@doctorwily: scandals

You mean like that "Band of Developers" situation from a while back?

Draconis

@Witzbold: Whatcha talkin' bout Witzbold?? Technically the game has very few problems and is on par with any other top tier MMO. The scandals are the only saddening thing about it, especially with a hardcore fanbase and a game that requires a lot of time. Anyway, it seems as if they do this on purpose or something to generate hype. After every major brouhaha, there is an influx of players on the servers.

doctorwily

here is really no problem with Blizzard support. With any amount of tech support employees you are going to have some problems providing support to the almost 10 million people on just one of your games.

typeofbreastcancer.info

Props to CCP for owning up to it and fixing it. I'd love to see them get to work on a fantasy styled MMO as well. Not that I haven't tried EVE, I just find it frustrating.

Mattz_m

Mistakes happen; some large, some small. This one was a pretty colossal one, but it definitely shows the caliber and dedication of the developer when they go into such a detailed post-op with the public when other devs would give out much, much less information.

ouberlord

I think it's big of CCP to have a representative explain the details what happened with this whole boot.ini issue, despite how much of an oversight the mistake was.

Really, they could just ignore the issue completely and go, "Something important of yours got deleted? Oh well, shit happens."

Draconis

Funny... this incident is the first time I said "I'm glad I have Vista". :D

Kruel

@overlord_x: the file is marked as system and hidden, this sould be enough for a install scripts. But windows avoid scripting and use programs for applications installations. Other's OS like Linux use scripts. Maybe dev's sould use MSI more, and make so Microsoft enhance MSI to work as a patch tool/network upgrade tool.

tei

@overlord_x: Typically Windows won't allow the deletion of the boot file or many other important system files. To completely protect it they would have to stop any modification to the file and that would create problems when running dual boot setups, trying to enter diagnostic or safe mode. The problem is when things run at a COM level with administrative rights. It's hard to prevent things from going awry when your program has full privileges to modify whatever it wants. Stopping this would create problems for hot patches and such as well.

rususeruru

I guess people should've been playing in Linux. har har.

Mongoosekun

My total sympaty to these guys. I trust then on everything. That is bad luck :(

tei

using Geek Squad is only going to make things worse. no good can come of it.

Five Element Ninja

I'm confused, why would microsoft let anyone delete the boot.ini file if its that important. As they say in the article it seems like a huge oversight.

overlord_x

I'm glad they came clean about the problem and how to fix it. This is a fine example of how a company, any kind of company, should deal with screw ups. Find the problem, disclose the problem and help the people that were affected by the problem. But don't send them to Geek Squad =O

loonyatvi

Ahhahaha. Geek Squad? Remind them to steal your photos before they reformat your computer.

Dorphat

@Witzbold: Small developer pretty much sums it up.

@Camzor: I see where you're coming from now

Chewbenator

Man, that must have been heart-stopping when the guy who coded that line realized what happened.

I know I've had some pretty big "ohshit" moments working with live servers, patching, etc. That one had to sting.

kidko

+1 for Vista

much love for EVE and CCP, best MMO and Dev combo period.

Zodduska

@Chewbenator: He didnt say they didnt text on windows xp, to suggest that is quite stupid. he said they "didn't have enough variation in our hardware and operating system setups". thats a different problem entierly!

cubed2d

I kinda wonder why EVE Online has so many problems in the first place.

:/

Witzbold

@Chewbenator: Per the article" Windows will recover if it's on the first partition of the boot drive. It seems that most computers at CCP are set up this way and this was my personal experience in the evening of the release" They had XP machines just not any configured in dual boot scenarios.

uvadave

Indeed, that's good to hear that they're being open about it. Corporate transparency goes along way in building/keeping customer confidence, especially in the face of SNAFUs such as these.

Funkyphreakout

That's great. This was a textbook example of amazing PR saving.

"We're really sorry we made your computer unable to start up. Here's why it happened, here's what we did to fix it, and here's what you can do to get your computer up and running again."

Great!

RPharazonius

@Chewbenator: Oh, no, no, I'm not saying anything is wrong with Blizzard's support. That's not the case at all. Blizzard is and always has been a terrific company on that front. I'm saying that it's much, much easier for smaller developers to be up front with the community than it is for developers like Blizzard, who have a much larger customer base, which makes things more difficult. :)

Anyhoo, this isn't about Blizzard, so back to CCP talk we go!

Camzor

It's just pretty simple, the guy who coded the launcher divided by zero.

Tyheam

That's a class act IMHO. That's the kind of stuff that keeps fans from turning into someone 'not-fans'.

Sucks what happened, but you gotta give some props for the follow up. Shows they are here for the LONG haul.

sadkermit

I wouldn't let Geek Squad touch my computer. I'm a computer technician, so I really have to reason to contract a source to fix any of my computers; but that would be literally be the last company I would contact..

bluesquareapple

There is really no problem with Blizzard support. With any amount of tech support employees you are going to have some problems providing support to the almost 10 million people on just one of your games. Before WoW blew up Blizzard had some of the best tech support in the industry, and they still have very good support. Sure thousands of people complain, but out of millions I say it's pretty good.

Now to the Eve Online team, you didn't have ONE XP machine in your entire office?! More people use XP than any other platform your game supports yet you didn't install and patch it one just one machine?! But, you did have class in resolving the issue promptly I give you that.

Chewbenator

Very impressive on CCP's front. The bug was horrible, but it shows real class to do what they are doing about it. This is why smaller, more unknown developers are a real treat to have, because it seems they are able to be much more forward with their audience and fans, and it enables them to actually have a relationship with that fanbase as opposed to a "the invisible guys we never talk to who make us bitch about patches," obviously referring to Blizzard.

Camzor

since when does Geek Squad know about computers?

lethalphoenix

I wish more MMO developer could be this way.

Star Wars Galaxies started out this way, but that was before WoW hit and everyone wanted the piece of the money pie!

Very classy indeed!

EnigmaNemesis

@Draconis:
Yup, as well as the bank heist involving the GSHC. Or the EIB investment scam, but then I think that's what makes the game so awesome.

doctorwily

I <3 Eve, even if i don't play it (i don't play games that are designed to take my time away, so not worth it). For every ridiculous high profile WOW ad out there threatening to crush the hope of any new MMORPG developer or designer, oddballs like Eve are out there to remind people there are alternatives, both in the way you treat people and the way you play games together.

Go CCP

Sunjammer