Hey guys,

There has been a lot of community talk about lag hacks both in game and here on the forums.

I want to assure everyone that we at Vogster take the lag issue very seriously and we will find a solution.

First of all, it is important to understand that players cannot gain an advantage from intentional lagging in CrimeCraft. CrimeCraft has been optimized to accommodate pings up to 300ms because we have players from around the world. When you see lag in game, this is largely due to your own connection. To a player in Kazakhstan with a ping of 250ms, American players with a ping of 100-150ms will appear to lag slightly. This can lead to game play that looks like cheating. This is, unfortunately, still a fact of life in online games with a global player base.

We’ve recently seen a large growth spurt in several global regions. We are currently examining options for adding local servers for those players, but we are also trying to find a solution that would allow everyone to keep playing together no matter where they are.

While we are looking at options to improve server performance, it’s possible that we will go to a solution where players with extremely high ping will be auto-kicked from matches. This high ping can be caused, in some cases, by player interference, but usually it is caused by connection issues. These players will have to wait for regional servers to be installed.

We will work to address this as quickly as possible in and will keep you informed.

Whatever route we go, we will let you know in advance of making any change that affects your game play.

--KevinB

In early June CrimeCraft opened up submissions for the first Sunrise City Indie Film Fest, leaving the creative direction up to the gangster. After the three week submission period, three of the movies stood out because of their polish and creative craft. These videos are available for streaming at ww.youtube.com/CrimeCraft. The final decision was left up to public vote, and after tallying the results Sunrise of Crime emerged the winner.

Hello, my name is James and I am the marketing assistant for Vogster Entertainment. With me today is the winner of the Sunrise City Indie Film Fest, Tomek 'Tommyz' Jancarz, who is known in game as Dzordzi, Dzordzzi, and Dzordz! Congrats on winning! I would like ask you some questions about your winning entry.

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
My name is Tomek Jancarz, but my friends call me Tommy or Dzordzzi. I'm eighteen years old and I live in Poland. I like online shooting games, especially CrimeCraft! I only started playing a few months ago but have really had a lot of fun. Of course I also enjoy activities outside of house, like hanging out with my friends or playing a game of football.

I'm curious, how did you get the nickname Dzordzzi?
Long story short, "Dzordzzi" came from mixes of other character nicknames from games I've previously played. When you pronounce my nickname in polish it sounds like Georgie.

What inspired you to create “Sunrise of Crime”?
I enjoy making videos from games I like to play. The idea to make a CrimeCraft movie was born a long time ago. When the movie contest was announced, I knew I was going to make something for it. I really wanted to show off this great game and the wonderful gang/players I play with everyday, so that all became a major part of my video.

How did you get into video editing? How long have you been playing CrimeCraft?
I've seen a lot of in-game movies, so frag (gameplay) movies made by other players inspired me to make my own. I took my first steps in basic film programs. Over time I moved on to more advanced ones. My knowledge of moviemaking is growing which made making this film more enjoyable, but I still have much to learn.

Did you think that you had a winner when you were done with the film?
Of course I didn't think that. I was worried that I didn't put everything I wanted inside it... I felt like there wasn't enough time to edit and correct the footage. I know it's a decent film but it doesn't show my skills with both the game and movie making. I hope to make a new movie when I have the time.

Thanks for your time, anything that you wanted to share before we wrap things up?
Thanks to all who voted for me, CrimeCraft, Focus Team gang and all of the community. Hope to see more events like this in the future and always glad for any competition.
Tomek Jancarz: Tomek "Tommyz" Jancarz aka Dzordzi

On behalf of the Vogster team, congrats and thanks for the interview! Good luck to you and enjoy the prize money!

The Sunrise City Academy of Fine Arts has taken a vote and we have a clear winner!

TommyZ, coming in first with more than 50 percent of the total vote has been named the Movie Mogul of Sunrise City and been awarded a $200 prize for his entry, Sunrise of Crime.

Congratulations are also in order for Rekas and his entry, The Murder King, placing second, and Phukka's Behind Those Gates, placing third.

Look for an interview with TommyZ coming soon!

Today is your last chance to vote for your favorite video in the Sunrise City Indie Film Fest contest. We'll announce the winner tomorrow! Vote in the poll on the community page and let us know which video you want to win!

The nominees are:

Sunrise of Crime - Tommyz

The Murder King - Rekas and the Watchmen

Behind Those Gates - Phukka

You can watch all three videos at the CrimeCraft YouTube Channel.

All good crime lords build their empires on the backs of their hardworking Associates and Prospects. Do you have what it takes to build an empire and claim a $200 cash prize?
Using the Patronage feature on the accounts page of the website, build the biggest crew by July 31, 2010 and you’ll be named the Patron Saint of Sunrise City and win the cash! Recruit inside the game by stealing Crew from other players or think big and recruit new players to come in and join the fight. You can use html code from you’re My Crew page to add a link to your signature on CrimeCraft.com (use the edit signature button through the forums) or on external forums. The link will direct the user to create an account with you automatically assigned as their patron.
On July 31 we’ll take a full measure of all the Crews in Sunrise City and find out who is the true Patron Saint. By the way, you won’t just get fat cash for winning, you’ll also get the in-game Patron Saint title, proving to everyone that your empire is unmatched. Remember that as long as you are another player’s assigned Patron you get a 10% kick-back on all their GB and Membership purchases and 1% from each of their Associate’s purchases. Get the word out. Build an empire. Play for free.
Get busy on the recruiting front, the clock is already ticking down.