Sony Online Entertainment’s highly anticipated debut into the MMO zombie survival genre got off to a poor start last week following poor server stability and questionable PR decisions in the wake of its early access steam launch. H1Z1’s launch was typical of the MMO genre, as was the response from the wider community. The initial server problems caused many players to express their frustration but things worsened for SOE when players discovered weapons could be found in premium-based airdrops. John Smedley, President of SOE, took to Reddit to explain the decisions behind the airdrop mechanic, as well as the plans to tweak and change its current purpose.
Despite the quick response many players felt they were misled in the build up to release, with many demanding refunds. Those seeking refunds are now able to do so but the opportunity will expire later today:
[quote cite=”John Smedley, President, Sony Online Entertainment”]If you feel like the airdrops are an issue for you, you may immediately request a refund to bwilcox@soe.sony.com – this offer applies till Monday and it applies only to people that have purchased the game as of 10:30am Pacific today 1/16/2015 –
Please note that this is going through us, not Steam. Which means it’s a little more work so please be patient with the actual refund (it may take a day or two).[/quote]
Today saw another post from Smedley, this time detailing the changes expected to arrive with today’s patch. Included in the patch will be improvements to the server browser, better frame rates, floating arrow fix and adjustments to shelter doors.
[quote cite=”John Smedley, President, Sony Online Entertainment”]This is meant to be kind of a starter list. The team is off today. The game is stable and the team needs a breather. Tomorrow is a holiday for SOE but we’re going to be in here anyways because we want to address these issues. Please add any immediate fix stuff here and we’ll try and get it in. Again, your help with self policing threads and getting a positive community going is requested. We’re only trying to focus on the stuff we all feel is important. Please help us with focusing on what we need to.[/quote]
Source: Reddit