Who at EA is capable of solving database problems? I *know* you're out there... [ Edited ]

[urbivor]

Because one of you angels fixed a similar problem earlier this week...

After almost a week of going in circles, a chat client that never loads (just left chat with Amazon, so its not my browser its EA's inability to make a working chat client) I keep getting low level phone tech imps, telling me redundant scripted nonsense like 'try rebooting' or stepping me thru re-installing my Origin client or some OTHER *completely* counter-productive, pointless garbage, THAT I'VE ALREADY BEEN THROUGH.... sigh.

Their CRM system has no clue for them and all they can do is recite the script in front of them... Yet I've found others with this problem, who documented the solution (contact EA tech!) and I get sent back chasing my tail.

What I need is someone to fix the database issue with Spore.com not registering the fact that Origin knows I own Galactic Adventures.  Origin *didn't* recognize Spore until someone at EA fixed it not recognizing my cdkey and saying "already been used", but NOW getting them to fix GA is getting NOWHERE... very, very slowly.

It is not an Origin issue. (new install worked great, and nothing changed after doing it AGAIN, surprise!)

It is not a local game install issue. (nothing changed after re-install, everything was and is working locally)

It is not a 'need to reboot' issue (FFS! Seriously? I get this after a week of tech support?)

It is not a 'lack of communication' issue. (My clients both contact the servers and login JUST FINE!!)

Spore downloads work just fine!

Even GA downloads work just fine!

Spore uploads work JUST FINE!!

Creepy & Cute uploads work JUST FINE!!

GA uploads do NOT work!

Why? Because spore.com is not getting a message from EA's Origin server that I own GA. My *spore.com account* says I own only two of three items. My Origin SOFTWARE, my INVOICES and my BANK ACCOUNT show I own three.

When I bought C&C from you it showed up on spore.com immediately and the icon changed to reflect that, yet when I registered the GA key in Origin it should have done the same thing and yet nothing happens on the website, the icon remains a link to purchase.

I get partial (meaning download) spore.com access in respect to GA content, but upload does not work since it is not authorized on YOUR end. The WEB server does not recognize my ACCOUNT, not my CLIENT... it recognizes my CLIENT and tries to SELL ME THE GAME I'M IN since it doesn't have an ACCOUNT for me!!!! 

I have located web threads documenting this same problem others are having also... NOBODY has found a solution short of EA fixing the problem!

Holy mother of GOD!!!

Why is this so HARD to understand and get resolved?

I bought Spore and the 2 addons from 3 different retailers. 

All are registered in Origin properly, thanks to someone at EA tech *manually* making Spore show up for me (which appears to have required giving me a new CDKey for some reason). 

Yet for some unknown reason, I and many others who purchase elsewhere (ie tons of Steam users), experience problems with one of the two addons registering on spore.com which prevents access to in-game features, namely the "Create" and "Share" portions of the oh-so-crippled six year old game I'm trying to buy and actually play...

I have now spent $35 in $0.25/min phone charges to resolve this problem and my email today contains "try rebooting"!?!?!?!

If registering this game on the webserver had ANYTHING to do with ANY of my local software talking to the server it would have been hacked YEARS AGO!! Day-0!! It is, and can ONLY BE, a problem on EA's end.

Pure and simple!!

NOW I finally REALLY *get* why people hate EA so much!!

[urbivor]

Thank you so much for contacting Electronic Arts! We are always happy to tackle any Tech Issues that you might have. For this particular issue, it would be in your best interest to shut off your Avast Shield Control before reinstalling the game. There is a high possibility that it is restricting your communication to our servers via your Origin client. You may have to reinstall Origin as well with it turned off, but everything should work as it should with your protection turned down.

How to turn down Avast:
http://www.getavast.net/support/turn-off-shields

============================================================================

Thank you for the email response Blake.

What you are suggesting, however, does not compute.  My Origin client
contacts your servers just fine. It *now*, after your support tech's
direct intervention, knows that I own Spore and the 2 addons.

My game client *also* is working perfectly fine.  When I launch Spore,
or Spore Galactic Adventures, it lets me login to the network *just
fine*. So, communication is NOT the problem. My prophylaxis software
is not the issue either.  When I entered the 'Creepy & Cute' pack
cdkey into Origin, it appeared instantly in Origin *AND* on Spore.com.
I have not been so fortunate with Spore or Galactic Adventures.

What *is* the issue, is the online database, once again, does not recognize
that I own the game, Galactic Adventures. This indicates a lack of communication between EA's authorization server and Spore.com.  As a result, when I login
using Galactic Adventures(which is to the spore.com database, despite
the fact it does not say that in-game), the first thing I see on 'My
Spore Page' is 'Buy Galactic Adventures', and only base Spore or C&C
creations appear properly online, anything I upload with GA components
disappears into the network ether. Other people can see my base
creations, but not Adventures...

It does not recognize that I have captains, it does not rank or
recognize when I complete adventures, although it *does* let me
download, play, rate and comment on them apparently. This clearly demonstrates *PARTIAL* database access,  but not *FULL* authorization.

NONE of these issues are 'my communication to EA or spore.com' related, local client
related, bad install related or whatever, they are *simply* poorly
integrated back-end authorization databases not being linked
properly... which I have zero control over.

I and many, many Steam users encountered the exact same *well-documented* problem... and the fix appears to be that this could *easily* be resolved on your end, exactly like my Spore registering in Origin problem was resolved, quickly and easily by *some mysterious someone* at EA linking the two accounts together properly...  

I'd rather not keep going around in circles reinstalling software that clearly works just fine..

Please contact me via email as I cannot use your chat client and I'd rather not pay *another* $35 in cell phone charges for support calls.

Thanks a bunch!
Brian

=============================================================================

Thank you for contacting us! This is Nick with Electronic Arts. I see here that you are having an issue with Spore.

There could be a number of things that could be affecting it. While you say that this issue is only database side, it could very well be something on the computer that is preventing that data from updating. It could be a program, or it could be a service.

I would try performing a clean boot, and then possibly testing a new admin account.

http://help.ea.com/en/article/how-to-clean-boot-your-pc/

https://www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/windows/xp/all/proddocs/en-us/usercpl_add_user.msp...

If you are still having issues, then please contact us back at help.ea.com so we can assist you further. I really do hope this fixes it for you and hope that you enjoy the rest of your day!

        
================================================================================


So yea... same 'its a local issue' BS, no resolution. How in HELL is a new admin account going to fix Spore.com not recognizing that I own Galactic Adventures?!?!?  That's ridiculous!

Not quite as ridiculous as 'turn off your anti-virus and reinstall'!!  

There is *nothing* wrong with my game or my local install!! They all work great! When I login to my account on Spore.com from ANY COMPUTER IN THE WORLD it shows I do not own Galactic Adventures.  There is NOTHING ANY SOFTWARE on MY END can do to change that!!! If there was, your protetction scheme would be a hacker's wet dream!!

<Mother of all Holy Face Palms!>

[urbivor]

I'm not trying to toot my own horn, just give some background, but I am a *reformed* internet software developer, user of the 'net' since it was known as ArpaNet (1981), builder of PC's for over 20 years, user of Windows since version 2,  etc, etc... so no,  I didn't just fall off the turnip truck and this isn't my first rodeo!

The dialog with EA Tech just demonstrates how technically illiterate their low level support personnel actually are. Apparently they don't even understand how their own authorization system works!!

Despite what they seem to think, Origin doesn't communicate with my game client nor vice versa.

Origin is a database authorization and download tool / point-of-sale / pointlessly bloated memory hog. The game client communicates with the game server directly and authorizes itself from the gameserver's database.  The EA server does not sit in the middle of this communication between my client and the game server.  The Origin client does not sit in the middle of this process. Supposedly, that's what SecuRom is doing lurking in the background of my PC.

If there were still such poorly constructed code as a local client which self-authorizes with a server nobody would bother buying this game, or any other.  Hackers would have ripped that to shreds before you could press a disc, let alone a SEVEN year old title!

The game server must receive authorization for a local client from EA's authorization server.

That's the ONLY place the authorization initiates!!  It is NOT POSSIBLE for it to be a local issue or NOBODY would have this problem SIX YEARS since the last expansion!  The PLAYERS would have hacked a fix by now!! Why hasn't EA?

[urbivor]

This problem has been documented already, and lists EA Support as the only solution:

========================================
http://spore.wikia.com/wiki/Glitches/Major_Glitches
========================================
Spore thinks you do not own Galactic Adventures or Creepy and Cute Glitch

Sometimes, if you buy either Galactic Adventures or Creepy and Cute, more likely through Steam, the Spore website will think you do not own those expansion packs, treating you like you own only the base game, and will refuse to upload any of your creations that possesses GA/C&C exclusive parts. This glitch is a gamewrecker. You can upload creatures with only Core Spore, Exoskeleton Limbs and Bot Parts normally, but creatures possessing Galactic Adventures and Creepy and Cute parts, while they show up as 'shared' in your Sporepedia, do not appear in the official Sporepedia, therefore, other players cannot meet your creations or play your adventures. Adventures that are shared with this glitch have their 'shared' icon, but the times played and rating GUI doesn't appears. Any GA/C&C creature 'shared' with this glitch do not have the comments and 'Games used' tab.
Glitch1

Exibit A: Games tagged with this glitch unproperly display their uploaded creations. In this case, this user has made and published 33 creations, but the 'My Spore' page claims only 12 have been made and published.

SOLUTION: Contact EA Support, and ask for assistance. Make sure you have a valid CD Key, or they will not be able to help you.

[urbivor]

I keep getting passed from one bottom rung tech to another, there is ZERO accountability or responsibility and ZERO solutions, just more scripted nonsense instructions. 

This new tech support system is an epic FAIL

[sharonwood123]

Customer service involves much more than having a conversation on the phone. Responding to tickets over email, live chat, and social media are equally important communication channels for customers. While there is much overlap in the customer service skills required to do a great job, each channel also benefits from a unique approach to these skills. Avast Customer Service is one of them.