Free MMO baseball game..........

[JohnnyBGood]

For those with problems logging on/seeing the site:

I relayed the information about the DNS errors people were receiving, and while I don't know what that means, this is awhat Frederik had to say:

A DNS server is basically a record that tells where the machine that hosts the site is located. When we had to switch servers, those records have to be updated through out all the DNS servers on the internet. It takes a few for the cascade to work, but it will get there.

[lordscarlet]

I basically said that earlier yesterday.

[lordscarlet]

dola: the site seems to be working now, just very slowly

[lordscarlet]

I seem to have been moved out of draft status so my training no longer has a bonus

[Fidatelo]

Why would this guy open the site to traffic three days before he knows he's having his wisdom teeth pulled and his 'associate' is going on holidays? Good grief.

[lordscarlet]

Originally Posted by Fidatelo

Why would this guy open the site to traffic three days before he knows he's having his wisdom teeth pulled and his 'associate' is going on holidays? Good grief.

Indeed. And the thought that having your wisdom teeth removed is "emergency surgery" is laughable.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Fidatelo

Why would this guy open the site to traffic three days before he knows he's having his wisdom teeth pulled and his 'associate' is going on holidays? Good grief.

Not the best business decision I've ever heard of, I will say that much.

And before anybody even starts to get their sensitive spots all sandy, once you start accepting cash your amateur status ends as far as I'm concerned & you get held to the same standards as any other business. And this borders on a how-not-to-do-things example.

[Fidatelo]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Not the best business decision I've ever heard of, I will say that much.

And before anybody even starts to get their sensitive spots all sandy, once you start accepting cash your amateur status ends as far as I'm concerned & you get held to the same standards as any other business. And this borders on a how-not-to-do-things example.

Agreed, the taking of money changes everything.

[BrianD]

A DNS server is basically a record that tells where the machine that hosts the site is located. When we had to switch servers, those records have to be updated through out all the DNS servers on the internet. It takes a few for the cascade to work, but it will get there.

Not to be a dick, but this answer doesn't work in this situation. I wasn't just checking random DNS servers on the Internet, I was checking the mmobaseball DNS servers...the ones that tell the rest of the Internet how to get there. They were coming up with a SERVFAIL error which basically means that the DNS servers were erroring out rather than giving an answer. That doesn't seem to be a problem anymore.

[mrkilla22]

I (LF Bob Summers) was finally able to get in and accept the offer to the Seattle Storm.

[JohnnyBGood]

Got this note from Ryan C

New servers are finally up and running HORRAY!! that was a feat and a half getting my host to move their butts. Seriously I'm giving them money what more do they need to move?

Not to defend them, because some mistakes and grave miscalculations were definitely made. But I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt for now because we don't know how much some of the problems were their own doing... can't control some things. With that said, lets see how it goes from here on out. I'm hoping issues like this don't keep coming up.

Updated roster coming soon...

[JohnnyBGood]

Alright... Here is the updated roster for anyone else who wants to join. Now that the site is on the new servers, you should be able to sign up and access the site without issue. Roster space is tight in the US Pro (Major League), but I'd like to get some more FOFCers to round out the team.


Seattle Storms Roster (US Pro League)

SP - Shaun Lord (MMOB holdover)
SP - Moe Jolley (rjolley, FOFC)
SP - Parker Preston (Yours truly)
SP - Clayton Public Enemy (Serge, MMOB holdover)
SP - OPEN -

MR - OPEN
MR - Rince McClure (Rince, MMOB)
MR - Trey Perdue (tperdue, MMOB)
MR - OPEN
MR - OPEN

Closer - Seth Ford (Kensham, MMOB)

I have two pending offers to Dave Moore and Wade Moore for two pitching spots. We'll see where they fit in if/when they sign.

--------------------------------------------------------
Lineup

Catcher - Ryan Andrews (Yours truly)
bC - OPEN

1B - Ras Both (Rishtinka, MMOB player)
b1B - Gwenn Aaronson (snowman, MMO player)

2B - Deacon Palmer (ntndeacon, FOFC)
b2B - OPEN - Palmer is solid all-around, so another 2B of any build would be fine. Go crazy.

SS - Wally Pontiff (Godzirra, MMOB)
bSS - OPEN - Pontiff is ALL defense/speed. I think that is important for a SS, but maybe someone wants to make a more offensive SS here?

3B - Lira Dint (Ellix, MMOB player)
b3B - Ty Ruth (whiskeyriver, MMOB)

LF - Bob Summers (mrkilla, FOFC)
bLF - -Bubba the Hutt- (bubba the Hutt, MMOB holdover)

CF - Dan Schoonover (DanGarion, FOFC)
bCF - Jamie Belcourt (ouy_redrum, MMOB player)

RF - Arles Cruiser (Arles, FOFC)
bRF - OPEN - Arles is all power, so lets get a glove/defensive/speed/ contact guy here. Think Nick Markakis.


Next to the Open spots are some suggestions, but feel free to make your player to your liking. Don't worry about starters and backups and such. Once we figure out what works and what skills translate to what results we'll work that all out.

New players please use my referral link to join. Create a player, train him as much as you can as a draftee ($1000 worth), and then tell me who your players are so I can send you a contract : http://www.mmobaseball.com/createaccount.aspx?ref=48

[BrianD]

Do you know if I can get out of a current contract to join the team? If so, my guy is Nunzio Santoni. He is currently a power 3b.

[JohnnyBGood]

Originally Posted by BrianD

Do you know if I can get out of a current contract to join the team? If so, my guy is Nunzio Santoni. He is currently a power 3b.

You'd have to PM the team owner and request him to cut you. That would mean he can sign one of his "own" players, so he'd probably do it for you. I know a few people asked me to release them and I did it for them. Post here if it works out and I'll sign you.


Edit: We actually have another 3B on the roster now... I forgot I had an offer pending, Sorry BrianD. If you'd like to make another player though I'd love to have you!

[Ramzavail]

Need a pitcher - look for my second player, pitcher, Razor Richard

[SirFozzie]

Created a pitcher: Alex Donovan

[MrDNA]

Not letting me sign up... still.

[JohnnyBGood]

Originally Posted by Ramzavail

Need a pitcher - look for my second player, pitcher, Razor Richard

Finish your training and I'll offer you a contract.



SirFozzie: I can't offer contracts to players already signed by a team.

[SirFozzie]

Created another new player. Thad Rodmans (P)

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Fidatelo

I'm a developer, so I am generally very understanding of bugs etc (I write them all the time myself). But the apologists in here are blowing my mind. Dude should be refunding all cash, and praying that enough people stick around through a period of free 'beta' (read: continuous crashing) that he still has a few interested parties left over when the dust settles.

You do realize that all points that are purchased are totally refreshed once the beta ends and the site goes to full production status, correct?

First games ran today. My catcher went 1 for 5.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Developer had some more lag issues today. Said he's having more servers added for tomorrow.

The stress testing of today's game simulations were less than satisfying. I apologize to all for the lackluster experience the new servers brought us. How can I expect anyone to have any fun when they can't even log in, in a timely manner. No one is more disappointed then me. To ensure that this doesn't happen again, I have spent everything I can afford to get new servers that will handle the load. I am very passionate about game development and I will not allow a game with this much potential for everyone to not function properly.

In closing, I hope to have the lag issue taken care of by the end of the day tomorrow (if not sooner). Thank you for sticking with me and helping me test the Beta version of this game.

[lordscarlet]

?he still hasn't emailed me in reply to my original mail or to my question about no longer being a Draftee and therefore not getting the training bonus.

[BrianD]

Apparently I went 2 for 4 with a 2-run homer. Nice start to Spring Training.

[wade moore]

I accepted the Seattle offer.

We'll see how this goes.

[CleBrownsfan]

I just created a P if you want to sign him... name is Robby Roth

[Fidatelo]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

You do realize that all points that are purchased are totally refreshed once the beta ends and the site goes to full production status, correct?

First games ran today. My catcher went 1 for 5.

No, I did not realise that, although I still think it's crap. I'm sure if EA did something like this everyone would cool with it?

But hey, whatever, have fun, it has sounded like a real enjoyable experience thus far!

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Fidatelo

I'm sure if EA did something like this everyone would be cool with it?

A large segment of gamers would argue that's exactly what happens every year.

[lordscarlet]

his response:

Sorry for the long wait for this reply. I have been busy as you can imagine.



Possible solutions. You can retire your player and get 100% of the cost of that player in points back and create a new player. Let me know if there is anything I can do for you. Thank you so much for your input. This is a problem for a lot of ppl. I’m glad to have the servers up and running for the live games. I hope you are enjoying yourself!!

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

I noticed that the developer just gave everyone 100 points to play with for free. Nice gesture.

My catcher went 1-4 today. Batting .222 now.

[lordscarlet]

OK, I created a new "Doug Moore." I am attempting to make him a closer. If you want to offer him a contract, I am training him up now.

[JohnnyBGood]

This game has been a disaster so far, yes. Servers are dreadfully slow again, and supposedly he's updating them again. A lot of things don't work right now, including sending contracts. Seems like every time 1 thing is fixed 2 things get broken. They rushed this game way too fast... it isn't beta it is an open-alpha. The SIMS ran yesterday and are really questionable (bullpen doesn't work, bench doesn't work, and defense appears to be useless/random as not one player got a put-out). There is a guy who spent $300+ already on the game, bought a team, bought achievements (which give new created players a head-start), made 20 players and put them all on his team. Every single one of his players is about 60 skill points ahead of everyone else. Thankfully he has recognized that the points system needs to be adjusted and exploits need to be closed, but if that is anywhere close to what it will cost to be competitive, I don't think this game has a chance. Granted, ryan c is working hard, responding to all e-mails and seems to genuinely care about the game, but that doesn't make this release any less of a mess.

I'm still running with this and will stick with it, but to say there is a lot of work to be done is an understatement.

[lordscarlet]

Glad you're coming to our side, Johnny.

As for the guy that (stupidly) spent $300 -- that's the same thing that happened on GLB and is why it lost all of us.

And I can guarantee you Ryan C is not answering all emails -- he skipped right over one of mine.

[Fred]

Hey all.

I am one of the owners of mmobaseball.com and I wanted to hop on here and let you know what is going on with the little information I have.

First off, I want to apologize for the horrible performance of the game so far. I agree that this was not a professional launch and things could and SHOULD have gone a LOT smoother that it has. We should not have launched the game when we did (I am on vacation fer chrissake) and we should have limited the amount of beta / alpha (call it that if youd like) to about 500 people.

So whats our excuse? Well, aside from our blog on the site and a twitter feed that had 14 followers we did no advertising whatsoever. This thing somehow went viral and we basically drowned under the success of it.

What I can do is assure you that mmobaseball is not going anywhere. Its not a scam and we wont run off with any money that some people have put into it. We are putting every cent back into the game in the form of servers for better performance. We really want this game to work and we want people to have a good time with it.

How can you trust me on this? Well, I guess you cant. I just hope that enough of you stick with us as we try to wrangle this giant beast of a game into shape and please continue to yell at us and tell us whats wrong with it. Thats the best way to help out with the beta.

Thanks for your patience and understanding.
Fredrik S

[lordscarlet]

FWIW, I don't think you guys are trying to scam anyone.

To be completely honest, this has me very concerned about the MMOBaseball team's ability to handle this project. The decision to run it on a shared server alone makes me wonder how your developer is prepared to take on such a big challenge. Then there is the way it has been handled since then, with incredibly limited public information about what was going on.

Ultimately, most of us are sour on the "MMO" style games (and by games, I mean Goal Line Blitz) and how the special bonuses are handled compared to those that don't want to put hundreds of dollars into the game. We're all suckers, and we'll give it a try, but the fact is that the way you started out gives me little confidence that the game will be something I want to play. It's not that I think you guys are out to scam us, jut that I can't see that the process will be a smooth or enjoyable experience. The same thing happened with the Rade Wars web-based implemntation which I still haven't returned to after the egotistical coder turned most of the players off early in the beta.

[lordscarlet]

Sorry, Trade Wars, not Rade Wars

[Fred]

lordscarlet,

I understand that you are concerned about the stability of the game and nothing I say will make you change your mind. All I can say is that mmobaseball will still be there in a couple of weeks if you change your mind and decide to give it another try.

I am not familiar with Trade Wars, so I cant comment on that, but I assure you that having our players have a good time is our number one concern. This has not been achieved yet, but we are working as hard as humanly possible to rectify that.

Thanks

[JohnnyBGood]

I think the fact that the owner came to this board says something; things are not falling on deaf ears. They have acknowledged their missteps, what more can you ask for? It is a good sign that they are trying rectify things and repair the games image. The game, just from looking at even the non-functional aspects and the user base this early, has a world of potential. Again, there has been more frustration than fun so far, but since it is beta, lets treat it as such and try to help get the game on its feet.

[hawk4669]

Finally successfully created an account....

....now I'm getting the DNS error while creating my character. LOL Starting to wonder if this is worth it. I'm too stubborn for my own good.

Cheers!

[lordscarlet]

Originally Posted by Fred

I understand that you are concerned about the stability of the game and nothing I say will make you change your mind. All I can say is that mmobaseball will still be there in a couple of weeks if you change your mind and decide to give it another try.

I am not familiar with Trade Wars, so I cant comment on that, but I assure you that having our players have a good time is our number one concern. This has not been achieved yet, but we are working as hard as humanly possible to rectify that.

And I don't mean to bash you or be too harsh -- I was mainly trying to say that I don't think you guys are trying to swindle anyone. I will try to keep up with it. My guess, though, is that it will be too much in the mold of GLB (it is VERY, VERY similar so far) and that it's just not my type of game. I'm a sucker for a free, web-based sports sim (by "sports" I mean football or baseball), though, so I'm trying to give it a go.

[hawk4669]

Finally got a player created. Pitcher Hawk Brewster has entered the world and is looking to fill any role on any team.

I'm not picky.

Cheers!

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by JohnnyBGood

There is a guy who spent $300+ already on the game

It's hard to go wrong betting on the abject stupidity of the consumer.

[lordscarlet]

Johnny, if you're interested in giving my guy an offer: http://www.mmobaseball.com/myplayer.aspx?id=10385

[CleBrownsfan]

did they do a reset or something? my player is gone.....

[wade moore]

Originally Posted by CleBrownsfan

did they do a reset or something? my player is gone.....

Wow.

Me too.

It's not so terrible that they did this - but they did it with NO announcement whatsoever.

[wade moore]

I take that back.

There is an announcement.

Bad design makes it very hidden.

[wade moore]

Who here is tired of lag!!! Good news. The new powerful server is now up and running and I will switch to it between the hours of midnight and 2am est tonight. On it are several fixes for exploits and several fixes for owners so that they can better get contracts out to players. This brings me to the global reset. When I set out to create this game I wanted a competitive game that was fun and with a level playing field. Well... as it turns out several people who where here before some patches found there way to the server were able to take advantage of a couple exploits that gave them a HUGE advantage, and well that just isn't fair to everyone else.

The only solution is a wipe and restart of the season, all your character names will be reserved for you and only you when you recreate them. All points will be given back that were purchased or spent and I'm sure there will be a few more points thrown in to make up for all the lag and unkindness that has been going on. Teams will be able to be purchased again as they will be wiped too.

I hope nobody is to terribly angry at this situation. I do think it is the only way to level the playing field, to have competition again. There were like 25 team owners that couldn't even change there roster because of lag today... and this reset and move to a fast server will allow for everyone to have fun, not just a lucky, sly, few.

Thanks for sticking with me in this Beta.

The update and reset is compete you have all the points that you have purchased as well as a few points extra. I'm glad to see the lag gone and happy to see this Beta continuing the way it was supposed to go. You are the only one with the rights to your character names, so you can choose to use your past character name to create your new character. Have fun!

So, that's something.

[lordscarlet]

It's not even 9am Eastern, but the site is snappy right now.

[rjolley]

Is JohnnyBGood still running the Seattle Storm?

[wade moore]

Johnny - if you do the team again, I signed up as Wade Moore again. Trained up stamina some so I could be a SP, but I have no idea what a "good" level is.

[CleBrownsfan]

I singed up again as a 3B - Roberto Roth is the name