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Inside The Studios of Sony Online Entertainment

Posted by Zonk on from the chaining-dorks-to-their-desks dept.

Chris writes "FileFront has taken a very informative look at the world of Sony Online Entertainment inclusive of the developers, their offices, and equipment. Video interviews, screenshots, and photos are included. They also take a "World Exclusive" first look at the upcoming EverQuest II Adventure Pack, The Bloodline Chronicles."

27 comments

  1. Sony... by SirBruce · · Score: 1

    You're really in their world, now!

    Bruce

  2. everquest by Sv-Manowar · · Score: 1

    I once read that if i player gets within 2 days distance of the edge of the game area, they begin work extending the area the way that player is going

    is this true?, if so it must put extreme stress on the developers who already must be stressed continually producing original content and areas

    --
    Business Voyeur
    1. Re:everquest by Seth+Finklestein · · Score: 1, Funny

      That's true. I know this because I'm an Everquest developer (or "Everquester," as I like to be called) and it is clearly spelled out in our employment agreement.

      However, when I usually get the call to implement some "extra content" for such a player, I usually conjure up some level-150 Warjords. That will teach the players to leave the box I've built for them.

      Sincerely,
      Seth Finklestein
      Everquester Level 54

      --
      I'm not Seth Finkelstein. I still speak the truth.
    2. Re:everquest by jasonmicron · · Score: 1

      I have some dotcom stock I would love to sell you.

    3. Re:everquest by Dachannien · · Score: 1

      Lemme guess, you read this on teh Intarweb, right?

    4. Re:everquest by j.bellone · · Score: 1

      Wow, that's definately impressive. I have a lot of respect for anyone developing a MMOG; and this shows that at least Everquest (being years old) is still being supported by SOE. But I would probably take the same approach as you and stick those nice level 150s there to force-teach people to stop me from working ;).

      --
      I'm f#$king magic!
  3. What about the Suck? by snuf23 · · Score: 1

    I'll have to read the article, but I hope it provides insight into the location and specs of the Suck located at Sony Online Entertainment.
    It's long been speculated that the Suck resides close to management, although others have argued that is was transferred to the support department. It may in fact be on a office routing list hitting each department in turn.
    I myself would venture a guess that is near or even attached to the Machine of EverGrind which could possibly be causing the Suck to increase in size.

    --
    Sometimes my arms bend back.
  4. I've been there by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    They've got this really serious old security guard at the front desk (pictured). And it's a little tiny area, gets crowded easily. I tried to move out of the way, just a bit too far past the receptionist, without signing in, and he about tackled me. I had to tell him "Relax, I'm just moving out of the way." He just stared at me, ready to pounce.

    Don't remember much of the meetings I had down there, but I remember that. Wierd.

  5. Dull photos by Gogo+Dodo · · Score: 1

    The photos were rather dull. Where are the shots of the server rooms? I think that would be more interesting to the average /. viewer than somebody's rather boring cubicle.

    Maybe it was in the videos? I don't do WMV.

  6. I guess this got edited out ... by inkless1 · · Score: 5, Funny

    "We were surprised to peek inside SOE's customer service department, only to find a hoarde of wraiths feeding on human flesh and screaming to shut the door..."

    Seriously, their customer support sucks. At least it did a little bit ago, and ... well I'm still bitter.

    1. Re:I guess this got edited out ... by aztektum · · Score: 1

      I don't have mod points today but if anyone decides to mod this it should NOT be Funny because it painfully true

      --
      :: aztek ::
      No sig for you!!
    2. Re:I guess this got edited out ... by Winterblink · · Score: 1

      It is painfully true, and I've indicated this to SOE by cancelling any active subscriptions I had with them. That being said, that post was a riot mostly because I visualize things like that. And I could easily picture SOE's CS dept. being exactly that.

      --
      "I'm a leaf on the wind. Watch how I soar."
      -Hoban Washburn
    3. Re:I guess this got edited out ... by ThePiMan2003 · · Score: 1

      As a long time Sony customer I have to ask, what did they do to you to make you cancel? I always here about SOE's horribly customer service but I never get a good example.

    4. Re:I guess this got edited out ... by aztektum · · Score: 1
      I personally have no stories, but I have friends and friends of friends with tales that would put a shiver down your spine.

      Plus just lookit the msg boards. The SWG one (I read it with hope that there will some day be a post saying THIS GAME ROCKS! COME PLAY AGAIN!) is full of "Can I get an answer to my ticket??" type posts. One poor soul paid to have his character moved from one server to another and 3 weeks later it still hasn't happened with no acknowledgement whatsoever from SOE.

      --
      :: aztek ::
      No sig for you!!
    5. Re:I guess this got edited out ... by obsid1an · · Score: 1

      So basically the quality of customer service we have come to expect from every MMO in existance.

    6. Re:I guess this got edited out ... by Winterblink · · Score: 1

      It was less their customer service and more their ability to create games that interest me for the long term. I preordered EQ2 and started playing it from day #1, buying into their policy of having a meaninful purpose for every character class. So I took a scout, and when I hit my mid 20's I found it was so completely horrible for soloing that the game was unplayable. That is, unless I was grouping with a full, balanced group of people. In other words, playing the game precisely as SOE dictates it should be played.

      I'm not some anti-social loner in these games, I enjoy grouping with others. But there are days when I log in and I just want to play the game solo (and I'm not talking about just doing courier quests and boring crap like that), and that option just doesn't exist in the game. There was one level there where I could only solo hunt in *two* areas of Antonica. Repeated posts in the forums to the developers regarding this issue from myself and many others went answered only with new solo quests, no new solo mobs of any real substance.

      It seems to be like that with many of their efforts, so I've given up on their games. I've always been much more pleased with efforts like EVE Online, DAoC, CoH, and WoW.

      --
      "I'm a leaf on the wind. Watch how I soar."
      -Hoban Washburn
    7. Re:I guess this got edited out ... by inkless1 · · Score: 2, Interesting

      PlanetSide didn't work. I don't know how to make it more plain than that - it just didn't work. It would lock up. It would crash. I would spawn as a wall. Let me repeat that last one, because it's not a euphemism - I entered the game as a wall. I could watch people passing by my wall, and I could do nothing else.

      SOE's Customer Support staff wasn't just useless, they were completely casual about how useless they were. If you asked them a question - ANY question, they wouldn't respond directly. They would just give you a form letter detailing all the log files they insisted that you cut and paste before they would acknowledge your existence.

      And THEN they would really ignore you. I mean days would tick without even so much as an update post to let you know that they had even bothered to read these 4 page long log files.

      In other words, they weren't there to help you. They were there to gather your system information so that they could further beta test the software you just paid money for.

      I mocked this openly on their forums. I wasn't abusive, I wasn't insulting, although I was probably a little mean. I got banned.

      Not from the forums. From the game. For annoying their useless customer support I was banned from the game. I didn't TK anyone, grief anything, cheat in any way. All I did was get frustrated at not just a lack of help from SOE - but a lack of response. I didn't even get an email telling me I had been banned.

      This lack of response carried over to when they reinstated me. And didn't tell me. And started to charge my credit card.

      That's when I cancelled, insisted they refund my monthly fee (which to their credit, they did) and swore to never touch another SOE product again.

      (Sadly I've broken that bloodoath with their Champions of Norrath titles, but that's only out of respect for Snowblind)

  7. Press release by Lord_Dweomer · · Score: 3, Insightful
    This is nothing more than a glorified press release from Sony. They are partners with Filefront, and the entire purpose of this is to make Sony look cool, make it look like they care about their players, and to push their new expansion.

    Nothing to see here, move along.

    --
    Buy Steampunk Clothing Online!
    1. Re:Press release by Dachannien · · Score: 1

      It really isn't even a look at SOE - it only talks about EQ2, with casual mention of the three buildings in San Diego that house much of their business. They do have other games, but only EQ2 is considered to be in serious contention with World of Warcraft.

  8. Here is another view of SOE from a few years back by jasonmicron · · Score: 2, Informative

    Here is an interesting look from a 3rd party perspective on the inside of SOE taken from Mobhunter.com and was written by a (now) SOE EQ2 employee known as "Moorgard".

    Snippet from the article, "Editor's Note: Please check out part one of this story if you want to read the background of why I was at the SOE offices and to see what I learned about EQOA. Also feel free to check out the non-VAK version to save yourself the time of composing your own anti-SOE rant."

    The non-VAK version is pretty funny (even if you LOVE to be a "Verant Ass Kisser".

  9. no Sony hardware? by spir0 · · Score: 1

    Did anyone notice that they don't use Sony PCs? I saw a few Dell PCs, Samsung monitors, some dude using what is either an ancient AT keyboard or one of those daft Honeywell lookalikes, a Mitsubishi monitor, a JVC stereo system, Microsoft mice, an Apple cinema display monitor (which may or may not have been connected to a PC), and a little TV and video which weren't clear what brand they were, but didn't look like they had Sony badges.

    Why don't they use anything by Sony?

    I ask this question as a person who is a very loyal Sony fan. My VCR, TV, DV camera, digital still camera, minidisc player, and probably countless other pieces of hardware in my room are Sony.

    I work at NEC, and we make sure everything possible is NEC hardware. Yes, we get discounts and it saves us money, but it would portray a potentially damaging image if we were to use competing products.

    --
    The reason girls and Windows users don't understand UNIX is because all the documentation is in Man files.
    1. Re:no Sony hardware? by Rocketship+Underpant · · Score: 1

      "I ask this question as a person who is a very loyal Sony fan. [...] I work at NEC."

      Dear Spiroharvey:
      Clean out your cubicle. You're fired.

      Sincerely,
      Your Boss

      --
      He who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me.
    2. Re:no Sony hardware? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I saw a VIAO in there. It was probably about to burst into flames though, as is usual with VIAOs.

    3. Re:no Sony hardware? by j.bellone · · Score: 1

      Because the company employees themselves are the only ones who realize that their computer systems are shit. Normally the people who build the stuff (or work for the company) know exactly what goes into it; when you buy from another comapany, you have a general idea, but you don't work there so you can pull the sheet over your eyes.

      --
      I'm f#$king magic!
    4. Re:no Sony hardware? by spir0 · · Score: 1

      so they bought Dell machines?? that can't be the answer because Dell are the bottom of the barrel.

      --
      The reason girls and Windows users don't understand UNIX is because all the documentation is in Man files.
  10. Bit of a Turf Job here.... by GrnArmadillo · · Score: 1

    Not to say most "site visit" articles on my MMORPG of choice (WoW) don't wind up similarily slanted, but this "news" basically accepted Sony's party line whole cloth and reprinted it. I don't think that any such articles can actually be trusted since, at the end of the day, the "journalist" in question probably wants to be invited back someday.

  11. Inside SOE - by Jestor+Rodo · · Score: 1

    is a bunch of nimrods wetting their pants because a 5 month game , WoW has more players then all of their games combined.