On our semi-recent trip to
Sigil last month, I had an agenda: Find
The Pit and the "Pit Bosses" for VSoH! There has been lots of questions in people's heads about Customer Service, and it's exciting to see new GMs being added to the staff! Enter
GM Keejay and
GM Daegarmo! Of course, we didn't get to meet them, but I'm excited they have joined. This means progress!!
Being the shutter-bug of the group, I was always running around and looking for photo-ops. And, being one that gets lost easily in unfamiliar places, I trotted behind the others and tried not to get too far away, missing some of the shots I would have loved to get. Of course, had I had a map like I saw hanging on some of the walls....ohhh, boy! Brad gave us an arial view of the world via this
really_nice_map on one of his screens!
Being "just a little" A.D.D., overload comes easily! So I found it easier to take in the sights and sounds and concentrate more on people I've known in the past and what they are up to now. After playing EQ for five and a half years, I feel like I've grown up with some of these folks, and it was like coming home! So, imagine us all standing in a hallway when I turn around to see this petite person, that was so familiar to me, chasing down various Sigil employees. I stood there with this stupid grin on my face and stammered, "That's...that's....."
Enter
Michelle Butler, Pit Boss of Customer Service!
I got my hug!
(I'm all about hugs!)
Before seeing Brad, we crashed in the CS "mini-pit" for an informal chat with
Michelle, Steve (who has since been promoted to Associate Designer! Grats!!)
, Rachel and Ben, the hub of the growing GM/CS team!
Everyone was firing questions and laughing about things from the past, present and future. But we did get to ask some pointed questions and there are some things I can tell you and some that I can't. Michelle would hurt me, I know! And there are updates, I'm sure, but...that's definately sekrit sauce! This is what I can say:
Regarding the GMs, most of the information is already out. The five hired now will assist in training a growing staff very soon(tm) who will work together in the beta releases so that, by launch, it will be one very well-oiled machine! The 4-step GM Team will be put in place:
Investigative Team, Server Game Masters, Event Masters and
Game Masters. If you have any questions about that, or don't remember,
refer back here for a refresher course!
We did find out that the "CSR" concept will not be tolerated in VSoH! A high degree of respect is going to be brought back into focus and
Game
Master will mean just that: The person who is the authority figure and who will represent Sigil's standards and laws! And to that, we all said, "THANK YOU!!!!"
How many are there going to be? Enough, and if it proves not to be enough, there will be more! Ideally, they would love to have dedicated GMs for each server, but for now, it will probably be a shared responsibility. They do realize, tho, how important it is for the GMs to know the player base on each server, so that right there is a major step in the right direction!
And about
Crimson Fellowship, things are still in planning stages. Yes, it will be real. Yes, it will be a volunteer-based organization under the Sigil umbrella. Yes, there will be strict rules and YES, everyone will know, without a doubt when they sign up, that this is a serious position!
When are they going to open the gates for applications to that Team? Unknown at this time. Many details are still being worked out and the GMs need to take priority just now. I'm sure many saw Michelle's post a while back for past Seniors from
Everquest to contact her, and I'm sure some were going, "Uh-huh....!!" This didn't mean that those people were already in beta learning the game. This doesn't mean that it's going to be a little clique of people running around with puffed out chests. What this
does mean is that VSoH is striving to make this group as efficient and professional as the GM staff, and in doing so are looking for input from people who have worked using various Customer Service commands and principles. What was good, what was bad and what does VSoH need to be better?!
Under threat of death, I will stop there, but suffice it to say that we were all very excited and left that office confident that this game will pick up where others failed, so to speak. A lot has been learned by observation, and they are using that to the best of their ability.
When we were getting ready to leave, Michelle came running up to us and gave us a poster that she and all the GMs had signed to commemorate our visit with them. It's on my wall, framed and safe, because Pirotess recognized how close CS is to my heart. But it is a joint gift that means a lot to us, so thank you all again! If you look quick in our gallery, you'll see a picture of it!
I'd still like to thank
Paul Luna for taking such a chunk of his time showing us around. And
Zack Karlsson...don't you love finding out about connections?? To think, I had played with this guy and mourned when he dropped out of sight. And now, I find out he became a GM, so he couldn't tell us! Makes a gal absolutely giddy!
Glip, there are no words, but thank you for the time you gave us. And I thank your dad,
Keith Parkinson, for raising you in his likeness. You are, indeed, the Prince of Gnomes! (oh...I think I saw your pants under Ben's desk!)
Brad McQuaid, thank you again for your vision and the people you have surrounded yourself with. I think I will always remember sitting next to you and watching the joy you showed as you gave us a tour (and died, even! TWICE!) of your new world. And upon commenting to you that not everyone has the chance to create such a world, much less twice, I still see those wonderful eyes as you looked at me and said, "Yeah! I've been
very lucky!"
Haven't we all??!!
