Temple Chair (Basic) Exploit

[MeNaCe-NZ]

Great timely post Eric and thanks for listening to my ( and whoever else's ) suggestion for the previous announced exploit regarding putting the information in the launcher, very well done.

 

There is now no ground what so ever for exploiters to play the "well I didn't know card"

[MeNaCe-NZ]

Well crap. I bought 50 chairs, went to unlock them and...oops...I forgot the vendor window was still open.

 

I swear, it was an accident...I really don't need a silly exploit to make credits. I have 305 million.

 

Buy back or be banned?

[MayhemofChaonus]

So now is the time to list everything I have for sale, while there is a massive pool of disposable income floating around?

 

You sir, are my hero! You're making a profit off of an exploit without actually abusing the exploit! You're like a business person selling things to people who may or may not be counterfeiters; You're completely covered by plausible deniability, yet are still profiting from illegal activity! Someone give this guy a medal! XD

[LuciferKirkorian]

Buy back or be banned?

 

I bought back, but honestly...I don't know if it took the 5,000 credits back. I have way too many digits in my credit balance to pay attention to such things

[Tyralak]

Anyone else see a pattern in wasted time and resources.. they have identified the problem, they know its a issue most people would just fix it, quickly. but no these clowns wanna drag it out, then waste more time hunting down people to issue meaningless actions at a net loss pretty much. seems like a constant issue.. to be honest my interest in it died by the time i got to this point in the post.. so /flame on i guess..

 

^^^^This. This is exactly the crux of the matter. Fix the problem, don't waste time with this nonsense.

[MeNaCe-NZ]

This is a collosal screw up...

 

<extended exploit how to went here>

 

Will you then undo all the transactions done with the exploited credits and refund the items back to the sellers that the exploited credits paid for?

 

If you cannot send out an event to invalidate the item available to sell and exploit, how the heck can we be confident that you have systems in place to track more than the basic threshold of buyback records on item sales?

 

I'm really concerned that this is going to have some HUGE consequences.

 

It is also very concerning that when an exploit USUALLY is found, Bioware will wait until they fix it before notifying of the exploit, but this time it seems like they are saying,

 

"don't do this! or we'll get ya!"

 

I'm blown away.

 

Not really going too far back through all these pages but the fact you are basically giving people idea's on how to exploit this without getting caught makes me wonder if you should receive some sort of sanctions ... you are basically enhancing this exploit further as I see it, your post should have been directed privately to Bioware, not for everyone to see and get ideas from.

Edited June 24, 2015 by MeNaCe-NZ

[MeNaCe-NZ]

I bought back, but honestly...I don't know if it took the 5,000 credits back. I have way too many digits in my credit balance to pay attention to such things

 

*shrug* I doubt they care for people who did 1 stack etc. anyway. More the poeple who did 10+ or anything beyond the realms of reasonable use.

 

Anyone claiming they did this on accident and didn't buy back though ... hah.

[LuciferKirkorian]

*shrug* I doubt they care for people who did 1 stack etc. anyway. More the poeple who did 10+ or anything beyond the realms of reasonable use.

 

Anyone claiming they did this on accident and didn't buy back though ... hah.

 

lol, I know...and it's not like I'm desperate for credits either. I sneeze 5,000 credits in this game. Though...they ARE able to be sold on gtn. Now THAT gives me some ideas

[Nommak]

So..I accidentally resold a stack because I thought I was popping it, I bought back the item resulting in no profit gain though so I hope you don't think I was trying to exploit that. Edited June 24, 2015 by Nommak

[Cooking]

Great timely post Eric and thanks for listening to my ( and whoever else's ) suggestion for the previous announced exploit regarding putting the information in the launcher, very well done.

 

There is now no ground what so ever for exploiters to play the "well I didn't know card"

 

You must be really lacking in foresight and common sense. But I'm glad you get off on some sort of moral-high ground sense of justice.

 

The only, and I mean only, acceptable response to this issue would have been an emergency hotfix. Leaving the issue in game with some sort of notice that you'll be banned if you partake in it does absolutely nothing to stop the credits from entering the games economy; and once the credits are in the economy it's very hard to get them out.

 

In fact if they were going to leave it in game, their best course of action would simply have been not to let anyone know about it at all to minimize the number of people that are doing it.

 

Before you accuse me of partaking in this exploit - I haven't. I'm just a veteran gamer who has seen far to many MMO economies destroyed by currency exploits.

 

Where there are easy (illicit) methods of earning currency, there are automated scripts, dedicated tinkerers, and hardcore exploiters who get a kick out of seeing just how far they can go in their efforts to mess up the economy or make a quick buck - and you can bet that there are a plethora of ways to launder the currency that makes it a nightmare to track down and remove.

 

But sure. Let's wait until next patch, and ban everyone that took part in it. That'll sure teach those pesky exploiters!

[Lyshar]

Decided to log back in this morning and see if it was still on the buy back tab, the one I accidentally sold instead of unlocking as I was still on the vendor with other stuff going on around me in game & real life. Hope they can see that when checking even though there was some time in between.

 

Technically my profit is a loss of 50 credits now (4950-5000).

 

I don't even know if they take notice, should I send another ticket to add this referring to the last? That would probably be spamming CS.

 

So if they see this a short recap:

• Servers went up without the notice referring to the issue
  
• Accidentally sold 50 instead of using (unintended profit 4950 credits)
  
• Send in a ticket still unaware this had escalated to this point
  
• Got a CS response, guy not taking action and assuming incorrectly that I was aware of this thread
  
• Logged off and visited forums a bit
  
• This morning went back online and was still able to buy back (net loss 50 credits, not asking for those back)
  

 

I'll see what I do with those chairs, either donate them, destroy them or sell them back after the exploit is fixed. Just hoping this honest mistake (which while time passed between start and end was corrected player side) isn't going to cause excessive punishment.

 

In hindsight I should have checked the buyback after accidentally selling, but I pretty much never need to even look there.

Edited June 24, 2015 by Lyshar

[Nerdimports]

hmm, so if I exploit 300m credits, do I get a 24-hr ban like Ravagers and get to keep the rewards? I earned 700m the hard way and it'd be nice to coast to a billion at the expense of just one mouse.

[Khiriath]

I doubt all the data is tracked and stored. If it is than they probably dump it all every X number of hours, and I imagine that they would filter a great deal of "minor" data points out. Metadata adds up pretty fast and without proper maintenance of your database you'll find yourself out of space sooner rather than later. Not even mentioning the CPU power required to process that data into a useable format.

 

Beyond that, let's say it is recorded. Do they have the tools needed to retrieve that information and then someone to analyze it? If they have tools, are they comprehensive enough to expect search parameters that yield actionable intelligence? Tracking and the subsequent analysis of data isn't like dusting crops.

 

When it comes down to they should have fixed this in a much more timely manner. This mistake has been repeated by numerous MMO's and history shows once it happens, and lingers for a fair amount of time, the damage is already done.

 

Spoken like someone who has never put in a customer service ticket over a lost item. They can tell you what you bought on a specific day months later. In a previous thread around the Ravagers exploit there was a person who shared img files of a ticket in which they restored a light saber that he had bought and accidentally destroyed a 6mos prior.

 

So tracking the buy and sell here shouldn't be a problem. The only question is whether they will falsely flag folks who only bought them.

[Jdotolo]

Eric/bioware

 

 

Pardon me for being a Newbe to MMO and this game in general. But you put the bug in and you dont have the right to ban players who make a credit pofit over your mistake(in my humble opinion). This is your game you create it and and it is your resposibility. I dont care what your rules say, you own the issue not players.

 

That is like Bethesda telling people they cant play the single player Game Fallout 3 without getting the patch first. If i remember correctly they had an issue like this that had to be patched up but they didnt tell any one to stop playing or ban becasue of the issue. Why? becasue they cant and that dont mean you can because it is an MMO.

 

You need to fix it ASAP not ban players who pay money to play your game. Shame on you Bioware of you do ban players for making credits on a bug you introduce(if i understand it right).

[MayhemofChaonus]

I only hope I'm online and available when the ban waves hit. The tears, they will nourish me.

 

It'll be like the Rapture, except the ones left behind will be the happy ones XD

[AdmiralBlue]

The best part about this is that even though they "informed everyone" people still didn't know until it was talked about in General chat on the fleet. As well, they didn't even know where to buy the chairs from at all. However, now the word is spreading with each passing hour and it's pretty great watching the system start to burn.

[Khiriath]

For all those still asking:

Hey folks,

 

We looked into this and it turns out the chair was never intended to be in the pack, but appeared in the Decorations UI as being available from it. To remedy this, We are going to add the Decoration to the Esstran Exports Reputation vendor for 1 Credit with no Reputation requirement.

 

This will go into the game with 3.2.2.

 

Thanks all!

 

Tait, Grand Emperor of Chairs and End Tables

 

Found in thread here:

http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?p=8217945#edit8217945

 

Buying for normal use fine. Selling back a problem.

[MayhemofChaonus]

The best part about this is that even though they "informed everyone" people still didn't know until it was talked about in General chat on the fleet. As well, they didn't even know where to buy the chairs from at all. However, now the word is spreading with each passing hour and it's pretty great watching the system start to burn.

 

Indeed *Hands you a marshmallow*

[Khiriath]

Decided to log back in this morning and see if it was still on the buy back tab, the one I accidentally sold instead of unlocking as I was still on the vendor with other stuff going on around me in game & real life. Hope they can see that when checking even though there was some time in between.

 

Technically my profit is a loss of 50 credits now (4950-5000).

 

I don't even know if they take notice, should I send another ticket to add this referring to the last? That would probably be spamming CS.

 

So if they see this a short recap:

• Servers went up without the notice referring to the issue
  
• Accidentally sold 50 instead of using (unintended profit 4950 credits)
  
• Send in a ticket still unaware this had escalated to this point
  
• Got a CS response, guy not taking action and assuming incorrectly that I was aware of this thread
  
• Logged off and visited forums a bit
  
• This morning went back online and was still able to buy back (net loss 50 credits, not asking for those back)
  

 

I'll see what I do with those chairs, either donate them, destroy them or sell them back after the exploit is fixed. Just hoping this honest mistake (which while time passed between start and end was corrected player side) isn't going to cause excessive punishment.

 

In hindsight I should have checked the buyback after accidentally selling, but I pretty much never need to even look there.

 

You sound so much like those of us who were suckered into the Ziost exploit by ppl shouting on fleet and then giving guild ship teleport. Even if we immediately exited to fleet, we still got suspensions.

 

According to my numerous conversations with customer service and the appeals department then, while it may seem unfair and while they admit that it was done in innocence and error, they have a zero tolerance policy currently regarding exploits. If you did it, no matter how minor, you will be punished.

 

If they change that now, after so many of us were unfairly suspended then, I will unsub and quit game over it, and so will many others. So please enjoy your three day suspension and being added to their internal exploiter list.

[Lyshar]

Well crap. I bought 50 chairs, went to unlock them and...oops...I forgot the vendor window was still open.

 

I swear, it was an accident...I really don't need a silly exploit to make credits. I have 305 million.

 

Like I posted, had the same thing happen. I eventually managed to buy back, but I had a longer time go over that. Hope to get a response if they even see that but I doubt it. You best use the buy back just in case.

[AdmiralBlue]

Spoken like someone who has never put in a customer service ticket over a lost item. They can tell you what you bought on a specific day months later. In a previous thread around the Ravagers exploit there was a person who shared img files of a ticket in which they restored a light saber that he had bought and accidentally destroyed a 6mos prior.

 

So tracking the buy and sell here shouldn't be a problem. The only question is whether they will falsely flag folks who only bought them.

 

That example offers no proof of anything other than that a player had a good customer service interaction. Only Bioware knows for sure how their collection system works. I have ideas on how their system may work. Perhaps each account is allotted X amount of data tracked on them to be aged off after X amount of time has past. Certain variables could alter the age off rate, such as total data in relation to the allotment. However, I don't know that's how they do it but that would seem to be the most efficient way. Also, there exists the possibility that the customer service rep simply granted the item to the player in good faith. We have no way to know for certain.

 

Make no mistake, I am no implying Bioware doesn't track and record data about various character actions. I assume that they do actually. My argument is that I don't believe Bioware is equipped to track, record, and analyze a mass quantity of information that the ease of this particular exploit permits. In the past most exploits have been gated by certain factors that would allow one to easily narrow down guilty parties and doll out punishment. However, this particular issue is much more accessible which could result in greater prevalence.

Edited June 24, 2015 by AdmiralBlue

[TheGayGhost]

GM's you should ban the pugs, they are the "right to do", sithy's don't care. We deceive, lie and kill, everything just for fun or credits...

[D_Oshay]

honestly if you made a screw up it is on you not the player that use the screw up just saying. If people do it then hey your bad shouldn't have happened in the first place punishing people for using it is wrong just saying. On top of that you tell everyone. that like telling people don't touch that button and saying it cool when you do but don't touch it. I bet you 9/10 people that read this is going to. Your faults not there just saying. Dont push that button.

[MistoVahn]

Hey folks,

 

In today's patch, we placed Temple Chair (Basic) onto the Esstran Exports vendor for one credit. After bringing the servers live today we noticed that currently, you can sell the Chair back to the vendor for 100 credits. Obviously, this is not intended. As stated before, when these issues arise we want to make sure we get out in front of it as quickly as possible and are open with you about what is being done.

 

For the time being, please do not buy and sell the Temple Chair (Basic) in this manner. This behavior is considered an exploit. We will be addressing this issue as soon as possible. Once fixed, we will investigate and then take appropriate action for use of this exploit.

 

Thanks everyone. I will pass on update as I have them.

 

-eric

 

I did it once to see if it actually gave you the credits and then I submitted a bug report. Does this count as participating in the exploit?

[Shelenko]

Well there are going to be a lot of folks getting banned for this if a casual look of people lurking around the vendor for hours is anything to go by. No response when you speak to them so no sympathy for these people.

 

There may be a few who get caught up in this because it is too easy to try too activate purchased items and of course if you still have the vendor window open it sells it back instead (really annoying).

 

The ideal thing would have been to take the system offline and fix - yes there would have been an outcry but at the moment people are grinding away creating a stockpile of credits and probably distributing them amongst several other accounts to try an "launder" them before they get banned.