More info regarding Wireplay and the BY deal ..

[TK421]

Hokay, I’ve been requested to post something regarding the BY and Wireplay situation as it stands currently. I’m sure most of you are aware of the deal with BY, but perhaps the details have slipped by amongst all the panic and confusion.

BlueYonder havent bought Wireplay, all they've done is employed 5 staff that used to work at Wireplay (Stikky, Amok, Drilla, Velvet and Babyharpseal) and these are going to try and reproduce what Wireplay is. They’ll setup their own servers, their own connection means, their own infrastructure etc, but it wont be what we all know as Wireplay (closer to a new BW or Jolt etc). They will most likely pull it off as these guys know their sh1t and were key figures in building up Wireplay over the last few years, but they lack a community to use this service. BUT, Wireplay isn’t quite dead yet, the feed may be cut off after the weekend thanks to contract with BT and Gameplay expiring, we are still looking for viable alternatives and funds to continue what we do, or at least spawn something that is similar (by ‘selling’ our services to a telco for ex, and they setup a ‘wireplay-like’ system). With luck there will be a press announcement next week although Wireplay hosting etc will have gone down as Gameplay ends its agreement with BT.

The Wireplay 5 are a great bunch of guys who have sweated blood for the Wireplay community and over the last few months have acted heroically to keep things together despite Gameplay support (as in none at all). Unsurprisingly with the insecure future of no salaries and a community (apparently) at the end of its life, they have chosen to go to BY, and left the rest of us in a state of limbo. There are still peeps here at Wireplay who hope to land somekinda deal with a company to continue the service. We still have the servers (actual Wireplay property) backoffice technologies, forums, browsers, etc, so it all boils down to your definition of what was Wireplay..

Was it the servers?
Was it the community?
Was it the people who ran it and looked after it?

I think its fair to say that all 3 that made Wireplay what it was, and if you take away any one of those then you leave a pretty big gap. Wireplay as it is at the moment will lose the servers (not the actual servers, but the connection to their users, so essentially ‘losing’ them, er as it were..). We still have the community and we still have people who can look after boxes and suchlike.

BY on the other hand have the servers and like WP have the staff to look after the boxes, but they haven’t got the community as yet, they need you the community to make it work.

Things aren’t over just yet, despite the fears and panic over the last few months. Experience in running communities, ex Wireplay staff, server admin, new volunteers, game pro's or any contacts with good hosting sites or just any (more) ideas would be much appreciated.

An email address has been set up info@arenatek.com. Anyone who is able to contribute in keeping the community together should email their contact details and how they can help. There will soon be an active webpage with the latest updates. Keep checking http://www.arenatek.com/wpnews.htm

Thanks,
TK and the rest of the wireplay peeps

[UsediLLusioN]

tbh,
i don't give a toss about the servers, or who ran them
just the forum.
theres always been plenty of places to play.
only reason i played on wireplay was the wireview software, because i couldn't be arsed with game****e or craptool.

i know im gonna get an empty feeling inside when i click that favourites button entitled "forums" and all i get is a 404 error

but theres allways gonna be other servers and other people to run them.

[ACiD-ReX]

Good luck to whoever is still behind wireplay. Its concerning that the "wireplay 5" seems to have the majority of ppl going with them to by instead of sticking with wireplay. I honestly hope you can get something going sharpish.

Truths out eh, wireplay5 gave up on wireplay. Cant say I blame them with the way things are right now. But lets get behind the guys who are sticking with it.

[QJP]

TK421, Why aren't you at your post?

[Mebe]

Persoanally I don't see what the technical people who run it have to do with 'communities'?

Its the people: ordinary users and volunteers who run competitions and admin things who make a difference.

[Munk]

cya all on BY.

[ACiD-ReX]

did u actually read the post munk?

[Myshra]

the WP5 tbh, i will stand by. as someone who has seen what they hjave done behind the scenes the garantee us a decent game, making sure hte netcode is working, getting servers for mods etc... they have done an amazing job. all the CL's are going to join them as they were all asked this privatly before the matter came public. what they are aiming for is setting up a community like here, over there.

The problem i see is the server numbers over there. 36 i think CS servers here, something like 5 over there isn't it? what we need:

BY's Finanicial backing
BY's netfeed
WP's Servers
WP's Community

shame it aint gonna happen

[Bugstomper]

Originally posted by ACiD-ReX
Truths out eh, wireplay5 gave up on wireplay.

they didn't give up on wireplay, wireplay no longer exists.. whats to give up on ?

My loyalty is with this community, so wherever it ends up i will follow.

there were three offers on the table, wireplay being bought by BT but BT refusing to give any money towards improving it and basically just putting their name at the top whilst not putting anything into it. A management buy out, which was hoped for but could never be guarenteed to survive for more than 6 months so we'd be right back where we started again, no future and the threat of it all being turned off, so they went with the only thing that could offer the chance of a future for all of us playing on a proper service... which is what everyone hopes BY will turned out to be.

Don't forget that they hadn't planned for BT to be turning everything off so soon so everythings all rushed now.

Do i take it from your post tk that you'd be staying here if the MBO goes ahead ?

[TK421]

Bug I'll go with the community, but I've been asked so many questions over the last few days from ppl jumping to conclusions and not reading posts properly that I had to post something.

I want the same as everyone else obviously, a nice stable, fast, friendly place to play cs, and that was wireplay (well ok not that fast, but it was good enough). I just needed to post this to inform those under the impression that wireplay is now BY, when it isnt.

BTW the WP5 did NOT abandom wireplay, and if my post suggested that then I apologise. They did what they thought was the best for themselves and the community, and I hope they pull it.

TK

[Nor]

eek never realised that was the score

[Bugstomper]

nah yours was clear tk, was just responding to acids comments.

[sword_]

As ive send in a previous post, the wp5 team have one alot 4 us and now it is time they are repayed Gl with future u lot and do u best in keeping wp a friendly place to play cs. Well kinda

[THE STRANGER]

Originally posted by Bugstomper

My loyalty is with this community

LOL that quote should be put in the "Book of phrase's" under SAD C.UNT

[Nerdy]

That coming from someone so insecure with his self image that he had to cheat at a game to feel big. I'm sure you've reduced him to tears.