In two days my "EQ life" has gone to shit. First I find out that a certain person has brought EQBeastlords and EQDruids, (I'm Lagduff Hairyfeet for the people who go to EQDruids) and now I visited the "New" EQDruids.com (http://www.eqdruids.com), today and the site has been ruined.
I don't normally swear in my posts, but:
FUCK YOU VERY MUCH YANTIS! DIE PLEASE!
Not eqdruids... man i loved that site when i was leveling up my druid, right now he is just waiting for my necro to hit 65, then i am gunna get him to 60 :? . My name on Eqdruids was Solendar... man some of my favorite sites are going down :(
I TOTALLY agree, I HATE YANTIS and his "crew" of fucking scammers..
I used to frequent eqdruids, but I never got on too well with a couple of the old regulars, who Spiritual used to give free rein to flame. One day I just decided enough was enough, and gave up. I'm sorry to hear of the change there, too.
You know, thinking about it more I can't help but think Oaga got the better of Yantis in the deal hardcore. I mean think about it: Oaga probably knew most of us would relocate (QED: we have). However, Yantis' money is still helping his father keep his house, and we still have a Yantis-free board. Yeah, it blows that our old EQbeastlord domain is gone, but I'd say that's a small loss compared to the Tucker that Yantis got (ownership of a site that hardly anyone goes to anymore). The same thing happened when Prexus.com was bought by Yantis. The community moved to PrexusEQ.com and has been happily living there ever since.
Thinking of it this way, I can no longer make myself feel bad about the situation. The way I figure it, Oaga took Yantis good. :D
Kivuli, it did work out that way, but what Oaga really should have done was sold him the boards, then worked his best to get everyone moved off of them.
That may not have been an option. OAGA may be the Admin as a condition of the sale. The lack of activity on his part, the deleted links to other sites and such may be conditions he agreed to for the quick transaction. This happened fairly fast, so it probubly had conditions attached. I won't attack OAGA doing what he thought he had to. In hindsight I might have tried something different, but we all know the phrase, hindsight is 20/20. It's easy to critisize somthing after the fact, but it's very different at the time. Thats just the way life is. Even OAGA expressed regrets over the way things happened. Lets not turn into OAGA haters. Lets just get on with our community, our bickering, arguing, and opinionated rants of rage at EQ, SOE, and life in general.
QuoteLets just get on with our community, our bickering, arguing, and opinionated rants of rage at EQ, SOE, and life in general.
rock on :)
i completly agree with the last sentance by the original poster :o :D
I'm sorry, I just do not buy the story about him just up and contacting him on the spur of the moment. I think he and the holder of EQdruids got a letter with numbers large enough to give them a woody at the same time. It's too big of a coincidence that both sold the same day.
We were sold out, oaga's integrity is zilch for me. mainly because of some of his ramblings I've read on his other board (the test server board) about the eqbeastlords information that we as a community developed.
The bastard sold out, he should just say it and accept his place in the world. you know the place... under the rock.
(slowly getting more pissed as I read into it more)
BC
Link to the test server thread mentioned above http://www.l33tgeek.com/testserver/viewtopic.php?t=1614&start=15
yeah screw cheese!
I agree with Bloodcelt. It's just too big of a coincidence. I know the mods and some have a great respect for Oaga, but you just have to accept that sometimes people we respect and admire can turn bad.
And 3 years from now, who will really give a shit? Live and let live :)
So I had a strange thought. Not that I have ever payed much attention to the Yantis thing but what if ...
... Yantis was under contract from SoE to do what he does. He basically 'owns' all the $$ EQ business apart from buying the game and paying the monthly fee. Yet, noone hunts him down for obvious EULA and digital rights violations. Its cheaper to PAY someone to 'own' all the naughty stuff rather than pay lawyers/investigators to hunt down the who-knows-how-many people that would have done it had he not have such a monopoly. Or maybe he even pays SoE a 'cut' of the proceeds as part of this deal - they step on newcomers, he stays afloat.
Yeah I have strange thoughts.
Here are the facts:
OAGA owned and operated (for the most part) EQBeastlord.com
OAGA was offered a buyout for his ownership of EQBeastlord.com
OAGA accepted.
EQBeastlord is now owned by another entity.
I don't understand why everyone is ranting and raving. This is a common business practice. You can call it "selling out" or whatever you want. OAGA made a shrewd move on his part to make some money. I don't care if it was a move motivated by altruistic reasons for his fathers situation or for pure greed.
EQBeastlord.com was owned by OAGA. He has every right to sell it. When SoE purchased EQ from Verant why didn't all of you run from EQ saying "Verant sold us out!!" You think SoE purchased EQ because they wanted to make the game better for the player base? Or do you think they purchased EQ because the execs at SoE saw EQ as an incredibly profitable aquisition?
The fact is this. Yantis saw EQBeastlord as a valuable business aquisition. He made an offer, and OAGA sold HIS rights to that website. I would have done the same. If I had the opportunity to sell my time invested in EQ for a fair rate, I would do it without a second thought.
Everquest is a GAME. This crap we all post here... who cares. It's all about a game. Yes, it makes you and I better at the game, but if I owned and operated a website geared towards gaming and had the opportunity to sell if for a nice profit... screw my "online community," I'm selling to the highest bidder. You think a gaming website matters more than money, let alone his father? Gimme a break.
If a gaming website or Everquest matters more to you than anything in real life, namely money or family, then... answer that for yourself.
QuoteIf a gaming website or Everquest matters more to you than anything in real life, namely money or family, then... answer that for yourself
If money matters more to you than honor, loyalty and integrity, then... answer that for yourself.
Honor, loyalty and integrity... who exactly do I know here on an anynomous online gaming website to express those principles to?
You have a completely skewed and twisted vision of what honor, loyalty and integrity are. You are anonymous. A visitor of a website. I don't know you. I don't care about you. Family? Those three principles apply. Friends? Again those three principles apply. Anynomous gaming website? Gimme a break. I'd sell it if I had it in a second. Honor, loyalty and integrity... pfft, you need to go get some REAL friends, or take some time out for your family. It's sad that you put a website above your family and friends in terms of honor, loyalty and integrity.
If I had the chance to make a profit, I would. And guess where it would go? Family and friends. You should go make some real life friends Kerath, or spend some time with your family. Your basing principles around a gaming website is just sad.
Quote from: Atropine_BBWhen SoE purchased EQ from Verant why didn't all of you run from EQ saying "Verant sold us out!!"
Some did. Most did not. However, we played a part in building the value of the commodity that was sold, and were the "value" that was bought. Legally, he had the right to sell. But comparing this community to a business is comparing apples and oranges. The eqbeastlord community was not formed, or developed, as a moneymaking venture. It was a group of like minded individuals (may I say friends) organizing a recreational activity. As such, profit was not the purpose. We posted, we donated money, time, thoughts and emotions to form the intangible entity that was eqbeastlord.
Tell me Atropoine, if Yantis offered you $5000 for your best friend, for the trust, friendship, shared memories and experiences of years, would you take it?
Perhaps in OAGA's situation you would, but would you really be suprised if you didn't have a best friend anymore?
Well, Mac...
Of course I would not trade my best friend for $5000. Here is the deal... How can you have a "best friend" on an anynomous gaming website. The thought is just ridiculous to me. Have you ever met and hung out with in real life anyone from this website?
Probably not. That is what this website is to me. A place to get information. I don't know any of you, nor do I want to get to know any of you. You are all anynomous and can be or act however you want on this website. Here is what I do know...
I'm 29 years old, married and I have a 7 year old boy. If I was offered $5000 for my anynomous online gaming website, I would take it in a second. This christmas, my boy asked Santa for an X-Box. Well he also needed more winter clothes. Namely a new jacket and new shoes. He seem to outgrow his entire wardrobe almost yearly. His mother and I could not afford to buy him these new clothes and an X-Box for Christmas. There is nothing more I would have wanted in this world than to see his eyes light up when he opened up that present and saw an X-Box and a game or two, in addition to the clothes. Unfortunately, I had to settle with buying him a Gameboy Advance that came with a game. However, he got his new jacket, shoes and a couple sweaters.
My wife and I have been planning to take a vacation. Somewhere nice like Jamaica or Mexico. We've been planning it for almost 4 years now. But it seems we can't make it work just yet. Our boy's education and sports are more important than a vacation. For $5000 I could afford to take my wife on a fantastic vacation and have money left over to put towards our equity max fund. Or put up a basketball hoop for our son in the driveway.
Yes, for $5000, I would give up this anonymous gaming community that discusses a virtual game, in a moments notice... without hesitation. My family is far more important to me than any silly gaming community. I have a feeling a lot of people are younger and may not understand where I am coming from. $5000 would go a long way with a young family. Personally, I would sell a silly website dedicated to a GAME... yes, just a game... without regret, and without looking back.
QuoteHonor, loyalty and integrity... who exactly do I know here on an anynomous online gaming website to express those principles to?
If those principles don't apply just because you are anonymous then you never had them to begin with. We make decisions every day between following our morals or following the easier way. Would you steal from a bank to save your father's house? from a neighbor? from a friend? Would you prostitute yourself? Would you cheat on a test? help a friend cheat on a test? How far would you go in hurting innocent people if it comes down to saving your family or friends?
I'm not saying that Oaga made the wrong choice in selling. I don't have all the facts nor do I know any more than what he has told us and there is no way to know if that is the truth. I do believe though that by not bringing the issue up to the community he breached our trust, compromised his integrity and sold out his honor. Maybe all that was justified and maybe it wasn't but for you to summarily dismiss those moral goals just because we might be anonymous is the exact same kind of justification used by that one person that we all know who would lie through his teeth to a girl he didn't know if he thought there was a chance of getting her in bed. Is it honorable? Is it truthful? Is he trustworthy?
If you believe in those principles then you should be striving for them in all your relationships whether they be with close family or anonymous people on the internet. Otherwise you are just using them for your own advantage when it suits you. We all make difficult choices between compromising our personal morals or doing something that might hurt one person while helping another. What makes a man a man however is careful consideration of the consequences of his actions and the willingness to be open and forthright with all parties involved whenever possible. Oaga in this case did not act like a "stand up man" but instead was the person taking a bite of the forbidden fruit when it was offered, doing it behind everyone's back and with full knowledge of the effects this would have on the very community that he purported to care about.
Quote from: Atropine_BB
Well he also needed more winter clothes. Namely a new jacket and new shoes. He seem to outgrow his entire wardrobe almost yearly. His mother and I could not afford to buy him these new clothes and an X-Box for Christmas.
I'm not trying to flame or start anything, just going to try to understand. If money is that tight, than why play EQ. Yea I know, you have to have some fun in life, but the way you make it sound, is you can barely to buy clothes for your child.
From what your saying family and friends are greater then games or the internet, which I totaly agree. But the way I figure EQ + internet is going to cost at least around $400 a year. $13 a month for EQ and $20 for ISP, and I won't even talk about if you have DSL or cable or buying the EQ game and all the expansions.
$400 buys a lot of clothes
Anyways back to the topic sorta :wink:
Tonight that piece of crap web site proved to me just how low they will go.
FACT: This is what I posted word for word on there site tonight.
QuoteFor those wanting a link to visit fellow beastlords you can find it here.
http://www.eqbeastlord.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=8021
If you look at the URL this was a link to thier own site, to a post that had (that's right I said HAD)been there since Sept. 3, 2003.
AND WAS STICKED. what was this post, real simple, Katina's Beastlord Guid.
Which with in a couple of hours, both my post and the one linked to was deleted. So yea they proved to me what scum Yantis is, and how a great web site turned into a sewer with a lot of crap floating on top.
So if you want to visit that piece of $@% site, go ahead and live in a F* cotton candy land and trust liers and scum that aren't even worth the air a friggen worm breaths.
Nothing will change on the site. YEA f*ing right
QuoteSo if you want to visit that piece of $@% site, go ahead and live in a F* cotton candy land and trust liers and scum that aren't even worth the air a friggen worm breaths.
Like that statement comes from a non peice of crap floating on the top. So that whole old site if full of liars (yes thats how you spell it) and scum, when just last week they were your "good buddies" and "friends". What honor and loyalty that statement uncluded.
I agree with Atropine. If it comes down to my family or a message board that I alone own and pay for, bye bye message board. For Kerath to say that "honor, loyalty, and integrity" were sacrificed in the sale of the old site is just absurd. It's a gaming site. If you care so much about an EQ site and get all teary eyed when it's sold to someone that you don't like, but doesnt go offline, I feel for ya man. You need to get out more and interact with "real" people. Oaga showed true "honor,loyalty, and respect" where it matters most, in RL and with his family. Not on the internet.
Time to bust out a Rodney King quote....
Hmmm lets see... for christmas.
New winter Jacket - $140.00
New waterproof boots - $99.00
3 new sweaters - $19.99 - 29.99 each
Plus stocking stuffers (candy, CD's etc.) brings the total of what my boy really needed to over $300.00. Most months we are getting by just fine with our mortgage payments on equity max, our car and insurance payments and regular costs of living.
The fact of the matter is, after purchasing what he really needed for christmas there simply wasn't enough left over to buy him an X-Box. However, I did manage to scrape together an extra $100.00 for a Gameboy Advance. That is over $400.00 for Christmas... for my boy alone. Not to mention my wifes Christmas gift. $99.00 is doable, but $199.00 plus tax is a bit much.
Now, as for asking me how I can spend $12.00 a month on a video game? It is how I choose to spend some of my free time. Instead of getting drunk, going to football, basketball or baseball games, playing golf, or any other extra-curricular activity, I choose to play Everquest. How can you assume to tell me that I can't afford to clothe my child because of Everquest. I was simply pointing out that I didn't have enough money to buy my son exactly what he wanted for Christmas after we got him what he needed.
For people on a fairly tight budget, $5000 is a godsend. Just think about all I could have done with that money. I'm not poor, but I'm also not wealthy enough to buy every luxury that a lot of families have or take for granted. I could have gotten my son the X-Box for Christmas. I could actually afford to take my wife on the vacation we've been promising eachother for years. I could afford to put a good chunk of money towards my mortgage on equity max.
Everquest... I play Everquest because #1 I enjoy playing. #2 - I can't afford to do other things I would like to do with my time. For $12.00 a month I get innumerable hours of entertainment. Believe me, I would much rather play golf on the weekends. Or go see the 49'ers football games. The reality of it is... I can't afford to do that right now. So I have to take the poor mans entertainment with a budget of $12.00 a month. I have to pay for an internet connection anyway for my son and my wife, so why can't I spend $12.00 a month on entertainment when I can't afford to spend $30.00-40.00 a week on golf or sporting events?
Quote from: Atropine_BBYes, for $5000, I would give up this anonymous gaming community that discusses a virtual game, in a moments notice... without hesitation.
There is nothing ananymous about it. I know you. Your Atropine_BB. I see your posts and read them, and get to know you. We disagree about this, and many other things. But we still "talk". And argue. And bicker. That sounds like what I do with friends everyday.
The game, the gaming environment, the message board......these things are virtual, unreal. The COMMUNITY is not. The COMMUNITY is a collective of opinions, thoughts, and shared interests. THAT is not virtual. That is real. Whether I speak to you in person, or through a message board does not invalidate the interaction, and all human relationships are based on interaction.
Your opinions on this make me think that your opinions, your thoughts, as expressed in these forums are not true. That you lie in your posts. If the COMMUNITY is unreal, virtual, are we speaking to Atropine_BB, or a virtual entity? Are you real?
Of course you are. Your enthusiatic responce to my post proves it. If this is nothing important, nothing of value, what are you doing here?
Quote from: Atropine_BBHave you ever met and hung out with in real life anyone from this website?
Fact is, a poster on the old site chipped in with some spare parts to upgrade my daughters computer, so she could run EQ, and play on her own account. We play together now ( 10 feet apart! ). Is it silly? Maybe. But i cherish the time we have together, even though its in a game.
The beauty of these message boards; in fact, the entire "virtual" world on the internet, is that you can interact with people from all over the world. People with shared interests that you could not meet in the real world. I can't afford to go to conventions, or meetings, or any such things. To meet and talk to people that share my interest in EQ, I find them on the internet. The fact that I haven't met you in person dosen't make you any less a person.
WOW, i just read my post. I'm getting longwinded in my old age.
/lecture off
I see where you all are coming from.
Principally, I agree with what some of you are saying. All I'm trying to get across here, is that my loyalties lie with my family and friends first. Yes, in a sense we do get to know eachother. But, we get to know eachother as an online personality. I try not to share my personal life in my posts like I did here. I shared because I was trying to make a point about what family means to a man. My family comes before any website or gaming community. Period.
If I had the chance to make an extra $5000 for my family by selling a website owned and operated by myself, I would do it in an instant. That $5000 isn't going to my greed... it is going to my family.
I think a lot of people posting here may not know how difficult it is for anyone to support a family. I have a feeling that a lot of people posting here are being supported by their families. Have some respect for those that support their family, and the choices they make in doing so.
So, yes... OAGA could have gone about it in a different way. But he didn't, and I don't blame him for what he did. He chose his family over you. I would too.
QuoteHe chose his family over you. I would too.
That's just because you don't know me ;)
QuoteSo, yes... OAGA could have gone about it in a different way. But he didn't, and I don't blame him for what he did. He chose his family over you. I would too.
I do blame him for what he did. EQbeastlords was split asunder because of the way he elected to handle this. I bear OAGA no ill will for taking care of his family (if that is truly what happened) but the total and complete lack of respect shown to this community in the process is not acceptable.
If you truly believe otherwise then I have to wonder why you are here rather than there.
Atropine, I'll skip the quotes and just respond.
I agree that many on this board may not know the difficulties of supporting a family. Or the realitys of life.
I'm 46, married for 21 years, and have a 16 year old daughter. My wife lost her job 5 month's ago, and can't work anymore. I got the first warning notice from the mortgage company last month.
If I owned this site, I'd sell it in a heartbeat to save my house.
I didn't mean to say that what OAGA did was wrong for him, I meant to say that what WE did in moving was also not wrong for us. OAGA knew it would fracture the community, thats why he kept the sale secret. It was a miscalculation, but an honest one.
I'm not mad at OAGA, I'm disappointed that the community has been broken up. I blame Yantis, because I can't rant at fate, and I don't like what he, and others like him, have done to the game. Yes, it is just a game, but it is about the only form of entertainment I can afford anymore.
Thrashum, I'm here because this is where all the new most up to date information and posts regarding Beastlords as a class are going to be. The Beastlord information that I'm going to need is here on this website now... not on the old eqbeastlord.com. Hence I am here.
Yantis is scum who violates the EULA and has been instrumental in ruining the EQ economy. I'm not defending him or his business. All I'm doing here is defending OAGA's decision to sell the website. This is primarily because had I been in a similar position, I would have done the same for my family.
But would you have done it behind everyone's back without offering the community even a chance at other options?
Quote from: Atropine_BBHmmm lets see... for christmas.
New winter Jacket - $140.00
New waterproof boots - $99.00
3 new sweaters - $19.99 - 29.99 each
omg :( I guess I'm to use to living in the midwest, that stuff cost about half or less than that. I just baught my little girl a new coat this year was around $60.
Quote from: Atropine_BBHere are the facts:
OAGA owned and operated (for the most part) EQBeastlord.com
OAGA was offered a buyout for his ownership of EQBeastlord.com
OAGA accepted.
EQBeastlord is now owned by another entity.
I don't understand why everyone is ranting and raving. This is a common business practice. You can call it "selling out" or whatever you want. OAGA made a shrewd move on his part to make some money...
The problem with treating this as a purely business decision is that it ignore the intangible costs. As a community leader, he also has a certain duty to his community. The fact that the new owner is Yantis didn't help but it wouldn't have matter if it is someone else. The fact that he sold without informing his community, no matter how he justifies it, shows his willingness to abandon those that follows him.
It is a human cost that he will have to live with, for as long as it will last. No one is desputing the fact that the site is his to do as he wishes. But the moment the site became a community, any changes will bare intangible consequences.
The public outrage is one of those consequences. Like it or not, it is a human cost. Human cost is real, even in real life (as in non EQ, non game). Just ask any companies that ever had a public relation disaster. The effects lingers and they are not to be treated lightly.
Quote from: mikLike that statement comes from a non peice of crap floating on the top. So that whole old site if full of liars (yes thats how you spell it) and scum, when just last week they were your "good buddies" and "friends". What honor and loyalty that statement uncluded.
If you want to go to the other site and think that the two running the site now are not LIARS ( happy it's spelled right?) go ahead. The ones that run that site proved to me what they are. What has selling the site anything to do now with deleting a post that has been there for months? Now Oaga says they didn't delete the post, ummmm funny if they didn't delete it than why is it not there anymore?? You go ahead a believe what you want.
oh yea, before you come at me with lame BS like spelling why don't you check your own crap.
Random quotes...
Quote from: Leberger
From what your saying family and friends are greater then games or the internet, which I totaly agree. But the way I figure EQ + internet is going to cost at least around $400 a year. $13 a month for EQ and $20 for ISP, and I won't even talk about if you have DSL or cable or buying the EQ game and all the expansions.
$400 buys a lot of clothes
If you play two hours a week, that's 8 hours a month. That's $2.5/hour of entertainment. And how many people only play that much, honestly? When you see a movie, how much does that cost? If he takes his wife? Don't forget to count the babysitter in there too. Say $6.00 for a paperback? I'll most likely finish that in 3 hours. Marginally cheaper, but a lot less 'replay' value. For the time you can entertain yourself on everquest, it is an incredibly good entertainment value.
Quote from: Leberger
omg :( I guess I'm to use to living in the midwest, that stuff cost about half or less than that. I just baught my little girl a new coat this year was around $60.
Dude, live in S.Texas. Buy a $16.00 sweater on sale, and you're good. Although I hope you're fond of 100+degree heat, and 75% humidity in summer.
We got good weather, hot weather and damned hot weather. None of this seasons stuff :P
Quote from: mac173
Fact is, a poster on the old site chipped in with some spare parts to upgrade my daughters computer, so she could run EQ, and play on her own account. We play together now ( 10 feet apart! ). Is it silly? Maybe. But i cherish the time we have together, even though its in a game.
/lecture off
You know, thinking back...I can't think of a single time that I've spent time with my Dad
not playing games. Dude, we were ranked in WarCraft3 Team Ladder when I lived at home. We played StarCraft together for years before that. And WarCraft before that. Stratego? Chess? Othello? Mancala? Family risk game after dinner? Actually, no. We did spend some time together not playing games. We'd watch football and basketball games together, and eat unhealthy food when my mom isn't around. But other than that...
Dude, games are where its at for family time.
A number of boards received offers last week from Yantis about selling their sites to him. Some accepted, some refused. Thank God Graffe's didn't sell out to him.
It's a bit of a coincidence that at that very time Oaga's family was apparently having problems. I guess coincidences do happen, but the impression I got from reading the "state of eqbeastlord.com" thread over there was that Oaga initiated the whole deal based on "his family's problems". It just makes it seem as though Oaga coveniently made up an excuse for basically selling out after he received an offer. Oh well, it doesn't matter anymore.
I do really find it very odd that SoE hasn't pursued Yantis's two-bit piece of shit enterprise after they were more than willing to ensure E-Bay removed all EQ-related auctions about 3 years ago. Have they taken any steps whatsoever against him? It appears not. Why not? It's not like his website is hard to find. It's not like they don't have a rock solid case against him making money off of SoE-owned data. Shit, if they sued him they'd probably make a nice little lump sum themselves.
And the worst thing about it is that it just makes SoE appear to not give two hoots about the state of their own game. Getting rid of that scum would benefit the game as a whole more than any expansion, patch or enhancement they've released or are ever likely to release.
Did you know you owned Monkly Buisiness Kashmiir?
http://www.eqbeastlord.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=10905&start=25
QuoteMonkey buisness has been under Yantis ownership for sometime and quess who's involved:
Board Owner: Kashmiir
Board/WebSite Administrators: DiosT and Buku
Board Moderators: Makani and Kilantiz