The plot is a problem

[___________MrTeatime]

Even Hollywood has enough common sense to not touch this one.

You do know there are movies on the way right? One about the passengers on the flight that never made it because they stopped the terrorists, one about the WTC. And these are just the ones I've heard about.

We'll see what kind of response FC gives to the recent protests. If they can change the storyline reasonably fast then I say go for it, no need to annoy other people right?

At least FC did one thing right: they didn't call any players terrorists. Ross is actually trying to unite OT and the Clans but he'll never do it because someone higher up is working against him. We are the ones fighting the bad guys here.

Oh yeah, Atilius the Hun: stop the flaming. This is a reasonable thread with people trying to say what's on their mind. Namecalling and flaming are not appropriate anywhere, especially not in these kind of threads. Thank you.

[______Mephistopheles]

Originally posted by Drabin
You have to understand that what Funcom did was truly irresponsible on their part.

The sensitivity of the real life events on 9-11 only happened 4 months ago. A year has not even gone by. Had they done the same thing 2 years later from that date some would recognize it and might or might not like it, but it wouldn't be so fresh in most of our memories.

It is by this reasoning that most businesses and even hollywood will not air or push these incidents in an insensitive manner. Time heals. Time is the only thing that heals a nation affected by such a horrible disaster.

Anyone who tries to compare what happened on 9-11 with other tragic world events forgets one single thing. Almost every current movie, every current advertisement, every notable view where NYC was concerned, showed the World Trade Centers. It was a solid beacon and something that showed strength Globally. So much of the "world" were affected because of how many "world" businesses were in there at the time. I worked one mile from the World Trade Center when I arrived to work the morning of 9-11.

Some people will never know the fear you feel when an entire city the size of New York gets shut down like it did that day. I was told by corporate leaders in my building that we would be stuck there for up to a week and being diabetic I had to scrounge for medication. All the while hoping that friends would be safe. So many courageous people rushed to medical centers to give blood immediately following not caring for their own safety to do this. Everyone rushed about trying to hug each other and so many people were crying it was just unbelievable how such a large city could come together so fast.

Funcom issued a sympathetic statement regarding the tragedy and yet knowing the speeches and statements of our President they still *copied* a portion and made it resemble something a few if not most of us remember to vividly.

Time heals a nation. Time heals people. 4 months is not enough time.

Funcom, recheck your thinking and divert the storyline to something amiable to the player community please.

Sincerely,

Drabin
President of R.O.M.E.
101st Atrox NT

I escape reality as well...

so that would make people

[______Mephistopheles]

Originally posted by Chartan
Capt how dare you compare President Bush to a corrupt, kill-workers-in-mines-doesnt-matter corporation.

No matter what side your on, AO was setup so that the Clan side was the ones fighting for freedom and equality and the OT to be the oppressive regime, the evil guys.

and then you go compare Bush to the evil guys?????

People, if you wanna be offended, be offended by that.


Besides that, Capt, you completely miss the point. Doesnt matter wether this was planned or not by FC, what matters is that people get upset by something so obvious like a few words spoken in countless movies, stories and now by a president.
U bet its exactly like crying fire.

to capt: If you dont know who Emperor Nero was or how much the fire destroyed, then read it, twas a bigger incident than that of the WTC...

I forget how long ago was neros burning of the city...I think the main issue alot of people have is 9/11 was less then 4 months ago people were hurt greatly by an event in the very recent past. The fact that funcom uses the WTC or a story line VERY close to the WTC is insensitive due to the mere proximity to the event which was a national one, scale wise. Most people do know about WTC now, if they didnt before.

Time will heal and will make events which use somewhat historical references okay but not while the wounds many people are still healing.

[_________MikeWeather]

So If I FC decided to have OT start killing Clan leadership, how many people would complain about similarities to Israel's assasination policy?

[Johnfredone]

Posted here

http://forums.anarchy-online.com/sho...0&pagenumber=2

[______________Xombie]

Now now... I think you're forgetting something. Omni is the "bad currupt people", and the clans are the "good, kind people".
It looks like a big ****ing anti-american political cartoon. I think it's high time they fired their story team, since they apparently never had a plan, can't even think of an original one on their feet, and insult people with what they DO come up with.

I wouldn't have a problem with the storyline if it wasn't so blatently insulting and degrading to 50% of their fanbase.

[____________Meligant]

Originally posted by CaptFallout
I am glad to see I am not alone.

Not only is this insensitive (what about those people who actually lost real things? Should we play a parallel storyline for "fun"?) but it is a sign nothing is really going on in the story department.

I could have come up with this stuff in under an hour (Omni and clan want peace. Dust brigade bombs Omni-Ent ending peace and creating war. Have Ross copy Bush and sound like an idiotic patriot.

The decision to follow real-life events is not only offensive to those actually involved (losing someone on 9-11 or family in afghanistan fighting or living there) but it is crappy to those who play AO in hopes of a bit of escaping reality.

All you are doing (as someone pointed out... check on the Omni New Channel about Ross' quote. Deja vu... Ross seems to have stolen his line from Bush) is stealing from current events hoping to capitalize on the patriotism involved in current events.

Not smart Funcom... not smart. Then again, "not smart" is on all of your resumes...

For the record, I am a Navy Contractor working in the DC "area". I drive by a certain airport every day where 2 of the planes took off (rt 28). I drove by the Pentagon 15 minutes before it was hit on the way to work. I have since moved closer to work and no longer drive by the Pentagon but the new SAM sites and M-60s add a nice touch.

I somewhat approve of CaptFallout's comments, The story line seems kind of weak but then again I think it was "skeletoned" and put on the wall in Funcom many months ago. Do I think it was in poor taste? Not really. Rhetoric is rhetoric. Every conflict movie from "The Big Red One" to "Starship Troopers" has used it. Many movies have moved to "correct" the NY skyline or "avoid" it all together. Hell, I don't expect to be able to even FIND a copy of Rambo 3 (maybe 2?) (the one where he is fighting in Afghanistan!) in any video store worth its weight in sand. I know many of you dislike that the conflict that was planned in AO basically "patterns" itself along the lines of the middle east conflict and our current war on terrorism BUT we don't have NANOS and Blaster rifles either. I don't know what to tell you other then conflict is conflict and terrorism is the "flavor of the decade". Many War vets are INSULTED by some of the WW2 movies that have been made. I guess time changes everything. *shrug*

Do I mind the story line taking this track? No. I have expected it since day one that the amnesty was called. Do I disapprove that they didn't change "how" the radical element "attacked" Omni? YES..YES...YES. They had the time to alter THAT event to something different like an assassination, poisoning, or an attack on a military outpost but they did NOT make the change that they should have. They had the time and missed the chance.

Is this the last straw? I don't know. Being involved closer to the event and working with those that were in the building when it happened I have a different view and the AO story pales in comparison to me. After living through the fear of wondering if the Metro "near" the Pentagon was also hit and your brother was there, I’m fairly desensitized.

From an AO perspective (I work in perspectives A LOT), painting the clans as "Terrorists" was a bad move since, as you can see in this thread, many have become overly sensitive to its use. Would anyone want to be a clanner these days and called a Terrorist?

However unlike the movie "Spiderman", a half dozen sit coms, and every TV network in the USA, Funcom continued on their ALREADY scripted path that was written long before Sept. 11th. A bold move right? Maybe.

I thought it was really silly that several "new movies" were shelved because they had "Terrorist" plots. Then again, maybe I’m just better at keeping my real world separate from my entertainment.

[_________MikeWeather]

Spiderman had to be scrapped, they hadn't finished filming at the WTC. Sam Raimi himself said it had nothing to do with anything except a lact of footage.

[___________fancycrat]

the part that irked me wasent so much that it was terrorists and such

but the quote "war on terrorism" was just ... lame and really really bad on funcoms part

[Digitlcoup]

Here is an interesting quote from today's TAG Article. Perhaps I'm reading into it but it seems that they indirectly responded to (most of) the concerns posted in these threads re: this topic:

". It's important, therefore, to truly listen to what is being said, no matter who says it, and not what we think has been said. It's important to react appropriately and immediately to events that require our attention, even when those events bring forth uncomfortable memories."

Maybe they were indirectly responding to us and maybe not. I don't know but I certainly hope that they are.

Oh BTW, MikeWeather. Yes, my response to Ming was a bit heated even though his initial response to my origional post provoked me. I don't know if you saw it or not. Was it right on my part? No, of course not. Nevertheless, this IS a sensitive issue. One that brings up painful memories to some. That is the reason why I was (and am) pointing out that the term "War on Terrorism" would best be left aside by FC.

[_________MikeWeather]

Again, let me point out that Ariel Sharon said "war on terrorism" long before Dubya. Sharon probably got it from somewhere else too. I believe Rabin (dunno how to spell his first name) used the term as well.

[____________Meligant]

Originally posted by MikeWeather
Again, let me point out that Ariel Sharon said "war on terrorism" long before Dubya. Sharon probably got it from somewhere else too. I believe Rabin (dunno how to spell his first name) used the term as well.

Agreed. The "War on XXX" term has been around for quite some time now (20ish years at least, i'm only 28 so my memory stops there). Anyone remember the War on Drugs and the War on Cancer and the War on Racism?

[Digitlcoup]

Yes, nice to know that the term "War on Terror" wasn't first used in the USA following 9/11. But my question is, So what? What's the point? Does this somehow make the "war on terrorism" term (used by FC) ok for this game AT THIS TIME?

Whether it was used by Rabin or Sharon first, it does not override how inappropriate this term is for this period of time. Many would not care if the term had existed for 1,000 years. Many people have been horrified by the recent events and that is why there are so many posts here re: the inappropriateness of using the term "war on terrorism" in this game. That's all.

[_________MikeWeather]

"Does this somehow make the "war on terrorism" term (used by FC) ok for this game AT THIS TIME?"

Sharon said those words not too long ago (few weeks I believe), and has been for over a year (he hasn't been in office too long). So, to answer your question, Yes. It does make it ok.

The fact remains that it's an old saying, and has been used constantly up to the current day. So what if Bush said it too after Sept 11?

What term would you prefer?

Conflict against terrorism? Battle on terrorism? Corrivalry on terrorism? Strife against terrorism? Struggle against terrorism? Belligerency toward terrorism? Hostility to terroism? Clash against terrorism? Fight against terrorism?

[___________Chagidiel]

Atilla:

Yes it does.

[________Armageddon X]

Originally posted by Xombie
Now now... I think you're forgetting something. Omni is the "bad currupt people", and the clans are the "good, kind people".
It looks like a big ****ing anti-american political cartoon.

You know what?
If that is what they are trying to do...I quite agree with them.

Just, instead of "good, kind people" put "poor, oppressed, people".
US got their payback for what they have created (Bin Laden, Israel, etc...).

I don't say that was the right way to payback.
But I think that some kind of reaction was inevitable.

[__________Terrorizer]

Odd, not one word from Funcom in this Thread.
I guess its a itchy one.

[________________Ming]

All I've gotta say is go see Black Hawk down asap. Funcom can rip that off anytime they want and I'll bet you won't hear people upset about it. And yes, it's based on real events. This is a game about war, not jousting.

[_________CaptFallout]

I guess one thing that this has done is make me understand how many people actually dislike America. I knew it was most of the world closeted in their disdain and jealousy but this is sickening.

Who cares if some of you can claim that Funcom didn't do this on purpose... if some of us are feeling the opposite we should be listened to.

Funcom is obviously seperated from much of what happened on 9/11 and their recent decision to follow Bush as Ross and Dust Brigade as Bin Laden and friends was de****able.

I dont' think they did it to piss us off, but I do feel they did it for a response. Being from Norway they weren't really involved in much of the situation or following, so they probably didn't think twice about using it.

War and terrorism are different things. want a war? Fine.

Want terrorists and responses similar to real life for a game? That's not acceptable.

Funcom, what you did is insulting to those of us who are not blinded by closet anti-American sentiments.

That is one thing I've learned from this mistake on Funcom's part. Many people dislike the US and enjoy seeing people complain about terrorist actions taken against them.

Oh, and in case you were wondering... the Counter-Strike clone jack-ass lame game (forgot it's name... but that describes it good enough) was to have a mission dealing with an IRA bombing threat, but was requested to be removed by British government. That was one of the three missions cancelled due to political requests that such "touchy" situations be included in a GAME.

Again, just a sign that people are using this as a situation to vent on Americans. Sad...

[Digitlcoup]

Done indirectly...During game play they have been making announcements about TAG editorial that (I am probably misquoting here) explains Mr. Ross' words and meanings re: his "controvertial" statements. I think they responded to us through RP.

As for the term "war on terrorism" goes, I (and others who have posted above) feel that this is inappropriate. I certainly don't think that you have the right to say "Yes, this is appropriate" just because other world leaders have been using this term. You are still not paying attention to the fact that this is about how people FEEL and not about who said what, when and where. We are paying custormers (like you) and the majority of the people who posted here expressed their displeasure about the term "war on terrorism." Furthermore, a significant portion of the paying customers in AO are in the USA which DOES or SHOULD have influence on Funcom's decision making policies.

I find your argument to be off target. If a group of monsters in AO were named some type of nickname that was ethnically insensitive to a group of people, Funcom would have to remove or change that nickname even if some person came around and said, "well golly, that term origionally meant so and so and was not meant in a derogatory way and so this group of people should just get over it and enjoy the game." Whether the nickname means something derogatory or not is not the issue here. The issue is whether or not it turns people off, which in turn could (note that I am saying could and not will) affect sales.

I don't know where you live and I guess I could understand if it affected you less if you didn't live in the US or close to some of the sites. Nevertheless, there are many other people who have posted their strong disagreement with this term and I think that this is enough to get FC's attention. Perhaps (like you suggested) another term such as "Stand Against Terror (or evil, madness, whatever)" or "War Against Barbarity" or whatver else would be a bit better THAN THE EXACT SAME statement that has been repeated over r/l news feeds. It hits too close to home.

The point here is that this is about the emotions of many. When people get emotional, they may not be thinking in the most rational way. But this is part of what makes us human and thank God that the emotions conveyed here were (mostly, with the exception of my earlier explosion and that crazy anti-american rant up there a couple of notches above my post) channelled appropriately although there was anger at times. The term "war on terrorism" as used by Funcom touches on too many people's emotions to be considered tactful.

Anyway, I think that we're starting to beat a dead horse here. Looks like we just have differences of opinion or perception about this. I'm glad to see that Funcom is indirectly addressing this issue and I hope that something like this doesn't happen again. I hope to see you guys in Rubi-Ka. Have fun!