You guys know me, I only have so much patience before my resolve to be diplomatic crumbles and I say exactly what I'm thinking. And since EI has stymied the Horizons' playerbase's ability to say what they think on the game's "community" forums, I figured I'd say it for them in an area EI has no power to moderate or subdue.

To explain, this weekend EI Interactive began warning people and kicking them out of the official IRC channel for saying negative things about the billing woes. They then locked down the forums so that all new posts are read and moderated before they are allowed to appear on the "community" forums. They also deleted the "Rants" and "Goodbye" sections of the forums, where users aired their grievances and said their farewells respectively.

The idea is to keep potential clients from seeing negative criticism of EI's efforts on the game so they aren't "scared away" from purchasing the product. This is in no way new to the MMOG community; it's been done time and time again. But, in every instance the backlash has been quick and brutal. EI, apprently, has not learned this particular lesson.

In closing, I've tried to allow EI Interactive some breathing room. Despite my own reservations, I encouraged people to give them a chance before leaving the game. And when the billing woes began, I advised people to avoid the game, but ONLY until such point as EI resolved the issues. But, when they make the decision to take away the voices of their users, my inclination to be supportive and forgiving disappears.

There's no quieting the community.

---

Now, I realize the comic is harsh, but I won't allow this thread to devolve into empty bashing and pointless negativity. There's nothing wrong with expressing your displeasure or concerns, but I need you guys to do it in a constructive manner so that this thread actually benefits the people that read it. Even EI if they choose to listen.

Please Note: I still do not advocate giving up on Horizons completely.

LMAO

i love that comic so direct


I foresee this game moving even closer to the zapper now

I believe that we learn something new from the player's complaints, so reading and hearing criticism may steer you in the right direction. So now I believe that EI Interactive does not choose to learn from the negative things, so it is their loss...

What a great way to start my day. My eys bulged right out of my head and I had to head of and educate myself a little.

It was kinda horrible tho. Seeing Ted flip the bird like that and the comic wasn't clickable yet... was VERY curious as to what the hell is going on.

I sincerly hope that everything calms down and the players and company can get back on the same page. The two have to work together because if either are missing then both are lost.

As for the Comic itself. OMG I love IT! This one really caught my eye and there's so many possible reason why Ted would do that.

Middle Finger Response FTW!

Woody: I applaud you for finally saying what many of us have been trying to say to EI for the last week..

Thank you.. Thank you..

-Menkure

These guys have clearly never met an online community before.

Nice one Woody!

Sometimes you got to keep it simple and stupid (KISS - principle), and from my observation, that might just be the level of communication needed for EI to comprehend what they've managed to accomplish within the few weeks they've owned the game.

I'm cringing at the thought that whoever is responsible for the whole mess will eventually find their way to another place where their extraordinary level of incompetence will cause further harm. /sigh

Usually I'm torn over doing comics that are vulgar or are this brutal. But, the censorship of the Horizons community got to me. The players were already reeling from the buyout and the billing issues, and EI added insult to injury by trying to shut them up.

What's an angry cartoonist to do?

What a dandy idea. Doing that will just cause more people to leave, most likely. And as above, I don't think EI have ever met an online community. :P
ps: Woody, I'd stop taking your mail for a week. They may send you a special 'gift'.

Woody: It wasn't just insult to injury.. but like adding salt to an already open and festering wound..