Topic: EA = Killdozer (Read 7958 times)

Bongo Bill · « **Reply #40 on:** January 01, 2012, 11:37:40 PM »

Unfortunately for Beat Bandit, this discussion isn't about whether the game is well-designed, but about the other factors that may or may not mean that playing it is a bad decision.

I've heard stories of administrative abuse on other EA products, and in my Expert Analysis* formed as a result of Exhaustive Research**, I would say that the problem is that they grant their moderators too much power and discretion without giving them sufficiently clear guidelines; additionally, I would hazard a guess that the incentive structure used for them is based primarily on measurement of problem users reprimanded rather than on the accuracy of the reprimands. It's not merely a matter of isolated cases poor judgment on the part of the GMs, but an institutional structure that causes those who possess poor judgment to feel more comfortable acting on it. If I were an EA exec, that's where I'd start looking.

I'd call it growing pains but I'm not confident that EA's management is competent enough to fix it ever, due to some combination of dysfunctions. Especially considering they've created a situation where being banned from the game locks the user out of managing their account.

* lay intuition
** hearsay

Bal · « **Reply #41 on:** January 02, 2012, 01:02:21 AM »

The bigger issue is that gamers are unsubtle, quick to anger, and do not forgive. TOR was walking on thin ice as a WoW style hot-key MMO with a license that, honestly, reduces many people's interest in the product these days. Now it's that god awful thing that robs you if you have what would be a normal general chat conversation in WoW. I'm sure the game will survive, but they're not getting that WoW money like they want, that's for damn sure.

Ziiro · « **Reply #42 on:** January 02, 2012, 01:16:05 AM »

Okay so here's the deal

Any customer support these days is contracted out and at this point I think it should be obvious that EA does not give a shit nor has ever given a shit since they've been legally required to have customer service

So they've been using the same Digital River shitheads that they've been using for years (You know, those assfucks who charged people 20+times for Warhammer Online subcriptions in one month), and keep dropping to the lowest, worst bidder to save every fucking penny. They don't care about the bad press because they have Star Wars nerds who will take any shit just to play the Star Wars MMO. They have people like Beat Bandit to be their apologists for them. They don't care. They don't even pretend to care because it matters that little.

In the end you're getting buttfucked by EA not giving a shit that their CS people don't understand what is or isn't exploitative mechanics. Same with Origin. And EA FIFA12 being extremely vulnerable to hacking on Xbox. And eating your favorite studios.

Brentai · « **Reply #43 on:** January 02, 2012, 01:23:16 AM »

I get the feeling nobody would give a shit if not for the "can't cancel, lol" thing.

Shinra · « **Reply #44 on:** January 02, 2012, 01:41:10 AM »

Or if EA didn't have a long, long fucking track record of overreacting to minor offenses and lifetime banning people for them. This has been going on with Origin for the last year and was even happening pre-origin with people getting banned from accessing their DLC for doing shit like complaining on the EA forums. I think the real issue here is that we can't just brush this off as "they're getitng over the hiccups of running an MMO", not just because they have a long history of doing this shit, but also because they've run other MMOs before and should fucking know better.

This is not a minor problem and it is not going away, and I for one don't want the constant threat of being banned and losing everything permanently because a GM is having a bad day.

Pacobird · « **Reply #45 on:** January 02, 2012, 07:38:41 AM »

Quote from: Bal on January 02, 2012, 01:02:21 AM

The bigger issue is that gamers are unsubtle, quick to anger, and do not forgive. TOR was walking on thin ice as a WoW style hot-key MMO with a license that, honestly, reduces many people's interest in the product these days. Now it's that god awful thing that robs you if you have what would be a normal general chat conversation in WoW. I'm sure the game will survive, but they're not getting that WoW money like they want, that's for damn sure.

This, basically. I think it would be funny to get banned for being too good at the game, but not if EA's going to rob me to do it.

I'm sure it's a perfectly fine game; such quality means we'll see private servers that much more quickly.

Büge · « **Reply #46 on:** January 02, 2012, 10:14:06 AM »

So that's where all those crooked WoW GMs went.

Malikial · « **Reply #47 on:** January 02, 2012, 10:35:44 AM »

I'd like to note that every person I've seen banned has been doing something stupid and the statement that you can't cancel your subscription if you've been banned is both correct and incorrect. Yes, you can't log in to do it, but your subscription is automatically cancelled the next business day after you are banned.

TA · « **Reply #48 on:** January 02, 2012, 11:01:42 AM »

http://www.swtor.com/legalnotices/roc

Quote from: Section B

6. You may not engage in any conduct or practice that results in an Account containing items, objects, currency, character attributes, rank, or status that are inappropriate for the level or rank of the character contained in the Account, i.e., "item loading,".

7. Conduct prohibited shall include, without limitation, arranging, making or accepting in-Game transfers of items to a character without adequate in-Game consideration, thereby augmenting or aggregating items in the transferee character's Account and having the effect of increasing its value for purposes of an out-of-game Account sale.

This is kind of psychotic.

Misha · « **Reply #49 on:** January 02, 2012, 11:35:56 AM »

This seems like a bunch of rules that would be trivial to enforce with gameplay mechanics. Don't most games already have items that cant' be used by low-level characters and areas that you can't get to without prerequisites?

TA · « **Reply #50 on:** January 02, 2012, 11:42:44 AM »

Yeah, but this also includes having too much money. And giving stuff to your friends, or your alts. Maybe your level 20 can't use anything that a level 20 can't use, but your 50 could certainly buy the very best level 20 gear and send them to him.

Hey, Misha, I looted that space widget you were saying you really wanted. Normally sells for 50 space gold, but I'm not really saving up for anything right now so you can just have it since you're a pal. Oops, we're both banned.

Büge · « **Reply #51 on:** January 02, 2012, 12:00:18 PM »

HAVING BADWRONGFUN IS A BANNABLE OFFENSE

Ziiro · « **Reply #52 on:** January 02, 2012, 12:12:27 PM »

It's of their belief that you shouldn't even be holding them.

Kayin · « **Reply #53 on:** January 02, 2012, 12:44:25 PM »

This is such a tragic failure of game design. :| That is all.

Büge · « **Reply #54 on:** January 02, 2012, 12:50:07 PM »

Not so much bad design as it is bad administration.

TA · « **Reply #55 on:** January 02, 2012, 12:55:52 PM »

Well, a game that is broken wide open by a Level Suck person having access to their Level Awesome alt's stack of cash is a badly designed game too.

Ziiro · « **Reply #56 on:** January 02, 2012, 01:05:54 PM »

Do items in SWTOR not have level requirements or something?

Joxam · « **Reply #57 on:** January 02, 2012, 01:33:46 PM »

I think that in TA's hypothetical "I got banned because I sent stuff to my alt" situation the big question is what constitutes "adequate in-Game consideration". I think having a level awesome character quite plainly would, as you have put in the time to grind out the levels on someone else already.

The problem we seem to be having here is a disconnect form what people are actually being banned for and what people could hypothetically be banned for. Now I'm not saying that I agree with EA or even think these 'hypothetical' situations are stuff that they wouldn't ban you for, they are EA after all, I'm just saying that its pretty par for the course as far as MMOs are concerned.

You forget that admitting to using auctioneer in WoW is still to this day a bannable offense?

And I have personally been warned in WoW numerous times for my language, despite the fact that I never swear AT people, just in conversation, and that seems like all they're doing for offensive names and swearing so far(warning people). Unlike in, say, World of Tanks, where an offensive name can have you banned until you put in a support ticket to have it changed.

As I already stated, the dude that was banned from the first link was apparently gaming the system by using friends on the opposing faction to cheat PVP. I don't see how anyone could argue that something like that shouldn't be a bannable offense.

Rico · « **Reply #58 on:** January 02, 2012, 01:42:34 PM »

Quote from: Joxam on January 02, 2012, 01:33:46 PM

You forget that admitting to using auctioneer in WoW is still to this day a bannable offense?

No Google results for WoW auctioneer ban, nothing in Auctioneer's FAQ....

Ziiro · « **Reply #59 on:** January 02, 2012, 01:47:45 PM »

Remember kids. Star Wars Galaxies taught us something: Exploit early, exploit often.

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Author Topic: EA = Killdozer (Read 7958 times)