Peace be with you.

[Mcdoc]

I truly love this game. It is my love for this game, love for the forumites I have come to know - many in person - and the overall feeling of connection to so many that has kept me in this game for so long.

I appreciate the immense task and time it takes to juggle all of the titles the Gree has for us to enjoy - I really do - I just hope that the customer support at Gree can step it up and value us as much as we value the game.

3 weeks to answer a ticket about a malfunction in the game with a generic "if you are still experiencing this problem - try your call again" is really more frustrating than the original issue and can sometimes bring out the worst in us as the frustration over a game explodes like a volcano when you look back at $500, $700, or even $100 worth of purchases last month. There really should be a better attempt to make us feel valuable to Gree as customers when we spend so much and really ask for so little in return.

When we get angry and get told we have violated the TOS - remember - we are at that boiling point because in our minds - You have violated OUR Terms of service. We have given you our Hard Earned dollars - many times more than we should in the heat of battle - as you have tapped into the impulse buying part of our ego's that feeds an addiction we didn't even know we had.

WE know gambling is illegal - yet the daily scratchers dance on the line of a lottery - so do the crate 10 events - yet the Terms of Service - or rather borderline illegal aspects of the game seem to fly under the radar of Apple and the Department of Justice - Federal Trade Commission - and a half dozen other agencies that would frown upon the exploits in this game.

So we know - we know that we volunteer ourselves to these exploits every time we buy gold to get ahead - increase the chance to win - we know - but we love the game - the thrill - the excitement - the camaraderie of our factions - the long term connections we have made on the forums - but please don't forget that it is US who put money in your pockets - so before this bitter taste in our mouths turns us completely against the game - remember who YOU are dealing with - a paying customer - ones who have invested time and money for over 16 months - because if the wrecking ball is let loose - no one standing in its way can put their hand up and stop it.

With all that - I apologize to the moderators and my fellow forumites for words written out of anger and frustration earlier today as I felt so violated and manipulated by the information before me. Even though I love the game so much - I still want to hold on to my last thread of dignity that it is MY choice to play and MY choice when I will quit playing this game.

I respect the rules of the TOS and appreciate it when actions are taken to protect the integrity of the forums - I crossed the line and I thank you for letting me cool off and allowing my account to once again be active. I hope to be an asset to this game and this community - but the respect HAS to go both ways.

As a former military man - I believe in a chain of command - and while on this tiny little stage - we have those in authority who we are accountable to - you need to also realize that there is a long chain of command that exceeds this forum and even the poor excuse for customer service. A chain of command that includes Apple itself - who takes threats of cancelling someone's game after a $10,000 plus investment very serious - seemingly more serious than the Customer Service reps at Gree. Then legally, State and Federal Trade agencies are not a light threat - they have shut down other games that meet certain gambling criteria - which a solid argument could really be made about the mechanics of all Gree games - but that is the last thing any of us want - so we keep your little secret and keep paying to play the game.

Leadership isn't easy - leading a faction - leading a discussion - and a few of us old timers leading the charge. It takes more courage to say what isn't popular - but what needs to be said - putting yourself at risk of retaliation whether against your own government, or the moderator of a forum - but a mutual respect and open communication between customers and customer service is the best way to ensure this game that we love is around another 12 months.

We honestly come here to give you insight on what we want - what needs to be fixed - and point out those who cheapen our game experience BECAUSE we want this game to be around for a long time. If we didn't care about the game - we wouldn't spend time here in the forum. Honestly - we try to tell you what it is that would make us spend more money on your game - if you would only listen to and value what we are trying to tell you - and most of us - value us. When there is an issue - error on our side with the unit we didn't get because our game was frozen out yet we bought the cash or gold to do the quest - error on our side when there is an issue and make us feel good about the game by just doing the simple little thing that costs you nothing - yet maintains a loving customer.

My humble request is that we all realize that our concerns have definitely been heard now - and that Gree will work quickly to resolve the issues at hand. It is a shame many of us got to the point of frustration that these issues were not being dealt with properly with "normal" channels of reporting things behind the scenes - so much so that these issues had to be drug out here for everyone to see - but that is the nature of conflict. If you can't resolve it privately with dignity and you feel that there is no accountability for injustices - then you drag those things out into the light for everyone to see and hope that the mass knowledge will somehow help those issues become more of priority - which is what we witnessed today - not new issues - but old issues that seem to be ignored.

Let's all give Gree a chance to do the right thing - give customer service and the developers the benefit of a doubt that they too want this game to live on - and let the tone of the forum get back to helping others and enjoying the game.

Sorry - I didn't mean this to become a manifest - but I am obviously passionate about Modern War and this Forum. We should be so lucky to have more people who felt this strongly about the game - especially a few more in the Customer Service department.

My wife often tells me if I put as much passion into my business and our marriage as I put into this game - things could be SO much better for us - I am embarrassed that I ever heard those words from her mouth - and days like today make me feel even more foolish about it. I am close to making my peace all the way around.

I've said my peace - I am at peace - I am patiently waiting to see how things unfold over the next few weeks - and I am ready to move on and enjoy the game as long as there is a mutual respect between the paying customers and the ones who accept our money - there is an obligation on both sides - and even though our terms of service aren't written out for you to comply with - there are plenty of laws that have laid them out for us and there are expectations on BOTH sides of this transaction.

Oh - one last thing - I appreciate the job the mods have to keep us from boiling over and driving ourselves into a mad frenzy - the hard task to react to the moment and just stop the bleeding - and most of all - appreciate the calm after the storm to move on and enjoy the game.

Peace be with you

[King little fruit fly]

Well said. Peace, bro and have fun or just quit.

If you want to hear what PJ has to say about this, head over to
http://pj.55buick.com/, very funny stuffs and index is changing all the time you would not know what you get each time. ;)

[Cuthbert (B$A)]

Too long. Did not read. ;)

[Mcdoc]

Too long. Did not read. ;)

It's ok - it wasn't meant for you :)

[Fudge Packer]

Some very good points McDoc, what people don't realize, for various reasons, is that there's a select few of very active MW players and forum members who work with Gree in the background.

Anyone who claims Gree don't care, or do nothing, is wrong and not in possession of all the facts. Anything I've ever reported has been acted on (maybe sometimes not as fast as it should be, but that's the nature of life) including some very serious issues.

People don't see this, which is OK, yet claim hacker at every turn without any evidence and just hear say. Maybe now people are realizing what's really going on, and might actually help Gree instead of calling no action.

Sorry mickmacgirl but perception is everything, as a paying customer I want to be told what is going and see the results, being told that "we are looking into it" and "it's been passed to our developers" doesn't cut it any more, no one would tolerate this if they were purchasing a product or service from a shop on the high street.

Far too much bottom kissing goes on with regards to CJ and other mods, they actually do nothing and share no information. Customer services is a joke!

[stealyourface]

Well said op

[Procyon]

Eloquently said, McDoc.

[Bravo Zulu]

I truly love this game. It is my love for this game, love for the forumites I have come to know - many in person - and the overall feeling of connection to so many that has kept me in this game for so long.

Your candor is refreshing and your honesty humbling. We all blow off steam. I'm not saying this to point a finger, excuse, or place blame, but what i have always seen is that when some long term, really invested players vent- well, others take that and run with it.

I first came to the forums for information- and there was plenty. Best strategies, where to find good units, how to stop someone from raiding you, what to do about nasty posts. There were thoughtful and reflective comments everywhere made by people who really liked the game.

People have become passionate because they perceive a threat- and it is a different passion that exists for our spouses, our children, our work. The real threat is that things are falling apart at a time when we have made real connections to real people and feel a sense of camaraderie- and none of us have been able to express what that really means. If 7 months ago we were all faced with frustration and disappointment in Gree's business model, we would have quit. It would not have been difficult if people had thought back then that things were as bad as people think they are now.

We are also suffering "real casualties" in having to say goodbye to people we have gotten to know in the game- people that are leaving our factions or quitting the game because of x y z. When x y or z is something we think Gree is responsible for, it is even harder. A human component makes this game so much better, but creates issues I never thought I would face/feel in an ipad game. I was looking for something to kill time, never expecting to become invested in the least.

The wife of a guy in my faction is pregnant with their first. We were on the forum when she took her test, we were the first to know she got the plus sign. We knew when her first doctors appointment was, and a couple of days ago we saw the first ultrasound pictures. We know he is excited and we know he is terrified. We are all adults, our youngest is 27 in the faction. The tornado in Ok- the one where the KFC employee caught it on his phone? That KFC is a franchise that belongs to one of our faction members. We worried about him, his family, his employees.

When my mother was in the hospital they were offering suggestions and well wishes, and joking with her through groupme. I have heard many people on this forum say we are not really "friends" in the factions- but I beg to differ.

I worry about losing them. I worry that if something doesn't give, we will lose more people. I thought at first spending less time on the forum would help- mob mentality is never productive, and yes, we have all seen the frenzies that can get worked up in no time at all. I come here because I still need some information- the winners list, start dates, changes, advice on how to handle in game situations when they happen.

But I think that venting is counterproductive sometime in a venue this big. When I am mad at my boss, or my husband, or even a friend- I vent to someone else. Why? Because we say things in anger that should not be said. Anger clouds our judgment. I vent to someone else and if in the end I think it is something that needs to be discussed with the person, I do that when I am not angry anymore. Even if what I was angry about is legitimate, when we talk to someone in anger they shut us out, become defensive, and don't listen.

We can say they are a business and they have a responsibility to us- and that is true. But they are people too. And more often than not, they probably have good intentions.

I think we need to take the forum back, and moderate ourselves and each other. Strive to be constructive, pointed, and concise so that our real concerns don't get lost in all of the name calling and irrelevant BS. If I start a thread I can delete it if it gets out of hand.

I can ignore trolls and refuse to be 'baited' into responding to the unnecessary BS they say. When someone is not helpful, or flaming, maybe the answer is not to let them annoy, frustrate, or make us angry. We give them a voice by acknowledging what they say as if it were legitimate- and when we let that add to what is already very real frustration, the threads decent into chaos and often I miss the points people are trying to make. If the Gree moderators did not have to sift through trolling BS as well as OUR responses to trolling BS, maybe we have a better chance of them getting our points.

McDoc took responsibility for his part, and that is the key to effective two way communication. We are adults. We have a responsibility for how this forum has evolved into a verbal sparring match, and maybe we should take responsibility for that and out a stop to our part of it. Then, what we actually want Gree to focus on will be much more clear to them- and even to us.

Someone posted that if you complain about your meal in a restaurant, you are not asked to leave because you complained. The restaurant, and good business practices, know they have to fix it. But if you curse at the waitress, shout at the manager, call them names, degrade their business, and threaten them- they will throw you out. Or call the police. You know what else? The police will not make them refund you the price of the dinner you were complaining about. They will advise you to not to spend your money there anymore.

[Generik79]

I agree with what was well put here by MCDOC. However, I will ask, with this call to once again sit back, relax, and see how GREE handles things, how many times will we flame up, calm down, and wait for GREE, before we realize we are really just waiting for Godot? This very procedure has happened at least 3 times in 2 months' time: gold bonus program, TAR, etc., and now this. Food for your thought.

[lemonhaze]

Well said. Peace, bro and have fun or just quit.

If you want to hear what PJ has to say about this, head over to
http://pj.55buick.com/, very funny stuffs and index is changing all the time you would not know what you get each time. ;) thanks fruit fly i like reading PJs post as we see more and more of gree getting mad and saying to us u violated TOS and ban our acts here and on the game his posts are makeing more and more sense to me

[Ferr]

Mc.... When one is right one does not need to apologize, the other one should. I respect you a lot but it kind of hurts and i pity you for what you did. Gree has put you in a corner where good guys do not belong.
Be safe friend,

[mxz]

Mc.... When one is right one does not need to apologize, the other one should. I respect you a lot but it kind of hurts and i pity you for what you did. Gree has put you in a corner where good guys do not belong.
Be safe friend,That's the wrong attitude. Personally, I think CJ handled it correctly...making sure there wasn't a full blown riot. Any time we post with emotions rather than facts we lose credibility. Many people did that yesterday.

Some very good points McDoc, what people don't realize, for various reasons, is that there's a select few of very active MW players and forum members who work with Gree in the background.

Anyone who claims Gree don't care, or do nothing, is wrong and not in possession of all the facts. Anything I've ever reported has been acted on (maybe sometimes not as fast as it should be, but that's the nature of life) including some very serious issues.

People don't see this, which is OK, yet claim hacker at every turn without any evidence and just hear say. Maybe now people are realizing what's really going on, and might actually help Gree instead of calling no action.I'm confused. Please don't take this as a personal attack but a dialog starter. Last night you claimed to have known about this specific issue long ago. You've stated numerous times that you've been working with Gree on things (no doubt there). Yet CJ claimed they have no idea what's going on here because no one (on either side) has explained it to them, yet.

I heard the same from Sean when I explained the in / outs and specific vulnerability behind Respect/Valor glitching to him.

So, from my perspective, what I'm seeing is a disconnect between Gree's actual and stated knowledge on this topic; or you've been sitting on these vulnerabilities rather than bringing them up. If that's the case, and I hope its not, the guardian angel of the community title may be a bit much to be trying to sell to us.

V/r,
-mxz

[Zedsdead]

check ur pm mxz

So your answer isn't for the rest of us? You posted your quasi reply on a pubic forum, after all. I think the rest of us are curious about this apparent disconnect between CJ's public statements and yours.

[Mcdoc]

Hey Ferr - thanks for the remarks my friend - but I knew I was crossing the line when I made a few remarks along the lines of "if you can't beat them - join them" and I fully expected that my tongue in cheek remarks might land me a 24 to 72 hour ban - so CJ did the responsible thing to stop the mob - and I deserved my temporary cooling off period.

I am just thankful that I have the 99% Ban Regen Hack that turned my one year ban into 7 hours - LoL

As far as being backed into a corner - we all lost something huge yesterday - still love the game - but now my desire to buy gold for events has lost a whole lot of enthusiasm as I contemplate how long the issues brought up yesterday were known by Gree and allowed to run amuck - mostly because those issues actually benefitted Gree by pushing up the Top 10 spending.

This is the first time my faction was in Top 10 (8th to be exact) and were less than 2 million out of 3rd (it is usually more like a 3 to 6 million gap). As someone else pointed out - there was only a 1.7 million difference between 4th place & 11th place. I am not sure HOW much Of that is directly related to the issue at hand - but it sure made me feel foolish about spending real money if some people had that kind of advantage for a couple of wars now & are confident enough to brag about it.

Thanks again for the support - but believe it or not - I am thankful for CJ's reaction to the situation. I just hope some of our other long time respected Forumites are given a second chance soon!

[thundarr]

As an employer I treat my customers and employees well. I make sure my employees are well paid and happy. Once an employee gets a better offer and you try and respond by matching it and they look at you and think why did I have to quit or threaten to leave to get this. Why didn't they appreciate me enough to just give it to without my having resort to this and even if they do stay its never the same. I have seen hundreds of people come and go in my 40+ year career. The same goes for customers. You do the best you can and even if you have to give them something they really shouldn't get you can justify it if they are good customers. The same goes with this game. People are spending a fortune without getting a tangible item in return like a Iphone, furniture, computer or something they really want. They are spending it on an illusion. So when they find out they are getting duped or wasting their hard earned money they will never feel the same way again no matter what is done. Their trust is irretrievably broken. I feel foolish for having spent as much as I did but I am a grown man and I take responsibility for my actions. I will never spend another penny on this game but I will remain a free player and enjoy my faction and enjoy this forum a lot more.

[JimmyThePick]

Great post Mcdoc. Hear, hear. And yes, I did read the whole thing :) There have been numerous calls across a variety of threads asking (pleading even) for GREE to do the right thing recently. This might be a naive statement, but I sincerely hope they are listening.