Concerning Unity

[Ashania]

Well i guess, i will never get back both of my big plots at shepherds mountain. Both together took around 30 gold before the drop down in Price.
One of them was completly built. One had a good amount of work done.

Nevertheless i would be happy with getting my characters back. Getting novians for all the work in my plots would be really great and a welcomed bonus. Even if i doubt that there would be a plot free anywhere where i would be able to use all those novians.

[Daedalus]

Some people are suggesting that if a new shard is not possible and the only option is for us to have our characters moved to Chaos or Order, that we would forfeit items stored on our plot. Why? It's all there in the database, if I'm coming back as a paying customer even if it's to a shard other than Unity then I don't see why I should have to forfeit all posessions. Even if they are just pixels, they're the pixels that contribute to my characters' histories.

Someone suggested we could make new characters and get back to where we were in next to no time at all. I don't see how I recreate 3 years of character histories in 3 months. World projects, dangerous battles, friends made, friends lost. All the events of 3 years that define my characters cannot be recreated by simply "rerolling".

[Vahrokh]

But really by the time Vitrium can do this you all would have max level chars anyway. Best start over imo.

And here comes the catch. Call me crazy / weird / stupid / whatever, but my dragon is a go / no go reason to play. Not another dragon, THAT dragon is.

Vahrokh has incredible things I spent years to gather, he IS incredible things I spent years to gather. It's not just a "vile" plot, that I could just go and cut trees and make again. What he can do is part of my roleplay, it's part of the inner-dragon-me that no other "copy" (even if it was full of all) can equal. I'd play with a feeling of "void", of "fake".

It's why I did not just roll on an US shard in Nov / Dec 2006, the same of many others who miss Horizons dearly but cannot play because they miss their "protagonist".

I watched FRAPS (recorded movies) of my dragon.
I have noticed the "outdated" head, the fact that the horns don't really convince me really much, the fact he has some weird greenish stripes somewhere in the forearms. His eyes, I made an hatchling on Chaos with fantastic "new" eyes while Vahrokh has "so so" eyes.

But... he is just more real, more "lived" and more loved for his quirks, I just can't stand playing something alien than "me".

I am sure I cannot express the feeling to people who think different and would just roll something new and remake it from scratch, but I know I am not alone.

Finally - and here you see another side of the matter - I played my dragon for up to 16 (!) hours a day, no compromise at being the best possible at the time. I stayed up to 4am with guild mates foraging him with endless hoard I never cheated to acquire (I helped them carry the materials for making the items to hoard).

Nowadays I have but 1 hour a day *tops* to play though. I could never have satisfactory results starting from scratch again. And it's not a matter of money, as the US fees are ridicolously low compared to the EU counterpart iirc. Actually money is the last of my issues, completely last.

As much painful as it is, because I really STRIVE to play a dragon in the one game where this is possible, I just cannot arse myself playing for "mediocrity". I worked hard, very hard for the best I could afford (not the best in absolute, but within my capabilities) and I can't settle for less.

[Vahrokh]

Someone suggested we could make new characters and get back to where we were in next to no time at all. I don't see how I recreate 3 years of character histories in 3 months. World projects, dangerous battles, friends made, friends lost. All the events of 3 years that define my characters cannot be recreated by simply "rerolling".

See? I am not alone, nor the other players need to spam book size posts to tell what I feel in a nutshell.

[Arietna]

I agree completely. Although I *did* create characters on Chaos, in no way did I try to recreate my lovely Ariadne. Such a pretty Saris, and her skills in Tailoring and Weaving were pretty good.. not so hot on the adventuring, but she's one of the only SPRD/PAL (Spirit Disciple/Paladin) classes out there (without silly numbers of other classes).. I'm sure there's a reason why, but it so fitted her personality!

I want to play Ariadne again

[Luca Mazzasogni]

I think a personal post from my side might be necessary

1) Database: yes, it's true that the Unity game database was delivered to EI Interactive as announced on both sides in December 2006. It is also true that since then all I got has been a couple of generic e-mails about on-going tests on its implementation. It is also true that, sadly, I never thought this would have been actually done (no particular reason, just call it a personal feeling).

2) Communication: yes, it's true that not much after the database has been sent EI Interactive went completely silent and after a few mails I gave up. The number of news and messages posted by them in 2007 isn't far from the number of replies I got...

3) Unity hardware: all Unity hardware has been dismantled and removed from our server farm, except the server running the database. The server is still running and it's being used for testing purposes... and it's also true that Unity game database is still running, maintenance included. Just a sentimental thing for myself (I still get the "maintenance complete" e-mails once a week ) as I always hoped the database data could become useful again. By the way... maintenance never failed since the shard has been closed, so I could say it was players breaking it! . And yes, the number of servers needed to support the game makes a single shard quite expensive!

4) Unity database structure: Unity game database structure should be identical or almost identical (if the last few deltas we missed changed it) to the US databases. The true difference was the account database which, as said in the past, was built with Artifact Entertainment following their instructions and with their great help. We also got help from Tulga to fix the infamous issue with plots and auctions and a certain point we were close to build the long forgotten "Transatlantic accounts" but the idea was then dropped. The information needed from the account database to give sense to the game database is very basic and can still be recovered if necessary... so I don't think database structures could be a real problem.

5) GN (now GMN) running the game again: (for the happiness of many ) projects changed radically here so I can't foresee Horizons to be run here again.

6) GN asking money for the database: let's be serious, the devil is not so black as he is painted! We didn't ask for anything with EI Interactive, why we should now? Ok, the company is not mine and I can't take decisions by myself on this forum... but if Vitrium will need any help from us we will talk with them very openly (I still have a lot of friends from AE/TG).

Well, I guess that's it!

Take care,
Luca

[Luca Mazzasogni]

The fact
http://forum.gnonline.net/index.php
does not contain any Horizons forum, sure does not mean the forums are physically deleted and you can dig them, but it's not a bug, they really removed it and made a "terminated" thing.

Just like he said, the fact it's terminated doesn't necessarily mean it should be deleted as well... obviously we had to remove it from the main page and avoid new threads and posts to be made.

[Thangorodrim Atanatari]

thanks for this clearifications Luca! now lets hope Vi can find the time soon to start this open dialogue with you guys, personally i trust the GN copy more then a "tested", (let me not use sexually offensive words here) and perhaps scrambled database from EI.

After all you guys looked after our data for many years...

[Landowyn]

You assume that EI/PMS or whatever had the wherewithal and knowledge to screw with the database. Somehow I doubt it. They didn't even know how to screw in a lightbulb.

[Vahrokh]

First Dangit, then Luca, I am sort of managing to resurrect all those dusty skeletons off the dust

GN (now GMN) running the game again: (for the happiness of many ) projects changed radically here so I can't foresee Horizons to be run here again

Since I am off the same country (let's say that at the time, network technology here was not _that_ hot and powerful nor the general culture supported technical progress like elsewhere), and knowing the degree a company only given ways to run and perform maintenance can do, GN still "acted" good, despite the many flames.

You have seen what EI did (not), and they had like 5 times the ways GN ever had to deal with the game issues.

You assume that EI/PMS or whatever had the wherewithal and knowledge to screw with the database. Somehow I doubt it. They didn't even know how to screw in a lightbulb

You mistake for incompetence what was a plan to save the most money (ie closing Blight) while milking the game on maintenance mode. As they learned the "jewel box" they got passed, required too much serious effort and actual investments, they dropped it like it had an infection.

See, as much as mistaken some previous managers have been, and despite as GN was not really the game creators, both had in common a feeling and a passion for the game beyond the immediate money milking.

You can easily see who loved the game, be it on the end user side and not.

We see a Peaches returning, a Dangit answering, a Menkure with community responsibility, dead "heralds" resurrecting, a Vahrokh talking nonsense again, a Luca keeping some eye here (and many more, from Friedliek (sp?) to Aamer...).
In the past (from EI "reign" onward) I have seen several original game programmers coming here as well.

All of those chaps have a link to Horizons, a link not bought by money. They are all "in the same boat", in the same "big family" even when distant from it. Hell, even the IGN haters can't let this game go, despite it's just one of hundreds minor thingies in the genre and it should have been forgotten by now.

EI was not one of them, they stuck in the Horizons "family" as comfortably as a thorn with infection, they were here just to make business but the pillager kind of business, like those novian farmers.

Now it'd be time for "the family" to be together again, and start a new life with renewed hope.

[Hasai]

....We see a Peaches returning, a Dangit answering, a Menkure with community responsibility, dead "heralds" resurrecting, a Vahrokh talking nonsense again....

A Hasai kibitzing...

[Rhialto]

I would consider coming back to play an hour a day or so which is the maximum I can and allow myself to make room for in my current real life schedule, for there are more important things in life than bashing artificial mobs Due to this there is no way to recreate a similar character as Rhialto that took about 1200+ hours to create.

I also feel that playing a new character is different from playing Rhialto, who experienced all the newness, freshness and upheavals of istaria from day 1 onward. It would just not be the same.

I think maybe many Unity players feel this way...

I hope a way to transfer our characters + inventory would be made possible. So I could stroll a few hours here and there in the company of a very special dragon friend I have come to know.

ps. devils advocate: after the dollar collapse, we could actually play for free... if the servers are still running by then ofcourse ...heh heh.

Greetz...

[Vahrokh]

Bring Thokk too, he posted some time ago so he's alive somewhere

[Rhialto]

Thokk.... haaa

Thats a name I can remember..

especially when I discovered one of his characters in our team while doing The .. lem the cold XP nightly raids ... was played by his 6 year old son... who was mightily good at looting while he should be healing ... heh heh... That where the days.

Imagine our shock after we discovered who was piloting it.. after we kicked him after numerous warnings.. LOL!

I bet Thokk and his family are now in some other game pressing the sequence of buttons that leads them to new fame and fortunes.

[Silverblaze]

Not to derail the topic, but the more tickets that are submitted documenting this group's improper actions, the better. Hopefully they'll be banned again well before plot reclaimations and those nice big plots they bought with exploited money will become available.

Takora, even merged into the populations of Chaos & Order, the Unity community will still exist. It's the people in the community the Herald reports on, and that you could still do. If anything, the Herald's duties would be more important to the community than before.

It's my sincere hope that Unity players will arrive with plot tokens and vaults full of Novians, ready to bid on those nice big plots I mentioned earlier. If that can't be done and it is just the clothes on your backs, this is Horizons. You won't be alone.

I'm a tad upset by this. I'm not arguing that people have done things to upset people. I do hope however that blatant attacks on people regardless of whom they are cease.

Personal vendettas and such have no place on these boards. I'll likely be called on flaming this post and have mine removed, but the valid point is thats uncalled for. As is accusing people of exploitng coin.

though I'm far from a buddy of said folks I have asked them their "big secret" and they claim there isnt one. I'm sure if there was it would be fixed. I happen to know folks who did exploit coin back in the day. when a certain spell sold for a certain large amount of money. I wont say whom nor point fingers, but I dont like attacks on this forum. I dont care who you are or why you dont like people no one deserves that sort of behavior directed at them. Do I defend anything in particular they do? No, but I do declare that was innapropriate and I hope the Moderators remove that post as well as mine ( this one)

[LOVWYRM]

@ the mage

I did not dare to hope to see you here again, my valued friend

[Smith]

Let's hope enough oldtimbers from unity, and way back before that, finds there way in here and shows that it is worth taking the time to awaken our characters again.
Like said before creating a new character will newer be the same.

[Thangorodrim Atanatari]

im actually wondering now that the new billing system is in place the devs have time to investigate the posibilities of the merger. or they might still be swamped by complaint emails from confused customers. is it a D.O.T. this damage E.I did to the game? pretty much looks like it, cause every minute of wasted-dev-time, is a minute longer until for example horizons:settlements will hit live, and all the other funny and awesome content im sure they will unleash uppon us.

so my call to all of you would be: think twice before you complain, and @ what adress you would complain.

EDIT and P.S. this 'complain-thing' more concernd other threads i was reading then this thread.

[tramsan]

My bad. It was burried on page 4.

[Antonath]

Now that our Unity thread is back from the dead, I'll re-post the question I asked before...

What I want to ask is: what is the current technology problem holding things up?

The Horizons community is fairly unique in being sensible, polite, and intelligent. I know there's a lot of people with database and other computing experience here, so maybe it's something we can help with. Even those without IT knowledge can suggest things and come at problems from a different angle.

Maybe we can help do data-translation work on our characters. Even if VI have to check our work, it's still a metric shed-load less work to be done.

If it's a processing power problem, maybe we can get some sort of distributed computing thing set up so we can use our PCs to crunch stuff.

If it's just the sheer size of the task, well, we can at least commiserate with you and offer moral support.

Come on VI, let us help you help us!

Antonath