Howdy, Stranger!
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Quick Links
I, the Guild Master of a guild with a Full Tier 1 City just got banned
This discussion has been closed.
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Comments
Because I was leveling Tier 2 architect (and each plan costs 3 gold per with about 30 plans to do it) plus I was buying resources and creating actual plans for the tier 2 city (which are also 3 gold per).
well, if its all legit just go through the means to remedy it. t heyre aware that theyve got some holes in their queries
im sure they'll resolve it.
I did. I replied to their address to dispute it, but I haven't heard anything back really. And other guild leaders that got banned for the same thing days before me are now getting "Permission denied" messages to get back into the game. Check the AOCsource thread about guild masters getting banned.
In all honesty, at this point, I could almost care less about getting back into the game if they are going to be this ridiculous with their policies. This is unprecedented in an MMO with this whole ban first, investigate later approach.
I've said it before, and I'll say it again. There's a few reasons they are taking this approach: A:) They want to set an example, even if it means banning legit players and calling them gold dupers/exploiters, and B:) they don't want people reaching that high-end sieging content yet.
They can stave off a lot of people by banning Guild Masters of the current top guilds.
Because I was leveling Tier 2 architect (and each plan costs 3 gold per with about 30 plans to do it) plus I was buying resources and creating actual plans for the tier 2 city (which are also 3 gold per).
well, if its all legit just go through the means to remedy it. t heyre aware that theyve got some holes in their queries
im sure they'll resolve it.
I can't believe people still fail to understand that it isn't even about getting it reversed.
So you want a perfect world where nobody makes a mistake then?
When it relies on customers yes it does need to be perfect. Every ban they send out that is unjust is almost a 100% sure way to get your players to start leaving your game.
Isn't using exploits considered cheating? Which is punishable by banning? The same as buying gold in other games? Sure, they need to fix it, but the person that discovers it needs to report it, not abuse it.
Edit: grammar.
I agree its bad judgement to use exploits but I mentioned 2 games and exploits in them. The devs just fixed them and didn't ban people. People who buying gold, hacking and botting aren't exploits in the game. If Funcom know about the exploit then they should fix it as quick as they can, treat it like a software company treats vulnerabilities in their software. Sure most people are going to see expoits and use them, most of those people wouldn't bot or hack because they don't think they're going to get in trouble for using an exploit in the game. They just figure in the next update i'll be fixed and they won't be able to use it anymore. I'm guessing Funcom didn't know about the exploit before the game went live? If they did thats even worse. The exploit should have been found and fixed in the beta process, if it was from a new update after the game went live then I don't know what to say.
I hear you, but at the very least, if not banned, the in-game gold / items / levels that were gained as a result of the exploit needs to be removed / deleted / cleared.
I could agree with that. After they fix the exploit and see the people who were using it they send them an email saying we're going to take X amount of gold from you because you used it. Or they should send a mass email out saying that anyone found using the exploit will have gold and items taken away from them. Then just take the stuff but don't delete the account because of peoples stupidity, hackers, botters and gold farmers should be banned because they should know better but someone using an exploit doesn't think their going to get banned for doing it because so many other games have exploits and they haven't gotten banned from other games for using them.
It's really amazing to the people who try to hold the MMO developers and producers to ridiculous standards, but don't worry in the slightest about applying those same standards to themselves.
Here's an idea. Apply to yourselves the same principles of conduct that you want the game companies to apply.
When you log in, you agree that you won't use exploits and hacks. You also agree that if you use those, your account will be suspended or cancelled.
Then you start playing, someone tells you about an exploit, which you immediately begin to use, even though you know (or strongly suspect) that it is in violation of an agreement you just made 5 minutes ago. You also know that in a competitive game this will give an advantage over other players who don't learn of or use the exploit.
Then the developer catches you and your friends and suspends/cancels your accounts.
Then you complain that the publisher is behaving unfairly or conducting bad customer service.
You agreed to the terms of use, then violated that agreement. You tried to give yourself an unfair advantage over other players who paid just as much as you to play the game. You got caught. Explain to me again how the Publisher is the party in the wrong here? They're the ones who stood by their word, and are acting on behalf of their honest customers.
If you insist on cheating, play single player games. No one is going to take Halo 3 away from you for applying a hack to make your guns hit harder.
That was not aimed at the OP. I have no idea whether he cheated or not, but if there was a widely used exploit that helped earned gold, and his guild had a lot of gold... odds are someone out there was using that exploit. Think of a guild like a corporation. If you're the guild leader, you're responsible for the actions of everyone in your guild, like a CEO is. If you've got morally bereft people in your guild, whose fault is that, Funcom's or yours?
It's a pity that you're getting a slow response on your request for re-instatment. It could be that they know you have ill-gotten gains, and their struggling to figure out what to do about it.
Isn't using exploits considered cheating? Which is punishable by banning? The same as buying gold in other games? Sure, they need to fix it, but the person that discovers it needs to report it, not abuse it.
Edit: grammar.
I agree its bad judgement to use exploits but I mentioned 2 games and exploits in them. The devs just fixed them and didn't ban people. People who buying gold, hacking and botting aren't exploits in the game. If Funcom know about the exploit then they should fix it as quick as they can, treat it like a software company treats vulnerabilities in their software. Sure most people are going to see expoits and use them, most of those people wouldn't bot or hack because they don't think they're going to get in trouble for using an exploit in the game. They just figure in the next update i'll be fixed and they won't be able to use it anymore. I'm guessing Funcom didn't know about the exploit before the game went live? If they did thats even worse. The exploit should have been found and fixed in the beta process, if it was from a new update after the game went live then I don't know what to say.
I hear you, but at the very least, if not banned, the in-game gold / items / levels that were gained as a result of the exploit needs to be removed / deleted / cleared.
I could agree with that. After they fix the exploit and see the people who were using it they send them an email saying we're going to take X amount of gold from you because you used it. Or they should send a mass email out saying that anyone found using the exploit will have gold and items taken away from them. Then just take the stuff but don't delete the account because of peoples stupidity, hackers, botters and gold farmers should be banned because they should know better but someone using an exploit doesn't think their going to get banned for doing it because so many other games have exploits and they haven't gotten banned from other games for using them.
So if everyone in your village is killing people and you have the bad luck of shooting your neighbor just as the local constable walks by he should let you go, because you killed someone in another village just last week and didn't get caught? Sorry, but that's what I would call 'dubious logic' at best.
There's a simple rule of thumb that most people should try to apply when it comes to any potential moral quandry: Would you be ashamed to tell your grandmother about what you're doing? If the answer is yes, don't do it.
*****************
Is there a way to snippet just part of someone's post? I didn't really want all that other junk, just Guintu's.
"The reality of the poor in America isn't the difference between The Haves and The Have Nots, it is the difference between The Haves and The Have Lots."
Who cares, this game is shit anyway.
Ok you're a moron. Maybe you didn't realize that the first part you criticized was me saying I'm not trying to get unbanned HERE
There, it's in large underlined letters for you now, jackass. I've gone through the appropriate channels to dispute their decision. Why would I come on MMORPG.com's forums to dispute my ban?
You tool.
There's a simple rule of thumb that most people should try to apply when it comes to any potential moral quandry: Would you be ashamed to tell your grandmother about what you're doing? If the answer is yes, don't do it.
*****************
Is there a way to snippet just part of someone's post? I didn't really want all that other junk, just Guintu's.
Thats a bad analogy. Ok here is a better one. If a 15 year old kid is found drinking a beer should he be put in jail for the rest of his life even though he's under age and its illegal? Or because someone is a drug addict should they be treated the same as someone who is a murderer and be given life in jail? Drugs are illegal and the addict knows it but he's not a dealer. Theirs different levels of wrong activity, ones that are harmful to people and activity that isn't. Sure this could effect the world in the short term, but once the exploit is fixed and money is taken from their characters things would go back to normal and they would either have to play the game legally or leave the game forever.
Like that?
I'll put this one to rest, the individual was not banned because they pooled their guilds gold together on one account.
All individuals who were banned for gold related issues were banned on the 27th of May.
As for the specific reason as to why a specific account is banned, that is between the account holder and Funcom and not for public discussion.
*EDIT for clarity
The point is, that it is Funcom who does not discuss the specific details of an account with the public.
*End EDIT
While I'm at it I'll also add that no one was banned merely for having X amount of gold on a character. A far more exhaustive review was conducted than the conspiracy theorist would want you to believe.
And let the conspiracy theories continue...
Respectfully,
Adam "De`Valos" Young
Lead Database Administrator
Funcom Inc.
No, my grandmother is dead, she wouldn't care.
Guess that makes everything I do all right now, doesn't it?
That is the most assinine statement I have yet to hear, and it appears to come from some dipshit that claims to be a Funcom employee. If this really is a Funcom employee, it shows a distinct lack of professionalism and judgement, and reflects very poorly on Funcom. It appears that, rather then explain/defend their actions, their sole purpose is to silence their detractors. If this is a Funcom employee, this response reflects non-existent customer relations skills, as it basically translates to "STFU".
Unless you have a non-disclosure statement signed by yourselves and the other party, Funcom cannot prevent that other party from going public and discussing the issue at question under US law. And, as the original poster is a US citizen, US law prevales, not Norwegian law.
And for a non-disclosure agreement to be enforceable in court, there must be an exchange of consideration, that is, you must give up something in consideration of the other party not disclosing your actions.
My suggestion is, that if you wish the parties you banned not to talk about your actions, you should pony up $1,000 to each party as consideration for signing a non-disclosure contract. There, now you have some free legal advice from a US lawyer.
Take you feeble attempt at censorship and shove it where the sun don't shine.
That is the most assinine statement I have yet to hear, and it appears to come from some dipshit that claims to be a Funcom employee. If this really is a Funcom employee, it shows a distinct lack of professionalism and judgement, and reflects very poorly on Funcom. It appears that, rather then explain/defend their actions, their sole purpose is to silence their detractors. If this is a Funcom employee, this response reflects non-existent customer relations skills, as it basically translates to "STFU".
Unless you have a non-disclosure statement signed by yourselves and the other party, Funcom cannot prevent that other party from going public and discussing the issue at question under US law. And, as the original poster is a US citizen, US law prevales, not Norwegian law.
And for a non-disclosure agreement to be enforceable in court, there must be an exchange of consideration, that is, you must give up something in consideration of the other party not disclosing your actions.
My suggestion is, that if you wish the parties you banned not to talk about your actions, you should pony up $1,000 to each party as consideration for signing a non-disclosure contract. There, now you have some free legal advice from a US lawyer.
Take you feeble attempt at censorship and shove it where the sun don't shine.
Ok? So regardless if it is Funcom rep or not. You are saying that the poster(the acclaimed Funcom rep) is saying that they are asking the banned to STFU or is he saying that he as a Funcom rep can't go into detail?
You pick. If you pick the latter one, I don't give much for your lawyer skill, sorry.
I'm so broke. I can't even pay attention.
"You have the right not to be killed"
That is the most assinine statement I have yet to hear, and it appears to come from some dipshit that claims to be a Funcom employee. If this really is a Funcom employee, it shows a distinct lack of professionalism and judgement, and reflects very poorly on Funcom. It appears that, rather then explain/defend their actions, their sole purpose is to silence their detractors. If this is a Funcom employee, this response reflects non-existent customer relations skills, as it basically translates to "STFU".
Unless you have a non-disclosure statement signed by yourselves and the other party, Funcom cannot prevent that other party from going public and discussing the issue at question under US law. And, as the original poster is a US citizen, US law prevales, not Norwegian law.
And for a non-disclosure agreement to be enforceable in court, there must be an exchange of consideration, that is, you must give up something in consideration of the other party not disclosing your actions.
My suggestion is, that if you wish the parties you banned not to talk about your actions, you should pony up $1,000 to each party as consideration for signing a non-disclosure contract. There, now you have some free legal advice from a US lawyer.
Take you feeble attempt at censorship and shove it where the sun don't shine.
My hat goes off to you... Conspiracy Theory +1
I believe you've misinterpreted what was stated. And that is in part due to how it was presented, my apologies for not being more precise.
At no point did I state that the end user could not openly discuss their viewpoint of the events. The point is, that it is Funcom who does not discuss the specific details of an account with the public.
With that said, there is also no guarantee that I represent Funcom nor that the OP was ever a customer.
So assuming I am a Funcom employee, and that I am correct in my statement that no one has been banned for gold related issues since the May 27th downtime through the 1st of June. Also, taking into account the OP reports he was banned for pooling gold on the 31st. One of us is mistaken.
Respectfully,
Adam "De`Valos" Young
Lead Database Administrator
Funcom Inc.
*edit typos abound
Guintu,
Let me take away the analogy, because you didn't grasp it.
Just because you violate the EULA in one game and don't get caught, doesn't give you the right to violate it in some other game, with no fear of reprocussion.
The analogy wasn't the severity of the crime, it was the context in which it was committed.
Comprende?
***************************
De Valos's original post was pretty obvious.
That is the most assinine statement I have yet to hear, and it appears to come from some dipshit that claims to be a Funcom employee. If this really is a Funcom employee, it shows a distinct lack of professionalism and judgement, and reflects very poorly on Funcom. It appears that, rather then explain/defend their actions, their sole purpose is to silence their detractors. If this is a Funcom employee, this response reflects non-existent customer relations skills, as it basically translates to "STFU".
Unless you have a non-disclosure statement signed by yourselves and the other party, Funcom cannot prevent that other party from going public and discussing the issue at question under US law. And, as the original poster is a US citizen, US law prevales, not Norwegian law.
And for a non-disclosure agreement to be enforceable in court, there must be an exchange of consideration, that is, you must give up something in consideration of the other party not disclosing your actions.
My suggestion is, that if you wish the parties you banned not to talk about your actions, you should pony up $1,000 to each party as consideration for signing a non-disclosure contract. There, now you have some free legal advice from a US lawyer.
Take you feeble attempt at censorship and shove it where the sun don't shine.
My hat goes off to you... Conspiracy Theory +1
I believe you've misinterpreted what was stated. And that is in part due to how it was presented, my apologies for not being more precise.
At no point did I state that the end user could not openly discuss their viewpoint of the events. The point is, that it is Funcom who does not discuss the specific details of an account with the public.
With that said, there is also no guarantee that I represent Funcom nor that the OP was ever a customer.
So assuming I am a Funcom employee, and that I am correct in my statement that no one has been banned for gold related issues since the May 27th downtime through the 1st of June. Also, taking into account the OP reports he was banned for pooling gold on the 31st. One of us is mistaken.
Respectfully,
Adam "De`Valos" Young
Lead Database Administrator
Funcom Inc.
*edit typos abound
Either way the post is pointless. It doesn't give any specific information, and it's broad enough so that you're not tied to a damn word you say but created in a way that makes you look like you're in an authoritive position to give your 2 cents.
Regardless.. people should not be banned for exploits. Everyone on this thread that says "Oh cheaters should be banned" exploiting isn't really a cheat... especially if it came in the original code that the developers produced. They made their game that way, so they shouldn't get pissed if someone finds out they screwed up an otherwise mundane detail.
It's like if before a basketball game the NBA puts a trampoline in the paint of a basketball court. During a game 2 people might use the trampoline to slam dunk. The NBA "OH no thats cheating, kick them out of the game!" The player. "Well why is the trampoline on the court in the first place?"
Blame funcom, don't blame the player. Unless he's using a 3rd party program it's absolutely NOT his fault whether it's gold, or an XP exploit when killing a monkey, or if he found an exploit to fly on a magical pink pony, if they put it in the game, he should be able to use it.. THE END. If Funcom doesn't like it.. fix it you idiots!
Ok, You're either:
A.) An Imposter that doesn't work for funcom and is just trying to kiss up on these boards
B.) Trying to do damage control for your bad policies
or
C.) Totally clueless as to how your other departments are operating over there.
I've made multiple attempts at correspondence with Funcom in regards to this permanent suspension, and not once have they gone into exacts. Let me take you through it, Mister Lead DBA.
Exhibit A.) I get a generic (looked like copy/paste) message in-game from GM-Nemesis saying that I'm being banned for exploiting. I attempt to reply, but I am just kicked off of the server quickly, without any detailed explaination.
According to other guild leaders that have been banned, they have a similar encounter.
Exhibit B.) I attempt to communicate with funcoms dispute service THREE TIMES NOW, and every time it's just a generic message back with NO DETAIL WHATSOEVER on the reason for the permanent suspension, and NO DETAILS OF ANY CURRENT INVESTIGATION.
So, Adam, why don't you fess up, and stop BS'ing everyone.
It's too bad you don't have your overly-aggressive forum moderators on these forums locking every thread with a piece of dissent for your game. All your official forums are is a billion kids saying "I'm canceling my account!" then you click on it and the body says "To WoW!".
Yeah, you guys love to leave those genius threads open. Do you really think the playing public doesn't see you guys locking and closing every bit of dissent? Do you think people don't see that as sneaky and deceptive?
Talk about attempting to silence the public. You guys are nothing new, and you will go down because you can't lock every thread on the internet, and moreso, you can't fix all of the holes and problems with your game and reverse public opinion before the free 30-days are up.
The only thing missing now is Funcom announcing AOC is being bought by SOE and going on the station pass.
EDIT: and as a final word, I'd like to say this thread was fun, but I'm sure it will be closed soon once funcom contacts the MMORPG.com staff and advises them to close it to prevent any damage to their business relations. We know Funcom has to keep their staff on the prowl to vehemently squash any negative press at this crucial stage in their game.
So it was fun while it lasted. Made it to 20 pages.
Ok, You're either:
A.) An Imposter that doesn't work for funcom and is just trying to kiss up on these boards
B.) Trying to do damage control for your bad policies
or
C.) Totally clueless as to how your other departments are operating over there.
I've made multiple attempts at correspondence with Funcom in regards to this permanent suspension, and not once have they gone into exacts. Let me take you through it, Mister Lead DBA.
Exhibit A.) I get a generic (looked like copy/paste) message in-game from GM-Nemesis saying that I'm being banned for exploiting. I attempt to reply, but I am just kicked off of the server quickly, without any detailed explaination.
According to other guild leaders that have been banned, they have a similar encounter.
Exhibit B.) I attempt to communicate with funcoms dispute service THREE TIMES NOW, and every time it's just a generic message back with NO DETAIL WHATSOEVER on the reason for the permanent suspension, and NO DETAILS OF ANY CURRENT INVESTIGATION.
So, Adam, why don't you fess up, and stop BS'ing everyone.
It's too bad you don't have your overly-aggressive forum moderators on these forums locking every thread with a piece of dissent for your game. All your official forums are is a billion kids saying "I'm canceling my account!" then you click on it and the body says "To WoW!".
Yeah, you guys love to leave those genius threads open. Do you really think the playing public doesn't see you guys locking and closing every bit of dissent? Do you think people don't see that as sneaky and deceptive?
Talk about attempting to silence the public. You guys are nothing new, and you will go down because you can't lock every thread on the internet, and moreso, you can't fix all of the holes and problems with your game and reverse public opinion before the free 30-days are up.
The only thing missing now is Funcom announcing AOC is being bought by SOE and going on the station pass.
EDIT: and as a final word, I'd like to say this thread was fun, but I'm sure it will be closed soon once funcom contacts the MMORPG.com staff and advises them to close it to prevent any damage to their business relations. We know Funcom has to keep their staff on the prowl to vehemently squash any negative press at this crucial stage in their game.
So it was fun while it lasted. Made it to 20 pages.
As I've stated, Funcom does not discuss an individuals account with the public. Assuming you are who you say you are and are innocent, contact Funcom via official means at:
Game account or subscription issues - account@ageofconan.com
Then there is the EULA which states a customer's account can be terminated at any time without reason. It's called the right of refusal of service and is at the discression of the any company to refuse service so long as the basis of such refusal is not on the basis of religion, sex, political preference, or some other means of discrimination.
Baseline, I seem to recall you mentioning having an issue with having to run back and forth from point to point being a gripe with MMOs:
"killing 50 million deer, bears, rabbits and taking the 40 minute hike back to the quest giver"
Perhaps that was your downfall?
Adam
That is the most assinine statement I have yet to hear, and it appears to come from some dipshit that claims to be a Funcom employee. If this really is a Funcom employee, it shows a distinct lack of professionalism and judgement, and reflects very poorly on Funcom. It appears that, rather then explain/defend their actions, their sole purpose is to silence their detractors. If this is a Funcom employee, this response reflects non-existent customer relations skills, as it basically translates to "STFU".
Unless you have a non-disclosure statement signed by yourselves and the other party, Funcom cannot prevent that other party from going public and discussing the issue at question under US law. And, as the original poster is a US citizen, US law prevales, not Norwegian law.
And for a non-disclosure agreement to be enforceable in court, there must be an exchange of consideration, that is, you must give up something in consideration of the other party not disclosing your actions.
My suggestion is, that if you wish the parties you banned not to talk about your actions, you should pony up $1,000 to each party as consideration for signing a non-disclosure contract. There, now you have some free legal advice from a US lawyer.
Take you feeble attempt at censorship and shove it where the sun don't shine.
My hat goes off to you... Conspiracy Theory +1
I believe you've misinterpreted what was stated. And that is in part due to how it was presented, my apologies for not being more precise.
At no point did I state that the end user could not openly discuss their viewpoint of the events. The point is, that it is Funcom who does not discuss the specific details of an account with the public.
With that said, there is also no guarantee that I represent Funcom nor that the OP was ever a customer.
So assuming I am a Funcom employee, and that I am correct in my statement that no one has been banned for gold related issues since the May 27th downtime through the 1st of June. Also, taking into account the OP reports he was banned for pooling gold on the 31st. One of us is mistaken.
Respectfully,
Adam "De`Valos" Young
Lead Database Administrator
Funcom Inc.
*edit typos abound
Either way the post is pointless. It doesn't give any specific information, and it's broad enough so that you're not tied to a damn word you say but created in a way that makes you look like you're in an authoritive position to give your 2 cents.
Regardless.. people should not be banned for exploits. Everyone on this thread that says "Oh cheaters should be banned" exploiting isn't really a cheat... especially if it came in the original code that the developers produced. They made their game that way, so they shouldn't get pissed if someone finds out they screwed up an otherwise mundane detail.
It's like if before a basketball game the NBA puts a trampoline in the paint of a basketball court. During a game 2 people might use the trampoline to slam dunk. The NBA "OH no thats cheating, kick them out of the game!" The player. "Well why is the trampoline on the court in the first place?"
Blame funcom, don't blame the player. Unless he's using a 3rd party program it's absolutely NOT his fault whether it's gold, or an XP exploit when killing a monkey, or if he found an exploit to fly on a magical pink pony, if they put it in the game, he should be able to use it.. THE END. If Funcom doesn't like it.. fix it you idiots!
Assuming NBA players are constructed like the rest of us humans they have feets. Is it ok to kick the basketball?
I'm so broke. I can't even pay attention.
"You have the right not to be killed"
That is the most assinine statement I have yet to hear, and it appears to come from some dipshit that claims to be a Funcom employee. If this really is a Funcom employee, it shows a distinct lack of professionalism and judgement, and reflects very poorly on Funcom. It appears that, rather then explain/defend their actions, their sole purpose is to silence their detractors. If this is a Funcom employee, this response reflects non-existent customer relations skills, as it basically translates to "STFU".
Unless you have a non-disclosure statement signed by yourselves and the other party, Funcom cannot prevent that other party from going public and discussing the issue at question under US law. And, as the original poster is a US citizen, US law prevales, not Norwegian law.
And for a non-disclosure agreement to be enforceable in court, there must be an exchange of consideration, that is, you must give up something in consideration of the other party not disclosing your actions.
My suggestion is, that if you wish the parties you banned not to talk about your actions, you should pony up $1,000 to each party as consideration for signing a non-disclosure contract. There, now you have some free legal advice from a US lawyer.
Take you feeble attempt at censorship and shove it where the sun don't shine.
My hat goes off to you... Conspiracy Theory +1
I believe you've misinterpreted what was stated. And that is in part due to how it was presented, my apologies for not being more precise.
At no point did I state that the end user could not openly discuss their viewpoint of the events. The point is, that it is Funcom who does not discuss the specific details of an account with the public.
With that said, there is also no guarantee that I represent Funcom nor that the OP was ever a customer.
So assuming I am a Funcom employee, and that I am correct in my statement that no one has been banned for gold related issues since the May 27th downtime through the 1st of June. Also, taking into account the OP reports he was banned for pooling gold on the 31st. One of us is mistaken.
Respectfully,
Adam "De`Valos" Young
Lead Database Administrator
Funcom Inc.
*edit typos abound
Either way the post is pointless. It doesn't give any specific information, and it's broad enough so that you're not tied to a damn word you say but created in a way that makes you look like you're in an authoritive position to give your 2 cents.
Regardless.. people should not be banned for exploits. Everyone on this thread that says "Oh cheaters should be banned" exploiting isn't really a cheat... especially if it came in the original code that the developers produced. They made their game that way, so they shouldn't get pissed if someone finds out they screwed up an otherwise mundane detail.
It's like if before a basketball game the NBA puts a trampoline in the paint of a basketball court. During a game 2 people might use the trampoline to slam dunk. The NBA "OH no thats cheating, kick them out of the game!" The player. "Well why is the trampoline on the court in the first place?"
Blame funcom, don't blame the player. Unless he's using a 3rd party program it's absolutely NOT his fault whether it's gold, or an XP exploit when killing a monkey, or if he found an exploit to fly on a magical pink pony, if they put it in the game, he should be able to use it.. THE END. If Funcom doesn't like it.. fix it you idiots!
Assuming NBA players are constructed like the rest of us humans they have feets. Is it ok to kick the basketball?
Feet are needed to play basketball and YES they can use them. It's a discrepancy yes, but they aren't kicked out of the game for it.
If you look at it, you may as well accuse Funcom of stealing. He bought the game, he played it and the content that Funcom provided. Then after taking his money they banned him from a game he purchased and played according to their programming. It doesn't matter that he bought the game, and still had his time left, and its not that he'll get reimbursed for it. It's a completely raw deal-- getting banned for an exploit. Thing about exploits is, sometimes you don't even know you're doing them.
Hell it's Funcoms game they can do whatever they want with it. But it's bad business. Its obvious they don't know how to handle a successful game, why it's successful I can't really say, it's all in the customers perspective.
Ok, You're either:
A.) An Imposter that doesn't work for funcom and is just trying to kiss up on these boards
B.) Trying to do damage control for your bad policies
or
C.) Totally clueless as to how your other departments are operating over there.
I've made multiple attempts at correspondence with Funcom in regards to this permanent suspension, and not once have they gone into exacts. Let me take you through it, Mister Lead DBA.
Exhibit A.) I get a generic (looked like copy/paste) message in-game from GM-Nemesis saying that I'm being banned for exploiting. I attempt to reply, but I am just kicked off of the server quickly, without any detailed explaination.
According to other guild leaders that have been banned, they have a similar encounter.
Exhibit B.) I attempt to communicate with funcoms dispute service THREE TIMES NOW, and every time it's just a generic message back with NO DETAIL WHATSOEVER on the reason for the permanent suspension, and NO DETAILS OF ANY CURRENT INVESTIGATION.
So, Adam, why don't you fess up, and stop BS'ing everyone.
It's too bad you don't have your overly-aggressive forum moderators on these forums locking every thread with a piece of dissent for your game. All your official forums are is a billion kids saying "I'm canceling my account!" then you click on it and the body says "To WoW!".
Yeah, you guys love to leave those genius threads open. Do you really think the playing public doesn't see you guys locking and closing every bit of dissent? Do you think people don't see that as sneaky and deceptive?
Talk about attempting to silence the public. You guys are nothing new, and you will go down because you can't lock every thread on the internet, and moreso, you can't fix all of the holes and problems with your game and reverse public opinion before the free 30-days are up.
The only thing missing now is Funcom announcing AOC is being bought by SOE and going on the station pass.
EDIT: and as a final word, I'd like to say this thread was fun, but I'm sure it will be closed soon once funcom contacts the MMORPG.com staff and advises them to close it to prevent any damage to their business relations. We know Funcom has to keep their staff on the prowl to vehemently squash any negative press at this crucial stage in their game.
So it was fun while it lasted. Made it to 20 pages.
As I've stated, Funcom does not discuss an individuals account with the public. Assuming you are who you say you are and are innocent, contact Funcom via official means at:
Game account or subscription issues - account@ageofconan.com
Then there is the EULA which states a customer's account can be terminated at any time without reason. It's called the right of refusal of service and is at the discression of the any company to refuse service so long as the basis of such refusal is not on the basis of religion, sex, political preference, or some other means of discrimination.
Baseline, I seem to recall you mentioning having an issue with having to run back and forth from point to point being a gripe with MMOs:
"killing 50 million deer, bears, rabbits and taking the 40 minute hike back to the quest giver"
Perhaps that was your downfall?
Adam
Ok Adam. Here's all of the emails thus far, since you're so adamant in trying to convince the community that you actually tell your customers exactly why you banned them:
Email from funcom #1:
Greetings,
Your account, sepelionz, has been PERMANENTLY suspended for violating
the Rules of Conduct and/or End User License Agreement (EULA). Your
actions include but are not limited to:
Exploiting
Your account is suspended until further notice. Should you wish to
contest this decision or have any questions regarding the suspension,
please reply back to this email without changing the subject.
--
Regards,
Funcom Customer Support
http://www.anarchy-online.com
http://www.ageofconan.com/
http://www.funcom.com
My Response which went unanswered still:
I don't understand why this account was banned. I am the guild leader of this guild, we've all been pooling gold to my character to further the city. Now someone has to be promoted to leader if I am unable to play this character, preferably one of the Ambassador ranks (officers).
We grinded our butts off in Keshatta to get our city to where it was, and it's clear that a bunch of enemy guilds on the PVP server petitioned a lot to get me banned off because of how far ahead we are.
This permanent suspension is a mark against funcom though, and I will be very vocal, as will my guild of more than 100 on vent. This will be a serious dent to funcom.
After a day of no response, one more attempt by me to find out specifics, another email, now to another address suggested from other banned guild leaders:
I am the Guild Leader of a prominent guild on Deathwisper, The ßox (in-game Sepelion). We are over 100 members and friends strong, all of whom chipped in to forward our guild city. I had a lot of gold given to me by the guild members, and I was sent a generic ban message.
I believe this to have been done wrongfully, as many others have reported on the forums. My guild is now at a stand still unable to access all of our harvested resources on my characters storage, and they also lost their architect with a lot of their coin invested in my character.
Please investigate this ban and see where the coin came from. You will see that it all came from a plethora of players giving me transactions usually ranging from 20 silver to 3 gold, with some officers rounding up gold from all of the lower members and trading me larger sums.
To which I received what looks to me like an automated response, unless the GM's are in zombie mode:
Greetings,
Thank you for submitting your request to Funcom Customer Service.
There is no need to reply to this message right now. This mail simply confirms that your ticket has been created and assigned an ID of [Funcom Support #1000127252].
Please include "[Funcom Support #1000127252]" in the subject line of all future correspondence about this issue. Alternatively, you may reply to this message.
Regards,
Funcom Customer Service
To which I have made my final reply because you guys are content on beating around the bush and your game seriously isn't worth it:
Would you please reply with something more than a generic response? Have you conducted your investigation yet to see that all of the gold I had was from small transactions from guild members giving me all of their silver? Go look at their accounts and see how they are all broke, all 70+ guild members.
I'm really disappointed in this whole ban first because I have a lot of gold, ask questions later approach. It's 2 days now that I've been locked out of your game for this flawed and unfair policy.
To Devalos, Yes you have the right according to the EULA to ban someone and deny them the service.
If you are a Funcom employee and I was your boss I would fire you right now. That type of attitude stinks, MMORPG's rely on people subscribing for a long time due to their investment in the game. You have just displayed the attitude that SOE had with SWG.
You have just made my mind up not to subscribe at the end of my thirty days, I will not pay a company that has these sorts of business practices.
And the moral of the story goes, you guys just banned a bunch of people without any real reasoning. It's across many forums now.
I wouldn't have even bothered this much if I didn't feel like I was robbed of $50 bucks. You MMO companies get away with robbery these days.
I'm done here. Your unprofessional attitude in this thread is a credit against Funcom, and I hope to see you working at the nearest Burger King next month.
Adios.
Looks like you have a ticket registered for your complaint and have yet to receive an official response. You've received confirmation from Funcom that your email was received and will be processed. So then you were banned on the 31st of May and this is the 1st of June, perhaps there are a few other customers ahead of you in the queue to receive support?
My apologies you are dissatisfied with the time required to give your email proper review and that other customers might have submitted a support request prior to you.
Adam