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Actions Taken Due to Member Agreement Violations

On February 14, over 800 accounts which repeatedly violated the PlayOnline Member Agreement were permanently banned from PlayOnline. The users of these accounts would form groups to monopolize the hunting spots of notorious monsters (NM). They also repeatedly performed harassment and MPK actions against other players. Grief tactics, including harassment, are listed in the PlayOnline Member Agreement as violations and are not allowed for any reason. Also, interfering other players' game play in order to monopolize monsters which spawn in hunting spots is not allowed. Based on the above, we have taken strict actions against players who have violated the PlayOnline Member Agreement. If you become a victim of harrasment, please make a GM Call and report the issue directly to a Game Master. Your understanding and cooperation will help us provide the best experience possible to our players. Thank you!

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Farewell, Toms
# Feb 15 2005 at 2:52 AM Rating: Decent
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6,424 posts
On Bismarck there was a group of Stroper Chyme campers called the Toms (Tomaa,Tombb, ...,Tomgg). I haven't seen them after the 14th... to bad, I wanted to kill more of them... (managed to get a bat to agro on Tomee, but he pretended it wasn't there... big mistake, because he ran to a chyme pop, and linked half the bat population in the tunnel :) I guess he deleted the bat and beetle monster files, so he wouldn't target them.
Too bad for me :(
# Feb 15 2005 at 2:38 AM Rating: Decent
Too bad I have allready quit the game :( Sounds like loads of improvements are being made but too late for me.
gil sellers
# Feb 15 2005 at 2:29 AM Rating: Default
i was levling in dunes when crased hapen with rng after what i heard what was goin on i went to check to see if anything was going om with emp and to my suprise no one was there to bad i was low lvl at the time or i woulda camp it


55 sam 31 war 37 nin 20 rng 23 thf
Warning For The Living
# Feb 15 2005 at 2:27 AM Rating: Decent
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366 posts
Multiple friends and ls mates of mine died in the server outage. Fortunately I wasn't synthing when it went down (I had been 30 seconds before). I know a lot of people lost AH bids, lots on items, battles, levels, etc. in this massive outage. Great...SE caught a few of the gilsellers, my server is plagued with them...it needs a few more flea baths.

It would have been nice to have warning for the living...if they had sent a message to the accounts not being banned that they were about to shut down the whole server. That would have been nice.

As far as I know I was the first player to log on in windy after it happened...it was quiet. I was the only one in my LS and I realized that my DSL was not being goofy again. Within minutes other LS mates were on again and saying that they'd read this announcement. We thought perhaps bots might be thinned out too...but within minutes there were more bots in Windurst than actual players. Darn...such a letdown.

I also doubt that we're going to see the inflation disappear, Kujata is full of it, the remaining gilsellers will get their buddies back in (my ls noticed a lot of new characters who are either really weird mules or the gilsellers reborn within an hour of the outage). Much as I'd love to pay reasonable prices for things, I don't think I can expect it ever.
yay!(sort of)
# Feb 15 2005 at 2:14 AM Rating: Decent
Dress is still in Ordelles on Midgardsormr ; ;
RE: yay!(sort of)
# Feb 15 2005 at 2:48 AM Rating: Decent
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391 posts
God I hate Dress. Are the Binfins still around?
Woo!
# Feb 15 2005 at 2:13 AM Rating: Decent
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655 posts
It's awesome to see that SE has indeed been listening to thost GM calls about gil sellers, MPK, etc.... I wonder how many of those people who posted threads that complained about the GMs saying "We're currently looking into this situation" are eating their words now, lol

Of course SE probably won't get them all, and they probably never will totally rid the servers of gil sellers, but 800 accounts is an impressive start.

I did the math, if each account costs 12 USD per month, SE just sacrificed near 10,000 USD PER MONTH, not counting any additional characters they had... 10,000 that's pretty sobering to think about.

Kudo's SE, I'm glad to see this major crackdown, and I hope it sends a very clear message to current or prospective gil buyers.

EDIT: Saw the post I'm quoting from after I initially posted

Quote:
You only have one playonline ID and they can just go get another copy and start all over again and probably will...


Sadly, you're probably right, but at least it will take time for them to level these jobs up again to be able to camp the NMs... and besides, SquareEnix has just set precedent for this to happen again, so we could see more massive bans if they continue... while I doubt SE's actions will cause cannotlinkto to shutdown, I certainly hope it will at least cripple them severely, if only for a little while.


Edited, Tue Feb 15 02:18:33 2005
the ban
# Feb 15 2005 at 2:06 AM Rating: Decent
Well I am on the Carbuncle server and really have not noticed anything different.Still have the same particular two groups of gil sellers that are still there.
And about the whole 20 characters per account that is true but only one maybe logged in at A time per account.So therefore all 20 of there characters are gone if they were on one account.
You cannot be logged in on the same account with two different characters on that account.I have accidently done it before have my account on PC and PS 2.Had already logged into PS 2 and forgot aobut it and then logged in on PC.My PS 2 gave error that another person had logged into the account...And I also know that they are talking about the account not the mule they really dont count those.You only have one playonline ID and they can just go get another copy and start all over again and probably will...
They really do need to do something about this that is why so many people have left...


Edited, Tue Feb 15 02:12:52 2005
!
# Feb 15 2005 at 2:00 AM Rating: Decent
hahahahahaha at least we get SOME compensation for our trouble :P
800 x 20?
# Feb 15 2005 at 1:29 AM Rating: Decent
21 posts
You have to also consider how many of these accounts had multiple characters on as mules and bots and the like. How many characters per account? 20? Multiply that by 800? Quite a bit, no?
bismarck
# Feb 15 2005 at 1:28 AM Rating: Decent
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477 posts
So far, Bmoboss and happydz still exist. If enough people on bismarck say something about these very annoying 24/7 emperor campers, maybe we thf's would have a chance to finally get one! ^^
RE: bismarck
# May 27 2005 at 10:07 AM Rating: Decent
19 posts
Yes i know them! But Finley and Anitalee are also suckers. The whole day at Valkurm for VE. But the gamemasters do nothing.
No chance against this gilsellers. they have illegal programs, so claim is too fast for every other user.

If you talk to a GM sometimes about these gilsellers, tell him, that Ryusei from Bismarck also has to say something about that matter.
Yay
# Feb 15 2005 at 1:22 AM Rating: Decent
Prettier Than You
*****
12,975 posts
It think that in the end, after all is said and done, they will have ended up getting most of the major gilsellers on most servers. I know on my server, (Gilgamesh) they nailed two clans that are 100% known gilsellers. The Hair clan and Bug clan. And thanks to Chinese New Year, we've had a nice little gilseller vacation recently. All I know is that at the time that the blackout on all the servers happened, I was camping Mee Deggi. Thank god I hadn't claimed him. I would have been screwed if I blacked out in the middle of the fight. @_@;
____________________________
Did you lose faith?
Yes, I lost faith in the powers that be.
But in doing so I came across the will to disagree.
And I gave up. Yes, I gave up, and then I gave in.
But I take responsibility for every single sin. ♪ ♫


Thank god I stopped playing MMOs.
Nice job SE
# Feb 15 2005 at 1:06 AM Rating: Decent
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107 posts
Out of curiousity I did a search for all of the people on Ramuh that I though SE might target. I searched for the angle clan, oo clan, and scribe/nutmeg. Each group or person was known for camping a certain NM or being an outright gilseller. To my surprise NONE were online. I was in complete shock. They are always online and I actually realized this ban might have done its job after all.
RE: Nice job SE
# Feb 15 2005 at 1:15 AM Rating: Decent
There'll always be a percentage missed, because of this or that technicallity. I personally havn't checked Bahamut servers' obnoxious LS hitlist, but I'm pretty sure they knocked away a couple of accounts or so. I'm content with that, seeing as perseverance, even in the face of such horrid idiocy, is a strong point of mine. But a little less resistance in trying to attain any item I may need, or need to help attain in the future, of course, is appreciated.

If anyone'd like to report anything on Bahamut Server, I'd like to hear the good news.
Good move
# Feb 15 2005 at 1:05 AM Rating: Decent
What this is, is SE showing that they don't tolerate harassment. Whether or not gilsellers are directly or even remotely related to the inflation of the economy, the fact that gilsellers felt like they had the right to hoard NM's and MPK players who tried to get spawns infuriated me, and a lot of other people.

Nobody really knows what the group farmers did with their things. We assume they sold it, but they could also have been controlling supply to increase demand and setting prices accordingly. This will no doubt have an impact on the economy of all servers, but it remains to be seen what impact, and how much time it will take.

I for one, say /cheer.
RE: Good move
# Feb 15 2005 at 1:21 AM Rating: Decent
'Very' nice point. It's unforunate that most of this thread probably won't bother paying attention to it. (If you've ever looked at the threads on an area or about a map or Crag Crystal location, you know why.)

To argue, I'd most definately say that, regardless the effect on the outrageously priced economy we all know and love, I'm pretty sure that if we could ask the competant half of FFXI that could follow what our discussion is based on, the players would be more than willing to accomidate for the loss in several gil points, here and there.
^ ^
# Feb 15 2005 at 1:02 AM Rating: Decent
hehe now i can get my gear for 58 ^ ^scorpion harnes hehe or kote
Not all Gil Sellers
# Feb 15 2005 at 12:55 AM Rating: Default
It wasn't all gil sellers, most of them were MPK'ers, so basically Gil sellers screwed you once again.
RE: Not all Gil Sellers
# Feb 15 2005 at 1:01 AM Rating: Decent
Oh please. Don't tell me you 'actually expect' them to be able to just nab everyone at once?

Like someone posted earlier in the thread, banning accounts left and right would, most likely, result in casualties. Instead of being patheticaly stupid about it, I'm sure a lot of players appreciate that they're taking their time with this.

'Everyone' gets a little screwed in every deal. There's just no denying that. So saying that the "gil sellers screwed you once again" is horribly unfair. If anything, the gil sellers got what was coming to them. And one at a time, they'll continue to. Sooner or later, hopefully, we'll have enough legit players to where Gil Selling will be almost out of date, and pathetic.

After all, Gil Selling wouldn't be a problem if no one bought any. Aside from that, though, we're hardly screwed.
so....
# Feb 15 2005 at 12:52 AM Rating: Decent
does this mean i can go kill argus or me deggi and not get grief or harrasers...haha i wish
800
# Feb 15 2005 at 12:46 AM Rating: Decent
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559 posts
While 800 is not a huge number spread out across 500000, you have to realize that that's about 26 people per server. We all know that every server has 3 or 4 notorious parties that everyone knows about.

They may not have gotten them all, but hopefully they got the big guns. =)
lame
# Feb 15 2005 at 12:45 AM Rating: Decent
Yeah props to them, they are doing something about the problem now that it's so big that it has caused a lot of people to quit
RE: lame
# Feb 15 2005 at 1:05 AM Rating: Decent
For some people, it's better off that way.

I mean, some people quit simply because they complain, but if you really crack-down what they're complaining about, all it is is their own incompetance. I say good riddance to those. And to the rare few percentage that this hit hard, we all feel sorry for, of course. But that percentage isn't high enough to make a fuss over, one would think.

Even in the real world, scamming and robbing someone of their money is still recoverable, so I'd imagine, this being a virtual world and all, they just started a new character.
yay!
# Feb 15 2005 at 12:41 AM Rating: Decent
Good to hear that SE is doing something. Not that t matters to me i am always broke :P
crash
# Feb 15 2005 at 12:39 AM Rating: Decent
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106 posts
The Ifrit server crashed and was down for about 5 minutes. I wonder if that was related. Maybe a little retaliation?... Were any other servers down or just Ifrit?
RE: crash
# Feb 15 2005 at 1:07 AM Rating: Decent
Same thig happened on fairy . entire server went down for 10 to 15 minutes . Bad part was there was an LS fighting Kirin as it happened and they all perished . Also I was helping a WHM AF3 PT when it crashed . we had just finished killing the NM and the WHM , Iam , was about to lot and we DCd . He lst his bell and item and he wasted so much time . I fely bad for him and if this was related , S/E should give some warning to these things .
RE: crash
# Feb 15 2005 at 3:45 AM Rating: Decent
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117 posts
FWIW, I've been told that if you lose an item like that (the bell, which is a pain to get), and it's the fault of SE (server problems), you can do a tech support GM call and they will give you another. I can't confirm this, as I've never tried it, but it couldn't hurt to ask...
RE: crash
# Feb 15 2005 at 5:17 AM Rating: Decent
That crash could have happened on purpose to detect bots.

They have a much diferent way of connecting with slight diferent packages sent.

and they did mention them.

Not much use making a ambush if everyone knows about it :\
RE: crash
# Feb 15 2005 at 1:42 AM Rating: Default
Wow... I'm sorry to hear that. Well Lucky me was sitting in Jeuno just BSing waiting for ZM5 to get going and Boom. it went out. After turning my computer off and on and checking my connections, then calling like 50 poeple I found out what happened. I think is great that the gil sellers have been busted... however I agree with the post up top. Price are gonna changelike crazy, but what we have to ask ourselves. Are we gonna truly be happy they're gone. All those high ticket Items we have. (Emp, LB, Etc) when we are done with them and ready to sell them... where is the Supply and Demand. So Im happy SE has done something about it... but Im not sure if I want it in the long run.
It's a small step, but...
# Feb 15 2005 at 12:29 AM Rating: Excellent
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1,392 posts
Heck, yes! I am just happy that they are publicizing what they are doing. This lets people KNOW that they are hearing them and that they are doing something about it. At least now people can't say that Blizzard is better than SE in this regard...

Also, whether it's a problem or not, SE publicly stating bans like this discourages new people from taking part in activities that violate the TOS.

Thumbs up for SE!
hahaha
# Feb 15 2005 at 12:28 AM Rating: Decent
all I can say is... ssswweeettt



*on pheonix we had a group called "The cats" all their names consisted of like catstail, catsteeth crap like that and they were constantly getting NMs that ppl needed the item for and would always MPK lots of players.*
RE: hahaha
# Feb 15 2005 at 2:31 AM Rating: Decent
Thetonka, the cats are still there >.> No clue how they escaped this..

On the bright side, Feier and Laifei are no longer around. Archer's Knives all around!
RE: hahaha
# Feb 15 2005 at 12:46 AM Rating: Decent
The Ls's (Lsfeifei, Lsgirl, etc.) and the notorious Kuangs (Kuangpeng, etc.) on Odin. Gotta do a /sea all on them and check if they're still there.
haha
# Feb 15 2005 at 12:17 AM Rating: Decent
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548 posts
well im jsut glad they finally did something

Kudos to SE i love you guys xD
800 total?
# Feb 15 2005 at 12:14 AM Rating: Good
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113 posts
think of 800 divided amongst all the servers... that's not much, but good for SE to start putting their foot down.

Edited, Tue Feb 15 00:19:16 2005
WOOHOO!
# Feb 15 2005 at 12:08 AM Rating: Decent
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202 posts
OMG. This game is about to get a lot better.
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