Absor stepping down.

Akaran_D · Post by **Akaran_D** » December 11, 2003, 11:01 am

Time for a Change
I was hired as Community Relations Manager for EverQuest just over three years ago, in October of 2000. I have to admit that the last three years have been the most entertaining three years of work I've ever had. I've had a great time getting to know the EverQuest community. It's been a great pleasure of meet many of you at Fan Faire, through email, and on message boards. Your enthusiasm for EverQuest is outstanding, and I appreciate everything that enthusiasm means.

Some folks have claimed that being Community Relations Manager for a huge product like EverQuest is a thankless job, and one that they wouldn't wish on their worst enemy. I disagree. I still have some great emails and letters that customers have sent to us, thanking us for the fun they've had in EverQuest. I've had one on display in my office for over a year, and I'm very proud of each of them.

I've enjoyed every minute that I've had this job. I want to thank you all for playing the game and for engaging me every day. I appreciate that you take us to task when we're wrong and that you appreciate the things we do well. Thanks.

I also wanted to thank the EverQuest Live team, past and present. I've had the honor of working with some of the best in the business. Thanks.

But I'm only praising the EQLive team because I have to. It's just practical to butter them up, since I'm to be one of them now. The folks here at SOE have offered me a chance to be a game designer, and I'm going to give it a try. It's one of those undeniably exciting things, to tell people that you make games for a living. I'm incredibly pleased to be given this opportunity.

So my official title is now Game Designer, and you'll probably be hearing a lot less from me in the future. With my well-honed Community Management skills, I can guess your next question: "Who will be taking your place?"

We've been lucky in that regard. We managed to snag one of the hardest-working, most experienced and silliest people in the company. Alan Crosby, also known as Brenlo Bixiebopper, is the new Community Relations Manager for EverQuest. Not only is he a great guy, but he has a great name (the Alan part, not the Bixiebopper part). Also, in the odd tradition of EQ Community Relations Managers, he also has a nice alpha-loot handle.

Enough from me. I now yield the floor to Alan so he can introduce himself.

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Well thanks for the kind words Alan; you never say anything that nice to me in person!

I know that Alan (the other Alan) will be greatly missed and I can never hope to fill his shoes. He has a wry sense of humor and a comfortable writing style that many of you have enjoyed for some time now. Thanks for all you have done Alan, and I know you will be successful adding new content to the game you have been so deeply involved with for the last 3 years.

So a little about me. My title for nearly the last 2 years has been Customer Service Manager for our EQ games. Prior to that I was a Lead Game Master, a Game Master and at one point long ago, a Guide and Senior Guide. I have been playing EQ since it released, and involved with its community since shortly thereafter. I have met many of you at Fan Faires and through correspondence, and I look forward to getting to know many more of you in the weeks and months ahead.

So change has brought me here to share time with you, the EverQuest Community. I feel that the greatest reason EQ has been so successful for so long is because of you and your passion for this game. I encourage you to continue to share your passion with me, in constructive ways, and I will bring your thoughts, feelings and concerns to the EQLive team. I guarantee that you will be heard. Please remember that we all have our own ideas of how the game should be and they may not all be implemented or even considered (I for one feel that Halflings should rule Norrath, for some reason the Dev team is not with me on this).

Thanks for your time and thanks for being a part of Norrath!

Source: http://eqlive.station.sony.com/communit ... p?id=59839

Sionistic · Post by **Sionistic** » December 11, 2003, 11:43 am

Hes not stepping down, he got promoted

Llaffer · Post by **Llaffer** » December 11, 2003, 12:58 pm

No more Absor Smash?

hehe. I wonder what the new Alan's "catch phrase" will end up being.

Aslanna · Post by **Aslanna** » December 11, 2003, 2:09 pm

I'd say the next person would probably be even more useless but they only pass along what SOE tells them to so it doesn't matter much.

Vetiria · Post by **Vetiria** » December 11, 2003, 2:20 pm

The next Alan is the person responsible for taking away server GM's. Have fun.

Siji · Post by **Siji** » December 11, 2003, 2:47 pm

I used to guide with the new Alan up until and including when he became a regular GM. He was cool up to that point.. I heard a lot of bad things about him after he made Lead GM though.

Damn, his old guide/senior guide name escapes me.. bah.

Aslanna · Post by **Aslanna** » December 11, 2003, 3:00 pm

Vetiria wrote:The next Alan is the person responsible for taking away server GM's. Have fun.

You mean we have server GMs now?

Vetiria · Post by **Vetiria** » December 11, 2003, 4:50 pm

I have no idea if you have GM's now, I haven't played in 8 months. Alan Crosby is the person responsible for taking away server GM's and implementing rotating GM's.

Llaffer · Post by **Llaffer** » December 11, 2003, 5:59 pm

Damn, his old guide/senior guide name escapes me.. bah.

Brenlo?

Siji · Post by **Siji** » December 11, 2003, 10:45 pm

Llaffer wrote:
Damn, his old guide/senior guide name escapes me.. bah.
Brenlo?

No.. he had a different name as a guide/senior guide.. he changed it to Brenlo when he got the GM position.

It doesn't matter really, I was just trying to remember.. All I recall is that it was back on The Rathe server and the GM we worked with there was a woman who was 24/7 in a bad mood.

Wonko Wenusberg · Post by **Wonko Wenusberg** » December 12, 2003, 3:02 am

I bet Alan is GM Wijdan's evil twin!

I miss wijdan, he was a troll in two ways.

Hesten · Post by **Hesten** » December 12, 2003, 5:21 am

Well, as far as i see it, Brenlo have done more PR work and communicating with the players since he got the job, than Absor have done in the last 2 years (deliberately shutting out the communities you dont like = BAD idea for a PR job), so lets see what happens before we start judging him.

Xatrei · Post by **Xatrei** » December 12, 2003, 2:13 pm

/agree Hesten

IMO, Absor was a complete waste, so anyone taking his place would be hard pressed *not* to improve. Given time to really get into his new role, hopefully Brenlo will prove to be a good replacement, and not more of the same.