Stormbringer

Homophobic statements are against ToS. You can't agrue with that. People are welcome to hold whatever opinions they like about anybody. The ToS control the way those opinions are expressed in the forums and in game. It should be quite simple, people who break the rules get kicked out so people who abide by them can play happily.

Just to concurr with this. I had to make a new account as well as a new character. The old one hadn't been released when the account expired.

It's happenned to me too. Has anybody tried making a new account yet? Update - I've just created a new account and logged in OK. I had to make a completely new character as the old one hadn't been released. May I suggest that Gizmo lets users know how he intends to proceed as the testing advances and how he intends to go live with the new system.

I think this is a good attitude. I agree that 3dxChat is a game, but it is also a social platform. You make friends, you build some kind of relationship so real life will become part of it. I think that is good an wholesome and part of what makes playing the game so rewarding. The thing I object to is the suggestion that people who use the game as something more than 'just a game', that it doesn't matter at all, are in some way mentally deficient.

My point exactly. Consideration for others in all things.

Hold fire everybody, he's shown his true colours now. There's no need to stir things up any further. There is a serious point to this, however. RobT is trying to demonstrate that he is above the Terms of Service, that he can get away with anything with just a short ban. I assume that has been the case until now. Blatant homophobic comments are prohibited under the Terms of Service. I suggest each and every one is reported, together with a note pointing out that the constant repetition shows disrepsect for the Terms of Service, Gizmo and his staff. That is also is contrary to terms of service. It is, at the end of the day, Gizmos decision as to the action taken. I hope that it will be decisive when it happens. It has to be said that the terms of service apply as much to him as everybody else, he is just one user out of many hundreds. It is fair to say that homophobic comments such as the ones we've seen recently are completely unacceptable to the vast majority of users.

Are you seriously suggesting that homophobic comments do not break 2.03. Perhaps you are suggesting that you can get away with it whereas others can't. If the latter is true then the Terms of Service aren't worth the paper they're written on.

You cannot be serious with this poll!!!!! Life, both real and virtual, is far more complex than a simple yes/no answer. What about options like, maybe, it depends, with close firends possibly and so on. People play in different ways, it is not pathetic if real life has a role to play in game. I would suggest that someone who finds the game more real than real might deserve something far more substantial than derision. Support perhaps?

Shall I post the homophobic jibe in question here? There's no need, it's been reported anyway. I think I'll start looking for instances where you break rules with prime numbers, just for the intellectual challenge. In all seriousness telling lies about someone is probably against 2.09 and 2.03. Let's bring this back to where this little altercation started. Pan made an off topic comment about something he believes, as is his right. It was never meant to be offensive, and he apologised for any offense he might have caused. I think is the end of the matter, don't you?

In this post you contravene 2.09 by saying I have commented on something I never have. Certainly not on here. You also contravene 2.02 and possibley 2.03, although I may be thinking of a homophobic jibe you made in another thread. The only person getting all hot under the collar about Pan's post is you. I think everybody else realises exactly what he means as well as what you are trying to do. FWIW my test account is still working. I'll look out and see what happens when the one month anniversary arrives.

I know little of Japanese culture so cannot comment on your facts. That said, your point is well argued and serves to highlight the peculiar double standards present in many cultures. I agree that Pan’s comments were off topic, what I was pointing out was that he does have a point and that I believe no offence was intended. As such he has every right to express his opinion. I was concerned that his comments would be taken out of context and misconstrued. His comments can be made to fit the topic in that a violent game would be allowed to advertise more widely than 3dxChat can as a sex/social platform. This is a development and marketing consideration. Significant because it impacts on its growth.

I think that confirms my point exactly. I assume a 'SImon' is anybody who disagrees with you. Like Pan, I am surprised that many western societies find extreme violence more acceptable that sex. He makes a valid point and there's only been one poster who has attempted to make something more of it than was intended. Every single one of the rules quoted contain words about causing offence. That is the fundamental point - don't cause offence. But back to the points about the Terms of Service. I believe that there are people who post here who try to use the terms of service to prevent open, honest discussion, creating offence where none was intended. I've read several threads where this idea has appeared quite strongly.

It seems some people don’t recognise that respect and decency count for a lot in all societies. To adhere to rules because of the letter of the rule rather than its spirit is as wrong as having no rules at all. I think there is somebody who posts regularly who likes to stir up discussion but is unable to cope with disagreement.

It amuses me the way some people say things like 'Gizmo will do this ....', 'Gizmo will do that .......' etc. The only people who know what Gizmo will or will not do are those people he's told and Gizmo himself. He can do what he likes with his game. However, he would be a bit foolish if he didn't take in to account any feedback he gets from his users. Personally I think user generated content is good for the game, the big comlaints being the lack of clothes, avatar shapes, skins, poses etc. There seems to be a push towards this in the forums, and rightly so too imho. I'm sure if there were a good enough case for this then Gizmo, as the person who has most invested in the game, will consider it on its merits and if it passes muster will investigate how it can be implemented.

Is it not so that the fundamental point behind these rules is that posts intended to cause offence are contrary to the ToS and not whether they are political or not? Pan makes a very valid point that it appears to him that in some societies sex is frowned upon more than violence. His only mistake is that it doesn't follow from the preceding discussion. He has not broken any rules here because he has not set out to be offensive. I think most people read his comments that way.

I thought he explained his motives well, even though it made for a bit of a non-sequiteur.

I don’t think anybody asked for that one. I’m pleased that Gizmo is testing the new server thoroughly, as i’m sure everybody is. I haven’t checked it out since it came back on line.

I only see one person ranting round here, the vast majority of people present their case sensibley. The discussion here is largely about how people want the new version to be, features they would like to have, features they think have not been implemented properly and so on. With the test server being down I would assume that further bugs have been found which need sorting out, maybe Gizmo has decided to change a few things in line with what people have said.

If that's the way you feel, why do you continue to pay out for the two accounts you've previously said you have? I know why I'm going to renew my sub.

I think people probably take longer than a month or so to outgrow the social, and other, aspects of the game.

I get your point but I don’t think an 18% retention rate anything to write home about. The rate will be less than that due to multiple accounts. The converse of your point is that 82% of people who join do not stay for any length of time. To my mind this rates as ‘could do better’ rather than A+. I still think it fair to ask what is it that the non-stayers aren’t getting. The clue could be in the aspects of the game that could be improved.

I think I can quite safely say that the people who renew their subscriptions are happy enough with the game to do so. That doesn't mean that there are not aspects of the game that could be improved. Wanting something already reasonably good to improve IS NOT saying that it is bad. It is always worth making suggestions, in my opinion. It is always worth doing this quite forcibley if those suggestions do not appear to be considered. Some people have said that they think Gizmo does consider suggestions, and can quote examples. Some people consider he does not, and can also quote examples. The bottom line is that he does the best he can taking in to account the resources he has available. He would be very foolish not to make some attempt to improve the game further, however. 3dxChat has evolved during it's lifetime and has become something more than just a sex game, in that respect it meets the needs of the user base well enough for them to continue paying their subscriptions. I have read that a large number of people join for a month and then leave. This suggests that their needs are not being met, the game would grow faster if they were. Is it possible, with no information other than our own impressions, to fathom why this is so? I think it is with open, honest discussion. Each and every user has a valid opinion on this, some feel strongly enough to post about it here. These opinions should be respected otherwise there can be no discussion. The aspects of the game that I would like to see improved may not tally with another person's, but over the whole user base there are a few things that appear as important. Examples being:- many people would like to see a pose editor, many people would like to see a clothes editor, some people argue strongly for the account wide ignore to continue in the new version. All these things could provide a better environment for users to do what they like doing within the game. It is, however, up to Gizmo to set the priorities, although users shouldn't feel discouraged from saying if they think he has got it wrong. Respect and consideration for others, in my opinion, is a good mantra.

I gather the game has changed quite a lot in the past five years. The World Editor being just one example that I am aware of.

I want to pick up on the points raised about the ways the game is played and how Gzmo develops the game At the end of the day it all boils down to the fact that there are many different ways of playing the game. There are role players, there are people who play close to themselves, there are people who enjoy the sexual aspect more, there are people who enjoy the social aspect more. In this respect 3dxChat is a very flexible platform enabling people to interact in many different ways. Many people of many different preferences are willing to pay for the game as it is now. It would appear that 3dxChat is a failry small concern with a tiny development team. As a result it is not possible to implement more than a few of the good ideas put forward here. I also agree that it is not a good idea for any business to ignore the suggestions of any of its customers. The decision is not as simple as if it doesn't meet your needs then you should leave. The game as it stands partially meets the needs of everybody playing. Most of the suggestions I have seen do not detract from that in any way for anybody, they expand the oppportunities for everybody. In short the game is made for all users, both current and yet to be. If it cannot fulfil the needs of all users sufficiently then the user base will decline, if it can sufficiently fulfil the needs of all current users as well a yet to be users then the user base will increase. If the game remains unchanged people will eventually get bored and go elsewhere as soon as a product that fulfils their needs better appears. In business you either grow or decline, staying the same is pretty well impossible in my opinon.

On the subject of rights. If a company charges for a service and advertises a facility then customers have the right to expect that facility to work. Failure to do so constitutes a breach of contract of some sort in most legal jurisdictions. In many legal jurisdictions it contravenes trading standards legislation if a service does not work as promised. I don’t think anything more needs to be said.