75 million users who have used PMB over 3 years but how many of them knowingly? Probably very few. The problem with PMB is the fact it's not being disclosed during install of games. Pando Inc. has said to me in email before that it's up to the publishers to if they want to notify us or not but that's like letting the children run the candy shop. Pando can make it a requirement that they notify people and bam, Pando's reputation restored.
People aren't upset that you use our bandwidth. They aren't upset that you are packaged with all games. People aren't complaining about the inability to uninstall it (because, there is the ability to do just that). It's the fact that it's done behind our backs. That is where the problem is and Pando chooses to ignore it. Plain and simple. Had the F2P mmo's been upfront "Hey, we need to install something called Pando Media Booster to help redistrubute the game" i'd been perfectly fine with it. I have lots of bandwidth. Its the fact that Pando lets developers HIDE their software in their installs that make people, such as myself, pissed off and hate the MMO and Pando Inc.
Stop letting people use your software like a trojan horse and maybe you'll get better feedback from users.
Actually I think it would be cool to have random armor drop and if it's not for your race/class you have to take it to a tailor to use it. My characters sleep, eat, and pee when I log off. =)
Yeah, some of the realism you have to take out. Guild Wars for example has some SKIMPY ass armor and I stand around in Droks for hours on end. Real life i'd have hypothermia and frostbite on everything.
The thing that bothers me the most is when you have to kill something, lets say bats, for bat fangs. You have to kill 10 to get 1. Well, excuse me but i'm pretty sure the other 9 had bat fangs too since they were, you know, bats. Why not make it where ic an try to get it from the animal and some breakage occurs making it useless. Easy way to stop flooding of markets but be more in line with realism.
Well, little one, not everyone in the real world gets bandwidth for free. You see, in adult land you have to pay for stuff. Bandwidth would be great if it was free but it's not and these parasites are using other peoples paid for bandwidth for free. You believe art and music should be free. Lets assume you aren't in middle school, would you work for free? Work 9 to 5 every day just for the sheer thrill of it? No. Grow up before coming on the big peoples websites.
And for those reasons I will never trust a free MMO either. I was getting into D&D Online when i found out it had secretly installed Pando in the background. Had they been upfront, sure i'd have allowed it but probably not as much as they would want. They also lost money because it's a F2P with a cash shop. So they lost a player and income because they wanted to be deceitful.
So you're happy with being blissfully ignorant? You don't mind the fact that this company is making money off of you as long as you're happily ignorant of it. That's like saying "I don't care if someone steals from me as long as I don't know it i'm ok with it".
This would be great but these companies want to know more information about you then a torrent would allow. They use PMB because PMB gathers information about you and your connection and sells this to the companies.
This was a topic brought up here some time back. A Pando Media worker chimed in and defended the company somewhat and I took it upon myself to email them and let my thoughts be known. I absolutely hate PMB. I found it after downloading and installing LOTR:O and it runs even when the game is closed. I started up TF2 after a session of LOTR:O and had a ping well over 500. I did some tracking and saw Pando running. Checked it out as i'd not installed this and found out what it was.
I had D&DO installed as well and saw it had it. As well as Vindictus. I uninstalled all 3 games, uninstalled PMB which was removed completely but the folder and one file that was opened by myself and written gibberish in it. I then made it Read Only. Now when Pando tries to install silently it errors out and can't install itself or the game. If the game uses it, i'm glad to not be playing it.
They told me that they encourage people who use their software to disclose this but no one does. The fact that Pando Media Inc. allows it is on them. They can make it a requirement to do so but they are afraid that if people know they will stop it and your information is what they need to sell. Had they been upfront I'd have been more then glad to leave it open when i wasn't playing or needed the bandwidth. Since they tried to be deceitful? Fuck them and anyone who uses them. This is the email I received:
Hello (my name),
Thank you for your honest feedback. We are constantly striving to improve PMB and we take critical user feedback very seriously.
PMB is only installed in order to assist with media downloaders, and we ask our partners that any product that uses it will clearly show that it is being installed as part of it's terms agreement.
PMB gives you a number of ways you can control how it runs on your machine. You can set it to turn on at Windows Start-up, turn it off manually, set an upload speed limit or even uninstall the application from your machine once the download has completed.
Setting the record straight: Massively's interview with Pando Networks
Jan 5th 2012 4:41PM (Massively)People aren't upset that you use our bandwidth. They aren't upset that you are packaged with all games. People aren't complaining about the inability to uninstall it (because, there is the ability to do just that). It's the fact that it's done behind our backs. That is where the problem is and Pando chooses to ignore it. Plain and simple. Had the F2P mmo's been upfront "Hey, we need to install something called Pando Media Booster to help redistrubute the game" i'd been perfectly fine with it. I have lots of bandwidth. Its the fact that Pando lets developers HIDE their software in their installs that make people, such as myself, pissed off and hate the MMO and Pando Inc.
Stop letting people use your software like a trojan horse and maybe you'll get better feedback from users.
The Daily Grind: Does quest reward realism matter?
Dec 24th 2011 2:26PM (Massively)Actually I think it would be cool to have random armor drop and if it's not for your race/class you have to take it to a tailor to use it. My characters sleep, eat, and pee when I log off. =)
Yeah, some of the realism you have to take out. Guild Wars for example has some SKIMPY ass armor and I stand around in Droks for hours on end. Real life i'd have hypothermia and frostbite on everything.
The Daily Grind: Does quest reward realism matter?
Dec 24th 2011 11:37AM (Massively)The Daily Grind: Do you loathe third-party downloaders?
Dec 22nd 2011 11:17PM (Massively)Well, little one, not everyone in the real world gets bandwidth for free. You see, in adult land you have to pay for stuff. Bandwidth would be great if it was free but it's not and these parasites are using other peoples paid for bandwidth for free. You believe art and music should be free. Lets assume you aren't in middle school, would you work for free? Work 9 to 5 every day just for the sheer thrill of it? No. Grow up before coming on the big peoples websites.
The Daily Grind: Which MMOs would you marry, kiss or kill?
Dec 21st 2011 11:36AM (Massively)Kiss: DC Universe Online
Kill: Aion
The Daily Grind: Which MMOs would you marry, kiss or kill?
Dec 21st 2011 11:35AM (Massively)Are you Me? Former FFXI and WAR player and those were the ones i'd marry if they hadn't changed.
The Daily Grind: Do you loathe third-party downloaders?
Dec 17th 2011 3:39PM (Massively)And for those reasons I will never trust a free MMO either. I was getting into D&D Online when i found out it had secretly installed Pando in the background. Had they been upfront, sure i'd have allowed it but probably not as much as they would want. They also lost money because it's a F2P with a cash shop. So they lost a player and income because they wanted to be deceitful.
The Daily Grind: Do you loathe third-party downloaders?
Dec 17th 2011 3:37PM (Massively)So you're happy with being blissfully ignorant? You don't mind the fact that this company is making money off of you as long as you're happily ignorant of it. That's like saying "I don't care if someone steals from me as long as I don't know it i'm ok with it".
The Daily Grind: Do you loathe third-party downloaders?
Dec 17th 2011 3:35PM (Massively)This would be great but these companies want to know more information about you then a torrent would allow. They use PMB because PMB gathers information about you and your connection and sells this to the companies.
The Daily Grind: Do you loathe third-party downloaders?
Dec 17th 2011 3:34PM (Massively)I had D&DO installed as well and saw it had it. As well as Vindictus. I uninstalled all 3 games, uninstalled PMB which was removed completely but the folder and one file that was opened by myself and written gibberish in it. I then made it Read Only. Now when Pando tries to install silently it errors out and can't install itself or the game. If the game uses it, i'm glad to not be playing it.
They told me that they encourage people who use their software to disclose this but no one does. The fact that Pando Media Inc. allows it is on them. They can make it a requirement to do so but they are afraid that if people know they will stop it and your information is what they need to sell. Had they been upfront I'd have been more then glad to leave it open when i wasn't playing or needed the bandwidth. Since they tried to be deceitful? Fuck them and anyone who uses them. This is the email I received:
Hello (my name),
Thank you for your honest feedback. We are constantly striving to
improve PMB and we take critical user feedback very seriously.
PMB is only installed in order to assist with media downloaders, and
we ask our partners that any product that uses it will clearly show
that it is being installed as part of it's terms agreement.
PMB gives you a number of ways you can control how it runs on your
machine. You can set it to turn on at Windows Start-up, turn it off
manually, set an upload speed limit or even uninstall the application
from your machine once the download has completed.
Details on these various settings can be found on the PMB FAQ:
http://www.pandonetworks.com/pando-media-booster-support-faq
Links to solutions and troubleshooting steps for common PMB issues can
be found at:
http://www.pandonetworks.com/games/help
I have shared your comments with the entire Pando team, please let me
know if you have any follow up questions.
-
Peter
Pando Support
I sent my feedback via their website and i suggest you all do the same.