Screw viatech and any developers who use it.
 

I am so done with this business model. This is a headsup to these developers. Time to get with modern times.

Last weekend all my licenses expired except fof2k7 oddly enough. I emailed them last friday. They immediately blamed me and referred me to greydog software and they again gave me a copy of the letter saying that they might not reissue. Now, mind you OOTP10 was included and it's not even a greydog product.

I wrote back this week with a full list of games, said I hadn't done any upgrades or any hardware changes. They cleared DDSCB and OOTP2010 and refused to clear the other licenses and today they again referred me to greydog software. This is after a week and after they knew it wasn't an upgrade and after they'd cleared two of the licenses.

I'm fed up and you know, I buy a lot of games and use impulse, steam, gamersgate and direct 2 drive often. Know how many times I've lost a game from those distributions no matter how often I've changed hardware or OS's?? Yep, zero, none not a fucking one. Hell, I can install steam on as many computers as I can access and their business model allows this without them going out of business.

Viatech, I fart near the keyboard and I lose all my games for at least a week maybe longer. No more of that crap for me.

I supported all of the text sim developers but not any more. If you have to use viatech may you go bankrupt. You won't get my business or support. I'm not renting a game ( and in the case of FBCB it's not even a month old and I have to burn my second license on the same fucking computer with the same hardware and software ). Fuck all of you.

I'm going to go find a puppy to kick I'm so pissed right now.

Ok, I'm not harming a puppy but still, if it was a viatech puppy then I should.

word !

Hey, props to FOF as it didn't screw up. I may have to make an exception if Jim ever releases another game but I implore him to find a real distributor.

you're a clown

My, if I gave half a fuck about you I might be hurt.

lol

LOL

posting in potential epic thread

Just one question for you sovereignstar.

Does your mother still scream out my name when you fuck her?

HOLY SHIT

IN

DY NO MITE

:D

How did your license "expire"? I've never had one expire ever.

Yes, I prefer Steam because they link to the account, but Viatech bends over backwards typically. You've got something screwy going on to keep losing licenses.

I'd never heard of it before either. I get a yellow triangle screen with a number ( I've seen 5, 4 and 3. Just tried TEW2010 and it's giving me a 27 ) over a 5 ( never seen this one move ). Then the startup screen comes up and says "Your purchased license has expired. I could "relicense" FBCB2 but not the rest. That's the issue.


I don't keep losing my licenses. I haven't contacted them in forever before something happened last friday. On that day, all my licensed games except fof2k7 started giving this error. I didn't start griping until today. Yesterday they emailed me and asked me to try DDCB and OOTP10 ( not even the games I'd originally asked about as when I first emailed I didn't know it was all the games ) because they'd cleared the licenses.

This worked, I emailed them and thanked them and asked them to clear my other licenses and today they pretty much said no. It's all related to one event somehow not spread out and they are aware of this.

I wonder if that triangle means "licenses in use" and someone figured out how to grab licenses. Would be interesting to see if there are other reports from others.

The single best customer service representative I've ever had to deal with was Mary Ellen Girard from viatech. I have no idea if she's still associated with the company or not, as my direct dealings with her were from six years ago, but the immediacy and thoroughness in which she worked through my problems was so impressive, the experience sticks with me to this day.

Honestly, I guess I'll never know since it appears elicense doesn't want to assist me any more and I doubt greydog is going to be able to figure that out as it wasn't specifically their games. I don't think that's it though because FBCB2 still had it's second license but it's first one gave me the expired message and how would someone get to 27 licenses and what does the 5 mean? That's the only constant that I can determine.

Unfortunately, none of the emails are signed by a person just

Thank you,

Customer Support
ViaTech Technologies, Inc.
www.elicense.com
[email protected].

In any case, what is the draw for using viatech as opposed to the myriad of online distributors who don't require customers to jump through hoops? It's not like they're the only game in town any more and even if they worked the vast amount of times they still require far more conscious maintenance than any game should require. I mean, I have to upgrade windows, why must I find every game that uses this method before I do it or I'm screwed? As a customer of fairly trivial entertainment purchases I'm no longer to deal with that headache. I wouldn't even do it for FM but I've bought the last two copies of that game from steam and I can play them whenever I want no problem.

Axxon - check your PMs

For the record, if you contact Scott Vibert at GreyDog, he will get you your licenses. GDS was doing this, I believe, when someone cracked the wrestling game and free copies were out there. For them, it's just another level of security.

I'm not saying it's right; just letting you know that this is what GDS does. Contact Scott or Arlie; they will help you.

Thanks, that's what I'm going to have to do. My problem isn't so much with greydog. I'm quite sure they had nothing to do with this since the first timer they referred me to them after I'd explained the issue they wrote:

The products needed to be unlicensed prior to any system upgrades or changes. We
cannot re-issue licenses for Grey Dog Software products, they handle all license
re-issue requests. Please see below.


When I responded ( another day down ) and reexplained the issue that's when they cleared the other licenses and one of them was a greydog product.

It's just that I've waited a week, thought I had a resolution and then they put me back at square one and I have to go to a new company to get resolution.

Now if there's a smile on my face
It's only there trying to fool the public
But when it comes down to fooling you
Now honey that's quite a different subject

But don't let my glad expression
Give you the wrong impression
Cos really I'm sad, Oh I'm sadder than sad
Well I'm hurt and I want you so bad
Like a clown I appear to be glad ooh yeah

CHORUS:

Well they're some sad things known to man
But ain't too much sadder than
The tears of a clown when there's noone around
Oh yeah, baby baby, oh yeah baby baby

Now if I appear to be carefree
It's only to camouflage my sadness
And honey to shield my pride I try
To cover this hurt with a show of gladness
But don't let my show convince you
That I've been happy since you
Cos I need to go, oh I need you so
Look I'm hurt and I want you to know
For others I put on a show ...CHORUS

Just like Pagliacci did
I try to keep my surface hid
Smiling in the crowd I try
But in a lonely room I cry
The tears of a clown
When there's noone around, oh yeah, baby baby
Now if there's a smile on my face
Don't let my glad expression
Give you the wrong impression
Don't let this smile I wear
Make you think that I don't care
Cos really I'm sad...

SHIT JUST GOT REAL!!!!!

Yeah, just send me an email at arlie @ greydogsoftware.com with your license number and we'll get you all square ASAP.

I'll check your license in the elicense system and see if there is some kind of expiration date (and fix it or give you a new one if there is).

LOL

Thanks Arles, I'll have that to you shortly.

A little bit more data which may help narrow down this issue. As I stated above I had gotten ( in chrono order btw ) a 5, 4, 3, 27 and last night I got a 32. All of these are the top number, 5 was the bottom. I just tried again and I just got the 5 but I also got a message "password is not for this machine" over the 5 ( with TEW2010 btw ). The next screen is always
is the buy screen and it's the one saying ( still ) that my license has expired. Keep in mind FBCB2 would have expired really, really fast if it's an expiring issue.

Anyway, if that helps and/or you want more information on the issue let me know and I'll be glad to help. The issue to me is baffling and I really don't want it to happen again so if we can figure out why it happened I can try and make sure it doesn't happen again.

Axxon,

You should be all set now. Let me know if you need anything else.

FUCK ALL YOU TEXT SIM DEVELOPERS

FUCK UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU

This was a completely random observation but that mushroom cloud looks like one of the old Cylon's from the 70's version of Battlestar Gallactica.

Getting tired of this place?

The developers who frequent this board (with the exception of the "Welcome to Hollywood" guy) are pretty fucking awesome. I'm not surprised this shit is getting straightened out quickly.

*sigh*

Please explain the joke that went over my head. Because it obviously did. ; )

Is it really that hard? A guy says fuck you text sim developers and people (including a text sim developer) still reach out to help him. Don't you find that ironic? Haven't seen an apology either. Clearly shows what kind of person Axxon really is.

Said my piece. Done.

I don't think the Welcome to Hollywood guy actually came here -- I think people here just talked about him.

You guys are such nerds.

Well, I am going to give them a major test tonight/tomorrow...whenever they decide to respond.

My laptop of two years mobo just died on me...which means I can not get the data off of it that I need (aka emails) in order to reinstall my games...I am basically asking them to reset my licenses and provide me with my numbers...let's see if that happens..

Funny thing is...I have bought multiple copies of the games over time due to the fact I couldn't find the email, they wouldn't reset the number and what not...I think I will stick firm on this though and do my best to get the numbers from them.

I emailed elicense to have a license reissued for FOF 2007 earlier today -- then I installed the game, entered in my order number, and it worked anyway. Weird. No reply from them, though, in over 7 hours. But hey, it's the weekend, I guess.