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The Guild Counsel: All's fair in love, war, and MMOs
When we're playing MMOs, we're in a virtual world, but we're also playing a game, and as in all games, there are rules to follow. It's one thing for an individual player to break the rules, but when that player is part of a guild, it can have a ripple effect that affects every other member. Guild leaders are in a tough position when it comes to rule-breaking because knowingly allowing someone to exploit could make the guild complicit in the process. And when the banhammer strikes, it could come down hard on the entire guild. How much responsibility should a guild leader have over players who bend or break the game rules? Let's consider a few points in this week's Guild Counsel.
BioWare 'actively investigating' recent SWTOR bannings
If you follow Star Wars: The Old Republic at all (and judging by the response to our tip line, you do!), you've heard the hullabaloo involving crystals and account bans going on right now. It appears some players have found they can bypass the fee necessary to unlock crystals account-wide in the Collection UI by spawning multiple crystals and using the Legacy system to trade those crystals to alts. As a result, a number of accounts have received temporary bans for exploiting. However, a number of players also claim they were caught in the cross-fire just for having a large number of legitimate crystals in their inventory, not realizing that was considered an exploit. BioWare has issued a statement that it is aware of the situation and is actively investigating and that more information will be posted when it is available. In regard to the deleted and locked threads involving the issue, BioWare also reminded players that posts discussing exploits or action taken against accounts is not permitted on the forums. [Thanks to all who sent in tips!]
Wings Over Atreia: Are Aion exploits ingenuity or abuse?
Exploit: an act or deed, especially a brilliant or heroic one or to make use of selfishly or unethically? Well, both. But as much as I wish the title of this week's Wings Over Atreia referred to my amusing (and oh-so-heroic) antics throughout the gorgeous world of Aion, it is actually about the latter. Or is it? Most likely, one of your first thoughts when you hear the word exploit is that it's a trick that takes advantage of some bug for personal gain. That thought is often followed by images of a banhammer. It makes sense; you are gamers, after all. Now, whether you regard exploits with admiration or with unbridled loathing is a matter of personal opinion. But does it have to be one or the other, or can it be both? It depends on the actual use of the word itself. Thanks to a recent foray into Lower Udas Temple, exploits have been at the forefront of my mind lately. I have noticed that we actually use both definitions of the word for a variety of situations in Aion, yet we also ascribe the negative connotation to many of them. But is this warranted -- couldn't some actions simply be ingenious examples of problem-solving, or must they all be considered ban-worthy abuse? If the former, where do you draw the line?
The Game Archaeologist dials up Phantasy Star Online: The players
After last week's foray into the colorful world of Phantasy Star Online, I knew I had to step it up for a great follow-through. That's why I got in touch with three excellent MMO bloggers who have long histories with PSO and were more than eager to share their perspective on this unique game world! The Game Archaeologist: Who the heck are you and how did you first get into Phantasy Star Online? What class and race did you play? David: I'm David Lambert, but many people know me better as Branick, host and producer of the LOTRO Academy podcast. I first got into Phantasy Star Online with the original Dreamcast release, which I picked up only about two weeks after it came out. I actually had eight different characters (I bought six VMUs in addition to the two I already had specifically for this purpose), but I definitely favored the HUcast. I wasn't big on using techniques, and the HUcast had the highest attack power in the game.
SOE hands out suspensions to over 700 players as 'a first warning'
A couple of weeks ago, Sony Online Entertainment threw down the gauntlet to the ne'er-do-wells of EverQuest, telling them simply to "stop now." Well, as often is the case with the scum of the MMO world, many didn't listen to SOE's ominous words of warning. On Friday, December 9th, they paid the price... in blood! [Insert maniacal laughter here.] SOE has since suspended over 700 accounts "for a number of days by way of a first warning." Community Manager Piestro closes out with another word of caution: "Remember that these suspensions are merely the first wave, and further action is on the horizon. We will not rest, but will instead continue to gather data and take action as necessary on behalf of the entire player base. Don't cheat -- it's not worth it." Also, it still makes you a jerk. In still other EQ news, SOE has announced that it is tweaking the rate of experience gain on progression-locked servers.
Sony asks for restraining order against Geohot, fail0verflow over PS3 exploits
We knew Sony would be non-plussed about the PlayStation 3 jailbreak, and now we have a better idea as to the full extent of its anger. The company has filed suit (not yet, see below) asked for a restraining order against George "Geohot" Hotz, the "hacking group" fail0verflow (Hector Cantero, Sven Peter, "Bushing," and "Segher"), and numerous John / Jane Does over the exploit and its release. To be more specific, the company cites violations of Digital Millennium Copyright Act, the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, various copyright infringements, and other acts of binary malfeasance. A temporary restraining order has also been sought, asking that all "circumvention tools" be taken offline and his computers and related media (i.e. anything storing said tools) be impounded. It looks like Geohot's servers are being slammed at the moment, so we've gone ahead and hosted the relevant PDFs ourselves below. We're still sifting through ourselves and will let you know what we unearth. Update: Nilay here -- let's take a look at what's going on. This isn't a "lawsuit" in the traditional sense, since Sony hasn't filed a complaint for copyright infringement or whatever against Geohot and friends. Instead, the company appears to be trying to shove the genie back in the bottle and have the jailbreak and any information about the jailbreak removed from the web by filing a temporary restraining order. That might work in the short term -- Geohot's already pulled his pages down -- but history suggests that the forces of paperwork rarely triumph over the righteous anger of nerds, and that this code is out there for good. That said, we'll see what the court says tomorrow; although we very much doubt Sony's melodramatic proposed motion and order will be granted as written, we wouldn't be surprised if some sort of order is eventually granted -- and then from there a formal lawsuit is likely just a few days away. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
