I'm glad there's finally an update but I can't say it made me feel any warm and fuzzier, and I really don't bite the whole "don't worry it's the holidays bro" mentality.

I've been on vacation from my job for the past week and a half and I've STILL been taking phone calls, answering emails, and digging up information-- because the world doesn't stop just because santa claus is coming to town. Work is work and when shit happens, people have to go in. Hell, people at fucking starbucks were flat out WORKING on christmas day.

The fact of the matter is when something breaks, someone needs to fix it. This was a giant fuck up on the sites behalf-- really, only one person has the solution key and no one else double checked the right script? Why wasn't one person who could fix it required to be on call with a company computer? Considering how well this didn't work last year, did staff seriously just go "it's perfect, it's coding brilliance, there's no reason we need to watch this, let's call it a day boys what could possibly go wrong!"?

Also glad to know the past four days of "we're working on it!" was code name for the people who can fix this are MIA so really no one's doing anything. That makes me feel way better about waiting 5 days for something that sounds like it's still, debatably, fixable.

I'll sing the staff's praises when and if this is actually fixed, and I sure as shit won't be using this crap next year.

me me me want want want piss and moan piss and moan

is a lot of what i've been seeing pretty lame thats all i have to say

thanks for the update! I'll keep a lookout for the news post and hopefully some time today it'll be fixed but it's a shame it had to come to this. Stay safe and have a Happy New Year. :)

I must say I agree with and

While I find it somewhat admirable that someone on staff stepped up and took responsibility for this situation, accepting responsibility isn't some magical action that makes everything ok. Not when similar issues have happened in previous years... and the same people were staff members then. Why aren't you guys learning from your mistakes?

If users knew that planned a vacation where he would have limited access to the internet, surely staff must have... so not having the tools you need to do your job, when you should know that there is a very good chance you will need to do said job, is not ok. It is unprofessional.

But this is what really bothers me:

Why aren't backups happening more frequently?!?!

hugs

Yep. You messed up. Congrats on being human. :) Good for you for owning it.

Note to other staffers:
Could somebody… maybe… idk, give her a hand? Thanks!

Pissing and moaning? There's 6 pages of utter asskissing (who knew it only took $2.50 to win over the hearts of the masses?) with all of three people going "yeah no that's not okay, wow".

No wonder staff never learns from their mistakes, with so many people coddling them and telling them it'll be okay and it's fine that nothing works correctly it was almost there you'll get it next time! I'm very glad to see that at least one person on staff had the balls to admit fault, and admit that nothing has been done to fix this situation yet but that she plans to get on top of it immediately. However, staff still need to have someone on call, or bust open the trees a day early on a dev server to make sure it works correctly. And idk, a backup the morning of wouldn't be a bad idea.

I'm not blaming Grace for this mess, I'm blaming staff as a whole because after 11 years you'd really think they'd have their shit together by now and would have planned accordingly.

I don't really give two rats ass if it's christmas or not, if people will be gone and cannot be on call then maybe next year we need to start opening trees on the 31st? When no one should be on vacation with families.

I don't think it's fair to assume that just because free stuff was given out as compensation means we're all okay with it. Only reason I've been able to wave off this whole incident is cause I didn't want to participate much for Luminaire this year or receive tree gifts. No expectations, no disappointment when shit hits the ceiling fan.

That said, yes, this incident should not have happened, and it is disappointing that these things still happen when they do. Why the stockings script is still in the system, who knows. It should be removed or phased out permanently, but then again, maybe that's easier said than done.

And even if trees were to open on Dec 31st, people are still on vacation for New Years or getting drunk that night. Ya honestly want staff working on a sitewide problem if they're under the influence of alcohol?

So no, there really is no best time for trees to be opened other than the 25th itself.

While I'm glad to have updates on the situation finally, I really don't see WHY we couldn't have had updates sooner. Quite honestly, glitches during events and lack of communication was what made me go on a LONG hiatus last time and I'd hate to go on a long hiatus again since I'm JUST getting back into things...

The trees never worked right. There isn't a single year where they have, so WHY ARE WE STICKING WITH THE TREES while things like the gift center are actually working much, much better.

If we HAVE TO KEEP THEM BECAUSE WE HAVE TO, trees should be opening before the holidays. It would give us more of a breather between Luminaire and the New Years Week, and if something happens, at least, it can be done without real world interruption.

I don't want CSC and GA for compensation, I can buy that. I just want a functioning site, with varied content, and I sure didn't get that this year.

lol only 3 people? try looking at the post on the news feed. I agree though the ass kissing is pretty sickening in itself too and i'm just as annoyed about things I just find it kinda sad people are so upset over virtual items that will literally do nothing for them in any way shape or form

Frankly I'm not even mad about the trees opening late. I expected it to happen (but still not this late). I'm mostly frustrated about the fact that I won't know who sent me a gift, and vice versa. The fact there wasn't a backup done in whole 5 days, and especially right before running the script to open the gifts, is baffling.

lmao love this

in my onion everyone needs to calm down it's a virtual pet website. go outside, read a book, take a bath, log off

Lots of businesses are open 24/7, 365 days a year... which includes Christmas, New Years Eve and so on.

If I have to go to the hospital on New Years Eve I do not worry about the nurses being boozed up. Same applies to Subeta. Just because it is a website that people frequent for fun does not change the level of professionalism that should be expected from the staff. While one is an essential business (hospital) and another is not (Subeta), the point remains the same: I should not have to worry that the employees of the business are drunk while working

I would have appreciated transparency on this issue from the get go, honestly.

To find out 4/5 days later that the issue was the persons capable of fixing this are in the middle of moving/without internet and the other doesn't have access to a work computer... was a bit of a slap in the face and admittedly was about the time I got mad about this entire ordeal. Especially when we were lead to believe someone was working on this, making it seem like the problem was so much worse than it may or may not be which is what made me anxious considering the track record of smooth fixes around here isn't exactly stellar.

If we'd have known the real issue, plus some nice gestures to keep us occupied (like the weekend quests was definitely a solid idea, or the free shop, or hell bring back the computer geek quests for a week so people could get some old achievements idk), then I'm sure it wouldn't have built up to the point it has. Do we need free stuff? No, but it's good customer service to offer compensation when a company is at fault.

I know it does make me feel better to know it hasn't taken 5 days to try and fix the code, rather it hasn't been touched in 5 days and someone is just now getting to it. It makes it seem like far less of an unfixable situation, and I would have appreciated knowing that a few days ago.

Thank you for the update.

Work is work, fair enough. I worked on Christmas day as well.

Still there is a significant difference if you ask me.

So, someone wasn’t working during the holidays on a gaming website. Okay, something went wrong. But no one died because of it. No one lost their home because of it. No one had to give up their meal because of it. At most it was just annoying to some people. I’ve said it before and I’ll repeat it: It’s not like we were waiting for a life changing surgery. It’s a freaking game. Relax. Even if you have put money into it, to be totally fair, no one forced you to do so. And they WILL FIX this, one way or another. It's honestly just a matter of being patient.

For the record, I do not intend to disrespect any job. In my opinion every job has their importance in different fields. I’m just trying to make a point here. If no doctors work on Christmas and there is an emergency is something completely different in my eyes than if a programmer of a game isn’t working on Christmas.

Not that I think doctors shouldn’t be able to take time off for the holidays… haaa… well you get my point, no?

Oh, and funny thing: when my mother was giving birth to me, she was induced early because her doctor wanted to be home for Christmas. Yes, even that happens.

There are far more important issues that I’m bothered with not knowing. I can live without knowing the details of what is happening behind these screens. Should they offer it? Alright, I’ll give you that. I can imagine some people need to know on time what is going on. Something must have happened why they were not able to communicate about it earlier. This is simply a human error, in my eyes. That happens. Not enough for me to be stressed over. Or maybe they had their reasons for it. Also: fair enough. For me, anyway. For this kind of a website, anyway.

Also, the compensation wasn’t the deal breaker what made me all okily-dokily with things. If they didn’t give anything, I’d still have the same mindset. I just think you have to put things in perspective. This is mine. You may not agree and that is fine, but I just needed to get this out there as it seems like there is a wrong idea of why some people are okay with this.

tl;dr: No matter how you turn it, this is still just a game. No one will die from waiting over this. Chill.

So many ungrateful, dispirited, rude people. Goodness, No wonder it doesn't feel like the Holidays, you grow in numbers each year that passes.

Listen, I am all for the, "We pay good money to have things done right," argument.

But A) These aren't robots. and B) So when they aren't you will tear them down personally yourselves?

I sure hope you all never do any wrong in life if that's how you each expect to be treated for it, especially unintentionally making mistakes, let alone intentionally.

I am working my 8th 8 hour shift in a row. I worked Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, And even pulled a 3-11pm and returned at 7am the day after Christmas to work til 3pm, meaning only 8 hrs between shifts. I knew from the start I wouldn't be attending Christmas parties, seeing family, or even have time to relax(Hell, Christmas day I cleaned my house and went to work, squeezing a quick phone call to my mom in there.)

The one thing I did have.. Was Luminaire on Subeta. Sounds silly, But I get to play this while I work, and so I was looking extra forward to the season.

But for the first year ever, I can say that I was truly unhappy with the event for a moment.

Or rather, The people around the event. Between people complaining about their MM Partners to people tearing the staff a new one over albeit, a big mistake but a -mistake- nonetheless, I have just been really disappointed in everyone. It feels as if everyone is giving gifts to get gifts, expecting staff to work while you yourselves wouldn't want to work and when they really don't -need- to work... Are we really being fair here? Setting aside fair, are we even being kind? This isn't the hunger games, people.

But let me take a minute to talk about the people who really deserve the limelight here.

Thank You Staff, For doing your very best. Maybe you see room for improvements, maybe you see where you messed up, the point is, you are doing your best, each and every one of you and I know it's no easy task you take on, running Subeta. Thank you for the events we didn't -have- to have, the improvements you don't -have- to make, and the ever growing items, pet colors, wearables, etc that you put out regularly. Thank you for always looking ahead and moving forward.

, Mistakes happen. And you are human. I hope so very much that you take care of yourself as you work hard to fix things up. Please remember to get good rest(Jet lag is real, please, don't over do it.) Have a good meal. And take time off the computer, it's a real strain on the eyes over time. Take moments to do whatever relaxes you, Stretch. And most importantly, don't let the negativity of some deflate the positivity others want to direct to you. One is much more valuable and useful over the other. A lot of people have your back. Thank you for working hard, for being human enough to admit fault, and for answering some questions for everyone. Please reach out when you feel overwhelmed to friends and family, and again, take care of yourself. Hwaiting!~

And last but not least, to those who continue to push forward through a sea of negativity and remain positive and encouraging. You guys are the backbone to any person who has gone through a hard time and made it through. You're the ones who spread Holiday cheer and light the fires of imagination and wonder in everyone's heart. Thank You, ever so kindly. You kept my spirits up this season, and I'm sure many others. Every time I started to feel anger and resentment at the negativity in chats and comments, someone would come in with positive vibes and I could just feel the negative feelings sluff off as I remembered that I set out with a goal this year to continue being a kind, patient, understanding, flexible and encouraging spirit. I will take your kind words and positive spirits with me into the New Year. And may you never lose that wonderful shine coming from your hearts.

Also, Wonderfully said! Every word, Wonderful!

I was more or less joking with that statement, as I sincerely doubt anyone in their right mind would think it's okay to drink while on the job. xD

But, based off my own experiences as a kid, a lot of families do get together for New Years, so to have trees open on New Years eve from here on out isn't a much better guarantee of everything working perfectly compared to opening up on the traditional Dec 25th. =/

Thank you, i'm surprised that I haven't been sporked for that eruption. xD

Considering technology is ever so present in our daily lives more and more, holidays just give more of a reason to turn everything off and spend time with what matters most; family, friends and loved ones outside of the virtual world. Even if you take something like a laptop with you, it's not the same because it generally doesn't have everything your mainframe probably has. Tbh, it was just a perfect storm that came together, and everyone, staff and userbase, are all equally upset and frustrated. Add in users complaining over and over like a broken record, and it just adds to that frustration even more.

All staff can take from this situation is to verify everything is set to work as expected before heading out for the holidays. If something going on in the world causes the site to go down otherwise, well, there's no cure for that other than waiting it out.

Why aren't backups happening more frequently?!?!

I have to agree with this point. I thought a long time ago Subeta talked about doing backups everyday, so when stuff like this happened they would have less than 24 hours of time to potentially reset. 5 days is a long time on a site like this. :O

I think the only potential issue with doing backups every day is the horrifically large amount of saved data. I'm sure there's a better explanation than that hypothesis though.

It could be due to changing servers or a script getting bugged, which prevented the backups from even running...and wasn't discovered til this happened. x.x