Curse

Martin Alvito · Jul 20, 2007, 04:55 AM // 04:55

Look, so long as you can take "cool stuff" from account A and transfer it via some means to account B, resales of said "cool stuff" are going to happen.
The only way to fix the problem would be to rebuild the system by which "cool stuff" is allocated to players in a non-transferable fashion. The PvP reward system is a move in the right direction, but is insufficient to solve existing problems.

Bottom line is, gold is going to get sold until the system is retooled such that one can *only* get desired goodies from substantial time investment. Specifically, that investment needs to require skill *and* highly diverse skill sets, so that programming bots becomes overly cost-intensive. This isn't going to happen in GW; too many people (me included) have too much invested in the present system.

Our best hope is that the devs for GW (and the other MMOs out there) will get it right and finally learn the lessons Everquest and Diablo 2 could have taught them 8 or 9 years ago. I have to admit that I'm skeptical, though. I'm sure the marketing team at ANet is smart enough to realize that 5000 banned bots becomes 5000 new game purchases in the online store within a few hours. That's a couple million dollars a year in additional revenue right there, which is not insignificant in this business. I've seen the statistic kicked around out there that WoW had an average annual development budget of 12 million during development, so TBH the ANet gang probably needs that revenue just to keep up with the Joneses.

Looking at it in that light, the bots are here to stay and there's no reason to suspect that management will permit the devs to make the radical changes that would be necessary to eliminate 3rd party gold/item resellers. The company has no financial no interest in terminating the bots' activities (far from it), so its personnel do what they should in this situation: shake their fingers at the bots, make a non-credible, unenforceable threat to players to enact dire consequences should those players buy gold, and leave it at that. Smart people will see through the non-credible threat, and when those smart people don't get banned and tell dumb people, dumb people will realize the threat isn't credible and life goes on as it did before.

So feel free to buy your gold, if you must. Pathetic to do so IMO, but it's a free country and it's your money. And you're free to think of that money as supporting the game and GW2's development, as a significant chunk of that money goes right back into ANet's coffers...

Seraphic Divinity · Jul 20, 2007, 05:25 AM // 05:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by bart

hmm.. what if say the gold sellers got smart and traded the gold for a white item. For example:

Gold seller: Thank you for your purchase. Pls put a weapon that is of no value to you in the trade box.
Player: *puts white tall shield
Gold seller: *puts 1million gold.
and trade.

My question is is Anet going to ban the player for selling a white Tall shield for 1 million gold?

Yeah, precisely.

Heck, why do you even need the item?

What if someone just decided to try and get many people banned?

*random person runs up to you opens trade and puts in 100k*

*you scratch your head and accept for kicks*

*random person accepts and trades you over 100k*

*5 minutes later you are banned for receiving botted gold*

*random person infected 50 accounts with botted gold*

*50 people who accepted a freebie trade are now banned, no questions asked*

Surena · Jul 20, 2007, 07:31 AM // 07:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mordakai

I see it as a sign soon the Online store will start selling Gold...

yeah!

That would be pretty cool actually.

impression · Jul 20, 2007, 09:28 AM // 09:28

What makes me really sad in this thread its, the amount of people that seems to defend the Gold Buyers and Sellers ...

And as proved before, ANeT always makes sure they are banning the right person. Of course, some mistakes can happen but, ANeT its open to discuss it and lift the ban if its the case.

Have fun and Play fair,
impression

Cacheelma · Jul 20, 2007, 10:08 AM // 10:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by arcanemacabre

Gwen can't sacrifice herself, you dummy! She's a hero you can acquire, which means she's with you for good (fortunately/unfortunately, depending on your PoV).

Now, Kilroy Stonekin on the other hand....

Oh, right right. I didn't know that it has been OFFICIALLY CONFIRMED that Gwen is a hero.

Coridan · Jul 20, 2007, 11:52 AM // 11:52

Actually most botters don't use purchased accounts. They use the 10 hour trial keys. so when they ban an account its just banning one of the trials...it wouuld end in 10 hours anyways...

Master Sword Keeper · Jul 20, 2007, 12:06 PM // 12:06

Now let's See...

Okay...

Loot scaling was introduced to reduce the number of bots...Okay Fair trade.

Skill Adjusts were made to hamper bot activity again...Hmm not nessecary but okay.

BOTS ARE STILL ALIVE: Result...yea welll...

Cash Resolution. EBAY. result = ban
Um ARENANET's ridding themselves of players?
Well if I'm not allowed to farm for cash....or buy cash online...THEN

HTF AM I SUPPOSE TO GET ANYWHERE IN THE GAME ARENANET!?!?!? HUH HUH?! Sheesh....Yep... Thought so. I havent done anything bad in the game since I first bought it...I've just sat back watched this beautiful title get ripped to shreads over and over. It breaks your heart watching this happen to 3.4million $$ worth of Gaming Engineering....If EOTN starts getting hit with the same results..... They're looking at a total loss.

Engel the Fallen · Jul 20, 2007, 12:17 PM // 12:17

Whoo, jet another wave of bans no doubt to be followed to even more loot "scaling." Just sell gold in your own store and end this BS. Let the normal players have fun and farm again without all this restriction crap.

HayesA · Jul 20, 2007, 12:35 PM // 12:35

You know, just so everyone knows this: Your IP address is fairly easy to change. And to think if you IP ban a person, that they're gone forever; not true. A. They buy a new network card. B. Call their ISP, and ask for an IP change. Probably aboyt $50 bucks for the whole thing.

Indeed, the casual player would say screw it, and play somethign else. But the hardcore botters would just spend the 50 bucks, and keep at it. Slow em down maybe a week.

Just sayin...
---

I, on the other hand, support anet on this. I know a few of you are bitter that anet is stealing your hard earned drops, and whatnot, and skill balencing skills to uselessness. But, still, I farm solo, and make pretty decent gold. Not 100k/day gold, or anything like that. But it's modest, and if you save, you can buy stuff. (Unless you get lucky, with a req8 elemental sword. Then, well, that would be a fantastic day!

)

Sorry, i'm just getting sick of everyone whining about loot scaling, and stuff. Because, seriously, get over it. They're not going to change it back to full drops, and crazy good skills. Stop crying over spilt milk. It gets old. :-\

gene terrodon · Jul 20, 2007, 12:49 PM // 12:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by Master Sword Keeper

Now let's See...

Okay...

Loot scaling was introduced to reduce the number of bots...Okay Fair trade.

Skill Adjusts were made to hamper bot activity again...Hmm not nessecary but okay.

BOTS ARE STILL ALIVE: Result...yea welll...

Cash Resolution. EBAY. result = ban
Um ARENANET's ridding themselves of players?
Well if I'm not allowed to farm for cash....or buy cash online...

First and foremost, from day 1...not 100 or 365, but DAY ONE, buying gold has been against the EULA.
Those players getting banned for buying gold get what they deserve.
So, instead of banning thousands of bots, only to see new ones take there place, go after the reason they are here.
Ban enough players and people will stop buying gold, which will eventually cripple the gold farmers.

Who says you can't farm cash...it can be done if you actually take the time to find a spot and learn how to farm it.

Rocky Raccoon · Jul 20, 2007, 01:02 PM // 13:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by JeniM

Yea as that was to stop bots, now you've given up Anet can us players get our rightful loot again?

ANET hasn't given up they just decided to go after the real problem the gold buyers. No buyers no bots.

Gattocheese · Jul 20, 2007, 01:17 PM // 13:17

They dont have actual people in game looking for bots. Thats the thing where they screw up. They have a system that is really flawed. If a person repeats his acts over a set amount of time, then he gets the bot ban. My guild leader got banned for faction farming for over 20 hours. What they need to do is station gm's over at the gold farming hot spots and monitor and ban on a continual basis. Warn people that massive bot bans at altrum, bergen ect will be happening. It doesnt take a rocket scientist to figure out who's a bot. But anet would rather have a computer program ban people for repeating various tasks instead of have a gm or pay an actual person to go and ban bots. Now people can complain about there being a new bot thread ..

GranDeWun · Jul 20, 2007, 01:22 PM // 13:22

Presumably they posted the warning because the most recent update probably added code to detect and log large gold transfers.

Phi · Jul 20, 2007, 01:32 PM // 13:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gattocheese

They dont have actual people in game looking for bots. Thats the thing where they screw up. They have a system that is really flawed. If a person repeats his acts over a set amount of time, then he gets the bot ban. My guild leader got banned for faction farming for over 20 hours. What they need to do is station gm's over at the gold farming hot spots and monitor and ban on a continual basis. Warn people that massive bot bans at altrum, bergen ect will be happening. It doesnt take a rocket scientist to figure out who's a bot. But anet would rather have a computer program ban people for repeating various tasks instead of have a gm or pay an actual person to go and ban bots. Now people can complain about there being a new bot thread ..

Easier said than done. Think about it, you have America, European, Korean, Japanese what other servers, than you got them broken down into districts, not to mention in European districts they are broken down further into languages, that a heck of alot of servers to check and plus the workers they aren't robots they can't be on to check for bots 24/7 you know. Yes what they use now to detect bots isn't really good and all, but i'd says its best they can do without involving people to stay up all night just to check the hot spots over and over again for bots.

dopple · Jul 20, 2007, 01:56 PM // 13:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by Coridan

Actually most botters don't use purchased accounts. They use the 10 hour trial keys. so when they ban an account its just banning one of the trials...it wouuld end in 10 hours anyways...

I remember Gaile saying that trial accounts cannot trade with other accounts. But then again, someone only needs to drop stuff on the ground and the other to pick it up. Unless trial accounts cannot drop stuff?

GranDeWun · Jul 20, 2007, 02:28 PM // 14:28

I doubt all those swarms of level 20 Mo/W farmers got there on 10 hr trial keys...

lyra_song · Jul 20, 2007, 02:31 PM // 14:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by Seraphic Divinity

Yeah, precisely.

Heck, why do you even need the item?

What if someone just decided to try and get many people banned?

*random person runs up to you opens trade and puts in 100k*

*you scratch your head and accept for kicks*

*random person accepts and trades you over 100k*

*5 minutes later you are banned for receiving botted gold*

*random person infected 50 accounts with botted gold*

*50 people who accepted a freebie trade are now banned, no questions asked*

Youll get banned for legitimate trades if the person buying bought your stuff with gold thats traceable to a botter.

A random person cant get you banned unless the gold they own is from a botter.

Darksun · Jul 20, 2007, 02:37 PM // 14:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zinger314

The announcement is a sign of weakness in ArenaNet Support, IMO. There's no reason for the announcement; just ban the fools who don't understand the EULA.

A sign of weakness? I take it you don't know how deterrence works?

Roo Ella · Jul 20, 2007, 04:13 PM // 16:13

Maybe the next warning message will be.

Do NOT buy multiple unid gold items from people
as they could be bots and you are suporting them
and there gold selling practices.
If you do your account may be banned by association.

Where will it end?

cyberjanet · Jul 20, 2007, 04:21 PM // 16:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by Martin Alvito

I'm sure the marketing team at ANet is smart enough to realize that 5000 banned bots becomes 5000 new game purchases in the online store within a few hours.

Eh? I'm not smart enough to realize that. I thought bots a)hacked legit accounts and stole them without paying a cent or b)used access key generators to generate fake access keys for accounts and therefore don't pay a cent.

They actually pay for their games? And buy new ones when they get banned?
Wow. Where have I have been all my life.