>> Master Five on Friday List

Paging a GM (May 26, 2006)

Sometimes I feel like nobody actually looks at my question when I page a GM. Are you guys robots?

Lead GM Hugo: Are we robots? That’s an age old question for us in In-Game Support. The short answer is no, but what a great idea!

You see, each UO petition is reviewed (in real time) by a live person and addressed on an individual basis. Our GM’s responses are actively reviewed and measured as to ensure the highest accuracy and quality possible. Wow, just think about it! If we employed robots who didn’t care about properly identifying your issue, nor what information they gave you in return; we could save a ton of money!

Unfortunately, accuracy and quality are two determining factors we’re just not willing to sacrifice. We understand that when you have exhausted all your efforts and reach out to us for help, you need it as soon as possible. So, that’s our mission. We aim to get the most accurate information in your hands as quickly as “humanly” possible. Believe it or not, we often come across the same question multiple times. We’ll typically take the necessary time to write about it in detail at http://www.support.ea.com. If that’s the case, we’re more than happy to assist your retrieval of that information. Don’t forget, we’re here to help you twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, and three hundred sixty-five days a year.

Cheating and GMs (April 14, 2006)

I have seen things on my server, where a specific pair of guilds cheat without ANY interruption from GM’s. I have a friend that used to be in the one guild, and he said that a couple of the members were GM’s. My question is this: Is there any internal audit system for GM’s??

GM Silvani: Yes, all Game Masters are actively monitored, and we hold our employees to the highest professional and ethical standards. Everything that a Game Master does is logged. We encourage players to report any misconduct by an EA employee to GM Reviews. GM Reviews are answered by our senior staff; we take each and every email sent in very seriously and each report is fully investigated.

On top of our GM reviews process, we have a quality audit that is done weekly. This audit includes our senior staff as well. If anything is found through the GM Reviews or through the Quality Audit it is addressed quickly, to insure quality and fair customer support.

If you have a complaint about a particular member of our Game Master staff, please fill out a GM Review here.

EM Events (March 24, 2006)

I really enjoyed participating in the old scenarios, and more recently, the EM events. Are these ever going to return to UO?

Darkscribe: The short answer: Yes. The long answer: I love large scale events that feel like everyone in the world can take part. We had a long planning session this week that will result in a year long arc of events that will tell an epic story with long-lasting implications for Sosaria. What I’m most excited about is that the plan we’re working on incorporates many different kinds of events and puzzles. It will use the temporary dungeon system, the advanced spawner for invasions, the quest system, EM events, and even hidden messages on the website and riddles hidden in remote areas of Sosaria. When will it kick off? I can’t say at the moment. It’s a pretty aggressive plan and we need to do a lot of work on the development schedule. But stay tuned. I want to get chapter one up and running as soon as possible. Meanwhile, as you travel Sosaria, keep an eye out for anything unusual.

In-Game GM Help System (March 24, 2006)

Can you tell us about the recent changes to the in-game GM help system?

Lead GM Silvani: A few months back our GM help system changed. Many of you have seen these changes, and I’ve wanted to go over them with a bit more detail.

GM Chat - Much like the current party system, this tool will allow Game Masters to chat with players in a similar fashion.

We understand that players may not always be in a situation where they are able to talk. To accommodate this, when a Game Master starts a chat, they may bring the player to a safe location, the Britannia jail, allowing them to safely hold a conversation with a GM without any outside influence or danger.

Game Masters will not be visible during this chat, nor will they be able to see your normal text. To reply back to a Game Master you will need to use the open bracket key [ and then start typing. This key will only send a message to a Game Master if they have opened a chat with you. Use of this button outside of an open chat will not reach a GM.

Targeting - When you page using the harassment option, you are asked to enter text about the situation. Once you have submitted that information you will then be asked to target the player(s) involved with the harassment reported. This can be done in one of three ways.

Targeting the involved players - With this option you will get a mouse targeting cursor with which you can click on the players who you are reporting for harassment.

Typing the names of the players - With this option you will be given 3 blank lines where you can enter the player name(s).

Selecting a name from a list - This will give you a list of all the players that are currently in the same area as you. This will only encompass your immediate area.

Persistent Pages - Help requests will now remain in place even after log out. Players will now be able to log out of the game and back in without losing their place ‘in line’. However, they will need to stay on the same shard to get an in-game response. If a player is offline, Game Masters will still be able to address their petition, and will do so via email. Please be sure you keep your email address and information associated with your account up to date so that these responses reach you.

All other aspects of your Game Master interaction will function the same.

These new tools are an exciting change that will allow for better communication between our players and Game Masters, and we look forward to its use to better serve your needs.