Lady Saxophone
(?)Community Member
Saxy Coder
Offline
- Posted: Fri, 27 Jun 2014 20:45:50 +0000
The original purpose of this thread was to gather information about the zOMG! Maintenance which had been announced during the summer but no more information regarding it was given for some time.
As of September 30th, at 12:00 (noon) PST, zOMG! has been taken down for maintenance
As of November 6th, at around 12:00 (noon) PST, the staff have announced that zOMG! is down for good
___________________________________________________________________________________
Below is a Collection of Community Announcements and Staff Posts Regarding this Matter
___________________________________________________________________________________
As of September 30th, at 12:00 (noon) PST, zOMG! has been taken down for maintenance
As of November 6th, at around 12:00 (noon) PST, the staff have announced that zOMG! is down for good
___________________________________________________________________________________
Below is a Collection of Community Announcements and Staff Posts Regarding this Matter
___________________________________________________________________________________
- 06/16/2014: The original announcement about the maintenance and introduction of maps into Towns 2
Quote:
Hello, everyone! We have an important update on some maintenance we'll be performing on zOMG! and its servers. In a few weeks time we'll be shutting the game down in order to repair a critical issue that could potentially affect many Gaians playing the game. The fix will require extensive back-end changes to the game and its servers. This means that when zOMG! is taken offline, it may be down for several weeks as we address the issue, but don't worry: zOMG! will be up and running as soon as it's patched up! We'll provide further updates as we have them. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and thank you for your patience and understanding!
Oh and by the way, while you are waiting, some of your favorite maps from zOMG! will be making their way to Towns 2 as fully explorable new locations! Be sure to visit Towns 2 soon to check them out in all their glory. We hope you enjoy them!
Oh and by the way, while you are waiting, some of your favorite maps from zOMG! will be making their way to Towns 2 as fully explorable new locations! Be sure to visit Towns 2 soon to check them out in all their glory. We hope you enjoy them!
07/02/2014: codemonkey has been kind enough to answer some of the questions about Towns 2!
codemonkey37179
Csilla Silvana
I have some questions about the Towns 2 side of all this. None of them are really urgent except #1.
#1: Will we be able to collect zOMG loot in the Towns 2 zOMG areas?(As an alternate source for those items.)
#2: The art for Gambino in T2 is very different from the zOMG areas art. Are the zOMG areas being redrawn for T2?
#3: Will Barton specifically be updated to fit what its current look should be, with the shops like Buttercup Cafe instead of Rina's flower shop and everything?
#4: Will we still start at Gambino, and have to taxi to Barton/zOMG areas?
#5: Will zOMG areas become a permanent part of T2? If they do is there a possibility of permanent mini games in the future? zOMG areas would be perfect for that.
#1: Will we be able to collect zOMG loot in the Towns 2 zOMG areas?(As an alternate source for those items.)
#2: The art for Gambino in T2 is very different from the zOMG areas art. Are the zOMG areas being redrawn for T2?
#3: Will Barton specifically be updated to fit what its current look should be, with the shops like Buttercup Cafe instead of Rina's flower shop and everything?
#4: Will we still start at Gambino, and have to taxi to Barton/zOMG areas?
#5: Will zOMG areas become a permanent part of T2? If they do is there a possibility of permanent mini games in the future? zOMG areas would be perfect for that.
1. No, not at this time.
2. No
3. No
4. Yes
5. Maybe.
07/07/2014: codemonkey has stopped by again and answered some more of our zomg-related questions!!
codemonkey37179
The dev that will be looking into fixing zOmg is the head of development for all of Gaia. He has mostly been working on the other site, so he does not have a user name that I am aware of.
I don't know where the idea comes from that there is some sort of conspiracy to remove features from Gaia. There is no ploy, plot or scheme to simply remove anything from the site. The only time things are removed are usually for technical reasons such as in the case of Frontier Skies, or if something is up only for an event or holiday.
I don't have any technical details on zOmg myself, as I am not a Java developer, so I can't speak to where any of it stands technically or to what specifically is being fixed, though I believe it has something to do with the way the game talks to the server. It may be related to the server cycling issue, but again I'm not sure.
I have been looking into the flash code lately and am quite impressed by the level of detail added to the game.
That's everything I know about it.
I don't know where the idea comes from that there is some sort of conspiracy to remove features from Gaia. There is no ploy, plot or scheme to simply remove anything from the site. The only time things are removed are usually for technical reasons such as in the case of Frontier Skies, or if something is up only for an event or holiday.
I don't have any technical details on zOmg myself, as I am not a Java developer, so I can't speak to where any of it stands technically or to what specifically is being fixed, though I believe it has something to do with the way the game talks to the server. It may be related to the server cycling issue, but again I'm not sure.
I have been looking into the flash code lately and am quite impressed by the level of detail added to the game.
That's everything I know about it.
07/10/2014: New Community Announcement here. zOMG! goes down in 3 weeks?
Quote:
Hello, everyone! As you all know, we'll soon be performing some important maintenance on zOMG! and its servers. We just wanted to let you know that in about 3 weeks we'll be shutting the game down in order to repair a critical issue that could potentially affect many Gaians playing the game. The fix will require extensive back-end changes to the game and its servers. This means that when zOMG! is taken offline, it may be down for several weeks as we address the issue, but don't worry: zOMG! will be up and running as soon as it's patched up! We'll provide further updates as we have them. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and thank you for your patience and understanding!
We've made some fantastic progress on importing some of your favorite maps from zOMG! into Towns 2 as fully explorable new locations! --And to help everyone get around, you'll now find a nifty world map available from your Towns 2 smartphone.
...but don't take my word for it, head to Towns 2 and...
We've made some fantastic progress on importing some of your favorite maps from zOMG! into Towns 2 as fully explorable new locations! --And to help everyone get around, you'll now find a nifty world map available from your Towns 2 smartphone.
...but don't take my word for it, head to Towns 2 and...
08/05/2014: It has been three weeks and a few days, and zOMG! still isn't down =w=;; Did you forget something, Gaia?
08/21/2014: So I finally found out about an old thread where Zero explained why they hadn't taken it down...
Zero Omega
Hey guys,
Sorry for any confusion. We actually have not taken down zOMG yet. We are discovering that some people are having problems accessing the game. For example, in the office, some people can't access it but I can. Super weird. We're having it looked into. Rest assured though that we'll give you notice before we actually take the game down.
Sorry for any confusion. We actually have not taken down zOMG yet. We are discovering that some people are having problems accessing the game. For example, in the office, some people can't access it but I can. Super weird. We're having it looked into. Rest assured though that we'll give you notice before we actually take the game down.
08/29/2014: Someone PM'd Lanzer about it and it seems the staff just figured out the game had old coding now. See this thread.
09/23/2014: New Community Announcement states zOMG! will go down on September 30th.
Quote:
Hello, everyone! As you all know, we'll soon be performing some important maintenance on zOMG! and its servers. We just wanted to let you know that on September 30th we will be shutting the game down in order to repair a critical issue that could potentially affect every Gaians playing the game. The fix will require extensive back-end changes to the game and its servers. This means that when zOMG! is taken offline, it may be down for several weeks or more as we address the issue, but don't worry: zOMG! will be up and running as soon as it's patched up! We'll provide further updates as we have them. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and thank you for your patience and understanding!
In the meantime, why not check out all the amazing zOMG! maps that have been imported to Towns 2?
In the meantime, why not check out all the amazing zOMG! maps that have been imported to Towns 2?
09/30/2014: New Announcement -- zOMG! is now officially down!
Also, we have a special item grant!!
Quote:
Hello, everyone! As you all know, we are now performing some important maintenance on zOMG! and its servers. We have shut the game down in order to repair a critical issue that could potentially affect every Gaians playing the game. The fix will require extensive back-end changes to the game and its servers. zOMG! may be down for several weeks or more as we address the issue, but don't worry: zOMG! will be up and running as soon as it's patched up! We'll provide further updates as we have them. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and thank you for your patience and understanding!
In the meantime, if you still haven't seen the zOMG! maps in towns ...why not?! Check out all the amazing maps that were imported to Towns 2? And here's a little something to tide you over while you wait.
In the meantime, if you still haven't seen the zOMG! maps in towns ...why not?! Check out all the amazing maps that were imported to Towns 2? And here's a little something to tide you over while you wait.
Also a small staff update -- Powerups will be removed from Backalley Bargains during the time the game is down
Quote:
Back Alley Bargains
Hey Gaians,
Just a heads-up regarding Back Alley Bargains. Given that zOMG is currently down we will be removing the items from the shop so no one accidentally purchases them. We are keeping the shop up though so you can continue to use the recipe exchange. So exchange to your hearts content!
Hey Gaians,
Just a heads-up regarding Back Alley Bargains. Given that zOMG is currently down we will be removing the items from the shop so no one accidentally purchases them. We are keeping the shop up though so you can continue to use the recipe exchange. So exchange to your hearts content!
10/13/2014: Some quotes from Ask the Staff!
Narumi Misuhara mentioned that the maintenance is for server security and code version updates
10/20/2014: In response to "Who's fixing zOMG?" at this week's ATS, Narumi responded that "a couple of their teams are working together to address zOMG!"
11/6/2014: New Community Announcement -- zOMG! is down for good?
Quote:
As many of you know we shut down zOMG! to perform critical repairs to the game servers. Particularly we were addressing some critical vulnerabilities in the server infrastructure. We could not give a specific repair completion date because the extent of what systems the repairs would make to the game were unknown. Sadly, the changes needed were extensive and due to both hardware and Engineering limitations we had to make the tough call not to proceed. This means our beloved zOMG! MMO will not be making a triumphant return.
We will have an update for you next Wednesday regarding recipes, your existing rings, and other zOMG exclusive elements. To all of our loyal zOMG'ers, we wish to thank you for years of loyal support. Over the next couple weeks we will be holding various contests to help commemorate and celebrate your favorite moments in the game. In fact, we have our first one starting, just check it out below! zOMG! was an exciting journey into a whole new world of fun and excitement.
We will have an update for you next Wednesday regarding recipes, your existing rings, and other zOMG exclusive elements. To all of our loyal zOMG'ers, we wish to thank you for years of loyal support. Over the next couple weeks we will be holding various contests to help commemorate and celebrate your favorite moments in the game. In fact, we have our first one starting, just check it out below! zOMG! was an exciting journey into a whole new world of fun and excitement.
11/7/2014: New Staff Update with further information about the staff's decision to shut down zomg
Quote:
Some zOMG! Clarifications
Hey Gaians,
We want to take a moment to address the issue of zOMG! being shut down, and to give more details about why we are unable to bring zOMG! back. We understand that people have been upset by this news, particularly those Gaians who have been loyal zOMG! players. We'd to take a moment to address several of the major concerns and comments about zOMG! closing that we've seen expressed in the forums:
a) With regards to our previous announcements, in which we said "don't worry: zOMG! will be up and running as soon as it's patched up!", we want you to know that when we made these statements, we did honestly believe we would be able to bring the game back after fixes were made. It was never our intent to NOT bring the game back. The decision to leave zOMG! down was only made after learning about serious problems with the game's code. We do want to apologize to you, however, for the way we worded our messages. We should not have said the game was definitely coming back even if this is what we believed when we made those statements. It was never our intent to be misleading about the state of zOMG!, and we understand why this is upsetting for you. We are sorry, truly, for any frustration this has caused.
B) Regarding the reason zOMG! cannot be brought back, there has been a lot of speculation on the reason for our decision. Frankly, the truth of the matter is that during an investigation into issues with zOMG!, it was discovered that zOMG! had a serious flaw in the code. Basically, there was a security exploit in the game that, had it been abused (and thankfully it wasn't!), would have allowed people not only access to zOMG!, but to our site's servers and ultimately, to all your accounts. Knowing this was the case, we couldn't, in good faith, continue to allow zOMG! to remain up and running. We even had one of the fabulous former zOMG! devs look into the issue to see how long it might take to fix this exploit, but a concrete estimate was impossible to make given the sheer volume of code. Ultimately, we decided to leave zOMG! shut down because the security of your accounts and our servers is priority.
C) Finally, we would like to say that closing zOMG! had nothing to do with money, or whether or not zOMG! was making a profit. Frankly, zOMG! hasn't made an overall profit for a while now. We've left zOMG! up and running because we love zOMG!, and more importantly, because we know that YOU love zOMG!. Closing zOMG! was actually a very difficult and sad decision for us, especially for those staff members who saw the game from its inception, to launch, and beyond. At the end of the day, however, the safety concerns over the exploit had to prevail.
We hope this provides you with more details on why the decision to shut down zOMG! was made. Again, thank you to all the players who have supported zOMG! over the years - we hope that you'll carry forward fond memories of the friendships you made with other players in game.
Hey Gaians,
We want to take a moment to address the issue of zOMG! being shut down, and to give more details about why we are unable to bring zOMG! back. We understand that people have been upset by this news, particularly those Gaians who have been loyal zOMG! players. We'd to take a moment to address several of the major concerns and comments about zOMG! closing that we've seen expressed in the forums:
a) With regards to our previous announcements, in which we said "don't worry: zOMG! will be up and running as soon as it's patched up!", we want you to know that when we made these statements, we did honestly believe we would be able to bring the game back after fixes were made. It was never our intent to NOT bring the game back. The decision to leave zOMG! down was only made after learning about serious problems with the game's code. We do want to apologize to you, however, for the way we worded our messages. We should not have said the game was definitely coming back even if this is what we believed when we made those statements. It was never our intent to be misleading about the state of zOMG!, and we understand why this is upsetting for you. We are sorry, truly, for any frustration this has caused.
B) Regarding the reason zOMG! cannot be brought back, there has been a lot of speculation on the reason for our decision. Frankly, the truth of the matter is that during an investigation into issues with zOMG!, it was discovered that zOMG! had a serious flaw in the code. Basically, there was a security exploit in the game that, had it been abused (and thankfully it wasn't!), would have allowed people not only access to zOMG!, but to our site's servers and ultimately, to all your accounts. Knowing this was the case, we couldn't, in good faith, continue to allow zOMG! to remain up and running. We even had one of the fabulous former zOMG! devs look into the issue to see how long it might take to fix this exploit, but a concrete estimate was impossible to make given the sheer volume of code. Ultimately, we decided to leave zOMG! shut down because the security of your accounts and our servers is priority.
C) Finally, we would like to say that closing zOMG! had nothing to do with money, or whether or not zOMG! was making a profit. Frankly, zOMG! hasn't made an overall profit for a while now. We've left zOMG! up and running because we love zOMG!, and more importantly, because we know that YOU love zOMG!. Closing zOMG! was actually a very difficult and sad decision for us, especially for those staff members who saw the game from its inception, to launch, and beyond. At the end of the day, however, the safety concerns over the exploit had to prevail.
We hope this provides you with more details on why the decision to shut down zOMG! was made. Again, thank you to all the players who have supported zOMG! over the years - we hope that you'll carry forward fond memories of the friendships you made with other players in game.
11/13/2014: Sticky in zOMG! Forum: zOMG! Information Update
I will most likely not be updating this post any more. Please check out the z! forum for more information.
