RiVaN_ Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 You do realize that releasing the number of accounts action and what actions were taken in NO WAY violates any privacy laws as it DOES NOT release ANY personal information on the exploiters. So you read 2 sentences and stopped? The forum reaction has brought out the absolute WORST in people. This thread is enough for a person to lose all faith in the idea of inherent goodness in man kind and make folks realize that people are just tool's. Born to be jerks and only think about themselves and their point of view. The reactions posted in this thread is evidence enough to say that the SWTOR teams policy of not talking about exploits until they have been fixed and dealt with is the right thing to do. I suspect we will here no more official word from them about the matter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Infernixx Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 I don't know what the QC of that game has to do with them posting lists of amount of people punished etc. Seems like a perfectly good idea to me and can't do any harm ( if not naming names ) and would go as far as to settle things down in topics like these. Even something as simple as "appropriate actions have now been taken against the accounts that have exploited thius bug, once again we apologise for this and thank those players that chose not to exploit the bug for their honesty". Be aware before you post anything in this topic though, there are a couple of posters who want to take the opposing view and call you a witch hunter regardless of how rational, well thought out and well explained any thoughts and posts you may make will be. I believe one or two even went as far as to try point out why they aren't actually trolls ... I beg to differ and if you read through their post history you may as well. They already posted something about all that appropriate action stuff and ty for not exploiting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeNaCe-NZ Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 SWTOR teams policy of not talking about exploits until they have been fixed and dealt with is the right thing to do. That policy exists or is unwritten? Because I believe Eric posted along before the exploit was fixed. Also if you get past some of the other the top punishment callers and the obvious trolls there has been a fair amount of constructive debate in these threads though lately it really has devolved into what seems like personal attacks on some players. They already posted something about all that appropriate action stuff and ty for not exploiting. Yup and to follow suit back it up with more of the same to basically say "yes we've done what we said we would do but no we can't tell you what it was". To say NOTHING further would be a huge mistake since they bothered saying something in the first place in regards to possible punishment/actions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max_Killjoy Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 (edited) SWTOR is a private enterprise run by Bioware and their "parent" company EA. Their relationship with each customer is strictly between Bioware/EA and that customer, alone, period. No other customer else has any right or claim to know anything about their business with that customer should both of those parties wish to keep the nature of their interaction private. Do you enjoy SWTOR? Then play it. Do you not wish to do business with Bioware/EA? Then don't play. It's not my business, your business, or anyone else's business what might have happened between Bioware/EA and anyone they may or may not have taken action against in relation to this matter. Mind your own damn business. Edited January 21, 2015 by Max_Killjoy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pietrastor Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 and ty for not exploiting.Wow, a thank you, it was so worth for me not to exploit, what a reward... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max_Killjoy Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 Wow, a thank you, it was so worth for me not to exploit, what a reward... Look, I think this whole uproar over the exploit is ridiculous, I think my posting history on the matter makes it pretty clear just how much I think that. However... why would you expect a "reward" for not breaking the rules? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Infernixx Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 That policy exists or is unwritten? Because I believe Eric posted along before the exploit was fixed. Also if you get past some of the other the top punishment callers and the obvious trolls there has been a fair amount of constructive debate in these threads though lately it really has devolved into what seems like personal attacks on some players. Yup and to follow suit back it up with more of the same to basically say "yes we've done what we said we would do but no we can't tell you what it was". To say NOTHING further would be a huge mistake since they bothered saying something in the first place in regards to possible punishment/actions. Do you doubt them when they say that's what they're going to do? I don't. They said it, that's good enough for me. So. That's that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Infernixx Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 Wow, a thank you, it was so worth for me not to exploit, what a reward... Awww, did you want a reward for being a good and honorable player? While we're at it, can I get a reward for not win-trading in PVP? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pietrastor Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 Look, I think this whole uproar over the exploit is ridiculous, I think my posting history on the matter makes it pretty clear just how much I think that. However... why would you expect a "reward" for not breaking the rules? If the end result is that I didn't get free Matter/192 Mainhand/set-bonus, then yeah, doesn't exactly sounds unresonable to expect a lil something something for playing nice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RiVaN_ Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 They need to permanently ban the offenders and list their names in a topic dedicated to such to let everyone know that cheating is not tolerated whatsoever. I mean, how pathetic do you have to be to cheat in a video game and then act like you are superior to everyone else? Maplestory never once had any qualms about posting the names of the offenders in a giant list, nor did the GMs hesitate to spam the names of those who were recently banned in big, bright, blue chat so everyone could see and know who was trying to screw the game over. Yet, Maplestory is on it's way to its ninth anniversary and makes more money than a wampa has hair follicles. The only thing that comes to mind is that you lot don't want to be embarrassed because you are cheaters yourselves, hence why you are against this in the first place. Hell, some stores right here in NYC take photos of shoplifters and stick them right at the front door to let everyone know who tried to steal from them and failed; they even make the person display the item they were looking to abscond with in the first place. No reason Bioware cannot embarrass the ne'er-do-wells here; if you cannot play the game as intended, then don't play at all. Simple as that. A) Privacy act. It's a federal law. If a person can get any personal info about you from searching your character name, then outting you like that is illegal. B) MapleStory? Isn't that the kids game that has never even been in the top 25 of yearly income? Sidescrolling Anime thing? I think my kids played that for 20 min and decided it sucked. C) Just another example of how this whole thing has brought out the worst in people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarthDymond Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 Wow, a thank you, it was so worth for me not to exploit, what a reward... Do you often receive rewards in exchange for not cheating? As Eric pointed out in the OP, even saying "thank you" for that is at least a little odd/silly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frybert Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 *snip* Yup and to follow suit back it up with more of the same to basically say "yes we've done what we said we would do but no we can't tell you what it was". To say NOTHING further would be a huge mistake since they bothered saying something in the first place in regards to possible punishment/actions. At this point I have to agree with you. Their chance to do what they were going to do and let it be pretty much went up in smoke when they didn't do that. I still stand by my belief that indeed they have already done what they were going to do (which was next to nothing), but I think BW should say one way or the other if they are done. If they don't, this whole thing is just going to keep going. We've already had at least one 'casualty' (don't think we need to go any further than that on the matter), BW needs to end this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivanhedgehog Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 It's tells the player base that they are doing their job I mean Square Enix which has the same policies as BW every time they ban people in FFXIV they list how many accounts were action and what actions were taken they do it to let the player base know they are actually doing something and keeps the player base from thinking they can get away with exploiting. fixing bugs tells the player bas that they are doing their job, not seeing much of that lately Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuriDogshin Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 ToS aside, BW is legally obligated, throughout the privacy act of The United States of America to keep information about you private. This would extend to "punishment" for your actions. Really? Which title and section of the United States Code says that? Note that the The Privacy Act of 1974, 5 U.S.C. § 552a, according to U.S. Department of Justice only applies to "information about individuals that is maintained in systems of records by federal agencies." (emphasis added) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drockter Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 I don't think BW believes that 'naming and shaming' is an appropriate practice to indulge in. Agreed... but I don't think that is what the poster you quoted was asking for. I have to agree with that poster, that while I do not want BW to disclose names... a general statement on action taken (i.e. X accounts were terminated, Y accounts received varying legnths of suspension) is not naming and shaming. It shows that they are serious about exploits and exploiters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Genghistwelve Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 Jeez people, it's not like there's not a guideline for what to possibly expect in any closing statement, if such a thing comes. Recall Stephen Reid's message about the Ilum exploiting: Our Terms of Service team recently took action against some accounts playing Star Wars: The Old Republic, and we wanted to give you some insight into what happened and why. First, action was taken against a number of accounts for what’s commonly known as ‘gold farming’ – or in our case, credit farming. These accounts were found to be exploiting the game in a variety of ways to maximize their credits in order to sell them to other players. Our Terms of Service team took action against these accounts and removed them permanently from the game. Second, a smaller number of accounts were warned or temporarily suspended for exploiting loot containers on Ilum. To be completely clear, while players may choose to travel to Ilum earlier than the recommended level (40+) and may loot containers if they can get to them, in the cases of those customers that were warned or temporarily suspended, they were systematically and repeatedly looting containers in very high numbers resulting in the game economy becoming unbalanced. None of these accounts were banned for their actions and no accounts have been banned for travelling to Ilum while still relatively low level. By comparison, the number of accounts that were warned or temporarily suspended was considerably lower than the number of accounts banned for ‘credit farming’. It’s important to remember that our Terms of Service team is extremely careful and thorough in their investigation of any potential exploit or unusual activity in-game. Working closely with the development team and using extensive metrics based on player activity, they are able to determine what is normal player activity, what is unusual and what is exploiting. Our goal is always to ensure a fair game experience for all players while also protecting the rights of individuals, and if people are disrupting the play experience for others action will be taken. While we will not discuss the details of any individual action, whenever we take action against an account we believe they have clearly broken our Terms of Service. Any action taken against an account can be appealed and in some cases actions have been rescinded. While we understand people’s concern about actions taken against accounts, please remember the Terms of Service team exists to help ensure a balanced and fair game experience for all. When you see reports of actions taken against someone’s account, remember they are choosing to tell their version of the story – and there are two sides to every story. In summary, our Terms of Service team took action against a number of accounts that were ‘credit farming’ to remove them permanently from the game. They also warned and temporarily suspended – but did not ban – a smaller number of accounts for activities on Ilum that were decided to be game exploits. Some adjustments will be made to Ilum in the near future to discourage future exploits. However, the planet is still open to anyone who wishes to travel there. The goal of the Star Wars: The Old Republic team is to maintain a service for our customers that is fun to play and equitable for everyone. Critical to this goal is making sure that gameplay is fair and reasonable and we are constantly on the lookout for anything that would prove to be a detriment to your gameplay experiences. Thanks for reading, and we hope this gave you some insights. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spamfritter Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 At least people now know that next time there is an exploit, they can jump on it, because Bioware won't do anything. This time has long since passed. BioWare has a proven track record of inaction against people who use exploits. The Nefra farming, Dashroode, and Bestia exploits are all fine examples of this track record. I guarantee that this history of inaction is a factor contributing to the sheer volume of people who exploited the Ravager's bug. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Theeko Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 So in other words, ToS means nothing to EA but everything to other games that actually do ban Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fushnchips Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 So in other words, ToS means nothing to EA but everything to other games that actually do ban Bioware do ban people all the time for breaking the ToS and that's a fact just because you don't see a post from them saying we banned so and so it doesn't mean that serious action hasn't been taken against those who broke the rules. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordArtemis Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 As I said before, watch Reddit. If bans come, that is likely where folks will report it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeNaCe-NZ Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 Do you doubt them when they say that's what they're going to do? I don't. They said it, that's good enough for me. So. That's that. Well I guess you would have a better idea of if they did something or not being that you had previously pretty much admitted to using it. I'll judge based on your now seeming calm that nothing of substance has taken place ( if anything at all ) since last time you and some people you knew were talking of more or less boycotting spending any money on the game if the punishment was to severe ( and well you're typing so not banned one would assume ). A) Privacy act. It's a federal law. If a person can get any personal info about you from searching your character name, then outting you like that is illegal. If they say RiVaN_ was banned where do they get personal information on you yourself from that? I remember in a lot of games/chats over the years it would publicly say some person/character was banned when it took place so there were all infringements on U.S. federal law? Further more has no one learned the lesson on "you're not a lawyer stop talking law speak" in the forums yet ( aside from one person who has admitted they are indeed a lawyer and backed it up with fairly comprehensive knowledge ). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Infernixx Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 Well I guess you would have a better idea of if they did something or not being that you had previously pretty much admitted to using it. I'll judge based on your now seeming calm that nothing of substance has taken place ( if anything at all ) since last time you and some people you knew were talking of more or less boycotting spending any money on the game if the punishment was to severe ( and well you're typing so not banned one would assume ). Not boycotting. Just moving on to a different game if the punishment was overly harsh. I think it's fair to say that such thinking shouldn't be a surprise. But yes, I'm pretty calm in most cases, thanks for noticing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tolunart Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 (edited) But I'm pretty sure that they still all come to the forums to troll. 95% of subscribers don't actually play the game, they just remain subbed so they can continue to complain on the forums. If BW ever made a patch that didn't break twenty different things, the company would go bankrupt in a month. Edited January 21, 2015 by Tolunart Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaizersan Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 Just going to set this right here for you straight from Musco himself http://www.twitch.tv/swtor/b/611950974?t=89m8s Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MorgothPl Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 Well, if BW does nothing with the PVP match fixing - which I reported with proof of chat, where people were agreeing to fix matches to farm ranked comms, no wonder, they don't ban exploiters. Who cares... just if enough people buy cartel market stuff, and the profits look good in excel sheets, they don't bother with rest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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