Ravagers Exploit Action Update

[Lucpol]

im not sure youre looking at this the right way.

 

would ea knock bw over something like having a terrible quarter following a major development project? ea's success makes them more able to tank swtor, not less able.

 

Completely agree with what LadyVIx said. The disgruntled/cheating minority will have no impact on longevity, however they will be replaced by others. Its human nature to try and get ahead of others at all costs, even if it means exploiting mechanics (at the cost of polluting the community etc).

[fushnchips]

So far from reality mate... Its all about 'link gear & achievement'. That is the truth, lets not kid ourselves. Unless you manage to fin yourself in that 1/100 guild...

 

Once again no guild I know would ask a member to link gear or the chevo for a guild run if the player has skill the gear won't be to much of an issue and if they have worse gear the drops would go to them to get them up to par if required.

[Genghistwelve]

If you buy a dollar store item, and you open the packaging and it has two of what you bought, do you go back and give them back one?

 

If you buy a candy bar from a vending machine, and two drop, do you send it back to the company the same way you'd have to call them and get you to refund you a dollar if none dropped?

 

I didn't use the exploit, but if people had offered on my server I would've. Because Bioware decided not to do an update for 5-6 weeks after the expansion dropped. Release your **** right, or fix it as soon as you know there's a problem.

 

Hi Jbaoth,

 

I am Responsebot9000 customer service forum droid ID-107. I have been created by the forums to respond directly to stupid metaphors listed in forum posts.

 

In between my time of sobbing over how widespread the use of food metaphors are to explain an unrelated in-game event or situation, I also perform heart surgery on the blind orphans of Coruscant.

 

You've asked a question about how the purchase of $0.99 plastic trinkets from the Dollar Store equates to a recent in-game situation covered in a forum post by Eric Musco.

 

If I can summarize your main point first as "In real life, can or should I keep a windfall due to someone else's mistake?" I point you to Forbes Magazine's article entitled "Bank Error In Your Favor?" which succinctly advises of the proper outcome: it's not yours.

 

Now, you're initial gut reaction is to say, but wait, I was talking Dollar Store trinkets and you're talking real cash stored in a repository for real cash. We can then engage in a discussion as to what the proper metaphorical analogue for essentially a "chest full of treasure" that includes in-game credits and items of credit value might be in modern contemporary society. You suggest it is a $0.99 consumer product from the Dollar Store, whereas I, the Responsebot9000 customer service forum droid ID-107 -- an expert in stupid metaphors -- suggest it could be a chest full of treasure inside a bank. We may agree to disagree.

 

In my time, I have found that achieving common ground with the creator of a stupid metaphor allows for more expeditious understanding to be achieved. So, as a proper customer service bot, I will first support your point, and then indirectly point out how asinine it actually is: "Thank you for equating an in-game exploit with the purchase of a $0.99 trinket from the Dollar Store retail chain that might include an unpurchased double by mistake. You are praised for your novel analogy. You are not wrong. However, your point actually does not hinge per say on the name of the metaphorical retail chain in question. Rather, the root of the subject is a matter of scale. It is true that many would see it as more trouble to return the second freebie, however, there are some who would actually take the time to return the second, unpurchased item. Further, in the retail industry, the Dollar Store enjoys a particular advantage on one end of the financial spectrum selling lower quality items at even lower price. Let me offer a second permutation of the same example: let's say you are an avid listener of daytime talk radio and decided to purchase 100 gold bars in preparation for the coming doomsday. Instead of 100 gold bars, the company sends you 1000 bars by mistake. Reasonable people will correct that error; unreasonable people will go to jail. So, again, while the Dollar Store is great to purchase at the last minute, that fluorescent blue squirt gun made in China for the birthday party tomorrow that you forgot about, it may not be the best purchase for those who view quality over price. Do you really love Li'l Johnny? You may have instead planned better and purchased that Supersoaker from Toys R Us instead of that plastic trinket from the Dollar Store. The only real problem with your stupid metaphor, well besides that it is stupid, is where on the price and value spectrum we view the actual in-game results of the exploit. In terms of the Hard Mode version, you're suggest ing that the currently highest gear available in-game is the metaphorical analogue to a $0.99 Super-size Snickers bar purchased from the Dollar Store. While it might include 33% more chocolate than the regular size bar sold up the street at the Conoco quick serve ground transportation refueling station for $1.29, we believe most people would tend to view the loot from one of the two highest most difficult operations available in game right now as closer to the metaphorical gold bar rather than the Dollar Store trinket. Thank you for your time.

 

I look forward to many, many more misguided analogies to come within this thread.

 

--ID-107, Responsebot9000 Customer Service Forum Droid

 

Oh wait. Lookee here...

 

You make a good point, but that all includes outside parties. This is all inclusive. This is a 20 yr marriage that you find out your wife has been using Instant Mashed Potatoes rather than actual potatoes, and she's been taking credit for skinning, mashing, and cooking all that time.

 

//faceslap //sob

 

Greetings Briggology,

 

I am Responsebot9000 customer service forum droid ID-107. I have been created by the forums to respond directly to stupid metaphors listed in forum posts.

 

I apologize in advance for not having much time to respond in detail. Please understand that there have been a spike in stupid metaphors lately. [FEINED PRAISE:] Allow me first to note how novel it is to equate an in-game mmorpg exploit with food. You make a very good point about the subterfuge involving instant versus real mashed potatoes. At the very least, you would finally know how justified you were in calling out the past 20 years that her "homemade" mashed potatoes taste like *********, and finally put to rest the question of why you saw all of those empty boxes of instant potatoes in the trash to which you never felt you got a straight answer to.

 

You might even have grounds to return to divorce court on the basis that your ex-wife's reason for filing for divorce due to "abusive comments over her mashed potatoes" was an entire fabrication. And you can remember back to that first magic moment, that first time where she invited you over to her apartment for that "homecooked" meal to finally seal the deal, that those ****** mashed potatoes always were fake but you were sealing the deal so you held your tongue. Hell, now you recall seeing with more clarity that she was actually faking things with you your whole damn life. And this complete failure in life and marriage that all resulted from your obstinate position that your wife's mashed potatoes tasted like ****** instant potatoes to her adamant refusal was one huge elaborate ruse. This might free you from playing a mmorpg and posting to mmorpg forums to seek love again.

 

I ask you to please just for damn sure be sure her mashed potatoes are legit this time.

 

TL, DR: As Responsebot9000 customer service forum droid ID-107My position on this whole thing is that Ohio russet potatoes with light butter and brown gravy is BiS that should be earned. Those who exploit mash potatoes should be banned.

 

Thank you.

[Joesixxpack]

Hey folks,

 

Let’s talk a bit about the Ravager’s exploit. There are two stages to the process of removing an exploit and handling actions for players who participated. Stage 1 – fix the issue and ensure players can no longer partake in the exploit. That change is out as of today in patch 3.0.2.

 

Stage 2 – With the exploit removed, we can work towards finalizing our data review and assigning appropriate actions. We have a lot of information! We know who used it, who they invited, how many times they exploited, when they participated, credits gained, and whether they gained a crafting pattern from reverse-engineering. We are still reviewing the data and determining the appropriate action for those who took undue advantage of the exploit. We won’t be taking action today, but we’ll wrap it up in the next week or so.

 

On the plus side, most players didn't partake in the exploit at all allowing us to focus on the few who did. It may seem silly to thank you for not using an exploit, but we really appreciate you taking the time to raise our awareness of the issue through a variety of channels. It demonstrates your commitment to the game and to keeping the game fun, and fair for everyone. So thank you for not using the exploit.

 

-eric

 

That's wonderful; whatever it is you're talking about. Meanwhile:

 

The same exploits have been occurring every PVP season since arenas launched and we've seen nothing but lip service from you guys. Thanks for being lazy.

Edited January 15, 2015 by Joesixxpack

[Avicii]

three for not fixing it like they were told in beta

 

How do you know this bug was in Beta? I heard from someone who raided it in beta that it was not is this true? There is an NDA that was not lifted after all. Just cause someone in a thread/chat/whatever said that trying to justify said it was reported in beta doesnt mean it was. What I heard is there was no loot for the boss in beta and when they hot fixed the loot in for live is when the bug went in. Whether that is true or not I am curious if people are just repeating hearsay to strength their point and continue their "it's BW's fault" conjecture.

 

The truth of the matter is all software has bugs. The code base for this game is enormous **** will happen and this isnt to let BW off the hook they need to do better period. Respond swiftly and be transparent as they say they are step up to the plate and take responsibility not for people exploiting that is on the people who did it but for the lack of transparency, slow response times and reaction time.

 

That said working for a software company that is mission critical for banking and paying vendors ect. I have seen people be a lot more understanding then people over an MMO despite work stopping bugs happening multiple times or taking a few tries to fix. That is because their is accountability for what they say, they dont have a free pass to be the head rower on the douche canoe. Also when bugs are identified and brought to our attention, info is continually looped back to the customer. Communication makes a massive difference, silence pisses people off. BW doesnt need to have a thread about the exploit and I think most rational people can understand why they take the stance they do deleting threads however when it reaches a certain point and BW from Eric's statement surely knew when this was out of hand, it's time to adjust and put up an exploit and get banned thread.

It's really the response time and lack of transparency BW has to set standards and live up to them. Or they dont and it pisses people off further but it still is not a free pass to exploit a bug.

 

All that said bugs and **** not working is not a reason to exploit and those again those that claim everyone did it or you didnt because you didnt know or couldnt are high and stretching the truth. Just listen to any of the past month of podcasts from SWTOR's they all knew but they didnt use even though they were raiding. If the game has so many bugs and you hate BW why are you playing? Honest question. Have some self respect, you say it's a game but how you treat others in game, talk to others and behave reflects on you. Walks like a duck, talks like a duck, you get the picture.

 

BW needs to set an example so that next time something like this occurs people know action will be taken. Sorry if that example is to be you but you knew it was wrong after the first time and you have to take responsibility for it if BW so chooses to enforce punishment that is the bottom line. Nothing else anyone says in here really matters, with that I will ramble more cause why the **** not.

 

I think that BW should hand out strict punishment account bans to those that sold the lock out, transferred servers to do it and those that didit on multiple characters multiple times. Then give everyone a 3 day window to appeal their ban. Let them destroy the gear and mats they got from it if they are the lesser of the offenders. Or BW can let people buy an unban coin it costs 14000 CC but you lose the gear you got from it and mats. (This is a tongue and cheek comment of course but given BW's history it may have merit).

 

However BW and most companies stance is to not say **** about what they did to the exploiters so most likely we wont even know what occurs unless they are truly series about setting an example then they will say we did X to the worst offenders, Y to the medium and Z to the lesser offenders let this be a message to the community blah, blah, blah. That needs to be done or the next time everyone and their mothers will be exploiting the **** out of it and I am sure BW is aware of this. There is a reason WoW recently responded to Reckful on twitter about his account ban, it was to send a msg that violating the ToS will not be tolerated, same idea needs to apply here.

 

IMO it's too bad this needs to take up some man hours , there is pressing **** to be fixed ASAP. Just look around at the PvP forums and others: Like 30-59 bolster, what a joke for low levels, lag for those that have it, Lurker needs to be fixed, classes need to be balanced, which BW said would be much easier with the new talent system so let's see it. Get **** moving BW it's time to make this game enjoyable for as many people as possible. Put your money where you mouth is and back up what you say with actions. The players deserve it, the ones respect the game, they dont make the crappy fire X Dev or Biofail threads or exploit because X/Y/Z, it's time to treat them with respect and make the game better for them NOW. You choose a Dec release knowing holidays were coming and that fixes would be few and far between, your bad, now get **** going.

 

TLDR: 1) is there any proof this exploit was reported on Beta other then exploiter hearsay? I have heard it wasnt there & when the loot was hot fixed in it caused this to occur. 2) if you exploited, no amount of rationalizing makes it ok, man up take your medicine and get the sand outta your vajaj 3) BW step the F up and start fixing **** so people enjoy the game enough is enough back up what you say be transparent and get *********** busy no if and or buts. Look at the forums and start addressing the issues most threads or about. The end.

[DinoDo]

Christ, this is turning into a holy war. a) I wish BW had not waited so long to fix the issue. I don't know if it was known in beta but it was known for quite awhile before the patch came down to fix it. b) Is there a reason people can't calm down and wait for the action (whatever it is) to happen? None of your whining one way or the other is going to change what BW does anyway.

[ivanhedgehog]

If that were actually true then you would have read the ToS properly and the part where you agree to use the product "as is" ( someone had posted about it in this thread somewhere ).

 

also you would realise it does nothing at all mitigate the exploit used in this case.

 

Also as a lawyer you should have no trouble proving this statement (no one has so far since I've started asking and I'm really curious to see if it's actually true or just misdirection):

 

 

 

And don't give me any NDA crap, you've just breached it by making that statement if you actually had proof or were part of the closed beta.

 

Law sure seems easy to get into.

 

I got the impression that the poster you were replying to was not american. his countries consumer protection laws may be different than ours.

[ZETA_SCORPII]

They'll probably want SWTOR alive for Ep7-9 regardless of a drop in income during Q1-3 2015.

 

TBH this game's engine is crap and I wish they would create a new Star Wars MMO.

[AdeiphoVH]

Christ, this is turning into a holy war. a) I wish BW had not waited so long to fix the issue. I don't know if it was known in beta but it was known for quite awhile before the patch came down to fix it. b) Is there a reason people can't calm down and wait for the action (whatever it is) to happen? None of your whining one way or the other is going to change what BW does anyway.

 

BW isnt doing themselves any favors by waiting to dole out punishments either, its only going to polarize the community more and more. Because if what Bioware said is true, and there was only a minority that exploited, then only a minority on this forum arguing against the pitchforkers will be punished, the others arguing against the pitchforkers are most likely the least biased of any of you, including myself. The simple fact of the matter is once it was on live and was being exploited BioWare knew, and didnt act until a week and a half ago. This exploit has been live for more than 6 weeks.

[ivanhedgehog]

LadyVix, you seem to be someone of high morals and standards right?

Someone that feels they are honest and decent and good right?

 

Why then are you hiding a referral link that gets you free cratel coins every month, (along with other rewards such as a free speeder and if enough people click it a collection of mini pets) in your signature and calling it a "Free character transfer"? You are so against these people that have "Ravaged the Ravagers" yet you don't have a problem exploiting people in the real world by taking advantage of someones ignorant curiosity so that you get 600 free cartel coins + 100 coins every month they are a subscriber? You are against doing the in game equivalent of what you are doing in real life?

 

Since we aren't allowed to be direct on these forums I'll say "how hypocritical of you". I hope you gather my direct meaning from the passive aggressive way I'm forced to say it to keep a forum moderator from flagging it as an "inappropriate call out"

 

 

SWTOR team do whatever is gonna be done and do it quickly, people are getting out of hand. People are verbally killing each other.

Letting folks vent their frustrations is one thing, but the community is becoming toxic.

You guys need to squash this soon. One way or another, do whatever needs to be done, but you need to make the conversations go away. What is going on in the forums the past week will hurt the game community worse than anything else.

 

BW has really messed up this time. aside form producing a buggy mess, they have set the community at each others throats in order to distract them from the nerf of ultimate coms. the hatred an anger will not go away next tuesday when they finally get around to finishing the saga of the great exploit inquisition. the toxic community will last a lot longer. if the raiding community is gutted it will not magically reappear. and all the hate and anger that eric generated will not go away.

[ivanhedgehog]

You're right. Credit Card companies will investigate contested payments, but as soon as bioware sends them a copy of the TOS, that CC company won't be going to bat for the card holder. No one is getting $8k back because they got banned.

 

wrong. the first pact they will find was that bw published buggy software. Bw is held under the tos of the credit card, which means it will not go to court. bioware will have to say that you used the software the way they wrote it and they are punishing you.

[DinoDo]

BW isnt doing themselves any favors by waiting to dole out punishments either, its only going to polarize the community more and more.

True enough. If they actually have such detailed records, the punishments (if they actually are going to happen) should have come down at the same time as the fix. It's best to act swift and decisively in situations like this rather than dither about while the problem festers.

[ivanhedgehog]

Also, because it seems folks have forgotten....

 

Extended User Access and License Agreement

 

Electronic Arts Terms of Service

SWTOR Rules of Conduct

 

Although I will admit there is a bit of ambiguity here and there (which in the case of a contract clearly benefits the person bound by the contract as the general rule of practice) overall I think almost all points of contention here are covered by these three documents relatively conclusively.

 

I would contend that these three documents, the "service and conduct pact" if you will, clearly dismiss most of the major arguments put forth in this thread and others.

 

Feel free to read all three at length...and then ignore them as we both know you will.

 

it depends on the state AND the country. that argument may fall flat in a EU court. or any other foreign court.

[BuriDogshin]

True enough. If they actually have such detailed records, the punishments (if they actually are going to happen) should have come down at the same time as the fix. It's best to act swift and decisively in situations like this rather than dither about while the problem festers.

Perhaps the wait is the punishment. Sword of Damocles and all that.

[MeNaCe-NZ]

they have set the community at each others throats in order to distract them from the nerf of ultimate coms.

 

No, cheating got people this way

 

I still kinda don't get why those who did cheat are acting so butt hurt. They knew what they were doing in the most case and any punishment is deserved. It's really that simple.

 

As for the ult comm nerf, to me it's no biggie, it brings it in line with 2.0 launch pretty much with classic comms on the 50 ops ( now those were actually useless but same diff still ). I think people have just been a bit too spoilt on easy mode for awhile and don't want to have to do any hardwork to get gear ( hence the cheating people have done also ).

 

Now ... where are those witches ...

[MeNaCe-NZ]

Perhaps the wait is the punishment. Sword of Damocles and all that.

 

Or as I suspected ( not really ) THIS is how they are going to catch the cheaters! Making them incriminate themselves on the forums. Every user who complains about punishment or supports the exploit gets looked into because they really don't have logs. I really thought they had them with the guy who started the thread to post and admit if you cheated, he did and i strangely haven't heard from him since ...

 

Disclaimer: I in no way believe any of the above to be true ( except that guy disappearing ), a bit of levity was needed I thought.

[Derat]

NGE... incoming

[EzraFett]

 

Hey does anyone else find it utterly hilarious the extra work ( assuming this player is honest, which based on cheating they aren't ) this player has gone to to protect or justify their cheating? It's almost not even worth the effort you went to to begin with since one would you'll almost definitely lose anything you gained to begin with ( if there is any justice at all that will at least occur ).

 

Also I'm imagine the phone calls and withheld s*****rs and laughter the people on the other hand must have been holding back. Did you actually have to say in what would probably a rather angry, self righteous, can do no ill manner "I cheated at Star Wars the Old Republic in breach of their terms of service and Bioware might ban me for it, am I legally protected from this and if so I demand a refund if they do!". I sure do pity some people that have to work in customer service if they have to field calls like that.

 

(I would go back and quote the user telling us all about laws and how she and her friends are getting tens of thousands of dollars refunded if EA bans them, but just take my word for it, please. I am honest, not a cheater)

 

I know right? A cheater says they have called all these people and got all this info that backs up everything s/he wants to happen. But how honest is this person? Well we can guess... not very.

 

Does the world really cave to people who lie and cheat, I mean non billionaires or politicians? I think not. I mean there was a story about a baseball park forcing someone with season tickets to change the shirts they were wearing. Another story where they made a celebrity change the shirt she was wearing. Can I sign a contract with ATT for a cell phone and then misuse it? Break the contract and get my service disconnected? Why yes I could. Then could I go to a lawyer and try to get all my money back? Maybe even the apps I purchased? Sure, but will I get said money back? No.

 

But oh man I would fly to wherever and pay to get into the court to even see a hearing on this. You can get a lawyer to take your money and at least get you a hearing on almost anything. Depending on the judge's mood and temperament , someone with such a frivolous waste of court time could end up with a hefty fine, or at least an angry judge telling them to grow up. Oh and then talk all superior to the judge and tell him/her how you know your rights and you will get what you want! Yell and jump up and down! Then spend some time in jail. When you get there you better make up some story like you robbed a liquor store or something, the other inmates may laugh so hard they will need medical attention and you will not get a minute of peace.

 

Anyway you will probably not get banned, not perma banned.

[EzraFett]

wrong. the first pact they will find was that bw published buggy software. Bw is held under the tos of the credit card, which means it will not go to court. bioware will have to say that you used the software the way they wrote it and they are punishing you.

 

 

OMG a company released software with bugs? Wait they are a game company too? Wow, how dare them. All software works as intended at release, especially game. Why every MMO I have ever played has been totally free from bugs, well except "Life of Bugs: the Bug-ining". But they tried to fix it with the xpac "Stop Buggin".

 

BW has really messed up this time. aside form producing a buggy mess, they have set the community at each others throats in order to distract them from the nerf of ultimate coms. the hatred an anger will not go away next tuesday when they finally get around to finishing the saga of the great exploit inquisition. the toxic community will last a lot longer. if the raiding community is gutted it will not magically reappear. and all the hate and anger that eric generated will not go away.

 

Yes, Eric did this. He got up one morning and typed a post, then a week later typed another one. No one else was in on it, just him. No legal team looked it over. Get a grip. Oh and it would go away if they banned the cheaters. But alas that probably won't happen.

[ROGERMNF]

Christ, this is turning into a holy war. a) I wish BW had not waited so long to fix the issue. I don't know if it was known in beta but it was known for quite awhile before the patch came down to fix it. b) Is there a reason people can't calm down and wait for the action (whatever it is) to happen? None of your whining one way or the other is going to change what BW does anyway.

 

agree. But I think the high active forums about that issue means that players are really polarized about the chance of BW punish or not this exploit. I think that there's an entire universe between both positions (from the "burn'em all" to "if they punish me in any way, my friends and me will leave"). Ok... let's wait and see. But both sides are trying to push BW to take his own position. I have already writed my personal opinion about that in few posts (and I dont want to rewrite it again), only say that key issue (for me) is how both BW and comunity improve exploits prevention in the future, more than what they do with the present one.

 

(edited) Note: As a teacher and researcher in sociology and criminology I'm really fascinated with that thread. And also as someone have said, this thread gives me a lot of pretty examples about key concepts of criminology theory, and reminds me to David Garland (NYU) when he talks about control and punishment.

 

Thanks for that guys!

Edited January 15, 2015 by ROGERMNF

[mad_freeman]

My guild 'carried' my husband through DF and DP SM and he benefitted from it alot. But you know something, there were no 'cheats' or exploits. My husband worked his *** off to get those items. Sure, he didn't put out 10k numbers or whatever, but he worked his *** off.

 

So, being 'carried' is NOT an exploit. No where in the rules does it say you're not allowed to bring in a guild member who is less uber than you.

 

point is that person above me said "game will only benefit if all hardcore players will leave it" about that i say no it will only lose. I don't mind help people in this way. everyone is learning at some point. But if all hardcore people leave there will be no one who will teach and help. i hope you see my point of view:)

Edited January 15, 2015 by mad_freeman

[brandonsorr]

Hi Jbaoth,

 

I am Responsebot9000 customer service forum droid ID-107. I have been created by the forums to respond directly to stupid metaphors listed in forum posts.

I don't want to even begin to read this, the fact that you begin with calling yourself a droid is of concern. please sir, for the love of all that is good, leave your parents basement and see the light.

Edited January 15, 2015 by brandonsorr

[jrwellworth]

Hi Jbaoth,

 

I am Responsebot9000 customer service forum droid ID-107. I have been created by the forums to respond directly to stupid metaphors listed in forum posts.

 

In between my time of sobbing over how widespread the use of food metaphors are to explain an unrelated in-game event or situation, I also perform heart surgery on the blind orphans of Coruscant.

 

You've asked a question about how the purchase of $0.99 plastic trinkets from the Dollar Store equates to a recent in-game situation covered in a forum post by Eric Musco.

 

If I can summarize your main point first as "In real life, can or should I keep a windfall due to someone else's mistake?" I point you to Forbes Magazine's article entitled "Bank Error In Your Favor?" which succinctly advises of the proper outcome: it's not yours.

 

Now, you're initial gut reaction is to say, but wait, I was talking Dollar Store trinkets and you're talking real cash stored in a repository for real cash. We can then engage in a discussion as to what the proper metaphorical analogue for essentially a "chest full of treasure" that includes in-game credits and items of credit value might be in modern contemporary society. You suggest it is a $0.99 consumer product from the Dollar Store, whereas I, the Responsebot9000 customer service forum droid ID-107 -- an expert in stupid metaphors -- suggest it could be a chest full of treasure inside a bank. We may agree to disagree.

 

In my time, I have found that achieving common ground with the creator of a stupid metaphor allows for more expeditious understanding to be achieved. So, as a proper customer service bot, I will first support your point, and then indirectly point out how asinine it actually is: "Thank you for equating an in-game exploit with the purchase of a $0.99 trinket from the Dollar Store retail chain that might include an unpurchased double by mistake. You are praised for your novel analogy. You are not wrong. However, your point actually does not hinge per say on the name of the metaphorical retail chain in question. Rather, the root of the subject is a matter of scale. It is true that many would see it as more trouble to return the second freebie, however, there are some who would actually take the time to return the second, unpurchased item. Further, in the retail industry, the Dollar Store enjoys a particular advantage on one end of the financial spectrum selling lower quality items at even lower price. Let me offer a second permutation of the same example: let's say you are an avid listener of daytime talk radio and decided to purchase 100 gold bars in preparation for the coming doomsday. Instead of 100 gold bars, the company sends you 1000 bars by mistake. Reasonable people will correct that error; unreasonable people will go to jail. So, again, while the Dollar Store is great to purchase at the last minute, that fluorescent blue squirt gun made in China for the birthday party tomorrow that you forgot about, it may not be the best purchase for those who view quality over price. Do you really love Li'l Johnny? You may have instead planned better and purchased that Supersoaker from Toys R Us instead of that plastic trinket from the Dollar Store. The only real problem with your stupid metaphor, well besides that it is stupid, is where on the price and value spectrum we view the actual in-game results of the exploit. In terms of the Hard Mode version, you're suggest ing that the currently highest gear available in-game is the metaphorical analogue to a $0.99 Super-size Snickers bar purchased from the Dollar Store. While it might include 33% more chocolate than the regular size bar sold up the street at the Conoco quick serve ground transportation refueling station for $1.29, we believe most people would tend to view the loot from one of the two highest most difficult operations available in game right now as closer to the metaphorical gold bar rather than the Dollar Store trinket. Thank you for your time.

 

I look forward to many, many more misguided analogies to come within this thread.

 

--ID-107, Responsebot9000 Customer Service Forum Droid

 

Oh wait. Lookee here...

 

 

 

//faceslap //sob

 

Greetings Briggology,

 

I am Responsebot9000 customer service forum droid ID-107. I have been created by the forums to respond directly to stupid metaphors listed in forum posts.

 

I apologize in advance for not having much time to respond in detail. Please understand that there have been a spike in stupid metaphors lately. [FEINED PRAISE:] Allow me first to note how novel it is to equate an in-game mmorpg exploit with food. You make a very good point about the subterfuge involving instant versus real mashed potatoes. At the very least, you would finally know how justified you were in calling out the past 20 years that her "homemade" mashed potatoes taste like *********, and finally put to rest the question of why you saw all of those empty boxes of instant potatoes in the trash to which you never felt you got a straight answer to.

 

You might even have grounds to return to divorce court on the basis that your ex-wife's reason for filing for divorce due to "abusive comments over her mashed potatoes" was an entire fabrication. And you can remember back to that first magic moment, that first time where she invited you over to her apartment for that "homecooked" meal to finally seal the deal, that those ****** mashed potatoes always were fake but you were sealing the deal so you held your tongue. Hell, now you recall seeing with more clarity that she was actually faking things with you your whole damn life. And this complete failure in life and marriage that all resulted from your obstinate position that your wife's mashed potatoes tasted like ****** instant potatoes to her adamant refusal was one huge elaborate ruse. This might free you from playing a mmorpg and posting to mmorpg forums to seek love again.

 

I ask you to please just for damn sure be sure her mashed potatoes are legit this time.

 

TL, DR: As Responsebot9000 customer service forum droid ID-107My position on this whole thing is that Ohio russet potatoes with light butter and brown gravy is BiS that should be earned. Those who exploit mash potatoes should be banned.

 

Thank you.

 

This my friends is the winner of the interwebs. I laughed so hard that I woke up my son and that in turn angered my wife. Good times.

[emeraldon]

I don't want to even begin to read this, the fact that you begin with calling yourself a droid is of concern. please sir, for the love of all that is good, leave your parents basement and see the light.

 

It's absolutely worth the read.

[Knorlac]

In my opinion players who exploited this once or twice should only receive a warning and an infraction that counts towards their potential next breach of the ToS which would then result in a temp ban according to severity.

Players who did this more often or even excessively should be temp banned accordingly. Maybe up to 6 months for the very worst of offenders who also helped spreading the exploit around.

 

IMO instant perma bans should be reserved for things that impact the enjoyment of other players, like the guys continuously ruining ranked PvP for everyone else or racial slur, other kinds of bigotry and real life threats, with maybe one warning/temp ban issued if the case wasn't that severe. We really don't need those people in our community.

 

It really is a shame that BW doesn't crack down harder on the things that at least I consider to be far worse offenses.