log files of what they do and we can keep an eye on them. We are in the process of giving more .....
GM_Zippy - powers to our counselors, but the true "God" powers will stay at Origin.

Uziel - *Damon_Blackheart* This isn't an accusation, but all over the internet there are claims of GMs being rude, abusive and unfair. Sure, some are probably fake, but there are A LOT and many with screenshots as well. Can you please adress this issue?
GM_Rock - This is related to the last couple of questions.
GM_Rock - We do not take these cases lightly, and have people who investigate these claims.
GM_Rock - Email that come in is routed straight there, and is investigated.
GM_Rock - Every bit of journal text from a GM's machine is available, so this sort of thing does not really happen.
GM_Rock - Our GM's are top notch, and this is not a problem in the first place,
GM_Rock - but we do make sure that it does not take place.

Uziel - *Prometheus* I've got a question: Exactly what is the process by which GMs determine who gets special assistance(Items, etc) and who does not? Some role-players get acknoledgement, others do not...
GM_BEAST - This is actually a very involved process.
GM_BEAST - I will breifly explain the process, then I will direct you to two web sites that can elaborate on the process in more detail.
GM_BEAST - What happens it that the Volunteers, Counselors and Seers, as well as the IGMs monitor the various major UO news sites
GM_BEAST - and the traffic into the UO Event Calendar
GM_BEAST - The sites include UOVault, Stratics, and CoB
GM_BEAST - They also keep an eye out on their servers for sites that seem to be the center of player activity
GM_BEAST - They site runs quests, has meetings, and is generally a great source of interest
GM_BEAST - Once they have caught a Volunteer's attention, then they are inspected to make sure that they fit what we feel is a good role-playing venue
GM_BEAST - Open to all players of all playing types, that they are open at all times, and that they run quests on a regular basis
GM_BEAST - We will have about 4 different volunteers write reviews on the venue
GM_BEAST - If they are all positive, then the IGMs will determine whether the location will be assisted or not
GM_BEAST - If they are all glowing, then the IGMs will go along with their recommendations.
GM_BEAST - Here are a couple of places to find information about running a business and getting it "blessed"
GM_BEAST - One place is the web page for a venue called Kazola's Treetop Keg and Winery
GM_BEAST - The URL is http://kazolas.crpgtavern.com/deskofkazola.html
GM_BEAST - The second is from Zerver's Tavern Review
GM_BEAST - http://members.xoom.com/zerver/TheShopKeeper.htm
GM_BEAST - Both of these pages should give you all the information you will need to run a successful business and possibly become "blessed".

Uziel - *Nevir* Can you briefly describe for us what the new powers you are considering giving to Counselors
IronWill - There are lots of powers that the counselors are going to get that will really help the group, including the ability to help players get unstck from certain spots as well as the ability to deal with harassment issues.
IronWill - I cant go into too much detail at this time as we are still working on those powers and trying to get them in the game...
IronWill - but rest assured the bulk of the problems that go on after hours will be resolved by the counselors.

IronWill - I would like to thank everyone for coming to the Support Chat tonight. While we are sorry that we cannot answer everyones question, what we would like for you to do is start sending questions for this chat to [email protected]...
IronWill - The turnout for this chat was outstanding and we thank you for showing up - in the future we would like to have a support chat on the offweek of the UOHoC Design Team chat.
IronWill - Thanks again and have a very good weekend!