Hi all! Our Metal Gear posts are attracting so much attention that we’re popping back in ahead of schedule to answer some of your questions off the regular Metal Gear Mondays schedule.
To start, we have been getting reports that some of you are receiving partial digit UPVC’s Metal Gear Online Beta on the “Metal Gear Saga Vol. 2″ DVD inserts. We are aware of this issue and are working hard to remedy. If you’ve been affected by this issue, please contact us at http://www.konami-data.com/support/. Please be sure to include your partial code, and any other pertinent details (like a return email address, etc). We thank you for your patience.
Second, as some of you may have noticed, the download of the MGO Beta client is now available. Carefully following the instructions you received with your UPVC, you can go grab it. Once it’s downloaded and installed, and you hit the main menu, you’ll notice to proceed you need to sign in your PSN account. Once you’ve done that, you’ll see that there is an update that must be downloaded and installed. From there, the next menu is where you can sign up for your Konami ID/Game ID, which are required to play Metal Gear Online. You can also sign up for a Konami ID/Game ID at http://id.konami.net at any time using a web browser on a PC as well. Once you have signed up for your Konami ID/Game ID, and input it into MGO on your PS3, you can select the option to save the login and password and just login directly in the future without having to input it again.
Following that, until gameplay begins on the 21st, you will just receive an error if you try to sign in to play MGO right now.
As mentioned in the previous posts about Metal Gear Online and Konami ID, the Konami ID/Game ID will be used to offer community and other features with Metal Gear Online, similar to some other popular multiplayer online game web communities, except in this case the web community is directly integrated into the game client which allows for some special functionality. As you use Metal Gear Online, you will see how the PS3 web browser is seamlessly integrated into the experience, and then of course, you can go and access the community when you are away from your PS3 as well, using a web browser on a PC. We’ll reveal more about the community features of MGO at a later date.
Now we’ll just dive directly into some of your questions previous posts:
I_Love_New_York asked: Can we play this game locally once it is downloaded or is it only played through online?
@I Love New York: You must sign in to play Metal Gear Online. There is no local play option.
darkiewonder asked: Any of the Konami folks will be playing in the BETA as well?
@darkiewonder: We sure will!!! We may try to arrange some matches with you all or something like that… Stay tuned!
Sheen asked: Upon downloading the Beta on the 17th, what can the player do? Would I be able to tool around the character creation settings and all that before I play? I’d like to do that beforehand.
@Sheen: Thanks! You can set up a Konami ID/Game ID through the MGO client/PS3, or can do so right now at http://id.konami.net, otherwise character creation and of course gameplay will not be available until the 21st.
bobamuknunbabo asked: When will you take pre-orders for the Gunmetal Grey MGS4 PS3 Bundle? Where would you be able to do so? Konami America?
@bobamuknunbabo, and everyone else who has been asking: We really appreciate your excitement about the gun-metal grey “Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots” Limited Edition PLAYSTATION 3 Hardware Bundle. We will be revealing more information about this very soon, please stay tuned!
lawman3092 asked: Is there any mic support in the beta or in the starter pack coming with MGS4?
@lawman3092: Absolutely! Mics are supported by MGO!
Thanks everyone! See you Monday!
As someone who worked in the software industry for over a decade, as a software architect/developper/programmer, I feel I can say with confidence that it’s MOST IMPORTANT to listen to feedback during the beta — at least as important, if not moreso than at any other time during the development cycle.
Where’s the feedback mechanism?
Konami chose to make their Konami ID, and thus their registration website, an integral part of the Metal Gear Online experience. That makes the registration website part of the beta, and so far I’ve found no way whatsoever to provide any kind of feedback about the experience to Konami directly.
What’s the point of doing a beta, if you’re not going to take feedback?
Where’s the feedback mechanism?
You can send them feedback while in game. You just use the Mail option in the game and send them your input.
I don’t know if the beta has a feedback system. I can’t even register. Hopefully Konami realizes a beta needs a feedback system. Unless they only want to push their network and don’t need to know about bugs. I agree a beta needs feedback. I hope it’s in the beta itself at least.
Dont know if anyone has stated this yet but the online manual for MGO is up.
Only a few hours more till we get to play (hopefully)
@Eclipse_ Nice to know there’s that feature … assuming you can actually get into the game.
What about those of us who can’t even get past the “Enter your Konami ID” screen because we can’t register for the ID?
Where’s the feedback mechanism for the registration website? At the very least there could be a webmaster or tech support email address — pull an old doorstop out of the back room, load Linux or FreeBSD on it and setup Sendmail with an autoresponder saying “We know you’re having difficulty. We’re overwhelmed by the response. Please bear with us.”
Konami is doing a piss poor job of communicating with their customers.
@ everyone still having problems with ID
After trying all morning I just got my Konami ID by using Firefox instead of Internet Explorer. Download Firefox and try, it really works! Above all…DON’T GIVE UP!!! We’ve all been through so much with our dedication to this console the time has come to reap our rewards. Metal Gear is finally upon us my comrades. See you in Groznyj Grad!
I’ve been using firefox and nothing. For the last six days I’ve been trying to register and I just get error after error. This is pretty ridiculous that they still haven’t straightened this out. You would think that a company like Konami would have there act together with this beta but I guess not. I’ve been really looking forward to this and I’m extremely disappointed in Konami.
for all of u who have problems with konami id, its really simple, go online at a time that no one is.. i open my acound like at 11 pm or later and it was really fast.. after trying for the last four days at normal time with out making it…
i got mine last night there is a post for firefox useres and IE7 users to follow to get theres it really works.
Ahhh, I wonder if the servers will open as early as 4am(central time zone) tomorrow?!
I’ve been trying, like I said, since midnight on the 17th. Still nothing. Right now all I get is the “Page deleted due to inactivity” right after the age screen.
I’ve been using Firefox. I’ve tried it on Windows, Linux, FreeBSD and Mac. I’ve also tried Opera on all of those platforms, and Safari on Windows and Mac.
I’ve also tried mornings, evenings, late evenings, middle of the day, 2AM, and every other time in between.
It’s not a browser issue. It’s not a time of day issue. It’s a site design/implementation and customer service issue.
@lopez: This is the internet. It’s all over the world. When it’s midnight where you are, it’s noon for someone else.
There is no such thing as a time when nobody else is on, especially not for such a well-hyped worldwide release.
wow in just a few hours the MGO Beta will start and gamers will finally have a chance to play one of the most anticipated games of this generation. EXCEPT ME AND A WHOLE LOT OF OTHER PEOPLE WHO CAN’T GET A KONAMI ID since the website doesn’t work!!!!!
I already gave up, I don’t have the free time to be trying to get an id every 5 minutes. Even worse I left my ps3 downloading the patch for 1 and a half hour and it still was at 0%!!!!!!! No progress had been made! After that I tried the HTTP download and I got an error telling me to quit the game.
I know this is a beta and MGS4 will absolutely blow us away, but Konami could’ve put a bit more effort in the support side of things. It feels as if they don’t care about what is happening to all of us. They just replied to one comment in this giant thread.
Come on people we are your most loyal costumers. You don’t know how many people I’ve convinced on buying the MGS4 bundle. I’m not getting any commissions for all the advertisement you get from me. I don’t expect any either. I just love the MGS4 series and I respect its developers. Even though you guys are the publishers our labour of love gets you lots of money so maybe you should TRY to show that you care for us.
I feel your pain, haran.
I’m not even a long time fan of the game. I’d only been looking forward to it because it promised to finally showcase what the PS3 hardware is capable of.
This would have been the first Metal Gear game I’ve ever played, had Konami not dropped the ball so thoroughly and completely with their ID website.
As it stands, they’re not getting any of my money. My first customer experience with them has been so bad that I now consider myself 99% likely to never ever buy another Konami title, ever.
if you would all follow this and stop complaing maybe you would get in:
” Razgoull | April 19th, 2008 at 7:25 am
If you want to know how to register your Konami id. with all this traffic here’s a trick.
1)with firefox use two tab (2 web pages) than try to log on konami until you reach the entry page (were you answer ALL the questions ) after DON’T PRESS NEXT…
2)Use the other tab and try to log on konami until you reach the entry page again BUT… as soon as you’ve been able to enter the page swicth to your first tab ( were the questions are answered) and PRESS NEXT.
and voilà you will be in the confirmation page and then to the complete page. You will recive an email confirmation at your email address you enter.
It works for me this morning. And the server was very busy. Give it a try.”
It worked for me why not try it.
@nhytfahl
I think it’s pretty obvious from your words in this forum that this is your 1st MG experience; I’d say dreadfully obvious. you just don’t get it at all, so if you don’t want to “get it” now, I’d say that’s best for you and all of us; don’t clog the game servers with anyone less than dedicated to MG, please, and thank you in advance for leaving this beta to the REAL fans of the series and going elsewhere to ruin some other gaming experience. SEE YA!!!
@EVERYONE:
Kojima’s game dev has nothing to do with Konami.net website maintenance. I was frustrated like most of you are before the website worked for me, but I didn’t write-off the game, much less the franchise.
I say this to all gamers involved: be upset, be frustrated, but keep trying and get a friggin’ grip already. All this talk of abandoning the whole thing is a joke that just isn’t funny. You know you’ll be back on the bandwagon in July when MGO is the #1 online PS3 game and MGS4 is #1 offline. Instead of and using this BETA to fix what needs fixing, it seems like most of you want them to sit on these forums and serve you all cheese for your collective whine!
For those who just can get over your pathetic pain on this issue, if you really want to leave, you know where the door is (i.e. get out of these forums, get off of you arses, and go play something else)! If the crashed website is any indication, there are more than enough gamers and MG fans for Konami, and I don’t think they need YOU that much. BUH-BYE!!!
PS: In other words, unless you have something to contribute toward getting the IDs in question or the game as a whole, SHADDAAAAAAP ALREADY!!!!!!! GEEZ!!!
Having trouble getting a konami id?! i did but was able to bypass it! its really simple.
you NEED firefox in order to do it.
just download the autoformer add on.
when you enter the info on the pages click on edit and autoformer then save all fields.
then next time you get to the page the info will be all ready added!
just click next through to the next page and it will load!
after all fields are entered and saved on each page, you click send and it wont go through due to inactivity.
fire up the registration again and just scroll QUICKLY down to the next key.
if done correctly and fast you will be taken to the confirmation screen and email was sent to mailbox.
click the link to verify and your set with your konami id!
hope this helps all of you out!
Speaking of (my continued) contribution (see my prior post for reference), I used the revolving window trick with 2 IE windows and, get this, the MGO Beta/PS3 web browser window. It took about 30 minutes for that particular session to work.
Just more IFY…
I was reading all this and thinking maybe some people were over exagerating but WOW just WOW. I’m in the uk here and using a macro to access the site id registration process and even this way is an utter joke! I cant not beleive this i feel for anyone using a web browser and best of luck really!
Guys n girls go here and try this but please make sure you comfortable with the process before downloading and installing. It WILL speed things up for you.
http://www.avforums.com/forums/showpost.php?p=6856223&postcount=416
DTS_MAN
Oh, and to add to my #270 post:
1) In my experience, the PS3 browser pulls the pages much faster than my IE does (and without cert errors, which I was getting on the 18th), and
2) when my revolving windows worked, it was in one of the IE windows!
@Cwyq: If you’re such a fan of this series, that you’re willing to endure this much pain on it’s behalf, then you deserve the crappy customer service you’re getting.
You’re not doing yourself, or anybody else, a favor by tolerating such bad treatment from your favorite game company.
@nhytfahl #272:
I am, and I do, since MY customer service has been tolerable. I don’t want any of your whine, but thanks for the offer.
And though you were only guessing with the inadequate info at you’re disposal, Konami could easily be my favorite game company, but that’s mostly because I LOVE the juggernaut known as Castlevania!!!
Now, YOU do US all a favor and quit ya belly-achin’!!! We have no cheese for you here. Maybe you should go get an NES emu and MG (yes, the first one) and go get caught up, instead of complaining here. Think about it…
i still can’t get my ‘id’ done???
still slow???
don’t anyone from Konami listen???
looks like im going to miss it then :-(
thanks Konami well done :-/
bad customer service? do you want them to give you a reach-around? on a beta? as far as i know, you’re not guaranteed a damned thing in a beta. if you think otherwise, you’re kidding yourself. there have been way bigger launch botches…and OFFICIAL ones, mind you…than this (Steam anyone?) i think you are overreacting
when the official launch takes place and you’ve actually bought the damned thing, then you have an agreement with the company that they’re at your service. and, yes, there is a feedback system. it’s called the support e-mail. it’s plastered all over the place.
@p-s-3:
I hope you’ve been trying the techniques mentioned in this board; they seem to have a (semi-)decent success rate. Note that the beta won’t close you out after day one. You may potenially miss the first day, but there’s a couple of weeks to “play with” (sorry, bad pun. LOL!).
Fine, Cwyq.
Give me Konami’s customer service phone number, and I’ll call THEM and complain.
Oh, wait! It’s nowhere to be found! And neither is their email address!
I’m happy for you that your experience with Konami ID has been better than mine. I, and thousands of others, have not been so lucky, regardless of our persistence.
If Konami is OK with selling only to their existing hard-core fans, more power to them. They’re certainly not winning any new fans with this debacle.
As for your cheese, I don’t need it, and I don’t want it.
Maybe, just maybe, if enough of us tell our stories here, Sony might just put some pressure on Konami to get their act together.
also, have you noticed that konami representatives post on this blog? yes, they probably read this, so this is as good as any a place to raise issues. will they take the time to reply to every single person? no. you’ve got to be more mature than that.
you aren’t exactly out to win new fans during a beta. the very act of pre-ordering, with all probability, insinuates than you’re confident enough in the product to purchase it regardless unless something drastically affective happens. i personally don’t pre-order anything of something i don’t already know about or am willing to work with.
I agree that the whole thing is bad form, especially in tems of the website misstep, but there are literally enough complaints leveled in here already.
What we need to get from everyone is what techniques are personally working, which are not working, and when these attempts were made. Let’s establish a working baseline and get some progress.
…and all of this coming from a preson, who eventually got it to work; that’s my dedication to my gaming community, right there (i.e. all of you). I try…
@Big Boss: Konami agreed to at least SOME level of service, by inviting me into their beta with their little propaganda-disc-with-signup-code thingey.
By botching their service on that offer, they’ve guaranteed themselves at least one no-sale.
Big Boss has the wisdom, but nhytfahl is the alleged (ex?)developer/guru.
Dude, it’s a BETA!!! I paid 5 bucks for the opportunity. Some online have the chance for FREE. If you paid for the whole thing in advanced, then good for you. If you want to take it back because the B E T A has some kinks, again, good for you. However, you are not helping anyone having the issue, and I have been, even after I stopped having it.
Either you are going to take it back (which, if you REALLY were, you would not have any reason to be here with your whine), or you are going to tolerate it, like the rest of us; there’s no middle ground. Oh, and if you think Sony is not in Konami’s rear over this (like YOU would personally get the memo about it, paaalease!), you should sell your PS3 and, again, free the server usage for the rest of us. Stick with the hexbox “270” (as in the red ring of death)…
@Cwyq: I’m glad it worked for you. I’ve tried the revolving window thing on several different browsers and several different platforms, to no avail.
@Big Boss: No, I don’t expect them to acknowledge every single user that’s having a problem. I *do* expect SOMETHING. An email address that I can send something to, detailing to their test and devel teams what I’ve tried would be nice, even if I only get an autoresponse that says they’re overwhelmed and will get to it eventually.
Or how about a new “bear with us” message on the signup site, that lets us know they’re working on it? The last entry on there is currently dated the 16th. A little stale, on Internet timescales.
What I’ve seen instead is nothing. Zero. Zip. Zilch. Nada. Nichts. Empty Set.
I had enough confidence to pre-order the game. That confidence has been completely shot down.
Cwyq: don’t think I lack dedication. I’ve been trying persisitently for four days. I’ve been trying every technique people have been detailing all over the web. So far, nothing’s worked for me, and if I had even the slightest inkling of it being an issue on my end, I wouldn’t breathe a word about it — and I’ve been a hardcore gamer since the computer industry was in diapers. I played multiplayer games when the fastest connection you could get was a 300 baud modem. I survived the EverQuest beta, and have been a loyal player there for many years — because they put forth the effort to communicate with us when we were having issues.
So far, despite all my efforts, (communicateWithKonami-p) -> (nil)
and that’s fine if you don’t want to buy anything for whatever reason even if the cover art is just too ugly for you to buy the certain product. it’s always nice to have the best experience ever, but it is reasonable to expect that as a beta you’re not guaranteed the best possible experience no matter what facet of the experience is lacking. if someone can’t understand that, i agree that unfortunately, the company misses out on a customer, but ultimately the fault lies with the customer for not understanding the situation. konami has had some level of response to the matter, but frankly, i don’t blame them for not being able to answer every whiney person that thinks they’re entitled to instant treatment just because they can’t wait to pwn genome noobs. again, a beta and an official launch are two different beasts
@Cwyq #283: Yeah, it’s a BETA. That’s why it’s doubly important for the developer to keep the testers INFORMED!
I don’t care if the beta has some kinks. I’d be very surprised if it didn’t.
What’s getting my goat is that there’s apparently no official avenue for letting Konami know about our issues, or getting any information from them about any fixes or status updates.
I’ve been both a tester and a developer, for a living, and I can say unequivocally that the most important part of both jobs is COMMUNICATION.
Communication with Konami is what’s missing in this whole thing.
Preach, Big Boss!!!
It’s a B_E_T_A!
I agree that Konami should have more to say than they have already, but I’m not going to have a conniption over it, if I can get in on day-one-minute-one. Be diligent, or be gone. That’s my point.
@nhytfahl #286:
Agreed: Communication is vital. Apparently, they have all the communication they need on this issue. Since it’s a B*E*T*A, they don’t need to be told that the site is having difficulties 50,000 times over. The site says they know. This forum says they know. They are effectively investing all the resources they deem necessary for the success of this project, and apparently, that extra email to you was not in the budget or project specs.
Oh, and before you do so, please don’t think you’re the only person here that’s ever been paid to develop or test. It just doesn’t seem like it’s mention will help anyone get their IDs in order; unfortunately, the mention certain doesn’t seem to be helping you much…
Well, at least we agree on one thing, Cwyq.
Like I said in my original post, I will diligently and persistently continue trying everything I can find/think of to get this thing working, until it’s time for me to retire for the night.
I will also continue to use whatever methods I have at my disposal to try and pry a response out of Konami.
EDIT #288
Meant to say if “…I can’t get in…”
nhytfahl, the only thing I don’t aggre with you about is that this is worth disowning Konami, Kojima, or the MG franchise over.
Otherwise, yes, this is messed-up. Yes, they should say more to us about it. Yes, I hope they get their butts in gear ASAP.
OH, WOW! I just got a terrible thought (that may have been expressed earlier):
Since it looks like this ID necessity is specific to just MGO Beta right now (game-access-wise), what if they have a tally of everyone that already has their IDs already, they consider it a high enough number for the beta, and they are not trying to fix anything related to the IDs or ID site right now????
Now THAT would suck!
@Cwyq #289: I’m sure they know they’re having problems. I don’t know whether or what they’re doing about it because there’s no information to be had on the matter.
It’s a funny thing … when I try out something new with my clients, and I’m having difficulty with it, I bend over backwards to let them know what I’m doing about it, because I want to keep them as my clients.
If Konami is unwilling, or unable, or whatever, to expend a *little* bit of effort putting an update blurb on their signup page, in order to answer the thousands of us who have the same question, then they shouldn’t have invited us to test their product.
Oops, I “dyslexed” agree; oh well…
Note that it’s not too far from midnight at the ol’ prime meridian (UK, folks). Anticipation grows…
OK so i’ve tried getting on the game and i’m putting my game id and password that i KNOW is correct but it is saying it is not recognised.
Anyone got the same error as me?
@Cwyq #292: “OH, WOW! I just got a terrible thought (that may have been expressed earlier):
Since it looks like this ID necessity is specific to just MGO Beta right now (game-access-wise), what if they have a tally of everyone that already has their IDs already, they consider it a high enough number for the beta, and they are not trying to fix anything related to the IDs or ID site right now????”
Then perhaps they should put up a little blurb saying that, so the rest of us can stop beating up their servers.
“the only thing I don’t aggre with you about is that this is worth disowning Konami, Kojima, or the MG franchise over.”
Then we’ll have to agree to disagree. You may be a longtime fan, with a higher tolerance level.
I’m a new potential customer. They need to *earn* my business, or I’ll spend my money elsewhere.
@nhytfahl #293:
There’s also the consideration that the Japanese page says more. They may think that they have said all that they must to us, the spoiled westerners. Has anyone located/translated the Japanese version of the site to see? My Japanese is nowhere near that good, and I don’t know if the online translators will work on it. Then again, I’ve never seen the thing, nor can I prove there is one, but I imagine there is.
Guys,
Just thought I’d quickly let you know of my experience with this whole debacle Down Under. In Australia, we had no problems with DVD codes not working – we were able to download the game from the Playstation Store. Still had to download the update (took me 5 hours and quite a few unsuccessful trials to get it too). Then, like everyone else here, had the major problems with the Konami ID website. The only advice I can give is to keep trying – after what seemed like hundreds of denied attempts and a few frustratingly close ones (got through to the password and user entry screen, only to be denied again), finally I got through and registered. I’m still annoyed that, as yet, I still cannot play – its the 21st already here in Oz, but we have to wait for you guys to catch up…
I guess my point is – if you’re that interested in this game that you’ve spent untold hours downloading the demo and updates in the first place, dont give up now with the ID – keep at it and you will get it. The main reason that we’ve all experienced some major issues with getting to this stage is the colossal amount of gamers who want to be a part of this BETA – don’t be so quick to blame the website or the developers – it just goes to prove that the demand for quality games is stronger then ever. MGS has me hooked from the early days of the original Playstation – from a clip I saw of Hideo Kojima playing the game in the Playstation store, I realised this game is going to be awesome.
Don’t give up hope, just channel that rage into playing the BETA when it starts and we’ll all enjoy…
@jameslabanks: Congrats on getting your ID working … I’m still trying.
It won’t work in the game until the servers go live at midnight.
Which brings me to the other question I haven’t found an answer for anywhere … Assuming I can get an ID working (at this point I’m not holding my breath), do the servers go live all at the same time, and if so, which timezone is the “official” MGO midnight, or will it be broken down by timezone (not out of the question, since postal code is part of the registration protocol)?
@nhytfahl:
WHAT?!?!?! Not even on Castlevania?!?!?
ROTFLMAO…
Ok, but seriously, if you really are done w/ Konami (since you say you never have touched a[n?] MG game) over this, please don’t tell Konami this, ’cause if too many do, they might either close the beta process to the general public or not “open-beta” anything ever again (either would be bad, but I’m a G.A.P. member, so I’m not too bothered by the former).
PS: HOME is coming along just fine!
Your US servers say they are up but us here at NEOGAF are having a hell of a time logging in. European gamers are logging in but being kicked out in the process. Hope this is only temporary.
Well, mad.matt from down under just answered that question … it’s past midnight there and they’re not up.
So, which is the “official” midnight timezone? Pacific, because that’s where Konami’s US offices are?