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Thread: ARK Evolves

  1. #21
    Well Cosmik did say that the INTERVIEW would be the actual decision maker.

    As for low level--my highest level character on a live server is 25. Pretty low wouldn't you say? Yet I have been playing this game since July 2001. I have been doing a lot of experimenting with characters and have deleted a LOT of them that did not suit me.

    Just because someone doesn't have a high level character does not mean that they haven't played the game for a while.
    Anastasia "Aniee" Cervenak
    Martial Artist

    Man is the only animal that blushes, or needs to. -------Mark Twain

  2. #22
    yep, level has no importance to decide who's an ark.

    ARKs aren't there to help anyone... all they have to know how to do is say "ill report that" then "I can't help you".

    You do'nt even need to play the game to do that!

    They "raised" the requirement because people were complaining when japanese speaking people who don't even own the game started signing up and customers started complaining.

  3. #23
    yep, level has no importance to decide who's an ark.

    ARKs aren't there to help anyone... all they have to know how to do is say "ill report that" then "I can't help you".

    You do'nt even need to play the game to do that!

    They "raised" the requirement because people were complaining when japanese speaking people who don't even own the game started signing up and customers started complaining.
    Interesting thoughts there Capt, certainly there are some situations where GMs and ARKs cannot help. This does not make them useless.

    Take the greeter program for example, since that was introduced we have helped a lot of new players to get started in the game.

    ARK is about enhancing the experience of players in the game, we do this through Events, Greeting, Problem Solving and some other new ways that we are currently working on internally.

    There are always times when we cannot fix a problem immediately, and part of our job as ARKs/GMs is to ensure that the Developers have the information they need to identify and fix bugs in the game. Even then a problem takes time to track down, and time to fix.

    Contrary to popular belief GMs cannot hack the code and do client/server patches.

    On the level side of ARK recruitment, I don't believe that being high level is essential to be an ARK. Certainly knowledge of the game is important but I think you could play Anarchy for over a year and still be suprised by the questions players give you (I know I am suprised all the time!).

    You do need to play Anarchy to be an ARK, having an active account is a major requirement (you are not even considered without one).

    On a side note I don't believe we have any Japanese ARKs (we'd love to have some! Everyone is of course welcome if you meet the requirements).

    We have some ARKs from non-english speaking countries that speak excellent english, and I personally think we should commend them for their effort as I know its not easy learning a foreign language (especially English, I'm learning Norwegian at the moment).

    Personally I try not to critisize people for doing things that I would not do myself
    A Genuine Lucien - Accept No Substitutes

  4. #24
    Originally posted by Lucien
    Personally I try not to critisize people for doing things that I would not do myself
    I will leave this last sentence to its target, namely the previous poster.

    Still I dare hope that you view the other posters in the thread as rather constructive. I would be happy to take the risk of summarizing the thread in a very basic way : as customers we think that having other potentialy low-level customers to help us around is not an adequate answer to build an efficient CS.

    I admit that this can somehow help newbies for their basic problem (how can I reply to someone ...) but that's really all.

    I am a bit unconfortable that ARK main purpose is to collect /petition, filter them and pass the hand to solve real issues. This is not a very rewarding task. That's one of the many reasons why this job should be done by a professional staff.

    If I still develop my feelings (sorry to to so in a stutborn way ), ARK would have a more rewarding role in taking the command of various NPCs to flesh out the story and give it life. We see a lot of catatonic NPCs roaming cities streets. Some basic scripting allowing them to say "Mmmmh... there's again a lot of omni fighting around WW outposts you know ?" would be a nice move. The same NPC saying that and adding "Care to come with me with some of your friends ? I was killed out there 30 min ago and I want to taste omni blood brother !!" is outsanding.
    Last easy suggestion would be to have ARK able to hand out missions to players. It's been inactivated for us, I guess it's quite easy to activate it again for a few selected ppl.

    That was my 2 creds. Because I care.

    PS : Pardon my french
    "Donner à des millions une connaissance de l'anglais, c'est les rendre esclaves". (Hind Swarâj, ch. 18)

  5. #25
    I'm sorry to post his here, but I don't have privilege to create a new thread on this page . I was wondering if we could bring back the official answers line? Where the answers that are given on the individual profession/other boards are posted in one location. It was very nice because I play multiple classes and of course don't have time to read through all of them. Plus my main's an agent and its kinda nice to know everything that FC is thinking about doing?

  6. #26
    All of you who complains on first line support lack of knowledge make me laugh.

    Did you ever call CS of a phone operator or of an ISP ?
    Where they able to answer your detailed technical problem on the spot ?

    First Line support in any support organisation to 'non-professional' (I mean here not dorected to pro of the stuff -> if I call CS for a problem with my clustered Oracle DB supporting 3.000.000 customers, this is something else) is here to :
    - record the problems with detailled and usefull information
    - make the customer feel 'attended'
    - take care of the customer follow up
    and usually you're payed for that work.
    You will never have FirstLine Support able to make big modification on your details or account, give you refund or so ...

    I believe that ARK (although I never meet one) are here only for that and I will not request more from them. Of course, some of them have more knowledge of the game and are thus perhaps able to answer more detailled questions but they will never be allowed to give you a refund for your lost Yal (and even less because their are volunteer and lonked in no way to Funcom)

    Also as pointed somewhere else in the thread, everybody is free to apply. But as usual in a job offer, thinking you're the best for a work don't make you the best (technical knowledge is not all, you need also honnesty, friendliness, team working, ...)

    And last, as also pointed out somewhere, one of the beauties of MMORPG is the fact that player can help other player.So talk together and stop whinning on the bulletin board that ARK is bad and useless. Go help other and you will perhaps find something more rewarding that complaining and twinking. Spend some hours greeting and helping newbies in a backyard or training ground. This is also part of the fun in a community.

    Madsheep

  7. #27
    Mmmh... Madsheep despite your rather moralizing tone it seems that you haven't read very closely the inital postings and the coloration of Captf post was getting on your nerves.
    As a side not I see on the boards (where I pass too much time) less and less whining posts, and more and more post proudly shouting 'stop whining'. Quite amusing.

    Now back to the thread...

    Madsheep :

    - ARK is a part-time job - it has to be accounted in this way. The work is not very easy, sometimes you are harassed and usually it's not soooooo rewarding (I am not talking about money or anything plz).

    - Meet an ARK sometimes talk with him and get a better a grasp.

    - You agree with the other posters by saying that 90% of ARKs' job is doable and very often done by players. Read the other posts.

    - I had a bad experience this morning with the service at my local grocery, still I expect to have a nice service elsewhere. I didn't understood your ISP CS point. At all.

    And most of all yes, one of the beauty of MORPG is the way ppl can interact in a small or big community. It does not mean we don't need adequate CS.

    At level 96 I've spend many time helping around a lot of ppl. Newbies or not. Damn with my guild I am even able to get ppl stuck in between zones, out without xp loss by the infalous /terminate.

    Still there's a lot of thing to do and if you want to help ppl on a pro level you have to get ppl that know the game inside out. All their qualities -that are absolutly necessary- won't help them a lot if they don't understand the problem of the customer.

    And being nice and unable to help makes not a good CS.

    Now to somehow end the thread I do think that such a CS is not very very important online, since a lot of ppl can help around. I would prefer to see ARKs build the story and play around with us on a day to day basis.
    "Donner à des millions une connaissance de l'anglais, c'est les rendre esclaves". (Hind Swarâj, ch. 18)

  8. #28
    Gummizluv,

    Originally posted by Gummizluv
    Mmmh... Madsheep despite your rather moralizing tone it seems that you haven't read very closely the inital postings and the coloration of Captf post was getting on your nerves.
    Agreed with you. I should have been more cautious.
    Now back to the thread...

    Madsheep :

    - ARK is a part-time job - it has to be accounted in this way. The work is not very easy, sometimes you are harassed and usually it's not soooooo rewarding (I am not talking about money or anything plz).
    Same as with all FirstLine Customer Support work (and I'm not talking of a job here. We all know that most of ARK are volunteer)
    - You agree with the other posters by saying that 90% of ARKs' job is doable and very often done by players. Read the other posts.
    (just a remark) I acknowledge this and for me as highlighted, this is the way it should work, players helpingother players (probably still under CaptFallout influence when I writed that ...)
    - I had a bad experience this morning with the service at my local grocery, still I expect to have a nice service elsewhere. I didn't understood your ISP CS point. At all.
    I would not compare a local grocery with a ISP or Telco CS.
    In these cases, First Line support will never be able to deal with bugs or major disruption but they have the duty to filter any call so that only real meaningfull ones hit the next line of support. And yes this is a difficult job and not always rewarding one.
    Still there's a lot of thing to do and if you want to help ppl on a pro level you have to get ppl that know the game inside out. All their qualities -that are absolutly necessary- won't help them a lot if they don't understand the problem of the customer.

    And being nice and unable to help makes not a good CS.

    Now to somehow end the thread I do think that such a CS is not very very important online, since a lot of ppl can help around. I would prefer to see ARKs build the story and play around with us on a day to day basis.
    Agreed with most of your comments here.
    I think this is why you have several ARK's level from Greeters to GM.
    If I understand well their explanation on the ARK site, Greeters start with only their own knowledge and are ther mainly for real newbies starting the game.
    After some time a Greeter get trained and can evolve.
    As written in the FAQ on the ARK site, their duties are :
    From ARK FAQ (http://ark.anarchy-online.com/faqs.html)
    1. Customer Service through in game /petition tool and as operators of the official chat room.
    2. New-arrival assistance through city tours and education programs in the ARK offices.
    3. Assisting Funcom Genetic Manipulators (GM's) with story line related and non-story line related events and giving rewards for role-playing.
    4. As Editors writing up events for the Rubi-Ka Times and Voice Of Freedom in order to keep the community up to date with whats going on in Rubi-Ka.
    The 3. is probably the one players with some experience want to see from ARK but to give this kind of power to player without contractual obligations towards you is, I think,kind of a challenge. You must trust these player completly and it's not always easy.
    I think this 3. include as you say, animating NPC, giving missions to player or team or guild or ..., animating events. All this take time to set-up (most of this time being used to build a good team of animators). I'm sure they are looking into this and that in the future, we will see more 'alive' NPC wandering on Rubi-Ka (at least I hope ...)

    Madsheep

    (Sorry for my english, I'm also French speaking ... So if some of my sentences seams unclear to you, it's perhaps only due to my deficient english skills.)

  9. #29
    Je suis content de voir que nous sommes finalement assez d'accord.

    (yes it's a kind of private message )
    "Donner à des millions une connaissance de l'anglais, c'est les rendre esclaves". (Hind Swarâj, ch. 18)

  10. #30
    Originally posted by Gummizluv
    Now seriously level 30 ?
    It was like level 18. -_- Glad to know people who get INTERVIEWS and pass them now are only our friendly greeters. Who greet... level 100+ players. -_-

    For anyone interested upcoming on the Nocturne website is a Greeter Abuse support group...
    .:: Isocyanate Doc
    .:: Onigiri Eng
    .:: Myaku MP
    .:: Maitrize Misc
    .:: Moruhine. Pita. Kechi!

  11. #31

    Post ARK and GM's :)

    I have not the worse experience on them. Some are good, and other are realy good. I guess the ruels they must follow often give them a bad feeling when they leave the player after the petition is "resolved". Usualy a -"No we can't help u with that, but we advise u to send a error-report so it get resolved in the future. They use a good language and have good behaviour. So far when it is lost item's, I think there is a Yalm-ruel. The rest u must just see a lost.

    So I guess that the ARK's and GM's I have talked to has been good advisiors. But they are to limited in the help they can give. Therefore it is easy to feel anger when they leave.

    So when some players I know have lost all theire armor (I have also lost all mine once back in lvl 48). I try to help them so good as I can. Give some creds and some armor I don't use. Or go a mission or two for them. So they have some equipment. So the players help each other often. I wounder how those who don't know to many ppl manage such situation....? Does they just give up?

    So my feeling is. The ARK's and the GM's are OK. They don't just have the power from FC as they schould have.

    Aimabel - Soldier Rub1

  12. #32

    Having worked support...

    for quite a few years.... I`d like to add my 2 cents here.
    I agree that lvl isnt neccsarily a correct assessment of a players suitability to be an ARK. Time spent in game and knowledge of the game along with suitable social skills, language skills, general attitude are what counts. But lvl 30?!!?

    I would like to see that one of the characters (regardless of test, RK1 or RK2) of the ARK was at least lvl 100-120. Just to make sure they know something of the problems we start hitting as we progress through the game.

    If you have played since july and not one character have gotten higher than 30 I am very surprised. You must not play more than one hour per day or not be very good at any of the professions. You certainly havent gotten many insights into the pro and cons of mid level playing any of the professions..... Up to lvl 30 I thought it was a good idea for a soldier to have a dimach attack as a last resort..... not very smart, but at least i wont recommend any soldiers to up pistol, 2he, dimach or any other skill that will interfere with "soldier skills" at a later point in time.

    These lessons are best learned through playing a character up to 100-120.
    Legion
    Beartwo

    and a whole litter of bearcubs ...

    "Only the dead have seen the end of war." -- Plato
    "You see me now, a soldier, of a 1000 psychic wars...." -- Blue Oyster Cult

  13. #33
    To be honest ARKS are Generally A waste of time.

    No Offense tho..I mean.

    Everytime I get one they say, Sorry there nothing I can do please Email

    Exploits@anarchy-online.com
    Exploits@anarchy-online.com
    Exploits@anarchy-online.com
    Exploits@anarchy-online.com
    Exploits@anarchy-online.com

    Please email bugs@anarchy-online.com
    Okay Email bugs@anarchy-online.com


    Sorry I cannot contact a GM to help you.

    Sorry no I cant do that.

    Are they not supposed to report bugs themselves? after we have already told them?

    No...
    Please email bugs@anarchy-online.com

    I dont wanna RE EXPLAIN it or exit the game cuz im teamed or anything.

    The only "GOOD thing" and they do a good job at it is HELPING people.

    You should get different types of arks, ones that get reports for bugs and report it to FC themselves.

    :/

    I was going to apply for an ARK but I dont know exactly what they do.
    Except having a macro to say hi, say email this and have a macro to exit?

  14. #34

    ark vs gm

    Here,s how i see it.

    Arks, i have found, are useless to me. not because they don't do their jobs....but because i spend the time to learn how to do stuff myself. That is half the fun of the game, isn't it? mostly arks seem to be helping out with "i don't know how to" questions. So hats off to the greeter program.

    gm's on the other hand, as employees and cs for the company, should be able to help with the mor technical problems (i'm stuck in my yalm; these items deleted when i crashed, can you check the db to see what happened? etc)

    i say should.....some of em can't, and that's an issue of another kind.

    The job of ARK, in 90% of the cases they deal with, could be solved with better docs for the game.....i have no idea how amny times that i read them...and the online ones, to try to figure out stuff (simple stuff, like what crits are, etc)...and nothing. Nothing in them about how the game works....zip, nada zilch. that is the kinda stuff they have to deal with on a daily basis.....i think quite a few could be replaced with a manual that says something about the game mechanics, no?

    but for what they do, they do it well...i know that when a newbie asks a question on ooc, and i give an answer, i have to go afk after an hour.....question after question after question....and if i spend all my time helping, i don't get to play...and that is just one at a time! i hate to think how bad it is being pummelled by questions th whole time yer online....that would hurt.

    just don't confuse arks with cs reps...they are not. they are volunteers that help with newb stuff...and as secretaries for the gm's perhaps.

    as for the cs, well.....i have found it impossible to get a gm usually...waiting 4 hours to get through 25 petitions sucks. The cs through email is speedy however, and addresses the concerns quickly, at least i have found it to be so.

  15. #35

    me again

    Sorry to double post...but had to say....

    who in their right mind asks an ark, a single opinion, what would be good stats to spend ip in anyways? (as per post before my previous)

    ya wnna know stuff...ask a wide range of people, and pick the opinions that suit YOU...ask on ooc. never just ask one person...heck, even doctors recommend getting a second opinion, and they ALL did well in school.

    that just isn't what the arks are for. that is what ooc and experimenting are all about.

  16. #36
    isn't there an age limit for this?
    hope not, I have no life over the summer but I know a ton of stuff about the game geography and gameplay already (comp codeing doesn't really weight that much, so maybe not a ton). someone told me that you have to be 18 years old or older, not really within the advertising campaign or some of the reports I have read. "I love the world man" (from one of the "become an ARK" posts) doesn't really sound like its from a guy who is over 18 years old. If there is an age limit, is it a strict policy which will be upheld to the last ounce of FCs strenght? what if there is a 17.5 year old guy with an IQ of 139-ish who wants to become an ark?
    10 hours per week also seems like a lot. Is it per average week or a "you MUST work at least 10 hours per week, every week" set up? Becoming an ARK would add a bit more to the game fore me but I dont want to spend all my time helping people with their problems, many of which could be solved by a bit more content in the begginers manual. I am not saying that the instruction manual should look like SimCity 3000 unlimiteds did, which had several hundred pages, but it might help if FC put a bit more into it.

    nearly forgot, is the ark uniform also armor? I have yet to see someone who can correctly tell me wether it is or isn't. And if I do become an ark over the summer given there are no age limits can I be killed in PvP areas?
    Last edited by Maxtor 1-7; Apr 13th, 2002 at 04:56:45.

  17. #37
    is it just me or do threads turn completly diferent directions then they should have 99% of the time?
    can we become an ark but only help ppl in the forums? my comp tends to crash after 1 and a half hours which can cause problems but I love writing stuff in these forums. If any1 has traced my comp through these things 1: I will get you, just wait and I will get you . And 2: I post replies to at least half the threads I have read, which means that I am very social, I have even suggested an ideas thread that I will apoint myself king of . Sorry my jokes arn't that great but its 5 AM, which only proves how much more I love these forums.

  18. #38
    Originally posted by Maxtor 1-7
    nearly forgot, is the ark uniform also armor? I have yet to see someone who can correctly tell me wether it is or isn't. And if I do become an ark over the summer given there are no age limits can I be killed in PvP areas?
    Someone is gonna kill me... I know it.

    Greeters uniform:
    http://moruhine.nu/arkcoat2.jpg

    *abuses her friends in ARK*
    Last edited by Maitrize; Feb 18th, 2002 at 20:19:05.
    .:: Isocyanate Doc
    .:: Onigiri Eng
    .:: Myaku MP
    .:: Maitrize Misc
    .:: Moruhine. Pita. Kechi!

  19. #39

    Angry Arks....and why gm's need to help players

    Ok, so this is a rant.

    I respect the arks, for what they try to do. I think the greeter program is fine. helps a lot. and i KNOW that most of the petitions that come about are bogus. a load of crap, and silly stuff that arks can easily handle.

    HOWEVER

    i found a bug, and yes i will be reporting it. has to do with an implant combo that SHOULD work (yes, i know how to make implants..heh) is an eye combo - shining aimed shot, bright nano init and faded mat creation. will work in any combo of two of those, but not all three.

    ok, yes it may be a bug....but what bothered me is that when i petitioned, i got an ark, who acted as laiason to a higher level ark. i waited 4 HOURS to see that low ranked ark. THEN i waited 2 MORE hours to see one of the high ranking arks (i was now priority 2). NO GM"S WOULD TALK TO THIS ARK. he told me that he had bumped me to priority 1. fine. It is not this poor guy's fault the CS reps are not doing their jobs. he was doing his best.

    I finally know what you guys mean when you say that they are useless. I disagree, they have uses......but for crying out loud, the GM's should respond to THEM at least. they spent HOURS lookin at my poblem, and trying to get the GM's attention.

    and even THEY were ignored.

    The arks try hard, and some are great. but MORE GM'S are necessary. i was online for 18 hours yesterday waiting for a response. 18 hours in total. and nothing.

    Less time interviewing ARKS and more time ANSWERING PETITIONS.

    Rant done. 'Nuff said

  20. #40
    dang thats a nice coat.
    So I guess ARKs cant be killed by non-hackers then.

    Is there an age limit?

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