Yesterday we had a Signature Training follow up meeting. Now since I’ve only worked at the hotel for a few months I missed out on the first part of the training. This training was held from 2pm to 6pm, which sucked for me because it’s right in the middle of my sleep times. It was another one of these training programs that spells out common sense down to the letter.

As it turns out we also use the Mystery Shopping that Signature offers. This is where people from this company call the hotel and go through the process of booking a reservation with whomever is working to make sure they are following their Magic Formula. Their Magic Formula is 16 steps that the hotel has stripped down to 6 steps that guarantees a 100% Mystery Shopping score. Which to me sort of shows the flaws in this Magic Formula of theirs.

The best part of all of this is that they record these calls that they make checking up on the hotel. The hotel can call a 800 number to listen to the recorded calls to see how they did. You simply enter in your 5 digit hotel id and you can listen to all the calls for your hotel. Or you can alter the 5 digits to listen to other hotels calls. Which in itself should provided hours of entertainment for me when I’m bored.

But it is a good thing. I’m rusty as hell when it comes to my dealing with the guest skills. I had built up a hate for all guests in the years that I worked at the worst hotel ever. So even though it was all common sense, it was needed (in my case) to put me in the right perspective.

This post is for my own purposes to track my gaming habits really. As of the 15th my City of Villains account is closed. On a whim I’ve rejoined the ranks of the World of Warcraft. I’ve installed the game again and patched up the newest patch. When I log in on my 30th level human warrior the game renders unknown entities and my character is invisible. Then out of goodness of the games heart WoW drops my internet. It’s so good to be back.

Star Trek Legacy is the first game published by Oblivion creators Bethesda Softworks and it’s out now for the pc. It’s a RTS without any base building or resource gathering and so far it’s just a lot of fun. The game was designed by the same people that did Star Trek: Armada II.

One of the big things about this game is that has every series featured in it. So the entire history of Star Trek is represented. Also everyone of the Captains from each show has done voice over work for it. The downside is that the game has a huge console feel to it. Stressed even more by it’s automatic use of a wired Xbox 360 controller if you have one. What even makes it worst is that there is no explanation on what button does what on the controller. So you have to fumble around with it till you got it all figured out. It helps in my opinion to have the 360 controller though. It seems easier to control than using a keyboard and mouse.

So if your a huge Star Trek Geek I think the game is for you. As I’m just having a lot of fun playing the game despite it’s console feel. Be aware there is a patch already that is needed for multiplayer. You can get that over at the Bethesda Star Trek Legacy site. Star Trek: Legacy Patch v1.1 (5.22 MB).

Eight years ago I was fired from the hotel I worked at. At the time it was a very unique event in my life. I collected unemployment for a few months and then went to work for a company my Mom worked for at the time. It was a management job and I didn’t last long. So I came back to the hotel that had fired me.

Even back then I had this site and the whole time I was getting emails from people about how the hotel was doing. So I had a heads up that the two ladies that had been doing the audit in my absence had got fed up and were quiting. At the time I gave my resignation to my management gig the GM that fired me was doing the audit. This guy (a real GM, not a douche bag like the current one at the old hotel) was doing the audit 7 days a week on top of his General Manager duties.

So I had the advantage of knowing that the hotel needed an auditor. I stopped in to see the GM right after my drive from the management gigs Chicago home office. I talked to the GM for over an hour. I told him everything he wanted to hear. Which was 80% bullshit and 20% truth. It was a nice talk. I had never really talked to the guy that much ever before. The GM told me he would see if they had any openings and would call me in a few days.

So I went home and sat by the phone. Probably not thirty minutes later I got a call from the GM asking me if I was interested in doing the audit again. So I got my old job back. Hired by the same guy who had fired me. So I started working again at the hotel in the summer of 1999. During the last eight years this day had become my special day. My holiday of sorts. It no longer is special and I’ve decided I’m no longer going to take the day off every year. Neither do I plan to celebrate my new firing day. It’s just not the dubious honor I want to celebrate anymore.

Getting “fired” from that hotel a second time has made me think back on this last year and my time at that place in general. While I still do not have an official excuse of why I was “fired” again other than the classic line said by the sheriff:

The powers to be have decided to let you go. They deemed that the morale of the team would be better without you.

Needless to say I’m happy to be out of that place finally. I don’t ever plan stepping foot in that building again as long as it managed by that douche bag and owned by those worthless cocksuckers. Honestly there isn’t enough breath in my body to fully allow me to say all the bad things I have to say about these people.

Thanks to TT’s Memoirs I don’t have to say much. This four part look at the then accountants eight days working with the owners/managers gives a special inside view at just how fucked about that hotel is. It shows just what kind of management and owners that place has. And I tell everyone I know to read it.

So eight years later I can really say that I’m happy with my job. Something I have not been able to say in a long long time. It’s something I’m going to have to get use to. Thanks to everyone who helped me get the job. I owe you all big time for liberating me me from the worst hotel ever.

It’s Come Back To Camelot time once again according to the Camelot Herald:

We kicked off the Come Back To Camelot campaign this morning. All inactive accounts (ones that were in good standing) have been reactivated for ten days.

To celebrate, and as a little thank you to all of our current players, the Moderately Evil Overlord and his minion (Content Boss Rob) decided that in ADDITION to the SI/RVR bonus experience, we would also activate double Realm Points and double Bounty points on Agramon Island. Enjoy.

I’m going to give DAoC a try again. I’m getting bored in CoV again.

*Update
From the Herald:

Come Back To Camelot: Boy, do I feel like a dweeb. I assumed that we were activated ALL old accounts, and you know what they say about “assume.” We activated all accounts that went inactive as of the last year, not all accounts ever – I have been told in somewhat blistering terms that “all accounts ever” would still be processing. Since this was entirely my bad, please feel free to email me (first name at mythicentertainment dot com) with the account name, if you went inactive more than a year ago. I apologize to those of you annoyed by this.

On a whim I picked up Marvel: Ultimate Alliance. A game by the same guys (Raven Software) who did X-Men Legends 1 and 2. Like the X-Men games it’s an action RPG. Between this game and NWN2 my CoV play time has stopped completely.

This game is lot of fun. The second X-Men game lacked something. But Marvel: Ultimate Alliance just seems to hit it on the head in the fun department. No micromanagement of character stats. They even eliminated gear down to one piece of equipment per character and only bosses drop items. The focus here are powers and the fun you have using them.

[drain file 1 show]

The files above are what you need to enable the “next gen” only console characters Colossus and Moon Knight. I take no credit in making these. These two characters will only show up if you start a new game. I think it’s bullshit when stuff like this is held back just because it’s for the next generation of consoles.

So I picked up Neverwinter Nights 2. Right off the bat here is Gamespot’s Review. They peg it pretty good. Here are some action screenshots:

While I could never ever finish the first Neverwinter Nights original campaign (and I’ve tried many times) this time out it’s a different story. So far the campaign has been very enjoyable. It will remind you at times of the Baldur’s Gate games. But most often it will seem very similar to Knights of the Old Republic II. Which may have something to do with the fact that both games were developed by Obsidian Entertainment.

The biggest problem is the AI (Artificial intelligence). Jesus the AI is bad. The AI is best explained by this post by Plastickiwi in the Something Awful Forums:

Party: Gavick the bard, Casavir the paladin, Shandra the fighter, Sand the elven wizard and Neeshka the tiefling rogue.

Gavick: OK, stand still, shitfuckers. We’re all hurt already because Herbie the Elf here decided to Fireball us in the back during that last encounter….
Sand: My tactics were sound! Fireball is my Best Spell ™!
Gavick: Cast Dispel Magic on yourself; I think you’re Feebleminded.
Sand: Nay, my mind is keen as a rapier!
Gavick: If you say so. Shandra, why are you fighting with no weapons?
Shandra: It seemed like the thing to do at the time.
Gavick: No, that’s the way they fight in the Bizarro Forgotten Realms, where the object is to fail your mission and die. Put your sword in your hand … no, the other way….
Shandra: Ooh, shiny!
Gavick: Whatever. Where’s Neeshka?
Shandra: I think she’s ahead of us.
Gavick: Oh, fuck. Follow Me! Follow Me!
Neeshka: Hey, I brought back all the guys in that room like you wanted. They look pretty pissed.
Gavick: So am I.
[Enemies pour into the hallway. Sand runs into the space next to Neeshka, blocking the fighters behind him.]
Sand: Now you will fall before my … ouch … my power of … ouch, ouch, stop hitting me!
Gavick: Defensive Casting, clowndick!
Neeska: Oooh, if you’d just let me … ouch … reload my … ouch … crossbow….
Gavick: Use your short sword! Pull back! Pull back!
Casavir: Now I shall save the day by increasing everyone’s saving throws with a well-timed spell!
Gavick: Didn’t pack any healing spells, by any chance?
Casavir: No. Why would I do that?
Gavick: Silly me. Incoming!
[The enemy caster throws an Entangle. The party is (further) trapped.]
Sand: My arcane might shall … ouch … ouch …. But I’m a wizard in the Forgotten Realms!
[Sand dies.]
Gavick: The only thing you Forgot was the rules, lickmeat.
Neeska: I could use a heal … I see a long tunnel with hellfire at the end….
Gavick: Go into it.
[Neeska dies.]
Casavir: I shall avenge my fallen comrades! I … um, can’t move.
Shandra: It’s a spell! We’re … entangled, somehow.
Gavick: [emotes “smacks his forehead”]
[Enemy caster rains fiery death upon the party.]
Casavir: Gods!
Shandra: Save us, Gavick!
Gavick: Already did. [hits Quickload]

Thus ends today’s exciting adventure of the Company of the Short Bus! Tomorrow, Shandra wrestles with the difficult concept of fractions, and Neeshka learns to tie her shoes like a big person!

Now they patch the AI up and we have ourselves a damn good RPG. Give me some stuff from Baldur’s Gate like formations and better control of the AI and we have a great RPG. Till then it’s a nice game that is much better than the first Neverwinter Nights in terms of the original campaign.