So I ran across a thread today in Branik's game forum. Member Angels_Wings (with 948 posts and 12 karma btw) noticed something that had been overlooked and was ripped a new one for it.
Here is her post, all the bold text is my emphasis:
"i was just in the Trade Ya board where i saw that Jubadove was banned for asking for a Regular import in trade. but where i dont understand the fairness is why was she banned when a Mod asked for the same thing Earlier that same day and was not called out on it, in fact not even a mention about its inappropriateness , yet jubadove received a week long banning. i certainly am not saying that it was overlooked intentionally but would like to call attention to it."
So the OP noticed something that seemed unfair. Not a big surprise since Branik actually does pick favorites. By favorites I mean people that agree completely with her and avoid rocking the boat. The OP is sure to add that she isn't saying it was necessarily intentional. That means she is NOT saying it was favoritism. She's just bringing it to everyone's attention.
"jubadoves thread was started after 4 pm. perhaps because a mod was seen asking for the same items they felt it ok to ask for and seeing as they assume the "going rate" for it was 20k ( which is what The Mod was offering) it seems logical that this is the case. "
Yes, that's very logical as far as I'm concerned. I would be suspicious, too.
"im sorry if anyone feels like i am stepping on toes bringing this out but my sense of fairness just wasnt going to let this go right now."
Very polite and well-meaning imho. The OP saw something that concerned her and was questioning it. I would have, too.
Now! Do you think Branik has the common decency to approach this in a tactful manner? Let's see!
"Tacky.
Very tacky.
You got something to call me out on, you need to use contact us and talk to me one on one.
Now here's a little something that your mind likely didn't consider. I didn't see the other thread. Yeah imagine that. I didn't get through every single thread on the board.
In fact I have not read anything on that board since I installed it and Mashie moved everything to it. This morning the thread title "Imports" caught my eye from the main board index, where it shows the most recent thread posted to for each section. I clicked. I saw. Due to the DDoS attack it has taken me since 11 AM (now 1:15 PM) to post what I did, and get Jubadove's ban in place. I INTEND to go read the other threads now.
Now you can apologize for your insinuations of favoritism. I can't believe you would have the nerve to accuse ME of all people of not being fair in discipline. Disgusting."
Well, well, well... Who here is NOT surprised? That's right. No one is surprised?
Branik, if you want players to contact you one-on-one you need to stop using people as examples and calling them out. If you post in your own forum in such a personal manner you cease to be the mysterious administrator. You are now a common player no matter what title you present under your name. A forum is TOO PERSONAL.
Judging by Branik's reply she probably should have said something along the lines of "I see where you are concerned, but unfortunately I have not had a chance to get through all of the threads because of more dire circumstances. I plan on getting through all of then as soon as possible. Thank you for keeping an eye on things."
Of course, Branik has to flame everyone. Her tone is demeaning and hostile. She is creating an environment that causes anger. That is very unprofessional. Then again, Branik has never been known to be professional.
After all of that she asks for an apology for "accusing her of favoritism," which NEVER HAPPENED. She's paranoid and making things up in her head. She had the perfect opportunity to sets people's minds at ease, but she blew it. Big time.
Funny enough, her rarely seen slave... I mean husband comes to the rescue. Read on!
"WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE, TO MAKE THIS STATEMENT.
BRANIK IS ONLY ONE PERSON. maybe you people should notify support of things like this so it can be taken care of faster. oh by the way THE BUTTON IS RIGHT ON THE POST TO LET US KNOW ABOUT **I have a potty mouth** LIKE THIS WHEN YOU SEE IT."
Fake internet yelling with caps? Check. Swearing in a forum where swearing is filtered out? Check. Attacking on a personal level (example being the who the hell do you think you are)? Check. Not helping the situation at all? Double Check!
So apparently Branik DID find a good match. Who would have thought! I for one envisioned someone that was terrified for his life because he realized the woman he fell for was bat-shit insane. Guess not! I guess he just wanted a dominatrix.
Here are the next three posts:
"*coughs* I think we need to clone you, Branik.
And for the record, you are 100% fair 100% of the time." - poplarplace
"From the short time I have been on here , I for one, have not seen Bran or Bear show any partiality even to the admins and others who have been here for a while.
On another note, it is up to all of us to watch out for things like this and message support about it if we are not sure it is within the guidelines. Bran and Bear, you do a great job and make it much easier on all of us that I think sometimes we take you for granted. " - mom2ashley
"I agree. I've NEVER seen any partiality either. Don't know where that came from..." - poplarplace
Let me tell you girls... you are blind. You are so blind that you are brown-nosing so hard that shit's coming off your face. Why don't you give up, open your eyes, and realize your beloved fantasy world is probably going to collapse in on itself?
I am 100% positive you are both sweet, sweet, intelligent young ladies, but dropping to your knees and worshiping Branik as infalliable is not doing yourselves any justice. Stop curling into a little ball and whimpering every time that Branik raises her e-voice. Do yourselves a favor and stop selling yourselves short!
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Why ER Sucks: A Novel
Okay, I'm a nerd. I'll admit it. I like video games, thick rimmed glasses, corporate coffee shops, and rock n' roll. I also think horsies are cute. Maybe it is a throwback to my childhood years where I wanted to have my very own horse, but was denied that because horses are pretty expensive. What I really mean by that is: horses are a rich person's hobby. If you're rich, you can have horses. If you're not... you're better off just taking lessons, a one-hour trail ride, or perhaps renting/ leasing.
Anyway, if I combine horses and the internet, I get horse sims. There are roughly a quarter of a million of these games available. Some are free, some cost money. All of them are made somewhat unprofessionally. There are a couple larger scale horse sims, but they're not online nor are they the subject of my discussion.
I'm a busy person, but I like to be lazy sometimes. Horse sims can be "fun" to fiddle around with occasionally. Its a game. Games are supposed to be fun. Genetics companies have already made not-fun genetics games. We use them in class. They're not fun.
However, being a nerd I am also interested in science. That means that I like somewhat accurate/ realistic horse sims. I searched for awhile and thought I found one. It was called SomeHorseGame.
There were a lot of things I liked about the game. There was genetic testing for horses, many breeds, accurate color inheritance, and it was easy. It pretty much required no thought and the colors were pleasant to look at.
After awhile, the game became less and less fun. Initially, I thought the game owner's boldness was a bit refreshing. It was nice that she wasn't taking crap from people, but it soon got to the point where I didn't see where she was coming from. It started to appear that she'd single people out, harass them until they lost their composure, and throw them to the dogs. It was sickening. It was horribly unprofessional.
She had a forum where people could talk. People who disagreed with her were disgraced. People who agreed with her appeared to be doing it to save their own skins. It was a hostile environment, and people have really cut back even posting there. Why? Its dangerous. If something gets your goat and the admin doesn't think its a valid opinion you would have to be prepared for someone telling you how stupid you were, how wrong you were, how uneducated and idiotic you were. You were a bitch, a cunt, a brat, useless to the world, and not deserving of being in "her majesty's presence." Proving her wrong was useless. She can erase posts, lie, and swear. ALL of her points were magically the best, not matter how many times they've been proven wrong. There is no use arguing.
Arguing in itself was a horrible idea. You had to debate, but she could attack. Her forums are the best example of a double standard I could see. If I was a game admin, I wouldn't have brought this stuff up in the first place. It would be my job to act professionally. I'm supposed to be an example, not an exception. In the end, it is still sickening.
Besides the game owner being a horrible human being, other things started to rear their ugly heads. Unlike many other horse sims I've played, you easily lose your information. You can lose all of your work. The game owner will make a change that completely nullifies everything you've done. This denies you the chance of any satisfaction related to hard work, careful planning, and lots of clicking. It makes all the time you've spend, all of the money you've spend, entirely wasted. Is that a fun game? No.
Don't get me wrong, updates are nice. Just not at the expense of the last few months of work. That is enough to turn many people away from a game.
In relation to changes and updates: If you're against numbers, and you eliminate them causing players to have to relearn how to play, don't go back around and ADD NEW ONES IN. My actual issue deals with eliminating the physical characteristic numbers and then adding in the COI. The COI is NOT something the normal person can just see. This is something that needs calculated. It is useless only going back three generations anyway. If the COI is still something that is definitely wanted then hide it and let people calculate it themselves. When I buy a horse, I don't see the COI of that animal tattooed on it's butt.
One of my biggest pet peeves is the colors. The colors are somewhat accurate with a few issues here and there, but the basic colors are fine. I have a problem with changing the names. People have gotten together and decided on names for champagne and pearl and changing the names to rather cheesy things like platinum and sesame is just silly.
So in summary:
Pros:
Game generated pictures - you can't upload your own (which is great!)
Somewhat realistic COLOR genetics
Simple and easy to play
Lots of hidden stats to be discovered
Cons:
Game Owner is the biggest bitch in the whole wide world
Color terminology is subject to the whims of the game owner
Frequent updates nullify work done by players
Frequent updates that provide useless information
NO free trial, you have to pay to see what the full game is like (even WoW doesn't do that)
Game is always "under construction"
Hostile forum environment
There is so much more to talk about and I'm sure I'll bring it up in due time.
Anyway, if I combine horses and the internet, I get horse sims. There are roughly a quarter of a million of these games available. Some are free, some cost money. All of them are made somewhat unprofessionally. There are a couple larger scale horse sims, but they're not online nor are they the subject of my discussion.
I'm a busy person, but I like to be lazy sometimes. Horse sims can be "fun" to fiddle around with occasionally. Its a game. Games are supposed to be fun. Genetics companies have already made not-fun genetics games. We use them in class. They're not fun.
However, being a nerd I am also interested in science. That means that I like somewhat accurate/ realistic horse sims. I searched for awhile and thought I found one. It was called SomeHorseGame.
There were a lot of things I liked about the game. There was genetic testing for horses, many breeds, accurate color inheritance, and it was easy. It pretty much required no thought and the colors were pleasant to look at.
After awhile, the game became less and less fun. Initially, I thought the game owner's boldness was a bit refreshing. It was nice that she wasn't taking crap from people, but it soon got to the point where I didn't see where she was coming from. It started to appear that she'd single people out, harass them until they lost their composure, and throw them to the dogs. It was sickening. It was horribly unprofessional.
She had a forum where people could talk. People who disagreed with her were disgraced. People who agreed with her appeared to be doing it to save their own skins. It was a hostile environment, and people have really cut back even posting there. Why? Its dangerous. If something gets your goat and the admin doesn't think its a valid opinion you would have to be prepared for someone telling you how stupid you were, how wrong you were, how uneducated and idiotic you were. You were a bitch, a cunt, a brat, useless to the world, and not deserving of being in "her majesty's presence." Proving her wrong was useless. She can erase posts, lie, and swear. ALL of her points were magically the best, not matter how many times they've been proven wrong. There is no use arguing.
Arguing in itself was a horrible idea. You had to debate, but she could attack. Her forums are the best example of a double standard I could see. If I was a game admin, I wouldn't have brought this stuff up in the first place. It would be my job to act professionally. I'm supposed to be an example, not an exception. In the end, it is still sickening.
Besides the game owner being a horrible human being, other things started to rear their ugly heads. Unlike many other horse sims I've played, you easily lose your information. You can lose all of your work. The game owner will make a change that completely nullifies everything you've done. This denies you the chance of any satisfaction related to hard work, careful planning, and lots of clicking. It makes all the time you've spend, all of the money you've spend, entirely wasted. Is that a fun game? No.
Don't get me wrong, updates are nice. Just not at the expense of the last few months of work. That is enough to turn many people away from a game.
In relation to changes and updates: If you're against numbers, and you eliminate them causing players to have to relearn how to play, don't go back around and ADD NEW ONES IN. My actual issue deals with eliminating the physical characteristic numbers and then adding in the COI. The COI is NOT something the normal person can just see. This is something that needs calculated. It is useless only going back three generations anyway. If the COI is still something that is definitely wanted then hide it and let people calculate it themselves. When I buy a horse, I don't see the COI of that animal tattooed on it's butt.
One of my biggest pet peeves is the colors. The colors are somewhat accurate with a few issues here and there, but the basic colors are fine. I have a problem with changing the names. People have gotten together and decided on names for champagne and pearl and changing the names to rather cheesy things like platinum and sesame is just silly.
So in summary:
Pros:
Game generated pictures - you can't upload your own (which is great!)
Somewhat realistic COLOR genetics
Simple and easy to play
Lots of hidden stats to be discovered
Cons:
Game Owner is the biggest bitch in the whole wide world
Color terminology is subject to the whims of the game owner
Frequent updates nullify work done by players
Frequent updates that provide useless information
NO free trial, you have to pay to see what the full game is like (even WoW doesn't do that)
Game is always "under construction"
Hostile forum environment
There is so much more to talk about and I'm sure I'll bring it up in due time.
Where do I start?
Honestly, since her blog opened yesterday Branik has posted so many times you need to go back a page. Goodness, gracious! Someone has emotional problems, huh?
Honestly, I highly doubt Branik has much more of a problem other than Histrionic Personality Disorder. A.K.A. Internet Attention Whore. She made a blog about running an online, browser-based, horse breeding simulation that's is HARDLY accurate. It's not like she posts every now and then about something really, ridiculous, she's getting mad about things that every small-scale game owner has to deal with. Sorry, honey, you're not special.
If your game was so special, why would anyone play another one? Frankly, it ISN'T hard. It's probably the easiest horse sim I've ever playing in my entire life. And that's saying a lot. I enjoy putting about the internet when I'm feeling like vegging out, which is often. I just started one that roughly a million times harder and appears just as genetically accurate, if not more so.
I'll break my thoughts down for you folks.
#1 Branik is histrionic. Here are some signs for your viewing pleasure:
"essential feature of the histrionic personality disorder is a pervasive and excessive pattern of emotionality and attention-seeking behavior"
Flipping out? Check. Whining non-stop? Check. Throwing tantrums? Check. Swearing around children? Double check.
"Women with HPD are described as self-centered, self-indulgent, and intensely dependent on others" Constantly on the internet, eh Bran? Gotta talk at people that you'll never meet? Can't find anyone else that will listen to you or care what you have to say? Every time you post its about how much of a genius you are, how hard your life is, and how far you've come. Every time anyone posts with their problem, you have to take one step further. Their dog died? Yours was murdered by your arch nemesis. Someone's car got a scratch? Yours was blown up by terrorists. Okay, I might be exaggerating with the examples, but that's basically what it sounds like. It is ALL about you.
"They are emotionally shallow and have difficulty understanding others or themselves in any depth" This one hits the nail on the head. Branik said herself that. Here's a cute Branik quote:
"The minute I would get comfortable at a place of employment, I'd get fired. I would always think I was finally getting along and it would just surprise me out of left field. I never saw it coming. Only once did I last at one company for more than two years and my career at that franchise was like a yo-yo. I was promoted and demoted and bounced from one store to another so often I often didn't know what job I was doing or where I was working from one day to the next.
Another thing that tended to take me off guard was finding out that people I worked with hated me. I would be going along thinking we got along good, and find out that they can't stand me. I will never grasp that kind of deceptive behavior, but man NTs are bad about it."
I don't want to quote too much, but I can if its requested. She basically goes around saying how she doesn't care/ understand other human being and how dumb they are. She's also a genius and not arrogant. Hmmm.
Here are some more! I don't have enough hours in the day to show evidence of all of them, but if you want it I WILL provide.
"Women with HPD may show inappropriate and intense anger"
"Excessive sensitivity to criticism or disapproval"
"Excessive dramatics with exaggerated displays of emotions"
"Constant seeking of reassurance or approval"
"A need to be the center of attention"
"Low tolerance for frustration or delayed gratification"
"Making rash decisions"
Honestly, I know nothing of Branik's personal relationships, and I'd rather never know. We've had hints and suggestions about it, especially the idea that a female player was showing the same actions as an "abusive ex." Uh... what? You're clinically insane.
The next post will be about the game itself.
Honestly, I highly doubt Branik has much more of a problem other than Histrionic Personality Disorder. A.K.A. Internet Attention Whore. She made a blog about running an online, browser-based, horse breeding simulation that's is HARDLY accurate. It's not like she posts every now and then about something really, ridiculous, she's getting mad about things that every small-scale game owner has to deal with. Sorry, honey, you're not special.
If your game was so special, why would anyone play another one? Frankly, it ISN'T hard. It's probably the easiest horse sim I've ever playing in my entire life. And that's saying a lot. I enjoy putting about the internet when I'm feeling like vegging out, which is often. I just started one that roughly a million times harder and appears just as genetically accurate, if not more so.
I'll break my thoughts down for you folks.
#1 Branik is histrionic. Here are some signs for your viewing pleasure:
"essential feature of the histrionic personality disorder is a pervasive and excessive pattern of emotionality and attention-seeking behavior"
Flipping out? Check. Whining non-stop? Check. Throwing tantrums? Check. Swearing around children? Double check.
"Women with HPD are described as self-centered, self-indulgent, and intensely dependent on others" Constantly on the internet, eh Bran? Gotta talk at people that you'll never meet? Can't find anyone else that will listen to you or care what you have to say? Every time you post its about how much of a genius you are, how hard your life is, and how far you've come. Every time anyone posts with their problem, you have to take one step further. Their dog died? Yours was murdered by your arch nemesis. Someone's car got a scratch? Yours was blown up by terrorists. Okay, I might be exaggerating with the examples, but that's basically what it sounds like. It is ALL about you.
"They are emotionally shallow and have difficulty understanding others or themselves in any depth" This one hits the nail on the head. Branik said herself that. Here's a cute Branik quote:
"The minute I would get comfortable at a place of employment, I'd get fired. I would always think I was finally getting along and it would just surprise me out of left field. I never saw it coming. Only once did I last at one company for more than two years and my career at that franchise was like a yo-yo. I was promoted and demoted and bounced from one store to another so often I often didn't know what job I was doing or where I was working from one day to the next.
Another thing that tended to take me off guard was finding out that people I worked with hated me. I would be going along thinking we got along good, and find out that they can't stand me. I will never grasp that kind of deceptive behavior, but man NTs are bad about it."
I don't want to quote too much, but I can if its requested. She basically goes around saying how she doesn't care/ understand other human being and how dumb they are. She's also a genius and not arrogant. Hmmm.
Here are some more! I don't have enough hours in the day to show evidence of all of them, but if you want it I WILL provide.
"Women with HPD may show inappropriate and intense anger"
"Excessive sensitivity to criticism or disapproval"
"Excessive dramatics with exaggerated displays of emotions"
"Constant seeking of reassurance or approval"
"A need to be the center of attention"
"Low tolerance for frustration or delayed gratification"
"Making rash decisions"
Honestly, I know nothing of Branik's personal relationships, and I'd rather never know. We've had hints and suggestions about it, especially the idea that a female player was showing the same actions as an "abusive ex." Uh... what? You're clinically insane.
The next post will be about the game itself.
Introductions!
Here's a new blog to discuss why ER sucks. Frankly, if you're here you think its lame. If you don't think ER is lame you shouldn't be here. You guys have your own blog.
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