SOE Begins Restoration of Services

UPDATE, May 14, 7:15p.m. EDT: SOE has slowly begun restoration of their services.

SOE - Restoration Announcement
SOE - Welcome Back Program
SOE - Recent Updates

SAN DIEGO, May 14, 2011 - Sony Online Entertainment LLC (SOE) announced today that restoration of its game services will begin today. The phased restoration will include the return of nearly all of SOE's portfolio of online games, the reinstatement of SOE's game forums and websites, and added functionality to require players to reset their passwords.


For details on the hacker attack that has kept SOE down since May 2 and compromised the personal information of players, check out SOE's brief FAQ and all of our previous coverage. See this article for the May 12th news on the "Make Good" program details.

During the downtime you are welcome to join us in ZAM's IRC chat. Feldon of EQ2Wire also has set up a ZAM IRC java applet that you can use.


Game-specific May 11th updates:

EverQuest: Players with an active house will be credited one month of upkeep costs and the inactive period will be extended from 90 to 150 days.

EverQuest II: All houses requiring rent will have one month added free to help offset any costs incurred during this outage.

Free Realms: The Free Realms birthday event and the New Member Bonus Bonanza will be extended to give everyone a chance to participate in them. Don’t worry about your farms; they’ll be taken care of too!

Star Wars Galaxies: All Galactic Civil War point decay has been suspended and inactive citizen removal time temporarily increased by 14 days. Item and vendor expiration timers have also been increased by 14 days.

Vanguard: One day for each day lost will be added to every player's Upkeep Bank to help offset any costs incurred during this outage.

Comments

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SOE says
# May 08 2011 at 3:45 PM Rating: Decent
READ THIS IF YOU REALLY WANT TO GET BENT OUT OF SHAPE AND THIS WOULD BE A REALLY GOOD REASON WHY.....





http://www.cheatcc.com/ccc_newsserver/Article.aspx?PostID=378281
SOE says
# May 09 2011 at 1:59 AM Rating: Good
90% of this article is from the day the servers went down. Just a new spin on old info. I wouldn't give this one too much weight.
SOE says
# May 08 2011 at 6:08 PM Rating: Decent
SOE didn't pic a random # of days that we would get free out of thin air. Despite what they may have said initially about the down time only being several days. SOE is offering 1 mo. at no charge because they knew it would be at least 1 mo. before they were back on-line after a breach of this magnitude. These multi-billion dollar co. are well aware and quite certain of how much time it will take to repair any problem that may come. Your money as a consumer goes toward many things that most of us don't think of...... And this is one of them. Not that I'm defending SOE..... But they have spent millions of dollars on statistics and preventive measures. Bottom line: The free 30 days of game play was an educated guess by the board of directors of SOE on how long it would take to get the servers back on line. This was not only determined by the software issues but as well, by the hurdles to overcome by the high ranking officials of the countries it affected. Is everyone as narrow minded as to think that after an issue of this nature it would be solved in a week??? Are you all that ignorant to the impact of this breach of privacy??????? This is not pertaining to just "You" This extends quite a bit deeper. This has everything to do with our governments now. So forget about the damn $15 dollars. All of you youngsters need to quit your complaining about SOE's lack of information to the public. They have to keep everyone in the dark. It's the lack of security that got them into this mess to begin with. So everyone go down to the pool and have a Margarita.
SOE says
# May 08 2011 at 10:43 PM Rating: Decent
Seems to me that all you like to do on your post is to insult and name call other people...tells me your about 15....out..
SOE says
# May 08 2011 at 8:45 PM Rating: Good
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Quote:
These multi-billion dollar co. are well aware and quite certain of how much time it will take to repair any problem that may come.


spoken like someone who has never seen a multi-billion dollar company from the inside.

They are as certain as you are before you take your car to the mechanic IE not a freaking clue. Especially about something this unprecedented ( it is after all making the history books =-P )

There is a reason they EVENTUALLY pulled in 3 extra security firms to help INVESTIGATE as well as fix the problem.

You literally CAN NOT estimate something with out knowing the FULL EXTENT of the problem. Then you can GUESS , but still not KNOW until you come up with a solution. Then of course you can only guess at implementing the solution... then test is it works .... then fix anything else that comes up ..... then test if that works....

As someone who HAS seen multiple multi-billion dollar companies from the inside... no ... these kinds of problems are not already preplanned and budgeted for =P

Quote:
The free 30 days of game play was an educated guess by the board of directors of SOE on how long it would take to get the servers back on line


I suggest reading the information thats become available thus far , as in no , it was NOT guessed to take 30 days to fix.
SOE says
# May 08 2011 at 4:21 PM Rating: Decent
desicakes wrote:
READ THIS IF YOU REALLY WANT TO GET BENT OUT OF SHAPE AND THIS WOULD BE A REALLY GOOD REASON WHY.....





http://www.cheatcc.com/ccc_newsserver/Article.aspx?PostID=378281


hmm, you are believing a site with the name of Cheat Code central and an article that is 5 days old, if you are that gullible I have a nice peice of beach front propery in arizona I can sell you cheap - it even has a historic bridge on the propert.
SOE says
# May 08 2011 at 4:18 PM Rating: Decent
That was an article from May 4th, they have updated it since then.
Missed Events?
# May 08 2011 at 2:58 PM Rating: Decent
Will they be repeating missed in-game events such as the Freeport City Festival?
Demands... WTF not even close
# May 08 2011 at 2:51 PM Rating: Decent
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61 posts
Already stated
1)30 days
2)+1 day/per day down

Already has been done in past for lesser service interruption:

As it relates to EQ1 prob 2, double xp (nothing new), actually in an effort to insinuate that SOE will resume bussiness and as enticement to remain customers, just say yea dble xp for X ammt of time (as it relates to down time.
Keep your 15% increase to drop, spawn or other BS, solid numbers only (again I believe some games offer this for inconveniences so its not a DEMAND just previous protocol

REQUEST
STOP NEW BILLING IF YOU DONT HAVE A REALISTIC ETA, I have had multiple accts up in the past (not atm), how pissed are those folks, getting hit for how ever many accts a month and NO SERVICE?

You dont own anything comments, you arent entitled to anything comments

Ok please make sure SOE not your bi%^CH a$$ is making that statement, I rather hear from someone that is taking our money that they could give a crap about anyone's time and interest invested in their product and regardless of loyalty over a decade right now, they can go F themselves if they dont like it. I dont care how good a pizza is , if the owner spits on it throws it on the floor and tells me that if I dont like it he doesnt care the hell with me, well ill leave and take my money elsewhere

Now to the lawsuits (current and upcoming)
Welcome to America beatch, you take money and continue to take money as well as jeopardizings peoples accts (bank credit etc), be prepared to answer for more than 15 bucks, any hardship incurred under their watch, since we trusted them with our private information, will have to be accounted for. (btw thats F ing PERIOD in case you missed it)

Once you find a vast majority only concerned w a spawn mob or loot maybe xp, then yes come here w your retarded shots, otherwise STFU, this is a legitimate concern on part of millions of customers (you really think the FBI, Congress etc get involved cause you didnt get to go play.................. get a f ing clue
Demands... WTF not even close
# May 08 2011 at 8:55 PM Rating: Excellent
Scholar
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131 posts
Quote:
this is a legitimate concern on part of millions of customers (you really think the FBI, Congress etc get involved cause you didnt get to go play.................. get a f ing clue
The FBI got involoved at SOE's request

Congress got involved because its great political capitol to spend. Notice they have yet to review any actual evidence , but only guesswork from people NOT involved with any of the investigation?

Quote:
Now to the lawsuits (current and upcoming)
Welcome to America beatch, you take money and continue to take money as well as jeopardizing peoples accts (bank credit etc), be prepared to answer for more than 15 bucks, any hardship incurred under their watch, since we trusted them with our private information, will have to be accounted for


First , rephrase that to read " Welcome to America , where we sue for no other reason then because we can get free money no matter who it hurts!" Because , until actual FACTS come out of the investigation , that all the lawsuits are... frivolous attempts to make money.

Since they are by no means the first , and by no means the last company to be hacked , but are definitely the victims of a crime.

Sure glad you got your priorities straight and want justice served to the CRIMINALS who commited the CRIME and are ACTUALLY responsible for anything concerning loss of privacy.

--rolls eyes--

Do you also support the Phelps church with donations?
the 200
# May 08 2011 at 2:45 PM Rating: Decent
i think the should take all of them to Guantanamo Bay and let them see how a real terrotist is treated
demands
# May 08 2011 at 2:20 PM Rating: Decent
heh everyone getting all bent out of shape over peoples demand lists. i think they are comical and who cares? let people wish. i personally do think a free month and however many days they are down is fair but its human nature to want more. only thing i would rather have more than free playtime is free station cash or maybe pick-a-lootcard packs from LoN but hey what they have offered is good especially to those with multiple accounts
demands
# May 08 2011 at 2:53 PM Rating: Decent
I'm not concerned about the $120 a month I pay for my 4 accounts (me, wife, and two kids since 1999)... of course they will compensate us for THAT. The company decision-makers are not made up of retards, so the financial compensation is a given. Also, it would be foolish of them NOT to provide all customers with ID THEFT INSURANCE.

So long as those two bases are covered, I'm fine. Maybe another double XP weekend! But I sure as hell don't want a bunch of Station Cash and other free crap handed out to whiners. Earn it like everyone else >XO
demands
# May 08 2011 at 3:04 PM Rating: Decent
$120 a month for 4 accounts??? Wow, you are getting ripped off. I pay $30 for 2 accounts on a month to month basis.

You might want to check and see if you are being double billed :)
demands
# May 08 2011 at 3:45 PM Rating: Decent
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471 posts
Maybe he has 4 station access accounts
____________________________
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demands
# May 08 2011 at 3:50 PM Rating: Decent
Yes... it is for 4 Station Access accounts. Of course, that didn't exist back in 1999, so it's only been #30 a month per account for a few years =)

MONEY WELL SPENT >XO
WTS taskadds
# May 08 2011 at 2:06 PM Rating: Decent
SOE ftw....

shut servers (and account access) down but collect the cash quick with billing couple days before normal billing date...

funny disgrace


they only forgot something... SOE got some games... clients got zounds...


im really excited when services coming up again and how many people left already forever beside the few hardcore addicts

Edited, May 8th 2011 4:13pm by Pfeife
at each others necks
# May 08 2011 at 1:41 PM Rating: Decent
22 posts
instead of taking it out on the customers supposedly getting the credit card info, would it really be sticking it to sony just giving every soe customer a 2 year subscription free? or even all the demands that are wanted? gotta go wifey dueling me now
SOE says
# May 08 2011 at 1:28 PM Rating: Decent
where tou read that mate
SOE says
# May 08 2011 at 3:43 PM Rating: Decent
http://www.cheatcc.com/ccc_newsserver/Article.aspx?PostID=378281

that is where i found out that soe is going to have the server down for a week or two longer
SOE says
# May 08 2011 at 12:36 PM Rating: Decent
I just read that SOE servers will be down for another week or so they are still not going to give an ETA but i am so fed up with this NOT KNOW ****
SOE says
# May 08 2011 at 1:27 PM Rating: Decent
and where you hear that
SOE says
# May 08 2011 at 1:22 PM Rating: Decent
Would you mind giving us a link to where you read that info? Thanks bunches.
re: SOE Game
# May 08 2011 at 12:16 PM Rating: Decent
it is anoying that the Hacker's coused so much Damage to SOE and it's Customer's but if by leaving SOE and changing to anther online game would be safer your Wrong just because they have not been hacked yet
dose not mean they are 100% SAFE. NOTHING IS 100% SAFE AND hACKER'S will find away throu any system they choose to hack but all we can do is wait for SOE to sort out the glitch in there system's and strenghern there securitie and bring our games Back.I am BORED with out my everquest2 game i have tryed other games but i took them of my system as they made me more bored
server downtime
# May 08 2011 at 12:03 PM Rating: Decent
is it possible they will hold severs offline till the new patch is due out?

great work Zam for keeping us inforned :) keep up the good work
server downtime
# May 09 2011 at 4:39 AM Rating: Decent
Quote:
is it possible they will hold severs offline till the new patch is due out?


Following the typical EQ patch schedule, the patch is due Wednesday. I'm not sure if the devs could work at full speed during the downtime though.

Hopefully they will patch while everything is down anyway, so that we don't come back up and then go down a couple days later for the patch.
server downtime
# May 08 2011 at 12:29 PM Rating: Decent
coffeeee wrote:
is it possible they will hold severs offline till the new patch is due out?

great work Zam for keeping us inforned :) keep up the good work



I would suspect they will bring the servers up as soon as the security updates are all up and running.
Sony Crash
# May 08 2011 at 11:43 AM Rating: Good
As a EQ player I am angry and upset that this happened. Although it was a matter of time for this to happen. I just want to state my side and my thinking. We all know that these things happen wether it be a pick pocket or a mugger, even a bank robber, identity theft is identity theft wether it happens on a computer a bank or someone going through your garbage.

Computers are a brilliant thing yet we take advantage of them, we just got computers within the past 20 years and still have problems with them. How long did it take so we can drive a safe car or how long it took america to have electricity? People wake up there will always be someone out there smarter than the next guy its called evolution deal with it.

For the players who really play and like it for the gaming aspect and most importantly the FUN of it like me i am sure would just like to have EQ up soon so we can have fun and communicate with fellow members. For the guys who want to be rewarded for there not playing time well i say stay off it we knew the risks and took em now deal with the outcome dont go requesting this or that or i want this or that.

The future is now whereas the present is the past.
poetery u wont
# May 08 2011 at 11:16 AM Rating: Decent
Do what thy manhood bid the do from non but self expect appluse
he noblest lives and noblest dies
he who makes and keeps his self made laws
(sir francis richard burton)

and if sony thinks all its customers will just be happy to see the servers back up, shrug and get on with it it may be prudent to remeber Drysden wrote
"Great wit and madness are near allied and thin partiotions do there bounds divide"

sony once asked what do customers with out accsess to the game become?

in the words of the indimitable Mark Twain " Scarcse madam Mighty Scarcse

LOL
poetery u wont
# May 08 2011 at 8:24 PM Rating: Decent
Good God!

If you must be so pretentious as to use quotes to feign intellectualism, at least cut and paste from a site that uses correct spelling.

Could you possibly have tortured the spelling, the grammar and the great men whose work you have mangled any more?

Edited, May 8th 2011 10:26pm by VodgeDiper
I agree -- most likely anonomous didn't do it
# May 08 2011 at 11:10 AM Rating: Decent
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654 posts
thanks for the report. I, for one, have been a little busy and not read the latest reports nor the indepth ones. i sincerely appreciate you taking the time to post it here.

and no, i dont' think that infamous group of hackers are in the least that stupid. besides, they take pride in pointing out "we are not thieves". whether they are criminals is another matter open to debate. but then, every form of terrorist will claim "we are not criminals".

meanwhile, i am still waiting to read some of the awesome poetry i know you guys write. just trying to have some reading material-- i ran out of it because i have read every fantasy-scifi book in the house and that is a rather large library hehe.
____________________________
Success comes when preparation meets opportunity -- and EQ is no exception.
I agree -- most likely anonomous didn't do it
# May 08 2011 at 8:28 PM Rating: Decent
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42 posts
They say they are not criminals...and yet they break the law. Which makes them criminals, actually.
station cash
# May 08 2011 at 10:36 AM Rating: Decent
I am a techno phobe so heres somthing i hadent cosidered if theres a problem loging in when thy have finished will the station cash that i bought prior to the crash still be there and if not how do i prove i had it because it seems to me that its all in the either i paid reall money for fantasy money if the programm dont remeber it poof its gone Lord im stupid lol
I believe them
# May 08 2011 at 10:35 AM Rating: Decent
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344 posts
I believe anonymous didnt do it. They are smart enough that if they didnt want to take credit for it they wouldnt have left the file with their name on it. Sony is saying this was an extremely sophisticated hack. They cant simultaneously make the claim that anonymous is that stupid.
EQ fan
# May 08 2011 at 10:33 AM Rating: Decent
I myself am a EQ fan and can't wait for the servers to come back up. But if you need something to kill or feel the need to quest http://www.alienwarearena.com They have 7 day trials of rift so you can kill quest and do whatever you need to hold you over until your game comes back up. With any luck you won't need the whole seven days. I sure hope not anyway.

Edited, May 8th 2011 12:35pm by likestonuke

Edited, May 8th 2011 12:38pm by likestonuke
Compensation
# May 08 2011 at 10:29 AM Rating: Default
I agree with no in game items. That would damage the game its self and I for one do not want that but you fan boys with the "they only owe you at most a dollar for dollar compensation" crap need to give it a rest.

If your order is all messed up at a decent restaurant does the manager tell you that you can have your money back and then either place a new order or get out? Yes they got hacked so the damage and possible identity theft is not caused by them but it sure as heck IS there responsibility to SAFE guard my personnel information. Yes as a WRONGED customer I EXPECT to be compensated and I do not mean penny for penny!

As I said. No in game items that would create imbalance or tick off someone that earned it the hard way. That is only common sense. So is a manager trying to make amends to a wronged customer.

PS. Oh I am not going to leave. You leave!
Compensation
# May 08 2011 at 2:39 PM Rating: Good
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131 posts
your still here?

I am sure SoE will put out more goodies , just as I am equally sure they should be putting all their efforts into fixing the problem before worrying about what sort of goodies to hand out in the first place , DUH!

Course , if your here to play cause its fun , then what ever goodies they hand out is just a bonus... as is what a manager hands out after a bad meal.

If your here only for the goodies ( which whining about what sort of goodies your getting indicates ) then it wont matter what they do , it wont be enough to begin with.
how about we do something constructive
# May 08 2011 at 10:29 AM Rating: Decent
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654 posts
Instead of complaining, how about everyone submit their favorite poem for the rest of us to enjoy? Of even one you wrote? I have a bunch i love but i will start us off with this one.

If

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or, being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with wornout tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on";

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!
____________________________
Success comes when preparation meets opportunity -- and EQ is no exception.
how about we do something constructive
# May 09 2011 at 2:06 AM Rating: Decent
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60 posts
iyeni wrote:
Instead of complaining, how about everyone submit their favorite poem for the rest of us to enjoy? Of even one you wrote? I have a bunch i love but i will start us off with this one.

...



Ok.

There once was a lady from Nantucket...

FREE ITEM
# May 08 2011 at 10:24 AM Rating: Decent
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344 posts
How about a free password authenticator for every current subscription? This is a hardware item that creates a new password every time you login. Might cost them a few dollars but would go a long way to giving them credit for taking security seriously. And no it wouldnt protect cc info but it would protect accounts.
FREE ITEM
# May 08 2011 at 10:39 AM Rating: Decent
svann wrote:
How about a free password authenticator for every current subscription? This is a hardware item that creates a new password every time you login. Might cost them a few dollars but would go a long way to giving them credit for taking security seriously. And no it wouldnt protect cc info but it would protect accounts.



Trion has this with Rift. You register your cell phone with your account info and once a day it texts you a new code that you have to enter along with your account password to play. Very nice system actually.
FREE ITEM
# May 08 2011 at 12:41 PM Rating: Decent
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344 posts
Blizzard has one thats like a keychain item. It creates a 2nd password that is good for 30 seconds.
customer service v coping stratergy
# May 08 2011 at 10:15 AM Rating: Decent
heres an idea instead of moaning why not all pick whatever is the nearest to eq suspend/cancell your payments to soe and go play the new thing whatever it is if you dont like come back if soe takes too long to get back up and you get used to the new then he ho there you go. as we all know if you stop paying the account is only suspended so ya can come back in if ya wont. and even if you couldnt once you have played for a bit its reasonably easy to get up the levels. i assume the subs are comparable from what i can gather this Rift or Lord of the rings is simmaler now if i cant get in tommorow i will download one of these set up an account and see how it goes. Please dont whine on about loyalty i am british and as such i have to bye law pay a tv licence fee to the BBC if that organasiation were to go of line stop its services in all forms tv radio internet and all there would be a revelotion in a country that is known for its stoicim (spelling and grammer from a disleckic appoligies)


Oh by the way what is close to EQ thats still out there
It wasn't Anonymous...it was WAMUAG
# May 08 2011 at 10:15 AM Rating: Decent
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94 posts
Wives and Mothers United Against Gaming

Think about it....today is Mother's Day.

Clicky
# May 08 2011 at 10:12 AM Rating: Decent
I would like a in game item nothing with stats though maybe some sort of fun clicky. Maybe one where you click it and poof there is a sun for everyone who was forced to go outside and see it while severs were down. Or a stack of food that looks like hot pockets and when you eat it the text says you have returned to the basement then your toon turns pale and gains 20 pounds. Anything fun would be great =)
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