my.com support is either making fun or me, or made of complete imbeciles

[Nature Guardian]

Do you think they're mocking me for some weird reason or are they really this stupid? Please say they're mocking me.

 

[Saelune]

It is sort of a standard running joke that customer support is never helpful.

 

[Nature Guardian]

It is sort of a standard running joke that customer support is never helpful.

Well, one thing is not being helpful, but what the heck are these guys even doing?

On an unrelated note, is anyone capable of finding Planet Of Heroes in their Android Play Store?

 

[tippy2k2]

As someone who worked for a tech support service (*makes sign of the cross like you see in the movies when someone runs into something scary/demonic), I can without a shadow of a doubt say that they are not messing with you.

When you call (or email or whatever you're doing there) a general tech support thing like that, most of the techs are just going off of a script of some kind. If the problem you are having is not covered in the script, they will ask probing questions to try to get an answer from you that will put them onto their script.

It's unfortunate but tech support like that doesn't get paid enough for them to actually learn what the hell they're doing. If you get lucky, you might get someone who has been there long enough to get an idea as to what to do off-script but generally they don't last because A. The Company wants you to stick with the script and B. Those jobs suck so no one wants to stay long enough to become that person.

 

[Nature Guardian]

As someone who worked for a tech support service (*makes sign of the cross like you see in the movies when someone runs into something scary/demonic), I can without a shadow of a doubt say that they are not messing with you.

When you call (or email or whatever you're doing there) a general tech support thing like that, most of the techs are just going off of a script of some kind. If the problem you are having is not covered in the script, they will ask probing questions to try to get an answer from you that will put them onto their script.

It's unfortunate but tech support like that doesn't get paid enough for them to actually learn what the hell they're doing. If you get lucky, you might get someone who has been there long enough to get an idea as to what to do off-script but generally they don't last because A. The Company wants you to stick with the script and B. Those jobs suck so no one wants to stay long enough to become that person.

Now that was an interesting answer.

So that's why when you contact tech support it often feels like you're being answered by a script. It's because it IS a script.

Still, I've seen tech supports work well - the one in League Of Legends is rather good.
But maybe League was the exception and all other game supports are like this one above....

 

[bluegate]

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.my.moba.ent

This the game you're looking for? Seems to be compatible with my Samsung Galaxy S3 Neo.

It says it's an unreleased app and can be unstable, so maybe a newer version will be compatible with your tablets again.

As for what's going on, when you're developing on Android, you have a lot of software versions and hardware models to think of, and developers have a pretty extensive list of components that they can flag for compatibility with devices ( for example, Android version, bluetooth antenna, GPS capability, OpenGL version, RAM, screen size, etc ). Chances are that the developers arbitrarily decided that they don't want the game to run on, for example, the Android version that your tablets have, or on hardware that lacks a certain amount of RAM or something else that your tablets just happen to be affected by.

When you're developing on a lot of devices as on Android, it's a pain in the ass to test your application on a lot of devices, so developers are more likely to pick a certain threshold that they know that the app can run on, with a little leeway, and develop from there, even if there are certain phones or tablets that sit below the threshold that can perfectly run the game.

You could nicely ask the developers for their minimum requirements for Android devices, or why your certain tablet isn't supported anymore, you could even ask them if they are willing to set the requirements of their app back to what they were, but if they continue this course, then your best chance is to install the application from a trustworthy apk mirror site, as long as it's a free app, it isn't piracy. You'll still be able to play the game for as long as it technically runs on your device, you'll just have to install updates manually. I had a similar situation with Pokemon Go, it isn't supported officially for my device, but it ran without trouble.

 

[Nature Guardian]

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.my.moba.ent

This the game you're looking for? Seems to be compatible with my Samsung Galaxy S3 Neo.

It says it's an unreleased app and can be unstable, so maybe a newer version will be compatible with your tablets again.

As for what's going on, when you're developing on Android, you have a lot of software versions and hardware models to think of, and developers have a pretty extensive list of components that they can flag for compatibility with devices ( for example, Android version, bluetooth antenna, GPS capability, OpenGL version, RAM, screen size, etc ). Chances are that the developers arbitrarily decided that they don't want the game to run on, for example, the Android version that your tablets have, or on hardware that lacks a certain amount of RAM or something else that your tablets just happen to be affected by.

When you're developing on a lot of devices as on Android, it's a pain in the ass to test your application on a lot of devices, so developers are more likely to pick a certain threshold that they know that the app can run on, with a little leeway, and develop from there, even if there are certain phones or tablets that sit below the threshold that can perfectly run the game.

You could nicely ask the developers for their minimum requirements for Android devices, or why your certain tablet isn't supported anymore, you could even ask them if they are willing to set the requirements of their app back to what they were, but if they continue this course, then your best chance is to install the application from a trustworthy apk mirror site, as long as it's a free app, it isn't piracy. You'll still be able to play the game for as long as it technically runs on your device, you'll just have to install updates manually. I had a similar situation with Pokemon Go, it isn't supported officially for my device, but it ran without trouble.

That was another informative post! This forum is pretty cool!

Well, Planet Of Heroes is an online game, a moba. Would using the apk version of it make me risk to get banned? And will it really work online, normally, with other players?

I wouldn't be doing anything illegal since it's a free to play game, but I'm still worried. If you tell me it'll work, then I can try that...

Also, if the app used to work on my Android device before, is it likely it will work again on a future game patch?

 

[Nature Guardian]

I just found out online that "Planet Of Heroes requires Android firmware 4.3 and up".

I have 4.2, and it won't update further....

....but the game used to work on 4.2....

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

As someone who worked for a tech support service (*makes sign of the cross like you see in the movies when someone runs into something scary/demonic), I can without a shadow of a doubt say that they are not messing with you.

When you call (or email or whatever you're doing there) a general tech support thing like that, most of the techs are just going off of a script of some kind. If the problem you are having is not covered in the script, they will ask probing questions to try to get an answer from you that will put them onto their script.

It's unfortunate but tech support like that doesn't get paid enough for them to actually learn what the hell they're doing. If you get lucky, you might get someone who has been there long enough to get an idea as to what to do off-script but generally they don't last because A. The Company wants you to stick with the script and B. Those jobs suck so no one wants to stay long enough to become that person.

Yeah, tech support centers aren't exactly hiring comp sci majors and engineers to staff their phones. Tech support for most companies is just a call center full of people who have a list of commonly found problems and how to fix them. Essentially each employee there is the personification of an FAQ page.

People get REALLY angry when you don't know how to solve their exact problem on their exact system configuration (when they likely can't even provide that information) within 30 seconds. I always feel really bad for the people working those phones.

Don't be angry and rude with them OP, they really are trying to help (and they're more motivated to help if you're not a shit to them).

 

[Baffle]

Don't be angry and rude with them OP, they really are trying to help.

Ya, I did tech support in the roll-out of XP SP2. I found myself often saying 'Yes, I'm really sorry, but all your files have been deleted by the update. Nope, completely gone.' Actually, for the most part I did sod all for 8 hours a day, but I sure did dread that phone ringing to have a chat with yet another person who'd lost precious photos (and one guy who called to tell me his porn didn't work any more).

 

[bluegate]

That was another informative post! This forum is pretty cool!

Well, Planet Of Heroes is an online game, a moba. Would using the apk version of it make me risk to get banned? And will it really work online, normally, with other players?

I wouldn't be doing anything illegal since it's a free to play game, but I'm still worried. If you tell me it'll work, then I can try that...

Also, if the app used to work on my Android device before, is it likely it will work again on a future game patch?

Applications do have a way to find out whether they were installed through the official Play Store or through other means, so it is probably a good idea to be careful with side-loading online centric games, as they have much to lose from having possibly-modified apk's accessing their servers.

Maybe this particular game doesn't do checks, or if it does, it maybe doesn't ban people, but that risk would be on you, I suppose.

But, as you said, apparently the game now requires an Android version higher than the one that's currently installed on your tablet and in that case, I don't believe that the APK version would even install on your device. And if you were to be able to install it, the application would crash as soon as the application would want to use a feature that is available in Android 4.3 that isn't available in Android 4.2. So, I would say that you're out of luck with trying to install the apk on your tablets.

The only options left are to ask if they would want to bump the minimum Android version back to 4.2 ( Unlikely to happen ), see if there's a custom ROM for your tablet that would upgrade it to Android 4.3, 4.4, 5, or even higher, or you could buy a new tablet.
Or, if you have a good enough computer, you could try an Android emulator for PC to play the game, for example BlueStacks.

 

[Nature Guardian]

The only options left are to ask if they would want to bump the minimum Android version back to 4.2 ( Unlikely to happen ), see if there's a custom ROM for your tablet that would upgrade it to Android 4.3, 4.4, 5, or even higher, or you could buy a new tablet.
Or, if you have a good enough computer, you could try an Android emulator for PC to play the game, for example BlueStacks.

Aw man.

Why would they even bump up the requirements from 4.2 to 4.3, especially after I got into the closed beta and played the game? What if I had actually bought something?

All other games I play work on 4.2 just fine, I don't see why Planet Of Heroes has to be a special snowflake.

I gues installing a custom ROM for my tablet is out of the question - not going through all that hassle and risk just for ONE game.

What about the Android emulator? Is it illegal?

 

[bluegate]

Aw man.

Why would they even bump up the requirements from 4.2 to 4.3, especially after I got into the closed beta and played the game? What if I had actually bought something?

All other games I play work on 4.2 just fine, I don't see why Planet Of Heroes has to be a special snowflake.

I guess installing a custom ROM for my tablet is out of the question - not going through all that hassle and risk just for ONE game.

What about the Android emulator? Is it illegal?

I can't speak for the developer, but one reason could be that they want to use new libraries that are introduced in Android 4.3. For example, Android 4.3 saw the introduction of OpenGL ES 3.0, so maybe they want to make use of this.

I don't believe that running Android emulators is illegal, some developers might not like their game being run on an Android Emulator and it could be against some developer's Terms of Service, so that's something to look out for, but you wouldn't be breaking any laws.
Considering that you could download an Android Emulator from Android's developer site and that the game you are trying to play is free to play, I would say that there's no moral grey area, as long as you stick to free to install apps and don't go messing around with cheats and modified applications.

 

[Strazdas]

So im going to be the bad guy and side with tech support, your messadge gave zero information about what the problem was. "it doesnt work anymore" is not an explanation, you didnt even include what device you are using, only what you used before.

That being said, the first response is definatelly a bot, not a human, so you getting angry at it is rather funny.

P.S. make sure you always respond till the problem is solved, otherwise the system will think the ticket is abandoned and auto-close it.

I don't believe that running Android emulators is illegal, some developers might not like their game being run on an Android Emulator and it could be against some developer's Terms of Service, so that's something to look out for, but you wouldn't be breaking any laws.
Considering that you could download an Android Emulator from Android's developer site and that the game you are trying to play is free to play, I would say that there's no moral grey area, as long as you stick to free to install apps and don't go messing around with cheats and modified applications.

Android emulators (and any other kind of emulators) are completely legal. Just make sure the copy of the game you use in the emulator is legally yours, because thats where the illegality comes from, people like to use pirated roms with emulators because there is no legal easy way to obtain them (making your own roms is beyond most users capabilities)

 

[Nature Guardian]

So im going to be the bad guy and side with tech support, your messadge gave zero information about what the problem was. "it doesnt work anymore" is not an explanation, you didnt even include what device you are using, only what you used before.

Uhm... do you work in tech support too?

Because I have explained precisely what the problem is, and I have explained what device I am using.

 

[Strazdas]

So im going to be the bad guy and side with tech support, your messadge gave zero information about what the problem was. "it doesnt work anymore" is not an explanation, you didnt even include what device you are using, only what you used before.

Uhm... do you work in tech support too?

Because I have explained precisely what the problem is, and I have explained what device I am using.

No you didnt. You said you could run the game on a previos machine but did not mention which machine you were using now nor what the problem was. Only in your second message you even mention the actual problem.

 

[BeerTent]

As someone who worked for a tech support service (*makes sign of the cross like you see in the movies when someone runs into something scary/demonic), I can without a shadow of a doubt say that they are not messing with you.

When you call (or email or whatever you're doing there) a general tech support thing like that, most of the techs are just going off of a script of some kind. If the problem you are having is not covered in the script, they will ask probing questions to try to get an answer from you that will put them onto their script.

It's unfortunate but tech support like that doesn't get paid enough for them to actually learn what the hell they're doing. If you get lucky, you might get someone who has been there long enough to get an idea as to what to do off-script but generally they don't last because A. The Company wants you to stick with the script and B. Those jobs suck so no one wants to stay long enough to become that person.

I can confirm this. Very strongly.

The company I worked for started us off without a script, but as I was there, longer and longer, they started to get angry that they were rolling out a script, and that we weren't using it. I'm all for standardization, and the script was still very, very open, but getting chastised for not opening up the 'Troubleshooting Tree' when you knew the answer after two questions was pretty fucking annoying. I also have a problem with the design of the company's Projectors, but I think that's more of a confirmation bias on my part.

That and we were outsourced, and not paid nearly enough to fucking lie about it. People who were in the city I lived in joked about a lot when they called in for support, and people who were in Calgary, where the company was based from, also seemed to know about it.

It's also worth noting, reading OP's original post, If I saw an email like that, I'd probably throw a "please provide more info" email right back. Working with the script was a pain in the dick, sure, but problem, retard customers were far worse.

 

[bluegate]

So im going to be the bad guy and side with tech support, your messadge gave zero information about what the problem was. "it doesnt work anymore" is not an explanation, you didnt even include what device you are using, only what you used before.

Uhm... do you work in tech support too?

Because I have explained precisely what the problem is, and I have explained what device I am using.

No you didnt. You said you could run the game on a previos machine but did not mention which machine you were using now nor what the problem was. Only in your second message you even mention the actual problem.

You might want to read his initial message again, he clearly states which systems he was able to play the game on before, but can't play them on any longer and he states what his problem is.

I could play this game perfectly on both my Hewlett Packard HP Slate 7 Plus and an Asus K00F. No lag, no stutter, it run smoothly and with maxed graphics too! Nice optimization, by the way. However..... I can't play or even install the game anymore now. Suddenly, it's no longer compatible with my systems. What's going on????

 

[fletch_talon]

So is something stopping you from taking a screenshot of the error message displayed when you try to install or update the game?
Seems like a reasonable request to me. Though admittedly it should be enough to simply type the error message verbatim but if a screenshot is what they want...
Honestly you get zero benefit from flying off the handle that quickly. If you don't understand what/why they're asking something ask your own questions like: "what do you need a screenshot of?"

As for your issue. I would've thought that if a game worked previously. And now says its incompatible then 1 of 2 things has happened. A change/update to the game making it require different specs than previous. Or a change/update to your device making it incompatible with the game.

Is it possible that the game could have an incompatibility with an up to date device? I'm pretty sure that's happened in the past with apple updates and photo printing kiosks we have where I work.