Massively http://massively.joystiq.com Massively http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Massively http://massively.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[League of Legends mastery point exploit fixed, banhammer incoming]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/05/07/league-of-legends-mastery-point-exploit-fixed-banhammer-incomin/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/05/07/league-of-legends-mastery-point-exploit-fixed-banhammer-incomin/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/05/07/league-of-legends-mastery-point-exploit-fixed-banhammer-incomin/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Screenshot -- League of Legends
We all know that League of Legends breeds a fairly competitive community, but unfortunately there are players out there who don't let little things like rules and common decency get in the way of their desire to win. A number of such players were recently found to be taking advantage of an exploit that allowed them to place more mastery points in a given talent than they would legally be able to, thereby giving them an incredibly unfair advantage.

Riot Games' Lead Community Manager, Tamat, stopped by the forums today to let everyone know that "that's bull****" and that it's not going to be tolerated. The post goes on to state that a fix for the exploit has been implemented, and the studio is about to lay the smack down on the guilty parties. Tamat says that the studio has "comprehensive logs and data" that have been used to identify the players who used the exploit. Riot is "going to be taking firm action against their accounts." May all the exploiters meet a swift and terrible demise at the hands of Riot's banhammer. For the full details on the matter, head on over to the official post on the League of Legends forums.

MassivelyLeague of Legends mastery point exploit fixed, banhammer incoming originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 07 May 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>banbanhammerbansdotae-sportesportexploitexploitsf2pfantasyfree-to-playleagueleague-of-legendslolmobariotriot-gamestamatMon, 07 May 2012 13:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EVE Online nukes over a thousand botters from orbit]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/03/01/eve-online-nukes-over-a-thousand-botters-from-orbit/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/03/01/eve-online-nukes-over-a-thousand-botters-from-orbit/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/03/01/eve-online-nukes-over-a-thousand-botters-from-orbit/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Screenshot -- EVE Online
Look upon CCP's works, ye botters, and despair! EVE Online players recently noticed "by virtue of reading various shady forums" that the CCP team has suspended or banned a large number of botters. CCP Sreegs stopped by the official site today to respond to some of the community reactions to the mass bot-nuking. Many fans seem to believe that the bannings are a publicitity stunt to drum up interest in the upcoming Fanfest. CCP Sreegs responds that, of course, this isn't the case. He notes that during CCP's recent periods of turbulence, there was no team responsible for "handling the technology responsible for nuking botters," but now that there's a full team once more, "[CCP has] now thrown the switch again and turned on the catching bad guys machine."

Other players are crying out that the current three-strike system is too soft-hearted. Sreegs respectfully disagrees, citing the fact that, of all players that go on to receive two strikes, only something like 3% go on to earn a third. But what's to stop these problem players from transferring their characters to a new account and carrying on as usual? Sreegs also announced that a new system is being put in place that will indefinitely revoke the character transfer privileges of any suspended players, no matter how many strikes they have against them. For the full story as well as a bit of insight as to how CCP deals with botters and cheaters, just click on through the link below.

MassivelyEVE Online nukes over a thousand botters from orbit originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 01 Mar 2012 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>anti-botsanti-bottinganti-hackanti-hackingbanbanningbansbotsbottersbottingccpccp-gamesccp-sreegseveeve-onlinefeaturedinternet-spaceshipssandboxsci-fisecurityspreadsheets-onlinesuspensionsuspensionsThu, 01 Mar 2012 17:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Over one percent of League of Legends players have been banned]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/12/25/over-one-percent-of-league-of-legends-players-have-been-banned/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/12/25/over-one-percent-of-league-of-legends-players-have-been-banned/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/12/25/over-one-percent-of-league-of-legends-players-have-been-banned/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

League of Legends ban title image
Handling antisocial behaviour has always been a problem for online game developers, and MOBAs like League of Legends certainly get the worst of it. The inherently team-based nature and slippery slope gameplay in MOBAs makes it very easy for one antisocial player to ruin a game and cause your team to lose. The problem is normally tackled head-on with a report tool and a suite of hired GMs, but what do you do if your game is free-to-play and has over 15 million registered players? It would be impractical to hire thousands of GMs to police a community of that size, so Riot Games came up with an alternative in the Tribunal system.

The Tribunal allows players who have played enough games to reach level 30 to vote on whether to take action against a reported player. Once enough votes are tallied, either the player is pardoned automatically or his case is submitted to a smaller GM team to await punishment. The system went live earlier this year, and Riot has now revealed how incredibly successful the system has been with the publication of some very interesting banning statistics. The biggest shocker is that a whopping 1.4% of LoL's over 15 million players have been banned with the system, a workload that far exceeds the capacity of a traditional GM team. Ninety-four percent of players submitted to the Tribunal are punished, with about 50% of them never reoffending.

Skip past the cut for an image showing these and other statistics, and stay tuned to our weekly Not So Massively column every Monday for more LoL news and updates.

Continue reading Over one percent of League of Legends players have been banned

MassivelyOver one percent of League of Legends players have been banned originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 25 Dec 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>banbanningbansfree-to-playgraphimageleague-of-legendslolmobanewspictureplayer-developmentriotriot-gamesstatisticstribunalSun, 25 Dec 2011 16:00:00 EST<![CDATA[SOE hands out suspensions to over 700 players as 'a first warning']]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/12/14/soe-hands-out-suspensions-to-over-700-players-as-a-first-warnin/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/12/14/soe-hands-out-suspensions-to-over-700-players-as-a-first-warnin/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/12/14/soe-hands-out-suspensions-to-over-700-players-as-a-first-warnin/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

About-face!
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.

MassivelySOE hands out suspensions to over 700 players as 'a first warning' originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 14 Dec 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>banbanseqeverquestexploitersexploitingexploitshackershackingpiestrosoesony-online-entertainmentsuspendingsuspensionsuspensionsWed, 14 Dec 2011 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[RuneScape dev panel highlights incredible success of bot bans]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/10/30/runescape-dev-panel-highlights-incredible-success-of-bot-bans/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/10/30/runescape-dev-panel-highlights-incredible-success-of-bot-bans/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/10/30/runescape-dev-panel-highlights-incredible-success-of-bot-bans/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , ,

RuneScape title image
Over the past few weeks, we've heard a great deal about browser MMO RuneScape's struggle against botting and RMT. The bot problem has become progressively worse over the past year, with bot makers countering every change developers made to stop their bots from working. This week developer Jagex celebrated bot-nuking day as it deployed a massive update designed to permanently stop all of the popular reflection and injection bots from working.

At this year's annual RuneFest event, Jagex CEO Mark Gerhard presented a fantastic insider panel on the facts and figures behind bot-nuking day. Mark explained the company's position -- that normal players botting to speed up gameplay was counter to the goals of RuneScape. "We don't want your computer to play with our computer," he told attendees, "we want you to have fun with our community." Before delving into facts and figures, Mark reminded attendees of the element of unfairness that bots create. "I want to know that if I'm putting in 30 minutes this evening, that that 30 minutes is equal to everyone else's 30 minutes."

Want to know how many million accounts were banned since bot-nuking day? Read on for a summary of the facts and figures from the talk and to watch the full video in HD.

Continue reading RuneScape dev panel highlights incredible success of bot bans

MassivelyRuneScape dev panel highlights incredible success of bot bans originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 30 Oct 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>banbanningbansbot-nuking-daybotsbottingcluster-fluttererdev-diarydev-paneleventeventsevents-real-lifemark-gerhardnewsrunefestrunefest-2011videoSun, 30 Oct 2011 16:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EVE Online devblog discusses account security]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/03/10/eve-online-devblog-discusses-account-security/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/03/10/eve-online-devblog-discusses-account-security/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/03/10/eve-online-devblog-discusses-account-security/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Every MMO suffers the horrors of gold spammers and EVE Online is no different. The RMT (Real Money Trading) industry is massive and EVE's developers CCP have waged a constant war against it in recent years. The PLEX initiative gave players a way to safely buy ISK for cash while at the same time helping players who couldn't afford their subscriptions pay with ISK. The result was a dramatic hit to the RMT market, who had to drop their prices to compete with a legitimate service replacing their own.

As part of Operation Unholy Rage in August of last year, EVE GMs also banned over 6200 accounts belonging to farmers known to be supplying the RMT industry. The effect on the market was instant, with the population in farmed mission systems like Ingunn disappearing overnight. Almost immediately, the farmers reacted with a spate of account hackings to claw back some ISK.

Continue reading EVE Online devblog discusses account security

MassivelyEVE Online devblog discusses account security originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 10 Mar 2010 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>account-hackaccount-hackingaccount-hacksAccount-Securitybanbansccpccp-eveccp-gameseveeve-ccpeve-mmorpgeve-onlinegm-grimmigold-spamgold-spammergold-spammingiskisk-sellerplexrmtspamspammersunholy-rageWed, 10 Mar 2010 23:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Wizard101 is no friend of cheaters]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/22/wizard101-is-no-friend-of-cheaters/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/22/wizard101-is-no-friend-of-cheaters/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/22/wizard101-is-no-friend-of-cheaters/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

You might think that Wizard101 is just a kid's game, which wouldn't be totally incorrect. But if you thought that meant they would just let you do whatever you want... well, nope, not in this playground. KingsIsle Entertainment is demonstrating that they are more than willing to step in and take the reigns when they're aware of an exploit. In this instance, it looks as if an exploit was found regarding the new wings available in the game's cash shop that work as a mount. Players had found a way to purchase their wings via gold alone, getting an unfair advantage on those buying them legitimately.

So the game is clipping their wings -- clipping them off entirely, as it were. The wings will be removed from the player's account, all gold spent will be refunded to the player, and they will be reminded that exploiting the game client will lead to a permanent ban from the game. It's not the harshest penalty, but it comes as a stern reminder that no matter how fluffy the exterior might be, Wizard101 still takes cheating very seriously. So it's a bit more like school than you might have thought.

MassivelyWizard101 is no friend of cheaters originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 22 Feb 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>banscrownsexploitskid-friendlykingsislekingsisle-entertainmentmountspenaltieswingswizard101Mon, 22 Feb 2010 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[NCsoft bans 16,000 Aion accounts]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/23/ncsoft-bans-16-000-aion-accounts/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/23/ncsoft-bans-16-000-aion-accounts/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/23/ncsoft-bans-16-000-aion-accounts/#commentsFiled under: , ,

One of the continued complaints we hear from Aion players is that bots litter the game's digital landscape, severely reducing the enjoyment of actual flesh-n-bones players. So we feel inclined to shout, "Good news, everybody!" at today's announcement by NCsoft that nearly 16,000 accounts have been banned during a recent unscheduled server reboot.

That's a huge number and certainly nothing to scoff about. This should hopefully alleviate much of the problem, at least temporarily -- and then future banhammers will likely come crashing down.

We hope nobody was caught in the crossfire with today's bans, but if you do find yourself without an Aion account to play and are 100% sure of your innocence, you can create a support ticket. Obviously, this isn't ideal if you're suddenly without your account, so with any luck there aren't any cases of mistakenly banned players.

MassivelyNCsoft bans 16,000 Aion accounts originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>aionbanbanhammerbansbotsbottingeulancsoftncwestMon, 23 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EVE Online's anti RMT operation Unholy Rage bans over 6200 accounts]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/08/17/eve-onlines-anti-rmt-operation-unholy-rage-bans-over-6200-accou/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/08/17/eve-onlines-anti-rmt-operation-unholy-rage-bans-over-6200-accou/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/08/17/eve-onlines-anti-rmt-operation-unholy-rage-bans-over-6200-accou/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


Last week, Massively explained a bit about the war on real money trading (RMT) in EVE Online. The game's developer, CCP Games, has approached the problem from a few different angles. Central to their strategy of combating sellers of the game's currency called ISK (Interstellar Kredits) is to offer another way for players to exchange real world currency for the virtual in EVE Online -- "PLEX", or the 30 Day Pilot License Extension. PLEX is an in-game item that represents gameplay time and can be bought, sold, or traded on the open market in-game. PLEX has been integral in combating the numerous shady ISK selling websites in operation and CCP's dev blog last week showed how the playerbase is starting to embrace this system.

After all, if this practice of outright buying in-game assets with real world cash is going to happen in EVE, as with most MMOs (and regardless of what the developers try to do to curb this) it might as well be via a system the devs can regulate. It's a slippery slope, and CCP's approach to the problem does have some critics, but thus far it's been successful. PLEX has only been one facet of their battle against the ISK spammers, sellers, and the virtual armies of macro-using operations, though. CCP's operation "Unholy Rage" is a major offensive against the RMT operations exploiting the game, and is the subject of a dev blog from EVE Online's GM Grimmi.

Continue reading EVE Online's anti RMT operation Unholy Rage bans over 6200 accounts

MassivelyEVE Online's anti RMT operation Unholy Rage bans over 6200 accounts originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 17 Aug 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>banbansccp-gamesdev-blogdev-blogseconomyeveeve-onlineexploitsiskmacromacrosmmo-industryplexreal-money-tradingreal-money-transactionsrmtsci-fiunholy-rageMon, 17 Aug 2009 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The fight against RMT in EVE Online]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/08/11/the-fight-against-rmt-in-eve-online/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/08/11/the-fight-against-rmt-in-eve-online/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/08/11/the-fight-against-rmt-in-eve-online/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


It's an unfortunate reality that most any massively multiplayer online game running has to cope with outside influences on an in-game economy because of real money trading (RMT). Game developers tackle the problem in different ways. For instance, Final Fantasy XI has an anti-RMT task force and Warhammer Online has a zero-tolerance name-and-shame approach to RMT. Other companies grab the bull by its horns and base their game around a virtual item trade they can regulate.

The problem of RMT has affected EVE Online just as it has other MMO titles, if not moreso given how its player-driven economy and the Interstellar Kredit (ISK) currency is central to the game. Beyond the potential revenue lost to the black market when players pay real cash for their ships and modules or buy huge sums of ISK outright, there are also issues with players getting their accounts cleaned out by the shady companies (ostensibly) selling the ISK. When that cleverly-named player "ajakdsk" links you to his ISK selling site in a chat channel, following that link could infect your computer with a keylogger, resulting in a fire sale on whatever they find in your account.

EVE Online's creators CCP Games have taken a two-prong approach to handling these issues.

Continue reading The fight against RMT in EVE Online

MassivelyThe fight against RMT in EVE Online originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 11 Aug 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>account-hacksaccount-securitybanbanhammerbansccp-gamesdev-blogdev-blogseconomyeveeve-onlinegm-grimmigoldgold-farminggold-sellersgold-spammeriskmmo-industryplexreal-money-tradingreal-money-transactionsrmtsci-fiTue, 11 Aug 2009 19:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Square-Enix cracks down on gardeners, sends out bans]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/07/08/square-enix-cracks-down-on-gardeners-sends-out-bans/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/07/08/square-enix-cracks-down-on-gardeners-sends-out-bans/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/07/08/square-enix-cracks-down-on-gardeners-sends-out-bans/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,


If you've got a green thumb, you probably now have a sore thumb thanks to the Square-Enix banhammer. Gardeners across Final Fantasy XI have been complaining on fan forums that they've recently lost their accounts, only now tying the cause of their bans to their gardening activities.

Community site Pet Food Alpha has reported that Square-Enix is specifically targeting players who own more than one character for the explicit reason of gardening. Any level character can garden -- even right from the start of the game -- but no character can have more than 10 flowerpots at a time in their house. This has sparked players to purchase more character slots to simply expand their gardening enterprises, a common practice that has been done by players for over six years.

Players are unclear if these bans have been handed our by individuals on the RMT Task Force, or if they bans were created by one of Square-Enix's new automated tools. We'll keep our eyes on this story and update as new information comes in.

MassivelySquare-Enix cracks down on gardeners, sends out bans originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 08 Jul 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>banbanningsbansbreakingfarmersgardeninggil-sellinggold-sellingrmt-pwnererrmt-task-forcesquare-enixWed, 08 Jul 2009 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EVE Online's largest player-run bank rocked by embezzlement]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/06/10/eve-onlines-largest-player-run-bank-rocked-by-embezzlement/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/06/10/eve-onlines-largest-player-run-bank-rocked-by-embezzlement/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/06/10/eve-onlines-largest-player-run-bank-rocked-by-embezzlement/#commentsFiled under: , ,


We've just gotten word that EBANK, a player-run bank in EVE Online self-described as "the largest financial entity ever seen in EVE" has been rocked by embezzlement from its own CEO, Ricdic. The former CEO stole roughly 200 billion ISK from EBANK, which is roughly 8.6% of the entire 2.3 trillion ISK that EVE's playerbase has deposited. EBANK chairman Hexxx has issued a statement on the game's official forums, stating that Ricdic has been banned by CCP Games for engaging in RMT, also adding that the former CEO "has scammed."

The loss of nearly 9% of EBANK's deposits is a serious blow to the player-run institution, perhaps as much to investor confidence in the bank as it is to their funds, but Hexxx says their liquidity is still between 400 billion and 500 billion ISK. A June 6th news item on the EBANK site written by bank auditor LaVista Vista states, "We are currently experiencing some technical problems. Therefore, we ask that people do not deposit any ISK, until we have solved the problem." EBANK's director and head teller Athre has now assumed the role of interim CEO, as the EBANK staff determines the best way forward from here.

Continue reading EVE Online's largest player-run bank rocked by embezzlement

MassivelyEVE Online's largest player-run bank rocked by embezzlement originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 10 Jun 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>athrebanbankingbannedbansbreakingccp-gamesebankeconomyembezzlementforumshexxxisklavista-vistaplayer-run-venturesricdicrmtscamscandaltheftthieftrustvirtual-currencyWed, 10 Jun 2009 12:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Anti-Aliased: Don't make roleplaying servers if you can't handle it pt. 2]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/06/anti-aliased-dont-make-roleplaying-servers-if-you-cant-pt2/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/06/anti-aliased-dont-make-roleplaying-servers-if-you-cant-pt2/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/06/anti-aliased-dont-make-roleplaying-servers-if-you-cant-pt2/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


...and totally doesn't want to enforce the rules.

The roleplayers are roleplaying in the streets, until a naked guy runs by and starts dancing suggestively in front of the guild's princess, singing the latest song by Kanye West. The guild begins to furiously slam the GM button, still trying to go on with their improvisational acting scene, but finding it extremely difficult to do so when something is so obviously breaking the scene into 10,000,000 pieces.

The GM comes down on his magical wings, looks at the situation and says, "Sorry, he's not saying anything that's covered in our harassment section. He's not saying anything that is considered offensive. He can dance naked all he wants," and then leaves with fair wishes to all while the roleplaying guild stands there, slack jawed and completely confused as to what just happened, while Kanye West is sung loudly in the background.

Yet the solution isn't hard, and ultimately benefits you, the developer, in the end

Roleplayers get frustrated by this seemingly simple stuff. It makes us wonder why you even bother to make these servers, when they are completely the same as the normal servers.

We get it, your support team doesn't want to ban anyone because that's "bad business." That guy who's griefing everyone is still paying the 15 dollars that you want, so you'd rather keep your mitts off of the paying customer.

"But no one wants to hear that. No one wants to push the ban button. Yet the solution isn't some magical means, and it's something that would work wonderfully when implemented -- localized bans."
Here's a loud wake up call guys -- MMOs are a service, not a one-time purchase. We keep saying that, yet somehow no one seems to realize it on a business level. By letting this guy go, you're angering about 20 other customers, and potentially losing more money in the process. You let this one guy go, you lose 5 other subscriptions. What's better, 1 person being forcibly asked to leave, or 5 people leaving of their own accord and spreading a unsatisfied opinion to their friends?

But no one wants to hear that. No one wants to push the ban button. Yet the solution isn't some magical means, and it's something that would work wonderfully when implemented -- localized bans.

If you have a guy who is seriously griefing a roleplaying server and violating the rules of that world, then ban him from just that server. If he complains, tell him he's got 20+ servers to choose from. If he complains that he lost his character, then transfer his character to a new server. Your roleplayers don't have to deal with him, they stay happy in their own little world, the griefer gets to keep his stuff, you get to keep your money, and literally everybody wins.

If that's the way things swung, roleplaying worlds would probably much more tolerable. Support people will probably feel that pulling a ban on someone being a jerk is more justified, as they're not removing them from the system entirely. All of the people interested in roleplaying now have an environment to do so, and they start spreading word to their friends that finally, a support staff has stood up for roleplaying. Maybe roleplaying wouldn't be waning if the players who did it felt supported in their endeavors?

Now if only I could do something about people who roleplay vampires...
Colin Brennan is the weekly writer of Anti-Aliased who does "teh arpeez." When he's not writing here for Massively, he's rambling on his personal blog, The Experience Curve. If you want to message him, send him an e-mail at colin.brennan AT weblogsinc DOT com. You can also follow him on Twitter through Massively, or through his personal feed.

MassivelyAnti-Aliased: Don't make roleplaying servers if you can't handle it pt. 2 originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 06 Mar 2009 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>anti-aliasedbansgriefingroleplayingroleplaying-serverrprp-serverFri, 06 Mar 2009 16:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Anti-Aliased: Don't make roleplaying servers if you can't handle it]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/06/anti-aliased-dont-make-roleplaying-servers-if-you-cant-handle/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/06/anti-aliased-dont-make-roleplaying-servers-if-you-cant-handle/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/06/anti-aliased-dont-make-roleplaying-servers-if-you-cant-handle/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


For those of you who don't know, I'm super in to roleplaying. No, I'm not a Shakespearean nutjob who spouts "I shall put my sword betwixt thine evil heart!" No, nothing like that. I'm just a guy who likes getting into the setting of game. When you go into Naxxramas and see Anub'Rekhan, you see a boss where I see a commander of Anub'arak, the traitor king.

It's because I know the lore so well that I like to play around with it, involve my character in it, and really keep the fantasy of the world intact around me. But I've learned something over my course of 12 years of MMOs. It's something that happens in every single game that I've played and a problem that I've found insurmountable when it comes to roleplaying.

It's really hard to roleplay when a thirteen-year-old is thrusting his virtual crotch in my face, screaming "LULZ GUYS! LULZ! Lolololololol!!!!11oneeleven"

Continue reading Anti-Aliased: Don't make roleplaying servers if you can't handle it

MassivelyAnti-Aliased: Don't make roleplaying servers if you can't handle it originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 06 Mar 2009 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>anti-aliasedbansfeaturedgriefingjoystiqfeaturesname-changeroleplayingroleplaying-serverrprp-serverFri, 06 Mar 2009 16:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Did Square-Enix do the right thing?]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/02/02/did-square-enix-do-the-right-thing/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/02/02/did-square-enix-do-the-right-thing/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/02/02/did-square-enix-do-the-right-thing/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,


The Square-Enix bahnammer recently came down onto the Final Fantasy XI community, permanently banning 550 non-RMT accounts that were involved in performing an exploit that has occurred over a two year time period -- an exploit that some say SE was aware of, but never took steps to correct.

The exploit in question was only available to linkshells involved several endgame activities. The basic premise was finish the activity and then before the item drops from a treasure chest or monster the alliance of parties would break into their separate groups. For you Warcraft players, a raid would cease to be a raid and break down to the parties involved. Then each of the 3 parties in the alliance would get a copy of whatever items would drop. So, instead of 1 set of loot, you would grab 3 sets of loot -- including some items that could be sold for millions on the auction house.

Continue reading Did Square-Enix do the right thing?

MassivelyDid Square-Enix do the right thing? originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 02 Feb 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>banhammerbanscheatingexploitffxifinal-fantasy-xiglitchlinkshellsrmtsquare-enixsuspensionMon, 02 Feb 2009 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Anti-Aliased: See the griefing, taste the griefing pt. 2]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/01/14/anti-aliased-see-the-griefing-taste-the-griefing-pt-2/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/01/14/anti-aliased-see-the-griefing-taste-the-griefing-pt-2/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/01/14/anti-aliased-see-the-griefing-taste-the-griefing-pt-2/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,


Problem number two is Sony's lack of action. Moderators are few and far between, the automated system in place doesn't work too well, and people feel that they can get away with whatever they want. There's no sense of authority or control in Home, and that's a detriment. Now, I'm not pushing for everyone to be horribly oppressed, but there needs to be some sense of order and control that's apparent to the players. When word spreads that you can't get away with certain behaviors, the behavior begins to diminish over time.

And, finally, problem number three -- there are avatars involved. Even if your turn off their voice chat and visual text chat, you still have a crazy annoying avatar chasing after you, clipping your torso when you go to bowl that next frame. The answer to this problem is to simply ignore him, as he will probably go away, but this phenomenon is still annoying and not fun for any user. You just want to play your game sans problems, right?

Xbox Live seems to have have found the solution to these problems by sheer accident. Then answer is simply to avoid these problems by not doing them. It doesn't over-promise content, it does provide control for the users, and it avoids visual avatars in most games. (Except in the case of the Xbox Live vision camera; we're just going to temporarily forget about that. Especially as it only works with a few games.)

The success comes from the fact that if you mute someone and report them for harassment, Xbox Live makes sure you avoid that player in your online play. If the automatic matchmaking has a choice between game A and game B, and game A has a person you hate in it, you'll be placed in game B without noticing it. Home does not have that luxury because the entire world is linked together. You mute someone and there's no guarantee that you'll never see him again.

So what can Home do? I say introduce the ultimate ban -- avatar removal. You mute someone and it removes their avatar from on screen for you. You don't see them, you don't hear them, you don't worry about them. Sure, you might end up banning half of the Home community, but now you have control over what you see and do in Home.

In the end, that's what it all comes down to -- user control. Let the user determine their own experience; don't force it on them.
Colin Brennan is the weekly writer of Anti-Aliased who really likes all of the controls that Xbox Live provides, even if he can't buy a virtual couch for his Xbox Dashboard. When he's not writing here for Massively, he's over running Epic Loot For All! with his insane friends. If you want to message him, send him an e-mail at colin.brennan AT weblogsinc DOT com.

MassivelyAnti-Aliased: See the griefing, taste the griefing pt. 2 originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 14 Jan 2009 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>avatarsbanscensorshipmatchmakingmoderatorsplaystation-homeplaystation3user-controlsvirtual-worldsxbox-liveWed, 14 Jan 2009 13:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Lame scams still profitable in Guild Wars, over 1000 bans every week]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/01/06/lame-scams-still-profitable-in-guild-wars-over-1000-bans-every/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/01/06/lame-scams-still-profitable-in-guild-wars-over-1000-bans-every/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/01/06/lame-scams-still-profitable-in-guild-wars-over-1000-bans-every/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,


Would you fall for this? (Please say 'no'...): A complete stranger approaches you on the sidewalk outside of your bank and shows you a rare coin he says is worth twenty thousand dollars. "I want to just give this coin to you," he says, "but I don't want anyone to know we did this... tax issues, you see." The stranger suggests putting it in your safe deposit box, but because he's so concerned about privacy, he wants access to your safe deposit box to be sure the rare coin gets there, with no one the wiser. The problem is that he can only get in there with your express permission...

We're guessing 99.99% of you would never get suckered by something asinine like this, but why then do people fall for the exact same thing in the virtual realm? Specifically, it seems that Guild Wars players regularly turn over their login info to account thieves in hopes of getting something for nothing, as mentioned by Ravious over at Kill Ten Rats. This ultimately leads to a continuous deluge of stolen accounts, tears, and rage.

Continue reading Lame scams still profitable in Guild Wars, over 1000 bans every week

MassivelyLame scams still profitable in Guild Wars, over 1000 bans every week originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 06 Jan 2009 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>account-theftarenanetbanbanningbanscommon-sensegold-spammerguild-warsgwkill-ten-ratsraviousrmtscamscamssocial-engineeringspamtheftTue, 06 Jan 2009 14:30:00 EST<![CDATA[178 starbases involved in EVE Online's multi-trillion ISK exploit]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/12/19/178-starbases-involved-in-eve-onlines-multi-trillion-isk-exploi/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/12/19/178-starbases-involved-in-eve-onlines-multi-trillion-isk-exploi/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/12/19/178-starbases-involved-in-eve-onlines-multi-trillion-isk-exploi/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,


The last several days have brought us some news of a rather significant exploit in the sci-fi MMO EVE Online. The game boasts a dynamic virtual economy which is in many ways integral to the game itself. (Inter Stellar Kredits, or ISK, is the currency upon which EVE Online's economy is based.) When rumor broke of a multi-trillion ISK exploit in the game, it raised a few eyebrows. However, when CCP Games themselves confirmed it and announced they would launch an investigation into the matter, it became more serious, as reflected by the economic impact on the market in the game. (Remember kids, internet spaceships are serious business... EVE tends to have more drama than the average massively multiplayer online game.)

CCP Games provided an update on the investigation today, stating that 178 starbases were discovered exploiting the issue and have been destroyed. This is the first time they've been willing or able to put a solid number on how extensive the exploit was, in terms of the scope of the operation. CCP stated: "We have also banned all those we have found directly involved and all accounts we have found to be connected to those players. The investigation is still under way and will take a while to conclude." Also part of the investigation is the Internal Affairs aspect, which some players have been following. CCP Games reports that they haven't found links between any of their own staff (or the Council of Stellar Management, for that matter) and the starbase exploit. See the official announcement from the EVE developers for more details on how the investigation is progressing.

Massively178 starbases involved in EVE Online's multi-trillion ISK exploit originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 19 Dec 2008 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Massively has been watching the issue of a significant starbase exploit in EVE Online, through which some players reaped vast financial rewards, as it went from rumor to confirmation from the developers themselves. Unlike your average run-of-the-mill exploit in most massively multiplayer online games, the exploit in question has had a significant impact on EVE's virtual economy -- the backbone of the game itself. All players in EVE interact in one vast galaxy, and their actions in the sandbox can create ripples felt by their fellow players, which has certainly been the case in this past week.

EVE Online's developer CCP Games has opted to hold off on responding to most press inquiries for comment on the issue, having issued a statement on the matter and then focusing on the investigation and a weekend meeting with EVE's player-elected community representatives, the Council of Stellar Management (CSM). The minutes from that meeting are now available, and several of EVE's developers took part in the discussion: namely CCP's Lead Economist Dr. EyjoG (Dr. Eyjólfur Guðmundsson) and CCP Arkanon -- who heads up the company's Internal Affairs division, which investigates the CCP Games staff themselves, hopefully ensuring that no CCP employee can abuse their influence over the game.

Read on for Massively's highlights of the state of affairs in EVE Online, in the wake of the starbase exploit.

Continue reading CCP Games on the extent and impact of EVE's starbase exploit

MassivelyCCP Games on the extent and impact of EVE's starbase exploit originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 15 Dec 2008 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>banbanningbansbreakingbugsccpccp-arkanonccp-gamesccp-xhagencontroversycouncil-of-stellar-managementcsmdr-eyjogeveeve-onlineexploitseyjolfur-gudmundssonforumsgame-mechanicsmoon-miningplayer-owned-stationpossci-fistarbase-exploitMon, 15 Dec 2008 19:00:00 EST<![CDATA[An update on the EVE Online starbase exploit]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/12/14/an-update-on-the-eve-online-starbase-exploit/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/12/14/an-update-on-the-eve-online-starbase-exploit/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/12/14/an-update-on-the-eve-online-starbase-exploit/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

In the wake of last week's revelation of a market disrupting exploit in EVE Online, a growing number of players have been calling for increased transparency on the situation. EVE's developer CCP Games has stated they've discovered seven player-run corporations taking advantage of the player owned station (POS) exploit, which yielded a vast amount of materials used in the EVE Online's manufacturing (crafting) system. Three of those corporations were in two alliances, and over 70 accounts have been banned thus far in connection with the exploit. The starbases used in the exploit have been destroyed by CCP, and they've stated that the corporations in question are now effectively inactive following the bans.

CCP Games has not released the names of characters, corporations, or alliances linked to the exploit, but a player named "moppinator" of the AMT. corporation (part of Ev0ke alliance) stepped forward and issued the following statement on the extent of his alliance's involvement:

Continue reading An update on the EVE Online starbase exploit

MassivelyAn update on the EVE Online starbase exploit originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 14 Dec 2008 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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An exploit in EVE Online has come to light that may have some major repercussions for the game. Massively does not have solid confirmation on the details (and allegations as the case may be), as this has just come to light. The exploit was publicized on a third party EVE forum called Scrapheap Challenge, on Wednesday, December 10th. If this isn't a hoax or an exaggerated account of events, how serious an exploit might this be? Very serious, if the details listed prove to be accurate... The exploit was really a bug related to a network of player owned stations (POS) paired with a moon mining operation, which yielded far too much valuable material far too quickly. Four years and an estimated 2.5 to 3 trillion ISK later, the exploit was found and patched, and the offender(s) banned. Given the claimed amount of ISK involved, it's serious enough to potentially have an impact on the game's economy.

The individual who posted the details of this exploit remains anonymous, and has only identified him or herself as "anotherone", but tells a story of how the exploit came to be: "I would like to tell you a short EVE story. Today all of my EVE Online accounts were banned. I was sure this day would come. What surprises me is that it took CCP this long to catch up with me. Even though they knew about it." It's that last sentence that is sparking so much response from the playerbase -- anotherone asserts that this issue was actually petitioned to CCP Games back in 2004, and subsequently ignored.

Read on for more details on this economic drama.

Continue reading Rumored four-year, multi-trillion ISK exploit in EVE Online

MassivelyRumored four-year, multi-trillion ISK exploit in EVE Online originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 11 Dec 2008 06:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bansbreakingbugsccpccp-gamesccp-wranglercommunity-managercontroversyeveeve-onlineexploitsforumsgame-mechanicsiskminingmoon-miningpetitionsposrumorssci-fiscrapheap-challengestarbasesThu, 11 Dec 2008 06:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Flying Lab banning for RMT already]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/01/20/flying-lab-banning-for-rmt-already/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/01/20/flying-lab-banning-for-rmt-already/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/01/20/flying-lab-banning-for-rmt-already/#commentsFiled under: , ,

In an almost "news of the weird" situation, word came out yesterday evening that the fine folks at Flying Lab are already seeing grey-market gold selling in their still-in-pre-launch game Pirates of the Burning Sea. While any MMO veteran knows just how pervasive gold selling is in any game, this is perhaps the first time we've heard of them opening up shop quite so openly before a game is even officially launched.

As Aether states, "we will [be] following up with the appropriate disciplinary actions, which could include confiscation of the resources in question, and ultimately banning accounts that sell or buy these illicit resources." We certainly wish Flying Lab the absolute best of luck with stamping it out -- and hopefully keeping chat channels clear of the spam that seems to be everywhere these days. But you have to admit, the fact that the gold-selling companies are getting this brazen before official launch isn't exactly a good sign.

MassivelyFlying Lab banning for RMT already originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 20 Jan 2008 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Square Enix proves once again that they are willing to bring the hurt on people who use hacks or exploits to gain an unfair advantage over other players or destabilize the economy of Final Fantasy XI. In a Special Task Force Report, they break down the approximately 8000 bans and suspensions that they've doled out since this time last month.

Among the groups most actively targeted are people using illegal fishing bots, Chinese gil farmers, and people abusing the auction house system for use in real money trading schemes. In so doing, Square plucked a staggering 2.3 billion gil from the hands of cheaters and money traders.

It makes you wonder why more companies aren't actively reporting the numbers of exploiters and gold farmers that they're busting every month. It's not like we don't know the practice exists, just tell us what you're going to do to stop it!

MassivelyFFXI "Special Task Force" takes on cheaters originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 25 Oct 2007 19:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bansbotsexploitsfarmersffxifinal-fantasyfinal-fantasy-xihacksRMTThu, 25 Oct 2007 19:05:00 EST